Brian Forst
Credit: Mike Wilson
Guitar Tech
Dashboard Confessional / Young the Giant
CHANGEOVER: Tell us who you are and what you do in the music industry.
Brian Forst: I am a guitar tech, but I also tour manage, backline manage and stage manage, when needed. However, being a guitar tech is what I prefer.
How did you get into the music industry?
I've been touring pretty regularly since 2001 when I was playing guitar. Then, in 2010, I was offered a job with Less Than Jake to be their guitar tech and stage manager. I just jumped right in.
That job came about when I moved to Gainesville. I was working as a barista in a Starbucks and the drummer for Less Than Jake was a regular customer. I became close friends with him and he ended up putting out records for my band, which led to me working for his record label. That, in turn, led to me working for his band. I was at the right place at the right time when this great opportunity presented itself.
What were you doing pre-COVID and how did the shutdown affect your job?
Credit: Josh Massie
I was in the midst of a really fun world tour with Dashboard Confessional for their 20th anniversary of being a band. We were in the middle of tour and were actually in New York when everything got shut down, which was a crazy place to be. We set up for our second night of playing a show in New York City and, before going on, were called to the dressing room. We were informed that we were all going home the next day. To say it was heartbreaking would be an understatement but that’s what happened.
I went right home and had no idea what to do because touring has been my only job for the last 10 years. Like all of my other touring brothers and sisters, none of us had any idea what to do. We were under the hope that things would start again shortly after but I remember getting notifications as shows and tours kept getting canceled. After a while, I was told by all the bands I work for to just delete my calendar and they would let me know when something changes. It was heartbreaking. The lockdown time was full of stress, no sleeping and lots of fear and frustration.
What have you been doing during your downtime with no touring?
At the time of lockdown, I didn't really do much at all. I had all these lists of things I would like to achieve, but I just wasn't in the headspace to do any of it. Coming out of lockdown around June, when things started opening up again, I got a job at a tattoo shop running all the day to day things. I've been keeping busy working there ever since.
What do you really miss about being a guitar tech?
Credit: Mike Wilson
Everything. Honestly, I never really learned how to be a domesticated homebody. When I was “sentenced” to being home for so long, I had no routines with the meal prep, the laundry or the cleaning. I used to be home for a little while at a time. What I miss most is just being on tour and traveling. I have been under-fulfilled and under-stimulated since tour and being home just doesn't do it for me.
Is there a specific sound, or a specific moment of the day, that you miss most from tour?
I really miss the feeling halfway through the last song when we all realize the show went well. I just can't relax, be calm or enjoy myself until the show is over. That end of the set, where I can exhale a big breath and get ready to high five my coworkers, is really my favorite. That’s what I miss the most, to be honest.
When tours do start up again, what do you think the first thing you're going to do will be when you finally get back on the road?
Credit: Paris Visone
I've been thinking about this for a while. Prior to this pandemic, I had been so busy the last handful of years. There are times on tour where you are unhappy and wonder if you would be in a better place if you weren’t on tour, but you never really get the time, or the opportunity, to kind of check that. Now we were forced to take a break. In that break, I realized that I love being on tour and I can't wait to do it again. I'm hoping it takes any of that doubt away and makes everything on the road fun and exciting.