Gig Gab - The Working Musicians' Podcast

Every local band shares at least one concern: keeping your show fresh for your audience. The real question is, how do you do it? Do you take requests? Do you mix up your setlist? Do you ask the audience to become part of your show? There’s no right or wrong […] The post Keeping Your Audience Engaged – GigGab 125 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Sometimes you have to cancel a gig. It happens. How do you deal with it? Your two favorite weekend warriors talk through the realities associated with it. Then it’s time to talk about renegotiating an existing gig. How can you do it? What’s the protocol? Is it OK? Paul and […] The post Cancelations and Renegotiations – GigGab 124 appeared first on Gig Gab.

As a musician, there are always so many things to learn and not all of them are music-related. How much camaraderie do you think you have as a band? How much do you help each other out? Paul and Dave wade into those waters here today and then surf over […] The post Camaraderie Culture & Gig-Specific Strategies – GigGab 123 appeared first on Gig Gab.

One of the best things that can happen to your band – original or cover – is to gain devoted fans. They’re there at every gig, they are your best form of word-of-mouth promotion, and they make you feel like the rock star you are. But there’s a downside to […] The post Those Pesky Klingons – GigGab 122 appeared first on Gig Gab.

This episode is all about finding the right balance. First, how do you deal with it when you’re on a stage that’s too big for your band? Thankfully Paul and Dave have made the mistakes so you don’t have to. Then your two favorite weekend warriors dig into the mailbag […] The post Finding Balance: Big Stages, Band, and Family – GigGab 121 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Every band deals with a booking agent at some point, and today that becomes true here at GigGab, too, as we welcome Paul Costley of Notso Costley Productions onto the show. Paul’s been playing in, managing, booking, and organizing bands since the 1970s, and has carved out a very successful […] The post Paul Costley, Booking Agent: Walking the Fine Line Between Rooms and Bands – GigGab 120 appeared first on Gig Gab.

How close is your band? Can you tell each other everything? How about at vocal rehearsals? These are the questions that your two favorite weekend warriors start with today. Then it’s into contracts. Pay attention to the minutia, folks, because it might not be minutia to other people. Then it’s […] The post Isolate the Distractions – GigGab 119 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Your two weekend warriors are on the same coast, within miles of each other, so what do they do? Record a podcast remotely like they always do! After all, that’s what they’re comfortable doing, and the best performances come from a place of comfort. Speaking of that, Paul and Dave […] The post The Comfort of Being on Stage – GigGab 118 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Your two favorite weekend warriors have been GigGabbing for almost two-and-a-half years, and the time has come to take a little stock in the action. What have Paul and Dave learned? How have their musical lives changed since the inception of the show, and what changes do they anticipate in […] The post It Ain’t Bragging If You Can Back It Up! – GigGab 117 appeared first on Gig Gab.

What happens when you or someone else starts the wrong song in the set? How do you handle a packed schedule full of multiple rehearsals and gigs in the same day? And how do you deal with a fellow musician who mocks what you do? These are the questions that […] The post Musical Snobbery – GigGab 116 appeared first on Gig Gab.

One quick glance at the title and you know this isn’t your average GigGab episode. Thankfully, we’re not that shallow… it is very much your normal GigGab episode. In fact, we dig into every aspect: the touchy feely? Covered. Gear? Covered. Practical how-to-style lessons? Covered! All of this, and more, just […] The post Soft Silicone, Hard Acrylic, and Managing a Trio – GigGab 115 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Drummers always seem to have a different perspective, and perhaps that’s because they literally have a different place from which they view a gig. If there’s a theme to this episode, that’s certainly a contender! Double-bookings happen, though, and Dave found himself in that scenario. He and Paul talk through what […] The post Exploring the Drummer’s Vantage Point – GigGab 114 appeared first on Gig Gab.

It’s time to get pensive, folks. First, your two favorite weekend warriors discuss the “poison in the locker room” mentality that often is the precursor to a band-wide bitch-session. Then it’s on to the aftermath of the bitch-sesh that eventually leads to someone asking, “why do we do this gig, […] The post Can Anyone Hear the Elephant on the Stage? – GigGab 113 appeared first on Gig Gab.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has some new members, and it’s time your two favorite weekend warriors discuss that! Then listener Ted has some questions about his snare drum sound, and Paul and Dave give some help his way. Lastly, there’s a thread that runs through today’s episode: […] The post The 1990s Conundrum – GigGab 112 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Paul and Dave take the opportunity today to dig a little deeper into a few topics they’ve mentioned recently. First, though, it’s a discussion about your pack-up routine. Everyone’s got one… and everyone’s a little bit different! Then it’s that ever-lasting discussion about having the right bandmates… and keeping them. […] The post Rock-and-Roll Hand Signals & The Fragility of Changing Personnel – GigGab 111 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Episode 110 finds your two favorite working musicians in an interesting headspace, with Dave even joining Paul on the path to truth and honesty and… the musicians’ way! Ever fire a club? Paul did this week, and he lives to tell the tale. When someone compliments your playing, how humble […] The post Firing a Club – GigGab 110 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Paul put on his acoustic Springsteen tribute show and has many lessons to share from that, including the benefits having an instrument tech on stage to help you. Marketing the event, too, brought more than a few insights, including what you unintentionally wind up doing to market the next event. Dave had […] The post Pick Up Something When You Drop It! – GigGab 109 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Today your two favorite working musicians launch right into a verbal jam session, with topics seemingly all over the map, but tying together in the best ways. Are you like Paul where you’re looking forward to every gig all week and all day? Or are you more like Dave where […] The post Time Flies … But it still Matters! – GigGab 108 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Paul finished his EP and talks about the process of mastering and distributing that. When it comes to cover songs, there’s an additional layer of complexity that Paul sorted out. Then it’s on to gig talk! Do you have someone in your band that takes mental notes during your gigs […] The post Band Leaders: Get Your Empathy Elsewhere – GigGab 107 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Do you and your bandmates ever feel competitive with one another? Channeled the right way, that healthy competition can make for excellent performances and music from your band. Paul and Dave talk through this a bit, but first it’s all about the energy. Sometimes the crowd feeds you first, and […] The post Healthy Competition, Studio Songs, & Auditions appeared first on Gig Gab.