#dollydenko

With footage shot in Seattle while on tour, I made video clip of sorts. it's scetchy but I like how it turned out. I (Dolly) wrote and recorded the track in my home studio when I returned to Melbourne so the clip and song are entirely DIY by yours truly. It was hot out and i was hanging out the my laundry (as I'm sure all independent musicians do; or their mums?) and saw that the spider had started to gather outside my window; as they always do this time of year. Felt like a good opening line and the rest just went from there. The ending of this track was a happy accident - I love that 

I'll keep this as brief and informative as possible - October 2014 saw me embark on my first international tour with new project Doctrin. I set this up with fellow touring musician and Los Angeles local Lucy LaForge from Lucy & La Mer. We met at the ASCAP conference April 2014 and after I flew home to Melbourne in May, we kept in touch. Lucy suggested I come back over for a West Coast tour - it was stretch thinking about going back so soon and finding the money to do so, but with minimal hesitation I agreed. 

We immediately began booking shows which of course took some research finding the right/realistic venues and other bands, mapping out a route, hiring a van and sussing as much free accommodation as possible. It was challenging being in Melbourne but we communicated over e-mail and got everything organised as best we could.

Isla Vista // Santa Barbra 

Using any contacts we had, the internet and even books to help us wrap our head around running and promoting our own tour - we successfully booked shows between San Diego and Seattle. I used the website Indie on the move  to find venues and contact details along with reading DIY Touring The World. Both these were incredibly useful tools and there is nothing like learning from people that know what the hell they're doing, and trust me these guys have got it sussed! 

 Boardwalk // Santa Cruz 

Obviously promotion is an incredibly big deal to any creative venture if you want people to know about what you do or come to your shows. With no real network of my own in the USA I relied a lot on Lucy having her friends come along and spread the word. Using facebook, word of mouth, online flyers, instagram and a slew of hashtags was imperative. If you have the money for a publicist that's great but for us - we were on our own - social media was key. On the ground, tagging the shit out of our tour van with chalk pens was a great idea - it's a travelling billboard and so easy to do. We had random road trippers using our hashtags and communicating with us online, it even got us out of a speeding fine! That's right - when we got pulled over, the officer had taken so much of an interest in the fact we were from Australia (which was written all over the van) that he let us off!!!

At each show having a e-mail sign up sheet is a must, we did this and gratefully people handed over their precious e-mail address. This isn't a new ground breaking practice, having an e-mail list but, it does surprise me how many bands don't bother or just forget. Plugging your band name through the set to a room of inebriated listeners will only get you so far.  

The Coffee Garden // Sacramento 

Finding as many friends to lend their beds and couches saved us some money along the way but Motel 6 is your best friend when it's 2am and you've been driving through the night - They're cheap, super easy to come across and the truckers are way nicer than I expected! 

Eating is easy if you're not fussy, if you are, then get over it! I certainly struggled with not having my usual amount of bathroom time to do my hair and make-up but I had to figure it out. Everyone will struggle differently but all in all it's a road trip, lots of car time so make sure you've got enough music and good cell coverage so you can google map everything you need. 

Mt Shasta // Calif.

We played shows in: San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbra, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, Salem and Seattle. Some of the venues had an engineer yet other times we were left to our own devices to deal with the PA so, it does help to have some knowledge when it comes to setting up and packing down the sound system. It definitely makes you dream of the day you have a legit operation in swing with roadie/sound person at hand, and, appreciate the venues that have their shit together. 

Sadly I (Dolly) crashed the tour van. This is the reality of NEEDING insurance. If you don't do this when hiring a van to drive long distance, tired and spaced out on the 'wrong' side of the road - you're asking for trouble. Luckily no one was hurt, just my pride. We lost a few hours screwing around picking up another car and we were on a schedule to get back into LA. It wasn't ideal but a good reminder and lesson that, no matter how well planned and orchestrated you are, there is always the chaos theory at hand to fuck you up. 

Portland // Oregon 

Seeing different towns, watching the landscape change, eating burgers/burritos, talking to locals and just meeting incredible people is what this tour was all about. We even played a rehab centre in Salem to struggling addicts, it was so humbling and they were the most grateful crowd across the board. Having the chance to visit places like portland and vibe out was inspiring, somehow it felt like home. Making it up to Seattle, our final show and playing the same stage as Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and so many more was just the start of something - the taste of touring is addictive. I wish it started big - I won't lie - I dream of the day I'm packing a huge room or even a stadium - lights everywhere, full crew and production but the reality is we start here. Ground level. 

Of course I have my own county to tour plus pipe dreams for the world but touring the West Coast USA was a great introduction. No label, no management or PR, no booking agent - it doesn't mean it can't be done. I want all those things but for now here we are doing this thing as best we can. I'm not saying anyone has said it's impossible, we're not the first bands to do this and no one tried to deter us, but let it be known to those that are fearful - it's do able. Be smart and realistic with plans and expectations, persist with booking shows and just do it. 

Blue Moon Tavern // Seattle 

Find me, Dolly Denko and Doctrin here: 

https://www.facebook.com/Doctrinmusic

http://instagram.com/dollydenko

https://twitter.com/dollydenko

Find Lucy & La Mer here:

https://www.facebook.com/LucyAndLaMer

http://instagram.com/lucyandlamer?modal=true

https://twitter.com/LucyAndLaMer