It seems that no matter the situation, you'll always have invisible forces working against you in this business to foil your plans.  It happens out of nowhere, all of a sudden your most perfect, golden, amazing show ever has been cancelled, rained-out, or worse, double-booked.  Being double-booked is most definitely the worst because most of the time it's not even your fault but more on those whose responsibility lies on the booking side of things.  I imagine it's like being double-crossed if we were all gangsters.  That would be sweet.

The problem with booking gigs, especially new gigs at places you've never played before, is that more often than not there are too many people involved in organizing the damn thing.  And unless there's a great deal of solidarity amongst the folks that are "taking care of business," it just leaves too much room for miscommunication, mishappenings, or misinformation.  I mean think about it, if you're running off the he-said-she-said it can only be as reliable as the he's and the she's that you're in contact with, you know what I'm saying?  If you're trying to organize a first time gig, it's tough being able to tell if everything is on lock.  Even at a place you consider to be a regular spot and a sure thing, something stands to go wrong.  This has happened a few too many times to my band, Silo Effect.  We even have a jam we do that's actually called double-booked that we wrote one night out of sheer frustrated inspiration.  My bandmates and I finally got fed up and made a checklist for ourselves, so that at the very least we would seem more professional if anything did go down before the end.  Say what you will, but we're dorks and this totally helps;  maybe you're a dork too, in which case this is for you:

The Silo Effect's Don't Get Double-booked Checklist:
1.    When scheduling the gig, get as much info up front as possible.  Are we getting paid, if so how much?  When do you need us there, and what time are we supposed to play?  The more you know, the better.
2.   Call the venue.  It never hurts to ask, "Hey, are we playing here on this date?"  Hopefully you can talk to some who'll be able to give you a straight answer.
3.   Always get the bookee's name and phone number as a contact before the show.  You don't want to be driving to Atlanta with a printout of the directions and nothing else, have someone get your back.
4.   If you really want to be a dork, you can write up a contract and have you and the employer sign it.  But keep in mind verbal contracts are legally binding, most club owners know that so don't back down if you think you're being screwed.
5.   Give your contact a ring the day of the gig, just so you don't waste time and energy plus you can get word out that the show has been cancelled.
   
Bottom line, just stay on top of it.  The real trick is to not seem like a pain in the ass while you're trying to get information from people.  In which case a checklist really does make sense; it's good to know what questions you're going to ask the person organizing the event beforehand.  They'll notice you were prepared and knew what to expect, plus they're more likely to book you in the future the easier you are to deal with.

But you know what?  At the end of the day if it happens, it happens.  I know that's ridiculously redundant, but seriously sometimes there's nothing you could have done.  All you can do at that point is call everyone and tell them not to come, or at best get all your gear to a buddy's basement and rage it!  You can't plan on what others will do but you can get as much information as possible about the situation, and it might tell you more than you'd think about what to expect.  As for things like preshow promotion and extra equipment like lights, I've found it's usually better to take care of as much of it yourself as you possibly can.  DIY baby, that's how we like it.

 

 

By Author: Steve Owen

Steve Owen currently attends VCU School of Music, formerly a classical guitar major also with some studies in jazz.  Since moving to Richmond in 2001 he has played with several bands from different styles including: The Rising Sons (now Duchess of York), Identity, and Th!nk.  Since starting his own band in 2007, he writes, sings and plays bass for local electronic/funk/rock group The Silo Effect.  He enjoys water, air, deep conversation (about anything), and all green things and doesn't really like the man at all.

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