5 Rules For Van & Trailer Touring

1. Always Hook Up The Trailer.  It’s a really good idea to secure the trailer tongue to the ball on the van.  In addition, make sure to cross the chains and hook those to the van too.  

That way when you don’t secure the tongue to the ball properly and the trailer falls off the van while you’re going 65mph on a four lane highway, the chains will help steady the trailer as it scrapes and sparks along the asphalt and you’re honking and absolutely losing your mind trying to get the now dubbed “death box” to the shoulder.

2. Always Close The Trailer Door.  Closing the trailer door once it’s all packed up is super professional.  And applying the lock to the door is an even more professional move.  Go ahead and do both.

All of this supports the idea that having the trailer door fly open during rush hour traffic in the middle of a big city is neither beneficial nor enjoyable.  And not even humorous until many months later.

3. Pack The Trailer Well.  This rule really could be dubbed rule 2a, but I didn’t want to mess with sub bullet points.  Pack the trailer well, with nothing pressing super hard against the door of the trailer.

That way when the door flies open because the guitar player thought the singer checked it, the singer thought the bass player checked it, the bass player thought the drummer checked it…and the drummer definitely didn’t check it, nor will he ever be the one to check it…less stuff will fly out of the trailer and into traffic.

Food for thought anyway.

4.  Always Employ A Shotgun Rider.  Have someone sitting shotgun at all times.  Also, as a part of signing on to the position, they have to remain awake.

Some might call this rule old-fashioned. I call it shotgun-rider-saves-van-full-of-people-when-he-sees-the-van-driver-is-sleeping-at-wheel-and-wakes-driver-up-before-driver-veers-van/trailer-into-ditch-at-70mph.

5. For goodness sakes, step up and buy a garbage can for the van.

p.s. To answer your question, yes, I have experienced what it looks, feels, smells, sounds and tastes like to break all of these rules.  May you learn from my past blood pressure spikes and clenched butt cheeks.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Change Your Mind

If you’re not willing to change your mind, your not going to win.

Successful people are willing to change.

If you can’t ever say “I used to approach this situation that way, but now I approach it this way…”, you’ll get stuck and slowly evaporate.

Don’t get me wrong, some things should be immovable.  You should have edges that offend some people.  Know what those are and never waver.

For the other stuff, listen to other people, smart people, people you trust.  Truly consider their unique opinion and be willing to change yours.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Neon Green // Neon Red

Tonight I hosted an incredible group of people for the first Artist Leaders meeting of the year.  The goal was by the end of the night for each of us would work out how to complete the following two statements…

In 2016 I will…

In 2016 I will not…

It wasn’t very easy, and it took a while before each of us landed on something.

To get our brains in the appropriate headspace, we started with a list of questions.  Here were some of them…

When you know you have to get something done, what is the first thing you do instead?

What’s the best decision you made last year?

Are you willing to quit something you’re good at in order to pursue greatness in something else you are also good at?

What are you the worst at?

Talking through these questions was eye opening.  It was great.  Good questions have the power to spur new responses, inspire action, and also to solidify what is already known…but often forgotten.

By the end of the night we all made declarations, finishing those two statements above.   And we wrote them down in large handwriting. A giant piece of neon green tag board for the things we will do, and a equal size neon red sheet for the things we won’t do.

You can do this. Neon tag board can help.

p.s. I’m extremely proud of the artists who came out tonight and were willing to share and be a bit vulnerable, and pursue this type of growth, on purpose.  These are exceptional people.

If you’re interested in being a part of the Artist Leader meetings, email me: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

We’re All On Stage Asking The Same Thing

There’s a place in the heart of every artist that is crying out during every song of every show, and every interview, and every session, and meet & greet…all standing on the edge of the stage (figuratively and literally) asking the exact same thing…

DO YOU LIKE ME???

And one more ‘yes’ is never enough.

The constant hunt for reassurance and affirmation.

I heard it said like this once…if you need check the mirror just one more time before you go out, you will continue to check one more time forever.  As soon as the reassurance is there, it’s gone, it’s there, it’s gone, it’s there…

But what would it look like to stop hunting for it?

In fact, what would it look like to actually seek LESS reassurance and affirmation?

A lot of ideas are heralded as “good ideas” simply because it’s easy see the threads and possibilities of reassurance and affirmation that go along with them.

But have the pats on the back ever been enough?

I can answer that for you…No.

So what if you did the opposite? What if you picked the idea where affirmation isn’t even the point? The idea where for every supporter, there will be two nay sayers?

What does it look like for you to give up the fight for reassurance and affirmation, to seek less of those things?

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

You Don’t Go On Jimmy Fallon For Therapy

You don’t go on Jimmy Fallon for therapy.

You go on Jimmy to be funny.

You don’t buy food from the Shell station for nutritional value.

You go to Shell because it’s convenient and gets you out of a pinch.

You don’t watch the NBA for the defense.

You watch the NBA for the offense.

You don’t listen to Adele’s When We Were Young to get pumped up for the weekend.

You listen to When We Were Young to get Adele’s permission to cry your eyes out.

You don’t need a new iPhone for it’s technical capabilities.

You need a new iPhone to feel better about what you already do on your iPhone.

Everything has the power to fulfill a desire…for the specific type of person looking to have that desire fulfilled.

Artists are so bent on either trying to please everyone, or saying they just make the music for themselves and don’t care about anyone else at all.

It’s not all or nothing.

It is some and it is not others.

Here’s the fill-it-in word puzzle for you.

You don’t go to (insert your band/artist name) for __________.

You go to (insert your band/artist name) for __________.

**The above examples are so clear, extreme, obvious, true, and are a large reason for the level of success of each example.  Don’t be afraid.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

The Artist Trap

You’ve met with the prospective manager/agent/publicist/etc a handful of times.  They seem ok, not great, but not bad.  And isn’t it better to have someone in that seat than an empty chair on your team?

And having met with them so many times now, there feels like a tremendous amount of obligation to hire this person.  They’ve even picked up the check a couple times.

And if you come on board sometime this week, there’s that special opportunity (they’ve been talking about incessantly) that has the potential of maybe happening sometime in the near or distant future…perhaps.

Doesn’t the answer have to be yes now?

They have a special opportunity MAYBE lined up? They picked up dinner? They have a cool office?  There’s been multiple meetings?

Hands tied.  Trapped.  You feel trapped.

But you’re not.

You feel trapped when you don’t believe you have options.

When you feel trapped, go meet with 5 other people in that same field.

Even people you don’t think you would hire. Even people you don’t think would want to work with you.

Your eyes will be refreshed.

Believing you have options gives you energy and power.

Give yourself this gift (of meeting with more people) and receive the freedom it brings.

p.s.  If someone is rushing you to sign, that’s a bad sign.

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

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