Gimme a quick survival guide. Tomorrow I'm headin up to MTL to practice and although I have the material solid, I'm a tad nervous and I need to know what you guys do to survive the long drives and shit.
You guys that have gone on tours before.
- Thread starter Chryst Krispies
- Start date
PhilTheBeard
"The Beard"
Dude bring lots of baby whips with you and gold bond. and a huge bag of brand new socks getting rot foot on tour because you dont have new socks sucks ass. and just the essentials like your own shampoo and new toothbrush and shit. and you can get a lot of that stuff at target in the small travel size stuff for a buck each. and get your own toilet paper cause most metal venues are gross as fuck and have sand paper toilet paper. and raw ass also very much sucks on the road to.
egan.
daylightdies.com
deanbailey
O.C.D Member
+1 on the tooth brush for everyone! If you're stuck in a minivan or tight car with your band, the smell of alcohol on the breath of your musicians the next morning is enough to kill yourself. Carry a bottle of water (a lot) because you'll need it for the smellier guys if you're in the middle of nowhere across the country. Oh and for drinking too.
- Toilet Paper...anything can happen.
- Lots of different albums because listening to the same four albums can drive you crazy. Plus when you're back home and you want to listen to those albums again, it will bring back that alcohol breath you remembered.
- Extra padlock w/ keys.
- Torch (extra batteries)
- Extra conveyor belt and jumpers. Unless the vehicle is in great shape.
more might come to me later
- Toilet Paper...anything can happen.
- Lots of different albums because listening to the same four albums can drive you crazy. Plus when you're back home and you want to listen to those albums again, it will bring back that alcohol breath you remembered.
- Extra padlock w/ keys.
- Torch (extra batteries)
- Extra conveyor belt and jumpers. Unless the vehicle is in great shape.
more might come to me later
PhilTheBeard
"The Beard"
And a hydralic jack for your trailor and or van. and maybe a spare battery just incase. and we had a few ac converters so we could hook up our computers and video game systems so we wernt bored at all in the car.
egan.
daylightdies.com
and it goes w/o saying you should have a guitar tool kit and plenty of strings batteries and a spare strap or 2.
Are you on a bus or a van?
Are you on a bus or a van?
dan weapon
Planet Smasher
Some absolute essentials and general suggestions:
- toothbrush as has been said and mouth wash. Sometimes you might not have access to a sink so mouth wash is a good alternative.
- huge +1 on socks. Maybe loads of cheap trainer socks before you go and chuck out after one or two days.
- Assuming you all have ipods: when on the road each band member take it turn about to choose either an album or ten song play list so no one hogs the stereo.
- batteries/phone/ipod/everything chargers. Goes without saying.
- spare strings/leads/picks. Kinda obvious but the amount of times a bandmate of mine has forgotten them....
- pillow/sleeping bag.
- toothbrush as has been said and mouth wash. Sometimes you might not have access to a sink so mouth wash is a good alternative.
- huge +1 on socks. Maybe loads of cheap trainer socks before you go and chuck out after one or two days.
- Assuming you all have ipods: when on the road each band member take it turn about to choose either an album or ten song play list so no one hogs the stereo.
- batteries/phone/ipod/everything chargers. Goes without saying.
- spare strings/leads/picks. Kinda obvious but the amount of times a bandmate of mine has forgotten them....
- pillow/sleeping bag.
Well all the strings and batteries I'm all set for.
I'm in a huge 16 passenger van or some shize.
My buddy hooked me up with some Cosmic Squad, Andy Timmons and Shawn Lane CD'S so I'll be set musically. No way I'm listening to metal on the road hahah
Chargers. Okie.
Undergarments check.
Thaks for the input guys.Definitely bringing my camera too!!!
I'm in a huge 16 passenger van or some shize.
My buddy hooked me up with some Cosmic Squad, Andy Timmons and Shawn Lane CD'S so I'll be set musically. No way I'm listening to metal on the road hahah
Chargers. Okie.
Undergarments check.
Thaks for the input guys.Definitely bringing my camera too!!!
EerieVon
Member
Deus.exe
BBQ!!!
Spare guitar!
You don't want to be into the first song when a string breaks and then haveing everyone wait for you to change strings or worse. Isn't right Gavin?
You don't want to be into the first song when a string breaks and then haveing everyone wait for you to change strings or worse. Isn't right Gavin?
DanLights
Santa Hat Forever
for sleeping in the bus, I just put a spare shirt in my face and bye-bye me, but I guess a sleeping mask would be better lol
hell yeah never though of that, an old school rpg! Although I do tend to socialize a lot when I ain't sleeping. I do sudokus sometimes too, really makes time fly for me
fade_2_black
Member
Toothbrush, multiple pairs of earplugs, and if youre doing long drives, take an eye mask thing, whatever theyre called - the things that you wear on planes and shit to sleep when its light.
Take as much as you can that will comfort you - ipod, laptop, etc.
Take as much as you can that will comfort you - ipod, laptop, etc.
EerieVon
Member
unisom (OTC sleeping meds), I dont know about you but I cant sleep for shit in a vehicle, or while others are partying around you
DanLights
Santa Hat Forever
Some people seem to find it easier than others, I remember reading somewhere that mike aekerfeldt had toured so much he wanted to get a cd with ambient road noise and bed vibration since he got so used to sleeping on a bus.
of course, take into account he surely has a bus with actual beds and not just reclinable seats (or normal van seats) like most of us have to cope with
Emdprodukt
Member of Dude Castle 69
medicine. every kind. really. the shit you're eating on tour most of the time can fuck up your stomach really fast
vespiz
Mixing!
A few things to remember (might be obvious to some).
- If you can sleep while travelling, say in a bus, always sleep with your feet first.
- No guitars in the cabin while travelling. Could be just urban legend, but I heard someone get decapitaded in an accident by a guitar. There are small travelling acoustic guitars which are fine.
- If you can sleep while travelling, say in a bus, always sleep with your feet first.
- No guitars in the cabin while travelling. Could be just urban legend, but I heard someone get decapitaded in an accident by a guitar.
There are small travelling acoustic guitars which are fine.
EerieVon
Member
I think I'd be able to cope with a rice comfy bus with bed racks just fine--a place to actually sleep and get some alone time. The 3 times I did it on the US east coast we were all in a big dodge van, all cramped together for hours on end, I'd say we had a flea bite motel room on average 2 out of 7 days a week--it sucked and almost caused the ruin of our band
HandsOfDespair
Member
Wear earplugs.
Wear earplugs.
Wear earplugs.
Seriously, wear earplugs if you don't wanna get fucking tinnutus, that shit is so annoying.
Wear earplugs.
Wear earplugs.
Seriously, wear earplugs if you don't wanna get fucking tinnutus, that shit is so annoying.
