A Day in the Life

Jazz musicians on tour. Glamorous, you think? Think again!

Like many contemporary jazz groups, Vital Information and Steve Smith's Jazz Legacy are working bands with working musicians. No private jets, no catered tour buses, and no dedicated crew to haul gear.

In fact, band leaders like Steve end up managing more of the business than you would ever expect - from designing flyers and contacting local music shops to collecting the money at the end of the gig.

But that doesn't mean it's not fun - especially with this group. Says Steve, "everyone in the band is always making jokes and telling stories.  We have an absolute ball on tour. After all these years, we really know each other, but we never get tired of entertaining one another on the road."

And that's what 90% of a tour really is. A lot of driving.

Steve says, "Bob (Robert Biles, our sound man) drives the van 99% of the time. Of course, Bob is more than our sound mixer and van driver. He also records and co-produces all of our recordings!!!  He is a pro engineer that lives in LA and has his own studio.  We'll record our next record there in December.  His studio is called Bob's Hardware."

"Baron and I drive if the drive is super long like Boston to Washington, DC, which takes us 11 hours" adds Steve. "We hit traffic in every city; NYC, Philly, and Baltimore.  I sit in front of the van and navigate with our Mapquest directions."

What about the others?

"Frank and Tom sit in the 1st bench seat. Frank is reading or working on his computer writing music, and Tom tells a lot of stories and cracks jokes. Baron is sleeping in the 2nd bench seat.  The rest of the van is jammed with gear...in the back, and under the seats."

No trailer to haul all the gear?

"We are totally self contained," says Steve. "All of the drums, keyboards, guitar, and bass equipment. And we don't rent gear. That way, we know exactly what we're going to sound like every night and we don't have to deal with "Gear Du Jour."

With all the touring they do, Steve and the band have the travel thing down to a science.

"Bob stops about every 100 miles for a Starbucks break. We generally go to the hotel first, check in and stay until about 1/2 hour before it's time for the sound check. We always plan when we are going to leave the next day before we check in so everyone has a sense of what the next day will be like.

"We try to sleep as long as we can before we have to leave...so we figure out how far we have to drive and calculate when we think we'll arrive. We always add a lot of extra time because we know we'll run into traffic.  We plan on checking in and only staying a short time at the new hotel."

Why?

"We'd rather sleep longer overnight than check in and stay at a new hotel a long time before sound check. Plus, if we have a short drive, many hotels don't let you check in until around 3 p.m., so it doesn't help to arrive too soon."

Just getting to a gig is work, but that's just the beginning. As anyone who plays in a band knows, actually playing is only one part of what goes into a night of work.

Here is a recap of one day in the life of Steve Smith and Vital Information...

Wilbert's - Cleveland, Ohio - April 6, 2006
(Click photos to enlarge)

Steve and the band showed up around 4 p.m. in Cleveland after a five hour drive from Indianapolis. After loading in all the equipment, Bob Biles and the band began setting up the stage and instruments.

Steve's new Sonor SQ2 kit, with its deep bass drum and new, beautifully crafted shells, started to take shape. Of course, Steve put much of the kit together himself - not only because he's a hands-on drummer, but because the odd shape of the stage was a real challenge all night! His auxiliary snare drum (to the left of the hi-hat) needed to be propped by a drum case off-stage! It was just one of those nights...

Next came sound check. Frank's guitar sounded truly spectacular - with amazingly clean dynamics.

Baron Browne brought grins to the room, which was starting to fill up, while casually sitting in a chair as he executed perfect licks until the sound was just right.

The great Tom Coster was next, filling the room with an amazing repertoire of sounds. Of course, Tom is also incredible on the "squeeze box" and really put on a "show before the show."

Of course, when Steve sat down to do his check, a growing crowd of drummers took note. Stebal Drums, a great drums and percussion shop in Cleveland, sponsored the show and helped attract drummers and musicians from all over Northern Ohio to the show. Many of them arrived early to see Steve and the band for the first time in many years.

The drummers instantly took note of the incredible sounds coming from the new Sonor SQ2 kit, along with Steve's array of Zildjian cymbals. Steve's professionalism throughout the process undoubtedly set a great example for audience - and his unique blend of stunning technique and consistent musicality was a real treat. The audience enjoyed every minute of it and Steve acknowledged them kindly at the end of the sound check with a "tip of the hat."

While Bob tweaked the microphones on Steve's kit, the band relaxed in the restaurant and ate dinner. Frank caught up on some reading before the show to help relax and pass the time.

Finally, it was time to play, and the band came on to a rousing ovation that pretty much lasted the whole night. The band played a wide selection from their repertoire, including several songs from "Come On In."

After the first set, the fans really appreciated Steve and the band signing autographs near the Stebal Drums booth. And it's amazing what fans bring to the show to be signed in addition to VI records - like old Journey records, imports...you name it. Steve graciously signed it all.

After a short break, the band returned for another set...and the crowd was ready. They played late into the night and continued to bring the house down - one song at a time. But when it was all over - there was plenty of work to do.

In Cleveland, the band had some extra help tearing down and loading the van. But on many nights, this isn't the case. After several hours of serious playing, the band often moves all of its own gear.

The next day, they often leave the hotel early to get on the road - with a 4-7 hour drive. Then, it all happens again. And with the cost of touring, the band can play several nights in a row without a break - meaning that this process can repeat itself for a solid week. 

So - why keep doing it after all these years?

Because the music keeps flowing, the people keep coming, and these guys just like working.

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