MAKE DO AND MEND frontman JAMES CARROLL—who works as an account manager for a business development firm—also has it pretty good when it comes to time off. “My bosses are incredible, and while it is a very demanding job, they respect and nurture my need to travel and play music, so they do their best to make it as easy as possible for me.”

RED CITY RADIO drummer DALLAS TIDWELL, a senior graphic designer for Kicker Performance Audio, solves that problem by having a job that he can often do remotely while on tour. “Obviously being an audio company, Kicker is already involved in certain aspects of the music industry,” he says. “In addition to that, many of the employees are musicians. Luckily, I have a job I can do from the road. People don't realize that most of your time [on tour] is spent either driving or waiting around for the show to start. I usually take a laptop and fill that free time with work. It makes it a lot easier to pay my bills when I get home.”

He brings up a good point about creativity as it applies to careers. “The majority of my childhood, I always got in trouble for two things: drumming on things and drawing on things. I’ve been lucky enough to make careers out of both. I find it incredibly humorous that I get paid to do the things that I was told were a waste of time by my teachers when I was young. I always tell parents to pay attention to what your kids love to do and instead of telling them to stop wasting their time. Support it. You never know where it will lead. I was lucky enough to have parents that nurtured my interests.”

“I don't know many punk-rock bands that can afford to just live off of their band.”
- WORN IN RED'S BRAD PERRY 

Sure, being in a band is an amazing experience, but sometimes parents are right about keeping your expectations in check when it comes to getting rich from it.

“I don't know many punk-rock bands that can afford to just live off of their band,” says Perry. “I think there's a whole mythology that being in a moderately successful band means being able to 'quit your day job,' but it's time we exploded that B.S. with a dose of reality. There are bands I know who most people would consider 'big' whose members still tend bar, cook at restaurants and temp at offices when they're not on tour. You have to be in a pretty massive and savvy band to avoid working while home from tour.”

The numbers just don't add up, he says. “The band would have to be making so much money from merch, record sales, licensing and touring that it can pay all of the band members' monthly rent, utilities, car payments or repairs, gas, food and rent and utilities while on tour. Most all of my friends and I decided long ago that if we want to make the type music we love, it's probably not going to have mass appeal, which means we'll all probably have to have day jobs. But that's okay because we're all stoked on the music we're making.”

It’s better to have a backup plan, perhaps, says Tidwell. “I've always been very realistic about my music career. I realize that very few musicians make it to a point where they don't have to work a day job, which is why I got a college degree. I'm almost more surprised by the fact I'm in a band that people care about and I have the potential to make this my career. I'm very blessed to be in the position I'm in because a lot of people don't get this opportunity. If I can get to a point where I can pay my bills with music, then the day job is gone. That said, I will always be involved in graphic design and art to some extent—whether it be artwork for bands or freelance work for a little extra cash.”

The type of job you take when you're in a band depends on what your expectations for a lifestyle are. It's a lot easier to live on no money when you're 20 and still flexible about things like hygiene, eating and paying rent. “Absolutely anyone could just buy a guitar, start a band and play house shows for
food and a place to crash,” says Pence. “The built-in support network that exists for punk and alternative musicians is one of its greatest attributes.”

Not everyone wants to do it that way, though. “It all depends on what you want,” says Carroll. “If you want to be sleeping on a futon pad in the closet of your friend’s place, you can probably afford that by playing in a slightly known touring punk band. But I really like having my own place, a nice bed and a comfy couch. So for now, I need to stick to my day job.” alt