DO YOU WANT TO BOOK A DIY TOUR?
  HERE’S SOME ADVICE!

-Kai Kiernan

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Alex Dobrowolski had just walked off stage, leaving behind a pile of drums kicked onto the floor, a freshly faceless amplifier, a singer who took a microphone to the forehead, and their guitarist with his butt in a bucket of ice for some reason. Alex thought it was an intensely fun experience. In fact, they thought it was such a fun story, they were laughing like a hyena for 2 minutes straight after talking about it.

While flipping through a music magazine about one’s favorite acts, it would make sense that a reader would be living a life of thrills, travel, cathartic release, and freedom through those very same bands that brought them to read this magazine. Some of those readers might even be musicians. But why not cut the vicarious existence and start a DIY tour!

After speaking to more than a dozen independent musicians over the past 2 months, it appears there are 3 things to know before booking a tour in the east coast of the United States. Those 3 tenets of DIY touring are location, communication, and research.

LOCATION! 

“You’re not gonna make it to Georgia on a 2-day tour.  There is just no way. Even if you technically could, it’s just a bad idea” said a flabbergasted Jack McCann, the booker/ guitarist/ singer of a pop punk band based out of Philadelphia called Ready Now.

Jack, 21 years old, has booked 7 tours for this group between 4 weekenders, a 12-day tour that went as down south as Atlanta and as up North as Lake Michigan, 2 west coast tours, and another potential tour to Canada planned for the early Summer.

“You have to figure out the locations you want first, then you figure out how much time you can go out for, and then you look into the specific places, and the people in the places.” 

This thought was also shared by Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music Professor Chris Fletcher. One of her favorite things to recommend that new bands do, is to talk to the National Association of Collegiate Activities (NACA).
“NACA is great in the North East because it is where all the Ivy League Schools are… You can be in Pennsylvania and find yourself being able to play for 100s of schools… and they pay because tuition covers the cost.” She says.

Communication!

Joseph Kelly is a bearded singer/ guitarist for a band called Forever Losing Sleep. He speaks so softly that when this writer spoke to him last, there were four cats asleep on his bed, as he sat on the floor to not bother them. Joseph is a strong advocate of active listening.

  “It’s important to talk to other people you are going out with about what they want… If you want to sight see, say so. If you want to stay in one place and relax, the people you’re with should know”
 
He later went on to describe ways that communication had benefitted him and his band a great deal when they were out.
 
“If we didn’t have enough money, we would call up every chipotle or Qdoba within a 25-minute drive. We’d talk to managers in the most professional way that we could, and sometimes get free food in exchange for sharing the spot of Instagram and sending a nice email to corporate.”
   

Research

If there was a hypothetical round of family feud with the question “musicians always _________” research would be a 1-point answer. It would be the sort of answer that genuinely confuses Steve Harvey and his very well-groomed mustache.

Alex Dobrowolski, the drummer behind a Pennsylvania based Metal band called Sunrot, said “ look into DIY groups for everything”.

DIY groups are based in Facebook, with the occasional departure to websites such Dodiy.org, and smaller more regional pages. These pages exist for most cities in America, and are full of bands trading show announcements, and asking for bands to play or people to come see those same bands play.
 
Jack uses these pages as a powerful tool for getting to know a nonlocal music scene. “look up bands playing in the area with a following, and who are active. Look at where they play and take notes. Look at other bands on that bill and research them.”

“Talk to those bands. They know you mean business because you’re booking a tour, and if you’re nice, they’ll tell you what you need to hear.”
 
Research, communicate, and pick your places. That’s the start.