The music landscape these days is such that, in order to make a mark with the public, performers have to tour.
The media environment is so overcrowded (particularly with everybody with a guitar posting videos on social media) that it’s incumbent upon performers to go out to where the audience is and to establish the personal connection that is the foundation of any fan base.
And let’s face it, who amongst us hasn’t had at least a momentary fantasy about being on tour with a band – taking the stage to the cheers of thousands of adoring lovers of your music and blowing the roof off the house with a performance that, on any given night, could become the stuff of legends.
But the reality of touring can be a tad more daunting.
Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden fame summed it up when he observed that “Some days you’re the pigeon and some days you’re the statue.”
Travel can be a challenge
To start with, except for the handful of superstars who breathe the rarefied air of stardom, most performers travel between gigs in a collection of personal vehicles, vans, trains and economy flights.
Take The Sheepdogs, for example.
They’re the first unsigned band to make the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and have a host of platinum sales and three Juno nominations to their credit. They also have an impressive touring history to appreciative crowds that seem to get bigger with every stop (thesheepdogs.com).
But band member Ryan Gullen knows all about some of the pitfalls of touring.
“We have a tour bus now, but when we started we travelled by van,” he says. “Try being in a van for eight hours with a band. It’s a real test of whether the band is going to last. That’s for sure.”
Still, a tour bus may not be as carefree as one might imagine.
When we caught up with Gullen, the group was on its way from Nashville to Chicago for its next gig but had brokedown in a little-travelled spot in Indiana.
“We’re in the parking lot of an outlet mall in Indiana right now, waiting for a tow truck and mechanic,” Gullen quipps. “Of course, it’s not all bad. We‘ve been shopping and I bought my very first pair of Crocs at a very reasonable price.”
Skye Wallace (skyewallace.com) has a voice that soars and captivates audiences, and her mix of folk, rock and alternative music has allowed her to make a real mark on the music world. Her 2019 self-titled album was described as one of the “Best 4 Canadian Albums in the World” by the Globe and Mail.
But when Wallace started travelling to gigs (she was 19 at the time) she had no driver’s license and made her way by train.
“It was a slow trip, but an organic one,” Wallace says. “I had a lot of time to think.”
Then there was her experience of touring in Europe, where an accommodating promoter arranged for a large panel van for Wallace and her band.
“The problem was that the van was so big that we had trouble getting it through some of the narrow roadways in Europe. We had to fold in the mirrors and have someone guide us through some areas.”
The ‘hang’ is important
& supports can be lacking
Still, the touring experience is something that Wallace treasures.
“I play with some awesome people, and I’ve been really fortunate. The ‘hang‘ (slang for the camaraderie that the group develops) has been great,” Wallace says. “The hang is imperative. The (group’s) energy starts with the hang on the way to the show. No matter how good the tour is, you have to want to be there. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
Hawksley Workman, (hawksleyworkman.com), another amazing Canadian musical talent, agrees.
“For me now, touring is a wonderful place to be. It makes sense to me now, but that wasn’t always the case,” Workman says. “If it’s not making sense to you and you’re out there, surrounded by alcohol and stuff, it can be a very dangerous place. For me these days, it’s a productive place, but it took some work.”
Those dangers can be even more daunting when an artist is separated from the support of home.
“I did get married last summer, and it can be tough being away from home so much,” says Darren Metz (Young D) of the Snotty Nosed Rez Kids. “We spend more time together than we do with our partners and that can really put a strain on things.”
The longer the tour, and the greater the distances from home, the greater those strains can become.
“The road is an education,” observes Canadian singer/songwriter, Barney Bentall. “There are parts that you love but there are definitely times when you’re lonely and homesick.”
Uncertainty is always a factor
But perhaps the hardest part of any tour, particularly for groups that are at the start of their careers, is the uncertainty.
Sheepdogs’ Gullen recalls getting into some very weird scenarios.
“You go into a town and don’t know what you’re getting yourself into,” he says. “First of all, before GPS, finding these places was a challenge. We’d print up all these maps and constantly get lost. Then we’d end up in some bar in a small town where it can get real uncomfortable, really quickly.
“You learn fast how to entice a cold audience. Some of them don’t want you there and others just want to be left alone. Some groups can’t handle it and just give up.”
The most unusual experience Gullen had was when his band was booked by someone who thought they’d booked The Sled Dogs, a group made up of some friends of the organizers of the show.
“It sort of explained why they’d said not to bother with hotels and that we could stay at their house,” Gullen says.
“We played and stayed at this house where they partied all night. We had to hit the road in the morning and just needed to get some sleep.”
And, of course, there’s Valdy’s experience way back in 1969. Just starting out at the time, the now iconic Canadian folk artist was booked for a gig at the Aldergrove Rock Festival.
“Here I was, this lanky kid with an acoustic guitar and I roll into town where 30,000 people are expecting a rock show,” said Valdy.
“It didn’t go well. I was booed and jeered at and I played until someone clapped and I ran off the stage.”
Of course, that experience gave Valdy the inspiration for his timeless song Play me a Rock and Roll Song, which has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“Most gigs are positive, but touring has always been challenging and you learn lessons from doing it the wrong way. You just have to pay attention and be as good as you can be.”
Valdy is now 79 years of age, but still touring, so we’re guessing he’s learned a lot of lessons along the way.
