Touring Bands Find a Home on the Road

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 21, 2009 -- Recent law school graduate Kate Battle wants to rock and roll all night, but not necessarily party every day, unless her guests are willing to clean up afterward.

Battle, 25, hosts touring bands free of charge at her Chicago home, and has been doing so for several years. Having grown up in Memphis and the Mississippi Delta, she said she has always been surrounded by music, and jumps at the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to low-budgeted rockers.

"I have always tried to do whatever I can to help musicians out, since I feel like they give me a service I wouldn't want to live without," Battle said.

Battle's musical hospitality began when she was still a kid and her mother would hold an annual fund-raiser that would help blues artists pay their medical bills. Then, as an undergraduate student in Oxford, Miss., Battle worked as a music reporter for many local publications.

"Since I was reporting on music all the time, I ended up meeting a lot of bands who didn't have anywhere to stay after their gig," Battle said. "What better way to get a story than to just have the band sleep on your floor?"

She said that, aside from the occasional stray beer can left on the coffee table, she wakes up to a clean house.

'Musicians ... Tend to Know Good Manners'

"Some rock-n-rollers may drink a little more or party a little harder, but most people just want a place to fall asleep after a night of hard work," Battle said. "Just like anyone else, musicians have parents and tend to know good manners when they are getting a total favor from a stranger."

So far, Battle has hosted more than 10 bands, and is ready to fluff up the couch pillows for a few more, thanks to the latest online community.

"Betterthanthevan.com" is an interactive site where touring bands and hosts can exchange information so they can set up free lodging. Started nearly a year ago by musician Todd Hansen, the site allows viewers to search for potential hosts or guests in their respective cities.

The site has since grown to more than 2,000 users, and averages about eight to 10 signups a week.

Connecting Musicians and Hosts

"It's not like Facebook or MySpace," said Scott Miller, the site's co-founder. "It's an online interaction to make an offline interaction happen."

After joining Hansen to work on the site six months ago, Miller, who also knows what it's like to be on the road, said marketing has not been a problem, especially when using sites such as Twitter to help spread the word. The pair, like their online lodgers, has been working on a small budget, putting in only about $2,000 into maintaining the site.

"It's a total bootstrap project," Miller said.

Musicians who use the site are usually right out of high school or college and are tight on funds, Miller said, with most of them in their early 20s.

Nick Biscardi, 21, is one-half of the post-rock band Pilot Cloud out of Philadelphia. They are about to embark on a regional tour at the end of the month to promote their debut album.

"We've toured before and we know how valuable a bed, couch and shower can be," Biscardi said. "We're all about trying to help independent bands share what they have because we have been and hope to be in the same boat."

An Outlet For Musicians

By pairing bands with hosts, most of whom are about the same age as their guests, Miller said he hopes the site provides a much-needed outlet for musicians.

"The benefit is the opportunity to help people that are in the same shoes we were 10 years ago," Miller said.

Dave Shulman definitely knows what it's like to walk in Miller's shoes, and also knows what it's like to want to have a nice place to stay.

Shulman, 25, is on the road with his band Bang Bang Blue, from Framingham, Mass. Shulman said he has always wanted to be a traveling musician, and is grateful to finally get the chance to do so. Yet money has proven to be an issue.

"With just a little budget, we planned to camp out in our van or a tent for the whole trip," Shulman said.

The band was a bit cautious after finding out about the site, Shulman said, because of a case in the news at the time that involved a killing connected to a Craigslist posting. But after putting up their profile, their discomfort went away, as if with the click of a mouse. They have since stayed with several hosts across the country.

From Touring to Hosting

Eric Dalke, with the Austin, Texas, band "A Faulty Chromosome," was also aware of the safety concerns, but remained unfazed. After using the site while on tour, Dalke has since used it for hosting purposes.

"I've hosted a few bands at my house, and have been able to exchange valuable musical information about which cities and clubs were nice to us and which to avoid," Dalke said. "We really try to talk about the site to every band we meet and encourage others to do the same."

There is no cost to join the site, whose 2,000 registrants are split evenly between hosts and musicians. Miller said that ads on the site bring in a small sum, which is why they're participating in a fund-raising drive, hoping to bring in about $3,000 by the end of the month.

The site's founders are also hoping to participate in a panel at next year's South by Southwest festival in Austin to talk about touring and the use of social networks. Miller said that all they are looking for is good feedback to know that everything has been worthwhile.

"I think ["Better than the Van"] can present a personal experience to help connect you to new people in new cities across the country," Biscardi of "Pilot Cloud" said. "They get to know your band in a way that's a little more than just music."