How do I get into a touring band?

I find it odd both that we trust random strangers on the Internet to be experts and that random people on the Internet work hard to appear to be experts even when they're not.

As far as we know, everyone else posting is pretty much in the same boat we're in. I doubt that we have many, say, Eric Singers posting here--or if they are, I doubt they're about to identify themselves from an account they regularly post with.

I certainly get your point......and to a degree it definitely holds some merit. But realistically, if we applied that logic across the forum, there'd be little point reading any replies. All we can do is throw a question out there and hope than any replies are at least offered in good faith, if not just from a "pro's" opinion, then at least from one who has some level of experience. Many times I've found that answers from working muso's are just as, if not more effective. If we all waited for the "Eric Singer's" of the world to reply, we wouldn't progress at all, and we'd certainly get nothing answered.

At least in this instance, we've heard from Bermuda, Joe and quite a few other 'seasoned' performers......their take on things is good enough for me, I have to say.
 
I find it odd both that we trust random strangers on the Internet to be experts and that random people on the Internet work hard to appear to be experts even when they're not...

As far as we know, everyone else posting is pretty much in the same boat we're in. I doubt that we have many, say, Eric Singers posting here--or if they are, I doubt they're about to identify themselves from an account they regularly post with.

I agree that it's a good idea to make sure the information put forth is coming from good sources. It's very easy for people to say whatever they want.

I may not be an expert, and I'm no Eric Singer (which is sort of a random name to be brought up here!) but I've been playing drums professionally for over 35 years, toured extensively, recorded extensively, done videos & TV, endorse major companies, have walls full of gold & platinum records, and since first logging-on in 1993, have enjoyed a solid online reputation as one of a small handful of accessible pros. At least that's what most other people say. :)

Apart from my personal experiences, I also have a number of friends and associates in the business - some of whom struggle with that business - and I've learned from their experiences. I'm also in local L.A. bands between national tours (hey, I like playing drums!) and know firsthand what bands go through these days.

But as I stated, I'm not an expert, and there's plenty of additional info to be learned from those at all levels. It's not just working pros with major credentials who have all the answers. Pros like Vinnie, Gadd, Steve Vai, etc etc will tell you they don't have all the answers, either. I'll bet even Eric Singer doesn't know it all!

There's a tremendous collective knowledge to be shared in forums like these, and while it's important to know if the things being said are valid, that doesn't mean automatically rejecting information simply because we're not sure who's written it. If something makes sense, it's probably true. If something sounds farfetched, it's worth getting clarification before just dimissing it.

BTW, I will vouch for Joe Morris as a drummer who has a career most drummers would like to have, and everything he's said has been right on.

Bermuda


Sorry Pocket, I was already writing this when you made your post...
 
I disagree. People don't look at a drummer if there thinking about hiring him and go well he has potential. (That translates to "he's not that good") Thats the bottom line. Whether its on youtube or live. Your going to be judged on what your playing, not your potential. I would have to side with Bermuda on this one. He made some great valid points and he was being nice about it trust me.
I think you didn't understand my point. What I wanted to say in short was that gigging rather badly can have the same effect as spreading amateurish youtube-videos.
 
How do you get into a touring band?

Lots of money, time and butt load of skills that make you everyone's first choice.
You should also considering life as a session musician.

Either way you need to build up your amount of contacts and keep at it for a long time. But keep in mind that bands are in existance because they are BANDS. Meaning, they have drummers and are touring anyway.

You need to take your time.
xoxo
 
the way i see it there are basically two ways to get into a touring band.

one way is to get into a band that isn't touring yet but wants to and start working your way up from the bottom. it sounds like you may already be at that point. if you're in a band that wants to tour, then all the stuff everyone has been saying about networking applies to the band as a whole. your band needs to play around a lot locally and get to know other local bands who are already touring with the hope that they'll let your band open for them on their next tour. it also helps a lot if your band is proving itself locally by pulling in a lot of people at each show and creating a buzz. proving that you can pack a house opens a lot of doors.

the other way to get in a touring band i can think of is to fill an open drumming slot in a band that's already touring. that's not easy because bands that are already touring usually know a whole bunch of good drummers and most likely will call one of them. you'd really have to be a well known, well proven entity to get a call from one of those bands. but who knows? that could happen if you get your name out there.
 
I'll let you see it from 2 different industries....the professional hockey league I referee and the band I toured with.
With the AHL (American Hockey League), my ascension was due to referral. People had seen me skate, knew I played Div 1 college hockey and knew that I knew the game. It was a matter of getting someone to vouch for my talent. Then I had to tryout in front of the brass to get hired.....Ive been doing it now for 15 years and am pleased as punch. Now, from the band standpoint it was the opposite, I toured regionally (Midwest - East Coast) for about 8 months with a 'opening' band and the reason we got hired due to the fact that one of our members knew someone at the company that produced the tour. He knew they were looking for a decent band that could take that kind of time off (from our day jobs) and go out and do it. So we filled a need rather than being hired for pure talent....Im hoping that it was a bit of both.... Life on the road sucked, we travelled by van with our gear in a trailer behind us, stayed in 1 to 2 star accomodations usually 3-4 guys in a room and the food was garbage at best. I gained about 15 lbs in 8 months due to the amount of fast-food and beer that I managed to ingest. (my weight is now back to pre-tour size).
What does this all mean? Luck and who you know (or who knows you) has more to do with how you will progress than your talent ever will. This has been said before.....just my .02


F
 
Here's one idea. A fellow I know (I posted a youtube of him playing on a tour) would find out though the grapevine (network, network, network) that someone might be having an opening. Then he would learn some songs note for note and then post a recording of him playing the song on youtube. Kind of an open audition. It actually turned into a gig with a real touring band opening for some bigger folks who liked him so much, they're forming a new group with him as a starting member.

This guy already had a local buzz, endorsement from the local 5 Star shop, had taken lessons from some existing touring pros, and in general gotten his name out there. Besides being a really nice guy, great player, and consumate pro who is always shedding and prepared for every gig.

The easier (not that it's much easier) path is to get into a band that makes some splash. At least you aren't competing with every other drummer out there, many of whom will just be much better than you, harsh reality from the law of averages. Just that your band is competing with every other band out there. And your horse will be hitched to their wagon. But with the band, it's mostly about who is most entertaining and puts on the best show. You don't have to be Vinnie and able to read down the black page.
 
No offense to anyone, but one thing I think people should be talking about if they answer you giving advice about this is just what their experience has been--whether they really have the credentials to answer with solid info. You need advice from people who have done what you want to do, or who at least personally know--and know well--people who have done what you want to do. Otherwise, they're really just telling you what they imagine (or figure out via "common sense" from an armchair, etc.) might be involved.

We've all read stories about this, but even with that, (1) the stories don't always go into the details you might need to know (for example, they usually don't talk about just how they were hooked up with or found out about auditions), and (2) the stories might be just as much that--stories cooked up by PR guys who prepped the musician prior to the interview as much as they are the truth of what happened.

I find it odd both that we trust random strangers on the Internet to be experts and that random people on the Internet work hard to appear to be experts even when they're not.

As far as we know, everyone else posting is pretty much in the same boat we're in. I doubt that we have many, say, Eric Singers posting here--or if they are, I doubt they're about to identify themselves from an account they regularly post with.

I see you have been on here for a while, but only have a few posts, so I don't know how often you are on here, but a lot of us have gotten to know each other and know where we are all at as drummers, whether as professionals or amatures or hobbyists or newbies or whatever. We have shown who we are with not only personal stories, but websites, etc, that establish our identities on here. So, while it's always good to question your sources, this is actually a place where a lot of us are known by each other...it's not quite the "just trusting random internet people" stuff you see on a lot of sites.
 
BTW, I will vouch for Joe Morris as a drummer who has a career most drummers would like to have, and everything he's said has been right on.

Bermuda


Much appreciated John, thanks much.

Joe
 
Life on the road sucked, we travelled by van with our gear in a trailer behind us, stayed in 1 to 2 star accomodations usually 3-4 guys in a room and the food was garbage at best. I gained about 15 lbs in 8 months due to the amount of fast-food and beer that I managed to ingest.

That sounds pretty awesome actually, aside from rooming all together.

Thanks for all the helpful responses guys, theres a lot of experience here. It seems the path for me here is to keep at what I am doing, and get better footage for the page.
 
Just a little comic relief in the midst of the heaviness here:


"If it were easy as fishin'
You could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar
Chances are you'll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows"


Sorry Bermuda - I'm sure you've played that song more times than you care to remember!
 
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