www.musicconnection.com

CAREER CONNECTION
By Andy Mesecher
EPIC PROPORTIONS
Not Just Another “Buy On” Tour
If you've ever been discouraged
by a DIY tour, due to expenses,
travel arrangements or even
healthy food options, raise your
hand. Epic Proportions Tour
founders Gabe Kubanda and Peter
Sotos were no different.
The two met at a mixer and
discussed the current industry’s
unreasonable touring expectations
for bands to be taken seriously by
various labels. Over the next few
months, Kubanda, a musician and
VH1 Classic cast member, and
Sotos, a booking agent, developed
a new concept: devise a tour that
guarantees musicians will actually
make money.
“We found a better way to book,”
states Sotos. “We realized that
there was no way to survive by just
playing venues.” The only time Epic
Proportions Tour books a standard
club is if the venue itself is an
attraction, like the Hollywood Hard
Rock Café for example. For the
most part, Epic sticks to the formula
of colleges and military bases.
“I used to be a paratrooper in
the 82nd Airborne so I have a
lot of military connections,” says
Sotos. “I started calling around
[explaining what the tour could
provide as a form of entertainment]
and a lot of the guys I used to serve
with now [have the authority to
approve our events]. We recently
played a military show in El Paso
with Sick Puppies in front of 2,000
servicemen.”
Epic’s managers partner with
the venue to promote each gig as a
unique show within the area. With
the booking responsibilities taken
out of the hands of the artists, they
can instead focus on their craft and
up-coming live performances.
The tour formula is simple:
TOUR
Lost In Atlantis at Eagle Rock High School in Eagle Rock, CA
"WE DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FOLLOWING. WE
DON'T NEED YOU TO HAVE A FOLLOWING. WE HAVE A BUILT-IN
AUDIENCE AT ALL OF OUR SHOWS."
Pay $2,500 up front, and let tour
management handle everything
else (including hotel and bus fees).
While the initial cost sounds steep,
make no mistake, if a band commit
to the tour, they will earn more
than the initial investment back
by tour’s end. “We pay the bands
$150 per show day,” Sotos says.
“We guarantee the bands at least
20 paid show dates. Do the math
and you see you're guaranteed to
make at least $500 [more than you
invested]. Plus we pay a merch
girl to sit at your table and sell
your merch while you keep 100
percent of the sales.” And as the
experienced booker explains, you
don’t even need a solid fanbase.
“We don't care if you don’t have
a following. We don't need you to
have a following. We have a built-in
audience at all of our shows.”
The tour isn’t accepting just
any band, however. Because of
the unique venues, metal and hiphop
artists should pass on this
opportunity. Epic seeks artists
with clean lyrics that don’t involve
drug references or hate speech.
“We’re looking for clean cut, upbeat
entertainment,” Sotos explains. “At
the end of the day it’s our clients
who decide to open the gates or
not. … And we are looking for
bigger bands because Gabe is
a singer-songwriter and we don't
want to do just one genre. Our core
audience is 14-22. The music has
to fit that.”
The Epic Proportions Tour isn’t
just looking to hear from artists. It
is also looking for sponsorships for
its bus and stage as well as media
coverage. “We jump through hoops
for our sponsors. We will bring
products, mention you in all of our
fliers, interviews, etc. We’re also
looking to wrap our bus with logos
which is great for anyone because
we are constantly on tour.”
Should the Mayans be crazy,
2013 will be a big year for Epic
Proportions Tour. Artists on the
tour will be involved in EPT Spring
Tour, and parts of Warped Tour,
with appearances lined up for
SXSW, NAMM and CMJ as well.
Contact Gabe Kubanda and
Peter Sotos,
info@epicproportionstour.com
46 January 2013 www.musicconnection.com