Legalities around playing in Latin America for Canadians/Americans

This topic has 4 voices, contains 6 replies, and was last updated by BruceM001 378 days ago.

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May 3, 2011 at 10:41 pm #6803
BruceM001	<p>Hi – I just joined the forum. I looked around, but couldn’t find a thread on this topic, my apologies if I missed it.</p> <p>My wife and I are doing what everyone knows you shouldn’t – quitting our day jobs to play music. Actually, we’re driving down to Central America from Canada in October, and once we get there we’d like to pick up small gigs to supplement our income. I used to be pro many years ago, and am getting back into it now the kids are out of the house. We’re planning on spending at least a year in various countries, but it’s also possible that we’ll never come back…</p> <p>Having said that, I’m a TOTAL newbie at touring, my pro experience being limited to local clubs, weddings, etc. </p> <p>Does anyone here, especially if you’re Canadian, have any experience gigging as a non-resident in Central America? Are visas required? Did you get bookings from a Canadian agent before you went down? </p> <p>Anyhow, I’d love to hear what you know about this, and any other suggestions and experiences you’d like to share. Thanks! </p>
May 4, 2011 at 2:13 am #7545
David J. Hahn	Wow…tough question. Anyone know? Andree-Ann maybe?
May 5, 2011 at 4:59 pm #7549
BruceM001	Yeah, I’ve been having a lot of problems getting this kind of info on the internet, although I’m probably asking the wrong questions. If anyone wants to answer the more general question about what it’s like to play there, ANY experiences with playing in this part of the world, I’m sure it would be helpful. I intend to meet with a few local agents in the next couple of weeks – if I can find answers to my questions I’ll post them here.
May 5, 2011 at 6:14 pm #7550
Andree-Ann	YES another Canadian! Ok so I certainly don’t have any precise answer to your question, but I can redirect you to http://www.canuckabroad.com. I find it very helpful for any questions related to visa, climate and just to read about other people’s experience when they travel. They have forums that you can go to and read other people’s posts – while they may not be a ton of musicians on that site, I’m sure you’ll be able to find answers related to Visa, accomodations and stuff like that. It can be helpful to plan the trip, make sure you got your paperwork in order and everything. As for what it is to play there…I have no idea. I know some people that are from Mexico and other parts of Central America – my only concern for you is that right now is totally not the time to go. Drug crime is at its peak – Mexico is hell right now and the MS-13 is going crazy lately. Be sure to research gangs and drug crimes and make sure that you are not going to high-risk areas or anything. I would personally suggest using a booking agent for that sole purpose – they probably know best where to go and where not to go, which is a huge thing to consider. A lot of spanish musicians such as Julio Jaramillo (i might be spelling this all wrong) are famous for playing jazz standards (automn leaves anyone?) in a more spanish-mexican style. It might be a good idea to listen to that guy and hear what kind of music he plays. He’s really popular down there and could be a good inspiration for your sets. Otherwise, that’s all i know…
May 5, 2011 at 9:54 pm #7551
BruceM001	Thanks for that Andree-Ann; I’ll certainly check out the link – I hadn’t seen that site before. We are a tiny bit worried about the drive down, but have decided to prepare as best we can and hope for the best regardless of what we hear. You hear that it’s bad, and also that it’s not bad, and everything else in between. So, we’re just hoping that karma’s on our side and all will be well. We intend to only drive during the day, stay low profile, stick to main highways, and avoid as much as possible the cities. Ultimately we hope to settle on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica but will also live in Nicaragua, maybe Guatemala and Panama as well for awhile. We’ve spent some time down there, and ’60s and 70′s pop and rock is very popular among the locals. So there’s a lot of that, and even have some bluegrass and roots country. Quite a lot of lounge-y stuff, Carpenters, Burt Bacharach, etc., and quite a bit of old surf instrumentals. Hopefully the range of styles works for us an not against us. I’ve been recording my own backing tracks over the last year and they’re sounding not bad. We’re both studying Spanish and will add some Spanish songs or at least Spanish lyrics to songs we already do. It’s kind of like jumping off a cliff and hoping you have a parachute…:) Thanks again!
May 8, 2011 at 10:04 am #7564
Derek	I have to agree with what Andree-Ann said, that Mexico is very dangerous right now. Especially the areas along the US border. The problem has even reached the tourist cities like Acapulco. You see it every single day in the news. Naturally, there are some very very rural places that are safe, but in those places, for many homes, lane line telephone does not reach that far out. (As in the case of some of my family) And to reach a safe place, you have to travel through the rough places to get there. If you watch the news, the drug gangs are looking for travelers. If you could bypass Mexico completely, you may be better off. But, definitely sounds like a fun and adventureous expedition. I applaud you for living your life, seeing more of the wonderful world that is out there, and not wasting it in the comforts and conveniences of boredom. It is fun to know other cultures and how others live. Makes you really appreciate what we have. Since you are learning spanish, I wish you mucha suerte y que Dios acompanarles! Especially while in Mexico!!
May 9, 2011 at 2:42 pm #7568
BruceM001	Thanks Derek. For the first time the other night I had twinges of panic about the drive, partly about safety and partly about how long a drive would take. Whatever the case, I may at least ship my gear. We have time to decide; we may just fly and buy a vehicle once we get there. It would possibly cost more, but not much I don’t think. My wife and I were talking about storing our truck and coming back for it some other time. Anyhow, other options are available. Thanks for your input!