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Touring South of the border
| Message Board > General Chitchat > Touring South of the border |
| Mutilashawn User Info... | I know there are many hardships in doing this. I'm just wondering what kind of first hand advice any touring veterans can give. What is allowed? What isn't? What kind of documentation does one need? Ways around it? I have a Green Card, can that apply to the whole band?? Email me if you feel your answers on a public forum are "incriminating". - Sun, 21 May 2006 6:45pm | ||
| MURDALIZER User Info... | If u want to do it legit, u will need work visas, tour itinerary with contacts for all the venues - to vouch for u, they may want to know how much money u will be making. Some people think that belonging to a musicians union helps establishing credibility. Quite seriously there is a lot of red tape n bullshit involved, they can and will do background checks on anyone who looks suspicious - no criminals aloud. This endevour is difficult for smaller indipendent bands, the bigger bands have management that takes care of all this BS. However it can be done, I have done it with a PunkRock band numerous times. Seriously don't just expect to roll up to the border with a van full of equipment and hoolies thinkin you'll just tell them that your playing a relatives wedding etc. they don't usually buy it. Especially after 911.Having said all that it can be done with a modicum of subterfuge, e-mail me if interested. - Sun, 21 May 2006 7:17pm | ||
| ML7Mike User Info... | Legally with a P2 Visa. Thanks to Bush and Bin Laden and the boys you can expect to wait 5-6 months for this. Catch is you need to have contracts signed before you send in the visa paper work. Its about $250 US non refundable. Of course they have a more time realistic expediated version, they will process it for you in 3 weeks for $1250 US. So the catch-22 is you either do the near impossible for an underground band and book solid tour dates half a year (or more) in advance (and risk burning bridges with promoters if the visa isnt approved) or pay out the big money and consider your tour a working vacation since its unlikely you can recoup that kind of money with gas prices through the roof. ultimately the fault lies with the Candian side of the musicians union who lobbied for this crap way back when to protect the canadian hotel circuit top40 rock cover bands. The US side brought in a reciprocating fee (ie: you charge us so we charge you) and then after 911 it got even harder. http://www.artistsfromabroad.org/immigration/canadians.html - Tue, 23 May 2006 10:45am | ||
| the grey army User Info... | whats the deal if 1 or more members of your band have dual citizenship? dual citizenship and driving a van accross the border thats not registered to them... - Tue, 23 May 2006 5:03pm | ||
| jay brown User Info... | set up a tour with a band down there and borrow their gear. Then you can go down as regular people and not get totally fucked with at the border. - Wed, 24 May 2006 12:25pm | ||
| J User Info... | what if you were to ship all the equipment you'd absolutely need ie) f/x pedal(s), guitar, bass... drums obveously out of the question cause of size and weight. But i think if you could convince someone to receive the goods, it could save a bit of hassle... but then shipping them back could be a bitch.... - Wed, 24 May 2006 3:41pm | ||
| ML7Mike User Info... | getting back shouldnt be a problem, just drive across. Depending on the length of the tour renting backline gear might be a more viable way to spend your $1000.. Or as Jay says borrowing gear and just taking down guitars and or cymbals. - Wed, 24 May 2006 3:58pm | ||
| Mutilashawn User Info... | that's probably the best plan right there ... borrowing. thanks for all your advice, much appreciated. - Wed, 24 May 2006 7:04pm Edited: Wed, 24 May 2006 7:04pm | ||
| Ty Stranglehold User Info... | We borrowed gear when we were down in Vegas in January. It worked well. I also mailed two giant packages of merch to a friend down there disguised as x-mas gifts. - Wed, 24 May 2006 11:27pm | ||
| Anonymous User Info... | also, make sure your band name isn't visible anywhere (obviously) and your passport name isn't attached to any band website because if they're suspicious, they will GOOGLE! it is true. - Mon, 29 May 2006 8:50pm | ||
| Anonymous User Info... | yeah, that's how they find out about lots of bands. Do Not Bring Gear! one electric guitar can pass, and that's about it. - Wed, 31 May 2006 5:19pm | ||
| laprider User Info... | One way as I just did it last weekend is to play a festival, do One free performance and the festival will get you an entrance letter. Book some other paid gigs and say nothing of them. ONE WARNING. Canada Customs had a field day with me on my return, be careful what gets on your drivers lisence. I live clean but let someone use my DL at a stag a month ago. They do ION scan ID and I damn near got the glove. - Thu, 1 Jun 2006 12:19pm | ||
| J User Info... | wat do ya mean? did someone get it taken away or sumthing at the stag? or did they use it for something else *cough*scraper*cough*? Im guessing the latter cause you spoke of this 'ion scanner'? - Thu, 1 Jun 2006 2:37pm | ||
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