The true essence of being a rock star… TOURING!   It’s every band’s dream to tour the world. Be it a metal band, jazz band, blues trio or an electronic indie hip hop band, touring as a guitarist is an essential part of being a full-time musician. By full time, I mean full time.

Tours can go on for months and that doesn’t leave you with much of an option in the permanent ‘real’ job department. Being in South Africa makes touring for bands rather difficult, compared to the States and Europe, where there and hundreds of tour circuits and venues to take your pick. We have a serious shortage of venues across the country and that number decreases if you are involved in an alternative genre of music.

It is still, however, possible and necessary. Listening to music is only half the deal. The rest comes from a live show. Nothing beats a live performance. The raw passion and the instant connection between the fans and the band. This is an experience you need to show people if you want any kind of support for your band.

Touring, as fun and awesome as it is, has a serious side to it. Think of it as a marketing campaign for your ‘brand’. Advertising yourselves to people all over the country with your live performances will have a much deeper effect on people than your daily Facebook spamming. Your band needs products. Albums, shirts, stickers and any other kind of branded merchandise are the perfect addition to a live performance. It gives the fans something they can take home from the show, making their experience that much more special.

It becomes a personal connection fans can make with a band. It’s something every band has to do at some point in time. All the glamour aside, it takes a strong group of mates to withstand the touring life together. Long drives from town to town with very little sleep. Still having to put on an energetic performance night after night with very little pay. This takes very careful planning and strict budgets. I can tell you from personal experience, merchandise is an essential part of touring.

It’s your bread and butter, the petrol in your car and the boerewors to go with that roll you had since you left home. Locally speaking, tours don’t last months. There are simply too few places to string together a tour that lasts long enough to get the full experience of a tour. We often head abroad in pursuit of a longer and more fruitful tour. There is no excuse to not tour in South Africa. Drive down to Durban, pop on over to Cape Town. Do it on a weekend and be back in time for your ‘real’ job, only to repeat the process over and over. Brands need constant marketing and advertising to keep your product on the minds of your target market. So: get on Tour!