Now is the time for change – Not business as usual!
By now the current state of affairs has become profusely clear...The music touring industry has...
Addiction: The elephant in the road; a lonely battle for connection in a disconnected world.
When we think of addiction, often we picture the stereotypical scenarios depicted on television,...
The Value of Specialization
I was 22 when I got my first tour, and there was no specializing for me back then. There was...
Let’s talk about SLEEP…all the good things and the bad things and what you really need.
How much sleep do you actually get in a night? In a week? In a month? In a year? You likely...
WARNING! hotel freak: uncensored advice from a neurotic pov.
Don't say we didn't warn you!... If you’re on tour you’ve no doubt anticipated the fleeting hours...
Surviving This Tour Life: a financial guide.
So far 'this tour life' has explored the many ways to manage both the physical and mental health...
The Mental Health of Tour Life. on and off the road.
The music industry is a very demanding field to work in both physically as well as mentally....
frequent flyer club: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Life on the road can ostensibly present endless images of adventure and a buoyant lifestyle....
Quick tour tip: bus stock, better choices on the road.
It can be tough to travel and eat well. When the time comes to make a list of bus stock foods on...
crew safety meeting…for real. being a safety conscious touring industry.
In light of recent events in the world (Brussels attacks), even more specifically in the music...
What the !@#$ is per diem exactly?
As touring crew traveling away from our homes to work we know we get per diem every week in...
Health and wellness on the road. Why you owe it to yourself.
After almost two decades of touring I was worn out, unhappy, unmotivated and generally...
The right tools for the job: Workbox essentials.
Choosing what to pack in a small workbox before you leave for a gig can be a little stressful at...
production manager.
We recently asked JJ Erlichman to describe what a touring production manager is and how they...
Quick tour tip: lost luggage
Arriving at your destination only to find out your luggage did not is one of the most...
the bus rules.
So, you've found yourself on a bus (coach) tour. Welcome to living in tight quarters with 10 other...
anatomy of a road case
We asked Circle Three Designs owner Christopher Shalhoub about road cases and how to make informed...
injury? R.I.C.E.
Please note that these "emergency tips" are for muscle or joint injuries NOT blood pouring...
Creating a light rider.
We asked our friend and colleague Eamonn Mckiernan (Lighting Designer/Director for bands such as...
Death & Taxes
Its tax season again, a time most of us dread- especially those of us who travel the globe for a...
shoulder bothering you?
Hello there, it is me again, Martina from fysio.com. Today I am gonna talk about shoulder...
de-tune before flying? no sir.
There has always been this running school of thought about the absolute need to de-tune guitars...
Creating an Input List
We asked our FOH engineer friend and colleague James Lawrenson, currently FOH for Foster the...
Quick tour tip: ‘dying of thirst’ water solutions to go.
Drinking water is essential to life and good health. We all know this to be fact. Clean water...
Tour tip: A better plan for using your phone internationally.
International cell phone roaming charges can quickly get out of control when touring abroad. Even...
Stageplotting
No it's not a book by Irving Welch about Scottish drug addicts, but it can be just as difficult to...
how to backline rider
We got a hold of Nick Norris, the east coast backline king, and asked if he had any pointers on...
how to TSA PreCheck.
U.S. airport security is one of the most frustrating points you will encounter during a day...
Laundry no laundry: washing your clothes on the go
Traveling for several weeks at a time can lead to crossing over not just different time zones but...
your back bothering you? fix your posture.
we asked Martina Plunger of fysio.com what we could do to help when our backs start getting sore,...
Tour tip: Pockets full of “shrapnel”. What to do with all that foreign change.
International touring can leave you with pockets full of unexchangeable coins. Holding on to it...
work agreement.
I think it's fair to say we all appreciate getting a gig and of course we all do the best we can...
take care of yourself: running
Being on tour is hard work and can do a lot of damage to your body. You might not realize that...
Jet lag is a drag: west is best, east is a beast.
One of the most difficult side effects of international travel is dealing with jet lag. Disturbed...
ready to travel?
Your bags are packed, check. Cell phone and charger, check. Clean underwear, check-ish. Passport,...
how to pack a suitcase.
whether you are getting ready for a bus tour or about to fly between every gig on a festival...
How to make a manifest for internationally shipping your gear
A Carnet (pronounced kar-nay) AKA "Merchandise Passport", is a document created for...
passport. renewing & adding pages.
did you know that you need to keep track of the blank pages in your passport? if you...
Tour tip: up to the challenge? get airline status fast.
Hop on the fast track to status One of the great benefits of flying all over the globe is accruing...
Quick tour tip: 2 valid passports. Yes it is possible…
Everyone knows that in today's day and age we need a valid passport to travel internationally,...
Learning to fly.
It seems the airlines, with all their cutbacks and mergers accompanied by a complete lack of...
Quick tour tip: airplane hacks
When low on battery power, most restrooms on planes have an outlet. 110v two prong outlet...
Loosen up
We all learn, eventually, that touring life can be quite rough on the ol' muscles, joints and of...
flying with instruments (rules, finally)
FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 SEC. 403. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. Sec. 41724. Musical...
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