That Eric Alper

By Mitch Rice

Touring sounds like a dream to any musician, especially first-timers. But here’s something about touring that is rarely talked about: it’s a logistical grind. Sure, it’s an uber-fun, adrenaline-fueled grind, but a grind nonetheless. One that can not only be tiring but also risky; after all, you’re transporting expensive gear while working with tight timelines and traversing unfamiliar environments, often running on a couple of hours of sleep and gas station food.

All that makes you vulnerable: on the road, in hotel lots, backstage, and even between sets. Gear can get stolen and accidents can happen even in the best of conditions, let alone when touring. This is all to say, if you’re not actively thinking about safety (yours, your team’s, and your equipment’s), you’re gambling with everything you’ve worked for.

We’re not saying you should wrap yourself in bubble wrap (that wouldn’t be very rock and roll of us). We’re saying it pays to get smarter about what can go wrong and have systems in place before it does.

Start With a Transport Checklist

You probably already do a quick gear check before hitting the road, and this is not much different. Start with the basics: vehicle registration, insurance (check the expiration dates, you’d be surprised!), driver’s licenses, and tour permits. Then look at your rig: brakes, lights, tires, spare tire, coolant, wiper fluid, jumper cables, all of it. Don’t rely on the venue to have a ramp or dolly; pack your own. And run a full test of your trailer hitch and tie-downs if you’ve got one (even if it worked fine yesterday).

Add a section for emergency gear: first-aid kits, roadside triangles, flashlights, an actual paper map (because cell service is never a given), and backup batteries or power banks just in case.

Know Who’s Driving and When

Rotating drivers without tracking fatigue levels is a great way to end up in a ditch or worse. So, create a schedule in advance that accounts for mandatory rest breaks.

For the love of everything holy, don’t rely on the adrenaline of post-show buzz to get you through a night drive. Why? Because common sense. If that’s not enough, here’s what the National Safety Council has to say about this: driving after 20+ hours awake is as dangerous as driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08%. So yeah, it really is that important to rotate drivers.

Handling Vehicle Accidents on Tour

If a crash happens (and statistically, it might), try to keep your head straight. Make sure everyone’s okay, call emergency services, document the scene thoroughly, and contact your insurance provider immediately. And don’t try to navigate local legalities on your own. If you’re anywhere near central Missouri, reaching out to Columbia, MO car crash lawyers is your best course of action. Touring out-of-state introduces legal complications most people don’t think about until it’s too late, especially if there are injuries or insurance disputes involved.

Keep Legal Documents Digitally and Physically Accessible

Whether you’re stopped at the border or pulled over mid-tour, you need fast access to contracts, insurance documents, ID copies, and medical information. You want to store these securely in the cloud and carry hard copies in a waterproof folder.

Tour managers, assign someone as the “doc master” if you haven’t already.

Security at the Venue and Hotel

Tour thefts are more common than you think. In fact, according to one survey, one in four UK musicians has experienced gear theft. So, don’t leave anything in a vehicle overnight, especially in unlit or isolated parking areas. Also, always lock gear in your hotel room, use security cables when possible, and treat every venue like it’s a potential risk (because sometimes it is). You might also want to look into GPS trackers.

If you’re not traveling with your own crew, ask who has access to backstage areas, and then verify.

Travel Insurance

If your gear is worth more than your van, why isn’t it insured? Look into travel-specific policies that cover gear, medical costs, trip cancellations, and personal liability. It’s surprisingly affordable, and the peace of mind is huge.

If you’re using rental gear or vehicles, double-check coverage terms because rental insurance often excludes high-risk usage like late-night touring.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

By Mitch Rice

The capital city, Ottawa, Ontario, offers excellent job and career-building opportunities. It is also a well-off city. That means you can live a high-quality of life here. If you’ve a good spending power, you would choose high-end things, starting from gadgets like cell phones. Which brand do you prefer? Since most Canadians own an iPhone, you may also belong to this category. Buying an iPhone can be a natural choice due to its performance, user-friendly features, and data security. Still, it isn’t immune to common smartphone challenges, such as battery drain or slowing down. It can be frustrating to deal with a phone that has a slow speed.

What should you do with a phone like this? Find a credible buyback site to sell iPhone Ottawa. Many people switch to a new phone when their old handsets suffer from a slow processing speed. It may be the right decision if you have already tried to solve this problem without success. By selling a used phone instead of discarding it, you help the environment and earn some extra cash. That’s why it may be worthwhile to take this path. Before that, you may want to make some attempts to resolve the issue for your peace of mind. Here are some insights regarding this.

• App management

Some people keep their apps running even when they’re not in use. As a result, the phone’s performance slows down and the battery drains more quickly. Please don’t make this mistake. If you double-click on the home button, you can find an option to close each app. Sometimes, one app becomes a troublemaker. You can delete or reinstall it depending on your needs. Remember, you cannot remove Calendar, Calculator, and Mail. At the same time, updating apps from time to time is essential, just like the operating system, to keep things running smoothly.

• Cache maintenance

Does your iPhone slow down when browsing the internet? You can remove cached data. Due to overcrowding or corrupted data, your device’s speed can be impacted. Hence, you can eliminate the temporary files, passwords, and photos from your browser history for an improvement.

• Storage optimisation

When smartphones reach their storage limit, they act sluggishly. You can check messages, photos, and apps that consume more space. Go to ‘settings,’ ‘general,’ and ‘storage.’ A colour-coded bar will signal categories that have used the most space. You can visit those categories to remove unwanted files. Typically, operating systems use approximately 6GB of space for updates. New app downloads, new pictures, and others take up 2GB of space. So, keep deleting files and apps that you don’t need. Alternatively, you can store them on iCloud or a personal computer to optimize space on your iPhone.

Do none of these solve your problem? The last thing you can try is to reset your phone settings. Everything will be deleted, and your phone will turn brand new again. Does it sound too much? You’ve an easy option – sell your iPhone. If you’re still wondering where to sell iPhone, consider checking a local buyback site for assistance. These platforms accept all versions of iPhone in almost any condition. You can also give them a damaged phone. It’s just that a well-maintained device can fetch a higher price, while one with issues might sell for less. Still, these offers can be much better than what you get from public marketplaces.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

By Mitch Rice

Betting is very popular in this region. Many people believe that knowledge and a bit of experience are enough to make successful bets. However, it’s not that simple. This mindset often draws us into betting, but it’s not just about knowledge or luck. Betting is also a mental game, much more than it seems at first glance. Psychology plays a crucial role in betting. When we place bets, it’s important to stay rational and keep a cool head, and that’s exactly where most people fail. Bettors often get emotional, bet impulsively, and let their feelings guide their decisions. That’s one of the main reasons why a huge number of players, in the long run, end up losing. That’s why it’s important to stay focused and careful. It’s not a bad idea to check out websites about betting, Betbrothers and read guides or tips available online.

The most common traps we fall into

People like to have control over things. Even when they don’t, they like to have the illusion of control. That’s exactly what betting offers, an illusion that we can influence something, that it depends on us, that we’re holding the strings in our hands.

But is that really the case? Can we truly know how a certain horse will run on muddy ground and be sure about it?

What gets in our way here is confirmation bias. We tend to notice and follow only the information that supports our beliefs and take it as proof that we’re right, while we simply ignore or overlook the information that goes against our views. If we’ve noticed that a certain horse kept winning, we’ll stubbornly keep betting on it. Maybe that horse has already lost a few times and is finishing races poorly, but we won’t pay attention to that.

If we lose a larger amount of money, we’ll often try to get back in the game and recover the loss. This is the most common cause of impulsive and poor decisions.
Very few people have managed to dig themselves out this way and get back to even, don’t convince yourself that you’ll be the exception. It’s much better to wait until that first rush of adrenaline passes, and then calmly think about your next steps. 

Even if you’ve had a winning streak, don’t get carried away thinking you’re now unstoppable and that luck is on your side. In just one moment, you could lose everything and end up right back where you started. Be content with what you’ve won, and don’t push forward unless you’re truly confident that you’re placing a smart bet. Always remember: it’s all a mental game.

When we find ourselves in an almost winning situation, it pushes us to keep betting.
It always feels like we were so close and that next time, we’re sure to win. But that’s just another psychological trap in betting, one that can easily lead to even more losses.

How to stay rational

To avoid getting lost in the sea of matches and outcomes, and forgetting why we’re even doing this, it’s always a good idea to have a plan in place beforehand. Set boundaries, whether in terms of time or money. Limit your betting budget for the day, and once you’ve spent that amount, stop and take a break until tomorrow. This way, you’ll prevent losing more money than you intended to in the first place.

It’s also useful to apply the stop-loss rule. This rule means that if you lose, for example, five times in a row, you stop betting. We know it’s not easy to stick to these kinds of rules in the heat of the moment, but it’s important to be strong and resist the urge to continue.

Something that might be interesting, and definitely helpful, is keeping a betting journal. In it, you can track what you’re betting on, how much you’re betting, why you chose that moment to place a bet, how you were feeling at the time, and the final outcome. This can be fun for players who are more introspective or analytical, and for those who want to better understand themselves. It helps uncover patterns of behaviour and emotions that lie at the root of the urge to bet, which can help prevent future losses and encourage more responsible betting.

When you’re betting, make sure you’re not doing it like a fan. Just because you support a certain club and want them to win doesn’t mean they actually will or that you should bet on them. Take a step back and consider how realistic the outcome is before making a decision. You’re not betting because you like the horse, you’re betting because its form suggests it has a good chance. That’s important to remember.

If you’re upset or caught up in a wave of euphoria and feel the urge to place a bet, that’s exactly when you shouldn’t. In those moments, you’re not able to make a rational decision. Postpone betting until you’ve calmed down.

The most valuable tool in betting is your brain.

Betting is exciting; it brings a rush, shakes us up, and makes us feel good. But to keep it that way, you need to be responsible and rational. It’s fine to place a bet on your favourite player, but only for fun, and with a small stake. If you want betting to always be fun, you have to play smarter than your emotions. Don’t let the moment carry you away. There are no guaranteed wins, but there are good habits. Professional bettors aren’t “geniuses” – they’re just people who know how to ignore their emotions successfully.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.