Gab and Jam

177. How do you know when it’s time to quit the music business? Video Description This is a question that looms every now and again with both celebrities and D.I.Y. Rock Stars alike. Some people think that once you have kids, it’s time to throw in the towel. Others think it’s if you don’t get that major label deal or if they don’t go viral on TikTok…. But, really, how do you know when it’s time? H...

178. 3 Travel Options (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star) on Gab & Jam We’re knee-deep in editing materials from our recent Nashville trip (see video: http://bit.ly/prejippienashvillevid and blog : http://bit.ly/prejippienashvilleblog ). This made us think about some of the choices that were upon us and why we chose one option over the other and what impact that can have on a trip. #nashville #travel #adve...

179. 5 Top Tips for Re-purposing content (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star) on Gab & Jam As a D.I.Y. Rock Star, working smarter and not harder is going to help you maximize your time for your effort. Here’s how to grow your social media channels by learning to re-purpose as much content as you can. #growsocials #worksmart #diyrockstar #prejippie #bloomingprejippie #musiclifestyle Listen to the episode for...

Ep 152 What’s the MOST important asset of the D.I.Y. Rock Star Mindset Video Description I just heard an recent interview with Les Brown (on the Every Day is Saturday Podcast). He said that the MOST important quality that successful entrepreneurs possess is to be skillful at telling a story (or at communicating). We take issue with this and propose that MINDSET is THE most important quality that d...

180. 8 More Tips for taking your own band photos (for D.I.Y. Rock Star) Being a D.I.Y. Rock Star means wearing so many hats. Sometimes these hats are on a COMPLETELY different spectrum, vis-à-vis creating art versus logistics, so we’ve found it helpful to have a little bit of a method to the madness, so that you don’t become overwhelmed in the moment, nor overwhelmed to the point where you don’t e...

181. Musical Discoveries #4 on Gab & Jam podcast We’re not just musicians, but music lovers as well. We listen to EVERYTHING, but we like to shed light on artists and/or projects that are taking a risk and pushing the bounds of a genre or an idea. Here are just 12 more that we found interesting. Playlist: https://bit.ly/181musicdisc4playlist Listen to the episode to find out why and who are the 12...

182. Best of Gab & Jam Though this is a “best of” episode, it is NOT going to be like any one that I have ever heard. Instead, we’re going to take this time to re-introduce ourselves to you and to point to a few of the categories that we have covered in our past 4 years. Yes, it is coming up on our podcast anniversary, so we thought we’d do something different today. #bestof #gabandjam #intro #pre...

183. 5 Things we like about Chicago Though this wasn’t the first time we’ve been to Chicago, but it’s been our first time in a while, so we thought we’d try some different approaches and use it as inspiration for this episode. So, here it is, the 5 things we like about Chicago. #chicago #travel #postpandemic #prejippie #bloomingprejippie #diyrockstar Here are 5 things we like about Chicago: 1. Din...

184. The new charm of old tech There seems to be a renewed fascination with the tech of yesterday. So, how do you find value in buying—and using—old tech? #oldtech #vintage #musictech #prejippie #bloomingprejippie #diyrockstar When we say “old tech,” these are the things we are referring to: 1. Vinyl (and CDs, cassettes) are back 2. SP1200, tape-based recording In the episode, we share a few pros...

185. Why Thrifting (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star)? Video Description We’re pleased to welcome only our second guest ever to Gab & Jam, a fellow D.I.Y. Rock Star, who runs a movie culture blog, called Indie Black Girl, and who just happens to be our daughter, Zandalee. Read her blog: Indie Black Girl https://bit.ly/indieblackgirlblog Watch the episode to find out the 6 reasons why D.I.Y. Rock Stars sho...

Ep 151 I’d Rather be Awful, Than Be Blah…. Video Description This topic is adjacent to a topic that it has taken us about 30 years to figure out, that the girl that’s ugly is more memorable than the girl that’s perfectly pretty. Hey, you’re just going to have to tune it to know what the hell we’re talking about with this one! #awful #sugarfit #prejippie #bloomingprejippie #movements #whosays #musi...

186. How to stay motivated to do ALL the things (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star)? Description As D.I.Y. Rock Stars, we’ve got quite a lot to juggle already; how do you stay motivated to write songs, podcast, record music videos, do Spotify pre-saves, etc.? Here are AT LEAST 6 ways to do just that. Check out the episode to hear the full discussion. #motivation #allthethings #diyrockstar #prejippie #bloom...

187. How to turn resale shop finds into stage/video/photoshoot outfits (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star) Video Description This piggybacks on episode 185 (https://bit.ly/185thriftingvid ), where we learned about how thrifting can help the D.I.Y. Rock Stars in a variety of ways. THIS episode is intended to give specific tips for choosing and styling your resale shop finds to create those D.I.Y. Rock Star...

188. Why are there so many jerks in the music business?! Video Description We’ve said this before, but it REALLY hit home when we started the blog, I realized that the blogging community was so open and supportive, sharing resources, advice, and sharing each other’s posts. This was such a surprise to me, because we’ve been in the music business circles for three decades and folks seem to NOT do an...

189. 5 Ways NOT to be a jerk especially in the music business Video Description This follows up on our last episode, where we tried to figure out what there seem to be SO many jerks in the music business (https://bit.ly/188jerksvid). In THIS episode, we try to give those who DON’T want to receive that label by accident—or on purpose—some advice on how to be better. Check out the episode to hear th...

190. The value of investing in coaching (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star) Video Description If you’re not aware, we’ve finally invested in music business coaching—something that, as D.I.Y. Rock Stars, we probably would have scoffed at just a few short years ago. While we don’t know what the outcome will be, we wanted to try to explain why it finally seemed important to go this route. 3 Reasons to hire a...

191 Tips for owning covers (for D.I.Y. Rock Stars) Video Description As D.I.Y. Rock Stars, sometimes we have to pull folks in by doing songs that they already love, but there ARE ways to make sure that as you get their attention, you turn them into fans of your original music. Here are some tips to help drawn folks in. (Inspired by Creative Juice podcast, ep. 184 https://indepreneur.io/podcast/ep1...

192 8 Reasons to Network for introverts (ESPECIALLY D.I.Y. Rock Stars) Video Description For TRUE introverts, networking is almost a dirty word. It SHOULDN’T be. In fact, we’ve found out why and how EVEN D.I.Y. Rock Stars will appreciate putting a little extra effort into this highly avoidable pursuit. #networking #diyrockstar #introverts #prejippie #tips #bloomingprejippie Here’s the blog post: h...

Ep 150 Goals: Why less is more (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star) Video Description This is a follow up to our “19 for 2019” (http://bit.ly/19for2019blog ) and our “20 for 2020”( http://bit.ly/20for2020goalsvidprej ), where we shared our plans for the year. All we can say is that 2020 is unfolding and is forcing us to look at things differently to decide what is REALLY important. So, we’ve changed slightl...

194 7 networking strategies for introverts (ESPECIALLY D.I.Y. Rock Stars) Video Description Here’s what you’ve been waiting for, which is a follow-up to our last episode, 192. 8 Reasons to Network for Introverts (ESPECIALLY D.I.Y. Rock Stars) (video: https://bit.ly/192networkintrovid ). Check out the episode for all the tips for folks who hate the idea of networking. #networking #introverts #diyro...

195 How to turn FOMO into JOMO (for the D.I. Y. Rock Star) As a D.I.Y. Rock Star, it’s tough to do ALL the things…. That’s why we say you’ve got to decide what you’re simply NOT going to do and be okay with it. Deciding how to make those trades is what this episode is about. Inspired by Accidental Creative podcast (episode Check out Oliver Burkeman on 4,000 Weeks ( https://bit.ly/ac4000weekspod )....

193 Best music-related advice I have ever received Video Description We asked you all what was the best music-related advice you’ve received and here’s what you said: Featuring: 1. Latrissa M. Thomas 2. Nigel Watson 3. Sherelle Cary Smith 4. Gary E. Andrews 5. Susie Schwartz 'Suschwa Music' 😊 6. Faith McLean "Faith Amber" 😃 7. Joe Probst 8. Bruce 9. Vox #bestadvice #musicbiz #diyrockstar #prejip...

196 D.I.Y. Rock Star Holiday Planning Video Description It’s that time again. It comes EVERY year, but it seems like it sneaks up on folks somehow…😳🤷🏽‍♀️ ESPECIALLY D.I.Y. Rock Stars?? No, here’s how to plan ahead to take advantage of the holiday season to advance your creative empire. Check out the episode to hear the full discussion. What about you? What special D.I .Y. Rock Star pre-planning...

197 Are you motivated by the push or by the pull? Video Description Does praise motivate you? Or does criticism make you do your best? Here’s how to take advantage of this energy. #motivation #push #pull #diyrockstar #prejippie #bloomingprejippie #gabandjam Check out the episode to hear the full discussion. Here’s what we’re into now: • Tom Ray’s Art Podcast: https://bit.ly/tomraypodcast • “Sugar...

198 How to stay organized as a D.I.Y. Rock Star Video Description Part of our “Work Smart and Not Hard” series; Based on “Other Record Labels” podcast ( Check out Quick Tip: How to Keep Your Record Label Organized )https://bit.ly/otherrecordsorgpod Check out the episode to hear the full discussion. #organization #stayorganized #diyrockstar #prejippie #bloomingprejippie #songwriter #music #artist H...