8 Ways To NOT Kill Your Band Members While On Tour

Ahhh… The road. What a magical and glamorous place for you and your band mates to shine. In his country music ode-to-the-road classic “On the Road Again,” Willie Nelson famously crooned, “the life I love is making music with my friends,” claiming he COULDN’T WAIT to get back on tour. Shouldn’t it always be like that? Just you and your friends out there earning money doing what you love?

The truth is, real life sets in pretty quickly once you get out on the road. Crowded tour buses and cheap hotels suck the glamour out of these grueling road trips pretty quickly.

You may all be perfectly lovely people when you see each other for rehearsal and meetings a few hours a week. But lifestyles, habits and much more can clash violently in a tour setting. And on top of all that, people who spend that much time together in cramped quarters just flat out get sick of each other. That’s why I’ve put together this helpful list of “8 Ways to NOT Kill Your Band Members While on Tour.”

1. Be prepared. This is rule number one because it’s kind of an overarching theme with the next seven. You don’t want to be out on the road already and realize you haven’t properly planned ahead. Start with this list and add your own items – but whatever you do, don’t get caught unprepared.
2. Pack a wellness kit. If you’ve followed my writing for any length of time, you know I’m a vocal health nut. If your most important instrument (your voice) fails on the road, the tour’s off. Simple as that. Health food stores and organic groceries aren’t as easy to find on the road as you might think, so make sure you pack a goodie bag with holistic remedies, healthy super foods and a juicer with organic fruits and veggies if possible. For more on this, check out my previous post on becoming a Vocal Road Warrior.
3. Pack some HearFones®. These plastic headphones give you the ability to rehearse at a soft volume so you won’t bother people close by, and they help you improve your tone and pitch because you hear EVERYTHING super clearly. One of the problems on tour is vocal fatigue – but with Hearfones you’ll be able to do your exercises without adding extra strain while blocking out all the other noise everyone is making around you. They are also great to use at rehearsal when your voice is worn out, as you won’t strain to hear yourself.
4. Create a schedule. On tour it’s important that you find time alone – to plan, to relax, workout, quiet reflection, to keep your sanity. If you can find a time when everyone is off the bus or out of your hotel room for at least an hour a day, you can utilize that time to take care of you. You’ll have a much better experience if you carve out alone time.
5. Set some ground rules. Many of these are common sense, but sometimes you just have to sternly tell the guitar player there’s no smoking on the bus or let the drummer know (in a not subtle fashion) that there’s a “no groupies” policy on the bus. Don’t be afraid to assert yourself as the leader. If you let a delicate road situation spiral out of control, there’s nobody to blame but you.
6. Do your research. Google organic and health food stores in each town, so you can stock up on or find fresh juices and salads (keeps your energy high for performance and keeps your body healthier avoiding burn out which is so common from touring – check out an app called Food Community from Nommunity.com). You can also research the best spots to “divert” your band members for a while – depending on their interests. This will help with the alone time mentioned in number four. With the wealth of information accessible on your smart phone these days, there’s really no excuse not to be familiar with your tour stop cities in advance. You can also check out Topspin – they have a number of great services, including a mobile touring application.
7. Make a “no complaining” pact. Complaining sucks the energy out of everyone. Have everyone sign a “No Complaint Contract.” And ask every band member to agree to present problems ONLY with proposed solutions, you’ll actually be getting somewhere. Then each member will take responsibility for each issue. Even if you don’t agree – acknowledge the thought that went behind it so you continue to encourage solutions instead of complaints.
8. Set regular meetings. Band meetings need to happen every day, at the same time, for the same amount of time – no exceptions. However, you have to be realistic and not plan this first thing in the morning when people will have been up late playing a gig. Everyone should be ready to participate in the early afternoon. I recommend a 45-60 minute meeting at noon or 1 pm, unless you really have a ton of items to cover. Have a designated leader (you) to lead the meetings and delegate duties. Everyone should be delegated responsibilities based on their strengths (keep everyone happy and well utilized that way).

Have you ever felt like killing a band member on tour? What kind of method led to cooler heads prevailing? Would love to hear your stories below.

©2012 Cari Cole, Vocal Mag, Inc. All Rights Reserved.