i am nearly 80 years old and i have enjoyed the video very much what a wonderful sensible young man i played guitar in 1960 on the same bill as Johnny Horton the video made me feel young again. thank you.
This is awesome, a great musician who doesn't need to put on a show of behaving like a loser to be a player. As an older musician that was occasionally treated badly because of my profession, I can appreciate young musician who's completely professional and very respectable.
Hope you guys enjoy the video! I had fun filming and editing (need to do more of this)! If you have any questions or want to know more - let me know in the comments! - RJ
Great video. Much respect for posting this. Your job looks tiring, at times mind-numbingly boring and/or lonely and genuinely hard work. I know you were tired but your routine looked really spirit crushing: drive, sleep badly, food anxiety, late nights, early mornings, the same songs over and over and probably for not much more than a 'typical' joe makes in his 9-5. Unless you are successful enough to 'make it' big enough to have all the frills and convenience (and let's be brutally honest here - you're doing OK for that considering what some guys have to make do with in terms of conveyance and hotels etc) the life of a working musician seems very much: a) a young man's game and b) fraught with the kind of endless temptation to self destruct on alcohol, drugs or just unclean living. Your strong personal discipline was very much evident: eat right, sleep often, keep clean (all those casinos are full of greasy door handles, e-coli and filthy air con etc), work out, plan and prepare etc. My only question is .. what do you do when you get 'too old' or 'too jaded' for that life-style? Do you worry about the future etc?
When Charlie Watts was asked what it was like to be a rocker for 40 years he said, "More like rocking for 1 year and 39 years of waiting around." That's the weird thing about touring - you're always waiting. Waiting to leave. Waiting to arrive. Waiting for the show to start. Waiting for the bus. Waiting for the sound check. It's a weird altered existence. Yes, i have toured so I know.
Thanks for the tour, man. Helps people appreciate life better when we see the reality. Done a lot of long flights, snowy roads, beds that didn't feel like home and meals that didn't digest well. Oh, and smoke in countries that allowed smoking everywhere. But...always loved the people and cultures.
This is so good. I am doing the same but for bass players!! It's so needed! Everyone wants to hit the big stage but don't realize the work that needs to be put in. I've started to blog on my journey as well and what it means to be an everyday working musician. I am subscribing right now!
Classy , Professional, Dedicated and jus a downright good guy . Thanks RJ for this look into your piece of this world....lots a time spent at the expense of those youll never know.... Skull socks n all.... thx
Thanks for showing us the U.S. touring experience. I think it shows no matter where you do it, being a professional musician is about planning, taking care of yourself and making sure you're the best you can be, when you're on stage.
This is a great video. Those whining that it's not "sex, drugs, & rock 'n roll" enough are either REALLY amateur musicians who probably haven't ventured beyond the corner pub playing Papa Roach covers, or they have no idea what being a musician is. You should note that most of these guys are hired guns...not OG band members and songwriters. Get on the road and try to act like you're John Bonham or Kieth Richards and in less than a week your replacement will be enjoying your bunk while you catch a Greyhound home.
I saw a Delaney and Bonnie concert back in the 1970's. They had a bass player named Kenny who looked like Jimi Hendrix and danced his ass off all set. By the end of the night there were 8,000 people chanting "Kenny! Kenny! Kenny!". Delaney looked pissed. I heard Kenny got fired.
As a guy struggling to break into this "glamorous" world of touring I really appreciated every second of this. Honestly I would love to be doing this every day of my life
Hey RJ! Love your channel, you're the only vlogger that actually gets out of the basement and into the REAL WORLD!! Showing us the benefits and pitfalls of working musicians. I saw your European posts and by the end you looked like roadkill. Never getting enough sleep, questionable food for weeks on end,crossing time zones really takes it's toll on you. People think it's an endless party in 5 star hotels but it's not, any day off that isn't a travel day is spent catching up on sleep and laundry not getting high with strippers. IDK how people can go on the road for months on end, after 5-6 weeks out I am TOAST!
Thank You for taking your talents on the road!! My Father was a Country Music DJ and I have met a lot of the greats of Nashville. Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Mer Haggard to name a few. There is a dedication to this industry that many never know or will ever see.
Nice video!! I sure wish it was this way back in the 80's when I toured. We had an old beat up Greyhound bus where the heat barely worked and no air conditioning and another old moving truck that hauled all our equipment. Brakes seldom worked well in the equipment hauler so that was always a fun time traveling in the mountains of Montana. We would work week at a time at a bar meaning 4 to 6 days in one spot, then have another gig 6 hours away and do it all over again. The worst gigs were the ones that were three states away. Get done playing Saturday night and hit the road to have to set up by Monday barely get back to the Motel (not Hotel).. or worst yet the "band house" (god were some of those houses scary, could sometimes see the crabs still on the bedding or toilets from previous bands). We had to load in and load out our own equipment as well as we didn't have a dedicated "crew" to do the set ups. So we would get set up.. head back to the room, shower, possibly eat..and we were on stage. Did all this for almost 6 years straight touring around the country. I loved it all for the most part and had the time of my life playing all the early 80's rock and roll around the country, partying like rock stars and just living the life. I just wish to hell I could remember all of it.
57-year-old hack rhythm guitarist/vocals in my third-ever band, harboring much regret for not pursuing the big dream 100 years ago when it might've made sense. Your video made me feel a little better. Thank you. Not that it's not super cool and fun what you do; just doesn't appear quite as glamourous as the little snippets that look out from the stadium stage over a sea of people singing lyrics back to you. :-) Rock on brotherman!
Thanks for sharing RJ. I did 3 straight years practicing 3 nights a week and gigging 2-4 nights a week - then did solo for 2 years - all originals in SoCal. No touring because you could play 5 years back then and not hit the same club twice. Did 40 weeks a year for 15 years on the road as a consultant and between the two (gigging and consulting) your video brought back some good and some not so good memories. Can't tell you how many times I flew in somewhere to see 4th of July from a plane, missed a wedding anniversary, birthday, or family event, but it was all worth it in the end. Love your stuff - been following you since I started practicing with backing tracks during early youtube - wish you all the very best!
Awesome video bro! I've been a guitarist for like 25yrs. I've done all the same things that you were doing in the video. The traveling, the soundchecks , the "hurry up & wait" the rest of the day till showtime...LOL! Yeah some of it is enjoyable & some is just plain boring, u know. But when your finally on the stage & everything is flowing perfectly that's when you feel the pay off. At least for me. There's nothing better than playing live music ,the energy that you share with everyone. (Well, riding my motorcycle in the woods & on the street is like up there too....) But I gotta say that the best moment of your video is when you finally get in your home at the end & who's eagerly waiting? Just the best friends in the whole world... your DOGS!!! Yes, dogs are the best thing in life! At least for me brother. Thanks for the video ✌🤘🤘🤘
Thanks for the post. I RARELY got to gig under such nice conditions. I remember it was fun anyway. Sometimes. Musicians are much more responsible these days than we were!
That was great fun and a proper reminisce! Can't say I miss the touring days but... its a whole part of my life that's gone. Nice work bro! ☘️🇺🇸🇮🇪🇨🇦❤️☃️🎄🎅☮️💪🏽🤠👍🏽☮️🎅🎄☃️❤️🇨🇦🇮🇪🇺🇸☘️
This is just a lovely video. Thank you, R.J.! Touring is grueling work. So many musicians burn out. They think the musician's life will be a cake walk, but soon face the reality that it's A JOB, and thousands are left in the wake of the touring bus.
If only people knew how many artists use that Kroger in Nashville to start their tours, that parking lot would be crammed full of fans! LOL! Have a good run!!
ARG! 10,000 motels! Great video. Good times. Old school key, comes complete with flashing neon sign outside the window, and hot and hot running water (no cold), and a broken refrigerator with a jacked up door.
That was really awesome RJ !!! I'm an island (different island) boy myself making my way in the world as a weekend warrior musician and 9 to 5 ham and egger ! I loved how honest and real your video was, from packing up your gear to trying and eat gluten free on the road...perfect. I love how simple and effective your rig was (you should do your own rig rundown) thanks for sharing and I hope to run into you on the road sometime! Cheers from Canada
Hey RJ, I’m the fella who spoke to you about the drum beats+ app, just learned here your Filipino, I am a retired American expat here in Davao City, there are some great Filipino guitarists , my neighbor plays for a Blues band called the Southeners. Thanks for the vids....your a class act!
Great peek into Hard Working Sideman Touring 2017. It's been a decade for me since I was very far out of town playing. Things have changed a bit. Great to see. Thank you!
R.J. I wanted to tell you that you do a great job demoing gear. Your versatility between different genres is impressive. Between you and Pete Thorn it is hard to decide who I prefer to watch. Keep up the good work!
RJ - You deserve Top-Billing one day. I've loved your videos going back to Eastwood, & ive always loved your Blues playing. But, I gotta tell you - that traveling is rough. I'm glad you have the energy for it. I'm gluten/lactose intolerant too, so I eat mostly vegetarian. God Bless You!
So I'm a retired aerospace engineer and road warrior. That means that I was away from home 5 days a week, sometimes longer. Yes, I flew business class and stayed in 5 star hotels. But I was working 10+ hour days and I was an absent dad. And if we were behind schedule, we worked 12 hour days and 7 day weeks. When we had a long contract at Edwards AFB, we stayed in a mobile home park because it was right next to the base. Entertainment was shooting a little pool and having a couple of beers before heading to bed. Long story short, we were hired guns, hired because we were disciplined, focused, and team players who were good at design and test, system integration, and problem resolution. I mean, our products -- combat aircraft -- were designed to fly Mach1.2+ which placed a lot of stress on the plane and on the pilot and on the flight test team.
I love this. R.J, Ronquillo...dude - I love this. My dream is to go on tour someday with someone. Guitar - Keyboards - Bass - Whatever. I want to experience this life. My musician friends say I will hate this life...Hmmm...I don't think so. R.J....thanks for posting this
Enjoyed that very much! Makes me miss my touring days, when I was in that major metal band 9 years ago. You're like me, I'm always the first getting stuff out from the stage, don't want my stuff got stolen. Greetings from Switzerland!
This was an awesome video. Thanks for the insight, it'd be awesome to show this to Music students who want to "make it", show them what the real life looks like and let them decide what they want.
Very cool video! I love this behind-the-scenes stuff. I'm only a weekend warrior "hobby" musician, so this is very cool to see the touring side of things.
RJ ... damn dude - you are so organized and professional (kudos) ... my fav vid of yours yet ... thanks for the insight and keep taking care of yourself 👍
great video R.J. And terrible at the same time! Terrible for me, that is! It's going to make my day even harder in the office tomorrow, behind my desk, in meetings. I wanted this life so much! Follow your dreams kids. Don't go to college, follow your passions, don't be a grown up! Rock on R.J.!!
8:55 Muscle Shoals Sound! I'm currently a few blocks from there now. My hometown! Lot of great musicians coming through this area regularly. Cool to see we made it in one of your videos!
No JD. no drugs. No excess. This is how its done. Im in the UK and just play gigs when i can. Id love to be doing this. No driving a van. No unloading (or do you?) Keeping fit. Its key. Travelling must get a bit tedious though. Youve got to enjoy that part. Nice gear. I like the 4 preset delay
Traveling does get tedious, but when you're with good people it makes a difference. That Nemesis delay has been working out great, and actually it has 8 presets alone, and a 128 with an external MIDI footswitch.
When I toured in early 90's this is exactly how it went down.without cell phones and internet we had to make our fun.normally writting songs or watching tv...great video ..
R.J. Ronquillo people have an 80's rock video perception of the road.its just not perceivable .I've been to 100's cities and towns,never seen them.usually load in,sound check,play,leave..it's not an easy job..sleep and exersise become a wish.lucky the 5 minute call home isnt $8.00 in quarters anymore..
Great video and thank you for sharing insight into the life of a touring guitarist that many of us dream about. Great to see the inside life, would love to see more videos like this.
I've been wondering for years about your ethnic heritage - now I know (had been guessing Vietnamese, so I was close). It's hard to stay healthy on the road: beware bad food, drugs and alcohol, and strange women (better to have a good loving woman waiting for you at home). You lead a blessed life for someone that loves music and musical instruments - thanks!!
Never seen any of your videos before man, but this was seriously cool. It was great to see what it’s like to be on the road and how the level of professionalism can lead to a fantastic show 😊 keep it up man would love to see more of these types of on the road videos!!
Miss that town a lot. It used to confuse me when I first moved to Hermitage why there were always so many tour busses parked in that Kroger lot all the time. Cool video
Dude, very cool. I just moved from Nashville to the Philippines! I'm not Filipino, but my wife is. :-) I enjoyed the jazz vibe ride-a-long, so much so, I subscribed to your channel! Keep up the good work!
I'd love to see this. I'm a young guy trying to get a start into session work (Mainly online, but studio session work would still be extremely handy and cool to see), so it'd be extremely awesome to see this happen.
Gotta be careful though since it's all copyrighted material and not out to the public yet. But yeah I love watching band documentaries that come out post-album so that could be cool. Since his name isn't on the music though it may be hard to get permission to record that stuff.
Great job on the video. I have been at it for just over 50 years. And except for the movies,bowling and some shop centers and maybe some girls, it is how it is in real life.
Very cool vid, thx 4 sharing.. It'd be really cool to see you do a video series that covers the business side of being a touring/sessions musician.. It's very difficult to find good educational info regarding the "how do I get paid" side of the independent musicians life.. I've been teaching for the last 10yrs but that's an obvious business plan that's not too difficult to develop in order to support yourself financially.. Promoting your own band/musical projects is self-financed with pot-luck profits so that's something that I personally have always classified as a crap-shoot that isn't a reliable source for paying the rent.. Outside of those two options all other potential streams of cash flow can be a mystery at best for the majority independent musicians.. I know that touring as a hired-gun, working as a sessions player and selling your own songs are all viable options but there just isn't any solid advice to aid musicians like myself on how to get off the ground.. Especially selling songs, I personally have a decent sized catalog of demo stuff that I'd gladly begin chipping away at if I knew where producers and artists were going to look for their next big hit.. lol
Great video! I toured back in the early 90's and nothing has really changed. This brought back some good and bad memories. It was fun but tiring and a lot of work. Still good to see that the buses still break down! Why is it always the AC not working!?! Our AC never worked AND we had to rig the windshield wiper with a rope and bungee cord. When the windshield got too bad to see, the driver gave the rope a couple yanks and cleared it. If it was really bad, one of us had to sit behind him and continuously pull the rope so he could see. Good times!!
Great to see a "Kababayan" (it's what we call to a fellow Filipino.It means; "We have a same country") who is a multi talented and down to earth and so professional...
Hey I have a question, maybe this is a topic for a video... how on earth did you land the gig with Thompson Square? It would be really neat to hear your story. Thanks, and great video!
Hey RJ - This was awesome! As someone currently continuing to learn and develop in the country style seeing what it's actually like on the road from the perspective of a musician was great. Sadly here in the UK, country isn't all that popular but that hasn't detered me. I'd love to see more stuff like this. Cheers :D
TOURING LOOKS LIKE A MAJOR GRIND, LIKE WORKING IN A SALT MINE, NOT THE "LIVING THE DREAM" THAT ROCK MYTHOLOGY PROMISES...NO WONDER SO MANY BANDS/ARTISTS BURN OUT ON THE ROAD!
Great video! Thank you to tke the time making and editing all this content, this must be a lot of work... Interesting from the first second to the last!
Awesome video. I actually have family in Carbondale, IL. Do you have any go-to Gluten-free brands? I've always been partial to Udi's for bread and bagels.
