Hurricane Ike and my band. Help!

goosehorn

goosehorn

500+ Posts
I have a major cluster-f of a situation... Help me out fellow Hornfans.

My band is playing 2 shows in Austin for Thursday and Friday night. I booked these a while ago in anticipation of the game, which I knew I would be in town for. Keep in mind I had to work my butt off bugging the crap outta folks to get these gigs too.

I am traveling from Little Rock, and we are supposed to leave around noon Thursday for our show that night at Beerland. We will be pulling a trailor. Imagine that... hurricane winds over 30 miles an hour and the traffic from people evacuating the coast.

Should I call the venues and cancel, or will I look like a big wimp and they'll never book my band again?'
 
I'd follow the athletic department's lead. If they postpone the game, cancel. If not, suck it up and get down here.
 
Well we arent big at all, but the shows are pretty important to us. I lived in Austin from 91'-04' and try and get back as much as possible. I miss it terribly. The show on Thursday is with a cool band called Harlem that came thru Little Rock about a month ago. We had a mutual liking for each other's bands, and they helped us out, but I had to call or myspace both them and Beerland enough to make me feel a bit that I was imposing.

It just isn't cool to bug folks, let alone bug em and then cancel. I really don't know what to do, but I don't think I want to mess with pulling a trailer down theret given circumstances.
 
Do the gigs. I have my own business, which is sort of like having your own band in that if you get a job....you do it. Unless,of course, this thing turns into the storm of the century, but you may just look like a big *****. Especially if you bugged them for the gig.

If you come before the storm gets close, you can avoid the winds while driving.
 
Do the gigs, the storm won't affect Austin Thursday for sure, and almost certainly not Friday, and only might affect Austin Saturday. Traffic would be the big problem if a mass evacuation of the state is ordered.
 
So do you all think that traffic on I-35 from Dallas to Austin won't be too bad? I bet coming up would suck, but we're going towards it.

I didn't want to mess with it, but I think we would look so stupid if we were to say we were too scared. I think by commiting us to doing it we might as well say we tried our best. If we can't make it there, then at least we can say we tried.

I am all over the place with this I guess.
 
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Bring the tunes. Like accurate said, the storm is not going to be an issue until approx. game time on Saturday. As to the traffic coming down...I don't think southbound is a worry. The evacuees will all be heading north.












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I think the timing and the direction any evacuation traffic will be flowing will make things OK.

If the football game is cancelled, maybe and only maybe, you should consider not coming.

But even then I think the timing and evacuation traffic direction would still be OK.

Attendance at a Saturday show might be down if the weather is really bad by then.

I'll even come to a show, if that will swing your decision toward playing.

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Takes me about nine hours, with bathroom stops, to get to Little Rock from Marble Falls, northwest of Austin.

I don't think this is going to be anywhere close to as risky as Buddy, Ritchie and the Bopper flying out of Iowa, may they RIP.

Drive safely.

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I think you should come. Friday show MIGHT get canceled, but Thursday won't. I'm sure you know there's no shortage of bands around Austin, and you need to show up and make sure this bar knows you're serious.
 
I think that you can get here without bad weather and when you leave it will be gone. I think many of us who won't be at the GAME or tailgating would love to help make sure you have a big crowd at your gigs. Come have some fun. You have invested a lot of time on this.

It can allow you to come back with a good rep. Talk to the venue owners or bookers and maybe they tell you don't come, they will make it up to you. That works as well. Let them be the ones to offer up not coming due to maybe a lack of business.
 
Darn it Hornfans...we had to cancel. This:

2 tanks of gas (minimum) getting there : $160 using E-85 which is cheaper

Renting the trailer to keep our gear from getting all wet: $50

2 tanks of gas getting back: $160 if there isnt already price gouging

So basically we got around $370 expenses before we bought a single Whataburger shake or a breakfast taco. We wouldn't have made much as there are still 3 bands playing even without us. We weren't told a guarantee (not that we expect one).

I graduated from Texas in 96' but only make a teacher's salary. I can work these days I took off and save them for a better time down the road. The band is a 2 piece, and this was mostly on me. My dog had to have surgery to have her tail cut off last Thursday from being hit by a pick up and my drummer's wife was diagnosed with Lupus just 2 weeks ago. This hurricane bidness just seemed like an omen to not do it.

Also too, I am returning to Austin in October and December for shows. Harlem was understanding of the situation, but they just got back from a month on tour so they couldn't offer much sympathy.

Y'all should still go see them though, they are a great power trio of garage/ beach boys trash rock.

I did this right around 10pm so I missed these last couple of messages, but I think we were gonna have to bail anyways. Honestly though, no matter how much I try to rationalize it here I still feel like a big wuss. It was totally unpro and I am feelin' pretty badly.

Thanks for the replies though folks. I just woke up and saw these and figured I needed to explain what was going on.
 
We could have fronted you the shakes and burgers but it is understandable. You are all grows up! And damn, sorry about your dog. Be safe.
 
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