The Moonjacks - TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, Gabriel Ureno, from the garage punk/surf rock trio, The Moonjacks, recommends his advice for being a musician on the road. You can check out the tips below:

Tip #1. Pack Light But Bring What You Gotta Bring

This one is important, in our band the rule is a pillow, a blanket and whatever you can fit in a duffel bag and a backpack. See, a good amount of your time on tour is gonna be spent driving on the road and nobody wants to have their legs competing with extra clutter. There's also a lot of driving involved, to nobody's surprise. After a few hours the conversations run dry, your bandmates fall asleep and your spotify playlists just aren't hitting the same. For this reason i recommend a book, i lost my phone in the middle of a basin on tour one time and having a book saved my ass from hours of boredom. Really just bring the necessities . So if you insist on bringing your Switch, do it. Also snacks, extra chargers, earbuds, and deodorant. Please don't forget the deodorant.

Tip #2. Avoid Excessive Vices

Look man i get it, If you gotta hit the pookie you gotta hit the pookie. I'm not judging you. What's important is knowing your limits. Too many dudes go on stage high or drunk out of their mind thinking they're built different and it turns into amateur hour. Not everybody is capable of drinking a pint, smoking 2 blunts, eating a gel tab and then going right on stage and shredding like a god. Leave it to the professionals, and by professionals I mean us. No but seriously, don't get too zooted.

Tip #3. At House Shows, Ask For The Opening Slot

Picture this: Santa Cruz, California 2022. It's a chilly winter night in the backyard of a purple fraternity house. Some dirty long haired schmuck in a band is tripping his balls off from some shrooms he got from some sketchy college kid in a tie dye parka earlier that night. The backyard is packed to the brim with about 300 kids, they're screaming and jumping off the roof and making a loud mess the way you're supposed to at a Concert. The second band of the night is on stage singing bad "Frights" covers and playing 15 minutes past their allotted time slot. As the cover band hits the last chord of their final song, red and blue lights engulf the backyard. The cops are here. The Kids are running and the show is over. That dirty long haired schmuck was me and unfortunately my band was up third. Moral of the story is this - When you are playing out of town shows that aren't in a regulated club, ask for the opening slot.  

Tip #4. Prepare For The Bad Parts

Touring is an awesome experience and some of the most fun you'll ever have, but it's still work and sometimes work sucks. If you're on the road long enough something is bound to go wrong. Your wheels will take a shit on you, you'll get sick, you'll run out of money. Shows get cancelled when you're far from home, housing falls through and sometimes nobody shows up to your gigs. Even if none of the aforementioned occurs, disagreements among your band will happen. Harsh words may be said and hands may be thrown. Take some time apart to cool off, go outside to smoke a cigarette or take a walk. Prepare for the bad parts and accept that it's just a part of the game. As for your bandmates, remember they're your boys, gals, non binary pals. Whatever they are, they're yours and you're in this together.

Tip #5. Enjoy Yourself

Yeah it's corny and cliche but it's true. If you are on the road with your best buddies playing music in towns you've never been to then you are already doing more than 90% of bands ever will. Anybody that plays music will know that starting a musical ensemble outside of academics or church is hell. Rock and roll tends to attract a certain kind of person and unfortunately most of them never find the patience, time or people to turn their dreams into a reality. So recognize you're one of the lucky few and enjoy yourself!

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