Shinobi Ninja – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the rock band, Shinobi Ninja, give you their tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1) Always carry an extra pair of kicks and a pair of flip flops. The extra kicks always come in handy for matching different clothes and as a backup in case your mains get ruined somehow(happens often). The flip flops will save your feet from the horrors of hotel carpets and shower floors and are also great to have when the weather is nice. -Alien Lex

2) Always bring an extra instrument. Something may happen to your main axe and it may even happen on stage. Having a backup on the road is crucial. Be comfortable with your backup and play it often. It will serve you well in your time of need. -Alien Lex

3) Save space in your bag for new additions but pack smart. Thrift stores are loaded with great shirts, jackets etc, and your gonna need room for em, but you won’t find me buying used pants, socks or underwear so pack tons of that from home. -Alien Lex

4) When you roll into a new town, no matter how big or how small, find a cool place to go and meet people to bring to your show. I’ve met some lifelong friends this way, and many of their friends as well. -Alien Lex

5) Do nice things for your bandmates. Come thru for them in the clutch. They will come thru for you too. -Alien Lex

6) Nobody likes a disorganized, unprepared guitarist. That shit causes problems, yo! Keep two guitars set up like a dream (perfect intonation, no electrical problems) in their hard cases standing upright in the trailer in front of the axle. During load-in, leave the cases in the green room for 30-45 minutes and let them get used to the environment (air temp and humidity) before bringing them to the stage so they don’t warp like a banana and ruin your beautiful setup for the rest of the tour. Keep your pedalboard assembled and tidy to the point where all you have to do when you get to the stage is unwind and plugin – this is usually 3-4 cables, all plugged into the board, ready to make their way to your guitar, amp, and stage power, respectively. If this takes you more than 2 minutes, you’re fired! Same goes for your guitar amp! Lastly, you want to deliver perfection to your band and the engineers at the same time – keep your stage volume un-obnoxious and minimize and extra steps in your setup procedure. Lately, I’ve been using my Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister Deluxe 40 head, which doesn’t even need a guitar cabinet! I plug a mic cable into the back of that thing and I’m good to go into the PA and the monitors. After being satisfied with your own monitoring during soundcheck, let the band decide how much (or little) they wanna hear you, as well as the engineer at FOH. Keep from adjusting your settings too much after soundcheck, especially your master volume. DON’T FORGET TO SWEAT, HEADBANG AND SHRED! -Kid Shreddi

7) Eating – It’s very hard to eat right on the road. You’re driving through the night. Stopping at gas stations. Hitting Walmarts & Waffle Houses. You get your food in when you can. You might not have much time to eat the food either. You might be eating while bouncing around in the van or tour bus. My advice for eating the best you can is “squirreling”. Squirreling is a name we made up for taking food or drinks to go and saving it for later. If you get hungry, you always have your squirrel food. What food you squirrel is really up to you. Nuts, of course, leftover food from the green room at the venue you just rocked. Someone making some dope homemade food for you. You squirrel that and call upon those powered when you need it. Squirrel life!!! -Duke Sims

8) Smoking Weed – For us ninjas, we spend a lot of time together. The weed helps the vibes. We’re good people but anytime you spend all day with someone for months on end you need a buffer. Weed is that buffer. Weed is your friend. Sometimes it’s hard to get a good sleeping schedule while on the road. Weed is your friend. Sometimes your not hungry when you stop for gas or its the only time you have to stop for food before you drive for a ton of hours. Weed is your friend. -Duke Sims

9) – The invisible fan line – Fans are dope. We don’t even call our fans, we call them friends. The thing is, some friends may not actually know you. They just know you from the internet or music videos etc. These friends may come very close to you as if they’ve known you for years. But you’ve never seen them before. This is where the invisible fan line comes in. Draw that line. Be strong about that line. Protect your own personal space. Too many crazy friend interactions can be a lot when you’re on the road. Personal time is hard to come by. Use your line. It’s a tool. It can be very helpful. -Duke Sims

10) – Stay positive – No matter what is happening. Stay positive. The worst thing for anyone on the road is negativity. From you, or promoters or family back home. It doesn’t help. You’re on the road because you’re sacrificing and living your dream. It’s not easy work. It’s hard. It’s fun as shit but it’s hard. Every day is the same day. Wake up, Drive, load in, Rock, Loadout, Hotel, repeat. So stay positive. It’s contagious and the vibrations will attract good things and make your journey much more enjoyable. Much love & Blessings to all. Enjoy your tour. Enjoy your life. WE love you. Shinobi Ninja FTW!!! Rock Hood!!!! BK all day!!!! Bless Up!!! -Duke Sims

Keep up with the band on Facebook and Instagram!