Sometimes there are songs you play even though you don’t like them. Most of the time you play songs you like. If you’re lucky, though, every now and then you get to play a song you truly love. Yeah, yeah, we’re all pros and we always say, “my favorite song is the one I’m playing,” but that’s not necessarily true, is it?

Paul and Dave talk through different ways of navigating this reality in today’s episode. It won’t seem like it at first, but that’s how Gig Gab goes, doesn’t it? By the end, it’s all related. Come join the family. Press play and enjoy!

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 163 – Monday, April 30, 2018
• 00:02:07 Understanding the role of a front person
  • Amanda Dane
  • Jeff Steblea
• 00:05:43 Gary Cherone
• 00:09:24 Routing for your success
• 00:10:11 When it locks in like butter
  • Joe Harding
• 00:13:00 What it takes to be a sub
• 00:18:32 SPONSOR: Simple Contacts – Save $30 Off Your First Order with GIGGAB
• 00:21:57 The Opportunity to Play Music that Matters To You
• 00:24:32 The magic sync!
• 00:28:17 Familiarity and Comfort Makes the Gig spectactular!
• 00:29:22 The musical dictionary that’s a part of who you are
• 00:30:27 The China Buddha Fat Man Conundrum
• 00:37:18 What happens if the energy coming back is less than the movie in your mind?
• 00:39:00 Lay it all out there
• 00:44:07 GG 163 Outtro

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We always say, “Always Be Performing”, but what does that mean to you? Are you actively performing? Are you thinking about what to do to perform? Or are you just letting it happen naturally?

Is naturally good enough for you and your crowd? And are you the kind of musician for whom “good enough” would suffice in any other aspect of what you’re doing on stage?

Paul and Dave spend some time today talking through what it means to be a performer and begin answering some of these questions… or at least begin asking them in a way that will make you think.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 162 – Monday, April 23, 2018
• 00:02:21 Springsteen Songs are Weird to Play in a Dance Band
• 00:05:51 Teaching people Cover Songs that Matter to You
• 00:07:51 Learning from the Live Versions
• 00:11:22 Know who you are as a band
• 00:15:25 Using tracks for sounds
• 00:19:00 Is it pure to play with a track?
• 00:21:50 Performance 101 Tips
• 00:23:21 The Soloist Spotlight
• 00:27:14 Always Be Performing!
• 00:29:07 The benefit – and curse – of watching your own performances
• 00:31:43 Performance 101 Cheat Sheet
  • Smile!
  • Be Engaged on Stage
  • Interact with your bandmates
  • Don’t telegraph clams
• 00:37:41 Look the part… but look the same
  • The Spazmatics
• 00:41:31 Does your band have a Mission Statement?
• 00:44:21 Know Your Commitments
  • Super Diamond Tribute Band
• 00:46:20 Know your hand signals
• 00:47:19 Think about the sound in the room
  • Think about how you look
• 00:48:41 SPONSOR: TuneLicensing.com – GigGab2018 saves you 15% off licensing fees
• 00:51:14 Treat performance as another skill to develop
• 00:54:11 GG 162 Outtro

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Today your two favorite weekend warriors have a jam session of the spoken kind. Covering topics from early start times, ways to bring the same crowd back again and again, playing for opportunities instead of dollars, and proactively replacing gear, they cover a lot of ground.

Paul and Dave also address the Facebook dilemma that’s been plaguing humans ever since we discovered the ability to argue via text communication in a public forum, aka The Facebook Dilemma. You know your favorite weekend warriors are geeks, and today they wear that on the outside a little bit for you.

Press play, sink in, and enjoy.

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 161 – Monday, April 16, 2018
• 00:02:10 Rest and Recovery Time is important
• 00:02:47 Playing in the sunshine!
• 00:04:43 Early start times for local gigs
• 00:05:27 Know your market
• 00:07:35 Opportunity in the earlier evening
• 00:08:12 Managing an average attendance night
• 00:09:27 Don’t outsmart yourself with your schedule!
• 00:11:35 Creating episodic live music “content”
• 00:16:08 Choose people who don’t want to let others down
• 00:18:02 Being respectful of both the audience and your fellow musicians
• 00:19:27 SPONSOR: TuneLicensing.com – GigGab2018 saves you 15% off licensing fees
• 00:21:39 Should musicians entertain when the venue doesn’t provide compensation
• 00:25:20 Choosing your gigs, eyes wide open!
• 00:28:36 The Facebook dilemma
• 00:30:36 Confirmation Bias: I Think Everyone’s Brave Online
• 00:31:20 Consider the repercussions
• 00:34:24 The 4-way stop point
• 00:36:11 Proactively Replacing Gear
• 00:39:12 Playing the odds!
• 00:43:42 Buy the right gear and protect your gear
• 00:46:09 Gibson Les Paul Clones – Kris Derrig Luthier
• 00:47:29 GG 161 Outtro

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Every show has a theme and this one – not surprisingly – is about overthinking. Or is it just thinking? Or maybe it’s not thinking, but it is about your brain doing something on its own. Is that still thinking? We think it might be.

You’d better listen and find out, otherwise we’re not sure what will happen to Paul and Dave! We think they’ll be OK…

Chapters/Timestamps

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 160 – Monday, April 9, 2018
• 00:01:30 Rehearsing with intention
• 00:04:43 Managing vocal wear
• 00:06:30 8 Shows a Week… Is that a lot?
• 00:07:01 Singing technique
• 00:07:38 Hydration
• 00:09:01 Re-learning how to sing
• 00:10:09 Monitors aren’t as necessary as we think
• 00:12:13 In-ears keep your voice healthy
• 00:13:10 Migrating to in-ears is a process
• 00:14:54 Leave those in-ears in!
• 00:16:05 In-ear isolation
• 00:17:17 We’re outta channels!
• 00:18:20 SPONSOR: TuneLicensing.com – GigGab2018 saves you 15% off licensing fees
• 00:20:12 pK and Friends – Music for fun for everyone
• 00:26:28 The palpable joy from the stage
• 00:28:49 How many sets to play?
  • Milestones in Rochester, NY
• 00:31:31 Forgetting key gear!
  • Pitchslap Cajon
• 00:33:34 Forgetting the set list… And the next song!
• 00:37:30 Your brain’s very busy on stage
• 00:38:12 Band introductions
• 00:41:18 Making up for past mistakes!
• 00:44:38 CSF-Sennheiser e835 ($99.95 on Amazon)
  • Shure Beta 58
  • Heil PR30
  • Telefunken M80
• 00:49:01 QT-Run a playlist all night and just mute/unmute as needed
• 00:50:48 GG 160 Outtro

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Every time you take the stage, you have an audience out there waiting for you to deliver. In fact, the expectation is for you to do exactly that. How aware of this are you? How much do you focus on ensuring this happens, even in the event of trainwrecks and other, on-stage surprises?

Paul and Dave have a little experience with feeling the pressure to deliver for an audience, and they share these thoughts with you… the Gig Gab audience (they deliver!).

Press play, listen, and enjoy!

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 159 – Monday, April 2, 2018
• 00:01:10 Loose Gigs
  • “No Fighting at the Gig”
• 00:04:00 Handling trainwrecks
• 00:06:50
• 00:07:57 The vibe that creeps through your band
• 00:09:06 Calculating Confrontation
• 00:12:10 They deserve the best that we can give them
• 00:14:53 Your reaction to the loose night defines your professionalism
• 00:16:54 New tunes can be energizing!
• 00:19:12 Mad Haus
  • Dress professional, become professional
  • The noise of the crowd changes everything.
  • Not ready to watch the videos yet.
• 00:25:33 Mental mistakes vs. physical mistakes
• 00:27:29 There’s always something to learn
• 00:28:14 Mad Haus – Forget the last song, worry about the next one
• 00:29:56 SPONSOR: TuneLicensing.com – GigGab2018 saves you 15% off licensing fees
• 00:32:34 Sub Rant!
• 00:37:10 The implied commitment to your audience
• 00:38:07 pK and Friends Classic Rock Night
• 00:39:32 Those Melvins – 25 years and people still singing every word
• 00:44:22 Who is your band’s mentor?
• 00:46:44 Next episode: Song Style Selection
• 00:48:33 Quick Tip-Learn to invert your iPad’s colors
• 00:51:50 Your Job is to Know 1,000 Songs
• 00:52:35 Don’t watch your iPad
• 00:53:41 GG 159

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