Gig Gab - The Working Musicians' Podcast

Tonight Paul and Dave’s (fictitious) Aunt has left them some money and they’re opening a club targeted at live music. Hear what these two Weekend Warriors have to say as they Monday-morning quarterback their way through drafting a business plan for a live music venue. All manner of topics are […] The post Paul & Dave Open a Club (in their minds) – GigGab 45 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Going to see live music is something every musician enjoys at some level, but depending upon who is playing there might be other emotions involved. How do you feel watching your friends play? Is it different if they’re doing great versus if they’re having a bad night? Paul and Dave […] The post Watching Your Friends Play – GigGab 44 appeared first on Gig Gab.

San Francisco Bay Area musician Steve Siacotos has been cultivating scenes and perfecting his craft while catering to audiences for decades. In addition to learning some of Steve’s favorite “aha!” tunes, you can hear the context around some great quotes like, “the audience is as important to the music as […] The post Steve Siacotos Talks Aha! Tunes and Scene Creation – GigGab 43 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Another jam-session of an episode that covers all the bases, from Christmas music to prog rock geekery to the beginnings of fusion to playing music with people who know rock stars. All of that’s here plus all the stuff that links it together. Paul and Dave go on a musical journey […] The post The Great Swing Scare of the Mid-90s – GigGab 42 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Guitarist, songwriter, marketer and entrepreneur Matt Gibson joins your two favorite weekend warriors to discuss building a business as a foundation for your musical endeavors. From growing over one million followers on Google+ to starting a podcast and experimenting with Facebook ads, Matt Gibson preaches the value of “social proof,” fame […] The post From a Military Career to 1MM Followers, Guitarist Matt Gibson Shows the Way – GigGab 41 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Paul’s straight off an airplane from Vegas. Dave literally hopped out of the drum stool from FLING rehearsal, walked five feet and sat in the podcast chair to record. This is your two favorite working musicians in a true flow state tonight, folks. Rehearsal was the topic, but it goes […] The post The Rehearsal Dissection – GigGab 40 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist (and podcaster!) Mark Linsenmayer joins Paul and Dave this week to offer a different perspective on gigging and how it relates to non-cover material. Mark’s stories are varied and colorful, and even include quite a few references to when he and Dave played music together many years ago. […] The post The Songwriter’s Perspective with Mark Linsenmayer – GigGab 39 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Tonight Paul and Dave go deep into what makes them tick as musicians… and into what ticks them off! Following a great article that Paul found, he and Dave talk through the 7 Things Musicians Need To Do Besides Playing Music, and it brings your two favorite Weekend Warriors down […] The post 7 Things Musicians Need To Do In Addition to Playing Shows – GigGab 38 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Every band needs songs, and your band is no different. Neither, it turns out, are the bands that Paul and Dave play in. With that, they talk about three very different processes that they use in their bands for selecting and working songs from the germ of an idea to playing […] The post A Song’s Path from Rehearsal Room to Stage – GigGab 37 appeared first on Gig Gab.

It’s always good to learn to play something that’s outside of your comfort zone, and that’s exactly what both Paul and Dave have spent the last week doing. They discuss their challenges and successes, dissecting the nuances of what those lessons are teaching each of them. Then it’s on to […] The post Challenging Tunes & Chemistry – GigGab 36 appeared first on Gig Gab.

It’s autumn now, and we share our reflections from the summer and our musical goals for the next few months. Gear Gab makes its first appearance (unplanned, we swear!), and it’s pretty obvious this will be a regular segment on future Gig Gab podcasts. Some stuff we discussed: PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2 Ultimate Ears […] The post Reflections, Goals and Gear Gab – GigGab 35 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Ever felt like the weakest member of a band? That’s the surprise question that Paul asked Dave today… and Dave has plenty of “yes” stories to share. Confidence in one another and having a shared musical language are two very important factors in the foundation of a band. Also, does […] The post Not The English Version of “Pissed” – GigGab 34 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Drummer, sound engineer, artist relations master and industry consultant Daniel East joins Paul and Dave tonight to share his experiences and expertise about getting endorsement deals. These types of relationships with your favorite equipment and instrument manufacturers are available to musicians at all levels, and we’d love to see you forge a […] The post Talking Endorsement Deals with Music Industry Veteran Daniel East – GigGab 33 appeared first on Gig Gab.

How do you deal with the less-restrained members of the audience at your gigs? Paul and Dave aren’t sure they’re doing it correctly and talk through a few of their scenarios and tactics. Dave’s wrist is still in recovery, but he’s finding that playing without it has taught him some new […] The post Self-Analysis, Dummy Detection and Playing in the Pocket – GigGab 32 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Today Paul and Dave talk through the results of Dave’s wrist injury which, this week, meant canceling a gig. That led to some interesting revelations on the part of Dave and his FLING bandmates, and he shares the current state of those in the show. Then it’s on to more […] The post Charity Gigs, Appreciation & Revelation – GigGab 31 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Paul was instrumental (no pun intended) in putting on the 3rd Annual Los Gatos Park Dance this past weekend, a musical festival-style event for over 5,000 people. He and Dave talk through all the nuances of putting on your own event, be it for 5,000 people or even just 50. […] The post A Tour Through Rolling Your Own Music Festival – GigGab 30 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Starting with a brief-but-fun discussion of the things they love to practice, Paul and Dave dive deep into what it takes to successfully book your band long-term. Paul’s the expert this week, and Dave picks his brain about all the methods and tricks he’s learned and employed over the years […] The post Musicians are Salespeople, Too – GigGab 29 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Summer’s not just a time for playing music, it’s a great time to go see music, too, and Paul and Dave talk through some of their favorite bands in this great episode. One highlight for Paul was a local (to him) band: The Coffis Brothers. Check ’em out! The post Musicians are Fans, Too – GigGab 28 appeared first on Gig Gab.

What’s your local scene like? Are other musicians friendly and helpful or are they hyper-competitive and guarded? Are you helpful or are you the competitive, guarded one? Paul and Dave talk through all of this and more in today’s GigGab. Remember, feedback@giggabpodcast.com is the way to get them to hear what […] The post Maintaining an Attitude of Gratitude – GigGab 27 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Dave Brunyak, currently playing guitar with the cleverly-named tribute act Pink Talking Fish, joins Paul and Dave today to talk about covering the music of others; learning Phish, the Talking Heads and Pink Floyd; what it’s like playing in a tribute band, and why it makes perfect sense to have […] The post Dave Brunyak from Pink Talking Fish – GigGab Podcast 26 appeared first on Gig Gab.