Rockstar 102: AKA Everything I Thought I Knew About Being in a Band until I Went On Tour
Disclaimer: These opinions are not the opinions of any band members beyond myself, and any resemblance in beliefs or feelings of any band member, real or imagined, is purely coincidence, or is cited directly. Terms used often by fellow band members may be used, but this does not mean it came from them. It means I talk more like them now.
I have just finished my first “mini tour” with the band The Dark Clan, and it was an eye-opening experience. As in, my eyes were open for WAY too long. I thought I’d report the things I learned that I could have ONLY learned on tour. And in pure rockstar fashion, I think I can say that Vanilla Ice summed it up with “Stop, Collaborate and Listen.” (Have I mentioned that I seriously lack "cool kid cred"? Or a background in popular music? )
This next Post is Collaborate. This one is a little verbose.
COLLABORATE
- Collaborate on The Plan
I want to talk briefly about communication. Holy crap. It's the most important thing. Between you and your band members. Between you and the promoter. Between you and the other bands. Between your band and the venue. I'm lucky - I'm a newbie with a bunch of experienced peeps, so I can pretty much go where I'm directed.
And when Venue-Guy walks up to me and says, "Hey do you know if you [insert band and live music terminology here that I completely do not understand]?" I can say, "Talk to the man in the 10 gallon hat." (So, I secretly love saying that to someone and not be at a Country Western bar. Not that I would ever be at one anyway.)
But I'm constantly amazed by how much I don't know. For example, the term green room. Someone said there was a green room and I was like, "Great. I like that color." So, it is likely that there will be a few things that I'm completely unaware of about an event. Or that I have to check in. Or that I might get free drinks (wha? really? Cool!)
So, let me tell you that it is great when we discuss the event beforehand. When we know what order we're going in, how the door is going to be manned, and whether there will be a sound check or a line check. It is wonderful when we talk about how we're setting up the stage, and any last minute changes. It's even great when we talk about what we're doing AFTER the show, or on the trip. This helps planning. While I finish up bring in gear, Nic can go put on his special performance perfume. It makes everything easier to make happen in a
So I'm glad I'm with people who not only answer my many many MANY questions, but also feel free to tell me something I am not doing accurately or what the expectation of me is. FEEDBACK. Which will be another item on this list.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I'm just trying to clarify the things that I learned while on tour.
- Collaborate on Packing
First, this means help out. Carry shit in and out. Not even just your stuff. I learned to appreciate the weight of any number of large black things we need. Seriously, when people talk about being in a band, they do not talk about all the crap they have to load in. It doesn't fit in the rockstar image. But if I had a choice between a roadie and a bus driver, I'd go with the driver. Carrying your gear somehow makes it more...visceral of an experience.
I might change my mind on that if we made it huge and people wanted to carry gear for me. But I'll wait till then.
But secondly, I found that knowing what you have is important. The Amp is not Dan's gear, it is OUR gear. Without it, WE do not sound good. So if we forget it somewhere, that is bad for all of us. (and frankly, if you manage to forget your amp somewhere, it is time to get more sleep.)
I personally like to pay attention to my stuff for keyboards, and then in addition to several other pieces that I mentally always keep track of. The Grey bag. The snake. The DIs. Three stands, two garment bags, the merch container and Nic's windchimes. As time passes, I'll have a larger mental shelf to remember all of the items needed. But it's great for helping out with remembering for each other so the person who only got 2 hours of sleep is backed up by the person who got 5.
- Collaborate on Performance
This one is sort of three-fold. Inter-band collaboration, collaboration between bands on making it happen, and collaboration on stage within your own band.
Ok, so I have to say some of my favorite performances on this tour involved special guests on the stage. The Gothsicles inviting XuberX and Dan to join them, or XuberX inviting Dan. It was these moments that made me think about how great it is to have a community that really enjoys each other.
But in general, collaborating on performance really goes with the communication above and the plugging below. I'm amazed at all the efforts that people go through to set up a concert set of people, put everything together, market it, and then go through with it. It's an extraordinary amount of work to find venues, and then make them happen.
Further - it is nice to be able to work together on stage. Quickly, I'm finding that watching the other band members, taking cues from them, and grooving out dramatically in my own corner really adds to the fun. Now that my fingers are not shaking when playing, I can lean over and dance with Dan while he shreds. I can put a little more of ME into the moment. (Ironically, I think my experience with improv tribal bellydance may have given me a head start on watching for cues.)
- Collaborate by Plugging Each Other
I noticed that each band plugged the next one, and each band talked about how awesome the other bands were before them. Everyone was effusive with praise and thanks. They were happy to be there, happy people were there to listen, and glad that the other bands were there. People were pretty open about the performances, and thankful to those that helped out - the sound guy, the DJ, the bartender, the doorgal. The sound guy told us how awesome we were for bringing our own DIs. All in all, people are very appreciative.
And don't forget each other. I love hearing people talk about the awesomeness of their band members, and how they love working together.
It dawned on me that we are all in this really together. Some people will like one band more than another. But without the other bands, the event probably wouldn't have happened. We are driving through pouring rain and steel grey skies, bogs and cranberry country, and it is all because we love doing what we do. Because we enjoy the music, the performance, and the experience. Yeah - we are hoping to make money - for everyone involved. But chiefly, we are out there to share a piece of ourselves - and have a good time doing it.
Because if you're not having a good time - what are you getting?
It's the perfect time to reach out and work together on gigs, events, reviewing each other's stuff. Giving feedback, giving ideas, time and energy to each other. Because - much like the dancer community - we are our own audience. It isn't about being better than everyone else. It's about giving your best to what you do - and recognizing others doing the same.
It's interesting to listen to the music now that I know these people. It gives it breadth and personality. These are the people pulling for me, so I'm pulling for them. These seem like the times that build stories and legends. The "No Shit, There I was..." stories that you can't get any other way than living it, breathing it. If you remain separate from others, you can't build those sorts of memories.
Next post will have "Listen."