Advice for Musicians

[Hemisaurus]

I think I covered that in the etiquette thread

[James1214]

What follows is a random collection of thoughts id pass on to a newbie who really wants to play gigs and tour



Don't take yourself too seriously, if you are too serious you just end up looking like a pretentious asshole, and whilst you may not be one, you come across that way.

Remember the golden rule, treat others like you wanna be treated, when on tour this is key as you need all the good karma and juju the universe can send your way because one bad moment can ruin everything.

You attract more flies with honey than vinegar.

ALWAYS be prepared for the worst case scenario and hope for the best, be it with gear (ie: extra strings, cords, cables, fuses, straps, picks ETC) the vehicle (again fuses, tools, canned tire repair foam, extra radio, get AAA road coverage, it is cheap and invaluable) your merch (bring more than you need on the road, nothing worse than selling out on the road, 5-10 days from home, imagine all the extra money you could have made)

Have a designated driver after gigs, DUI's are not to be fucked with. Rotate, also this person should sleep in the van as they will be more alert if it gets broken into (stolen gear is a huge bummer) again Rotate, so no one is left out (everyone gets a turn, being in a band is a TEAM effort.if you don't like it, too bad)

Its a good idea to switch drivers at regular intervals, when on a many hour drive between gigs, it makes it easier on all involved parties and again keeps the driver more alert, and being alert means being safer (van+gear+accident= potential for getting gear destroyed and people maimed or killed)

When on the road put a bucket for gas $ at the front of the stage after you play and take your gear off the stage WALK around with it and talk to every person in the bar, give them a sticker and ask for a buck or two, most people throw in 1 or 2 a few will put in 5 or 10, life is mo betta with mo money.

[black]

"...again fuses, tools, canned tire repair foam, extra radio..."

Ha!
I remember when I first met you (and the Damnweevils) in Mesa AZ at one of the last SHoDs and you were stoked on your Fix-A-Flat drug safe/stash dealy-o!

Oh yeah, thanks again for sharing the contents!

[Hemisaurus]

Never thought of a bucket for gas money,nice tip.

[VOLVO)))]

Id rather have a bucket of women's phone numbers. Im going to try THAT.

[matador_sound]

bass players and guitarists: make sure your guitar/bass is the same vertical distance from you when you're sitting down and standing up. most people practice sitting down. if your strap is too long, when you stand up, all your angles change. this has a very negative affect on your playing, and makes it generally a lot more difficult than it has to be.

to all musicians: buy some custom made musicians earplugs! these are molded to fit your ear canal, and has removable 9/15/25dB filters that you can swap out. I personally use some 15dB kind, and they work great. where these are better than your regular foam earplugs, there is no frequency cut in the upper range. foam earplugs tend to cut frequencies around 1500hz, and above. these custom earplugs have a flat frequency response across the range, and works using compression. it's basically like turning the volume down on life. they're expensive at $170 for a pair, but they last about 3-4 years, and if you run out of hearing, you can't buy more of that...instead, you're given tinnitus in it's place.....constant ringing in your ears every waking moment of the rest of your life.....be careful about that stuff.....