Gig Gab - The Working Musicians' Podcast

Triple threat sound, video, and lighting engineer Davis Thurston joins your two favorite weekend warriors this week to discuss tips, techniques, and overall vision for how he does what he does. Listen as Davis, Paul, and Dave chat through that which it takes in Front Of House to make your […] The post Every Band Needs a Davis — Gig Gab 364 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Ain’t it great when you’re on stage and you just know everything’s going right? Your two favorite weekend warriors do after this weekend. They both had some stellar shows…and believe it or not Paul refrained from saying, “butter.” (sorry Gig Gab Bingo players!). Listen as he and Dave share their […] The post Playing In Tune (With The Universe) — Gig Gab Podcast 363 appeared first on Gig Gab.

How did you find your current band(s)? What advice would you give to someone looking to find a new band? Listen as Paul and Dave answer that question for listener Russ…and then send in your own thoughts to feedback@giggabpodcast.com. That’s not all, though…listen as your two favorite weekend warriors discuss […] The post Sorting Your Musical Life — Gig Gab 362 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Ever found yourself being asked to agree to a pay-to-play scenario? Ever wondered what to do next with your band? Your two favorite weekend warriors sure have! Listen as Paul and Dave share their experiences of learning these lessons as well as their advice for how to deal with them. […] The post Lessons Learned — Gig Gab 361 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Another Gig Gab, another rant about Facebook. But you’ll have to listen for a bit to hear which one of your two favorite weekend warriors rants the most! Mostly this episode is about communication. How do you communicate with booking agents? How do you communicate with your bandmates? And while […] The post Compromise, Collaboration, and Communication — Gig Gab 360 appeared first on Gig Gab.

If you play covers, what songs have you found don’t work at all for your band? Is there anything they share in common? This week, Paul and Dave talk through some of their “favorites” in this regard and dissect why this might be the case. First, though, it’s Gig Gab […] The post First You Applaud, *Then* We Play The Next Song — Gig Gab 359 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Some gigs are totally relaxing…and others you can feel the high stakes before you even arrive. Interesting thing: the definition of a high-stakes gig can mean different things to different people, and your two favorite weekend warriors have completely different approaches here. Listen as Paul and Dave share their thoughts […] The post High-Stakes Stage Roulette — Gig Gab 358 appeared first on Gig Gab.

When forming your band, how picky are you? What criteria do you use to select bandmates? Do you prioritize talent or convenience? Listen as Dave and Paul dig in and share their thoughts about all this…with some select stories to highlight the realities of it all. Then…a Gig Gab challenge: […] The post Wait ‘Til You Hear OUR Version of The Chicken Dance! — Gig Gab 357 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Quiet crowds can be intimidating AF! How do you navigate that? How do you perform? Paul and Dave talk through some of their strategies when faced with this. Then listen as your two favorite weekend warriors talk about bands navigating members who are in multiple projects. There’s no one right […] The post Overcoming the First-Set Blues — Gig Gab 356 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Every musician is a small business owner, and this week we have Shannon Jean from Business Brain join us for a crossover episode to dive into how we can better use our business brains in our musical endeavors! Press play to learn…and always be performing! 00:00:00 Business Brain – The […] The post The Business of Music — Gig Gab 355 appeared first on Gig Gab.

We’ve talked about collaboration on the show before, but the question remains: how collaborative is your band? If someone has an idea for a part for you to play, how does that land? How does it work in reverse? Listen as Paul and Dave talk through the various ways that […] The post Beware Backline Roulette — Gig Gab 354 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Have you ever stopped to think about what it would take to put together a Tribute band? Bruce Hilton of “Being Petty” did, and with the right people, the right ideas, and a lot of intention it can work out amazingly well. Listen as Bruce shares his ideas and gives […] The post Beyond The Music with Tribute Band “Tom Petty” Bruce Hilton – Gig Gab 353 appeared first on Gig Gab.

It’s not always easy to Always Be Performing, and yet that’s exactly our job as performers, isn’t it? Listen as Paul and Dave each share some recent lessons—from both sides of the stage—about how to best ensure you keep that performance going. Also this week is finding your bands own […] The post The Jeanine Syndrome — Gig Gab 352 appeared first on Gig Gab.

For many bands, vocals are the most noticeable element of your music. Has your band spent time learning how to sing together? How do you structure your vocal rehearsals…if you have them at all? Listen as Paul and Dave answer listener Rob’s question, talking through how they’ve approached this in […] The post Learning How To Sing As a Band – Gig Gab 351 appeared first on Gig Gab.

With some of the best wisdom ever shared in seven years of Gig Gabbing, this week Paul and Dave help you take your band to the next level. Sure, Dave has some great technical advice, but it’s Paul’s brand of big-picture thinking that takes this episode to the upper echelon. […] The post If You Can Drink a Beer On Stage, You Can Mix Your Ears — Gig Gab 350 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Listen as Paul and Dave discover why “the hang” might be the most important aspect of being in a band, especially on tour. Also… have you ever played a morning gig? Do you do a pre-show band huddle? These are the questions your two favorite weekend warriors ask of themselves, […] The post Finding Your Number One Fan — Gig Gab 349 appeared first on Gig Gab.

It’s not rare for us musicians to find ourselves needing to juggle our musical lives with our personal lives, and then even within the musical realm we’re juggling priorities of gigging vs. rehearsing vs. doing-the-business-stuff, too. Listen as Paul and Dave approach this concept from a few different angles, and […] The post Managing Your Musical Priorities — Gig Gab 348 appeared first on Gig Gab.

How confident are you in your band’s ability to get setup on stage? What are the common pitfalls you encounter? Listen as your two favorite weekend warriors talk through the approaches they use with their bands, with a special focus on sound and, yes, in-ear monitors. Paul and Dave are […] The post Perfecting Your Setup Routine — Gig Gab 347 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Your submissions to the mailbag help drive the bus today, with conversations about choosing good venues for your audience and selecting the right headset mics happening. Dave got to see The Coffis Brothers…and his audiologist. Both come with stories, some more pleasant than others, but a good PSA emerges, nonetheless! […] The post Of Harmonicas and Headset Mics — Gig Gab 346 appeared first on Gig Gab.

How do you approach mixing your band from the stage when there is no FOH sound engineer? It’s Q&A time with Paul and Dave. Listen as your two favorite weekend warriors share their thoughts on putting together the right stage setup to get a good mix for your audiences…every time. […] The post Mixing From The Stage — Gig Gab 345 appeared first on Gig Gab.