Morningsiders – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the indie folk-pop trio, Morningsiders, recommends advice for being a musician on the road. You can check out the tips, after the break.

1. Tap into the network of band super-hosts
There are people scattered around America that *love* hosting bands. Smelly, tired, scatter-brained bands. Ask around for these people. Not only will it save you money, but it’s also a great way to see America. One time, we stayed with a woman in Nashville who lived alone in a humongous house with her three wackadoo dogs and a massive collection of modern art. Truly one of the most memorable places we have ever been. That being said, if you’re in a grueling stretch of driving or back-to-back shows, maybe spring for a hotel.

2. Eat light
For whatever reason, iconic local cuisine tends to be fried, sugary, or made up of copious amounts of meat. On a tour that took us from Texas then to Seattle, our diet in the first week consisted of breakfast tacos in Austin, BBQ by the pound in Central Texas, cactus burritos in San Diego, and chowder in San Francisco. By the time we reached Portland, Oregon, all we could muster were rice bowls with Green Goddess dressing. So, our advice to you and ourselves – pace yourself with the heavy food. Make a pact to eat healthily as a band, and make your splurges spare and meaningful.

3. Alone time
Being on tour is extremely socially stimulating – being on stage, meeting new people every day, and long car rides where you’re sharing 100 square feet with four other people. Before you know it, you’ve gone a week without having five minutes to your own thoughts. Plan alone time if the schedule allows. Institute no talking/no music breaks in the car. Book a hotel if you’ve been staying with people or AirBnB’s – you won’t have to interact with anyone before hitting the hay.

4. Beware sneaky timezone changes
Do you think you’re comfortably on time for soundcheck? Think again! Did you know that there’s a tiny corner of Indiana next to Chicago that is on CT, but the rest of the state is on EST? Did you know that most of Arizona doesn’t observe Daylight Savings Time?

That last one was actually a godsend one time driving from El Paso (CT) through New Mexico (MT) to Tucson (technically MT, but effectively PST in the summer). We were running an hour behind, so we were white knuckle until we passed through the Arizona border and saw our iPhone clocks had blessed us with an extra hour.

5. Flying is fickle
Plans can be delayed or canceled. If you are going to fly somewhere, try to get there two days before the gig. If you can drive there without too much pain, opt for that instead of flying.

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