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TitreDateDurée
Post the Gig, Get the Gig: Social Media for Working Musicians with Edgar Solorzano09 nov. 202601:07:51

You moved to a new city where nobody knows your name. Now what? When Edgar Solorzano left Venezuela for South Florida ten years ago, his answer was simple: hit record. He took a GoPro to a country gig with a band of firefighters, posted the highlights, and kept posting every day: under a minute, the best moment of the night, replying to every comment, even the mean ones. When the only calls were for country gigs, he started posting slap covers of Level 42 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers until the phone rang for everything else. It’s the same move that started it all back home, where a 2006 YouTube video landed him in the busiest band in Maracaibo, playing up to six shows a night.

Then Edgar walks you through the working week: three or more nights of weddings, corporate gigs, casinos and clubs, almost no rehearsals, and what to do when you’ve pulled up the wrong charts for a 35-minute hora. You’ll hear how VAM Band’s system makes a gig easy to walk into, why Edgar turns the nanny tracks off, the in-ear mix where kick and bass melt into one instrument, and the dead-simple rig behind all those gig videos: an Insta360 X6 and a second in-ear receiver on the same channel. There’s also a warning about talkback culture before you go live, and yes, a detour to nerd out on Rush. Post the gig, share the gig, and Always Be Performing.

The post Post the Gig, Get the Gig: Social Media for Working Musicians with Edgar Solorzano – Gig Gab 559 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Don’t Compete with the Couch: How to Get People to Your Gigs, Bar Band to Theater Band & AI for Musicians with Paul Kent02 nov. 202601:17:30

Gig Gab was Paul Kent’s idea, and he’s back in the co-host chair with 27 years of running the ten-piece Houserockers behind him. You’ll hear how Dave’s Underground band learns a whole new themed set every six weeks at the Seacoast Rep, why moving from bars to an 800-seat theater starts with deciding you are a theater band, and the frequency-versus-scarcity tension every local act wrestles with. Paul’s answer to the fan who says they’ll catch you next time is blunt: stop competing with the couch. Find the people already looking to get out, let them get to know the band and each other, and host a two-hour party every single night.

Then it’s AI for working musicians: gig posters, the Kanban booking tracker Paul built in half a day, lead lists, email campaigns, and Dave’s case for AI as the ultimate procrastination killer. Plus, a condo neighbor storms a 9:55 PM rehearsal demanding the band wrap by 8:30, and finds out he picked the wrong Dave. Stick around to hear who actually coined Always Be Performing.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 558 – Monday, November 2nd, 2026
  • 00:02:36 Roberto’s The Loving Mosh
  • 00:03:02 Gig Gab as a marketing tool
  • 00:04:53 Paul’s 5 Projects
  • 00:07:32 Paul’s Houserockers Summer
  • 00:08:37 Dave’s Gigs
  • 00:10:44 The Underground Model
  • 00:18:21 Rotating Tribute Band
  • 00:21:06 Evolving from a bar band to a theater band
  • 00:22:57 Mixing bar gigs in with your theater band
  • 00:24:01 SPONSOR: Warby Parker – Our listeners can buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at https://WarbyParker.com/GIGGAB — and using our link helps support the show. #WarbyParker #ad
  • 00:25:28 Frequency vs. Scarcity
  • 00:27:29 Creating a band with a local presence
    • Build your mailing list!
    • Two ticketed, four-walled events per year
  • 00:31:51 Audience Curation
    • What about: If I can see you “next time”, I won’t go “this time”?
  • 00:34:19 Finding the right people
    • The Gig Gab Green Room
    • Don’t compete with the couch: find your true fans.
    • Market to people who already want to get off the couch!
    • Let people get to know each other AND get to know the band
    • Live music is a visual art
    • You are the curator of an emotional experience for people
    • Create a social contract: “For two hours we’re gonna hang out together, let’s have some fun.”
    • Related: Your Competition Is the Couch with Neonautica (Gig Gab 555)
  • 00:41:37 Embrace your role as a facilitator for giving people a break!
  • 00:42:25 AI: Renaissance or Doomsday?
  • 00:45:03 AI as a tool for running bands
    • Making gig posters with the help of AI
  • 00:50:30 Paul’s Gig Tracker Pro
    • ChatGPT
    • Kanban Chart
    • Build a lead list: “Find all booking contacts for my area”
    • Bounce booking ideas
    • Workshop an email campaign
    • AI is the best procrastination eliminator, bar none.
  • 00:57:50 Using AI
  • 01:01:04 Noise Complaints!
  • 01:08:52 Gig Gab 558 Outro

The post Don’t Compete with the Couch: How to Get People to Your Gigs, Bar Band to Theater Band & AI for Musicians with Paul Kent – Gig Gab 558 appeared first on Gig Gab.

You’re Not Their Backup Plan: How to Market Your Band’s Shows with Pat Watters26 oct. 202601:09:22

Twenty years ago, Pat Watters looked at Texas country’s self-sustaining scene, where bands lift each other up and fans proudly claim their own, and asked a simple question: why only Texas? He’s spent every year since 2008 answering it in Wisconsin, building the Pat Watters Band on unapologetic regional pride. As a marketing agency partner, he knows exactly how bands get found. Stop pitching your gig like a fallback. “If you’re free Friday night” tells people you’re the last resort, so talk like you’re the best option and they just haven’t heard about it yet. Guard against oversaturation, because if fans can see you anytime, they’ll never actually come. Load your originals early while the room is still listening, and give every song a story worth leaning in for.

Then work all three relationships: artist to artist, artist to media, and artist to fan. You’ll hear how the Midwest Country Music Organization turned rival bands into a real community, and why one musicians’ dinner on a slow Monday could start the same thing in your town. Pat shares his show-promotion formula: title every Facebook event with your band name and the venue, drop the event link in the comments, and post one simple day-of line that gets your followers asking where. Don’t build on rented land. Own your domain and your mailing list, and spend a few smart dollars on Meta ads. Then dress like you meant to be on that stage. Become a bigger version of yourself, and Always Be Performing.

The post You’re Not Their Backup Plan: How to Market Your Band’s Shows with Pat Watters – Gig Gab 557 appeared first on Gig Gab.

How Every Club Sounds Great: Running SXSW Stages & Changeovers with Nate Cross28 sept. 202601:04:03

Every club at SXSW sounds good, every night, all week, and we’ve often wondered how they maintain that consistency. This week Dave finally gets the answer from Nate Cross, SXSW’s Director of Production, who went from intern to Assistant Production Manager to running the whole show. You’ll hear how his team builds out 55 to 60 venues (down from 100+ before the pandemic), why they mic everything even when it looks like overkill, and how 20-minute changeovers actually run on time with bands who’ve never met. Then there’s the backline story: trading the free band beer for a drum kit and amps at every venue, which enhanced everything.

Want to be the band every festival wants back? Show up on time, keep it simple, and put your current input list first, since it matters more than your stage plot. Add one sentence describing what your band should sound like so the engineer isn’t guessing. Nate also explains how SXSW went from a flat “no” on in-ear monitors to welcoming your split snake, and shares how his two-drummer, nine-piece band Water Damage turned one showcase into a challenge accepted. Whether you’re under the lights or behind the scenes, Always Be Performing.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 553 – Monday, September 28, 2026
  • 00:01:16 Arrived in Austin 2003, interned with SXSW in 2006
    • Finally in 2012 the phone rings…Assistant Production Manager
  • 00:07:33 Learning the SXSW flow
  • 00:11:20 Dozens of Venues, 5-6 bands per night per venue
  • 00:12:40 Building out stages and PAs
  • 00:15:01 Setting up the stages for success
    • Everyone coming to that stage wants it to sound as good as possible…and so do we!
    • Micing everything
  • 00:17:18 Changeover
  • 00:18:10 Keeping the schedule running on time
    • Managing the 20-minute changeover
  • 00:22:44 How many production staff assigned per venue?
    • FOH engineer
    • Stage manager
    • Student Production Crewmember
    • Plus 2-3 stage crew
  • 00:24:05 Adding backline to every venue in 2026
  • 00:27:22 Setting Your Band Up For Success at a Festival
    • Punctuality
    • Communication
    • Simple Is (usually) best
  • 00:31:04 Advancing with Success
    • Stage Plot is truly for space allocation. Make sure your layout is up-to-date and correct.
    • Input List is the most important aspect
    • Update your Stage Plot and Input List once per year
  • 00:35:08 Put that “what my band sounds like” sentence on your input list
  • 00:41:21 IEMs, Split Snakes
    • Pre-pandemic the answer to IEMs at SXSW was “no”
  • 00:49:40 “My band doesn’t use monitors”
  • 00:51:27 Water Damage, Nate’s band
  • 00:54:05 The Thread of Serendipity That Runs Through SXSW
  • 01:02:14 Gig Gab 553 Outro

The post How Every Club Sounds Great: Running SXSW Stages & Changeovers with Nate Cross – Gig Gab 553 appeared first on Gig Gab.

The Opener Sets the Tone: Set List Strategy, AI vs. the Artist & The Craft of Fronting a Band21 sept. 202601:05:02

Skylar Hamilton is back by popular demand for round two of your questions, recorded across an Airbnb kitchen table in New York City where a roll of paper towels doubles as a mic stand, because it’s the right height and it kills table rumble.

Set lists first: your opener sets the tone, and the tone is yours to set. Easing a dining room into rock-band mode calls for something catchy and upper-mid-tempo with room to breathe; a room that came to see a band wants to know right away what kind of show they walked into. Start cold off a click in your ears instead of a count-off if you want crisp. Put the across-the-board crowd-pleaser second, not first. And treat the night as an exchange of energy: it’s great when the audience offers first, but you can’t plan on that, so you make the first offering. Always Be Performing, right from note one.

From there you get a genuine on-air disagreement about AI and episode artwork, and where the line sits between using a tool and removing the human creator. The audience for your art is other humans, whatever you used to make it. Then stage etiquette, with Rush handing you both answers on one tour: Anika Nilles quietly fixing a wardrobe malfunction mid-song while the show rolls on, and Geddy Lee stopping 2112 to get a dead bass sorted. The call is yours in a split second: if you’re the focal point and the problem has you distracted, name it and bring the crowd in; otherwise let it go and keep playing.

Crowd work closes it out: banter is a skill you learn to summon on demand, not a personality you’re born with. Pick one person or an avatar and talk to them, build a stage character the way Billie Joe Armstrong is already St. Jimmy every night, treat what you wear as a costume your audience assumes you chose on purpose, borrow the bits you love from the front people who inspire you, and then watch yourself back a few days later…alone, and generous enough to find one good moment for every three you’d fix.

The post The Opener Sets the Tone: Set List Strategy, AI vs. the Artist & The Craft of Fronting a Band – Gig Gab 552 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Ask for the Gig You Want: Kevin Glendinning on SNL, Super Bowls, and 25 Years on the Road31 août 202601:10:31

Monitor engineer Kevin “KG” Glendinning joins you live from a Roman amphitheater in Pula, Croatia: eight countries in seven days into the Lorde world tour…and he’s got the receipts. You’ll hear how fifteen trips through the SNL stage started with a Carson Daly taping, why the rooms that treat you well are the rooms you remember, and what happens when a 32-year veteran finally plugs in a source expander and realizes the “new guys” were right. That’s the through-line: always be learning, always be open-minded, and never let a get-off-my-lawn attitude about new tech be the reason your phone stops ringing. Then it gets into the real in-ear monitor conversations: recreating a Celestion cab with a 2.6mm armature, the one-ear trick that quietly costs Adam Levine and John Mayer another 25% of volume, and why ear fatigue deserves the same respect a pitcher gives his arm.

The road stories land hard from there. Super Bowl XLV in Dallas with snow, the Black Eyed Peas, and a lesson in letting the pros run their own show. Red Rocks (aka “Wet Rocks”) and why a mountain full of shuttle trucks is worth every minute. A locked-up console mid-residency and telling Christina Aguilera the audio will come back, all while genuinely hoping it would. A charter plane struck by lightning over the Amazon, an emergency landing at a decommissioned airfield, and waking up to the news about Taylor Hawkins. Plus the covert phone call that became seven years with Justin Timberlake, and the soft ask years earlier that made it happen. Rehearse enough that nerves turn into muscle memory, thank the people who opened doors for you, ask for the gig you want…and Always Be Performing.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 549 – Monday, August 31st, 2026
  • 00:02:38 Pula, Croatia. 8 countries in 7 days
  • 00:04:36 SNL stage for The Deftones with the Carson Daly show
  • 00:06:20 Making an impression on touring musicians with
  • 00:08:35 Always be learning about the new tech
  • 00:13:55 Always be open-minded
  • 00:18:57 Mixing ears and the respect of it all
  • 00:21:02 Chris Rabold mixing monitors for REM
  • 00:22:06 Now some REM stories
  • 00:24:23 Helping get Adam Levine & John Mayer through ear fatigue with one ear monitor
  • 00:26:46 OzFest System Engineers and hearing fatigue
  • 00:27:45 Sometimes it just doesn’t sound right
  • 00:30:44 Super Bowl in 2011 in Dallas…with snow!
    • And The Black Eyed Peas
  • 00:35:45 Being rehearsed enough to just do the gig (and fix what goes wrong when it goes wrong)
  • 00:36:25 Lorde’s large-and-resilient fanbase
  • 00:39:21 Working Red Rocks..”Wet Rocks”
  • 00:44:33 Christina and the reboot
    • “Don’t worry…the audio will come back.”
    • Dave’s issue with the Mackie DL32S losing input signals
  • 00:49:58 Batteries Matter
  • 00:52:31 Miley Cyrus, Taylor Hawkins, Lightning-stuck aircraft, oh my!
  • 00:56:28 Getting paid to see the world
    • The pros and the cons
  • 00:59:11 The “covert” phone call… and Justin Timberlake
    • Get to know ML who works for ShowCo
    • Ask for the gig you want (and, specifically, ask Anthony Giordano)
    • The Victoria’s Secret Awards!
    • Watching Muse with Justin
  • 01:06:11 Have gratitude for everyone who you’ve worked with
  • 01:08:14 Kevin wants to answer your questions!
  • 01:09:52 Gig Gab 549 Outtro

The post Ask for the Gig You Want: Kevin Glendinning on SNL, Super Bowls, and 25 Years on the Road – Gig Gab 549 appeared first on Gig Gab.

From Broadway Swing to Principal: Eight Shows a Week...with Victor Carrillo Tracey24 août 202601:14:25

Your voice is the most temperamental instrument you’ll ever own, and this week Victor Carrillo Tracey – original company member of Broadway’s The Outsiders – walks you through what it takes to keep one working eight shows a week. Hydration and sleep swap places at number one, alcohol and caffeine cost more than you think, and inspiration doesn’t get a vote when downbeat is 8pm. You’ll hear how a single college voice lesson with a head cold taught Victor to navigate around a compromised instrument years before he needed it on Broadway, and why nerves usually answer to preparation rather than talent. Book the room. Play your opener as the last song of soundcheck. Always Be Performing starts well before anyone’s watching.

Then it gets nerdy. Victor breaks down what a swing actually is (think relief pitcher), and how he covered nine tracks at once before working his way up to playing Paul full-time. You’ll pick up forced perspective, the staging trick that tells an audience exactly where to look and translates straight to your own stage. Plus the band sealed in the pit under the apron, monitor wedges in the floor and sidefills in the wings, a rig that tracks each voice around the house, watching a Broadway book get written in real time, and Dave’s case for mixing your in-ears in stereo instead of piling everything up the middle. Victor’s last Outsiders show is October 11th, right around performance number one thousand…and he still tells himself this is the best job ever before every show.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 548 – Monday, August 24th, 2026
  • 00:02:45 The voice is the most temperamental instrument
    • 00:06:04 The benefits of an education
    • Always Be Learning – Beginner’s Mind
  • 00:08:54 Learning to navigate around your voice when things are non-optimal
  • 00:13:28 Taking care of your voice
    • The most important thing is hydration.
    • Except Sleep is the most important thing.
    • Be aware of alcohol and caffeine
  • 00:17:01 Inspiration won’t always strike
  • 00:18:35 And taking care of your body
  • 00:20:55 Preparing yourself for success
    • Play your opener as your last soundcheck song before the house opens
    • You can visualize this, too!
    • Book the room to rehearse in advance
    • Always be preparing
    • Having a preparation mindset
  • 00:28:40 SPONSOR: Hims. With Wegovy® at Hims, lose up to 20% of your body weight when combined with diet and exercise. Visit https://hims.com/giggab to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.
  • 00:30:08 Being a Swing
    • Kinda like a relief pitcher
    • Nine tracks at once!
  • 00:33:33 Ok, a detour into musical theater and The Outsiders
  • 00:39:02 Forced Perspective
  • 00:43:12 Missing playing a non-voice instrument
  • 00:45:19 Playing with the band in a theater show
    • …without seeing your bandmates
  • 00:50:46 Watching the Broadway book being built
  • 00:56:11 Mixing a musical…and hearing it on stage!
    • Monitor wedges in the apron
    • Sidefills in the wings
    • Cody Spencer
  • 01:04:55 Previews are grueling, and great!
  • 01:05:45 Mix your in-ears in stereo
    • Nothing up the middle: kick one degree right, snare one degree left.
  • 01:07:43 Victor’s leaving The Outsiders after 2.5 years
    • Choosing your destiny…follow your gut
      • And make it happen!
    • Gratitude!
      • “This is the best job ever” before going on stage every time.
  • 01:12:37 Gig Gab 548 Outtro

The post From Broadway Swing to Principal: Eight Shows a Week – Gig Gab 548 with Victor Carrillo Tracey appeared first on Gig Gab.

Matt Beck on Matchbox Twenty, The Outsiders, Hot Cocoa and a Green Tartan Suit17 août 202601:13:15

Matt Beck taught himself guitar strung upside down and backwards and has never once found a reason to stop. He joins you this week from the pit of The Outsiders, where he’s played since opening night three years ago, and from a July that had him running Jon Anderson, the B-52’s, and Matchbox Twenty in the same month: seventies, eighties, and nineties, back to back to back. You’ll hear why a guitar player who can actually read on a staff gets calls other players never see, how orchestrators bury Easter eggs in a score, what it does to a band when the pit is closed and the audience only sees you on camera at the curtain call, and why the plight of the freelancer always comes down to the same thing: your calendar, and what you said yes to eight months ago.

Then it’s the road stories. Matt traces twenty-three years with Matchbox Twenty back to a Lisa Loeb tour with Dweezil Zappa standing next to him, and the Zappa family connection that put his name in the right room. He talks about building parts alongside Bono and The Edge for the Spider-Man musical, writing live arrangements for Rod Stewart, and finally getting Sugarjar out the door with Richard Hammond and Sammy Merendino. You’ll also get a Matchbox soundcheck shut down by something nesting in the rafters, three cups of hotel cocoa and a green tartan suit that taught Matt everything he needed to know about a pre-show routine, and the discipline underneath all of it: on Band Geeks off-days, he ran the entire Jon Anderson show every single morning. Always be performing and, as Matt adds on his way out, always be practicing.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 547 – Monday, August 17th, 2026
  • 00:03:48 Musicals trying to make it on to Broadway
  • 00:04:50 Theater work in NYC
    • Playing, orchestrating
    • “Play like Steve Gadd”
    • “Play like Steve Vai”
    • “A la Larry Campbell”
  • 00:09:45 Acknowledging the band
  • 00:11:56 Reading guitar on staff music
  • 00:14:36 Knowing your castmates
  • 00:15:59 Managing the schedules of multiple projects
    • Going from Jon Anderson to B-52’s to Matchbox Twenty…in a month!
  • 00:22:07 Logistics of travel on gig day
  • 00:24:37 Matchbox Twenty…23 years!
    • Got the call for…Lisa Loeb, alongside Dweezil Zappa.
    • And the Zappa family connection delivers, along with great networking.
  • 00:30:38 Studio vs. Live
  • 00:32:28 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit https://Claude.ai/giggab
  • 00:34:15 Working with Bono and Edge on the Spiderman Musical
    • Creating those signature moments
  • 00:35:32 Live arrangements with Rod Stewart
  • 00:37:03 Creative collaboration is the key
  • 00:38:06 Playing in original bands as an informative piece of the career
  • 00:39:27 Learning how to be in a band
  • 00:40:24 Sugarjar, Matt’s 3 piece band
    • Richard Hammond
    • Sammy Merendino
  • 00:42:30 Learn to play every style authentically
    • And play with as many people as you can.
    • Diversify!
  • 00:45:01 Growing up with professional musician parents
  • 00:47:09 The risk of a day job
  • 00:48:21 As if a swarm of bees
  • 00:50:44 Slipping through the crowd in a green suit!
  • 00:54:47 Pre-show routines and biological imperative
  • 00:57:30 “If You’re Gone” – matchbox twenty
  • 01:02:08 Band Geeks and Jon Anderson…and Matt Beck
    • Off-day routine: run the show
  • 01:11:15 Gig Gab 547 Outtro

The post Matt Beck on Matchbox Twenty, The Outsiders, & Hot Cocoa and a Green Tartan Suit – Gig Gab 547 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Hired From an 11-View Video: Sean Mullaney on Opportunity and Owning the Stage11 août 202601:22:22

Guest co-host Sean Mullaney joins Dave Hamilton to prove that the gig you want is usually hiding inside the gig you almost skipped. A video with eleven views got Sean hired, the same way a YouTube clip landed Alexandra Mullaney in The Book of Mormon, so the lesson is simple: put the work out there, then be ready to say yes when someone finds it. You’ll dig into managing your niche without getting trapped by it, and the bigger question every bandleader eventually faces: who do you want to be as a frontman? You can’t make a face unless you’ve seen it, so study the greats, then get authentic to who you actually are. Preaching from the stage is hard. Performing as yourself is harder, and better.

Then things get deliciously specific. You’ll hear what it’s like to chase Robert Plant with Mr. Jimmy, where nobody’s speaking English, everybody’s in full costume, and the details are so meticulous that imposter syndrome becomes something you manage rather than something that eats you. Sean said no. Then Sean said yes…and ended up on a sold-out stage at the Whisky a Go Go, a little petrified because the stakes were higher. That’s the point. You’ll get the upcoming Whole Lotta Heart show, why theater runs are a fun grind, what happens when you make that first mistake in front of everyone, how to honor your influences by studying the film instead of copying the notes, and how to manage your voice so you can keep doing this. Always Be Performing! Even when nobody’s watching yet, because view number eleven might be the one.

The post Hired From an 11-View Video: Sean Mullaney on Opportunity and Owning the Stage – Gig Gab 546 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Nobody Bought a Ticket to Watch Load-In04 août 202601:00:38

It’s just you and Dave this week for a full mailbag episode, with road stories up front: Matt Musty behind the kit with Train at Great Woods, three nights of Phish and Rush at MSG, and the Rush policy worth stealing: when a mistake is a one-off, don’t talk about it. Then into your questions. Should the front-of-house feed live in your in-ears? Here’s pre-fader versus post-fader, and why the answer’s usually no unless you’re a drummer. Maybe. Bass distorting in your IEMs? Start with gain structure, work down the chain one variable at a time, and suspect your earphones. Plus the cable fix for that hummy mono click, and the Zoom Q2n-4K for filming your gigs.

Nobody bought a ticket to watch load-in. That old adage – you’re not paid to play, you’re paid to haul gear – gets retired here, because the performance is the product, and that’s exactly why we Always Be Performing. From there: sitting ahead of, behind, or dead on the click and why none of it’s wrong, how to stop cringing at your own stage videos using the Alter Ego Effect, and why demand for small-act live music has softened: drinking age, drinking habits, and the couch you’re competing against.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 545 – Tuesday, August 4th, 2026
  • 00:01:20 Matt Musty with Train, then Phish/Rush/Phish at MSG
  • 00:03:31 Rush’s rule: don’t talk about a one-off mistake
  • 00:04:51 Frankie Valli tribute nights with The Underground
  • 00:05:46 Drums mushy in the wall the sound
  • 00:06:36 Issue Mackie DL32S
  • 00:10:49 Jeremy-What about adding the FOH mix to my IEM mix?
    • Pre-Fader vs. Post-Fader
  • 00:16:49 Glynn-Why is my bass distorting in my IEMs?
  • 00:23:42 Steve-Solving the mono click hum problem?
  • 00:27:42 Drew-Recording Your Gigs with a Zoom Q2n-4K
  • 00:31:50 Adam-Playing for free vs. being paid to load gear
  • 00:37:10 SPONSOR: Hims. With Wegovy® at Hims, lose up to 20% of your body weight when combined with diet and exercise. Visit https://hims.com/giggab to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.
  • 00:39:00 Joe-Playing with the click vs. ahead or behind
  • 00:44:54 Kim-How do I learn to control my body on stage?
  • 00:52:34 Noah Kirkeide-Why is demand for live music down?
  • 00:57:46 Drinking laws morphed during World Cup
  • 00:59:28 Gig Gab 545 Outtro

The post Nobody Bought a Ticket to Watch Load-In – Gig Gab 545 appeared first on Gig Gab.

When Your Worlds Collide...and the Drummer Becomes the Sound Guy27 juil. 202601:27:49

Daniel East is back for a no-agenda episode that turns into Gig Gab therapy. You’ll hear about Brit Drozda’s fifth record in pre-production, unannounced pop-up gigs built from cajon, guitar, and keys, and the Rayvel grand opening on Florida’s Space Coast, where a rocket went up over the stage during Starman. Then Daniel gets into those moments of bliss you can’t fish for…the ones that arrive because you prepared enough to stop thinking. If you’re feeling it, they’re feeling it. And when a piece of the puzzle is missing, that’s your cue to admit a gig isn’t the right fit for you and be willing to walk.

Then Dave takes the couch: three gigs in a row where he became the accidental sound savior. A theater where nobody knew how Dante was routed. An outdoor stage hard-panned left with monitors EQ’d to the disco smile. A club that handed him the iPad at line check. Daniel’s prescription: an expectations agreement when you don’t have a contract, an audio tech who also speaks IT, and permission to say no. Always Be Performing is real, but you set a standard, you don’t meet one.

Plus: find your clock first, and Gear Gab on Earthworks drum mics, the Kompakt 421, and why a high-pass filter beats deep EQ cuts every time.

The post When Your Worlds Collide…and the Drummer Becomes the Sound Guy – Gig Gab 544 with Dan East appeared first on Gig Gab.

The Wrong Audience Is Still an Audience: Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe on the Gigging Life20 juil. 202601:09:11

Episode 543 lands on National Fortune Cookie Day, and guest co-host Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe of NUGEN Audio opens by demystifying how your masters actually translate across streaming. You learn that MasterCheck lets you audition one master against every platform before release day blindsides you, because you should still submit a single master everywhere, not a separate file per service. From there you dig into possible reasons why Spotify felt so flat for so long, the crucial difference between data compression and dynamic compression as a way to tame your audio, and how compression ratios shape the result.

Then Freddy flips to the gigging life: guitar and vocals in Thank, bass in the gleefully unappealing Solderer, touring Europe and the UK on DIY tours he’s been booking since 2014. You’ll chew on his theory that drummers can fake their way through a set more easily than anyone else, the cover-band mentality (Tommy Igoe’s gospel: he’ll teach you to play other people’s music, not your originals), and playing for the nerds who clock every groove (like the white-knuckle eleven-beat break in Steely Dan’s Josie).

The throughline is reading the room, even when it’s the wrong room: sometimes the crowd’s on mushrooms, sometimes you just throw them a party regardless, and either way you Always Be Performing.

The post The Wrong Audience Is Still an Audience: Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe on the Gigging Life – Gig Gab 543 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Growing Up Statler: Wilson Fairchild on Harmony, Hustle, and the Working Musician's Life13 juil. 202601:08:03

This week Wil and Langdon Reid of Wilson Fairchild pull up a chair beside Dave to show you what a life in music actually looks like from the inside. These guys grew up on a tour bus in the ’70s and ’80s watching their dads, Don and Harold Reid, play eight years with Johnny Cash before becoming The Statler Brothers, a side-stage masterclass we all wish we had. You’ll hear the advice that shaped them: nobody can put you in the music business and nobody can take you out, so you’d better love the life and want it bad. You’ll get the manager horror stories (let’s just call him Peter), the reminder that every musician is an entrepreneur, and the hard, useful stuff most players dodge: build a P&L, diversify, manage cash flow first, and when it rains, fill up your buckets. Treat every gig like it matters, because you never know who’s in the room: never punish the people who showed up, and don’t play to the empty seats.

Then you’ll dig into the craft that made the family famous: blood harmonies. Learn every part, let the piano teach you how the notes relate, and practice early in the morning just to find your pitch. You’ll discover why four voices were an act nobody wanted to follow, why going from two parts to four is an exponential lift, and where the modulation earns its keep. Through all of it runs one thread: be believable. Whether it’s a vanity song that tells your audience exactly who you are or a closer like It’s Amazing What a Hug Can Do, you sell it because you mean it. That’s the whole game: Always Be Performing, every seat, every song, every night.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 542 – Monday, July 13th, 2026
  • 00:02:19 Post-gig snacks
    • Nachos
    • Chocolate Milk
    • Twinkies
    • Exempt from the food pyramid
  • 00:05:17 Growing up on a tour bus in the 1970s and 1980s
    • A Masterclass in performance art
    • Their Dads, Don and Harold Ried played with Johnny Cash for 8 years before going out on their own as The Statler Brothers
    • Watching from side stage
  • 00:07:25 At 16 and 14, Wil and Langdon started band practice and gigging
  • 00:08:07 Advice from Their Dads
    • “Nobody can put you in the music business, and nobody can take you out”
    • You gotta love the life. You gotta want it really bad.
  • 00:09:24 Learning what to do…and what not to do
  • 00:09:37 Manager stories!
    • The manager who hangs on to you, waiting for something to happen, instead of doing work to make it happen for you.
    • A tuition moment: “Let’s just call him Peter”
  • 00:13:20 Our dads were businessmen
    • Managing and building a retirement as a musician
    • Business Brain – Every musician is an entrepreneur
    • Coming from nothing, sharing a bedroom, make enough to live check-to-check
    • When it rains, fill up your buckets!
  • 00:18:37 The dreamers are the ones generating the income
  • 00:20:24 Build a P&L for your music business
  • 00:23:10 Diversify yourself, produce yourself, protect yourself
    • CD Baby
    • Concert Pay
    • Manage cash flow first
  • 00:24:36 Every gig has an opportunity for you
    • You never know exactly who is in the audience
    • “Never punish the people who showed up” – Parthenon Huxley
    • “Don’t play to the empty seats” – Charlie Daniels
  • 00:28:35 Singing “blood harmonies” together
    • Tip 1: learn to sing every part
    • Tip 2: playing piano will teach you how the notes work and relate together
    • Statler Brothers were “Country lyrics with southern gospel harmonies”
    • Tip 3: practice singing early in the morning just to learn your notes
  • 00:34:30 Learning to blend with other people
    • “Bach says no!”
  • 00:36:00 Always think about the piano for harmonies
    • Their dads, The Statler Brothers, were the first group in country music. Four voices were an act to follow!
  • 00:39:30 Their sons, Jack and Davis Reid…the next generation
    • Four part harmonies with their boys!
  • 00:40:22 And now…harmony blend
    • Going from two parts to four parts is an exponential lift!
    • Dallas Corbin on Gig Gab – Rock is how high can you go? Country is how low can you go?
    • Where is Skid Row of 2026?
  • 00:50:00 The value of the modulation
  • 00:54:17 American Songbook: Country Classics and Gospel Favorites on Gaither Music
  • 00:58:10 Always be believable
  • 01:01:00 The value of vanity songs in your set
    • Show your audience who you are
  • 01:04:00 It’s Amazing What a Hug Can Do
  • 01:06:00 Gig Gab 542 Outtro

The post Growing Up Statler: Wilson Fairchild on Harmony, Hustle, and the Working Musician’s Life – Gig Gab 542 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Ryan Goldbacher on Touring with Tom Keifer, Mixing FOH (and Monitors), and AI06 juil. 202601:10:23

This week front-of-house engineer Ryan Goldbacher calls in from the road with Tom Keifer, and you’ll quickly learn that landing the next gig comes down to two things: competence, and not being miserable to be around. Word of mouth is the real currency of touring life, so Always Be Performing applies long after you step off stage: when the tour bus is smaller than your bedroom and there are twelve people on it, how you treat the room matters. You’ll pick up honest strategies for protecting your sanity on the road, from taking a walk to renting a car and disappearing into the mountains, plus why testing your limits only works if you actually know where they are.

Then you and Ryan get deep into the craft. You’ll hear why the way FOH mixes your band one night can shape how it sounds for gigs to come, why you’ve got about thirty seconds to describe your band to a house engineer at load-in, and the EQ lessons Ryan learned the hard way dialing in loud rock guitars and high-passing the bass. Stop calling a kick a bass drum, leave some air in it, and don’t be afraid to turn the knobs until it sounds good. From the pressure-cooker of mixing monitors on Mr. Big’s final US tour to a frank take on AI mixing and building the next generation of engineers, this one’s loaded for anyone serious about live sound.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 541 – Monday, July 6th, 2026
  • 00:01:17 Ryan on tour with Tom Keifer
  • 00:02:29 Word of mouth is the key
    • Competence is key…that’s number one.
    • Close number two: you’re not miserable to be around!
  • 00:05:09 The tour bus is smaller than your bedroom, and there’s 12 people in it
  • 00:07:19 Creating your own personal space
    • Take a walk
    • Rent a car and drive into the mountains
  • 00:08:45 Week off between gigs
  • 00:11:11 FOH for Tom Keifer for Summer, 2026
    • You can’t spread yourself too thin
    • If it won’t fit on your plate, get it off
    • Having a dedicated monitor engineer makes a huge difference
  • 00:13:50 Test your limits, but don’t be afraid to know where they are.
  • 00:16:52 Always be communicating
  • 00:18:46 This tour Ryan brings a FOH console
    • House monitor engineer
    • Band is all on wedges
    • A&H Avantis
    • Tom Keifer goes over the entire set with the house lighting designer
  • 00:21:12 Tom Keifer helps Ryan with producing the show for the night
    • The benefits of working with an artist who tells you how to make yourself more valuable to them
  • 00:23:32 The FOH and Band relationship
    • The way FOH mixes the band for one gig could affect the band for the future. Respect this!
    • Communicate what your band sounds like to the engineer…early on as you’re loading in
  • 00:29:42 Developing trust with your engineer first
  • 00:31:03 Thirty seconds to describe your band
  • 00:32:33 Making the next generation of engineers better
  • 00:33:59 Engineers who are musicians / Musicians who are engineers
    • ProTools…great software, dumb name!
  • 00:38:18 Learning from mistakes
  • 00:40:16 Stacking EQs on Rock Guitars by mistake…and then intentionally!
    • Working with loud guitars on Stiff Little Fingers
    • Steve Smith introduced Ryan to Stiff Little Fingers
  • 00:41:21 SPONSOR: OneSkin. Born from over a decade of longevity research, OneSkin’s OS-01 Peptide is proven to target the visible signs of aging, helping you unlock your healthiest skin now and as you age. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code GigGab athttps://oneskin.co/GigGab  #oneskinpod #ad
  • 00:43:30 Accidentally learning to drop guitar EQ between 2k-4k
    • Adding a high-pass filter on the bass guitar in a rock band
  • 00:48:21 Don’t call a kick drum a “bass” drum, otherwise you’ll mix it the wrong way.
  • You want some air in that kick!
  • 00:49:07 Don’t be afraid to turn the knobs until it sounds good
  • 00:51:27 The pressure of mixing monitors makes you a great engineer
  • Mixing monitors for Mr. Big’s final US tour
  • 00:55:09 RTAs are great, but be able to do it by ear
  • 00:58:29 Speaking of Toys…Let’s Talk AI Mixing
    • Mentorship and apprentice programs
  • 01:08:43 Show Logistics
  • 01:10:03 Gig Gab 541 Outtro

The post Ryan Goldbacher on Touring with Tom Keifer, Mixing FOH (and Monitors), and AI – Gig Gab 541 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Patrice Peris on Sync, Survival, and Why You Don't Need a Backup Plan29 juin 202600:52:44

This week singer-songwriter Patrice Peris joins Dave to flip the script on building a music career. That question musicians always get – what’s your backup plan? – is a terrible one, because Plan A was never required to land where you first mapped it. Through COVID, a cancer diagnosis, and a bone-marrow transplant she now calls a rebirth, Patrice kept asking what each detour was teaching her and never stopped writing, landing sync placements on Netflix, HBO Max, and The Voice along the way.

Want to break into sync licensing yourself? Get resourceful and bullheaded: take a class, build multiple streams of revenue, and gamify the grind: how many gigs can you find, how many music supervisors can you email? Every musician is an entrepreneur, and the numbers game rewards whoever keeps opening doors.

Then Patrice gets practical, because gigging musicians are athletes. You get her playbook for protecting your voice across three-set nights: a real warmup, scale work, stretching, smart placement that pulls the sound out of your throat and into the mask, and the vocal rest you keep skipping. From there comes the band conversation nobody wants to have: in-ear monitors and the whole mix exist to serve the lead vocalist, so drop the ego and decide together what you actually want your band to sound like. Build a backup bench while you’re at it, because life happens and roles need filling. Patrice stepped back from the stage but never stopped creating, and that’s the whole point: keep writing, keep adapting, and Always Be Performing.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 540 – Monday, June 29th, 2026
  • 00:02:36 Live has given me things in waves that weren’t what I wanted
    • Welcoming the unexpected
  • 00:05:20 “What’s your Plan B?” Is a terrible question
    • And Plan A doesn’t have to go where you planned
  • 00:07:55 COVID and Cancer…all a journey
  • 00:09:10 Perspective… always be asking: what is this teaching me?
  • 00:10:43 Always writing
  • 00:11:40 How do you get started writing for sync?
    • A nod to bullheaded persistence
  • 00:15:10 Starting a Sync Business
    • Always have multiple streams of revenue
    • Take a class (or two)
  • 00:19:44 Being resourceful is the key to bullheaded persistence
    • Gamify it all!
    • How many gigs can I find?
    • How many people can I email?
  • 00:22:57 Learn to be strategic and mindful
    • Anytime you’re climbing the ladder, failure is inevitable
    • Invest energy into the creative realm and also into the business realm
  • 00:25:54 “No Plan” isn’t a plan
    • Listen to your inner 16 year old…sometimes!
  • 00:29:47 Coaching people to let go of the hat
    • The 80% Rule
  • 00:35:20 Growing your music business
  • 00:35:38 Vocal blowout
  • 00:41:00 Listening for Placement
    • Where is the voice going?
  • 00:42:31 In Ear Monitors can make a big difference
    • Bands need to understand the sound has to serve the lead vocalist
  • 00:44:42 What do we want our band to sound like to people listening?
    • Bands need to come together as a group
    • Communicate and decide upon the goal for what the BAND is going to sound like
  • 00:49:38 Get two of everything
  • 00:50:56 Gig Gab 540 Outtro

The post Patrice Peris on Sync, Survival, and Why You Don’t Need a Backup Plan – Gig Gab 540 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Sub Gigs, Mic Mutes & the Art of Mixing Live with Jesus Hernandez22 juin 202601:38:47

This week you start things off digging into the craft that separates good gigs from great ones. You’ll get the playbook for prepping and surviving sub gigs, learn (again!) why a splitter snake earns its place in your rig, and sort through the real options when you need a mic mute switch that actually works. Then you wrestle with a question every working band faces today: are fan-posted videos helping your brand or hurting it? It’s the kind of practical, in-the-trenches breakdown that reminds you to Always Be Performing, whether the camera’s rolling or not.

Then guest co-host Jesus Hernandez joins, and you trace his path from a Portastudio kid to the engineer bands trust with their sound, along with the philosophy he’s built along the way: you’re serving people’s ears, and the console is your instrument. You’ll hear why you should ask a band what they want to sound like before you touch a fader, why learning to mix yourself turns your engineer into a producer, and how routing a digital mixer keeps everything simple when the power flickers. He shares the gear that’s earned his trust, hard-won war stories from the road, his time subbing as a bass player in Nashville, and life on tour with a Phil Collins and Genesis tribute. By the end you’ll be listening to your own gigs with sharper ears and a hungrier inner critic.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 539 – Monday, June 22nd, 2026
  • 00:01:32 Prepping for and playing Sub Gigs
  • 00:04:25 The benefits of splitter snake
  • Listener Questions
  • 00:20:25 Mark-Are fan-posted videos good or bad?
  • 00:24:36 SPONSOR: OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code GIGGAB at https://www.oneskin.co/GIGGAB  #oneskinpod
  • 00:26:54 Guest Co-host: Jesus Hernandez
  • 00:28:20 Lady and the Tramp Start taught him to record multi-track
  • 00:34:27 A2 at a local theater
    • Then the A1 went on vacation, and Jesus became the A1
  • 00:35:38 Then a jazz club
    • Sound reinforcement at the most basic level
    • Ultimately what you’re trying to serve is people’s ears.
    • Use your eyes to serve that purpose.
  • 00:37:38 Recording was rough at first, but you learn!
  • 00:41:24 Ask the band: what do you guys want to sound like on the recording?
    • “Take a picture of the band, then paint on top of it!”
  • 00:32:36 For live sound: how do you find out what the band sounds like?
    • Before arriving: listen to the band’s records (or the band they’re covering)
  • 00:47:26 When doing sound, consider yourself a band member
    • “Playing the console” – The mixer is an instrument
    • I’m controlling the arrangement
  • 00:48:50 Singing the praises of bands that can set levels on stage
  • 00:49:20 A band whose levels are ALL over the place
    • So bad the band was sent home after the first set.
    • You have to be your hardest critic
  • 00:53:25 Learn to mix yourself, then your engineer can go from problem-solver to producer!
  • 00:55:26 “If the power goes out at the mixer, you’ll still sound good”
    • Fixing it at the source
    • The night the power-flickered and factory reset the mixer!
    • PreSonus StudioLive
  • 01:00:19 Keeping it as simple as possible
    • Soft-patching, routing, matrixes, oh my!
    • Learn how to route a digital mixer
  • 01:06:39 The downsides of strictly analog
  • 01:13:38 Bands vs. Reunion Gigs
  • 01:18:25 Bringing an analog mixer…and no snake!
  • 01:24:50 Soca Music
  • 01:26:00 Time for some war stories
  • 01:31:46 Subbing in Nashville as a bass player
  • 01:08:21 On the road with Face Value, Phil Collins & Genesis Tribute Band
  • 01:37:24 Jesus Hernandez Home Studio
  • 01:38:23 Gig Gab 539 Outtro

The post Sub Gigs, Mic Mutes & the Art of Mixing Live with Jesus Hernandez – Gig Gab 539 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Three Rush Fans and Rush's 2026 Comeback Tour: From the Room and From Afar13 juin 202601:04:45

Three Rush fans — a father, a son, and Spartacus — walk into a podcast. There’s no punchline, just the tape rolling on a conversation that was going to happen anyway, and you get to be the fly on the wall. Two of them just flew home from LA, where they stood in the room and watched Rush kick off the tour nobody was sure would ever come. The third has been taking it all in from a distance, which is its own peculiar thing when you once mixed front of house for the band for years. You’ll get the origin stories — a kite-flying contest in early-seventies St. Louis, an R40 playlist that turned a kid into a lifer — plus enough on the drummer question (yes, Anika Nilles) and show-count stats to earn the Rush-nerd badge none of them will quite cop to.

Then it gets real. This is a band that fans and insiders alike once quietly accepted was finished, now back out there proving otherwise, and that turns the talk toward something bigger than setlists. You get to do this. Whether it’s thousands of people or a Tuesday night for a dozen, that gratitude is the whole game — the reason to Always Be Performing no matter how rough the bus ride was. Stick around for a ten-year-old’s perfectly timed gut check that still lands two decades later. Press play, and join Lucas Hamilton, Robert Scovill, and Dave Hamilton for a tour through the opening of Rush’s comeback — from inside the room, and from afar.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 538 – Monday, June 15th, 2026
  • 00:02:46 Rush Stats
    • All three co-hosts have seen Rush live with 2 drummers
    • Lucas and Anika are tied for Rush shows… as of this recording
  • 00:04:39 Robert Scovill was living in St. Louis when he saw Rush with Rutsey
    • KC Kite Flying Contest
  • 00:07:31 Lucas’s Rush origin story
  • 00:08:31 About that whole live concert sound thing
    • Spoiler: Rush always sounded good
  • 00:11:02 Favorite Rush heirlooms
  • 00:13:55 I want a Red Barchetta for my midlife crisis
    • Rush 2026 Tour started with 12 dates
  • 00:16:02 That opening song, that opening night
  • 00:23:40 Anika Nilles’ dropped stick recovery
    • Getting the first mistake out of the way moments into the first song of Rush’s 2026 Reunion tour
  • 00:27:21 Time Stand Still for those emotional moments
  • 00:33:11 Lights and video for 2112 – in the cave!
  • 00:34:00 Singing 2112: Presentation at the tops of our lungs
  • 00:38:50 Moving Pictures to open night 3 set 2
  • 00:40:13 Loren Gold’s keys and vocal harmonies
    • And Geddy Lee’s voice, too!
  • 00:44:29 The composition of YYZ
    • Alex Lifeson is the most underrated guitarist in rock and roll
  • 00:45:48 Anika Nilles is just a star
  • 00:49:25 Anika grooving during A Passage to Bangkok
  • 00:52:22 The physicality of playing Rush music
    • The wisdom of days off in between shows for the entire Rush Fifty Something tour
  • 00:57:41 You know what we get to do today? We get to go play music in front of thousands of people!
    • This is the best job on earth
  • 01:01:23 Who is Spartacus?
  • 01:03:33 Gig Gab 538 Outtro

The post Three Rush Fans and Rush’s 2026 Comeback Tour: From the Room and From Afar – Gig Gab 538 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Road Stories, Recording Secrets, and the Perfect Pop Song – with Rand Lempert from The Broken Rings08 juin 202601:16:35

This week on Gig Gab, Dave Hamilton sits down with guest co-host Rand Lempert of the Broken Rings, a two-piece recording project built on 15 years of musical kinship between Rand and guitarist Gio da Silva. You’ll hear how these two have crafted an intentional, travel-fueled recording process across cities, cutting live instruments and vocals together, passing files between New Orleans, Tampa, and now Denver, and why that friction and urgency is exactly the point. Rand makes a compelling case for keeping things analog as long as possible: real amps, minimal pedals, old-school mic placements like a modified Glyn Johns setup, and the conviction that nothing replaces the feeling of having a human being in the room when the tape (or hard drive) is rolling.

The conversation ranges wide, from Rand’s vivid 9/11 tour story, stranded in St. John’s Newfoundland on one of the last planes to land before U.S. airspace shut down, to a deep dive into the art of the perfect pop song, with nominations for Tempted by Squeeze, Big Star’s Thirteen, Bryan Adams’ Cuts Like a Knife, and Fastball’s Out of My Head. Whether you’re a working drummer obsessing over beat placement, a songwriter who only writes when the muse actually shows up, or a road veteran who knows that idle days on tour are far worse than grueling ones, this episode has your number. Get out there, stay curious, and Always Be Performing.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 537 – Monday, June 8th, 2026
  • 00:01:38 The Broken Rings are a 2-man band
    • Drums, guitar, vocals all handled by Rand Lempert and Gio da Silva, his bandmate
    • They consider themselves musical kin: They agree on 95% of all music
    • Met in Houston, played in bands, then moved to different corners of the USA
  • 00:04:48 Songwriting duo starts with a long distance relationship
  • 00:07:03 Recording remotely doesn’t have the muse of travel
    • So many different avenues to approach recording
    • Finding a way to record with technology in a less sterile way
  • 00:15:08 Preserving analog recording to digital “tape”
  • 00:17:07 The process of recording drums
    • Don’t mess up the end of the track!
  • 00:21:14 Country music
  • 00:23:25 Drummer kinship: Tris Imboden saves the day!
    • Learning by visual
  • 00:31:41 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit https://Claude.ai/giggab
  • 00:33:37 Surviving the road
  • 00:34:45 Road story: hanging out in St. John’s Newfoundland for 5 days
    • Sonny James and the Centers in Europe in 2001
    • “There’s nothing wrong with this airplane, but this plane is being diverted because of terrorist attacks in the United States.”
    • Canadian authorities: “What do we do with these people? Bring them to a hockey arena!”
    • Memorial University of Newfoundland
  • 00:44:35 Opening up for Bo Diddley in 2004
    • In Beaumont, Texas
    • Touring is a lot of driving, and you’re doing the driving
    • It’s a lot of lugging equipment, and you’re doing the lugging
    • You get a hotel room…for the entire band!
  • 00:48:55 When touring, days off are worse than the grueling days on
  • 00:51:02 It’s important to travel
    • Touring is the way to do that for a lot of us musicians
  • 00:51:25 Making touring maps as a kid is a good sign Rand needed to do this as a career
  • 00:52:50 First concerts, sound nerding, and getting lost in the music for the first time
    • Rand got lost at four years old!
    • Nerd out about sound and recording
    • First concerts!
      • Weather Report for Dave
      • Air Supply for Rand
  • 00:58:05 The Best pop songs
  • 01:12:22 Gig Gab 537 Outtro

The post Road Stories, Recording Secrets, and the Perfect Pop Song – Gig Gab 537 with Rand Lempert from The Broken Rings appeared first on Gig Gab.

AI and Music for Working Musicians: Tool, Threat, or Bandmate?01 juin 202601:21:20

This week Stu Dias joins Dave from a slightly different corner of Durham, New Hampshire, and after a quick detour through barefoot drumming, sweaty-hand fixes, and oversized triangle guitar picks, the conversation locks onto the question every working musician is wrestling with right now: what does AI mean for music? You’ll hear why Dave reframes it as Assistive Intelligence (and the best procrastination-killer and writer’s-block-buster going) even as you stare down the harder stuff: Suno-generated tracks, Jack Tempchin’s AI-assisted album, and the ouroboros of machines learning from the music we make. Should AI art be labeled? What happens when it conjures someone’s likeness? And does any of it move you the way a human in a room can?

That last question is the heartbeat of the episode. Dave and Stu weigh AI music against the cover-band hustle, remember what COVID lockdowns taught us about humans craving real humans together, and get honest about whose jobs are actually on the line and where AI mixing fits in your workflow. The kicker for every gigging musician: if the machines are going to use your voice and your playing, take a long-term cut of the sales. It’s a sharp, funny, occasionally unsettling look at the line between tool and threat…and a reminder that however the tech shakes out, you Always Be Performing. Hit play for the full conversation.

The post AI and Music for Working Musicians: Tool, Threat, or Bandmate? – Gig Gab 536 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Loaded Out, Rolling Home, Rolling Tape25 mai 202600:32:40

Ride shotgun with Dave as he records GigGab on the drive home from a Casual Gravity gig, finally living out the show’s original mission. You’ll hear why packing your own mixer saves the night when the venue only wants a single feed from the band, what it’s like when an in-ear band plays its first fully sober gig, and why counting songs in to a click track changes everything once adrenaline stops driving your tempo.

Then dig into relearning vocal harmonies for the Underground Band: using the Moises app to isolate vocals, pulling sheet music, and plunking out intervals on piano to lock stacks into your ear. Buddy Gibbons sparks a drumming debate on single strokes versus marching-style sticking through the Foreplay/Long Time triplets, and Dave gets honest about throat fatigue, Lyme disease aftermath, dust mite allergies, and the sublingual immunotherapy bringing his voice back. Listen to your body, learn the parts, and Always Be Performing.

The post Loaded Out, Rolling Home, Rolling Tape – Gig Gab 535 appeared first on Gig Gab.

What's Your Band's Definition of Success?18 mai 202601:01:12

OG co-host Paul Kent rejoins Dave Hamilton to talk about how The Houserockers have stayed booked into their 27th year, and what your band can steal from their playbook. You’ll dig into the social media reality of 2026 (Reels are currently king), why your mailing list is the asset you actually own, and how to grow to 10,000 followers without losing your soul. Paul makes the case that if you want gigs, your band has to be a business, which means alignment on mission, passion, and musical style with the partners or employees standing next to you on stage. There’s nothing wrong with playing for fun, but go in eyes wide open about what you’re chasing.

From there you’ll dive into the value of scarcity, Kevin Kelly’s thousand true fans, and why mixing up your setlists is one way to keep audiences coming back. Paul breaks down the current Houserockers formula (civic concert series, experiential marketing, and ticketed off-season events) and why aging-up audiences mean you have to market harder and talk to fans like Springsteen does: a lifetime conversation, all with individuals. You’ll also get the real talk on finding bandmates (Craigslist included), the Gig Gab bookable-band checklist, and Paul’s (joking?) pitch for two new show segments. Whatever your lane, Always Be Performing, and start treating every touchpoint like the gig it is.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 534 – Monday, May 18th, 2026
  • 00:01:27 Guest co-host: Paul Kent
  • 00:04:21 Did someone call you an old man?!?
  • 00:08:46 The Gig Gab social media approach
  • 00:10:29 Your band can get 10,000 followers
    • Reels are it…today.
  • 00:13:37 Gain a mailing list
  • 00:16:41 It’s about the music business.
    • Is your band willing to be in business?
  • 00:19:00 There’s nothing wrong with doing what you want to do.
    • Just go in eyes wide open.
  • 00:20:49 Getting alignment within your band. You now have business partners or employees
    • Be aligned with mission, passion, style of music … the alchemy of it.
  • 00:26:48 The value of scarcity
    • Does success equal quantity of gigs?
    • Some people want to play five times per month
  • 00:30:43 Finding Your Thousand True Fans
  • 00:32:05 Mixing up your setlists is another way to keep people coming back
  • 00:36:00 Marketing 101 – you have to have something to say
    • Hopefully unique!
    • And then deliver.
  • 00:37:13 The Houserockers formula for today
    • Civic Concert Series
    • Experiential Marketing
    • Ticketed Events in the off-season
  • 00:39:13 Use your mailing list!
  • 00:41:28 Ticketed events required more marketing this year
    • Audiences are aging up
  • 00:43:04 How do you talk to your audience?
    • Springsteen: my career is a lifetime conversation with my audience
    • It’s about you, your personality, and each individual audience member
  • 00:50:11 Finding band members is an imperfect science
  • 00:56:41 Paul’s show ideas for Dave
    • Dave reads mean comments
    • Dave reads band ads from Craigslist, et al
  • 00:59:47 Gig Gab 534 Outtro

The post What’s Your Band’s Definition of Success? — Gig Gab 534 with Paul Kent appeared first on Gig Gab.

Relentless Consistency and the Scarcity Premium with Mike Schulte from The Pork Tornadoes11 mai 202601:01:55

Guest co-host Mike Schulte joins Dave with 15 years of Pork Tornadoes social media wisdom, and the message is blunt: relentless consistency wins. You literally can’t post too much in 2026—nobody sees everything anymore, so repost that same flyer as a fresh post (not a share) and keep going. Give it 45 days before you judge results. Why invest? More fans mean more bodies at the gig, plus the social proof that signals to newcomers that other people already love you. And remember—you’re not competing with other bands, you’re competing with people’s couches.

From there, Dave and Mike dig into the live-show craft. Build a sound check formula so it stops being a nightmare, then cook up a Suno-generated theme song to walk on to—Always Be Performing means the show starts before the first chord lands. Treat your setlist like art: the opener’s a throwaway, but song three is the most important slot of the night. Then think about your saturation—the Pork Tornadoes cap themselves at two ticketed gigs per year inside a 30-mile radius, and the minute they got scarce, their pay jumped tenfold. Simple, not easy.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 533 – Monday, May 11th, 2026
  • 00:01:10 Did you ever watch Night Court
  • 00:05:06 Managing your band’s social media
    • Relentless Consistency is the key (right now).
    • “You can never post too much” – Mike Schulte, May 11, 2026
    • Mike has been running social media for Pork Tornadoes for 15 years
    • Everyone doesn’t see every post (anymore)
    • It’s money-driven
    • Repost the same thing, the same flyer, the same idea (as a new post, not a “share”)
  • 00:09:49 Getting “started” on social media in 2026
    • I tried to follow your model and nothing changed. In two weeks.
    • You’ve gotta spend a month or more (Dave says 45 days)
  • 00:14:05 What’s the benefit of investing in social media
    • The more fans you have, there WILL be more people who come to your events
    • Also: social proof. Showing people that other people like you.
  • 00:18:55 Social Proof + Bullheaded Persistence = Success.
  • 00:22:00 People don’t go out like they used to
    • You’re not competing with other bands, you’re competing with people’s couches
  • 00:24:39 A band retreat!
    • If 2020 hadn’t happened, Pork Tornadoes would’ve probably gone full time
  • 00:26:04 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit https://Claude.ai/giggab
  • 00:27:42 Recent Gig(s) Gab
  • 00:34:19 Orchestrate your sound check
    • Sound check used to be a nightmare, until we created a formula
  • 00:38:27 Create a musical lead-in for your show
    • For the wranglers in the Gig Gab audience
    • Use Suno to create a theme song for your band
  • 00:42:57 Writing a setlist is an art
    • Your first song is a throwaway
    • The third song is the FIRST most important song in the set (according to Dave)
    • Develop business-like rituals for your band
  • 00:48:32 What’s Your Band’s Saturation?
    • Self-imposed proximity clauses
    • Pork Tornadoes Proximity Clause: No more than 2 ticketed events in a 30-mile radius per year
    • Plus one free-to-the-public festival gig to pull people in
    • To the venues who don’t have proximity clauses: why do you not?
    • The minute we started getting scarce, was the minute our pay increased 10-fold
  • 01:00:12 The Pork Tornadoes formula: simple, not easy.

The post Relentless Consistency and the Scarcity Premium with Mike Schulte from The Pork Tornadoes – Gig Gab 533 appeared first on Gig Gab.

From Wedges to In-Ears: A Monitor Engineer's Playbook with Paul Klimson04 mai 202601:07:01

Ready to make the leap from wedges to in-ear monitors? Or finally get the stage mix you’ve always wanted? Dave Hamilton welcomes back monitor engineer Paul Klimson, the man who mixed 32 stereo IEM feeds for Justin Timberlake, for a working musician’s deep dive on monitor world. You’ll learn how to build a default mix from scratch (start yourself at 0dB, your instrument at -5, everything else at -15), why drummers have an easier transition to in-ears than most assume, and how a split snake lets you take care of yourself when the gig demands it. Paul digs into hi-hat pitfalls, drum overheads as stage wash, and why bands who mix themselves on stage make life better for their FOH engineer, too.

Then it gets practical. Paul walks you through IEM fittings (pain is always bad, the seal is everything, and yes, drop an AirTag in your case) plus the universal-versus-custom decision, vetting vendor customer service before you buy, and the repair costs nobody talks about until they need to. You’ll get honest talkback etiquette (keep the drama off-stage, give everyone a voice, remember that your monitor engineer is a short-order cook), the post-mortem habit every band should adopt, and a peek at SoulSeed.tv. Wherever you sit on stage, this is the episode that sharpens how you Always Be Performing.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 532 – Monday, May 4th, 2026
  • 00:03:24 Start with headphones in your practice space
    • Start with earplugs
  • 00:05:09 Drums are a dynamic instrument, which may be why drummers have an easy transition to IEMs (usually)
  • 00:08:33 What do you want in your wedge?
    • What’s your reference?
  • 00:09:11 The artist/engineer relationship
  • 00:11:03 Building a default mix
    • Start yourself at 0dB
    • Instrument at -5dB
    • Everything else at -15dB
  • 00:12:58 Using a Split Snake
    • When possible, take care of yourself
  • 00:14:47 Timing of a mix
    • Don’t forget about hi-hats
    • Work with your engineer to dial-in your own mix
  • 00:19:18 Drum overheads for stage wash effect
  • 00:22:21 In-ears help you listen better
    • Bands who mix themselves on stage makes your ears AND the FOH engineers job ears
  • 00:23:54 Learn where you and your instrument fit into the mix of your band
    • And change it if you don’t fit. You’re not the most important thing!
  • 00:26:40 What’s going to make you stand out when someone comes to see you at clubs of any size?
    • Do you hear the lyrics?
    • Do you hear the intent of the story of the song?
    • Watch your instagram videos and evaluate honestly
  • 00:30:28 Knowing when the studio mix is done.
  • 00:33:27 Fittings for IEMs
    • Things to look for:
      • Pain is bad
    • Is the seal functioning correctly?
      • Listen for sound leakage (including when you open your mouth and move around)
      • Are the ports aimed down the canal wrong
      • Do you hear high-end better when you rock the mold around?
  • 00:37:36 Put an AirTag in your IEM case!
  • 00:39:28 Figuring out which model to order
    • Try universal fits first to learn the musical qualities
  • 00:41:16 Test the customer service of vendors before you choose
  • 00:42:55 The origin of IEMs
  • 00:44:44 Find out repair costs
  • 00:48:20 Talkback Use
    • Keep the drama off-stage
    • Give everyone a voice
    • Monitor engineers are like short-order cooks… be kind!
  • 00:58:23 Always post-mortem the problems from the gig
    • And also “what happens if?” conversations
  • 01:03:22 Soulseed.TV
  • 01:06:05 Gig Gab 532 Outtro

The post From Wedges to In-Ears: A Monitor Engineer’s Playbook with Paul Klimson – Gig Gab 532 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Stop Guessing, Start Growing: Fix Your Band’s Biggest Pain Points (with Dan Chantrey)27 avr. 202601:01:43

You trace Dan Chantrey’s path from drummer dad influence to choosing music over football, and quickly see the real lesson: the game has flipped. You’re no longer playing gigs to sell music, you’re using music to sell gigs. From record deals fading to booking agents becoming the new gatekeepers, you learn why every band feels like it’s on the brink and how surviving means thinking beyond the stage. GIGNITE emerges as the modern answer, a virtual tour manager that helps you route tours, analyze audiences, and break into new markets with data instead of guesswork. If you want to grow, you stop hoping for “yes” and start building a system that makes it inevitable.

You rethink what it means to be a working musician: your brand matters as much as your chops, your off-stage work is where the money lives, and yes, it’s okay to get paid for your art. From finding sponsors in your local pizza joint to solving real-world problems like parking the van and booking rooms, you’re shown how to remove friction and scale your gig life intelligently. The stories drive it home: don’t punish the audience that showed up, audition gigs still sting, and your toughest hometown show might teach you the most. The throughline is clear: treat this like a business, leverage the tools, and Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 531 – Monday, April 27th, 2026
    • 00:03:36 Dan’s Dad was a drummer and a singer, started him off, then Dan started playing
    • 00:03:58 Playing live vs. Playing in the studio
    • 00:04:15 Choosing between (American) football and music
    • 00:06:09 Getting signed to Frontier Records
      • Things worked for a while
      • “Every band is on the verge of breaking up at all times”
    • 00:09:06 Things have turned: you used to do gigs to sell your music, now you do music to sell your gigs
      • GIGNITE is a one-stop shop for artists to be able to tour
      • Had an events business running pre-COVID
      • BREXIT happened, so how can we make things easier to get artists move about through Europe
    • 00:12:38 Booking agent deals are the new record deal
    • 00:14:49 Tried to book a festival, booking agents said “no” even though bands said “yes”
    • 00:16:00 GIGNITE is your virtual tour manager
    • 00:17:10 Aggregating Audience Analytics is part of the platform, too
    • 00:18:56 Heading to NAMM to learn what potential customers want
      • NAMM is the meeting place of the music industry
    • 00:20:33 Analytics aggregation for tribute acts and cover bands, too
      • Does Dave’s fictitious band sound like Rage Against The Machine? Why not!
      • Using analytics to decide which markets
    • 00:22:55 GIGNITE is free for artists to join and use
      • Freemium model allows artists to add additional features like press releases and such
      • Primary monetization is from suppliers (aka venues)
      • Venue ratings system!
    • 00:24:22 Gig Unite links artists with sponsors
      • Linking headline bands with opening acts (local and otherwise)
      • Find sponsors for your local bands, folks:
        • Pizza place
        • Construction companies
        • Cleaning services
        • Chiropractor
      • It might be easier to get sponsors for your band than gigs for it!
    • 32:31 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
    • 00:33:57 GIGNITE takes the heavy lifting and headaches away
      • Gives your band the power to look at and consider tours
      • “How do you get a gig in a town that’s 200 miles away?”
      • You can do it yourself, you can get a booking agent, or you can use a service like GIGNITE
    • 00:36:00 It’s called the music BUSINESS for a reason
      • The brand of your band is as important as your stagecraft
    • 00:40:49 I don’t get paid to play shows, I get paid to do all the off-stage stuff
      • Dave says: “It’s OK to get paid for our art”
    • 00:43:41 Where are you going to park your van while you play?
      • Where are you going to stay?
      • GIGNITE answers these questions
    • 00:47:44 Now it’s Gig Gab time
      • Road stories, folks!
      • Parthenon Huxley: Don’t punish the people who showed up!
      • Audition Gigs… love ‘em and hate ‘em!
        • (mostly hate ‘em!)
    • 00:54:36 The hardest gig I ever played
      • “We want to see you in your home town.”
    • 00:58:00 Gig Gab 531 Outtro

    The post Stop Guessing, Start Growing: Fix Your Band’s Biggest Pain Points – Gig Gab 531 with Dan Chantrey appeared first on Gig Gab.

    50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage20 avr. 202601:10:13

    Step inside five decades of rock history with lighting legend Howard Ungerleider, the man who’s been designing and directing Rush’s light shows since 1974. Hear how a $75-a-week mailroom gig at American Talent International — where he pulled off a rogue booking of Fleetwood Mac before he was even an agent — turned into a lifetime behind the console. Get the story of Howard landing in Toronto to babysit “a club band called Rush,” sleeping on the floor at the manager’s house with a St. Bernard, freezing his hand to a car door at -40 in Cochrane, Ontario, and later jamming with Neil Peart at his house to Genesis and Supertramp records. Howard also talks designing Roll The Bones (the one Rush tour he couldn’t operate), embedding at See Factor to build custom gear nobody else could get, and how Blue Öyster Cult first put him in front of a laser: the same craft he now brings to Foo Fighters, Tool, and Janet Jackson.

    Then the conversation turns to the upcoming Rush Fifty Something tour — a four-piece now with Anika Nilles on drums and Loren Gold on keys, freeing Geddy to focus on bass and vocals. Learn why Howard still “plays” the lighting console live with two boards and thousands of touch cues, how robotic spots are quietly changing the craft, and why he and Phish’s Chris Kuroda will be swapping rigs at Madison Square Garden. You’ll also hear the Paul McCartney moment in the Taylor Hawkins tribute dressing room that may have sparked the whole tour, and why Howard insists this is a rejuvenation, a celebration, and proof that no matter the rig, the room, or the era, you’ve gotta ALWAYS BE PERFORMING.

    Because it’s what we do.

    Press play and enjoy, folks.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 530 – Monday, April 20th, 2026
    • 00:02:18 Walked into a NYC office to get a recording contract for his band
      • “You need to learn about this industry before you come knocking on people’s doors.”
      • Introduced him to Action Talent (which became American Talent International)
    • 00:06:21 For $75/week delivering coffee and working in the mailroom
      • After a year and a half he got booted from Monmouth University, then became the ATI gopher
    • 00:08:17 Hey, do you want Fleetwood Mac to play here?
    • 00:11:44 Booking agent
    • 00:13:17 Can you fill in for a week as Blue Oyster Cult’s tour
    • 00:14:51 Howard and Rush were surprised to have Howard working there
      • “I need ten grand” – “no, you can sleep on the floor instead”
    • 00:18:11 Howard had to show Geddy that New York pizza was better than Toronto pizza
    • 00:19:01 Howard learns about Canadian cold
      • Howard’s driving, Geddy’s riding shotgun, Neil’s reading, Alex is smoking a joint
    • 00:20:42 Geddy says, “get out and take a breath of fresh air”
    • 00:22:05 John Rutsey had opted out of touring, Howard moves to Toronto while they’re auditioning drummers
      • “Eventually Neil [Peart] walked in…and that was it.”
    • 00:23:32 Howard and Neil used to jam at Neil’s house
      • Genesis and Supertramp
    • 00:24:19 Road life’s not so bad
      • 200 gigs a year on the road
    • 00:26:09 Rush took a break, Howard did Queensryche and Tesla
      • Howard designed Roll The Bones, but it’s the only tour he couldn’t operate
    • 00:27:51 Howard tour-managed and lighting designed and operated every tour up through Presto, after which he dropped tour-managing
    • 00:28:41 Dave realizes he met Howard on the Presto tour
    • 00:31:43 Don’t put up with crap
    • 00:32:03 Howard’s been doing Rush’s lights since 1974
    • 00:33:05 Moving from clubs and theaters to arenas
    • 00:34:54 SPONSOR: Warby Parker – Right now, buy one prescription pair and get 20% off any additional prescription pairs at https://WarbyParker.com/GIGGAB
    • 00:36:40 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit https://Claude.ai/giggab
    • 00:38:10 Howard first saw lasers with Blue Oyster Cult
    • 00:40:37 RUSH Fifty Something
      • Something completely different than Howard has ever done
      • Other dimensions
    • 00:42:04 Mixing the Juno awards
      • Howard says Neil would approve of Anika.
    • 00:44:51 Hey Howard, surprise! RUSH is going to tour again
    • 00:47:03 Howard did lights for RUSH at Taylor Hawkins tribute
    • 00:48:46 Howard prefers mixing live
      • He “plays” the lighting console live
      • Remote spot locations
    • 00:52:07 RUSH Fifty Something… it’s band of FOUR.
      • Geddy is happy… playing less keyboards, more bass and vocal focus
    • 00:54:42 Howard: “I create lighting choreography”
      • This tour is (currently) 2.5 hours (things can change, folks!)
      • “I try to enhance the show with lighting that can trigger your emotions. I approach it as an audience member.”
      • Loren Gold’s harmonies sound great
    • 00:58:28 Phish and Rush alternating at Madison Square Garden
      • Chris Kuroda also mixes lights live
    • 01:00:45 Howard’s going to 85 dates
      • We’re here to create positivity, have a good time…and Neil Peart is smiling down
    • 01:05:25 Brian Worthen on FOH
    • 01:08:30 Gig Gab 530 Outtro <https://giggabpodcast.com/>

    The post 50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage – Gig Gab 530 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room with Cliff & Susan Prowse13 avr. 202601:02:16

    You don’t need a traditional path to build a thriving music career! Just ask Cliff and Susan Prowse, who turned classical piano chops and play-by-ear instincts into a full-blown lifestyle business. Whether you learned to read music first or figured out theory after the fact, what matters is training your ear to hear intervals, stacking up reps, and putting in the practice until harmony feels like second nature. Use your DAW to sharpen your pitch, but don’t psych yourself or your bandmates out: true tone deafness is rare, and confidence is currency on stage. The bottom line: making a real living in music is absolutely possible when you treat your craft like a skill you never stop sharpening.

    Once you hit the stage, remember that the crowd is the star and you’re the emcee who just happens to sing and play. Take your audience on a journey: open at mid-energy, build it up, let it breathe, then hit them again. Mix genres, swap instruments, toss in some comedy, and never leave dead air between songs; keep every second purposeful. Think of your set like a video game where you’re always leveling up the room. Manage your breaks with music that matches the vibe so the party never stalls. Playing covers isn’t just a gig — it’s a masterclass in entertainment, and entertainment is its own art form. Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 529 – Monday, April 13th, 2026
    • 00:03:02 The Ultimate Lifestyle Business
    • 00:03:33 Starting with a Pure Mathematics Degree to Piano Bars
      • Classical Piano at the base of it all
    • 00:05:04 Bumble Boogie piqued Susan’s ears
      • Make sure your kids see that inspiration
    • 00:07:16 Cliff started with music from the day he was born
      • Always treated instruments delicately, even as a toddler
      • Learned to play by ear, but never learned to read
    • 00:09:44 Reading vs. hearing and Music Theory
      • School band director thought he was reading music, when Cliff was just playing by ear and remembering what the band director
      • Susan learned to hear intervals
      • Cliff decided to learn theory after-the-fact
    • 00:14:28 Learning to play before you learn WHY the notes work
    • 00:18:18 Breaking down vocal harmonies
      • Both Susan and Cliff picks out harmony by ear
      • Singing harmonies with the mixolydian scale with the flat 7
      • Really, just practice. Repetition is the key to it all!
    • 00:27:20 Using your DAW to help improve your singing
      • Being actually tone deaf is rare
      • Beware of shaking your bandmates’ confidence…or your own
    • 00:33:21 Making a living in the music business is possible!
    • 00:34:26 The science of the show: Piano Bar strategies
      • Top 40, any genre, any decade
      • Learning the skills of doing the singalong concept
      • Susan and Cliff met on-stage at Willy D’s piano bar in Little Rock
      • From piano bars in Little Rock to Los Angeles to Las Vegas and beyond
    • 00:38:31 Taking the crowd on a journey
      • When you’re there to entertain and throw the party
      • The crowd is the star, you AREN’T
      • You’re the emcee, the DJ, you just happen to know how to sing and play piano
      • Keep it interesting by changing the genre, the groove, the style
      • It’s like playing a video game!
      • Mid energy, at first, then bring it up, then let it ease, then maybe repeat
      • Add variety: different instruments, different singers, different styles
      • Add a little comedy to give them a break from the music
    • 00:45:44 Manage your breaks
      • One school: NEVER stop playing
      • Have good break music, make sure the energy matches
    • 00:49:48 Managing your dead air
      • Don’t allow breaks between songs. Always avoid dead air.
      • “Purposeful Talking”
    • 00:52:44 Entertainers Academy
    • 00:56:44 Being in a cover band is a masterclass of learning entertainment skills
      • Entertaining is an art in and of itself
    • 01:00:17 Gig Gab 528 Outtro

    The post The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room – Gig Gab Podcast 529 with Cliff & Susan Prowse appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Monitoring the Artists' Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning06 avr. 202601:19:21

    In this episode of Gig Gab, you get the full story of how Kevin “KG” Glendinning cold-emailed his way from a Chicago suburb into a 25-year career mixing monitors for Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, and more. You hear how a kid sweeping floors at dB Sound ended up on a Metallica tour bus with one piece of advice ringing in his ears: ask questions, stay late, and get a second job because you’re gonna need it. Kevin walks you through migrating artists to in-ear monitors, managing talkback culture for everyone from Eddie Vedder wanting baseball scores to Lorde’s tight production team, and what it takes to help reluctant guitar players finally ditch the wedges. If you’ve ever wondered what separates a good monitor engineer from a great one, this conversation lays it out.

    You also dive deep into the art and science of making IEMs sound right in every room, every night. Kevin shares his process of minimal reduction: fixing a bad mix by figuring out what to take away, not what to add, and explains why tuning for in-ears is just as critical as tuning a PA. You learn why he flies 4,700 miles for a single gig, why the best mixes sometimes come from a throw-and-go, and how setting up dummy channels lets you experiment without wrecking the artist’s mix. He and Dave talk hearing health, audiograms, the DPA capsule as the only open mic on the Lorde stage, and why knowing your own ears matters more than knowing your gear. Whether you’re mixing monitors at an arena or running sound at a club gig, this episode is packed with wisdom you can use tonight. Always Be Performing, folks!

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 528 – Monday, April 6th, 2026
    • 00:02:25 Hotmailing his way into a career
      • Watched the credits of a Metallica documentary, realized DB Sound was near the house, emailed Harry… “Hi, I’m Kevin, and I’m interested in audio…” and the rest is history!
    • 00:07:58 Got put on the road as an audio team assistant
      • Trial by fire
      • Advice from the team:
        • Here’s what to do
        • Here’s what not to do
        • Ask questions, stay late, and get a second job because you’re gonna need it
    • 00:11:22 Learning the personal touch parts of being on tour
    • 00:12:52 Being the stage left PA tech, Kevin gravitated towards monitors
    • 00:13:50 Talkback Culture
      • Eddie Vedder wanted baseball scores in his talkback
      • SOMBR for Coachella 2026 (Chris Rabold at FOH)
    • 00:16:18 Managing multiple talkback channels
    • 00:18:08 LORDE on Talkback
    • 00:19:00 Talkback stories
      • Jaret Reddick’s use of talkback mics in Bowling For Soup
    • 00:20:51 Migrating to in-ears
    • 00:25:09 Helping guitar players to IEMs
    • 00:32:08 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
    • 00:33:44 Back to helping guitar players with IEMs
      • Problem: when a vocal mic is downstage from a guitar amp
      • Ian Beveridge with Foo Fighters
      • Paul Simon prefers wedges
      • Always be learning
      • First: Learn the human being you’re going to be mixing for
    • 00:41:27 The differences between mixing monitors for Miley Cyrus and Ella LORDE
    • 00:42:48 Monitoring the Artists Monitors
    • 00:47:50 Different rooms sound different on IEMs
    • 01:04:06 Learn your own ears (not your IEMs, your human ears) first
      • Take a hearing test with your phone if you can
      • Kevin and Alicia Keys would go and get their hearing tested together, getting audiograms to compare
    • 01:07:09 IEMs are the most personal audio interaction
      • You have to be psychic!
    • 01:09:46 Flying 4,700 miles to save the day
      • Sometimes the throw-and-go results in the best mix because you’re not overthinking it
      • Tip from Kevin: set up dummy channels to experiment without messing with the actual mix for the IEMs
    • 01:15:57 Gig Gab 528 Outtro

     

    The post Monitoring the Artists’ Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning – Gig Gab 528 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep30 mars 202600:58:46

    You tighten your gig prep by treating every show like a pro mission: build rock-solid routines, line-check your gear and apps, and know your insurance, splitter snake, setlist, click, and IEM plan before you ever hit the stage. You walk into a wedding or club already covered with proper liability, routing, charts, and monitoring so you can stop worrying about logistics and start playing the room. Always Be Performing.

    Onstage, you think like a storyteller, not just a musician: you record full shows to review your banter and flow, you decide when the click helps and when to ditch it, and you refine what makes your band distinctive so people remember your name and feel the FOMO.

    Offstage, you act like a lab: you binge showcases at events like SXSW, steal the best ideas, use AI to critique rehearsals, and keep your gig bag dialed so every performance gets sharper, louder, and more undeniable.

    The post Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep – Gig Gab 527 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Touring Brains: Boundaries, Burnout, and Being OK, with Courtney and Paul Klimson23 mars 202600:59:28

    You see how life on the road quietly rewires your brain, from grief and burnout to decision fatigue and STC (Sleepy, Tired, and Crabby), and how Courtney and Paul built The Roadie Clinic to give crews a place to tell their story and get real help. Through flights, heat‑canceled shows, and jumps from Fallon to Timberlake, John Legend, Drake, and beyond, you learn to Always Be Performing for your own mental health with boundaries, support systems, and even AI to protect your headspace.

    You’re handed concrete ways to care for yourself and your people: snow policies and “last chance to say no” moments, non‑negotiable laundry time, color‑coded calendars that lower stress, and simple communication habits that keep relationships from snapping under pressure. By the end, you’re invited to treat your brain like your most critical piece of touring gear—and to build a crew culture where dignity, respect, and mental health are baked into every gig.​

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 526 – Monday, March 23rd, 2026
    • 00:01:43 Choosing Niles, Michigan for The Roadie Clinic
      • 2019: From living in NYC to “the middle of nowhere” Michigan (but it’s right near an airport)
      • With lots of puppies!
    • 00:04:05 The Roadie Clinic and the whole Human Experience
      • After some family tragedies, Courtney joined Paul on a European leg of the Timberlake tour to support him through the grief
    • 00:07:56 Hottest Day in Central Park doing a show for John Legend
      • And Paul winds up with a sprained ankle but the show must go on…until it’s canceled for the heat!
      • Then off to Sicily the next day… and Courtney joins again!
    • 00:13:24 On the flights, Courtney
    • 00:15:40 “The Show Must Go On”
      • Institute a snow policy
    • 00:17:40 And so exists The Roadie Clinic
    • Decision Fatigue can sometimes be solved by AI
    • 00:26:30 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
    • 00:28:03 Where are you going today, Paul?
      • John Legend to Timberlake to Drake
      • Multi-colored calendars to save the marriage…and the business
    • 00:30:18 From being the monitor/foldback engineer at Fallon to meeting lots of bands
      • …and managers. “Protect the brand” worked to develop relationships
    • 00:32:55 What Gets the Gig Done?
    • 00:37:02 The @ Rule of Texting
      • STC = Sleepy Tired and Crabby
    • 00:39:38 Is this the last opportunity I have to say “no”?
    • 00:43:55 Laundry time matters!
    • 00:45:26 Studying Roadie Brains
      • A lot of Parkinsons, PTSD, Strokes
      • From Fallon to Timberlake
    • 00:47:15 Tricks of being efficient with engineers
      • Step one: Communicate the Input List and Stage Plot
    • 00:50:43 Paul Klimson’s Talkback System
    • 00:54:00 We’re going to win because we’re efficient and we care about humans
      • Dignity and Respect
      • Superbowl Halftime Show – Minneapolis
      • Jimmy Fallon Show … and SNL
      • How are you using AI?
    • 00:57:14 Gig Gab 526 Outtro

    The post Touring Brains: Boundaries, Burnout, and Being OK, with Courtney and Paul Klimson – Gig Gab 526 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    From Wall Street Hacker to Music Mogul: Mike Grande’s Journey16 mars 202601:04:07

    You get a front-row seat to how Michael Grande turned hard-won tech chops and late-night studio hacks into real music-business wins. From escaping NAMM chaos and leveraging smart PR and management, to transforming a throwaway “stupid idea” into Card Chords—an Amazon-topping guitar tool born from a Cricut, Guitar Center testing, and sheer persistence—you see how necessity, experimentation, and saying yes the first time landed him in Jimi Hendrix’s old bedroom at Electric Lady Studios, shredding in the lineage of Vai and Satriani, and inventing Tone Picks on the fly. Along the way, you’re reminded that when you know you’re right, you embrace it, protect your IP, and keep swinging big—whether that’s launching music schools, eyeing Shark Tank with a bold offer, or pivoting your career from Wall Street CTO and Certified Ethical Hacker to full-on guitar innovator.

    Then you’re pushed to rethink how you teach, lead, and build your own music brand. You learn why great schools and studios run on clear mission statements, strong unique selling propositions, and a coaching mindset that focuses on the student, not the curriculum—getting them hooked on the songs they actually want to play, then turning them toward what they need. You see how asking potential customers for their own answers, treating every audience like they matter, and showing up like a coach instead of a teacher all point to one core operating principle: you’re never off-duty, because you Always Be Performing—ALWAYS.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 525 – Monday, March 16th, 2026
    • 00:02:14 Getting out of NAMM
    • 00:03:10 Have a good PR guy!
    • 00:04:15 Hey, NAMM: How high can I go?
    • 00:06:09 Can you afford NOT to hire a manager? Or a PR person?
      • Our Mistakes are Our Tuition – Business Brain
    • 00:08:04 COVID Vaccines lead to Card Chords
    • 00:11:09 Dad – come up with an idea to teach people how to play guitar
      • “That’s a stupid idea” – Ignore, and move on.
      • Bought a Cricut machine, built the prototype and tested it on hundreds of guitars at Guitar Center
      • Came out on December 21st, and became Amazon’s #1 Musical Accessories item within 30 days
      • Also includes an eBook to teach out Beatles, Bon Jovi, Guns and Roses songs WITH Card Chords
    • 00:16:35 Born of Necessity!
    • 00:18:39 The birth of Tone Picks
      • Story time: I didn’t bring a 12-string to Electric Lady Studios at 3am
      • Taped two picks together to simulate a 12-string sound.
    • 00:21:41 How did you get on the list of Electric Lady Studios session players?
      • Mike was a shredder after Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc
    • 00:22:27 Recording in Jimi Hendrix’s old bedroom at Electric Lady Studios!
      • Say yes the first time!
    • Sponsors
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      • 00:27:22 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
      • 00:28:51 Mike uses Gusto for his Music Schools!
    • 00:30:33 Running music schools
    • 00:33:37 Mike’s coaching methods are different
      • Learning hands-on
      • Getting students hooked on the songs you want to play
      • THEN turn them around
    • 00:34:42 You gotta be juiced about playing the songs
    • 00:37:16 You need to have a mission statement
      • Mike’s: “We build the confidence and self-esteem through music lessons”
      • You need a Unique Selling Proposition!
    • 00:39:30 Mike’s Unique Selling Proposition
      • Never answer the question… ask the potential customer for the answer!
    • 00:41:48 A teacher focuses on the curriculum, a coach focuses on the student
    • 00:42:44 Mary Fanaro’s Rwanda Rocks
      • Rwanda’s Minister of Education: The children of Rwanda don’t need teachers, they need coaches.
    • 00:48:08 When you know you’re right, embrace it.
    • 00:49:45 Always Be Performing…ALWAYS!
    • 00:53:18 An audience wants to be treated
    • 00:55:23 We’re always wearing
    • 00:57:54 The Chinese stole Mike’s IP for Card Chords
      • Mike’s got a new product that is in the running for Shark Tank
      • Mike’s offer to Shark Tank will be: 20% of his company for $1
    • 01:03:23 Gig Gab 525 Outtro

    The post From Wall Street Hacker to Music Mogul: Michael Grande’s Journey – Gig Gab 525 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    De-Feedback Plugin for Working Musicians: More Gain, Less Feedback with Devin Sheets09 mars 202601:20:15

    You’re invited into a legacy family audio business that refused to accept “good enough” on feedback control and instead chased the impossible: a truly zero‑latency, AI‑driven way to push your PA louder without squeals. You follow Devin Sheets from growing up on sound gigs to roaming European stages, then back home to build De‑Feedback plugin for working musicians, a live sound feedback plugin and on‑the‑fly impulse‑response generator that listens like a seasoned engineer: separating human voice, room reverb, background noise, and feedback in real time so you can grab at least 6 dB more gain before things start to howl. Along the way you see how NAMM sparked the idea, how inverse impulse responses and probability math beat old EQ and gate tricks, and how “homebrew AI” meant sneaking into every empty church at 3 a.m. just to teach the model what real rooms actually sound like.

    You also learn how to think like a modern working musician: using social media to find the right AI programmers across the world, leaning on LLMs to translate, collaborate, and even rate contractor work so you can move faster without losing control. You come away knowing you can drop a dedicated De‑Feedback box or plugin into almost any rig, from churches to touring consoles to tiny clubs, take it with you even when someone else is behind the board, and quietly stack the deck in your favor. In the end, it’s a roadmap for how you run your own gigs and career: stay curious, embrace new tools, protect your sound, and Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 524 – Monday, March 9th, 2026
    • 00:02:12 Let’s Grow this Legacy Family Business
      • Grew up doing sound
      • Also a musician
      • Lived in Europe
      • Then came back and said, “let’s grow this family business!”
    • 00:03:44 We haven’t “just solved” this feedback problem
      • Went to NAMM for the first time, and was inspired
      • There are automated EQ-based or gate-based systems
      • PSE plugin from Waves
      • 5045 for feedback
    • 00:04:57 Why isn’t there a “balanced audio”-type solution for Feedback
      • Balanced Audio fixes hums and it just works.
    • 00:08:24 NAMM is a great inspiration…and it inspired Devin and his team to seek a feedback plugin solution
    • 00:12:35 Training the AI to listen for three things: human voice, reverb, and feedback
      • Created a de-reverb algorithm and went beyond that
      • A probability calculation does the math
    • 00:16:05 Truly zero latency for the plugin
      • Workflow latency remains
    • 00:19:32 I don’t have any coding or AI background, but I have a gut feeling AI will fix this feedback problem
      • Others: It’s harder than you think
      • Devin: I knew that it needed to happen
    • 00:20:58 Finding an AI programmer who was interested in doing
      • Experimented with some programmers, failed, learned some things!
    • 00:21:09 Social Media to the rescue!
      • Late 2023: Devin found a group of AI programmers who would be interested
      • Sending large amounts of money to China…it’s a risk!
    • 00:26:30 At 3am, a text message: I think I’ve done it.
      • Devin immediately started testing it himself
      • “It seemed to work.”
    • 00:27:17 Installing De-Feedback in Churches
    • Sponsors
    • 00:34:20 What is an impulse response?
      • Impulse Response: An audio picture of how the room sounds
      • Popping balloons in a room/environment and recording the sound is a common approach for creating impulse responses
    • 00:38:33 De-Feedback is an on-the-fly IR generator
      • …and analyzer that’s trained on the human voice, room reverb, background noise…and feedback
    • 00:41:55 Finding the right programmers was the key
      • …in addition to actually having the idea and the bullheaded persistence to make it happen.
    • 00:44:46 Mind-melding was necessary
      • And LLMs helped with translation!
    • 00:48:39 Using AI to make it possible to collaborate with other humans
    • 00:50:03 Using an LLM to rate the work of your contractors and employees
    • 00:51:54 How do we get De-Feedback into the hands of working musicians
      • US$499 for the De-Feedback plugin
      • VST3 or AU plugin
      • A higher-end Windows laptop can likely run it on its own
      • Apple’s Core Audio tech makes it difficult, but they’re working on it.
      • De-Feedback also sells a perfectly-tuned headless computer to do this
      • Alpha Labs tried tons of interfaces that the Focusrite Scarlett keeps glitches out of the mix
      • Waves SuperRack LiveBox
    • 01:01:37 Where do we expand?
    • 01:05:18 Homebrew AI!
      • Training EVERY room he could find
      • “Can you let me into your empty church at 3am?” – To record IR to then train the data set for De-Feeback
    • 01:07:25 Creating your own AI model
    • 01:08:13 What’s the future look like?
      • Acquisition? Demands for security? – Planning for it all
    • 01:09:26 You can get this and bring it with you to gigs where someone else is doing sound
    • 01:17:46 Gig Gab 524 Outtro

     

    The post De-Feedback Plugin for Working Musicians: More Gain, Less Feedback – Gig Gab 524 with Devin Sheets appeared first on Gig Gab.

    From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees02 mars 202601:13:02

    You get dropped into a two-show day where you’re juggling festival chaos, a paramedic emergency during set change, and a mysteriously mudded-out bass that turns out to be a rogue low‑pass filter at 90 Hz, all while keeping the gig on the rails because you Always Be Performing.

    Then you pivot into first‑timer survival tactics for attending SXSW: locking in reservations weeks out, over‑planning so you can gleefully abandon those plans, and treating the whole thing as a marathon and a sprint while your calendar app becomes your best friend…and your worst enemy.

    Throughout it all, you’re thinking like a pro: dialing in efficient monitor setups for festival stages, dealing with sketchy solder joints on a microphone (or is that a mic cable issue?), staying sane amid SXSW security, and never underestimating the power of great brisket, BBQ, and a solid spot to reset your brain. You’ll also get the practical stuff no one tells you: what to wear, why you always keep your badge on you, and how finding a seasoned SXSW Sherpa can save your week (and your feet) before you ever hit your first line.

    ​From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Essential Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 523 – Monday, March 2nd, 2026
    • 00:01:41 Two Show Day for Dave
      • First gig, Bitter Pill – Festival
        • And there was a paramedic
      • Bitter Pill: It’s Rock and Roll… It’s Rockabilly… It’s Blues… I don’t know!
    • 00:10:43 Second gig – somehow the bass got a low-pass filter set at 90hZ!
      • Problem solved, gig a success!
    • 00:18:23 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
    • 00:20:00 Attending SXSW for the first time
    • 00:25:45 Learning how to manage SXSW
    • 00:27:30 SXXpress passes become Reservations
      • And now they’re 3-weeks out instead of 2 days!
    • 00:33:21 Reserving things in advance
    • 00:37:25 It’s all about planning in advance
      • And then throwing away your plans and making a series of Sophie’s Choices
    • 00:39:24 It’s a marathon…and a sprint
    • 00:39:42 Managing the Calendar
    • 00:43:39 With the App
    • 00:48:43 Managing your monitor needs with efficiency at festival gigs
    • 00:52:51 Security at SXSW
    • 00:58:15 Luke Warm Solder Joint on the Microphone
    • 00:58:57 Eat good food!
    • 01:01:11 What should I wear?
    • 01:06:36 Find a SXSW Sherpa!
    • 01:07:58 Finding your badge?
    • 01:08:59 Always have your badge with you
    • 01:11:38 Gig Gab 523 Outtro

     

    The post From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees — Gig Gab 523 with Lisa Hamilton appeared first on Gig Gab.

    From the Eric Church Tour to the Grammys: On the Bus with Cellist Kaitlyn Raitz23 févr. 202600:50:06

    You’re riding along with Kaitlyn Raitz as she breaks down the real mechanics of touring at scale: staying human on a bus, finding tiny routines that keep you sane, and surviving the sleep math when you’re one of twelve buses on a massive run. Then it’s straight into the onstage reality of modern country arena production: 24 musicians, a full string quartet, choir, and horns, plus the challenge of making strings translate in a loud arena. You get the practical gear-and-tech layer too: DPA mics and pickups, dynamic EQ, managing cello loudness, and how tools like ToneDexter fit into keeping tone consistent when the room is working against you.

    You also get the career side, unfiltered: how the Eric Church gig happened through the Nashville relationship web, why being excellent and easy to be around matters, and why “Nashville is a ten-year town” if you want longevity. Kaitlyn’s stories span arranging and learning charts mid-tour from iPads, to the whiplash of getting a Grammy call with barely any runway, to recording in LA and wondering how anyone actually functions there. The episode closes with the mindset and performance skills that keep pros durable: protecting your brain and nervous system, flipping a stage persona on and off, and the practical win of transitioning to IEMs for a cellist when monitors are run well. Bottom line: this is how you keep your craft sharp, your head steady, and your show consistent night after night. Always Be Performing.​

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 522 – Monday, February 23rd, 2026
    • 00:01:55 Protein and Joy on the bus
    • 00:02:14 Passing the time productively on the bus…and on the tour
    • 00:05:53 Sleeping on the bus!
      • Twelve tour busses on this tour
    • 00:07:26 24 Musicians on stage
      • String Quartet
      • 8-Person Choir
      • Horn/Woodwind Quartet
    • 00:09:45 Micing a string quartet in an arena
      • DPA Mics AND pickups
      • Dynamic EQ
    • 00:14:47 Cellos and Loudness
    • 00:18:50 Writing, arranging and learning charts mid-tour!
      • Reading from iPads
      • Eleanor Denning, String Lead and Arranger on the Eric Church Tour
      • Bitter Pill has a cellist, too!
    • 00:21:33 Getting the Eric Church gig
      • Sub list for the Nashville Symphony
      • Everything in Nashville is relationship-based
      • Be good at what you do, and also be a pleasant person that people want to be around
      • Nashville is a ten-year town
    • 00:25:07 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
    • 00:26:55 You played on the Grammy’s?
      • Used to play with Brandy Clark, and occasionally gets a one-off gig call still.
      • AND, a week-and-a-half before the Grammy’s, the call came in
      • Do you want to play the Grammy’s with me?
      • Kaitlyn has questions for LA-denizens:
        • How do you live in LA?
        • Do you see people that you know?
        • Do you take public transportation?
      • Recorded at Sunset Sounds in LA
    • 00:33:05 Protecting your brain and nervous system
      • Take on a persona
        • “You are Kaitlyn Motherfucking Raitz”
        • “We are bad bitches, we have earned this”
        • Gary Cherone is the master of turning the stage persona on AND OFF
      • Let the lights blind you
    • 00:40:25 Transitioning to IEMs
      • It’s great for a cellist!
      • IEMs are better than having to use bone conduction
      • Kaitlyn’s IEM mix – she hears the band
      • It comes down to who’s running monitors
      • Ultimate Ears UE7 Pros IEMs
    • 00:47:06 Kaitlyn Raitz’s Music
    • 00:48:52 Gig Gab 522 Outtro

    The post From the Eric Church Tour to the Grammys: On the Bus with Cellist Kaitlyn Raitz – Gig Gab 522 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse16 févr. 202600:53:18

    You kick off this week with Dan Ray by reframing failure as a tool, not a verdict. Instead of obsessing over the “vanity listen” after a gig or rehearsal, you do the check-in listen and extract the lesson. You learn to fail fast the right way by making small bets that generate real data quickly, including testing demand before you invest rehearsal time. That mindset carries into band direction changes and the leadership realities that come with them: different people want different levels of ownership, and the job is to be a benevolent dictator who listens widely but decides cleanly. You also get practical about managing public perception and egos, taking cues from bands that protected the brand by being intentional about roles and visibility.

    Then you dig into Dan’s origin stories and the nuts-and-bolts that keep working musicians moving: starting a band young, landing monthly gigs, and learning obvious-in-hindsight lessons like not running a vocal mic through a guitar amp. You hear how scrappy tools like a Tascam 4-track can solve real problems, why running a PA from the stage demands discipline, and why the room you rehearse in changes what you think you’re hearing. From there it gets wonderfully nerdy with quick hits that matter in real life, like using low-pass filters aggressively and remembering that time alignment starts with where sound sources physically live. You close in the feels with theater life and the emotional punch of closing night, a reminder that the tech and the business serve the same goal: show up ready, stay present, and Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 521 – Monday, February 16th, 2026
    • 00:02:08 Guest co-host: Dan Ray
    • 00:03:23 Having a productive relationship with failure
      • Failure can a lesson you lean into
      • After gigs or rehearsals: the check-in listen vs. the vanity listen
      • Fail fast the right way: “make a bet” by setting up something that you can quickly get data from
    • 00:08:47 Transitioning a band’s direction
      • Dan’s Big in the 80s band
    • 00:10:10 Test your market before committing too much
      • Book the gig before you rehearse the songs. Make sure there’s demand and interest. If not… move on! (You failed fast!)
      • Cover Band Confidential
    • 00:12:52 AI solves the blank page problem – use it often!
    • 00:14:28 Leading bands (and people)
      • Be ready for people who want to engage with different levels of ownership
      • Learning how to be a benevolent dictator… but also learn to be the leader, and the decision-maker, the ultimate arbiter. Don’t do it in a vacuum, but I’ll be the last word.
      • The Pork Tornadoes are a democracy-ish. But decision-makers are pre-decided by a healthy division of labor.
      • Learning to manage the public perception of your band (and your egos) like R.E.M. and RUSH did.
    • 00:22:37 Do you name your band after yourself?
    • My Thanks to Our Sponsors
      • 00:25:09 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today and get 50% off Claude Pro, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit Claude.ai/giggab
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    • 00:28:38 First kid in high school to start a band
      • Grew out of the school-run rock band
      • Decided to play some originals and covers at home, and got a gig!
      • The school librarian booked them monthly!
      • Lesson: don’t put a vocal mic through the guitar amp
      • Tascam 4-Track cassette recorder to use as a mixer
    • 00:33:27 Dan Manages the PA from the stage
      • We rehearse in a 15×20 indoor, climate-controlled storage unit
    • 00:36:32 Quick Tip: Use Low Pass Filters on everything
    • 00:37:35 Time Alignment: A reminder that sound source locations matter
    • 00:40:36 Having theater kids
    • 00:43:05 The emotions during closing night in musical theater
    • 00:50:12 Gig Gab 522 Outtro

     

    The post Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse – Gig Gab 521 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Creating the Room You Want to Be In: Laura Whitmore and the She Rocks Story09 févr. 202601:14:22

    You jump into this episode balancing the reality of working gigs with the mindset that keeps musicians moving forward. From Dave’s recent experiences playing atypical rooms with Bitter Pill to cramming new material for Casual Gravity, you’re reminded that momentum matters even when the crowd is small. Always Be Performing is not about scale, it’s about consistency. That theme carries straight into the conversation with Laura Whitmore, whose career has been shaped by connecting people, creating opportunities, and knowing when to pull back just enough to build a sustainable life alongside the work.

    As Laura walks you through the birth and growth of the She Rocks Awards, you hear what it actually takes to build something lasting. It started small, grew through trust and partnerships, and evolved by treating the event like a show, with pacing, flow, and intention. You dig into what real visibility looks like, how to define success on your own terms, and why borrowed platforms are never enough to build a career. The takeaway is practical and clear: start with a big vision, set measurable goals, build community deliberately, and own your audience.

    This episode is a reminder that longevity comes from intention, preparation, and showing up with purpose, gig after gig.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 520 – Monday, February 9th, 2026
    • 00:01:00 Dave’s Gig Updates
      • Playing atypical venues with Bitter Pill
      • Learning new songs with Casual Gravity
      • Always Be Performing…even for the small crowds!
    • 00:17:10 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
    • 00:18:34 Guest co-host: Laura Whitmore
    • 00:22:20 The love of connecting people and making things happen
    • 00:23:08 Pulling back a little…to have a life
    • 00:26:28 The green room at The She Rocks Awards is the ultimate networking event!
    • 00:29:33 The Birth of the She Rocks Awards
      • Writing a women-in-music blog at Guitar World, realizing the women in music didn’t know each other… yet!
      • Started as a breakfast (with sponsors…the cheapest meal of the day!). Orianthi performed, serendipitously.
      • After two successful years, NAMM invited She Rocks into the event officially, and The Bangles performed.
      • “You don’t really know what you’re capable of until you’re challenged and take that leap of faith.” – Laura Whitmore
    • 2026 was the 14th year of She Rocks Awards.
      • 170 She Rocks Awards have been presented in the last 14 years.
    • 00:34:51 “Is this ever going to come together?” is scary
      • Reframe it with “how is this ever going to come together?”
      • It takes a village, folks!
    • 00:38:12 Having good partners helps
    • 00:38:59 Create the event for yourself as an audience member
      • That way you’ve got a stake in how it “feels” to attend, which means the audience is represented
    • 00:41:16 Assembling the featured women
      • Nominations at TheWimn.com
      • Crafting the arc of the night by slotting the right people at the right spot. It’s a show!
    • 00:43:49 Managing the flow of the night
    • 00:46:58 People whose names became known after they were on She Rocks
      • Queen Herby (as Amy Heidemann)
      • Beaches
      • PRS Guitars brings in the opening act, with a fantastic Artist Relations team
    • 00:49:40 Defining valuable visibility
      • What’s your end goal?
      • What are your metrics? What defines success?
      • For your band, those might be:
        • Did I get contact information?
        • Did I build on success that I had before?
        • Did this exposure opportunity help me grow to a new place/level?
        • Start with big vision, small goals
    • 00:54:16 You don’t own social media platforms, so don’t leave your audience there.
      • Facebook used to let you message all your followers. Used to!
      • If your audience is a subset of Facebook’s audience, that’s not your audience. Give them a reason to give you their email address.
      • Gather those email addresses.
      • Keep those pieces of paper – scan them! Spam laws might require you to prove it!
    • 01:00:18 Gear Gab!
    • 01:07:36 Designing high-quality technology for a market with a budget
    • 01:13:02 Gig Gab 520 Outtro
    • Follow Laura Whitmore
    • Contact Gig Gab!

    The post Creating the Room You Want to Be In: Laura Whitmore and the She Rocks Story – Gig Gab 520 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Gear, Gimmicks, and the Good Stuff at NAMM 202602 févr. 202601:02:23

    You walk into NAMM 2026 thinking you will just wander and see what grabs you. You leave reminded that wandering works best when paired with a plan and a willingness to torch a few sacred cows along the way. This episode is a fast-moving field report from the floor, where the real takeaway is not just gear but mindset. You hear why talking with people matters more than chasing booths, why listening beats pitching, and how staying flexible turns a chaotic show into a productive one. NAMM rewards curiosity, but only if you stay intentional and remember that Always Be Performing is not about being loud, it is about being present.

    From there, you get a tight rundown of what actually stood out. You hear about clever mic and monitoring solutions, portable PA ideas that punch above their weight, smart tools for managing stage volume and feedback, and electronic drums and keyboards that feel less like compromises and more like real instruments. There is a clear throughline here: gear is getting smaller, smarter, and more musician-centric, solving real problems instead of adding features for the spec sheet. By the end, you are not just caught up on what Dave saw at NAMM 2026, you are thinking differently about how to approach shows, stages, and decisions long after the badges come off.

    The post Gear, Gimmicks, and the Good Stuff at NAMM 2026 – Gig Gab 519 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Gumbo, Gigs, and Grit: Bill Wharton’s Sauce Boss Path26 janv. 202601:08:29

    Dave’s back from NAMM 2026 and has a little something to share about that. Actually three little somethings, so that’s where we start. But there’s more to say about that, and it’s not yet time, so we’ll extend the NAMM discussions into next week (and beyond?).

    For today, well, you don’t become the Sauce Boss by chasing a gimmick. You hear how Bill Wharton built a real, working-musician career by leaning hard into what felt natural to him, starting with a Datil pepper, a pot of gumbo, and a simple idea: turn the gig into a gathering. From cooking onstage on New Year’s Eve 1989 to feeding hundreds of people at festivals and never charging a dime for the food, Bill shows how blending music and food transformed shows from transactions into shared experiences. By creating a kitchen onstage, he stopped entertaining people just long enough to take their money and run, and instead built something with a life of its own, something that keeps audiences leaning in and coming back.

    As the conversation unfolds, you trace Bill’s path from top-40 bar gigs to one-man-band independence, full-band firepower, and stages as far-flung as Saudi Arabia. You hear why learning your strengths and ruthlessly discarding what doesn’t matter is not selfish, it’s survival. From dynamics, gear choices, and in-ear monitors to the lessons behind Blind Boy Billy, Bill makes the case that longevity comes from clarity, connection, and doing your thing without apology. The message for working musicians is direct and empowering: build the show you want to play, build the life that supports it, and keep showing up ready to give. Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 518 – Monday, January 26th, 2026
    • NAMM Coverage Sponsors
    • 00:14:31 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
    • 00:16:21 Guest co-host: Bill Wharton
    • 00:18:41 How to become a sauce boss magnate…while also being a musician
      • Bill found the Datil pepper. Spicy and flavorful.
      • People would eat all the sauce at his house
      • So he made Liquid Summer hot sauce
      • But he wanted to sell hot sauce at gigs.
      • December 31, 1989 – made a pot of gumbo on stage to demo the hot sauce
        • No one would ever have to pay for for my gumbo… 240,000 bowls later, here we are!
    • 00:23:26 Blending music and food.
      • It’s better than entertaining people, taking the money, and run!
    • 00:25:12 Food and music are good together
      • Every good party has everyone hanging out in the kitchen
      • Bill creates the kitchen on stage
    • 00:26:33 That first Sauce Boss gig
    • 00:28:16 It has a life of its own and takes care of itself
      • It took 3.5 hours to know that this was going to work long-term
    • 00:30:38 Bill: “Always looking for something distinctively mine…something unique”
      • It’s hard to do your own thing.
    • 00:33:15 The typical sauce boss gig means cooking for 100 (or more) people
      • 400 people at a festival (it took TWO pots of gumbo)
    • 00:35:07 From Florida to Saudi Arabia
      • Sauce Boss plays/cooks at an Air Force base in Saudi Arabia
    • 00:37:09 A soul-shouting picnic of Rock and Roll Brotherhood
      • One or two 75-minute sets
      • The show never ends
    • 00:40:16 Learn, and then KNOW your strengths
      • Started playing top-40 gigs as a kid
      • …and then realized that’s a rat trap. Bill made a point of putting only the stuff that matters to him in his day…and his show.
      • Being “greedy” about putting my thing out there.
      • If I can do this, you can do this
      • Discard the things you don’t enjoy, embrace the things you do.
      • Story Time, it turns out!
    • 00:43:23 Jimmy Buffett wrote a song about the Sauce Boss – “I Will Play For Gumbo”
      • Playing a gig at Jimmy Buffett’s club in New Orleans… and Jimmy was there!
      • “This is the best (bar) band I’ve seen in a long time.”
    • 00:47:13 Where did “Sauce Boss” come from?
    • 00:49:47 Bread and Butter is the One Man Band
      • “But I have a music problem, and I like jammin’ with my buds!”
      • There’s something that happens when you have a little more firepower of a full band
    • 00:53:13 Bill is his own funky one-man band with a kick drum, hi-hat, and a guitar
    • 00:55:16 Dynamics are everything in terms of keeping a crowd
    • 00:57:09 Bill’s thoughts on in-ear monitors
    • 01:02:17 Gear Gab: Create a portable screen/keyboard/mouse for your home studio
    • 01:06:24 The Life and Times of Blind Boy Billy
      • A songbook, a recipe book, and Bill’s memoir.
    • 01:09:29 Gig Gab 519 Outtro

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    The Engineer Is in the Band: Instinct, Ears, and Live Sound with Mike deAlmeida19 janv. 202601:02:55

    You’ve done gigs where nothing goes according to plan, but this episode reminds you that chaos is often the classroom. From sleeping on road cases at the Puerto Rican Day Parade to riding a flatbed packed with servo-driven subs that overwhelmed even earplugs and shooting cans, you hear how real-world pressure forges real skills. Mike deAlmeida walks you through learning to roll with it, figuring out systems on the fly before tools like Smaart were common, and walking into unknown gigs where the unknown singer/songwriter turns out to be Shawn Colvin. The lesson is clear: when you don’t know the band, communication is everything. Ask how they sound, listen closely, and remember that for that moment, you are part of the band. You’re playing the “mixing keyboard” today, so Always Be Performing.

    As the night wears on, the room changes and so must you. Heat, humidity, and ear fatigue quietly shift the mix, especially in the highs and high-mids, and Mike explains why gradual adjustments beat drastic moves every time. You’re reminded to watch the show, not just the meters, and to listen first before using tools like Smaart to confirm what your ears already know. From sweating out microphones and treating them like EQ devices to protecting your hearing with custom molds, active earplugs, and smart exposure management, this episode ties craft, tech, and longevity together. Layer in legendary Celebrity Week stories, the Van Halen M&Ms lesson, and Beach Boys theatrics, and you’re left with one guiding principle: mix a good show, every time, because that’s how careers last.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 517 – Monday, January 19th, 2026
    • 00:01:50 Puerto Rican Day Parade
      • Sleeping on road cases overnight
      • An insane number of speakers
      • Earplugs + Shooting cans STILL were too loud
      • Servo drives – highly efficient, but not fast. They have motors in them.
      • Security wouldn’t let us off the truck.
    • 00:06:43 Gig learning vs. classroom learning
      • Learning to roll with it
    • 00:08:52 When you don’t know the band
      • A little jazz band…as wallpaper
      • Sussed out the system manually (before the Smaart Live days!)
      • And a singer/songwriter… who turned out to be Shawn Colvin
    • 00:12:52 Communicating with a band you’ve never seen
      • Very helpful tips:
      • “Here’s how our band sounds.”
      • Guitar players who manage their levels between rhythm and solos
      • As an engineer, you are a member of the band (for that moment)
      • “You play mixing keyboard today”
    • 00:20:37 Teaching the foundation in class, students often seek practical experience on their own
      • Finding practical applications WHILE you’re in class is gold. You learn so much.
      • It all comes back to communication skills
      • For FOH engineers, watch the show! Pay attention to the band members
    • 00:24:30 Sound changes throughout the night
      • Heat and humidity will cause ebbs and flows (especially outdoors, but even inside)
      • Watch the highs and high-mids
      • Sound travels faster through a thick medium
      • Gradual adjustments so it sounds better
      • Increasing the mains throughout the show to keep the perceived level due to ear fatigue
      • Smaart Live for tweaking live sound
      • Listen first, then use the gear to confirm what you’re hearing
    • 00:31:35 When I mix, I want to hear a good show
      • So I tell the sound guy (me) to mix a good show
    • 00:32:57 Using the tech to isolate live to find (and fix) problems
    • 00:33:48 Learning the nuances of problems
    • 00:35:24 Hot lights to add to the sun!
      • Sweating out microphones… heat shrink tubing plus medical tape solves it
      • Microphones are EQ devices – Matt from Roswell Audio
    • 00:39:38 Mixing with earplugs?
    • 00:44:39 AirPods Pro “active earplugs” (aka Hearing Protection)
    • 00:52:25 Stories from Celebrity Week at North Shore Music Theatre
      • Almost got into a rumble with Al Martino
      • Face the wall when Wynona Judd walks by
      • Gallagher (or his brother!)
      • The Beach Boys
      • Weird Al
    • 00:56:04 The Van Halen M&Ms story
    • 00:57:37 The Beach Boys surfing on the revolving stage
    • 00:59:41 Gig Gab 519 Outtro

    The post The Engineer Is in the Band: Instinct, Ears, and Live Sound with Mike deAlmeida — Gig Gab 517 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Be Prepared and Predictable: How Richie Castellano Stays Gig-Ready12 janv. 202601:07:17

    You jump straight into the deep end with Richie Castellano as you explore what happens when preparation collides with opportunity. You follow his path from mixing weddings to standing behind massive analog rigs, wrangling six guitar channels, chasing down mysterious hums, and learning fast that the gremlins always show up when you least expect them. When the call comes to go from being Blue Oyster Cult’s sub sound engineer to bass player in four days with 21 songs to learn, the lesson is clear: play something you know, rehearse smart, and build a Just In Case bag that saves the gig. Success is not luck. It is preparation meeting the moment, and you are either ready or you are not. In order to Always Be Performing you need to Always Be Preparing!

    As the conversation deepens, you learn how adaptability gets and keeps gigs, from joining the culture of a band to solving problems so painlessly you become indispensable. Richie breaks down the craft of learning, teaching, and arranging vocal harmonies, including Yes music at the highest level, where not nailing the vocals means the whole thing falls apart. You hear why simplifying is sometimes the smart move, how spreadsheets can ease rehearsals, and why blending matters more than showing off. The episode closes with practical wisdom on collaboration with front of house, constant communication inside the band, and surrounding yourself with people on the same mission. This is a masterclass in being prepared, predictable, drama-free, and trusted when it counts.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 516 – Monday, January 12th, 2026
    • 00:01:40 From mixing weddings to arenas overnight
      • Called to sub as Blue Oyster Cult’s sound engineer
      • Steve “Woody” La Cerra
      • “Make them sound like a big bad rock band”
    • 00:06:53 The differences doing sound in a big room?
      • Six channels of guitar for 3 guitar players!
      • Where’s the cowbell?!?
    • 00:10:28 Arriving ten minutes before downbeat with the biggest system of my life
      • And it’s analog!
      • What’s that low hum
    • 00:12:49 The Gremlins That Run Around On Stage When You’re Not Looking
      • Play something you know
    • 00:17:46 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
    • 00:19:10 From sound to…playing bass in four days!
      • Here’s 18 songs… I mean 21 songs. Be ready to play this by Friday
      • Success is when preparation meets opportunity. Here’s the opportunity. Now you have to prepare for it!
      • Buck Dharma on Gig Gab
      • First gig was canceled… But that led to a rehearsal
      • Time to talk about the JustInCase…aka the Idiot Bag!
      • Plugged into the TV to rehearse
    • 00:22:39 “If you can do this five times in a row, this will be your gig.”
    • 00:25:02 Do you just want me to join the band?
      • If you solve a problem for someone painlessly, you’re not likely to be replaced.
      • Be Prepared and Predictable
      • And No Drama
    • 00:28:41 Joining the culture of a band
      • Matt Beck on guitar for the recent Jon Anderson tour fit perfectly
      • Being adaptable gets and keeps gigs
    • 00:33:22 Learning and teaching harmonies
      • Learning how to soften and blend
      • 40th Anniversary of Agents of Fortune
      • A trick: learn how to do impressions. “Sing this like Peter Gabriel”, “Sing this like Michael McDonald”
    • 00:39:51 Arranging Harmonies for Yes music
      • Don’t be afraid to simplify, folks
      • Use a spreadsheet!
      • Get it to “the best WE can do it”
      • Then ask “how can we make this blend better?”
    • 00:45:13 If we don’t nail the vocals, we suck!
    • 00:48:29 The collaboration between band and front of house
      • Ask front of house engineer: What do you need from me to sound good?
      • End sound check with an a capella vocal moment
    • 00:52:24 Talk to your bandmates and continually tweak things
      • “Why does your snare drum sound different today?”
    • 00:54:11 Surround yourself with bandmates who are on the same mission
    • 00:59:58 When bands write vocal harmonies
    • 01:04:18 Gig Gab 514 Outtro

    The post Be Prepared and Predictable: How Richie Castellano Stays Gig-Ready — Gig Gab 516 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Mixing Legends Live: Robert Scovill at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame05 janv. 202601:32:08

    You step into the pressure cooker of elite live sound, where Robert Scovill shows you why chaos is often the best teacher. From mixing Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions with zero margin for error to handling full-band changeovers on the fly, you learn that perfection is worth chasing but dangerous to demand. You hear why live mixing beats the studio for him. It is about capturing ensemble moments, not polishing parts. Even when the doubt creeps in before showtime, the lights come up, the band hits, and the moment reminds you why you do this. This is the mindset of Always Be Performing.

    You also get practical, battle-tested tactics for surviving high-stakes gigs. Learn how to study a band fast, who sings, who solos, and when, using recordings and YouTube as prep tools. You hear what it takes to mix legendary harmony vocals, why artists like Def Leppard insist on singing live, and how those expectations shape your approach.

    Then it gets nerdy in the best way, with the evolution of De-Feedback, real-world use at the Rock Hall, and how tools like reverse impulse responses can clean up wedges, vocals, and even IEMs. The takeaway is clear. Preparation, adaptability, and relentless curiosity are what keep you in the game.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 515 – Monday, January 5th, 2026
    • 00:01:25 Mixing Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
      • 10+ Acts… with full changeovers
      • Trial by fire, with no time!
    • 00:07:27 The enjoyment of the pressure of mixing live
      • Perfection is a great thing to strive for, a terrible thing to achieve
    • 00:09:00 Giving up on the studio in favor of live
      • Way more interested in recording ensemble moments
    • 00:10:10 Started in live sound in the 1970s
    • 00:12:04 Full circle moments at Rock Hall
      • Mixing the Joe Cocker induction with Tedeschi Trucks
      • Mixing Peter Frampton…a throwback moment
    • 00:17:34 That thought creeps in: “I don’t know if I can keep doing this”
      • And then the show happens…with all of its moments!
    • 00:22:34 Learning a band quickly
      • Who’s singing? When?
      • Who plays the guitar solos (and when)?
      • Give them a recording in advance
      • Find them on YouTube
    • 00:25:53 Dolly Parton and Rob Halford sing Jolene
    • 00:28:23 Mixing Def Leppard harmony vocals
      • Def Leppard is a great example: they wanted to sing live
      • They worked hard to deliver what they expected (and what people expected)
    • 00:34:50 Mixing Prince at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
    • 00:38:20 Always Be Recording…and here’s why: Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks
    • 00:43:04 Alpha Labs De-Feedback
    • 00:48:42 De-Feedback started to “make churches sound better”
    • 00:57:28 De-Feedback at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
      • Elton John (because of his loud monitor wedges)
      • Cyndi Lauper
    • 01:02:02 Comparing De-Feedback to a Neve 5045
    • 01:10:19 A live De-Feedback demo and some nerdy details!
    • 01:26:24 Fixing IEMs with De-Feedback
      • Think about eliminating drum bleed from vocal mics, for one.
    • 01:28:47 Gig Gab 515 Outtro

     

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    The Hidden Work of Fun: Systems for Working Musicians with Richard Page29 déc. 202501:11:45

    You love the music, but being a working musician comes with friction, and this episode tackles it head-on. You dig into the real difference between tribute bands and celebration projects, how to prep when multiple gigs stack up fast, and why anxiety creeps in when preparation gets sloppy. You explore how much rehearsal is enough, when studio versions help versus live recordings, and why fun disappears when expectations are unclear. The big takeaway is simple: intention matters. When you walk into rehearsal with a plan, a personal worklist, and shared expectations, you protect your energy and stay focused on what matters most. That focus is how you keep growing while Always Be Performing.

    From rehearsals to gig day, you learn how systems save your sanity. You hear why rehearsal recordings only work if someone is actually assigned to listen, how shared calendars prevent chaos, and why group texts quietly sabotage bands. You break down practical tools for managing gigs, promotion, and communication, from punchlist spreadsheets to task masters who own the details. You even get into tech expectations for bandmates and why alignment matters more than gear. The message is clear: externalize the details, reduce decision fatigue, and free your head to show up present, prepared, and confident on stage.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 514 – Monday, December 29th, 2025
    • 00:02:03 Richard’s got some tribute shows happening
    • 00:06:07 Dave’s got three different shows to learn and play in 2 weeks
      • The anxiety of preparing for too many gigs at once
      • When prepping celebration shows, do you do all studio? Some live?
    • 00:24:33 SPONSOR: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at rula.com/giggab #rulapod
    • 00:26:19 NAMM coming up!
    • 00:26:55 Being a working musician comes with a lot of friction to have fun
    • 00:28:48 Setting rehearsal intention
      • Have a plan!
      • Be careful of repeating songs and consuming time
      • Set expectations. Ensure everyone arrives on the same page.
      • Keep a “personal worklist” note going on your phone during rehearsals
    • 00:33:41 Maximizing rehearsal recordings
      • Rotate between band-members for listening to rehearsal recordings
      • You inspect what you expect!
    • 00:38:49 Scheduling rehearsals
    • 00:42:36 Inter-band communication
      • Group Messages…SUCK (especially now with RCS, that was supposed to fix it)
      • You’ve gotta have a task-master!
      • WheresTheGig.com
      • BandHelper
    • 00:50:46 Creating a Spreadsheet punchlist for gigs
    • 00:55:55 Tech requirements for new band members
      • Green Bubble Prejudice!
    • 01:02:12 Three iPads
    • 01:10:17 Gig Gab 514 Outtro

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    Lindsay Manfredi’s Road to Cold: Music, Micro-Pivots, and Radical Self-Worth22 déc. 202501:06:07

    You follow Lindsay Manfredi’s wild, non-linear path from merch table to main stage, and she shows you exactly how saying yes, showing up, and outworking your fear can change your entire trajectory. You hear how she moved to Florida at twenty chasing a rock-star dream, became an instant Cold superfan, and eventually landed the bass gig through a Twitter message that felt too unreal to be real. She talks candidly about law-of-attraction moments, why every Cold song has to matter, and where the line sits between authentic human creativity and formulaic or AI-generated music. Through it all, she reminds you that most fears never materialize and it takes the same effort to believe in yourself as it does to doubt yourself. Always Be Performing.

    From there, you shift into the discipline behind her artistry: preparing for tours months in advance, running the set nearly every day, and over-preparing so the stage actually feels fun. She shares how making the road feel like home keeps her grounded, and how her book “The Girl Who Cried Love” came from losing her sense of self and rebuilding true self-worth, not just confidence. You explore dropping habits that don’t serve you, reconnecting with what you really value, and even why revisiting Mad Men taught her to only compete with herself. Finally, you wrap with a deep dive into in-ear monitor strategy, why a great mix beats great gear, and the small decisions that make performing sustainable for the long haul.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 513 – Monday, December 22nd, 2025
    • 00:01:30 Twenty years old, moved to Florida to become a rock star
    • 00:04:45 Bringing the Law of attraction into the rock world
      • Lindsay’s Cold tattoo made it into the album insert
      • 00:06:00 Getting the Cold gig… on Twitter in 2014
      • Picture Yes was playing at The Vogue in Indianapolis on tour with Saving Abel
      • Check your Facebook messages: “Will you be in our band?”
    • 00:07:32 Always say “yes!” — Build the plane while you’re flying it.
      • Bought a 5-String
    • 00:09:09 Play music because you love to play music
      • No fluff songs in Cold
      • Every song matters
    • 00:11:25 Fuck AI to create music
      • Is Formulaic Music from humans just as bad as AI-Created Music
      • When do we hit the point where it’s OK to use AI to create music
    • 00:20:13 If you’re an artist, you’re going to create art.
      • 85% of what we’re afraid of won’t happen.
      • It takes just as much effort to have faith in something as it does to fear something
    • 00:23:46 Transitioning from fan to band member
      • Scooter says: “bring your personality to it!”
      • Capture the original intent and emotion
      • Lindsay rewrote the run in “So Long June” and… it was welcomed!
    • 00:27:30 Preparing enough to have fun on stage
      • Months of practice before a tour
      • In order to have fun on stage… I need to be an over-preparer!
      • Fender P-Bass at home to learn and prepare for tour
      • Heavier strings on the practice bass
      • Run the set every day (almost)
    • 00:33:42 Start rehearsal in December for tour in April
      • It’s more fun to be prepared
    • 00:36:10 Making the road feel like home
      • Making your bunk your own
      • Cold is a family
      • Touring is my favorite thing to do
    • 00:39:52 The Girl Who Cried Love, a Pivot to Self Worth
      • Lindsay: I lost myself into what became a failed relationship
      • Trying to prove my worth to someone who didn’t see my worth
      • So many of us aren’t taught what our true worth is
      • Asking herself: “Lindsay, what do you really want in your life? What is your purpose? What are your values?”
      • The difference between confidence and self-worth.
    • 00:45:33 It’s hard to drop the shit that’s not serving you
    • 00:46:37 How can I make the world a little bit better?
      • Being in the audience first makes everything so much clearer
    • 00:47:51 Identifying a bad habit before you can drop it
      • “My goal in life is to wake up laughing every day”
    • 00:49:01 Revisiting Mad Men, of all things
      • Better to compete with yourself
    • 00:51:19 In Ear Monitors
    • 01:01:52 Gig Gab 513 Outtro

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    Booking Smarter, Singing Harder: Demetri Papanicolau on Gig Life15 déc. 202501:10:51

    You follow Demetri Papanicolau’s winding path from Fidelity financial consultant to full-time booking agent and working musician, discovering how taking risks, saying yes to scary gigs, and learning from every stage moment shaped his career. You hear how singing AC/DC and Zeppelin in high school, drilling Beatles harmonies, and navigating the evolution from originals to covers built the chops he still relies on today. As you ride through stories of surprise band formations, COVID-era pivots, and the birth of Rotten Apple, you’re reminded that you must Always Be Performing, even when the gig you expected turns into something entirely different.

    You also step inside Demetri’s world at Notso Costley Productions, where booking is equal parts diplomacy, coaching, and reading the room. He breaks down what venues actually want, what musicians consistently get wrong, and how reliability wins more than draw. You learn how he balances the needs of solos, duos, trios, and full bands; why non-verbal communication and a good hang matter; how to build an EPK that gets you on a roster; and what happens when rates rise across the scene. Through it all, Demetri shows how being both booker and performer lets him guide bands and venues toward smoother nights, stronger partnerships, and gigs that keep everyone coming back.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 512 – Monday, December 15th, 2025
    • NAMM coming up!
    • 00:02:19 From Fidelity Financial Consultant to Acquiring and running a Booking Agency
    • 00:05:33 Singing AC/DC and Zeppelin in high school to vocal lessons
    • 00:06:06 Learning harmonies by singing The Beatles
    • 00:07:32 Playing in an original band that became a cover band
    • 00:10:05 Learning while not playing…big ears!
      • Submitted to America’s Got Talent
    • 00:13:39 Taking new gigs even when they scare the heck out of you
      • A Josh Logan cancelation leads to a band formation to sub!
    • 00:16:02 It’s not about the gigs you take, it’s also about the gigs you don’t take
      • Be selective!
    • 00:17:17 Alice and Chains becomes the thread to the story
    • 00:18:51 COVID derails (and delays) some gigs…oh how we remember!
    • 00:22:28 Always performing with passion
      • …and perfection!
      • Developing that non-verbal communication
    • 00:28:22 Bonding as harmony singers
      • When you find that magic formula with someone, stick with it!
    • 00:33:41 Putting the time in for continuous growth
      • Maintaining beginner’s mind
    • 00:34:07 Finding those right partners where it’s a good hang
      • When your FOH Jim Roese, FOH with Fuel, Melissa Etheridge, and also Rotten Apple
    • 00:37:44 Running a booking agency
      • Working for both the venue and the performer
      • Having a roster of musicians: solos, duos, trios, full bands
      • Being in the performer’s shoes helps Demetri be a coach to bands AND venues to ensure smooth sailing
    • 00:42:48 Reading the room goes a long
    • 00:44:15 Demetri’s advice for making it work (or not work)
      • To get on the roster: Have a good EPK and promo kit
      • Once you’re on: responsiveness, being available, managing your schedule
    • 00:46:24 Demetri’s biggest juggling act: adapting to last-minute changes
      • The time Casual Gravity cancelled last minute!
      • Reliability is huge
    • 00:54:17 Venue feedback
      • Draw isn’t always the most important thing
      • Be a pro on the mic. Represent the venue.
      • Play the right songs.
      • Keeping the venues happy allows Demetri to book his roster of performers
    • 00:57:43 Raising rates for the performer
      • New rates for 2025
      • $230-$250 for solo (from $170-$200 three years ago)
      • $450-$500 for duo
      • $660-$700 for trio
      • $700-$1,000 for bands (or more for A-List prices)
      • Balancing rates between performers and venues, ensuring everyone is profitable
    • 01:05:03 Carrying on Paul Costley’s legacy and tradition with Nosto Costley Productions
      • Took a voluntary buyout package from Fidelity to make the time to acquire the agency
      • 12/31/2021 was the day Demetri took over…and stopped cutting his hair
    • 01:09:20 Gig Gab 512 Outtro

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    From Hiatus to 250K Streams: The Gale Bird Story with Sean Monahan08 déc. 202500:58:56

    Sean Monahan from Gale Bird joins Dave Hamilton to walk you through their path of being successful working musicians in an original band. You follow Gale Bird’s path from college songwriting to a 13-year hiatus and a full-tilt return that finally landed Gale Bird on a label. You hear how the band treats music as both passion and business, blending Sean’s production chops with Joshua’s marketing instincts to create songs that connect. You get reminded that “overnight success” takes decades, and that everyone who hires you is thinking in terms of return. Failure, lineup changes, stalled gigs… they’re not roadblocks, folks, they’re prep for the next shot. That’s where you lean into the mindset: Always Be Performing.

    You also learn how the label helps identify the songs that will land, how playlist strategy works, and how Gale Bird built a digital identity alongside their live-show firepower. You dig into their content engine, daily-posting experiments, AI reels, and the push to film everything. Collaboration becomes a skill, not an accident, and you see how respecting different strengths keeps the whole machine running. Gear Gab rounds it out with a bit of a wishlist: Kempers, custom Teles, splitter snakes, and the stress test of soundcheck when tech goes sideways. Press play and enjoy!

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 511 – Monday, December 8th, 2025
    • 00:01:50 Went to two different schools together
      • Met in college, started writing songs, doing some local touring
      • Then a 13-year break after college while they started families
      • And then, two years ago, you got the band back together!
    • 00:03:19 Signed to a label
    • 00:05:11 A Passion that’s also very much a business
      • Producing art that is digested by as many people as possible
      • Sean’s been a full-time musician since college
      • Learned all the right production techniques
      • Met all the right people
      • Hiring the right engineer and session musicians for the album
      • Joshua has been in sales and marketing as his career
      • And also understands aesthetics and marketing… and is Sean’s co-songwriter
    • 00:07:57 The label saw *people* they could invest in, and also liked their sound
    • 00:10:07 This is the entertainment business!
      • Whomever hires you is thinking about dollar signs
      • They need to see the return, and as a musician you have to understand that
    • 00:13:21 Failure prepares you for what’s next
      • Sometimes a gig ends
    • 00:15:54 250,000 streams in one year!
    • 00:16:56 The Label helps
      • Staying in touch with Playlisters and other avenues like radio, too
    • 00:19:38 Getting on Playlists
      • Label says, “write 20 songs, we’ll pick one or two” when we analyze what will perform the best on the streamers
      • One side of the business: live shows full of rock and feels and merch and all that
      • The other side: the digital side. People need to have a representation of the band that’s unique to them.
      • The label is the expert for the digital side, knowing how to identify the songs that will land on the streamers
      • Turns out we land in the “country” genre, so we’ll add a banjo to a song (for example).
      • Roses by Gale Bird is a perfect example
    • 00:24:25 SPONSOR: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at rula.com/giggab #rulapod
    • 00:26:12 Creating a social media system for your band
      • An experiment: post every day for 2 months and see what happens
      • Lesson learned: go heavy for a shorter period of time
      • Always be thinking about future content. Film, film, film
      • AI Reels
      • A/B testing
    • 00:33:31 Creating side businesses to funnel and fuel Gale Bird
    • 00:35:00 Learning to collaborate on your own songs
      • “The better a songwriter is at collaboration, the more successful they’ll be”
    • 00:36:48 The Gale Bird formula
      • Can play as a duo or a full band or anything in between.
    • 00:38:39 Respecting skillsets
      • Sean shines in the studio: plays all the instruments except drums
      • Joshua shines on stage: sings, plays acoustic guitar, and has excellent stage presence
    • 00:44:05 …and managing pride
    • 00:44:27 Gear Gab
    • 00:44:56 Fender and Guitar Center collaborated on a custom telecaster
    • 00:46:32 Sean went to a Kemper rig
    • 00:48:25 Behringer Wing Rack
    • 00:54:12 The stress of tech issues at soundcheck
    • 00:57:10 Gig Gab 511 Outtro

    The post From Hiatus to 250K Streams: The Gale Bird Story with Sean Monahan — Gig Gab 511 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Gig Wisdom & Scheduled Fun Time with Matt Musty of Train01 déc. 202501:04:01

    Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look with Train’s drummer Matt Musty and host Dave Hamilton as they dive deep into gig wisdom, touring tips, and pro gear secrets. Learn why being on time, managing your role smartly, and balancing music, money, and the hang is essential for a successful music career. From handling days off and staying rested on the road to mastering in-ear monitors with creative mic setups, this episode is packed with actionable advice every touring musician needs. Always Be Performing with fresh insights that keep you inspired and ready for every show.

    Discover how Matt approaches touring with diplomacy, band dynamics, and staying connected to home life while on the road. Explore favorite microphones for perfect in-ear sound, how to avoid a sterile IEM mix, and the importance of scheduled fun time to keep social media engaging. Whether you’re a musician, live sound enthusiast, or fan of the tour life, this episode offers a masterclass in professionalism and passion to elevate your musical journey and keep your performance sharp night after night.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 510 – Monday, December 1st, 2025
    • 00:02:22 Train continues to level up
    • 00:03:40 Waking up the singer ten minutes before the gig!
    • 00:06:10 Gig Advice from Musty: Be On Time
    • 00:08:46 I’m not ever the guy who hangs around
      • My job’s done
    • 00:10:09 Managing your opinion
    • 00:11:16 The long game of diplomacy is the key to a successful career
      • The gig philosophy, 2 out of 3 aint bad:
        • Music
        • Money
        • Hang
    • 00:15:51 Days off are tough on the band and crew
    • 00:18:26 The risk of hanging out with your road-hosts after the gig
      • Prioritizing sleep on the road
    • 00:23:42 The Zen of the connection between you and your gear
      • The no-soundcheck days
    • 00:28:48 PODCAST: Album Archives. Count down The Top 300 Albums of All Time — one record at a time — with Album Archives | The Vault of Music History.
    • 00:29:46 IEM Talk!
      • Sometimes a broken seal
      • Ideas for avoiding a sterile IEM mix
        • Matt put a “crotch mic in place: a Beyer M160 underneath the snare to grab the sound of the kit and put it through some reverb with compression AFTER the reverb
        • Audience Mics
        • Adding reverb to the drums and vocal mics
      • Play every song like it’s the first time. Be inspired!
    • 00:41:39 Finding the right microphones to capture your instrument for your in-ears
    • 00:44:37 Favorite snare drum mics
    • 00:49:31 The short version of the Earthworks story
    • 00:51:15 Keeping a connection to home while on the road
    • 00:52:30 Enjoying the spoils of a high-level tour
    • 00:56:42 Being recognized for your job
    • 00:59:10 A quick social media discussion
    • 01:02:48 Gig Gab 510 Outtro

    The post Gig Wisdom & Scheduled Fun Time with Matt Musty of Train — Gig Gab 510 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Inside Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, and The Beatles with David Leaf24 nov. 202501:02:35

    You drop into this episode walking side-by-side with David Leaf as he revisits the moments that shaped his life around Brian Wilson’s genius. You hear how Brian needed unconditional connection to create, how Leaf found himself driving tour vans, sitting in private Sinatra rehearsals, and realizing he had to earn his place in those rooms. From LA trips with legends to the spark that made him pack up, move west, and chase Brian’s story head-on, you feel the lesson hit hard: keep moving forward and Always Be Performing.

    You also get a front-row view into the musical engine behind Brian Wilson’s world. Leaf breaks down the jazz-rooted harmonies, the devotion of Brian’s touring band, and the emotional work that helped Brian reclaim his confidence. You learn how Pet Sounds floored Lennon and McCartney, why Paul might be the biggest Beatles fan alive, and why Leaf argues Brian deserves solo induction into the Rock Hall. Along the way, you’re guided through The Reel Beatles class, the making of Smile, and the books that document it all, leaving you with the sense that loving music isn’t passive… it’s a craft you show up for every day.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 509 – Monday, November 24th, 2025
    • 00:02:16 Brian Wilson calls… I need “friends” in the room.
    • 00:07:20 First Trip to LA…with Nelson Riddle and Frank Sinatra
    • 00:11:04 In college he became obsessed with Brian Wilson
    • 00:11:50 The band for Brian’s 1999-2000 tour, Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE
      • The band was devoted to recreating the moments
    • 00:12:24 If you’re obsessed with Brian Wilson, why dont you do something about it
      • Why don’t I move to California, meet Brian Wilson, and write a book about him and help him finish SMiLE
      • My parents told me I was special, and I believed them.
    • 00:13:58 Walked up to Dennis Wilson and told him he was going to write a book about his brother
      • Lesson: Keep moving forward!
    • 00:15:37 Brian and I were friends
    • 00:16:33 Brian loved to do casual singing
      • Singing along to the oldies with Brian Wilson
      • Going to the Church of Brian Wilson
    • 00:19:08 His musicians gave him the unconditional love he needed to play this music
      • …and eventually release Smile
      • Brian Wilson saw Wild Honey… “If I had this group back in the 1960s, I could have taken Smile on the road!”
    • 00:22:47 The technical complexities of Brian Wilson’s harmonies
      • Brian came from jazz
    • 00:25:42 Brian Wilson’s relationship with Sir Paul McCartney
      • When Pet Sounds came out, John and Paul told him how much they loved the album
      • Recording Artists were Song Monkeys in the old days
    • 00:29:08 SPONSOR: Surfshark. Go to https://surfshark.com/giggab4 or use code giggab at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
    • 00:31:29 SPONSOR: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/giggab #rulapod
    • 00:33:29 Brian Wilson singing Brian Wilson
    • 00:38:45 Brian Wilson had initial confidence, and then it was beaten out of him
    • 00:39:44 Managing The Pressure of First Fame
      • Finally, Brian: “I have emotional security”
      • Tips for Avoiding Internal Pressure
    • 00:46:03 Meet The Reel Beatles, a 10-week class
    • 00:51:39 Paul McCartney is the world’s biggest Beatles Fan
    • 00:53:36 Brian Wilson
    • 00:56:32 David’s Books
    • 00:57:58 The candor captured Brian Wilson, Live at The Roxy
    • 01:00:59 Gig Gab 509 Outtro

    The post Inside Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, and The Beatles with David Leaf — Gig Gab 509 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Live Music, Live Mix: The Magic and the Math17 nov. 202501:14:31

    You know that moment when a gig just clicks — when everyone on stage suddenly realizes it’s more than just a show? That’s where this episode starts. You’ll hear how saying “yes” to new gigs can lead to unexpected magic, how the right players bring out the best in each other, and why being open to unfamiliar styles can change everything.

    Then the conversation gets gloriously geeky as Dave Hamilton and guest co-host Daniel East dive into using Waves plugins live, connecting your Mac to a console via Dante, and why automixing is almost—but not quite—ready for primetime. From heart to hardware, it’s all about finding balance between feel and finesse. Always Be Performing.

    The post Live Music, Live Mix: The Magic and the Math — Gig Gab 508 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Tangents, Tracks, and Tenacity with Adam Moskowitz10 nov. 202501:21:38

    In this episode, you’ll join Dave and returning guest co-host Adam Moskowitz, Chief Groove Officer of VAM Band, as they dive headfirst into the world of nanny tracks, first-gig chaos, and future-proofing your sound. From building tracks in Reaper to rehearsing smarter—not longer—you’ll learn how technology can help you bring your band’s best show to the stage fast.

    Then, it’s all about mindset: dealing with last-minute cancellations, navigating new players, and keeping your cool when the curveballs fly. Whether you’re warming up your voice with R.E.M. or re-negotiating pay on a sub gig, this episode reminds you that gigging is equal parts art, attitude, and adaptability. Keep your groove steady and—Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 507 – Monday, November 10th, 2025
    • 00:01:46 The Benefits of Nanny Tracks and Invisible Conductors
      • Arrangement and Lyrics are the two big hurdles
      • Nanny tracks can get you out of the rehearsal room FAST
      • We play new songs at every show! 25 new songs in 2025
    • 00:06:03 Playing a new song for the first time in front of a crowd
    • 00:10:41 Building the backing tracks
      • Download from Karaoke-Version and load into Reaper (Adam’s DAW of choice)
      • Snap the audio to the “grid” using the click provided by Karaoke Version.
      • Then set stretch markers at the beginning of each measure, so then I can stretch the tempo and everything stays in tune and in time
    • 00:13:42 Filling in … with a blind drummer!
      • A sub from six months ago called and asked Adam to sub in HIS band
      • Negotiating the right pay to ensure you don’t lose money
      • “The band didn’t provide a setlist…so I built one!”
      • When subbing: check the band’s YouTube to see what keys they play in
    • 00:20:40 SPONSOR: Surfshark. Go to https://surfshark.com/giggab4 or use code giggab4 at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
    • 00:22:49 What’s your vocal warmup routine?
    • 00:28:01 Create a pre-show ritual
      • Warm up your brain, your body, and set your intentions
      • Leave your baggage behind, focus on bringing joy and having fun
    • 00:29:49 Avoiding Cancellations with a System
      • Cover bands that operate like original bands: rare, and coveted! Not all bands can do that.
    • 00:34:02 What happens with 24-hour notice when your singer cancels…and you have a brand-new drummer?
      • Be like water…go with the flow!
      • Using tracks as a supporting layer.
    • 00:41:30 What are you trying to do with your band?
      • Define your band’s intention.
      • For Adam and VAM Band: create something that’s future-proof
      • In VAM Band, you need to understand the value of playing the spaces
    • 00:43:58 Learn what is best in an off-stage conversation (versus on-stage)
      • The singer who said, “I hate playing this song” on stage doesn’t get re-hired
      • Curating positive energy on stage
    • 00:50:33 Setting the expectation with your bandmates up front gives you scalability
      • If you tell people that not everyone is on every gig, then it’s easy!
    • 00:57:00 Future-proofing like a Broadway show
    • 00:58:56 Are we in the golden age of music
    • 01:08:14 Adam’s sound engineer gig tomorrow: six microphones, five hours, $900
      • Adam gets the sound gig by doing sound for his band
    • 01:08:56 How to communicate your band’s sound to a FOH engineer
      • How can I help you know our band?
      • FOH engineers can drastically alter the way your band sounds
      • Put band/sound crib notes on the stage plot
    • 01:18:05 Gig Gab 507 Outtro

    The post Tangents, Tracks, and Tenacity — Gig Gab 507 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Sound Better, Gig Smarter: Tools, Tips, and Gear That Work03 nov. 202500:58:34

    In this solo hang, you dig into the real tools that keep your sound clean and your gigs tight. You’ll learn how to tame noisy tracks with the Accusonus ERA bundle, Waves Clarity Vx, and iZotope RX, plus a few quick tricks from SoundDesk to make your mixes shine. Then it’s time to talk ears—Huberman-style—with magnesium and NAC tips for keeping your hearing sharp long-term. Because if you can’t hear it, you can’t play it.

    Listener questions hit everything from cleaning your old Ultimate Ears to handling last-minute gig cancellations, balancing bar shows with private gigs, and keeping your band’s calendar under control. You’ll even pick up some practical gig wisdom—like the right way to tie up cables and hoses. Finally, gear gets its due with reviews of the Alesis Turbo Max electronic kit and Dark Matter DMA6 custom IEMs, plus hot takes on the Roland DrumLink, D’Addario Backline backpack, Zoom Q2n-4K, and microphone troubleshooting. It’s all about sharpening your setup, your sound, and your mindset—because you know the rule: Always Be Performing.

    The post Sound Better, Gig Smarter: Tools, Tips, and Gear That Work — Gig Gab 506 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    Laughs, Life, and Lessons with James "Diamond" Williams from The Ohio Players27 oct. 202500:48:20

    This week, you’re sitting down with funk legend James “Diamond” Williams from The Ohio Players! From his jazz roots and early gigs at age 14 to shaping the groove of “Love Rollercoaster” and “Fire,” Diamond shares how precision, persistence, and passion built one of the most iconic sounds in funk. You’ll hear stories of wild recording schedules, late-night gigs, and the unforgettable moment Stevie Wonder first heard “Fire.” Through it all, Diamond reminds you that love—and music—is truly a rollercoaster.

    Diamond also talks about what it takes to keep a band together, why preparation is everything, and how to push your career forward when no one else will. His message? Stay seated, stay belted, and enjoy the ride. Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 505 – Monday, October 27th, 2025
    • 00:03:35 Syncopated grooves
      • Jazz labs with his Dad
      • Gigging with jazz standards at 14 years old
      • All-City orchestra
      • Miami University
      • Marching band
      • Drum and Bugle Corps
      • All those influences
    • 00:05:38 How did the drum fill intro for “I Want to Be Free” come together
    • 00:10:16 Love Rollercoaster was an intentional pop hit
      • BTO was the “hit” band with Mercury when Ohio Players signed
      • Ohio Players told Mercury: “We need nothing from you but your money.”
      • Came in with a gold 45 and left with a Platinum album
    • 00:14:08 Crazy recording schedule
      • Playing at the Red Onion in Buffalo, NY at night while recording in Chicago during the day
      • They set a goal: “Let’s write three platinum albums in a row.”
    • 00:16:01 Stevie Wonder hears “Fire” for the first time
    • Sponsors
    • 00:22:42 “I Want To Be Free” – Midnight Special viral clip on Instagram
    • 00:24:47 The Ohio Players and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
    • 00:28:42 Keep pushing for your career… you are your best advocate
    • 00:32:42 Balancing strong personalities within a band
      • Advice: Never stop!
        • Ohio Players were a band 24/7
        • Rehearsed five days a week
      • Hearing “Me & Mrs. Jones” everywhere when starting on tour
    • 00:37:43 It comes back to preparation!
      • Diamond’s Father’s Lessons
    • 00:39:00 What transpired between Funky Worm (gold 45) and Skin Tight (Platinum album)?
      • The musicality Billy Beck and Diamond
      • Sugarfoot was always Sugarfoot: “he never came offstage”
    • 00:43:28 Touring with technology decades ago
    • 00:45:24 Diamonds life advice: love is actually a rollercoaster
      • Stay seated and belted, and enjoy the ride.
      • Stay diligent, faithful, and positive.
    • 00:47:16 Gig Gab 505 Outtro

    The post Laughs, Life, and Lessons with James “Diamond” Williams from The Ohio Players – Gig Gab 505 appeared first on Gig Gab.

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