{"id":12633,"date":"2014-03-14T01:00:54","date_gmt":"2014-03-14T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12633"},"modified":"2014-03-09T11:57:31","modified_gmt":"2014-03-09T15:57:31","slug":"from-the-inside-gypsyhawk-tour-managermerch-god-art-daniels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12633","title":{"rendered":"From The Inside: Gypsyhawk Tour Manager\/Merch God Art Daniels: “Don\u2019t do door deals for anyone in Lincoln, Nebraska.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"983543_10152939894610637_444873451_n\"<\/a>Welcome back to the 2nd installment of From the Inside. This time around I had a great time talking to Gypsyhawk tour manager\/merch guy Art Daniels. Art is the man behind the curtain doing all the can to make sure that the Gypsyhawk road machine runs as smooth as possible. When he’s not putting out fires, getting the band paid, getting them on the stage, and getting them out to the fans, Art can be found at the merch booth with an infectious smile, magnetic personality, and a great conversation to be had with any and everybody.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Art’s a good buddy of mine and he was awesome enough to talk to me from his home in Beverly Hills (ooo lala). Art is pretty new to the business of being a tour manager but in his short time in doing this he already seems to be a wealth of knowledge as to what’s going on behind the scenes. Just sit back and enjoy getting to know Art Daniels and to all those out there looking to get into the biz, pay attention. I’m sure Art will quiz you next time he sees you!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Art, thanks for taking the time to talk to me today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No problem Don.\u00a0 It\u2019s always great to talk with you.\u00a0 It\u2019s cool because I\u2019m trying to raise my profile a little bit so I really appreciate this.<\/p>\n

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So how are you doing man?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m good but man, Harold Ramis died.\u00a0 I\u2019m bummed! It\u2019s like one of the Beatles died for me but other than that I\u2019m ok [laughs].<\/p>\n

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So you live in Beverly Hills.\u00a0 You must be big shit huh?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] It\u2019s fancy here but I\u2019m in the shittier portion of Beverly Hills but it\u2019s still pretty fancy.\u00a0 The Sharon Tate murder was like a mile from here so that\u2019s kind of crazy [laughs].\u00a0 Tour busses go by here all the time.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be out getting my mail in the morning looking all haggard and shit and people are like riding by staring at me.\u00a0 I actually rent out a room in one of these big ass houses so it\u2019s pretty sweet.<\/p>\n

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You and I first met on your first tour managing Gypsyhawk and it was love at first sight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] I think so.\u00a0 Well, you had a bottle Jack Daniels with you so could it not have been?\u00a0 [laughs]<\/p>\n

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So what made you decide to get into managing a band?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was kind of a natural progression for me.\u00a0 I worked in retail pretty much my entire life.\u00a0 I was in management and then I started doing merch for a band and I just started to pick up on the other things that needed to get done in the day for these bands and figured this was something I could easily handle.\u00a0 I just gave it a try and loved it.<\/p>\n

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Is tour managing a band as easy as or harder than you thought it would be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, it\u2019s definitely harder than it look s[laughs].\u00a0 It\u2019s been a learn as you go experience and there\u2019s a lot thrown on you from the beginning.\u00a0 You want to do the best you can and if you\u2019re not performing to what you feel is a good standard you\u2019re kind of disappointed by it.\u00a0 It did get easier as time went on but every day is a new challenge.<\/p>\n

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Do you work with anyone other than Gypsyhawk on the business side of things?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gypsyhawk is pretty much my sole focus right now.\u00a0 I do get a lot people calling me and asking me for advice and I\u2019m always happy to offer up advice to anyone.<\/p>\n

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Being that you\u2019re pretty much working primarily with Gypsyhawk, what do you see is your role in trying to get the band to that next level?\"1057922_10152997588035637_898226894_n\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

My role is to just be the man of the people when it comes to fans.\u00a0 I just want to keep the boys in line and keep them fan friendly and to make sure that when the show\u2019s over that they\u2019re not disappearing behind the scenes.\u00a0 At the merch table the fans want to talk to the band and buy shirts.\u00a0 They don\u2019t necessarily want to buy them from me.\u00a0 If Eric Harris is standing there at the merch booth people are going to react to that.\u00a0 They want to meet him and talk to him and it\u2019s going to be a good time for the fans.<\/p>\n

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I know bands have influences and what not.\u00a0 Do you, as a manager, have any managers that you look up to and consider an influence on you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are ones that I\u2019ve met recently named John Hopkins and Chris Greene who we affectionately call \u201cMilkshake.\u201d\u00a0 These are guys that I\u2019ve watched work that have their shit together and they know what they\u2019re doing.\u00a0 They know how to control things and keep things running.\u00a0 Those guys are definitely people to look up and people that I can learn from.<\/p>\n

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Give us a rundown on what an average day in the life of Art Daniels is like when on the road.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s any such thing as an average day [laughs].\u00a0 Every day is different.\u00a0 Depending on what happened the night before you have to wake up, gather people up and just get out of town to the next gig.\u00a0 That\u2019s the basics of it [laughs].\u00a0 What happens in between is always not what you\u2019d expect.\u00a0 You could have a blown tire, you may need to get drumsticks from the Guitar Center, or something happens to the van and needs repairing.\u00a0 There is no average day to my life any more.\u00a0 It\u2019s always a series of problems to be solved.<\/p>\n

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What has been the most challenging thing you were faced with in your time with Gypsyhawk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man, two tours ago we were on the Scorpion Child tour and just had a lot of van problems.\u00a0 The trailer lights, the tires, and then eventually one of our rotors blew out.\u00a0 Every day was a challenge of just getting things fixed and staying on schedule.\u00a0 Things like that are always out of your control and the most challenging to get through.<\/p>\n

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What is the biggest misconception about what you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That all I get to do is hang out and just have a nice time [laughs].\u00a0 That rarely happens if ever to be honest.<\/p>\n

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Metal bands have always been notoriously hard to manage.\u00a0 How are the Gyspyhawk guys to work with?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They\u2019re pretty good to be honest.\u00a0 There are days when everyone\u2019s a little hung over and a little grouchy from little sleep but it\u2019s really not that bad.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t call anyone that I work with hard to work with.\u00a0 Everybody\u2019s pretty cool.\u00a0 Everyone\u2019s a little older and if something band is happening we can all just talk about it and work through problems.\u00a0 I just know that if shit ever gets bad we can always work through it and get through it with each other.<\/p>\n

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Have you had to break up any fights or go to jail for anyone yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Oh God now.\u00a0 Nothing that crazy is going on and I hope it stays like that.\u00a0 Let me find some wood to knock on [laughs].<\/p>\n

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What has been some of the biggest lessons you\u2019ve learned while doing this job?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I feel like a lot of the stuff that I\u2019ve learned I can definitely file away for future transgressions on the road.\u00a0 Like I said, it\u2019s a learning process and every day seems to have a new lesson for me to learn that I put away for future use.\u00a0 Something that happened in say Chicago could be something you\u2019ll use when you get to Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n

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We hear all the time about bands getting stiffed by venues and what not for money.\u00a0 How do you handle this kind of catastrophe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some venues just don\u2019t like to pay up what they say they\u2019re going to pay.\u00a0 Sometimes you\u2019re dealing with someone on a door deal, which we do not generally do because you get paid so little.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not doing a major tour and you\u2019re just trying to get back across the country to get home you may have to take these door deals.\u00a0 You\u2019re getting x amount at the door.\u00a0 Basic math skills should dictate that if you count how many people are at the show, you can count them and say, \u201cWe\u2019re going to get approximately this much.\u201d\u00a0 Then you talk to the venue or promoter and it\u2019s not the right amount.\u00a0 They then give you some bullshit excuse about how they had to pay out the other bands and this person and that person.\u00a0 They just get you by the balls because you\u2019re out of your element because it\u2019s not your bar, not your people and you just have to remedy it the best way you can.<\/p>\n

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\"1060504_10153014222360637_615665069_n\"<\/a>So was there a life lesson to be learned there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. Don\u2019t do door deals for anyone in Lincoln, Nebraska.\u00a0 Maybe that is one of those life lessons there [laughs].\u00a0 But yeah, things like that can happen when you\u2019re not on a major tour.\u00a0 When you\u2019re on a major tour with other bands, everything is laid out for you.\u00a0 When we\u2019re touring to go pick up a tour or to get home after a major tour we\u2019re trying to do our own thing.\u00a0 Sometimes you just have to deal with stuff like that when it happens.<\/p>\n

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How important is it to keep a clear head doing what you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s very important but it doesn\u2019t always happen.\u00a0 All those years that I worked in retail I just learned to just take a breath, think the situation over, and just go from there.\u00a0 If you\u2019re just going to be reactionary it\u2019s not going to work for you.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a hot head you\u2019re going to just be the guy that nobody wants to deal with.\u00a0 Nobody wants to deal with someone who yells all the time.<\/p>\n

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Is this something you could see doing on a bigger scale like managing other bands?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Certainly.\u00a0 That would be the big dream for me.\u00a0 Like right now, Gypsyhawk is on hiatus while they\u2019re recording the new album.\u00a0 It would be great if enough people knew who I was that someone could call me up and say, \u201cHey, can you come manage our band on the road for this tour.\u201d\u00a0 That would be really awesome because at this point, I\u2019m just hanging out in LA and working.<\/p>\n

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Is there any particular band that you wish you could get out there and manage for any particular reason?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, not really.\u00a0 I mean, obviously I\u2019d love to tour with any band that would have me but I\u2019ve never really thought about a specific band.\u00a0 I would be more concerned about where we\u2019re going, are the guys going to be a bunch of douchebags, or having to deal with egos for the next six weeks.<\/p>\n

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So you wouldn\u2019t go out with Five Finger Death Punch then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 How do they pay?\u00a0 They\u2019ve got a tour bus so they must have lots of money [laughs].\u00a0 Actually, I would never put myself in a shitty situation just for the sake of money.\u00a0 If I\u2019m not having fun doing this than it\u2019s just going to become a regular job.\u00a0 Who wants to deal with that when I could easily get a regular 9-5 job at home.<\/p>\n

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What kind of prep work do you have to do before setting out on tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once a tour has been finalized I get the routing sheets.\u00a0 I look at it and try and figure out how much driving between shows we\u2019ll need to do, do we have time to find a place to sleep, do we know someone in town who we can crash with.\u00a0 Just preparation like that and making some notes.\u00a0 We don\u2019t get hotels at this point.\u00a0 I don\u2019t\u2019 have to worry about booking rooms here and there.\u00a0 We\u2019re still at the point where we\u2019d rather sleep in the van and keep that money.<\/p>\n

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Being a tour manager, are you in direct contact with the label\/management and if so how do you guys work together to get shit done for the band?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not in contact with the label.\u00a0 They know who I am but as for management, we totally work together.\u00a0 They have certain expectations and things that need to happen while they\u2019re on tour like photos at venues so we can update our Instagram.\u00a0 On our last tour we had an Indie GoGo thing to raise money for a van so we had to meet people at the shows and get them on the list.\u00a0 Management want\u2019s photos of the events and reports of what happened and how it all went.<\/p>\n

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Looking back on your first big run as a tour manager, is there anything you would\u2019ve done differently?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 Everything that happens is an experience and that\u2019s how you learn.\u00a0 However it goes it goes and you just deal with it hoping that it goes correctly [laughs].<\/p>\n

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If you had any advice for anyone wanting to go into this kind of work, what would you offer to them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would say to just do it.\u00a0 Go for it and make friends.\u00a0 If you know a local band in town who\u2019s really awesome go and tell them you want to do stuff for them.\u00a0 Tell them you\u2019ll do it for free and get your foot in the door.\u00a0 That\u2019s how I did it.\u00a0 Opportunities always come from places you don\u2019t expect them to.<\/p>\n

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Art, thanks so much for doing this interview brother.\u00a0 Let\u2019s have a drink when you\u2019re back in the ATL.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Brainfart & Art Daniels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thanks so much Don. We can\u2019t get back to Atlanta soon enough.\u00a0 Thanks again and I hope I didn\u2019t blow this one too hard [laughs].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to the 2nd installment of From the Inside. This time around I had a great time talking to Gypsyhawk tour manager\/merch guy Art Daniels. Art is the man behind the curtain doing all the can to make sure that the Gypsyhawk road machine runs as smooth as possible. When he’s not putting out fires, getting the band paid, getting them on the stage, and getting them out to the fans, Art can be found at the merch booth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[1119,656],"class_list":["post-12633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-art-daniels","tag-gypsyhawk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12633\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}