Montana Punk Band Loses Gear While Touring

Touring in a punk band is already sort of a crapshoot. Gas money disappears fast. Sleep most often takes place in a van. And sometimes, sadly, someone begins to think your gear would look even better in their garage.

That’s exactly what happened to the Bozeman punk band, GonersUK, on a recent stop in Salt Lake City. According to KBZK, thieves took equipment worth over $20,000. And the money the band was saving to record a new album.

For musicians, that’s not just stuff. That’s guitars, amps, pedals and the cash that helps make it all happen. And if you’ve hung around the Montana music scene long enough, this story may sound strangely familiar.

Touring Artists and Stolen Equipment Have a Long History

A few years back, one Missoula-based band reached the same kind of touring nightmare. I'm talking about a Metallica tribute band known as Blistered Earth. Their gear was stolen outside of Portland, effectively wiping out the band’s complete setup overnight.

For most bands, that kind of hit would bring the tour to an immediate end.

Then something kind of amazing occurred....Metallica stepped in to help.

Word of the stolen gear eventually reached the upper echelons of Metallica, the band itself. Yes. The actual Metallica. And, instead of sending out a sympathetic tweet, the band replaced the tribute band’s stolen gear with equipment from their personal collection. Helping Blistered Earth get back on the road.

Read More: Metallica Replaces Stolen Gear for Missoula Rock Band

That’s one of those rock and roll stories that seems fictionalized until you find out it really happened.

A Reminder for Touring Musicians

Sadly, stolen equipment is practically a rite of passage for touring bands. Vans and trailers stuffed with instruments are prime targets, especially when bands are crashing in unfamiliar cities.

Even so, the Bozeman group’s situation is crappy. You lose twenty grand worth of gear, and a tour will shut down real quick. But if the history of music in Montana has taught us anything, it’s that the rock community tends to band together when bands get knocked down.

And hey, you never know. Maybe this news will help get GonersUK a record deal.