Local music industry stalwart, Emily Rockit is celebrating life on the road with the launch of her debut book, 'Louder Than Life: The Touring Musician's Handbook' – a no-BS guide that breaks away from industry convention.
Self-published, the book features stories and advice from 33 experienced touring musicians who have generously shared their touring stories. From moments of pure inspiration to disastrous tour mishaps, 'Louder Than Life' captures the magic, resilience, and behind-the-scenes reality of taking your music on the road.
Equal parts handbook and love letter, the book is designed to inspire and guide the next generation of artists – all delivered in Emily's trademark entertaining and unconventional style. "This book is for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a touring artist, and for those who have lived it and loved it," Emily says.
"I wanted to create a practical guide that entertains through storytelling, showcasing some of the talented and hardworking musicians I've come to love and respect – many of whom I've had the pleasure of working with over the."
The Gold Coast launch at Mo's Desert Clubhouse this Sunday (16 November) will be more than just a book release – it's a celebration of live music and the stories that make touring unforgettable.
The afternoon kicks off with a panel discussion featuring musicians from the book, alongside a stellar live line-up headlined by much-loved Northern Rivers outfit, Matty Rogers Band, bringing their signature blend of soulful, blues-rock.
They'll be joined by Gold Coast favourite HaydenGoSeek – also known as the frontman of Cheap Fakes and The Good Band – delivering his sun-soaked mix of pop and Americana. First up onstage will be uong-bo (Charlie Seymour-Grant), with his electrifying alt-rock.
Here, Emily divulges some of the wild tour stories that feature within the pages of 'Louder Than Life'. "Every touring musician has those stories — the ones that still get rolled out around the campfire years later.
"When I was collecting stories for my book, I asked 33 artists to share their wildest, funniest, and worst moments on tour. I received some absolute gold – laugh-out loud, hilarious, batsh.t crazy, and awesome. Here are five of my favourites that prove truth is actually weirder than rock & roll fiction."
The Pelican & The Hottest Sauce
The first one is from Jesse Morris. His band was playing a chilli festival on the mid-north coast of NSW near Coffs Harbour; their drummer, Hughie, is a massive chilli fan. Hughie went to sample some hot sauces and decided to try one claiming to be 'the hottest sauce in the universe'.Ignoring the warnings, he had a huge spoonful and seconds later lost part of his vision, his face was on fire, and he was running around desperate for relief. In a moment of insane timing, a pelican relieved itself on his head at that exact moment. Despite this ridiculous misadventure, he somehow still managed to play the gig. What a legend!
A Tampon Saves The Gig
Second is from Charles Wall, also known as Bobby Alu. Charlie suffers from nosebleeds when under stress, and one day during a gig he could feel one coming on mid-set. Ever the professional, he discreetly stepped offstage and hunted around for help.An off-duty nurse who happened to be at the show stepped in with the genius solution of inserting a tampon into his nostril to stem the bleeding, and handed him a beer to cool down. After snipping off the string, Charlie stepped back onstage and finished the gig, tampon in place!
The Amino Acid Bust
Syd Green, a drummer mate of mine who used to play with Mantissa and now performs with Kasey Chambers, shared this gem. Back in the Mantissa days, the band was touring through middle America – probably Wisconsin – with an amino-acid endorsement at the time.They had canisters of unmarked white powder in the back of their car for 'pre-show energy' and 'post-show recovery'. Unfortunately, they got pulled over by the cops who weren't buying the amino-acid endorsement story.
After calling for backup, bringing in sniffer dogs, and preparing for a full-blown body search, the officers finally realised the band was telling the truth. It all ended well, but it was touch and go for a hot minute.
The Night Jeff Buckley Humped The Kombi
Nick Stewart from George shared an epic story about how, in the early days of the band, they piled into their mate's Kombi to see the legendary Jeff Buckley play a gig at Seagulls in Tweed Heads.The Kombi was covered in Led Zeppelin logos down the side, and by a stroke of great timing, when Jeff (a huge Zeppelin fan) came out the back door after the show, he ran over and started humping the van.
They ended up taking him to a party that night, and there's photo evidence of Jeff biting Nick's mate, Andy Jans-Brown, on the cheek. Fun fact: Andy is also a 'Louder Than Life' contributor and shares one of his own very cool stories in the book.
Held Up At Knifepoint In Lisbon
I share a lot of my own touring stories in the book too. One that stands out is when I got held up at knifepoint after a gig in Lisbon, Portugal. I went out to the legendary Lux Frágil nightclub with friends and ended up walking one of them to the taxi rank alone.Halfway back, I sensed someone behind me and turned to find a man with a knife demanding my wallet. Trouble was, I didn't have it on me. No bag, no cash, nothing. On instinct, I introduced myself and offered my hand. He froze, shook it, and disappeared into the night. That act of humanising someone behaving in an inhuman way may have saved my life.
"These are just a handful of the stories from 'Louder Than Life: The Touring Musician's Handbook. It's a how-to guide for musicians who want to take their show on the road, packed with practical advice, hilarious mishaps, and hard-earned wisdom from myself and the touring artists. It's also, I hope, highly entertaining, fun and raucous as F."
The official book launch takes place at Mo's Desert Clubhouse (Gold Coast) on 16 November (2-7pm). The book will be available exclusively at the launch; it'll then be available to purchase online in the new year.
