If there is one constant I see with young students, it’s the aspiration of touring the country playing music. Unfortunately, due to the current issues with the music industry, students seem to be willing to take whatever they can get. One of the first ideas they have, if they can’t be in a successful band, would be teching for a successful band.
So, to give a better understanding of what that job entails, I asked the tech for The Get Up Kids, and The Hold Steady for a view into that world.
What is your ‘job title’?
with the band i am working for now, The Get Up Kids, my titles are stage manager, guitar tech, backline tech.
What bands have you worked for / with over the years?
i have worked directly for Polecat Boogie Revival, The Flaming Lips, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T, The Hold Steady and The Get Up Kids.
before i went to working on the road i worked for promoters and venues for a few years and worked with many, many bands doing that during their shows that i was working. working like that on local shows you are generally there for the grunt work. pushing cases, carrying/moving heavy stuff, etc. you also get to learn plenty of other things while being a local hand so it’s not like it is just pure shit work.
What duties do you tend to have while on the road? iI understand that this may be a LOT of things.
what duties don’t i have? haha. i’ve done many different things, it’s all just what the band hires me to do for them. the thing to remember is that there are plenty of things to do that may not be “your job title” that you still end up doing. over the course of my “career’ i have held the titles of tour manager, asst. tour manager, stage manager, backline tech, guitar tech, animal wrangler, merch guy, lighting guy and probably a few others i may be forgetting.
during the course of my day i have to coordinate loading equipment into the venue, set up equipment, get the guitars ready, make sure the stage is ready and cleaned up for the band to sound check, get with opening bands and go over set times and what i need them to do after their set, handle guitar changes and just basically watch the stage for mics slipping/falling and any other problem that can occur during a set, packing the equipment up after the set and then getting the trailer loaded up afterwards. there is plenty of other stuff that happens but thats a basic overview.
How did you get into teching/touring as a career?
i used to be in a band and loved touring. after i quit doing that i started working local shows in the Lawrence/Kansas City area and learned more and more. at some point i ended realizing that i just wanted to go on the road working for touring bands. some friends, Polecat Boogie Revival, were going to do a tour and needed someone to help them on it so i used my vacation time from work to do that. i was hooked! i started telling people i knew in the biz that i was looking to start going out full time and at some point people started actually believing me. my old drummer/roommate was playing with The Flaming Lips and he dropped my name with them when a position was going to be opening up and eventually i got hired by them and their traveling circus of strange. i started with them in 2005 and the rest is history i guess.
What instruments do you play?
i play bass. i could say i play theremin but i suspect other people would say i just like to make noise with it.
How does that help you with your job?
i suppose it helps out just simply knowing how to set up amps and troubleshoot any problems i may be having with them on a particular day.
How has the ‘state of the industry’ effected your job?
the music biz is changing in every facet. in my branch of it, the touring budgets have been getting smaller. i have been noticing that less crew are being hired and when they do they are doing multiple jobs on the tour. i am among them. i am not bitching, i don’t mind working, i am just saying that it is happening all over from the top acts down. everybody is trying to make their dollar count. people like to say that entertainment is recession-proof but i am starting to see signs saying otherwise. people just don’t have as much money to spend to go see a band with a $20 ticket like they did a few years ago.
There are a lot of kids who dream of being out on the road. what recommendations do you have for them in terms of the reality of the job?
the reality of the job, first and foremost, is that it’s a job. remember that always. i have been fortunate that with every band i have worked for i already knew either the band, crew members or someone on the bus before i got on it. that’s awesome but they aren’t just bringing people out to hang out and pay them, the bring me out to work.
if you are fortunate enough to get hired by an act that tours a lot be prepared to miss lots of things at home- holidays, birthdays, weddings, funerals, etc. if you cannot handle missing those things don’t plan on being on the road long. same thing goes for personal relationships, pets and plenty of other things.
if you have drug or drinking problems you may not be long for this kind of work.
the myth of touring being a non-stop party are just that- a myth. we wait around for hours bored out of our minds waiting to do a few hours of work, do a show and then tear it all down to do the same thing the next day.
What can young students do to prepare themselves for gigging and/or touring?
i would suggest trying to get work at local venues. it is often shit work as you are mostly doing just the heavy lifting and sweat work but the thing is if you pay attention you will learn plenty. it is like a paid education of sorts. you learn terminology and see many different ways of doing things. you learn what the difference between a 4×12 cabinet and an AC-30 is. you learn where upstage, downstage, stage left and stage right are. there is so much to learn and that is a good place to start it. i think the most important thing i learned working local shows was what kind of person i didn’t want to be on the road from watching other road guys.
Any other thoughts?
i am happy and proud to do the job i do. i know that there are plenty of people that would like to be doing my job but i am the one the band offered it to and i appreciate every job i’ve had or been offered. i have been places i had only seen on tv or read about in books and met lots of wonderful people along the way. i wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.
thanks for taking the time to talk to me.
