Once again we check in with guest blogger Office. This time they talk about some tour experiences. They spent almost all of 2007 on the road with bands like Earlimart and Tigercity, which included great sold out shows at Brooklyn's Studio B and Manhattan's Mercury Lounge. The band is currently planning extensive touring for 2008......

It's very difficult to get on a good tour these days. Up-and-comers are put on a waiting list, so they can be added onto campaigns with bigger bands, gas prices soar, car troubles ensue, tour support funding is heavily guarded, and money from the promoter is scarce for each opening act....even if they are performing onstage right before a huge band. It's more about promotion at that point. "You should be thankful that your opening for us!", type of thing. A business game of leverage and experience.

Ironically, fans and friends will write us on the internet, asking our band basic questions like: "When are you coming to my town?" It gets awkward for us at this juncture, because most bands would love to perform anywhere, at any given moment.

Money really is the root of all evil, it seems.

As we approach a new era of gasoline prices and music business politics, bands need to plow through the chaos more than ever before, and really take the approach that "every show counts", no matter how many people are in the audience. The days of partying every night, trashing hotel rooms, riding around in a giant tour bus, and hooking up with groupies are over. New bands come and go on a daily basis. Live performance becomes the only legit way of creating a dialogue with your audience. One minute, you're a "buzz band", and the next minute, taste-makers and blog-core critics are hammering away at your measly existence in the musical landscape. It's very difficult, so taking the job seriously is the only approach that works. If you're energetic and inspired onstage, you'll be fine.

We offer a little touring list for 2008:

1. Drink as little alcohol as possible. If you're going to "party", make sure you don't have anything to do the next day. When you're drunk, you might think you're brilliant, but you're not. Just keep your celebration and performance separate. People don't pay money to see you fall apart onstage. I learned this in Denver a few weeks ago, when I mixed my medicine with a few beers. (Sorry, Denver!).
2. Get a GPS system for your car. It's totally worth the $250. It cuts down on the travel time, takes you right to your destination, helps you navigate throughout the night when you're tired, zoned out, and the rest of the band is asleep. It also prevents you from getting lost in a storm, and the tight clutches of mountain driving.
3. Don't call attention to yourself on the road (666 bumper stickers, Grateful Dead banners on the side of the van, or anything else that screams: "This vehicle is full of musicians!").
4. Sleep in as often as possible. Take "cat naps" before shows, or on the road.
5. Stop at a grocery store, if you can, and make sure you have fruit and healthy snacks in the van. Once you get pulled into the gas station diet, it becomes a difficult habit to break. That food is garbage, and loaded with chemicals, salt, and sugar. Your performances will suffer if you don't feed your body with real food. If there are no other options, buy bottled water and nuts, or granola bars. Cheetos and candy will ruin your music career!
6. If the band is tense, close your mouth, and don't add any more to the stress. Wait it out. I guarantee you will get better in a few hours.
7. Spend some quality time by yourself every day. Go for a walk after sound check, or when you wake up. Take some time to reflect, and not fill every minute of your day with talking to band mates, fans, friends, cell phone calls, or to people in other bands.
8. If an argument happens with somebody in the band, address it immediately. If they are stressed or hormonal, just accept it, and close your mouth.
9. Put your iPod on shuffle mode, and use all that time in the automobile to discover new music you don't normally listen to.
10. Get two hotel rooms, if you can afford it. One will be for the people who want to stay awake after a show. The other one will for those who want to sleep, or read.

S. Masson