Q & A WITH THOMAS JOHN CADRIN
It’s important to remember that everything we do has the potential to help in future endeavors. Thomas John Cadrin found this to be true when the sales and marketing skills he picked up working for nutrition food company Health Warrior transferred considerably to his roles in tour management.
Since the age of 15, he’s spent time writing, recording, booking and promoting shows, as well as playing in an original project called Long Time Round New England. Like many ambitious musicians, he eventually began taking on the additional responsibilities of a manager, agent, and tour manager.
He’s now been touring full time for three years, handling tour and merch management, working with The Milk Carton Kids, Theory of a Deadman, and Shaed among others.
Favorite concert or live show you’ve attended as a fan (not for work)?
It’s a toss-up between Robert Glasper @ Sinclair (Cambridge, MA) or seeing Tool @ Boston Calling in 2017. I saw these shows within a month of one another and it reminded me how wonderful it is to be faithfully lost in the music, that the musicians will return you to solid ground when the ride's over. It helped me to remember to appreciate that there are places humans can be taken outside of ourselves, that we can feel new things while standing still, and through music, we can all travel there together.
Is there anything you try to do every off day?
Maybe not every day off, but if I’ve been out for a while and need some recalibration, I will try to find a place to float, or undergo some isolation therapy center. If you’re not familiar, it’s a spa-like place with small pools that are filled with (literal) tons of salt to make the water ultra-buoyant. The pools are sound and light proof, and the water & area is the temperature of your skin. Much like the Glasper or Tool concert, this environment allows you to naturally not feel or hear anything for a while. It’s both physical and mental therapy in one. You end up becoming more of yourself, just a mind inside a body traveling through space.
What are one to three work-related tool(s) you can’t do without? (Computer, gear, tool, phone app, etc.)?
Master Tour & Gmail are lifeblood’s, all my spreadsheets/docs go through the Gsuite, along with any pdf’s that need to be signed.
Are there any standard industry practices that you’d like to change?
As much as I love it, Master Tour has a lot of shortcomings. After the pandemic, I’m hoping there will be better tools to help younger artists and people who simply cannot afford to hire teams any longer.
Since you began working in this industry are there any concepts or practices you’ve implemented that have had a positive impact on your work (reduced stress, saved time, etc.)?
Not being afraid to admit being wrong, meeting people halfway but holding everyone accountable, and trying to always leave things better than you found them. Not drinking/smoking on the road reduced stress immensely, it just made mornings so much easier.
Where do you see the industry going in the next 5-8 years?
With COVID-19 in the mix, who knows. Teams will be smaller; artists will need to take on more responsibility themselves and truly become masters of their business. They will be the ones who have the power to change the industry from the bottom up.
How much sleep do you actually get? And how do you manage sleep deprivation?
At this point in my career, I’ve only been on van/sprinter tours, I’m also the dude driving quite a bit. Not drinking on the road helps with sounder sleep, but also asking for help behind the wheel is a must. I’ve become a pro at the van nap.
What improves your day at a show?
Venue staff respecting our time, acknowledging the long road it took for all of us to arrive, and everyone showing up to work
Our industry isn’t as glamorous as often perceived. What continues to motivate you to work such long hours, and be away from home for extended periods?
Being away makes me a better person when I’m home, especially when being away means being bathed in music every night. Although, as we’re currently stuck inside for months due to COVID-19, I’ve gained a bit of perspective on that. Live music fuels my soul and I feel its absence in these times, but it taught me that every moment can be a song if you allow it to flow freely through you.
What advice would you give to someone just starting his or her career in the live production industry (perhaps something you wish someone would have told you when you were getting started)?
Be empathetic. Every handshake is an interview, but you gotta read the room. Learn how to trust the hang. Everyone you meet out on the road wants to be there, which means that everyone made choices to arrive with you in that exact moment and hopes to continue. Everyone wants something. This is ok - be humble, work hard for good results, and people will remember your name. But you also gotta make sure to follow up so they don’t forget you.
What's the most important thing in your suitcase?
Cell phone.