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Touring Europe in
10 Easy Steps

I’m what you call an under-the-radar-singer-songwriter. That means I do well enough to keep going and growing, pushing my art, and myself but the reality is you won’t see me on some iPod commercial anytime soon, depicted as a flashy cartoon profile wiggling across the screen. My story exists in a parallel universe.

THE PREAMBLE

I started playing in bands as a kid, but as time raged on and the drummer bassist and lead guitarist moved on to other realities, I stubbornly hung in there. Evolution meant moving from Chicago to Nashville, to a place where I could tap into a variety of players and people, to keep moving forward.

As soon as I touched down in the Music City, I put out my first CD and began acclimating myself to the singer-songwriter ghetto, a place where the rollercoaster whips you around curves with great force, up and down, and across the landscape. You might be in a nice theater one day, a bookstore the next, someone’s living room after that, a big outdoor festival coming up, and then, an antiquated castle. It’s a game of last man standing and I knew that if each song or CD was better than the one before, and I was willing to take chances and be myself, it’d take me somewhere good. Europe is one of those places.

After my first self-released CD came out, I got good reviews and radio play in the states and began getting interest from indie labels, which led to my third disc being picked up in the U.K.

Necessary or not, I was intent on having a European label deal before I crossed the pond. I discovered that labels in Europe are the same as labels anywhere on the music planet - there are good ones and bad ones; there are labels that are interested in who you are and helping you do better; while others want you to tour your ass off for a quick buck or a tax write-off.

The U.K. label that put out my third CD fell under the latter category, a small outfit run by a personable fellow with questionable scruples, who was at the end of his run in the business. But, as with most experiences in life, despite the inherent frustrations of dealing with a record that was killed practically before release, I was able to cull some positives.

For one, it got me over to London for a couple shows. And, from London, I picked up interest from a Dutch label, which put out a pair of CDs, which in turn led to another U.K. deal. I was able to grow my European “presence” to include several tours, taking me throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway.

If I look at the chain of events that facilitated this process, I can see it all began with the music, captured in the CD. Once you have good songs and a strong release out there in any form, it works for you, in ways you don’t always anticipate. Nowadays, it’s rare when I play a show on the European continent, anywhere, where folks in the audience don’t request a favorite song.

Over the past six or seven years, I’ve gigged in Europe at a minimum of twice a year, in stretches ranging from 10 days to five weeks. To keep expenses trim I usually play solo or duo and on all but one tour, I’ve made decent money, cast a wider profile, and had amazing musical and personal experiences.

THE GOODS

Peers continually ask me how I do it - truly it’s not that difficult. It’s simply another market to be cultivated. Like your native market, you have to keep going and maintain balance between “interest” and “overkill.” You always have to look at what you’re trying to achieve, both in the moment and for the future.

There are many little things I’ve learned that I can pass along, cognizant of the fact that everyone’s journey is different. Here’s my formula for a European Tour in 10 Easy Steps:

• 1. You can do it yourself. As mentioned, I originally felt dependent on having a label presence over there. It always helps to have people with influence working your stuff – that’s a no-brainer. But, if you want to get started you’ll need to research and reach out:
  • Get on the net to find good plane and lodging rates.
  • Find out where similar artists are playing. E-mail them and ask them about their tips.
  • Get a map to make sure you’re not booking gigs too far apart.
  • Compose a really good e-mail with links to your myspace, sonicbids or traditional website, as many of the European bookers have English as a second language and prefer to work this way. You can personalize the intro, but keep the body of the e-mail the same. Don’t be afraid to “ask around.” You’ll be surprised where your questions lead you and how much people will want to help, particularly if you’re cool and have something to say musically.
    
    
• 2. Be prepared to lose money on your first trip, particularly if you don’t have a presence in said countries at the time. After your virgin tour you’ll be more likely to have friends to stay with; be more adept at spotting dodgy promoters or venues; be more familiar with things like exchange rates and geography and what it really costs to get from the airport to your hotel or how much you’ll pay for food on your off days. But, the first trip is a working vacation and an investment, be Zen about it and optimize. The next one will be better and you’ll take it from there.
  
  
• 3. The plane ride over can be a killer so factor in lack of sleep when booking your gigs and try to put travel hours to use by catching up on sleep. Take your shoes off during the flight, and if you can’t normally sleep while aloft, take a sedative and some eye blinders. I’m serious. The sleep won’t be great, but it will help you with your jet lag and get you through customs and to your hotel in semi-consciousness. Then force yourself to stay awake until a late afternoon nap; followed by dinner then get to bed relatively early. This should get you in sync and ready to gig.
  
  
• 4. Remember the exchange rate when you’re booking and figuring expenses; forget it once you’re there. The dollar has been weak for some time now; lately it’s 1 British pound versus 2 U.S. Dollars (and we’re weak against the Euro, too). This means if you get 250 pounds for a gig, then you’re making $500.00. You sell a CD for 10 pounds, you’re making $20.00. This is good. But, when you’re dying for a Starbucks or are shopping for your girlfriend, you might not want to think about it. You have to treat yourself once in a while and you’re in their time zone, using their money. In short, though, the best budget is to work more and spend less.
  
  
• 5. Bring plenty of batteries, because the voltage is different depending on what country you’re in. Adapter plugs only work if you can switch the voltage on said hair dryer, camera, portastudio. Once I was carrying a boom box with me, for loops. I got back to my hotel after a show, tired and a little spacey. I wanted to put on some music. So, I plugged the cord into my adapter, put it into the wall and watched as the box went “poof,” smoke rose from the player, and the lights in the hotel flickered on and off. I was thankful I didn’t burn the place down.
  
  
• 6. If you’re playing countries where English is not the primary language, have someone translate key phrases for you and write them on big pieces of paper next to your set list. Things like “Hello, my German friends.” Or “It’s great to be in splendid Norway.” Or whatever the local saying is. Once I was in Germany and the host had me say something about beautiful maidens in Saxony. People cracked up, partly to hear me saying it, partly because I couldn’t quite say it correctly. But, they appreciated me trying. This isn’t pandering, it’s just politeness and people will love you for it. They make the effort to speak English for us, it’s the least we can do in return.
  
  
• 7. Connected to the above, take time to enjoy the sights, the food, the people, and the cumulative experience beyond music. The people you meet will respect you for this and you’ll get more out of your travels. The way I look at it, there are many things that can come out of a tour: The first is obvious, it’s a chance to play music, this is what you’ve always wanted to do, right? You can do a lot of gigs in a short period of time in Europe. This helps you hone your craft, as gigging does anywhere. And of course many opportunities to make new fans, sell some discs and make some money. But, also, seeing life through the eyes of other cultures will inform your work, make you a better observer, better songwriter, and more well-rounded artist. I would never have seen the Munch Museum in Oslo (the town my grandfather emigrated from in Friesland), or the vast beauty of the Scottish highlands; I wouldn’t have walked through Shakespeare’s house, perused the pits that inspired D.H. Lawrence’s work, or gone Beatling throughout Liverpool, were it not for the pull of my guitar or the songs I’ve written. It makes you think and provides inspiration. Most importantly, as with any tour, you’ll make friends that you’ll have for a lifetime and who can help you get future gigs and broaden your artistic palette. On my most recent tour of Norway, two new friends offered to record me at the end of my leg, so I spent the days before writing a song to order. I made the deadline the night before and then spent a beautiful day off the coast of Stavanger laying it down. The studio was in a barn, off a farm, where my friends Oyvind and Eirik used to play together as children. When we took a break, we’d stand outside, the sun shining on the fjords in the distance, the sky blue and clear hanging over the fields. We had a great time, finishing the track in a day and it carried such a magical feeling that feeling I wound up putting it on my new record. It was a challenging and beautiful experience and if I hadn’t been open to the possibilities, well…anyways, music is universal.
  
  
• 8. With the advent of cheaper airfares and the Internet, more and more musicians make it across the pond to play, so it’s not so much of a novelty for audiences. The first time through, you’ll probably feel like a bigger fish than you were back home. At some point, you won’t be “new” anymore and in that sense you have to keep proving yourself, as is the case in any town in any place. Hopefully some things will have caught sparks for you, to help you build on what you’ve started. Maybe you will get more help from labels and agents and VIPS across the pond. Maybe you’ll do more festivals, or find yourself in small halls, rising through the mix. Regardless, you’ll be marking stronger connections, to the people, the land, the venues, and the audience. Last time over to England, I can’t tell you how many cabbies and cashiers asked me how long I’d lived in London. One of my friends told me I should consider that quite a compliment. It’s the little things sometime.
  
  
• 9. Contracts, Lodging, Transportation. If you’ve got an agent, you’re covered. If you’re doing it yourself, get a template and use it. People will be impressed and take you more seriously. Plus, you want to make sure everyone is straight on guarantee, lodging (which they should provide) and food. They should return the info straightaway or acknowledge it. If you have difficulty communicating with a dodgy agent, that could be a valuable warning sign.
  As for transportation, if you’ve got people with you, you need to rent a van or car, which you can pick up at the airport or at key locations in major cities. It’s difficult to get an automatic, so if you don’t know how to drive a stick shift, learn ahead of time. Beyond that, driving varies. If you’re in Germany, you’ll have no speed limits and the terrain will be weirdly familiar because the U.S. interstate system was based on the autobahn. If you’re in Great Britain, you’ll be fighting crazy roundabouts, unmarked roads, flyovers, and of course, driving on the wrong side of the road (from our perspective). If you’re going solo, consider a train pass. I’ve done that and it’s nice because you get to chill and look out the window and read or write. In most countries, the trains go right into city center, which is usually close to your hotel or club, and the stations almost always have a taxi stand.
  
  
• 10. Work permits. This is tricky. In some countries, at an “indie level”, you don’t need ‘em. But, in other places, you do. In the U.K. for instance permits have become increasingly expensive and necessary. Early on, a club could facilitate it for you for nothing. By 2008, artist will have to go to their embassy and do a mass of paperwork and pay fees for every member of the touring crew. Delays will be horrible. That said, there are loopholes – for composers, authors, promotional tours, etc. Google the particulars and once again, ask around.

In short, it’s great fun to play Europe, the audiences are cool, and it’s good for people everywhere to exchange ideas. I’ve found that most people want the same things out of life, and we share more similarities than differences. There are cultural nuances, for sure, but the world is growing smaller and that’s a good thing.

So when you’re ready to become a stranger in a strange land, remember that in essence, it’s simply another market to cultivate. It won’t make or break you, but it can help move you further along on your journey and contribute to your creativity. So, what are you waiting for? Ask around and go for it! And feel free to shoot me a question– doughoekstra@yahoo.com. You can also visit www.doughoekstra.com or www.myspace.com/doughoekstra.