Touring is such an idealistic concept. It is hinged on beliefs and hopes. The term guarantee has multiple meanings, but in a band the size of Oblivion, it has little value or context to our tour.
It has been 11 days since we left, and the peaks and valleys have stirred the melting pot of emotions every person on this trip has had, to an extent. On day one, one member and I had a blow out because I did something that went past the point of being funny. The apology didn't suffice and he was very close to wanting to physically fight me. The rest of the band convinced him he overreacted, and while I think his anger was rightly placed (hence why I apologized), it was overblown due to the tension everyone felt as we venture out on this daunting task.
Back to the main point; touring is idealistic for a band of our size and nature. We aren't on a significant or established label. We aren't on a packaged tour with recognizable names to help draw crowds to the lesser known acts such as ourselves. We don't have press online, in magazines or zines or any other matter. The best we have is social media online and word of mouth. Now that's not to say we're unknown; we were lucky enough to be asked to be involved in Sound And Fury two years in a row and This Is Hardcore this year; two widely popular, recognizable fests. But this doesn't equate to sold out clubs on our tour from one fest in one corner of the country to the other.
That word, guarantee...I wish it had more meaning to a lot of people. Not just the financial term of the amount of money a band thinks they've earned or are entitled to...but in the sense that promoters who take on the event are willing to guarantee hard work to make the show the best they can. That in no way means the people we worked with or are working with don't do that; but there are frustrations that form from so many different elements and factors creating a difficult environment for a band like Oblivion.
Touring, for a small band like us, is hinged on the hope that promoters do their best to make the show known; that local bands added to the show help promote it; hell, that we picked the right routing, city, town, promoter and venue to work with. All of these factors are important in creating the best environment and show for our tour. Further, the style of bands playing with you can impact things. With this tour also being a summer tour, you are going to run into the fact that 1) there are a lot of bands on tour during the summer, often young and aspiring bands like yourself, therefore looking for similar amounts of money and style of show as yours, often with SIMILAR but not the same routing as yours thus making securing a date in a city more difficult as the promoters often have multiple touring bands all along for the same style show within days of each other making it hard to accurately get good locals on that will draw well; 2) a lot of people don't like to be crammed into a small hot sweaty club in the heat of summer (and do I mean HEAT), especially when it's just local bands they've seen before and smaller touring bands they likely have never heard of; 3) local bands in some scenes are spread too thin, asked to play too frequently in similar areas, some are too lazy to put in the hard work, etc. Sometimes there just isn't enough of a scene (promoters, local bands, interested kids, venues) to warrant the show. Managing to get a show where bands have the opportunity to make enough money to progress is very very difficult in summer at the size we are at.
Sometimes, like the other night in Midland, TX for instance, you have several touring bands, all on different routes with all varied styles, probably all slightly shifted their dates so we could get a show in that city on that date. So with multiple touring bands, that puts pressure on the promoter to get locals who can draw a decent amount of kids who ARE willing to cram into a club when it's 95 degrees outside and see some bands they've never seen/maybe never heard of. That night, both locals dropped from the show, leaving only 4 small, relatively unknown touring bands to play the show and hope kids would come. In this instance, a few gracious ones did, and some of us bands were lucky enough to sell merch. The show was not a bust, but the amount of money made off the door was not the same as the amount of gas spent to get to the next show. And with a band our size, that's the best we can ask and hope for; that we don't have to go out of pocket on gas money. Merch is designed to create some profit for bands, but with us it has often been a savior in terms of gas money.
Gas prices are high. We are lucky they are lower now than in the recent past (we were paying a dollar more per gallon on our spring tour just this year), but still higher than what a band like us can typically afford to pay and still have a successful tour. Thus, we can only hope our routing is good enough to make it so the amount of money made off the door will get us to the next town. The profits off merch stay in a pool to help in case the van breaks down (inevitable), we need oil changes, tolls, parking fees, etc. Even if we somehow had profit after the tour on merch, it would be spent paying off recording debts or something else band related. A band like us doesn't make money to take home. That is a pipe dream at best. Some of my best friends are in bands successful enough for them to live off of, but they are one in tens of thousands. They are the exception to the rule.
Is it unreasonable for a band of our size to ask for a guarantee of $100? I think arguments on both sides are totally valid. We have done multiple west coast tours to the point where kids know words to some songs, give a good crowd reaction, and sell a decent amount of merch in that area. We have been online and used those tools to the best of our ability to promote us in areas we haven't been. But, unfortunately that doesn't equate to $100 coming through to the door to see you. And that's what a guarantee always meant to me as a promoter for 8 years. If a band wanted x dollars, they better bring at least x dollars through the door. Hardcore, diy, unsigned aggressive bands and scenes definitely have a sense of community, or at least aspire to (for reasons different and unique to each individual.) The idea that we would go above and beyond to help nurture the concept we love, a band going out on their own doing their thing; we should help that band and get them a good amount of money, perhaps more than they are "worth" or more than the x amount they ask for. But then the elements and factors come into play, the local bands, other touring bands, promoters, the kids going to shows, etc. $100 should get us to nearly every show, occasionally we need more to fill up but little profits from merch typically help cover that. But unfortunately, $100 is just not easy for a band to come up with these days.
If you knew nothing about touring before, now you begin to understand the stress and hard work it is for those of us who are not huge touring bands.
Morale hinges on these things as well as other elements. Morale is certainly boosted when shows are successful, but that can be determined in different ways. That could be related to the amount of kids paid/amount from the door in gas, amount of merch sold; perhaps something more subjective like crowd reaction/participation or kids telling us after the set how much they liked it. It could even just be how well (or poorly) the band played that night. It's hard to say. But shows aren't the only thing that determine morale - the stress of the money is perpetually on our minds while other factors effect everyone's mood.
Personality clash is something that can and will happen. They say you don't truly know someone until you live with them, and touring is certainly a form of living with someone. It's sort of a hyper reality, being forced in a traveling metal tube with 4-5 other guys; like The Real World on MTV isn't what people really are like because it's an extreme situation. So, incidentally people's personalities will crash in ways they might not always before. Lack of comfortability, lack of sleep creates an environment that can either become hostile it create resentment. Some deal with issues upfront, some try to take it in stride and it eventually boils over. Heat or cold affects people differently, and how they react to the environment they're in. People have little idiosyncrasies that can drive others crazy; like the length of shower they take or how they trim their nails or move a guitar cab or any other minutia of life type occurrence. Lack of affordable or available good comes into play with people's moods. Some people have significant others and family issues that keep them from enjoying their time with the rest of the band. Sometimes people just flat out don't like each other. Morale hinges on a lot of things. Typically though, when shows are "successful" and the stress of financial burden is alleviated, morale tends to be higher.
Touring in a band of our size also requires belief. Not in religion or a special power or feeling our anything meta-physical, but a belief that we are playing for a reason; that we are putting life at home on hold and leaving for 10, 20, 30, 40 days at a time for a purpose. Sometimes every member of a band might believe in the same purpose; perhaps spreading a message like Christianity, sobriety, hatred of a certain person/type/group, etc. The band might be rallying behind a conjoined effort, like a new album or release of some sort. In that instance, sales/merch once again comes into play and the success of which can effect morale. If a band is touring on a new record, response to that material/sales of the product and the hope that it is reaching new but targeted audiences/spreading the word of the band is paramount. For certain individuals, touring is enjoyed for the lesser thought of aspects; sightseeing, tourist attractions, different kinds of food and meeting new people. For some of us, it's just an excuse to get away from family, friends, work, school, or responsibility. A band like Oblivion shouldn't be doing a full scale tour like we are without a purpose. We should be touring on a new release, a new EP/7" vinyl, a new full length, or something of that nature. Based on how the past of this band has gone with multiple small releases we should be pushing a big release, otherwise we would appear directionless. Luckily we came up with some demos to compile into a tour EP but it sucks we weren't able to get something stronger/more significant for a release. It affects the collective sense of purpose for the band to go out.
Of course, this is mostly conjecture based upon my own opinions, perceptions and thoughts of the band, of tour, of the "business" side of being in a touring band and all of that. Everyone has different reasons for why they do it and how they feel about it. Truth is, for me, touring is an experience. Memorable and informative of how people really are. I can't say I fully enjoy touring like the average "band dude" as I would prefer to be home, with friends and family, but the opportunity is good and ididn't want to miss something that I would likely never experience again. A lot of people consider their band a family and I do not believe that is the case with Oblivion at all. I think we have some sense of a shared purpose, but I think we are five very different people who like different things and want different things out of touring, as well as this band. This isn't a negative perspective, just objective. I know the bonds of a close band, I have had it plenty, but I do not believe that is the case with Oblivion, so I do my best to experience tour the way I can enjoy it best. I continue to observe, note and experience.
If you have or are going to support Oblivion in anyway; going to the shows, buying merch, putting us up, hanging out/playing with us, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Really cannot express my gratitude to those that made this experience better and easier.
