All posts by dave.

The Definition of Great - Gig Gab Podcast 219

The Definition of Great – Gig Gab Podcast 219

How do you define “great”? More importantly: do you and your bandmates share that definition? If not, is there someone in your band to whom you all defer on that topic?

How do you make sure your band comes across “great” all the time?

Paul and Dave think there’s another word that helps this: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. And that comes in a lot of forms. Hear your two favorite weekend warriors talk about on-stage respect, in terms of both how to share frustrations as well as how to approach the substances-on-stage issue. Dress code comes up, as it always will because, after all, music is a visual art.

Or is it?

Listen to find out more!

Chapters/Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 219 – July 15, 2019
  • 00:00:44 Intro: Lots-o-Gigs!
  • 00:04:57 Intro: Multi-band gigs and song lists
  • 00:07:01 R.E.S.P.E.C.T. spells a happy band
  • 00:07:20 On-stage Frustration
    • “That tone doesn’t work for me”
    • The Bowling For Soup Lesson
  • 00:17:05 Know your vibe
  • 00:18:53 When to talk about substance issues
  • 00:31:50 What if someone from Company X is in the audience?
  • 00:32:48 Dave’s Dress Rant!
  • 00:36:17 Are you a mess?
  • 00:37:10 The definition of “Great”
  • 00:44:40 The Phish “laid back” attitude
  • 00:47:29 Live Music is a Visual Art
  • 00:50:43 Ringo Sat in with Paul McCartney!
  • 00:53:42 GG 219 Outtro

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I Really Wanted "Tiny Dancer" – Gig Gab Podcast 218

I Really Wanted “Tiny Dancer” – Gig Gab Podcast 218

Wanna hear about some cool, new gear? Wanna learn a new twist on how to have your band wish someone a happy birthday? Wanna hear some geeky stuff about how Phish appears to time their sets? How about some ideas for new venues to ply your craft?

Well, Paul and Dave deliver all of that – and more – right here in Gig Gab 218. Enjoy!

Chapters/Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 218 – July 8, 2019
  • 00:00:59 Kevin-CSF-Lyrics Prompter
  • 00:05:16 217-Rolls PM50s Personal Monitor Amplifier
  • 00:07:43 Chapters/Shownotes reminder
  • 00:09:09 The benefits of a dedicated sound engineer
  • 00:10:14 Going for the perfect pacing
  • 00:16:09 A peaceful-sounding stage
  • 00:18:08 SPONSOR: Bandzoogle – Built by musicians for musicians, Bandzoogle makes it easy to build a beautiful website for your music. Try for free for 30 days, then use promo code “giggab” to get 15% off your first year.
  • 00:20:34 Phish’s Minute Quota
  • 00:28:58 “I really wanted Tiny Dancer”
  • 00:29:52 Birthday Twist
  • 00:31:14 The Lack of Venue Imagination
  • 00:36:40 The “Yesterday” movie
  • 00:38:47 Bars are the status quo, challenge it!
  • 00:47:22 Understand the Non-Zero-Sum Game
  • 00:50:10 GG 218

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Request-O-Rama – Gig Gab Podcast 217

Request-O-Rama – Gig Gab Podcast 217

Need advice on using in-ears? Check! Want to learn how to play with a click? Check! How about managing all those wireless channels? Check!

Paul and Dave have have all sorts of tips for you… and then a discussion (also tip-filled!) about requests and how to handle them. Don’t miss this one, folks. You’re gonna love it.

Chapters/Timestamps:

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Lost a Gig? You're Not The First – Gig Gab Podcast 216

Lost a Gig? You’re Not The First – Gig Gab Podcast 216

Play long enough and you’ll lose a booking, it’s just how it goes. The questions are: how do you handle it? And what can you do to help keep it from happening in the first place? (Psst: sometimes you can’t!).

That’s not all, though. Listener Kevin has some ideas about portable staging, and Paul and Dave talk about tempos and how to manage them in your band.

Have an idea about this or anything else? Email the guys at feedback@gigabpodcast.com and they’ll share on the show!

Chapters/Timestamps:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:09 — 34.2MB) | Embed

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The Teen Town Edition – Gig Gab Podcast 215

A town with lots of teen numbers in it.Where can you hear about Sweet Home Alabama, Sample In a Jar, Tower of Power and, yes, Teen Town in the same place? This week’s Gig Gab Podcast, of course!

Plus, for those of you who aren’t coiling cables correctly – and that includes pretty much every one of you if you haven’t played in a band with Dave – you can hear about Dave’s crazy way of doing this, too. It’s crazy-effective. Dave also talks about a tantrum he once had at a gig. These two things might be related.

Paul shares the secret about how he lets his bandmates know they’re late to the stage, your two favorite weekend warriors talk about the beauty of running your in-ears in stereo, and then there’s time for a discussion about wireless dongles!

Trust us, you don’t wanna miss this one.

Chapters/Timestamps:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:49 — 37.6MB) | Embed

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The Glass Ceiling for Cover Bands? – Gig Gab Podcast 214

The Glass Ceiling for Cover Bands? – Gig Gab Podcast 214Your listener feedback this week brings Paul and Dave to some interesting places, first talking about the shortage of keyboard players, and wrapping up with a conversation about the glass ceiling for cover bands.

But first, your two favorite weekend warriors got a chance to play together last week, so there’s a lot to talk about there, too, including the concept of who is “right” on stage when someone makes a mistake?

Press play, download, and enjoy it all!

Chapters/Timestamps

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 214 – June 10, 2019
  • 00:01:09 Dave sits in with the Houserockers
  • 00:03:14 Sophomore slump
  • 00:05:24 “Right” is consensus
  • 00:13:23 Mis-counting measures
  • 00:14:36 The tuning battle
  • 00:19:57 The drummer as the producer
  • 00:22:06 Game-Time Decisions
  • 00:23:27 Vic Firth 5B DoubleGlaze
  • 00:26:53 In tribute to Russ
  • 00:29:42 Kevin-The Shortage of Competent Keys Players
  • 00:40:08 Richard-The Glass Ceiling of the Cover Band Scene
  • 00:53:21 Dress it up a little
  • 00:59:00 Hit the stage and deliver
  • 01:04:06 GG 214 Outtro

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Analyzing Your Performances – Gig Gab Podcast 213

Do you analyze your performances after the fact? If so… how long do you wait? Paul and Dave discuss the relative merits of when this is helpful, and how.

But first, a fight! Well, not really, but there’s a sternly-worded discussion to be had about sitting vs. standing at your gigs.

Paul and Dave will be playing together again next week, too, so they talk a little about that, as well… with more to come next week!

All of this and more. Press play and enjoy!

Chapters/Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 213 – Thursday, May 30, 2019
  • 00:01:23 Meat-and-Potatoes Grooves with Paul and Dave!
  • 00:02:20 Totes McGoat – the big ears of sidepeople
  • 00:05:38 Acoustic Confidence
  • 00:07:07 The String of Houserockers Guitar Players
  • 00:08:00 A bad player is the genesis of Gig Gab
  • 00:13:26 SPONSOR: Bandzoogle: Built by musicians for musicians, Bandzoogle makes it easy to build a beautiful website for your music. Try for free for 30 days, then use promo code “giggab” to get 15% off your first year.
  • 00:16:13 The Sit vs. Stand Discussion
  • 00:19:49 Check the box: From Under the Knife to Taking the Stage in One Day
  • 00:23:34 Mad Haus… Who knows?
  • 00:25:53 The benefits of immediate analysis
  • 00:29:01 Is it worth it?
  • 00:31:34 Dissecting your Dissections
  • 00:33:07 Sammy Hagar
  • 00:36:33 Night Ranger Know Who They Are
  • 00:39:30 Paul’s Top 5 Sammy Hagar Songs
    • Space Station #5
    • Red
    • Get on Your Bad Motor Scooter and Ride
    • I’ve Done Everything For You
    • Young Girl Blues
  • 00:43:26 Meet your Podcasters on Wednesday!
  • 00:45:27 GG 213 Outtro

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What’s Your Scene? – Gig Gab Podcast 212

Episode image for Gig Gab Podcast 212Real estate agents and musicians share a common truth: location matters. What’s your location like? What’s your scene like? Has it changed? Have you stopped recently and really evaluated what you’ve got around you? That’s what Paul and Dave do to start today’s show.

Then it’s on to listener feedback, where Dan shares some great advice for insuring your instruments and Rob encourages your two favorite weekend warriors to share their advice on vocal mics.

Lastly, are you picky? I mean, of course you are. You’re a discerning podcast listener who knows quality when you find it! But… are you picky in your band? Do you spend time dissecting the details of every venue that you play? Are you a complainer? Are you too picky? Let’s find out together, shall we? Press play and enjoy!

Chapters/Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 212 – Tuesday, May 21, 2019
  • 00:01:26 Right is Relative
  • 00:06:07 What’s My Scene?
  • 00:17:05 What have you Scene?
  • 00:20:53 Prioritize Your Salesperson
  • 00:24:04 Waxing and Waning
  • 00:28:14 Dan-MusicPro Insurance
  • 00:31:39 Ron-Vocal Mic for Singing Drummers
  • 00:36:20 How Picky is Too Picky?
  • 00:41:03 Negative Comments are Band Cancer
  • 00:48:00 Sweating the Quality Details
  • 00:53:00 Gig Gab 212 Outtro

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Shared Guilty Pleasures – Gig Gab Podcast 211

Is it a jam session if no music is played? What if music is discussed? Your two favorite weekend warriors say, “yes!” to these questions, and start off the episode with a jam session about setlists.

Listen as Paul and Dave talk through a few of their recent setlist choices and how they worked out. During this, of course, you’ll learn about the beauty of shared guilty pleasures. We promise, all family-friendly!

Then it’s on to a few listener questions, including one about insuring your equipment.

Have an idea to share? Send it in to feedback@giggabpodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Chapters/Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 211 – Monday, May 13, 2019
  • 00:00:45 Getting your logistics together for a ticketed gig
  • 00:02:02 Give it Away Now!
  • 00:06:14 Setlist Serendipity
  • 00:12:00 Song Selection Jam Session
  • 00:20:00 Shared Guilty Pleasures
  • 00:22:29 Kevin-Visible Distractions
  • 00:28:55 Conversations on Stage
  • 00:34:28 Talking about the meaning of songs
  • 00:37:05 Kevin-Instrument Insurance
  • 00:42:16 Kevin-Storing Your Cases Behind a Backdrop
  • 00:46:25 Share your rider – feedback@giggabpodcast.com
  • 00:51:42 Gig Gab 211

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The Martini Metric – Gig Gab Podcast 210

Martini glass made of money with text: The Martini Metric - Gig Gab Podcast 210When you find an episode that has great catchphrases like “Woodshedding The Breaks”, “Stay Humble and Hungry”, “One Note per Word”, and “The Martini Metric”, you know it’s gonna be good. Listen as Paul and Dave, your two favorite weekend warriors, have a verbal jam session in which they not only discuss these things but relate them all together. Press play, enjoy, and always be performing!

Chapters/Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 210 – Monday, May 6, 2019
  • 00:00:57 Embracing The Breaks
  • 00:03:35 We love your feedback
  • 00:05:47 Fake your confidence and just sing
  • 00:13:00 Keep your singing simple. “One note per word”
  • 00:14:26 “Right” is defined by best group outcome
  • 00:21:58 Reminded of being alert
  • 00:22:05 “I Just Want To Celebrate” Dissection
  • 00:23:43 The Concept of a Stumble Through
  • 00:32:39 Recording to guide tracks
  • 00:36:26 The sound of recorded live instruments
  • 00:38:05 Ticketing a live event
  • 00:45:23 The built-in audience
  • 00:52:37 Stay Humble and Hungry!
  • 00:54:23 Gig Gab 210 Outtro

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:18 — 38.4MB) | Embed

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