Travel Like a Rocker: Musicians' Tips & Travel Stories

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Travel like a rocker. Or as a DJ. Or as a rapper. In general, as a musician. Who, if not constantly touring performers, know all the life hacks that help to endure road hardships.

How to be on the road for weeks without looking like a bum? How not to fall face down in a salad from constant fatigue? How to make sure that friends do not forget about your existence if you do not see them for months? Musicians - rockers, rappers, DJs - talked about how they spend their time on the road.

A-Trak: backups and healthy sleep

I am very picky about baggage packing and always follow the same method. It all comes down to simplification as much as possible. The only luxury I don't want to get rid of is two laptops. One for music, one for everything else. Once my equipment was stolen, I lost a lot of important data. So much so that no backup could save me. When you lose three months of work, you learn to be safe.

Regarding the change of time zones. When you fly across the ocean, resist the temptation to lie down and sleep at your usual time - go to rest according to local time. One way or another.

It is better to wait and get a good night's sleep than to rest in fits and starts.

There is nothing worse if you find yourself on the other side of the globe, you need to sleep, and you go to bed for a couple of hours. Then you wake up, you go to work, at midnight you don't know what to do with yourself, then you go to bed again for three or four hours. And the whole day is shattered into pieces by these half sleep periods. Disgusting.

Best Coast: bones and secret hobbies

We travel mostly by bus, but when we go nearby and ride in a van, we play music that relaxes us. Or the one we listen to secretly so that no one knows. And we are not ashamed to admit it! And when we stay behind the curtains and get bored, we start playing dice and take money from each other.

Broncho: procrastination and discarded hours

On the road, time seems to disappear. You can throw away your watch if you spend every night in a different place. Because if you start to think about time, then you will go crazy - it's better not to try. You just need to imagine when you have to arrive at the place, and if you are late - call and inform about it. We are under the influence of procrastination, and therefore we are always late and use every opportunity to plunge headlong into laziness and enjoy it.

Chuck Prophet: coffee and reading

Take with you extra coffee - two mugs. If one topples over, there will be no cause for frustration. You can sit in silence and enjoy the "van therapy".

Imagine: a dead night, dark and quiet, and you are staring at someone's head … You experience the same feeling when you lie on a couch at a psychotherapist's appointment and look at the ceiling.

And the road is also the only way to read and understand business articles in the New York Times.

Courtney Barnett: road lessons

The road teaches you to watch how people work, how I and my musicians work, what emotions they experience. When you spend 24 hours a day with people, willy-nilly you learn to understand how they live.

Dan Deacon: Realistic Expectations and Public Transportation

Don't count on comfort. When you find him unexpectedly, you will receive a pleasant surprise. It is foolish to expect that the trip will be convenient. You are not at home. And there is no place that looks like home. Talking to people is very helpful, of course. The easier you make contact, the easier it is to understand that you are still far from madness.

Use public transport. Unless you're in a rush, public transport can help you get into the city, plus there is always someone on board to help. And it will help.

The hardest thing is to travel alone. I am lucky: I travel to meet people who know me or know what I do. But this is a double-edged sword: on the day of the concert, you are a hero, and after that no one will even really remember your name.

The Districts: Medicines and Notebook

Always carry your allergy medication with you and a notepad to take notes. And a lot of clothes, because I never put on one thing twice so as not to stink. Albert Camus's book: Too much time in the van, so you need to somehow keep your brain active.

G-Eazy: hot noodles and sleep masks

I've been living on noodles lately. Instant noodle restaurants can be found in every city and are almost impossible to spoil, so this is a safe bet. And noodles with broth save you from a hangover. Sleep is also an important resource on the road.

Sleep masks are a great thing. They, of course, look funny, but they work.

We must count the hours that can be spent on sleep and use every opportunity to rest.

Heartless Bastards: minimalism and running

Travel needs minimalism! The suitcase reminds me of what I have given up for more than a month, and shows how little I really need.

We spent a lot of time on concert tours and realized that we needed to sleep and play sports on the road.

Our priority is running, and we often have to run in disgusting places. When you stay at a roadside hotel and set off to wind kilometers, you don't expect anything good except dirt and dust from passing trucks. But you need to do it outdoors.

Make sure your travel companions eat on time. On a trip, you are for a long time next to people who have nothing to do with you. But this is work, and you have to get along with them. And when your blood glucose levels drop, it's harder to maintain a good relationship.

Holt: knife and respect

Always take a knife with you. Is always. I'm from Chicago, so a knife is the minimum. Not for self-defense, but for useful deeds. People don't even know what a useful tool this is.

When you come to a new place, act as if you live here.

Keep your eyes wide open - you will learn a lot of interesting things.

In order not to spoil your trip, do not pretend to be a stupid tourist. You don't need to talk to people when you are in London as if you were in Los Angeles. You have to respect the place you came to. And people will be more welcoming and show more. Make an acquaintance, chat with a person, and when you talk, ask: "What is this here?" - a new world will open before you.

King Tuff: Knife and Random Thoughts Again

You always need to carry a knife with you, what if you decide to peel an avocado? I also have a GoPro. For some reason. Sometimes you can catch a couple of interesting moments in the pictures.

I am always full of pens, I love stationery and art tools. I like to write by hand: every morning I wake up and write something, it helps to structure and put my thoughts in order. Susan Sontag's diaries are great things to look at: when you read someone else's random thoughts, they spark your own ideas.

Matthew E. White: Kindle and Healthy Eating

When you are constantly on the road, you won't be able to learn much unless you have superpowers. You may not learn anything new for a year and a half. I used to carry books with me, now I switched to Kindle - very cool. I spend a lot of time in other countries, so I want to know a little more about where I am going, about the culture of these places in order to ask interesting questions to the locals. And I also have a couple of Kurt Vonnegut's books with me.

I always have a flask with me where I pour the rum, because it is combined with juices, and juice is good for health.:)

At home, we have much more energy in reserve to compensate for our nutritional breakdowns, and on the road, when you are constantly spending energy, there is no time for rest and recovery, so you need to watch what you eat.

At home I allow myself to relax, and on the road I prefer healthy food.

Odesza: disposable cameras

We take cameras with us "for one time" in order to snap off only one film. This makes you go back to the footage that was taken a few months ago and relive the best moments.

Ryan Bingham: money and clothes

Always keep a small supply of cash with you just in case you never know what happens on the road. And when traveling, I always fold my performance clothes separately so that I know exactly what I will wear tomorrow before going on stage.

San Fermin: good ending and silent neighbors

During the tour we played in Canada and got terribly cold, but at the end of the program we ended up in Los Angeles, where we just warmed up and relaxed for a few days. And there are many such examples. For example, after exhausting flights, I suddenly find myself in Italy, in an incredible castle. You need to get used to living in inhuman conditions. Then the comfort will be perceived with great pleasure.

Do not talk to people sitting in the next seat on the plane until you hear the pilot announce landing.

And only when the decline has already begun, and your neighbor does not mind talking, exchange a couple of phrases. The rest of the time you sit with your headphones on.