Netflix- Still Watching? pt. 2

When you meet up with a friend, or bump into an old pal, or even meet someone for the first time, it’s pretty typical to ask some version of “How are you?” at the beginning of the conversation.  Totally comfortable and normal.

But wouldn’t it be strange if five or ten or fifteen minutes into the good conversation if the other person turned to you and asked “Hey, how are you?”

What? Why are you asking me this? What’s your deal?

That would be weird. And people don’t do that. You don’t do that.

It’s polite to ask that question at the beginning, not the middle or the end.

It’s a social rule that you abide by…until you get on stage.  You forget.


When I saw Foo Fighters in Atlanta a while back, after the second song Uncle Dave asked “How ya doin?”. It was awesome. It was the first words he spoke to the audience, we were waiting with baited breath to hear him talk.  It was also the only time he asked that question.  

So if you’re looking for a place to start when you’re thinking about the flow of the dialogue in your show: normal conversational patterns are that place to start. How do you start a conversation with a friend? How do you end it? What goes in the middle?

If you’re having trouble answering those questions, you might need to begin with some practice verbally speaking to your friends, family and the world around you.

Hey, how are you?

:)

p.s. The only real reason you ask any audience anything is in hopes of a cheer (and most artists are looking for a cheer as reassurance for themselves…although there are a few pros who understand that the cheer is actually for the audience).  

You’re obviously not looking for the actual answer to your question.  So you don’t have to ask them how they’re doing or feeling, you can ask them anything that’s worth cheering about and it serves the exact same purpose. 

You’re an artist. Get creative with it.



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

Netflix- Still Watching?

At this point in time we’ve probably all had it happen. I’m intensely focused on getting through several episodes of my favorite show and a mere two or three episodes into the multi-hour planned indulgence, Netflix feels the need to pause my show and ask…

Still watching?

OH THE CONDESCENSION!!!  The nerve to ask such a question. Is there a problem?  Was the fact that my eye balls are still glued to the screen not give you enough evidence that I am in fact still watching?  Did my optometrist or therapist somehow figure out a way to make a passive aggressive jab at me while I’m sitting on my couch?

Do I have a strained relationship with Netflix where it just doesn’t know me well enough to know that YES, yes I am still watching.


I feel a similar feeling when artists insist on asking the crowd four, five, ten times during the show, “Hey is everybody doing ok?”.

I’ll give you one. At the beginning of the show you can use the old cliche line as a means to take the temperature (but still, come on, you can be more creative than that).

But if we’re three-quarters of the way through the show and you’re still asking if “Everyone feelin good?”…it’s a slap in the face to anyone who is paying attention.  It’s condescending to your audience.

YES, everyone is good and ok and ready to have a good time…They didn’t leave…

They’re still watching.

p.s. If you need to take the temperature as opposed to FEEL the temperature, get more creative than “Is everyone doing ok”. You can do better.  

p.p.s. Feeling the temperature as opposed to taking it is an honor to your audience and a badge of true performance maturity for you.  It’s you instinctually knowing what to do without having to ask. Like an old married couple. 

But you’ll never learn to feel the temperature if all you do is keep taking it.  Feeling it is risky but educational.  Taking it is safe and forgettable.



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If You’ve Almost Given Up

If you’ve almost given up, that’s a good start. If you’ve almost given up four or five times, you’re probably closer to success than ever before.

Almost giving up often unlocks new vision, new ideas, renewed drive…(side note: so can ACTUALLY giving up).

If you’ve never almost given up, it’s coming for you. So when you get there, don’t freak out. It’s a very familiar, often visited place for musicians.

Almost giving up, but not actually giving up, is very likely associated with getting to the end of a day or week or year and finally realizing you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.  And that’s a powerful moment.

Getting mad and frustrated and discontented with things has been known to change things. Real change. Change in actions. Change in the way you carry yourself and the way you speak.

If you can harness the power of almost giving up, it just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to your career.

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

Alright Google: How Do You Start A Band?

If you google “how do you start a band” there’s a very clear answer given. It’s not a good answer but its very clear.

Most artists (well, I suppose most people in general) are looking for clarity.  The path seems confusing, are things working or are they not working, is my music good, do people like me, what’s the proper next step…I NEED SOME CLARITY!!

But don’t be so romanced by clarity that you automatically believe it’s the right answer.

You and I both laugh to ourselves that Google would have a clear answer at the top of the page for the question of “How do you start a band?”…because we all know there is no real answer, it’s incredibly messy, there’s no formula, there’s no clarity.

So for someone to be excited that Google has a clear “answer”…the clarity they FEEL, in truth, got them nowhere.  They’re no better off.  Clarity was no good, even though that’s what so many think they’re after.

The answer to “How do you start a band?” isn’t answered with clarity, it’s answered experientially.

Rather than searching, hoping, praying for clarity…ask “What’s the next experience that I can participate in that will lead me to where I want to go?” (spoiler…there is no clear answer on Google…I checked).

In this case it’s the lack of clarity that makes spending time with the question valuable.

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Here’s How Streaming Services Can Help Artists More

Artists should be able to see who users are listening to just before them and right after, so artists can get insight into what artists people relate to them, and perhaps what triggers someone to listen to them.  

It could set up some pretty fantastic touring packages too.  If artists A finds out that lots of people are listening to artist B just before them, it’s likely a tour of A and B would be pretty great.

Artists should be able to see how much of songs their listeners are listening to.  Are people really listening to the first song on the album or are they only listening to the first 10secs because it’s first on the list and then jumping to something else.

Better geographic detail of listeners.

What time of the day people are listening to which songs.

Integrate the touring section with the streaming data.  After you play Chicago is there a spike in streaming there? Or maybe there’s a spike in Chicago leading up to the show because your team worked hard on tour press?

All this data is there. We all know it is. Streaming companies are already using it for marketing, ads, building playlists, etc…artists should have access too.

p.s. I can’t back this up, but I would argue that artists getting this information could be more valuable than begging the streaming services for a better royalty rate.

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

Triggering On Stage

When you’re on stage and the thought occurs to you “this show isn’t going well”, what is your reaction? What does that thought trigger?

Singing louder?

Getting pissed?

Going nuts?

Standing still?

Checking out?

Speeding the song up?

Getting mad at the keys player for not hitting the right part…even though it was three songs ago?

Telling yourself the audience just sucks, writing them off?

Some of these aren’t totally off the mark, but typically their laced with a lot of fear and a reactionary attitude.  Typically all of the responses above are that persons version of freaking out.


I think you can do better. I think you should start replacing what the “this isn’t going well” thought is triggering.

I know I know, every audience is different so making a plan is impossible.

But make a plan anyway.

And by make a plan I mean start giving yourself some new triggers.  Some things that lead you to take responsibility for the show rather than dodging it.

Here’s some ideas that I’ve seen work in the “this show isn’t going well” situation…

Tell a good story

Break a song down and build for a long time to a climax

Go into the crowd

Change the setlist, play a slammer

Make a legit reference to the city you’re in


Figure it out. What’s worked for you in the past? Whats show you can think of where you turned it around after it wasn’t going well? What did you embrace and carry out in order to do that?

The thought “this show isn’t going well” is going to happen to you…what response do you want that thought to trigger?

p.s. You’re right…there’s only so much you can do.

But before you go there, take out the word ‘only’…there’s so much you can do.



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