pusso9tails Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Hey all, Do any of you guys tour? If so, have you ever tried to get into Canada (lots of U.S. players on the forum). If you have tried, was it a problem? We have been planning to cross down to America, but with the current political problems, there is no way in hell that customs officials are going to be lenient on a band, crew, loads of equipment and merch. The U.S. division of our management had a hell of a time crossing back into America with our t-shirts and cds. www.flow14.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 My man... It's a hassle crossing any international border these days... even the Canadian/US border. I'm not sure what kind of permits you would need to come into the US, but when we tour and hit some places in Canada (Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal), crossing the border can be a real chore. We haven't been in Canada in a while. We usually slip through some of the strict regulations by getting a Canadian friend to write us a letter confirming that we're coming into the country to record at his studio. Since it looks liked we were coming into the country to spend money rather than earn it, we don't have to get work permits (very, very expensive!!). As we are independent and self-contained, we always manage to hide all of our merchandise amongst our other gear, so when the border guards check through our stuff, it looks like we're a band headed for the studio -- not a gig. Even so... we we've been detained for several hours more than once at the Niagara Falls (slowly I turned... anyone?) border for no better reason than we looked scummy and the border guards were probably bored. They messed with us big-time. We were sure we were going to jail. So... Erik's Top 10 Recommendations For Indie Band Border Crossings: 1. Make sure you've got some kind of air-tight story and plan that everyone in the band knows PERFECTLY. 2. Find out what kind of permits and info you'll need and figure out if the trip is worth the expenditure if you can't fake/work around this stuff. Either get the permits or find another plausible reason to be coming into the country with all of your crap. 3. Don't try to bring along anyone with a police record. 4. Don't bring anyone without a valid I.D. of some kind. 5. Make sure you cross the border at a busy station at a busy time of the day -- like noon on a Saturday at Niagara Falls. The guards won't have the time to give you the third degree because there'll be too much volume. If you try to cross at 3am in Podunque, you will be fingered extensively. 6. Don't bring ANYTHING remotely illegal -- no booze, no weed, no pocket knives... no nuthing. They WILL take a shit on you for this stuff. 7. Have all of your legal papers in order well before you hit the border. Put it in a folder, and don't let it get out of order or messy. 8. Have the cleanest, most "normal" looking person in the driver's seat. 9. Be nice. Smile at the border guards. Be polite. Don't argue. Always answer questions as concisely and simply as possible... and end them with "sir" or "ma'am." 10. Clean your vehicle as thoroughly as possible before the border. Vaccum it, wash the windows, etc. Dirt looks suspicious to border guards for some reason. Good luck. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pusso9tails Posted July 22, 2003 Author Share Posted July 22, 2003 Frig! What a pain. I guess we'll be waiting a while. You guys ever play Ottawa? www.flow14.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundcrafter Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Hey, CMDN, if you guys ever come 'round Hamilton or Toronto again, let me know and I'll try to come out and see you guys! "If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit. Unless you are a table." -Mitch Hedberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Never played Ottowa.... But someday when international travel is a little less tense, I'm sure we'll find our way up there. Yeah, this stuff can be a real pain in the booty. It's fun as hell if you can get it happening, though. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff_Cousens Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Don't mean to side-step the topic here, but I just wanted to extend the welcome to a fellow resident of this here fine city. How often do you play locally? Gimme a heads-up and I'll try to make your next show. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pusso9tails Posted July 22, 2003 Author Share Posted July 22, 2003 In town, we usually play once every two-months. We hit Zaphod's mostly. It's become our second home in a way. Do you play here as well? www.flow14.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 It's much easier for members of the American Federation of Musicians to cross from the U.S. to Canada. The U.S. has made it harder for Canadians to come to the U.S. The AFM is working on helping out our Canadian brothers & sisters so that it may be easier for them in the future. This morning through the web I filled out a form that would be send a letter in my name to my Congressional representatives. Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff_Cousens Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Originally posted by pusso9tails: In town, we usually play once every two-months. We hit Zaphod's mostly. It's become our second home in a way. Do you play here as well?No, not close to being at that level yet; I have only being playing since Oct., but had previously played some ten years prior. For now, it's lessons and learning to play with others. I'll keep an eye on the X-press listings for your shows. Cheers It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martianrebel Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Niagara Falls (slowly I turned... anyone?) LMSMFAO Holy crap! I hadn't heard that one in donkey years!!! -{m}- What's these knobs for? http://www.martianrebel.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 To add to the list of stuff to prepare for when crossing from the US into The Great White North: 1. List of every single piece of gear you have with you, including serial numbers and approx. retail value. This was *required* of us when one of my bands went to Vancouver, BC to play. Sucked ass. The boarder Nazis actually went through everything to make sure we had what we said we had. Took over 2 hours. 2. I.D. is absolutely crucial now. They want a passport or a birth certificate; without one of the two, you're pretty much not getting through the boarder. We got to the boarder just after noon on a Friday, which is a pretty busy time, and they still went through all this nonsense. When we came back into the states (at 3:30am), they said, "where are you from? what were you doing in Canada? That's nice, have a nice trip home". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 List of every single piece of gear you have with you, including serial numbers and approx. retail value. DEFINITELY. You should do that when you tour "in-country" anyway... just in case. Ya never know, etc. We got to the border just after noon on a Friday, which is a pretty busy time, and they still went through all this nonsense. When we came back into the states (at 3:30am), they said, "where are you from? what were you doing in Canada? That's nice, have a nice trip home". Yeah, ditto that. For Americans returning from Canada, it's not bad at all. Going INTO Canada, however... WOO. They had fun messing with us. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Hughes Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Eric's suggestions are right on. I live in Buffalo and often go up to Ft. Erie (right across the river) to record. I've only had to pull over and go into the customs building once. All the other times there were no problems. I recently went to play a show in Toronto. We weren't getting paid, but I figured that that was less believable than telling them we were going to record at a friend's studio. They didn't buy it, but let us through, anyway. If you _do_ have to go into the customs building, they'll ask you th same questions over and over and over to try and get you to slip up, so _definitely_ make sure you've got your story straight. You need to make sure you realize that that's why they're asking the questions -- otherwise it'll start to piss you off and you'll be tempted to say something like "I just TOLD you that!" and that would NOT be good. The good thing about having to go into the customs bulding (at least in Ft. Erie, Ontario) is that the women there are invariably really attractive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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