Cayley Spivey (Small Talks) on DIY Touring

July 31, 2019 • Industry Guides • Interviews

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Here at Get Sad Y'all, we thought it would be a great idea to interview numerous people in various aspects of the music industry to serve as guides for those that might want to pursue a career. Those interviews can be found here.

If there's anyone you'd like us to interview, give us a shout.

Below, we chatted with Cayley Spivey (Small Talks) about do-it-yourself (DIY) touring.

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Who are you and what do you do?

CS: I am Cayley Spivey and I create experiences through music.

How long has Small Talks been touring DIY?

CS: Small Talks have been touring DIY for two and half years.

What are some of the bigger/longer tours you've done DIY?

CS: We’ve done a little over a month long full US tour with With Confidence, Broadside and Sleep On It. We have also toured over a month full US with Can’t Swim, Homesafe, and Save Face.

What's your day-to-day look like?

CS: On the road, since we manage ourselves, it’s a lot of changing of hats and making things work. One minute I’m tour managing, one minute I’m driving, one minute I’m on stage, one minute I’m selling merch.

Why did you decide to go the DIY route with your band?

CS: At the moment it makes the most sense to handle things ourselves. The expenses of being on the road make it hard to hire people to handle things for us. Plus, there is a very nice trade off of having full creative control and being aware of what’s going on in all fronts.

What is something you've learned about DIY over time that you wish you had known from the start?

CS: I think that there are some negative mental effects I wish were spoken of more. I also found that there’s a lot of bad sides to it as well, that I wish would be more acknowledged and worked on. Some DIY mindsets can be very negative, restricting, judge mental, or even clique like. I was able to navigate my way into the right crowd of it all but I wish people joining in would know from the beginning how to navigate away from anybody in the industry with bad intentions and know it’s okay to be confident and do things your own way. That’s what DIY is truly about.

Where should a band looking to go DIY get started?

CS: Your local scene, I started out at an open mic every Thursday which lead to me booking my own shows in that same coffee shop. Be ambitious and play everywhere! Any opportunity is a good place to start.

What are three key things that a band looking to go DIY should know?

Failure is okay and bound to happen. Please be patient and celebrate your small successes.
Don’t EVER let an accomplishment of yours change your perspective. You are NEVER to good for anyone or anything. Be grateful! Stay grateful!
Don’t be afraid to switch it up or take risks. Truly dive into doing things your own way rather than trying to replicate other people or give into judgements of others. However, constructive criticism should always be welcomed.