"PLACES LIKE THIS DO NOT EXIST"
THE CAYMANA
FREE CRASH PAD SCHEME FOR TOURING MUSICIANS
'SNARE BnB' ?
FOR THE CULTURE
Back in 2017, we started an informal scheme to support touring musicians with somewhere to crash for free in the storage space above our garage studio.
At the beginning it was just a basic place to shelter in a sleeping bag on some old sofa cushions. There wasn't even a staircase and you had to use a ladder to get up there.
Over the last seven years, we added a fridge, a shower room and even a staircase...and it’s now used regularly by a range of bands and solo musicians as a place to bed down for the night before moving onto the next tour stop.
We christened it 'The Caymana' after a long running in-joke about a short-lived 'tropical' cream liqueur brand from the 1990's.
“Staying at The Caymana quite literally made a tour we did last year possible. Having a space to stay for free is gold to any touring band, and for it to be as comfortable and well equipped as it was really made a difference too. Places like this do not exist.”
TOM TAYLOR - CUT CAPERS
ROUGH TRADE
GIG ECONOMY
More music is being listened to than ever before, however more independent venues are shutting down every year, and streaming has become nothing more than a fantasy revenue stream.
Even successful artists with record deals, management, and festival appearances are struggling. By comparison, the path for emerging and grassroots musicians looks almost impossible.
A recent Guardian article (25th April 2024) on “the cost of touring crisis” highlighted just how extreme the chasm is between the top 1% of touring acts and the majority of relatively successful bands - those with regular radio play and festival appearances.
A five-piece band that recently crashed with us were looking at an overnight cost of £600 for accommodation with the gig fee being £1000.
That's pretty much everything gone after food & petrol.
VICIOUS CIRCLE
THE ECONOMY OF SCALES
In his early years Ed Sheeran famously slept under an arch outside Buckingham Palace for a few nights and caught up on sleep on the Tube:
“I spent a week catching up on sleep on Circle Line trains. I’d go out and play a gig, wait until 5am when the Underground opened, sleep on the Circle Line until 12, go to a session – and then repeat.”
Whether you're a fan of his music or not maybe together we can - at the very least - do something to stop the next generation of Ed Sheeran's sleeping on the Circle Line between gigs.
Personally, I know a bunch of musicians in their 20's and 30's who are carving out a living grinding against the rock face of the "gig economy".
The struggle is real.
Given the diminshing level of state support for the arts since 2008 and the new economics of the music industry I've come to believe that we need to find new and innovative ways of supporting them.
The Caymana has meant that the artists I tour with can reach a whole new audience.
WILL LAIKIN- TIGHT LINES
RHYTHM SECTION
SNARE B'n'B
Some of the bands that we have supported have now gone on to much bigger things. For example, Bristol 9-piece CUT CAPERS are Glastonbury regulars, with an upcoming headlining show at their hometown O2 Academy Bristol in 2025.
So, yeah, one place can help to make a difference...but it is still only one place.
The plan now is to showcase what we have been doing with The Caymana to inspire others to run parallel schemes as part of an informal network of free to stay 'crash pads' for touring musicians.
A "Share BnB"...or maybe a 'FairBnB'...how about SnareBnB ? (Not a big fan of puns...but there is a drumkit in the corner of the The Caymana.)
Watch this space...and sign up to the the Zeitwarp 'Rhythm Section' newsletter for more info and regular updates.
