Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

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 and the door is open for you to join! Robert Berry 3 –  To the Power of Three December People Beatallica J...

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 by association. Every musician out there can d...

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 all over the place. Enjoy! Stuff mentioned: Los Gatos Park Dance 2015  (includes 17 songs from Paul’s b...

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. Stuff mentioned includes: Mark Lint & The Fake Johnson Tr...

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 a very revealing path. What’s important to you as a musician or a music fan? Let Paul and Dave know right he...

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 in front of an audience. Perhaps one of those will resonate with you, or perhaps you’ll have a suggestion for improvin...

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 band chemistry. Everyone in the band plays multiple roles, each feeding off of one anot...

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 UE7Pro-Ambient Yamaha DTX-PADs Antares ATG-1 The post Reflections, Goa...

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 it matter if a drummer plays traditional versus matched grip? Listen as your two favorite Wee...

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 relationship with your favorite vendor. Liste...

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 tricks as he’s forced to re-approach his instruments. That’s a good thing for...

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 fun topics — playing. The concept of charity gigs enter the discussion, and both Dave and Paul share their thoughts on...

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. It can work well for you regardless of size as long as you’re focused and well-intentioned. Listen today to learn how 11...

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 keeping the Houserockers gigging week after week. Have thoughts on your own? Please send them in...

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 you’re already yelling at your iPhone while listening! The post Mainta...

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 Slash and Jimmy Page influence your choice of gear. All this and more with Dave Brunyak! The post...

Selecting songs is a tough part of the cover (or even original) band business, and it gets even tougher when one or more band members cares about getting it  just right . More often than not, that can be the crux of deciding whether or not a song succeeds. What songs or bands do  you care about? Paul and Dave talk through it all. The post What Is It About a Song that Makes You Care? – GigGab Podca...

This week Paul and Dave follow-up on last week’s interview with The Tommy Experience’s Pieter Hounslow (where Dave sang Pinball Wizard ) by talking through different ways we all find to express our musical visions and needs. Answering the question, “what would be your favorite project to play with?” is an interesting — and evidently difficult — exercise! The post Finding Wa...

This week Paul and Dave are joined by Pieter Hounslow from Sweden’s “Tommy Experience,” a Who Tribute project. The discussion covers all manner of topics, including what it’s like to put on a true tribute show, singing technique and more. Thanks to Pieter for coming all the way from Sweden to join us! The post Pieter Hounslow from Sweden’s “Tommy Experience&#822...

Paul and Dave start off by answering listener questions; First it’s a seemingly-easy question about who pays for instrument rentals (that turns out to be not such an easy question!). Then it’s the nuances of negotiating how to play in a two-guitar band. After that your two favorite Weekend Warriors discuss what it takes to make your gig unforgettable. Throughout, Dave shares his though...

Multi-band gigs can be fun and a great way to play for a new crowd, but it either means moving your gear in a hurry or sharing a backline. Which is best? Paul and Dave talk it through. Sit-ins are another fact of life playing in bars where there’s no wall of security between you and the crowd. Your weekend warriors talk through this, too, and then pay a bit of tribute to The Fish, as well. T...

Dave and Paul start out discussing what it’s like to play  without the pressure of ever bringing it to the stage and how that can work. Then it’s on to health and gigs — what’s it take to make sure you can continue doing this, even when you’re under the weather? Stuff mentioned: The Peelers Bowling for Soup The Dollyrots The post Managing Your Health & To Gig or Not to...

Every musician hits the stage with the goal of… what? Is it entertaining? Is it playing well? Is it having a special moment (or three)? And if a special moment… with whom? Is it the crowd? One’s bandmates? A higher power? Paul and Dave talk through their feelings on this, but please share yours, too. Hint: there are no wrong answers… except the ones with which Paul and Dave...

Paul and Dave met in San Francisco to record their first ever face-to-face GigGab episode … and failed! The conversation was animated, the topic was excellent and the audio was abysmal . Something went amiss with the USB audio interface that wasn’t detectable until the very end of the recording (despite all the tests working just perfectly!). Dave explains all this and more, and asks y...