The road and another year gone...
It's a very cold and snowy day today. I decided to log onto my blog, which I realized today I never seem to post to anymore. I guess it happens. I find myself on Twitter and unfortunately Facebook. Also there are a few industry blogs and forums that I like to frequent.
Time seems to go by quicker each year. 2013 found me still touring, though not as much as the previous few. The guys in YES have been keeping me busy and 2014 is gearing up to be more so than 2013.
The music business is shifting on so many levels. Bands are making very little money selling their music. So touring is a means to make some real money and if they are lucky a living. The bean counters have really stuck there noses into the industry. Managers, accountants and even the bands themselves are cutting back on salaries offers. They are also pushing to cut back on the amount of people they hire and ask the ones they do to wear more than one hat.
This multi hat issue is not new. It has been going on with the younger and up incoming artists for some time. The problem is established and more well known bands are doing it more and more. For example they want the same person to do sound and road manage. Or they want someone to set up the band gear and handle the merchandise. Yet they only want to pay them the equivalent of one job or even less.
What this is leading to is the quality of work is suffering. Also I believe it will lead to safety issues as well.
As a fan it will effect you to a point. The quality of the product will go down. Say if you have an young inexperienced sound person mixing your favorite band and it sounds bad, you a not getting what you paid for. This will come back on the artist because "you" the fan may not be willing to pay your hard earned money to see them the next time around.
Labels: 2014, Band, Canada, North America, Progressive, Road, roadie, Roadies, Salary, Snow, Tour, Tours, Travel, YES
Days and Days
We are in the middle of four in a row. No wait make that three since we cancelled tonights show. Scott the bands singer is having a bit of vocal cord problems and needs to take some time off. It was decided since we had monday and tuesday off anyway canceling the show made sense. Sorry to the fans in Hartford.
It has been a couple of interesting days. One of them doing a show in Providence a venue that should just be flattened. The place had a bunch of sound and lighting that is old and just plain broken. The club owner just refuses to pay to fix anything. The place had a bunch of old LMI dimmers that they claimed buzz when they are used.
Friday's show was at a nice venue with a very small stage. It is basically a billards hall located downstairs which made load in fun for the stagehands.
Yesterday was spent in Albany New York doing another one of those "fun" radio station festivals. Twenty bands and two stages side by side. The worst part was the guys from production who were unorganized and we also had no help loading in or out.
So here we sit in Secaucus, New Jersey. I know you are asking why not in New York City? Well it is easier to park a bus here which many tours do. The area here at Harmon Meadow is well known to anyone who tours with a band.
It reality we are only about 5 miles from Manhattan. I am still trying to decide if I want to go into NY tomorrow. We are trying to get a new backdrop and set pieces made for the Canadian tour and I need to make it happen tomorrow. Time is getting short.
Labels: Finger Eleven, Roadies, Touring, Travel
One day at home
Yesterday was spent in Dayton Ohio doing a radio festival with nine other bands. These are always interesting. They can also be fun. Ran into some old friends who are working with other bands. There were many ladies show off their assets.
Today is a day off and it was decided that we would spend it in Rochester, which is where we are playing tomorrow. The good thing for me is that I live about 45 minutes from there, so I decided to come home for the day. Upon my early morning arrival I find that the lawn needs mowing, so I ended up doing some yard work today. So much for rest and relaxing.
We have just ten shows before the Canadian tour. I have been trying to get info from the Sum 41 camp regarding the lighting plot that they would like to use. It appears that I will be using their design which I can work with. I just need to see a copy of it soon.
Labels: Finger Eleven, Lighting, Roadies, Touring, Travel
Well that was quick
The break is over. Three days goes by really fast. Just like Monday I will spend most of tomorrow on planes flying coast to coast. It's back to Los Angeles and we all get back on the buses to continue the tour. Our next show is in San Francisco and the last date with Rage. Hopefully the crowd will be a little better behaved than they were last weekend in San Bernardino.
The Sacramento show on Sunday has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales. This gives us another day off which we will spend in Reno. There goes my per diem for this week.
It also looks like they are changing the venue in Minneapolis on the 25th. It was suppose to be at the Metrodome in the parking lot. I guess it will now be at the Myth. This is a smaller venue but we should be able to get most of the lighting system in there. This is probably a good thing since I suspect tickets numbers were not high enough to hold it outside at a large venue.
Just a couple weeks on this tour and it's on to another in September. I won't mention the band quite yet since I am still finalizing things with them. Let's just say I have been on tour with them in the past.
Also one thing I want to mention. The mining accident in Utah has caught my attention. I seems that nine more were hurt trying to rescue the six that have been trapped. That industry needs to start looking closer into the work conditions that these folks must deal with. This particular mine has had so many violations in the past yet they were allowed to remain open. Things to need to change.
Labels: Lighting, Rock The Bells, Touring, Travel
On the road again
It's off on another tour tomorrow. Fortunately my flight isn't until the evening. Everyone is flying into Providence even though we are starting the tour in Mansfield, Mass. I have a short trip but I connect in Newark, New Jersey.
It could be interesting, especially with the luck I have had flying this year.
Labels: Airlines, Airports, Travel
Another tour complete
36 hours at home and I still have the road on my mind.
I’m sitting here waiting to go to the dentist. I woke up in a great mood this morning and the day quickly turned bad. While I was flossing a piece of a molar broke off. I can’t believe it! I have excellent teeth; go to the dentist every six months. I was just there in March. I knew something was wrong though a week ago. The tooth just didn’t feel right and planned to make the call when I got home. Just glad it didn’t happen while I was on the road.
Looking back on the last five weeks. The tour was a success as far as the shows. Most of them were sold out and the band played great. I had the pleasure of working with three great crew guys. All of them total pros. We worked our Asses off and were tired all the time. We did have some fun and had a lot of laughs.
With that said, this tour was one of the strangest I have been on in a long time. If you know the movie Spinal Tap you will understand. I have mentioned it previously, some of the problems we had.
It looked like the last week would be fairly easy. Four shows in a span of six days. We got to the end only to have the last night become the biggest headache of the tour. It wasn’t a trailer problem this time, but a problem with the bus. We left Chicago around 3:30 am for a drive to Minneapolis for the last show.
I woke up around 7am to find us stopped on the side of the interstate. I knew something was wrong. The driver mentioned the transmission was overheating and downshifting. In my head I’m thinking there won’t be a show today and go back to my bunk.
Several hours later I wake up again and we have only traveled a short distance and find us in Rockford, IL. A tow truck is called and we end up at a truck service center. It’s now late morning and we find a truck to take the gear to Minneapolis. So you guessed it we transfer it in the middle of the parking lot. There is something very familiar about this task. Oh yea we did this four other times and usually on a day off. By this time we have it down to a science.
On this day I get left behind since there are four crew and only room for three. At first I am not happy about it, but then I think I can get some more sleep. We tried to get a passenger van for the band but no luck. The bus company we are using finds another bus in Chicago and my self and the band will ride on that. This is great except they tell us it will be a 2-hour wait.
Three hours later the bus shows up and we transfer all the bags over and off we go. We are about 5 hours from the gig and the show starts at 7:30 with Chantal. Our guys are to go on around 8:45pm. Not going to make it so the show is pushed back a half hour.
We make it and arrive around 8:20pm. Randy, our drummer joins Chantal for the last couple songs of her set. He has been playing with her the whole tour.
If we had been late the show could have still gone on since John has flown into Minneapolis that morning.
The unfortunate part was I didn’t have time to really go through the house lighting rig and also did not use the moving lights that we were carrying the whole tour. So the show ended up being very generic from a lighting standpoint.
It’s fine no one goes to see the lights anyway.
So it’s 10 days at home and then off to California for a one off late next week. We will be doing a couple of these during June.
Hopefully I will be doing a full tour starting in July. It will be something completely different from Five For Fighting. I am just waiting to get the confirmation.
Labels: Bus, FFF, Five For Fighting, Touring, Travel
Snow in Wyoming.......yep...that's what that is.
One week into the tour.
Where am I? I find myself in Wyoming at a hotel. There is no show here we are just passing through on our way to Kansas City. The next show isn’t until Thursday. We are coming in from Mormon country, aka Salt Lake City.
The tour is going well for the most part. The crew is exhausted however. Our days are long especially since we are all doing double duty or in my case triple. I actually sat down today to eat a real lunch.
We have done a couple of good venues and a few bad ones so far. The best venue so far is the Wiltern in Los Angeles, which of course is John’s hometown. The local crew there is also one of the best in the country.
I wish I had some pictures to post but I have only taken a few and none of the show so far. I’m not going to get into details about the last week, mainly because it is a bit of a blur.
We have three shows in a row coming up which include two in Texas. Next Monday we will be in Orlando at the House of Blues. If you are attending dress nicely since the show is being video taped. Five-camera shoot, which will be broadcast on a later date, on the Internet, I believe. Not sure when or what site.
We also found out the show in Louisville will be opening for Collective Soul. I have done shows with them in the past and they are a good band. The problem is a very small stage. SO I have decided not to use the lighting we are carrying and will just use what is provided.
There is also going to be a TV appearance on FOX in NYC, the morning of the Philadelphia show. Really looking forward to that, NOT! Up way too early and on a show day. Loading in at like 5am for a 9 or 9:30 performance. I believe this is the same show we did back in the fall. We have to then load out at 10am and drive to Phily.
So if the crew seems tired and punching that day you will know why.
I will try to post more, hopefully our internet connection on the bus will be repaired soon.
Labels: FFF, Five For Fighting, Touring, Travel
Coast to Coast
Looks like I will be heading to the west coast a bit sooner than I thought.
The tour is still scheduled to start April 17, of course I will head out before that. I just didn't think it would be this soon. Now I have to fly to LA on April 2nd and do a show with John and the band on April 3rd. This is not a show that is open to the public. It is a corporate show and for whom, I have no idea. It will take place south of LA in Orange County. I spoke to the venue's lighting tech today and I'm waiting on their house plot.
It is going to be a long couple of days. I will return the day after the show. Then turn around about 10 days later and fly back out there again. At least the snow will have stopped by then. We are actually getting another snow storm as I type this here in the Northeast.
The best part of all this flying across the country is the frequent flyer miles adding up nicely. I have almost enough for a trip to Europe. I really should use them to take a vacation to Hawaii.
Labels: Airlines, Five For Fighting, Touring, Tours, Travel
Have passport will travel
As we get into the groove of a new year, 2007 brings us some changes when traveling.
Starting tomorrow
Jan 23 United States citizens will need a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico by airplane. Starting next year, 2008, you will also need one when traveling by land or sea.
In my line of work this is no big deal, since I have had a passport for nearly 20 years. Actually for the average citizen it is a good idea to have one, especially if you travel. Of course now you can't travel without one.
Hopefully those people that only travel occasional will be aware of this.
On a personal level, the touring has slowed down again. This is not unusual coming out of the Christmas holiday season.
I have heard that Five For Fighting should be heading back on the road sometime in March. This was discussed at the end of our tour in November and I spoke to our road manager last week about it.
In case you missed it John and the guys were on the Tonight Show again last week. Peter Thorn who has toured and done some recording with John in the past, played with them. Nice to see him performing with them again. Pete is a very good player and nice guy. We actually see him from time to time while on the road.
Randy who has been the touring drummer since last summer did not play on the show. It was something about the Tonight Show and Canadian musicians and their work visa's. I don't know the details. In case you are wondering that was Jewel's drummer filling in.
The current single "World" is on a radio station near you. Make sure you request it and also vote for the video on
VH1 weekly countdown.
Labels: Leno, Passport, Travel
