Are you dying to get into a band? Would you take a position with almost any band, as long as you could get on stage? Think carefully about your options… not all opportunities are the right ones! … Recently, I met up with a musician friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I’m keeping names […]
This is the second of several articles dealing with what to do on a bad gig night. The first article, Gb-Db-Ab-SQUIRREL!, gave some ideas for what to do when you just can’t focus, and your mind is like a dog that gets distracted by a squirrel. This article is about what to do when your energy level […]
Two days ago I returned from a performance bootcamp in Nashville, run by Tom Jackson. Over the last 20 years he has coached tens of thousands of performers, from indie startups to top commercial artists like Taylor Swift. I have been following Tom for a while now, and I thought I understood what he meant […]
When you sing high notes in a pure floaty head voice, are they cloudy or are they clear? A cloudy note has a sound of air turbulence or static. It doesn’t have that nice bell-like resonance. A clear note has none of that hissy sound of extra air in the air/sound mix. It resonates […]
I know at least one of you watches the Daily Show because of the squirrel reference. Kevin asked what to do if you are having a bad night. One of the types of bad nights he describes feels like this: “You’re feeling disconnected — like you are just not able to… SQUIRREL!! … focus. Like […]
What makes your band sound good at a gig? Great vocals? The band playing nice and tight after some productive rehearsals? Good room acoustics? The biggest baddest subwoofer in the city? Crispy clear highs? The perfect guitar tone? Yeah yeah yeah, these things all contribute. But there’s one factor that will make or break you, […]
In last week’s newsletter, I asked what YOU would like me to write about. A songwriter/producer in LA observed that in the studio, most singers tend to have more technical accuracy but less feel, and wanted to know how to retain the emotion of a song in the studio. Good question. I […]
Which of these rules of the stage should NEVER be broken? Never turn your back to the audience Never apologize or recognize a mistake Never start a song over, or go back and fix any mistakes Never criticize or belittle the audience Never criticize or belittle yourself … … The main idea is to know […]
Have you auditioned for a band and failed to get in? Have you auditioned for a lot of bands, and still not gotten into one? Do you know why? Today I’m going to talk about how to increase your chances of getting into a band. … I’m going to start with a real example of […]
On the way to Saturday’s gig, my car suddenly stalled on the freeway. In the second-to-left lane. In what was already bumper-to-bumper downtown traffic, before my stall caused several miles of stopped traffic behind me. And… I had the mixing board and cables we were going to use! Even with a call to 911, the […]
