How
To Recognize A Good Overseas Band Booking Agency
Written
By Giovanna Westwood
My
first time going overseas as a musician was made into a positively
unforgettable
time in my life. What made it that
way? An outstanding overseas booking
agency – that’s what!
Having
worked as a bass player/vocalist in successful bar bands around the
Seattle/Tacoma
area and feeling that I wanted to experience more in my musical career,
I began
to look at traveling overseas when the local gigging scene began to
change.
I
was introduced to John Belmont of the John Belmont Agency based in Mill
Creek,
Washington whom I asked to keep me in mind whenever he knew of any gig
that
needed a singing bass player going overseas.
At that time in my life, I was definitely ready for just that type of
new experience. I’m very thankful for
John Belmont to this day simply because he’s the reason I learned how
to
recognize a good overseas band booking agency.
He
called me one day not long after our initial contact and told me he had
a duo
that was traveling to Bangkok, Thailand, and they could use someone
just like me
who could do double duty on bass and vocals to make it a
trio.
We would play top-40 pop music, and I would
do some lead vocals. Well, I jumped at
the chance! Even though I had never
gone farther than Canada at that point, I barely thought
twice.
The most difficult thing was to figure out
how I was going to handle my responsibilities back home while being
over there
since the gig was a minimum of 6 months.
When
I gave my word to John that I would do the gig, he provided me with a
contract
after telling me all the specifics of the gig – the name of the hotel,
how the
meals and board was going to be handled, my work visa and my passport
details. He asked me to give him a list
of all the equipment that I would need on stage and a manifest of the
things I
would be taking with me. He also got me
prepared physically for the trip by setting up appointments for me to
go and get all
my
immunizations for overseas travel.
From
the beginning, I knew I was in good hands!
When
the plane arrived into Bangkok after the approximately 27 hour flight,
I’ll never
forget how
it felt to realize I was touching down in a new country – on a new
continent –
in brand new culture!
We
were met by hotel representatives at the airport and brought to the
Central
Plaza Hotel, which was at least 5-star, and beautiful from top to
bottom.
At
the hotel, we were met by the Food and Beverage manager who treated us
to a
meal in one of the finest restaurants in the hotel where I drank first
ever
glass of Grappa!
Before
we played the first note, we were paid our full month’s pay in U.S.
dollars. We were also taken the next morning to the
U.S. Embassy and prepared for legal working status by receiving proper
work
visas on our passports.
We
each had our own rooms in the hotel that we worked in with full
housekeeping
services. Every day, I would receive an
exotic basket of fruit filled with tasty morsels like rambutaan and
lychee and
other fruit I had never seen nor heard of before. It was
fantastic!
As
we worked our way into the gig, John Belmont himself came to Bangkok to
check
in on us – not for any trouble; he just truly cared about us!
By the way, he helped me pay my bills back
home by sending them all to me and made sure I knew how to handle
situations
where I had to send things back and forth to the states. I
truly trusted him, and nothing was ever
lost or went unpaid!
I
had my round trip plane ticket within my possession, so I knew that I
wouldn’t
be stranded, and everything was on the up-and-up.
We
played the gig there at the Central Plaza Hotel, and when our 6 months
were
just about up, the management asked us if we wanted to work another 3
to 6
months. At that point, we were all ready
to go, but I’ll say that the experience I had from the first surreal
moment of
landing on the soil of another continent to touchdown back home at
SeaTac
airport was probably about the best first overseas touring experience a
musician could’ve ever had!
Just
to recap all the fantastic things the Belmont overseas booking agency
did for
me:
-
I
was fully informed of the details of the gig.
-
I
was given a contract to sign and copies for my records.
-
I
knew what my backline would be before we arrived at the venue.
-
I
was asked for a record (manifest) of the things I was bringing to make
sure all
my equipment was accounted for.
-
I
was informed in every detail of how to get my immunizations for
overseas
travel, and any questions I had were thoroughly answered.
-
My
round-trip travel was paid, and my plane ticket was in my possession.
-
My
passport and work papers were handled properly, and we were registered
at the
U.S. Embassy.
- We
were paid for each month in full, in advance, in U.S. currency so that
we’d
have money to last through the month
- Each
person had their own room.
- My
agent helped me take care of my responsibilities at home.
- He
took time out to come and see how we were
doing.
I
hope my experience helps you!
Written
By Giovanna Westwood
www.female-musician.com
August
1, 2009
|
