Just sharing some knowledge, I have learned so much from other musicians I thought I can pass it on to the new ones too, of course these are just suggestions or opinions... I'm sure some of my colleagues will add or correct some of these. 

1. Make sure you have ALL the necessary equipment you need and that it is the very best you can afford. It should never be a DRAG to buy great gear especially when you have the means to. There's nothing more depressing than seeing a guy arrive in a Limo, only to set up pedal effects right on the stage floor with NO pedal board.

2. Practice, practice, practice, and practice. When you're done with that, practice again. Nothing will make you better as a band but practice. You can be the world's best musician, but if you don’t practice with the band, you will sound like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure jamming. 

3. Work on your sound as a band. Your Fender Strat on a Marshall 1/2 stack may sound beast in your bedroom, but in the practice spot you WILL need to tweak it, and that goes for the night of the gig on sound check (or no sound check usually). So BE PREPARED to tweak your gear on the go, to be successful you MUST read the next one. 

4. KNOW your gear. Nothing will leave you looking so amateurish as a display of a guessing game of how to get rid of that Reverb or airplane swoosh on your amp, only to activate a crowd-clearing Tremolo with a screeching effect. Make sure you know every button, leveler, toggle switches, screws, and joysticks on your gear to the T. If those things could control themselves they would NOT have buttons, so get cracking and learn! 

5. Always bring a spare whatever-the-piece-of-crap-part on your gear that you can't do without on a gig in case of an emergency. I will give examples: an extra - Guitar (in case you turn into a Werewolf and your grotesquely grown nails popped a string), 1/4" plug (in case you decapitate yours by stepping on it tuning your Axe), drum head key (in case the beater before you was tuned to G and you like C# with a raised 9th), drum sticks (in case they don't sell Chicken at the bar you're jamming... J/K, I think it's obvious but, in case you decided to take your lead singer off that horrible flat note he’s stuck on by stabbing him on the balls... now that's a high C!), distortion pedal (in case your board decided that it will not play for less than 500 people on gig night), a mic cable (in case the fat ass Jim Morrison wanna-be before you fell off the stage and broke his fall by hanging from the mic cable, & it's the only one left!), etc. 

6. Be sensitive to others gear... bring your OWN ESSENTIALS (pretty much #5 plus), Cymbals, snare, own pedal board, guitar amp, bass amp, DEFINITELY your own guitars, and mic if you have cooties or don't want any. 

7. Be on-time to gigs, be cool to everyone in charge there (unless you're RATM) because these are the people that can get you more gigs, but don't kiss ass because, in the words of Ferris Buhler, "you can't respect anyone that kisses your ass". Don't act like a freaking DIVA unless your name is Aretha Franklin or at least Weird Al Yankovic. In other words you're an unsigned band with NO CREDENTIALS that do not have many $ and/or zeroes. Nobody owes you crap we're all supporting each other here we love you and therefore you should love us because CMN won't, and hell, we like it that way! 

8. Tell the promoters BEFORE booking your gig that you require a symphony orchestra for 2 of your songs if you really do, but DON'T show up on gig night thinking they know you're a 100 piece band. Always e-mail your rider ahead of time so as to give time to the promoter to either accommodate your band or break your heart and tell you that your Cellos, Tympani, & Flutes are out of the question. 

9. The money part for gigs is almost NEVER discussed between promoter and band members (I know, its bullcrap! It should be discussed!). You have spent countless hours practicing, beating the HIGH C out of your vocalist and pampering that volatile drummer (aren't they all crazy?), hundreds if not thousands of dollars on your gear, and now your dad threw out his back helping you load to go to the practice spot, you deserve this question at the VERY, VERY least. Don't be afraid to ask right away, make it clear now so that you know what you are up against and we won't see you throw a tantrum after the gig because you were expecting a 6 figure check. Anything that you can get is good but if you don't agree you should know by now that you are the band and are in control of doing the gig or not. 


10. Always, always try to meet the other bands and hang out, why? So that you can learn all the crap they been through and it is easier for you and you will be surprised the amount of stuff you don't know much less how cool musicians are! Show up before the 1st band begins, and don't leave as soon as you play, support (you ungrateful Guitar Hero!). When the band before you ends their set don't rush and throw all your crap on stage right away, wait until they break down, and remember to CONGRATULATE them on a GREAT SHOW! We are ALL part of the same suffering as musicians, the least we can do for each other is keep our spirits up so we can be better on the next gig. What about when someone had a bad gig? Hey, there's always one guy that stands out in a band, or a song, or a groove; say that! Hell, I've heard stuff like "your Boss distortion pedal really sounds great"... bottom line it's the musicians code language because to me that sounded like "I'm sure with more practice you guys will sound better", but at least I know I got the right distortion for my Axe. OK dudes, see you on stage! Rock on. 

Before you ask; how do I know all this? Because I’ve been through it, been part of it, and done some of it at both levels; innocent & guilty!!! 

RA

*RA Amaro was the leader of the Latin Rock band Zamandoque Tarahum for 12 years.