Something You Whisper – TOUR TIPS

This new set of Tour Tips was written by Brian Shepherd, of the post hardcore band, Something You Whisper. You can check out their tips for being on the road, after the break.

1) Pack light but Smart! The more you tour the more you’ll realize the importance of bringing exactly what you need, nothing more, nothing less. Bring clothes for on stage and comfortable clothes for when you’re in the van! Bring a backpack or small bag for stuff you need while you’re in the van and a smallish travel bag for everything else that can be stored away while you’re on the road.

2) Have All Your Electronics In One Container. I can’t even begin to describe how many people lose their phone charger, iPod, USB, you name it! What I do is bring a Tupperware container, and but all my electronic accessories inside it. That way I always know where all my accessories are, and I’ll NEVER lose them. It’s also a great idea to bring an extra power bar and extension cord. When you’re in a venue sometimes the power options are limited, so it pays to be prepared. When you’re on the road outlets can be hard to find, if you bring a power bar, then everyone in your band can charge their devices!

3) Look Up A McDonalds Near Each Venue. The cheap food is a good plus, but that isn’t my reason for finding nearby McDonalds while you’re on the road. The reason being is to be able to use free Wi-Fi. It’s important to keep up to date with your social media, email, and personal lives while on the road. If you don’t want to kill your data making a quick trip to a McDonalds is a really convenient alternative.

4) Talk To Everyone. When you’re on tour, the best thing you can do is to talk and make friends with as many people as possible. It’s important to get into the habit when you’re starting out to talk with the promoter, the sound guy, the bartender, the opening bands, and everyone you can in the venue. By doing this you’re increasing the chances of being asked to come back, having a great crowd for your set, and hopefully the next time you come back playing to a bigger crowd.

5) Bring things to do! Being a band from Canada, we are used to extremely long drives. Even if the drives aren’t that long, there will be lots of time to kill at the venue. My band likes to bring a soccer ball to play keep up with and burn some energy after sitting in the van for a long time and play Cards Against Humanity on a long drive. When you’re on tour everyone needs some time to themselves, for those moments what I like to do is, download some new music or a TV show to get into while starting a new tour. Anything that you can do and keep to yourself will make much needed alone time fun!

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