Musician Help

jlatinguitarist7
jlatinguitarist7 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
Any other musicians out there have any idea what it's like when you're done playing a 4-hour gig and it's 1am and you're starving and instead of just having water and going straight to bed, you have to detour with your bandmates and get food? Also, with the little to no sleep schedule any help on how to maintain a food schedule?

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Not a musician, but have great love of them.

    I assume you go for fast food...check out all the menus online and select the best options based on food likes and calorie counts...pre-log them on gig days and make sure your weekly calories allow for it ...then you can relax knowing that you are sorted
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    Crappy, low-paying bar gigs paid my way through college 25 years ago.

    Due to starving college kid food budget, I always packed a lunch, just like shift workers on a construction site.

    This helped

    Quit making excuses and get busy doing what you know need be done.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    herrspoons wrote: »
    I always packed sandwiches. I'm not a musician though, I'm a drummer. Aha. Aha.

    Chuckles
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Get a little cooler and stock it.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Make it your last (or first) meal of the day and fit it in your cals...
    How do you know when the drum riser is level?
    Drool comes out of both sides of the drummer's mouth. ;)
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    How do you get a drummer off your porch?
    Pay them for the pizza.

    How do you confuse a drummer?
    Give them sheet music.

    How do you make a drummer faint?
    Put notes on it.

    What's black and blue and lying in a ditch?
    A guitarist who's told too many drummer jokes.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    How do you get a drummer off your porch?
    Pay them for the pizza.

    How do you confuse a drummer?
    Give them sheet music.

    How do you make a drummer faint?
    Put notes on it.

    What's black and blue and lying in a ditch?
    A guitarist who's told too many drummer jokes.

    How do you know a drummer is knocking on your door? The knock speeds up.

    How do you confuse a bass player? Retune one of his strings, but don't tell him which one.

    How can you tell if the drum riser is level, the drool comes out of both sides of the drummers mouth.

    How can you tell which guy is the lead singer? Don't worry, he will tell you.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited January 2015
    When you stop for food, order/eat less than you have been eating. In stead of being concerned about special foods, think of smaller portions. You can do that.
    Eat half a burger or Skip the fries.
    Choices like that at each meal add up.
  • EmGee922
    EmGee922 Posts: 95 Member
    @jlatinguitarist7 I used to gig anywhere from 3-7 days a week...sometimes two a day...sometimes in different cities. It's tough. Every gig usually involved free food and alcohol, and it was always hard not to to hit the drive through at 3am on the way home when it didn't. I eventually started drinking only water on gigs for the most part and would bring something like a Cliff Bar to eat during one of the breaks. Still not the healthiest thing in the world, but better than a cheeseburger at least.
  • EmGee922
    EmGee922 Posts: 95 Member
    Oh, and I've known people to bring tupperware containers of salads or other healthy stuff from home to eat as well.
  • Eleanorjanethinner
    Eleanorjanethinner Posts: 563 Member
    I'd suggest making sure you have a filling (but healthy) meal before the gig. I find things like soups with veg, carbs and meat in them filling and low cal. I buy them in pots that can just be microwaved.

    Then make sure you drink enough water (yes water, not beer etc!). I'll allow you a diet coke or coffee if you feel the need but alcohol is death on the calories.

    Then eat a banana after the gig (or similar portable filling but low cal snack).
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Tupperware is your friend. :)
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend?
    Homeless.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Planning and sticking to your plan is your best friend. I know it's easy to down a couple pints between sets, I always did because I felt looser, but you just have to stick to your plan if you want to succeed.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    herrspoons wrote: »
    Ah, the drummer jokes...
    I thought at least you'd come back with a few guitarist/keyboardist jokes ;)
  • EmGee922
    EmGee922 Posts: 95 Member
    FredDoyle wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    Ah, the drummer jokes...
    I thought at least you'd come back with a few guitarist/keyboardist jokes ;)

    How do you get a guitarist to turn down? Put a music stand in front of them.
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    My only advice is to eat a decent meal before you leave and carry snacks with you.

    Incidentally, my husband's former drummer thought it would be a fine idea to hammer on a propane tank. He blew it and his garage up and got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 60% of his body.

    He's fine except for some scarring on his drumming arm, though. But he never denies how stupid he is, LOL.

  • jlatinguitarist7
    jlatinguitarist7 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for the help all!
  • Jams009
    Jams009 Posts: 345 Member
    edited January 2015
    All good tips here: packed lunches, and coolbags for longer tours. Eat before you leave etc...

    On tour; when in a town stock up on foods to make your own salads and sandwiches for on the road. Have foods that you can just add boiling water to handy in case you find a kettle (noodles, soups etc). Foods that you can nuke in case you find a microwave (baked potatoes are good). And also accept that at some points you will be hungry, and that eating well on tour is very difficult, so give yourself some leeway.

    What's the difference between a musician and a savings bond? The savings bond eventually matures and starts earning money.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    Well, I'm a musician, but haven't ever really played in a band, but I have worked spotlight's for some events for bands who have played and know what you mean.

    It's just a case of making it work. Be smart about the choices - grilled chicken maybe. And being a night-owl, you'll have to make a schedule that works for you. There's no rules as to when meals have to be eaten. It's about devising a plan that works for you. This is the time to be a bit creative with it.
  • attosa
    attosa Posts: 419 Member
    I always pack food and snacks with me for pre/post show. I move around a lot so I'm famished when we are done. If I forget to take food with me, I make the best choices possible. If I slip, I make up for it the next day. Good luck. Loving these drummer jokes. ;)
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 905 Member
    Any other musicians out there have any idea what it's like when you're done playing a 4-hour gig and it's 1am and you're starving and instead of just having water and going straight to bed, you have to detour with your bandmates and get food? Also, with the little to no sleep schedule any help on how to maintain a food schedule?

    The fast-food places (most, if not all) have nutritional information on their websites.

  • wreath7
    wreath7 Posts: 104 Member
    i'm a musician as well. i don't have any good tricks, though...
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I play all-day festivals and always have a ton of food with me. (Trail mix, protein bars, granola bars, freeze-dried fruit, etc.) I figure that I have so much gear with me anyway that a sack of food isn't going to make much of a difference. Most fast-food places always have nutrition information available, so it's pretty easy to make good choices.

    What's the difference between a drum kit and an onion? Nobody cries when you chop up a drum kit.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    Not a professional musician (though I do play piano, accordion, marimba, etc.) but I am a Latin dancer.

    I often go out to dance and get home between 1-3AM. For me, the key is to have something prepped ahead of time. I went out on Saturday and had a beautiful green salad when I got home, with some dried cranberries, nuts, turkey. It was yummy, and after that, I didn't want anything else.

    When I don't do that, I find myself preparing a quesadilla or some sort of very carby masa-containing concoction that I shouldn't be eating, even if I have already had dinner. For some reason, if I have been drinking even a little, I am more likely to want to eat things which contain melted cheese and masa.

    Pack your own food...it's the only way to go!
  • diesel85
    diesel85 Posts: 57 Member
    edited January 2015
    My only advice is to eat a decent meal before you leave and carry snacks with you.

    Incidentally, my husband's former drummer thought it would be a fine idea to hammer on a propane tank. He blew it and his garage up and got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 60% of his body.

    He's fine except for some scarring on his drumming arm, though. But he never denies how stupid he is, LOL.

    He Drums with only one arm?? lol speaking of which, What has seven arms and sucks? Def Leppard
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    edited January 2015
    diesel85 wrote: »
    My only advice is to eat a decent meal before you leave and carry snacks with you.

    Incidentally, my husband's former drummer thought it would be a fine idea to hammer on a propane tank. He blew it and his garage up and got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 60% of his body.

    He's fine except for some scarring on his drumming arm, though. But he never denies how stupid he is, LOL.

    He Drums with only one arm?? lol speaking of which, What has seven arms and sucks? Def Leppard

    LOL he's def that type of drummer.

    sorry, i had actually just taken my meds there and meant to say dominant arm, but drumming arm came out instead.

    On the other hand, my husband's new drummer only plays the ride cymbal. I can't even imagine being the one stuck directly in front of him while playing.

    Edited for med attack again lolololol
  • diesel85
    diesel85 Posts: 57 Member
    I saw a band once where the drummer only had a snare and a hi-hat. He was really creative with coercing different sounds. I was thoroughly impressed.
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