There are plenty of jobs out there suitable for vagabonds seeking a paycheck. You’ll find these jobs throughout many different industries, but music industry jobs are often at the top of the Jobs That Will “Make” You Travel list. The world of touring musicians and the team of people employed to support them is surprisingly small. Through my own music playing and touring, I’ve gotten to know all types of music industry professionals–most of whom travel regularly.
Notes from the road is a new series on Gadling. I’ll introduce you to music industry folks and let you watch as I pick their brains. From advice on how to get their job to travel tips to personal stories, it’s about time we learned more about the travel behind the music.
Our first set of notes comes from Mike Babcock: professional sound engineer. He’s done sound for a long list of performers, including Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, B.B. King, and Pantera.
ES: Can you tell us some bands/musicians/tours you’ve done sound for?
MB: Going back 20 years, this might take a while. In some way, shape or form, I have most likely worked with, for, or around every major touring artist. But seriously I have had my favorites over the years. Such as: Brand New, Rob Zombie, Pantera/Damage Plan, Paramore, Sevendust, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, BB King, Atreyu, Killswitch Engage, Warped Tour, Mayhem Festival, etc. I’m sure you can tell that I have a rock and metal background.
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ES: How did you get into doing sound professionally?
MB: When I was in high school, I was in a local band, called Ubiquitus (the name wasn’t my idea). We booked a show at the local 4H building. Being in high school on a fast food job budget, we didn’t have much money for sound and lights. A friend of a friend owned a sound company, so I booked him to do the show with us and asked if there was any way to get a discount. The answer was to help him load his van and help set up the equipment on the day of the show. During the week after the show, he called me up and asked if I wanted to help him out the next weekend on another show he was doing. I agreed and the rest, they say, is history. I spent the next 4 or 5 years working for him and a couple other companies before I got an offer to move to Florida for a sound company that I would eventually work at for 12 years as their production manager before I took my first tour.
ES: What do you remember the most about your first tour?
MB: Being nervous and really quiet, hahaha. My first tour was with the band Brand New, it was actually 2 separate week long tours a few weeks apart from each other. The first tour was in a van in the northeast. Worcester, MA, Charlotte, NC, somewhere in Jersey, etc. I remember not packing a jacket. I lived in Florida and it was in the 80s and 90s every day so I just didn’t think about it. Learning the weather for wherever I’m going to be was the first lesson I learned on tour. The second leg of that tour was in the UK opening up for Incubus. I don’t know if I learned anything on that one, but it was the first subway ride of my life.
ES: You’ve shared small quarters with many people while touring. Any tips for achieving some level of privacy while traveling with others?
MB: Yes, spending 3 months straight living in a 45 foot house with 12 other people takes a lot of skill and even more patience. When you have that many people in such a small space, trying to find any sense of privacy is really hard to do. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing, at all times. The rule I always make sure everyone knows is that my bunk is MY space. Once I close the curtains, I am no longer on the bus. The only reason anyone should invade my space is if the bus is on fire, we’re at a border crossing, or somehow I overslept (which rarely ever happens).
But really, each band, crew, and touring party has their own flow. Some people will hang in the front lounge watching TV, some will hang in the back lounge listening to music, some will sleep every possible second they can. I usually find my rhythm within the flow pretty easily and even if there’s someone in the bus I would rather not be around, there’s always a way to avoid confrontations. I’ve been lucky in that I have never seen anyone “duke it out” over petty differences and it’s nice when adult aged people act like adults.
ES: Have any tips for touring bands in terms of how they treat the house sound guys?
MB: Karma works well here. What you put out to the world will come back to you threefold. I think someone once said that “winning is contagious, but unfortunately so is losing”. I take that to mean that even if someone is having a bad day, don’t let it get you down, let your good mood and you having a good time be the contagious part of the day. Don’t take your bad day out on the locals. Be thankful you even have a gig in this economy and be nice to everyone you work with. Everyone gets special treatment. People not only remember the assholes, they also remember the people they really enjoyed working with, too.
I also try to leave something behind, a bit of knowledge I can pass on, or funny experience they will tell their friends for years to come. I just try to make it as fun, enjoyable, and stress-free as possible so everyone can just relax and have a good time. I’ve found that I really enjoy going back to the same clubs and working with the same people over and over again, and I know they feel the same way.
ES: You’ve traveled with pretty expensive gear. Any advice on how to safeguard valuables while traveling by van, bus, rv?
MB: Before the tour, you need a written copy of everything, with serial numbers and value, on file. Also, make ONE person responsible for the keys and ensuring the doors are locked. You can not trust that the lead singer will hit the right button after he gets off the phone. For trailers, use a locking ball hitch and install lojack or something similar into the van AND trailer so in the event that someone does take your trailer, you’ll know where it is. Don’t leave valuables, like GPS, iPods, laptops, guitars, etc. sitting around in the van. Keep everything close by at all times. Don’t park the van where there are no street lights. It all sounds like pretty common sense, but I see people do not so smart stuff all the time. I’ve been lucky so far and haven’t had a trailer stolen, but many of my friends have not been so lucky. I feel many of the times I’ve heard about stolen gear it was either due to someone not locking the van or a shady hotel in a shadier neighborhood.
ES: What about flying with expensive gear? Any sort of beneficial insurances worth purchasing? Tough cases worth buying? Etc.?
MB: When shipping gear, or flying with gear, having real road cases are worth their weight in gold. There are a ton of good case companies–R&R Cases and A&S Cases both come to mind for more traditional road cases. Pelican comes to mind for a plastic style of tough case. Just look for quality craftsmanship. I ship gear with a reputable cartage company, such as Sound Moves or Rock-It, and rarely ever have to even think twice about it showing up safe and sound. Sure, every now and then there’s an issue, but a reputable company that works exclusively within the industry is the best way to go. They understand why something can’t be a day late, or even a few hours late.
ES: Traveling as part of your job has probably given you the opportunity to realize some dreams in your free time. Any memorable experiences you’ve had in places you visited for work?
MB: The more I travel, the more I realize I haven’t seen anything yet. The first time I have a chance to be in a certain place, I do tend to do the touristy type of stuff. I have taken pictures that have been taken thousands, if not millions of times before. Such as looking directly up at the Eiffel Tower, standing on a cliff over the Grand Canyon, statues of naked people holding a ship of some sort in Belgium, in front of the Sydney Opera House, holding a koala, etc. But the most memorable times are when I can just wander off and find something completely random, either alone or in a group. Like climbing a volcano in Hawaii, just because I had a few hours to waste before the dinner plans, or sailing on the Sydney Harbor, or taking a helicopter tour with 6 strangers and getting pictures very few others have, or finding that the hotel we’re staying in is hosting model tryouts and we enter in one of our touring mates as a potential model only to have him physically thrown out of the room almost immediately, or stumbling into a hotel in Portland to find that another band has already occupied the room who eventually turn out to become lifelong friends. Those are the moments you remember the most. Sometimes it’s fun and games, sometimes it’s hard work, but it’s always rewarding. I’m living my dream and I hope I won’t have to wake up for a long, long time.
ES: Is there any way you’re giving back to the music community?
MB: When I started touring, I noticed that music venue websites, in general, suck. They are built to bring in business, not supply the artists and crew with the information that they need. I decided to use some of my free time to build a website that was built not to bring business into the clubs, but to supply the crew and artists with only the information they need. For example: Where artist parking is, are there showers, do they have internet, what kind of PA and lighting system is installed, do they serve food or are we on our own. You know, stuff that the fans really wouldn’t be interested in, but is really good info to know if you’re playing there. What started out as a little hobby of mine, has since turned into a pretty big deal. I have over 1000 venues listed, mostly in the US, but also in 7 or 8 other countries as well. It’s still a “hobby” but eventually I’d like to turn it into something that tour managers and production managers “have to have”. Check it out at themonitorguy.com.