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Carrying your gear around town to rehearsals and performances can be quite a challenge sometimes. Depending on how much gear you have, you might still be able to get there greener. If you live in a large enough town, public transportation is an option. But, bus service/schedule in mid-size US towns can be limited. In my hometown (Madison WI) you could get to a gig using the metro bus system but service often shuts down before you gig is over.

What about your trusty bike?

If you’re an acoustic guitar player heading to a venue that provides a full PA system, you only have your guitar and a small sack of accessories to bring. Totally doable!

If you play electric, it gets a little complicated. Here’s what I do. I’ve got a smaller practice amp (a Fender Blues Jr) that I keep in the house where I rehearse. I stuff my small pedal board in pannier and use a Mono Gig bag with shoulder straps to carry my guitar. That leaves my hands free to safely operate my bike. The video above illustrates how I adjust the shoulder straps to angle the neck/headstock at a diagonal, allowing me to have good lines of sight while in traffic.

So, for practices, I’m set (it doesn’t hurt that I live only a mile from where I rehearse).

Performances, however, necessitates that my amp gets from point A to point B. For years, I’ve gigged with a Fender Twin Reverb. It produces beautiful tone. But it’s a “boat anchor” weighing in at around 75 pounds! It’s also a tube amp so, I’m not going to stick it in a bike trailer and rattle the tubes all to hell. That wouldn’t be bright. So what do I do?

I’m a mooch.

I’ve got two band members who live within a mile of my house and they always drive. So, I have them swing by the house on the way to the show and I muscle that Twin Reverb right into their car. Now, I do try to make up for my moochiness by helping load in more than just my gear. I’m a mooch…not a jerk.

If it’s a gig that only requires a little amp, I will stuff it into my bike trailer and get all my gear there via the two-wheeler. Below is a picture for my set up when I play at the Great Taste of the Midwest outdoor beer festival. I can fit two small battery powered amps (a Crate Taxi TX15 and a Roland AC-33 30 watt) in my cargo trailer as well as a mic and mic stand. I get there when I need to and I leave when I want.

My biggest worry is helmet hair…and that’s not bad!

While I can get most of my gear in the Burly cargo trailer, I always put my guitar on my back (I don’t like the idea of a heavy amp possibly crushing up against my guitar).

I use a Mono Vertigo gig bag because it’s light weight, sturdy and acceptionally well-designed. But I find that it’s best to use just the left shoulder strap and sling the guitar diagonally across my back (see the picture below). This way, the neck is offset to my right and it doesn’t prevent me from extending my neck to look down the road. With this method, I’m also able to easily look behind me when maneuvering through traffic.

So yes, it is doable, with a little planning. And, it’s just plain enjoyable! I spend a lot of hours indoors for work and rehearsals. It’s really nice to add more time in the great outdoors.

How do you get to gigs?

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