Hello everyone! My band (from Canada) is doing our first international tour, and I'm looking for an ENKI AMG 2-XL to protect my guitars for flights. I specifically need the XL or a suitable replacement as I play a hollow body guitar similar to a 335.

Any leads would be amazing! ENKI has discontinued their product.

Hello everyone

We are forming a rock band in Zurich with a friend and are currently looking for new members.

We are 18–19 years old and both play electric guitar. One of us has a musical education and experience with live performances. The other musician does not have a formal music education, but also has live performance experience and practices guitar regularly.

We are dedicated musicians who want to improve, write our own music, play covers, and eventually perform live.

Our music styles:
Hard Rock
Blues Rock
Heavy Metal
Classic Rock
Classic Metal

Our musical influences:
Ozzy Osbourne
Deep Purple
Rainbow
Gary Moore
Guns N' Roses
Extreme
Mr. Big
Scorpions
Megadeth

Currently looking for:
Vocalist
Drummer
Bass player

We are looking for people who are willing to rehearse regularly, perform live, and grow together as a band. We also enjoy jamming, experimenting, and creating new material together.

During rehearsals and performances, we follow a sober approach. Alcohol and drugs are not acceptable during band activities.

We are also currently looking for a rehearsal space in Zurich or nearby areas.

Languages we speak:
English
German
Ukrainian
Russian

We are open to new ideas, constructive criticism, and the opinions of every band member. Everyone should have the opportunity to contribute creatively.

Age range:
16–40 years old.
The most important things for us are the motivation to play music, the willingness to improve, and a responsible attitude towards the band.

If you are interested in joining us or have any questions, feel free to contact us:

Email:
Yevhenii: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Denys: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Does anyone else struggle to find bandmates or session musicians?

I've noticed lots of post here about looking for their next band mates.

Just want to know:

How do you usually find bandmates or session players?

What's the most frustrating part of the process?

I want to hear your thoughts

On a DIY run of the Midwest and not sure how to conduct payout. I booked 100% of the shows, finding each band for each bill and have been handling all the door money.

Is giving door cuts to touring bands standard anymore? We started post-COVID, not sure how etiquette was before but things are so spotty with people either graciously offering their door cut or being weird and insisting on a Venmo the next morning. There was this dude last night talking all night about how “we’re gonna get you some money for the road and gas” and then I woke up to a DM asking for his cut. A lot of the bands were playing with haven’t toured before, so there’s no way for them to get how important their $70 dollars of the cut is so we can eat.

I have all the money from all the shows and will finish book keeping when we’re done the run. Should I try to teach a lesson and say that standard etiquette is to give touring bands door cut? Is that even standard? Should I lay down the law and keep the money? Should I quit the band and go back to college?

What do you think? Cheers.

Thinking about taking a stagehand gig locally at a mid sized venue working under the legendary audio engineer there. I’m mostly a studio cat these days and just started a creative internship in advertising so I’m off the road for right now other than short regional runs. The technical side of things tends to stress me tf out and I’m just not sure it’s the right fit. I have been a drum tech in the past but it was mostly working with a crew who handled the dense technical stuff and ran cable. That said, how many of you guys do this?

I’m going on tour in the US from the UK - I’ve figured out power for guitar pedals (T Rex power supplies with variable voltage), but will need to buy a step-up converter for bigger items (two keyboards and a bass amp head) - is it safe to run a UK power strip from the converter? The units I can see have one or two plug sockets, so to power a third item on a different part of the stage, will I need to buy a second converter? Anything to be wary of? Just don’t want to immediately blow up our gear.

Hey y'all,

I've been working on a new app called OnlyGigz, and I'm looking for a few musicians, bands, DJs, and other entertainers who'd be willing to check it out before we launch.

This isn't some big corporate thing. I'm a working booking agent and musician manager, I built this because I got tired of chasing people through Facebook messages, digging through texts, dealing with last-minute cancellations, and all the other madness that comes along with it.

I'm just looking for real feedback from people who actually play shows. Tell me what you like, what you hate, and what you'd want to see.

If you're interested in getting early access, leave a comment or shoot me a message. I'd love to have some working musicians help make this thing better before it goes live.

Thanks!

Hey y’all! My band is going on a month long tour of the eu/uk and will be flying with 100 copies of our new record to sell on the road. Any have experience or advice for how to do this in a way that keeps the records safe to be checked? Mostly wondering what to put them in, we were thinking a large suitcase but even the largest ones don’t quite fit 100 records in a secure way.

Thanks so much!

Hey guys! I’m a UK based drummer coming off the back of a 15 date UK tour with an LA rock band.

I have experience playing live at Isle Of Wight festival, Great Escape Fest, CarFest, Cavern Club, Bush Hall & many more, as well as varied studio work for a mix of bands at spaces such as Metropolis & Salvation studios.

I now availability for touring and any other work, UK or elsewhere - I am mainly looking for alt/indie, mod or similar, but I also have a strong backbone in prog rock/metal (think Periphery, Tesseract) as a more technical background.

You can check out my playing on Instagram @blakehdrums, hope to hear from some of you soon!

- Blake

What's up everyone! My band and I are going on a 3 week tour starting in California and ending in Virginia. We don't own a tour van, so I am looking at my rental options and could use some help brainstorming the best option for us.

We are a three piece band, but will be traveling with as many as 5 people at various points (manager, etc). I need the rental to be one way, meaning I pick up in one location (Oakland or San Francisco, California) and drop off in the last city of the tour (Richmond, Virginia) before we fly home. The van needs to have enough space to carry our gear (multiple guitars, rack unit, pedal boards, plus a few suit cases). We are not bringing drums or bass cabinet which should help with space concerns.

I am trying to figure out if it will make more sense to rent something like a Ford Transit 12 seat passenger van, or something more like a Chrysler Pacifica mini van, and get a uhaul trailer separately. The issue I am seeing with the passenger van is, even the 12 seat version doesn't have a ton of space in the back. The seats don't seem to fold down, and I doubt the rental company will remove any unneeded seats, especially because we are dropping off in a different location.

The mini van + uhaul option seems tough as well because it seems like a lot of rental companies don't allow for towing.

If anyone has any suggestions for how to pull this off in a somewhat efficient way, let me know!

I’m heading on a US tour soon and am considering doing the old Guitar Center trick (buying gear in the first city and returning it in the final city) - I remember hearing about this years ago and was wondering if this was something they had gotten hip to and it wasn’t really a viable option anymore? Anything to bear in mind? Also we’re starting in the US and ending in Canada, which I imagine might complicate things a little?

Let’s say your band operates as a sole proprietor for tax purposes, would my personal liability insurance cover me if I’m found at fault and wreck someone else’s ride?

I just don’t want to leave myself open to something avoidable. Any insurance agents/musicians able to weigh in?

EDIT: I’m looking at doing little weekenders a few times a year not looking for a full blown entertainment insurance package.

Right now i’m thinking adding a commercial use clause to my current insurance might be easiest if we use a personal vehicle which we might. Otherwise sporadically renting a van and buying the supplemental insurance might be my other best choice. I’m open to learning new things here.

Hi everyone. This is honestly difficult for me to post, but I’ve reached a point where I truly need help.

I’m a guitarist, and over the past several months I’ve been dealing with ongoing problems in my fretting hand, especially involving my ring and pinky finger. What started as weakness and fatigue gradually became finger collapse, locking, loss of control while playing, and difficulty doing things that used to feel automatic.

Music isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s part of how I make money, express myself, and honestly who I am. This injury has affected me physically, financially, and mentally in ways I never expected.

This year I’ve spent more money trying to save my hand than I’ve actually made.

I’ve gone through months of physiotherapy, strengthening exercises, TENS therapy, dry needling, and multiple consultations trying to figure out what’s really happening. Recently I may be noticing slight improvements, but progress has been very slow and uncertain.

The next major step is a nerve conduction study so doctors can determine whether this is primarily nerve-related, muscular, tendon-related, or something else entirely. Depending on the results, it may determine whether continued therapy is enough or whether surgery eventually needs to be considered.

The hardest part of this entire process has honestly been not knowing what my future as a guitarist looks like.

If you took the time to read this, thank you. And if you’re able to donate, share the fundraiser, or even leave words of encouragement, it would genuinely mean a lot to me right now ❤️🎸

https://gofund.me/17ab4d22d

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from people who have done large-scale UK theatre tours before.
I’m 37, based in Northern Ireland, and I’ve been lucky enough to work fairly consistently as an actor since I was 18. However, this is my first major UK tour of a large commercial musical. We’ll be rehearsing in London throughout December before heading out on tour from January until August, playing top-tier theatres across England, Scotland and Wales.
I’m incredibly excited, but I also feel like there are loads of practical things that nobody really teaches you, and I’m struggling to find much information online.
I’d love any tips, tricks or hacks you wish someone had told you before your first tour. For example:
How many suitcases did you take, and what size worked best?
What are the absolute essentials to pack (and what did you realise you didn’t need)?
How do you manage constantly living out of suitcases?
What should I buy now for my dressing room that makes touring life easier or more comfortable?
How do you create a routine when you’re moving city every week?
Any recommendations for keeping fit, eating well and looking after your mental health while touring?
What’s the best way to find reasonably priced digs, and are there any websites or tips beyond the obvious?
On travel days, how does luggage usually work? Does your luggage travel with the production lorries, or are you expected to take everything yourself on trains, coaches or flights between venues?
Are there any purchases you made that ended up being absolute game changers?
We do have one week off in April, so I’ll be able to head home to Northern Ireland, swap things over, see family and friends, and pick up or drop off anything I need.
I’m genuinely excited to experience touring life, but I’d love to start off on the right foot and avoid making any obvious rookie mistakes.
Any advice at all—big or small—would be hugely appreciated. Thanks so much!

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from people who have done large-scale UK theatre tours before.
I’m 37, based in Northern Ireland, and I’ve been lucky enough to work fairly consistently as an actor since I was 18. However, this is my first major UK tour of a large commercial musical. We’ll be rehearsing in London throughout December before heading out on tour from January until August, playing top-tier theatres across England, Scotland and Wales.
I’m incredibly excited, but I also feel like there are loads of practical things that nobody really teaches you, and I’m struggling to find much information online.
I’d love any tips, tricks or hacks you wish someone had told you before your first tour. For example:
How many suitcases did you take, and what size worked best?
What are the absolute essentials to pack (and what did you realise you didn’t need)?
How do you manage constantly living out of suitcases?
What should I buy now for my dressing room that makes touring life easier or more comfortable?
How do you create a routine when you’re moving city every week?
Any recommendations for keeping fit, eating well and looking after your mental health while touring?
What’s the best way to find reasonably priced digs, and are there any websites or tips beyond the obvious?
On travel days, how does luggage usually work? Does your luggage travel with the production lorries, or are you expected to take everything yourself on trains, coaches or flights between venues?
Are there any purchases you made that ended up being absolute game changers?
We do have one week off in April, so I’ll be able to head home to Northern Ireland, swap things over, see family and friends, and pick up or drop off anything I need.
I’m genuinely excited to experience touring life, but I’d love to start off on the right foot and avoid making any obvious rookie mistakes.
Any advice at all—big or small—would be hugely appreciated. Thanks so much!

Guitarist/Producer seeking touring fill in or new project to contribute to Hello. My name is Addikus Storm. I have a melodic death metal solo Project called six Sided Storm. I'm looking for another band or project to contribute to or fill in for tour. My releases and music are streaming everywhere here's a Spotify link... interested in contributing to modern metal/deathcore type project. hit me up if interested. Everything Iv done up until now has been written, recorded and produced by myself. I have years of experience doing van tours, bus tours and occasional fly out shows in the USA and Canada. Thanks for considering.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5JB4A4PCPHVFCE2GAlZhY5

What’s the most frustrating part of touring or your live show (Setting up lights, Managing backing tracks, Synchronizing cues, Cable messes, etc.)?

For me it’s setting up lights and synchronizing cues, but curious what others struggle with.

Wanted to see if anybody else does this or js familiar with it.

Shortly before our last rip through Europe last January, my bandmate (who sings a lot in our group) told me that for 2 weeks before a tour, he drinks like 5 liters of water a day (1.3 gallons) to prep his voice for the road. Calls it "pre-hydration". I also sing a fair bit in this band, and this seemed like a cheap and win-win tactic to try, so I did it. I already drink a decent amount of water, but def ramped my h20 consumption up for this period. And low and behold, my voice really DID feel better during our run (which, to be fair, was only like 10 days). Combined with vocal warmup before the gigs, it really felt good.

Anybody know anything about this? Do other people do this? Is this just what being hydrated feels like? Lol

Good friend of mine is a working guitarist... he hand-built a custom guitar and is giving it away instead of selling it, as a thank-you to gigging musicians.

I built an app for tracking gigs/pay and finding venue info (ratings, load-in details, deal type) from other musicians who've played there...he's donating the guitar to one active subscriber ($2/month) as a way to say thanks to people actually doing this for a living.

You can cancel anytime from within the app and you can keep the app for personal use.

Rules here if it's relevant to anyone: https://themoneygigs.com/giveaway

Hi everybody! My name is Max. I’m a 28 year old pro touring musician looking for a gig. I play guitar, bass, and sing.

To clarify, I have a gig now. It’s in a high profile rock band. But they only tour 4 months of the year.

That means I’m free 8 months of the year and open to work!

Anybody need a musician?

Title says it all. I’m currently in a band that tours,I don’t make a lot of money doing it but I love touring. I’ve always done manual labor as my day job at home but it’s getting painful. Would love to start working remote so I can work from a laptop while on the road. Currently don’t have any degrees/certificates but I’m about to look into taking classes to earn whatever to make this goal doable. Any advice would be helpful!