This week we have the talented Sara Biv on the podcast. Sara is a touring dancer who has worked with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Cardi B, and Major Lazer. In addition to touring as a dancer, Sarah is also
This week we have Vic Fuentes – a long-time friend and a well-known singer-songwriter and musician. He spends most of his time creating and playing music for his band Pierce the Veil. As of 2019, he is the CEO of
This week we welcome Lindsey Stirling to the podcast! Lindsey Stirling is a professional violinist, dancer, performance artist, and composer. In addition to everything she does professionally – she is an amazing all-around person full of compassion and charisma. It
This week we have my favorite combo – an artist and one of their crew members. However, it’s not just any artist – it’s Yungblud! And it’s not just any crew member – it’s photographer Tom Pallant. They are friends
This week is a special episode – we say goodbye to the best co-host ever – Neil. We did over half a year of podcasting together. It was amazing, we learned more Than I could have ever dreamed up and
This week we have Matt Heafy of Trivium on the podcast. Matt Heafy is a badass. He has been in Trivium for more than half his life, is an amazing father – and runs a twitch channel while touring. Basically,
This week we have the wonderful Ryan Seaman. Drummer of I Don’t Know How But They Found Me and all-around good guy. Ryan talks with us about his strategies of navigating the music industry as a drummer and how he
Mark Bubb is the Co-owner of Killer Merch – the company that provides merch, for tours. Mark comes from the music world but his business has expanded to all corners of the entertainment industry. Killer Merch works with Ninja, Kevin
This week we welcome Johnny Christ of Avenged Sevenfold the podcast. Johnny is also the host of his podcast Drinks with Johnny. We spent an hour talking with Johnny about whatever the hell came to our mind. That’s really all
Security guards can work for the venue, the artist, a tour, or even a festival. Regardless of what job you have in the music industry – you will, at some point, have to interact with security. They are there to
This week Tyler Posey joins us to talk about his lifelong journey with music. Listening to Blink-182, playing in local bands, Warped Tour – and eventually touring with his band internationally. Although his journey is far from complete, it’s great
This week we are joined by Mary Westfall, one of the most accomplished personal Vegan Chefs in the music industry. Although she does not tour much anymore – we can partly blame Neil for that one. Together they have started
Please welcome Shane Told to the bus! Shane is the lead singer of Silverstein and host of Lead Singer Syndrome Podcast. Shane is a special guest to Neil and me because he and his band played such a significant role
Please welcome Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, and his stage-right hand man – Robert Ortiz, to the podcast! Mark and Robert have worked together for 15+ years, a feat only most of us can hope to accomplish in our professional careers. Neil
It’s that time again! Community Q & A – we gathered questions from our lovely Patrons and answered them live on twitch. Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate everyone who just takes time out of their week to
What is a Production Manager? A production manager is the person on the tour that is responsible for overseeing all the crew on a tour. The production manager is a more specialized version of the tour manager, and the two
Mattew Flyzik is a combo of a Tour Manager/ Production Manager. Not many people can pull this off, but Flyzik might not even be human for all we know. The man is a machine. He spends most of his time
Jeff Maker is the guy that makes the artists look their best on stage. He is a lighting director, sometimes referred to as an LD. Jeff is most well known for his work with All Time Low over the past
What does a Lighting Director do? A lighting director, also known as an LD, is the person on tour that’s responsible for the stage lighting during the show. They spend time programming and creating automated cues for the tour, as
A front of house engineer, aka FOH, is the person on tour that takes care of mixing the sound the artist is putting out to the audience. The front of house engineer is usually in a barricaded box or tent
Nate Northway is the guy that handles all the audio you hear in a live concert. It’s a full-time job when you are on tour and one of the most stressful parts of the show as well. The pressure is
Julie Galetar is one of the best production coordinators out there on the road, and the client list proves it. Julie has worked for Shawn Mendes, Sting, Paul Simon, and Madonna. We really enjoyed just listening when it came to
What is a Production Coordinator? A production coordinator, also known as a production assistant or band/personal assistant, is the person on tour responsible for things like booking accommodations for travel and ensuring everyone is taken care of on their off-day.
Justin Trotta is a long-time friend of ours and a very accomplished guitar tech. We sit down and talk to him about his journey from playing in local bands to eventually touring worldwide with artists such as The Used, Of
What is a Guitar Tech? A guitar tech is the person on tour responsible for the maintenance of the guitars. Their main priorities include loading and unloading the guitarists’ gear, tuning and prepping guitars for the show, cleaning and changing
Mario has spent years on the road perfect the art of being a Video Operator. Most well know for his work with Skrillex – however, he has also worked with Dillion Francis & Thomas Rhett. If you have ever wondered
What Is a Video Operator? A video operator is the person on tour that produces any video content requested by the artist. Video operators, sometimes called VJ’s, are most commonly found in the DJ world, but video walls are becoming
Music Photographer Ashley Osborn joins us this week to talk about what it takes to be a Tour Photographer. Tour Photography is a whole different world than any other job on the road. You are working very closely and creatively
What is a Tour Photographer? A tour photographer is a person on tour that is responsible for photographing the artist throughout the day and during the show. Many different routes can be taken to get involved as a tour photographer.
Tanner Wayne joins us this week to discuss everything he knows about working as a drum tech. Tanner’s career path over the past 15 years has allowed him to learn both the artist and tech side of working with drums.
What Is a Drum Technician? A drum technician is the person on tour who’s responsible for the setup, break down, and maintenance of the artist’s drum kit. They’re also in charge of ordering replacement parts for the drum kit, maintaining
Monitor Engineer Charlie Bybee joins us this week to talk about what it takes to succeed at his job. A Monitor Engineer is one of the most crucial jobs there is on the road. They are in charge of mixing
What Is a Monitor Engineer? A monitor engineer, also called a sound technician or front-of-house person, is the person on tour who handles all audio for an artist’s in-ear monitors or wedges. When on stage, the artist can’t hear anything
What Is a Merchandise Manager? The merchandise manager handles the transportation and sales for all the merchandise (aka merch) on tour. They’re responsible for getting the merchandise from the vendor to the venue, loading it in and out, and selling
Merchandise Manager Jordan Lovis joins us this week to talk about what exactly goes on behind the scenes to get those t-shirts into customers’ hands at a concert. Jordan started out touring in a way over 15 years ago and
What is a Tour Manager? A tour manager, also known as a TM, is the person in charge of everything that happens on tour. They handle accounting, logistics, scheduling, and booking before a tour starts and once they’re out on
Meet our first guest – Meg Dieter. Meg has toured for the past ten years with a variety of artists such as Pharrell, Blink-182, Slayer, Testament, and Selena Gomez. This week we are lucky enough to have her take a
Missing bus call is one of the quickest ways to lose your job on the road. Touring is all about teamwork. Join us as we briefly recap The Essentials (the first 10 Episodes) of Don’t Shit On The Bus and
The next 11 episodes of Don’t Shit On The Bus’ theme is Never Miss Bus Call. Much like The Essential’s theme – Don’t Shit On The Bus – there is more to it than * just* never missing a bus
We took this week to celebrate our followers and respond to their questions from the first nine episodes of the Don’t Shit on the Bus podcast. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us through this first part.
If you have made it this far, you probably understand the basics of *what* goes on, on tour. How just as importantly – and maybe even more important, is the how. WE have talked about this before, and we will
Touring etiquette can be tricky. There are countless rules, guidelines, situations, and experiences that only come up once in a while. In this episode, we cover how to exist on the road on both a work and personal level. We
Getting on tour is one thing – getting on tour and getting paid is a whole different thing. I mean, of course, we all want to get paid for what we love to do. But touring requires that you get
Getting on the road is one thing. Getting paid to tour is a whole different thing. In this episode, we talk about what your life might look like before going on the road. Then, of course, we will answer everyone’s
A lot goes on during a day of being on tour. Everyone is working hard, working constantly, and most importantly – working together. Tour is a big traveling organism that only flows if everyone is working together. But what does
There are so many different jobs that exist on tour. So what happens during the day? Who does what? Where do they do it? And for how long? This week we break a single tour day down into its different
The artist you are working for on tour determines the way you go about traveling for the tour. If they are a prominent artist, you will be traveling a lot nicer than a small artist. However, nicer does not always
There are many different ways to travel on tour. Van, Bus, Plane, Private Jet – and they all have their pros & cons. How you travel has the most significant effect on your touring life outside of where you are
Getting real-life experience in the Music Industry is the key to starting the snowball effect that will eventually get you hired as a crew member with a band. I am sure everyone has heard the following line. We want to
It’s one thing to learn how to tour – but we want you to be on tour. This week we break down the steps you need to take in your own daily life to start increasing your luck, networking and
Networking is the most important part of the music industry – and maybe even life. You should probably read How to Win Friends and Influence People. It is a classic for a reason. But if you want to learn some
Networking Is the language of the music industry. This is probably the most crucial episode we will ever release. This is how you navigate the music industry, how you exist in it, and your path to being successful in it.
Touring is fun, it’s also challenging. Everyone knows the best part of touring – you get the travel the world with your friends and go to a concert every night. But there has to be a catch – right? Kind
When you’re touring, you’re on the clock 24/7. The work can seem unrelenting at times, but the experience will mold you into a stronger, adaptable, and considerate individual. On tour, the highs are high, and the lows exist too, but
Touring with musicians is a tremendous challenge and a true test of endurance, but also one of the most rewarding experiences. Since you’re constantly traveling, the job requires long hours and daily duties to be performed in and adapted to
They keep telling me to tour, but what is touring? Well, we are here to answer the most basic of basic questions when it comes to touring. Starting with the most important – what is touring? We will tell you
Welcome to the Don’t Shit On The Bus Podcast! We are happy you are here. Our goal is to get you from the couch to the tour bus, so stick with us and we will teach you everything we know
Why can’t I shit on the bus? You ask. We know it may come as a surprise to you – but believe it or not, you, 100% – can’t shit on the bus. It’s the number one rule when you
Never miss bus call and get left at Wal-Mart again, promise.
