We all see what goes on when our favorite artist or group is performing on stage, but have you wondered what goes on behind the scenes? How does your favorite group travel? Who sets up all the equipment? Where do they sleep and when do they eat? In the next few months, I will be traveling with your favorite artists and give you a "backstage pass" to what goes on when the artists are on the road. Everyone has to have a mode of transportation to get from one venue to another, so we will start there. Most performers travel in one of three different forms of transportation-bus, motor home, or van. The most prevalent form of transportation in the southern gospel industry is the bus. Next time you are at National Quartet Convention, step out back and take a look at all the different busses parked outside. The reason they are the most popular is that busses are usually more comfortable and roomy to ride going down the road and gives them a lot of the comforts of home. Also, you do not have to pull a trailer because most of the sound equipment is stored underneath the bus in bays. Now, depending on who you talk to, busses can either be a gift from God or the Devil incarnate!! I will give you a basic overview of the different types and forms of busses. Busses (or coaches, as there also called) range in price from as low as $5,000 to $1,500,000 depending on year, make and model. Now that is a vast difference! So you may be asking yourself, "What causes the difference in the price?" Besides the year and make of the coach, there are a lot of different factors that go into the price and the majority of the cost is what is inside of the bus. They have everything from bedrooms and bunks, bathrooms and showers, and the kitchen sink, literally! Go to [url=http://www.busforsale.com]http://www.busforsale.com[/url] and just look at the different kinds of busses and prices. You will be amazed! A lot of groups save money by sleeping on the bus or if they do not have a shower on the bus, they get one motel room to take their showers and change their clothes. A motor home basically does the same thing as a bus; just has some different good and bad points to it. Some good points are that it is easier and cheaper to maintain than a bus but on the whole is not as durable as a bus. The third form of popular travel is a van. A group traveling in a van usually pulls a trailer to carry equipment and luggage in. Believe me, it is usually the cheapest route to take but the least comfortable. Another form of transportation I could mention, but is rarely used because of cost factors, is flying. This is usually only used by solo artists or when a group has to get from one point to another in a hurry. Now we are going to go on to the food! Ask any of your favorite artists what is there favorite meal and you will probably hear "a home cooked one!" Eating on the road consists of mainly fast food chains or restaurants along the way. Sometimes the church or venue they are going to, will provide a dinner for the group. Occasionally, someone will make a basket of food or goodies for the group to take with them on the road. You may be wondering how all that equipment gets from the bus to the stage and the answer is very simple, everyone in the group! Because of cost reasons, most groups cannot afford to hire someone to set up equipment so they have to set it up themselves. Everyone usually has more than just their singing duties to do. One person may be in charge of sound, another may be in charge of product (CD's, tapes, shirts, etc.) another will have booking duties (if they don't have a booking agent), and another may have overall managerial office duties. A lot goes on backstage to bring the groups to you that you do not see. Here are a few people you may not see that work behind the scenes. Most fulltime groups have someone who manages the office while the group is on the road, a bus driver to drive them while the group sleeps at night, a soundman that travels on the road with them to run the sound during the performance, and some even have a nanny to watch and homeschool the kids. I will be traveling with your favorite groups, but I need your help. I need to know who you would like to have me write about, so please email me with your suggestions and comments to Jeremy@tkmq.com. Jeremy Kiefer
Author: AGM
| Author's Website: http://absolutelygospel.com/
Written: 01/31/2004
| 
Category: Monthly ArticlesOn The Road Again
Comments: 10
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Good job, Jeremy!!
I'm sure any artist you write about will be very interesting, but I would suggest also including a few "behind the scenes" type snapshots to enhance your articles.
David, yes, I will be bringing along my digital camera for some pictures
That's great. Now we want to see some really off the cuff, slice of life type pictures . . . you know, stuff like Tim Riley hairspraying his hairpiece or Ernie Haase just as he's about to bite into a donut! Can you handle that?
:thumbsup:
god is teaching you right, its great what you are doing.
Hi Jeremy-
Hey Jeremy! I'm sure you already know what I going to say, but I going to say it anyway! I would love for you to some behind the scenes with The Hoppers! You would make me soooo happy!
Amen, I'd love to see some behind-the-scenes with THE WHISNANTS
GAITHER VOCAL BAND!
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