What do you do when you’re approached by someone at a gig who wants more than just a friendly hello? How about dealing with a booking agent who makes promises they won’t keep? Do you sell merchandise (versus just having merchandise you can’t sell)? And… what do you do to keep yourself inspired as a player? Listen as Paul Kent Read more
Music is about emotion, and passion, and expression, and so many other intangible things. But how do you get there? What are the mechanics that it takes to make this happen? This is where Paul and Dave’s inspiration comes from for today’s episode. How do you deal with playing with musicians for the first time? How do you deal with Read more
Sometimes the topics just flow. Of course, you folks do help with that… and today it’s all over the place. Paul and Dave take you on a journey that starts with revamping the airline industry, touches on the beauty of Alex Chilton’s blue-eyed-soul-inspired power pop, mentions Rick Nielsen more than once, and digs into the money conversation. It’s true, your Read more
Some of the greatest art comes from an artist who trusts themselves, regardless of what others are saying, and just puts it out there. This, of course, can happen in many different forms. In music, it can be the guy who came up with an infectious piano groove to change a hit song to his liking, a songwriter who hones Read more
How many ways do you communicate your identity or that of your band? Is it in your performance? Is it in your merchandise? Is it in your stage banter? Is it on your kick drum head? Is it in your name? The answer is yes! And, of course, Paul and Dave have some things to add to this conversation. Even Read more
This week, your two favorite working musicians dig into the now-overflowing mailbag and share your thoughts and questions with the audience. Hear Kevin’s thoughts about having your own, band-specific, portable monitor rack, DK’s thoughts about the Soundcraft Ui24R, and Martin’s question about mixing politics and music. Paul and Dave talk through all of these with you, of course, and then Read more
Dan Meblin, leader of San Francisco Bay Area band “Pop Fiction” joins Paul and Dave this week to talk through running a successful cover/party/function band. Dan and his bandmates created Pop Fiction after playing together in a band catering to a similar market, and Dan’s history includes both playing in original bands and working in the Silicon Valley technology world. Read more
We often talk about stage presence, but what about off-stage presence? And how much is too much? And what happens when a fan reads more into your vibe than you intended? How do you remain appropriately distant without appearing to be aloof? Then it’s on to some Cool Stuff Found that Dave encountered at CES. Definitely something here you’ll want Read more
It’s been 195 episodes and almost four years. Paul Kent and Dave Hamilton take you through some lessons they’ve learned this year. What lessons have you learned? Send ’em in to [email protected].
Your weekend warriors love gear as much as the next musician, so they each take some time to talk through a few things on their Gigging Christmas Wishlists. But first, it’s time for a few discussions. Do you have trouble memorizing your lyrics? The guys talk through their tips and strategies for that… as well as commiserating about how difficult Read more