The Demo Disclaimer

You know what I’m talking about. Can it be gotten rid of?

“I mean, it’s just a scratch vocal”

“There’s definitely still a ton of work to be done”

“I haven’t been able to spend a ton of time on it but here it is anyway”

All that fear and insecurity that you dribble out just before you show someone the song that you’re working on…

It’s for you not them. 

They don’t gain anything by your preface even though you believe you’re doing it for their benefit.  And it exposes your weakness to them more than anything.

Just show the song and stand firmly behind what it is in the current moment.

No need for excuses or disclaimers.

Here it is…I made this…your opinion is important to me, what do you think?

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

Scantron Sheets

You remember taking a test on those scantron sheets right?…Those half sheets of paper numbered 1-50 with A-B-C-D-E next to each number that could be graded by a machine.

I was a pretty good student. Studied often enough, and always knew when the test was (except for once in college).

But for all the studying of the material, the thing that could throw me for the biggest loop was the scantron sheet itself.

I would know that the answer to number 22 was A…BUT…I had put A for the previous four answers too.  How could any teacher/computer/committee put a test together where there would be 5 CORRECT A’S IN A ROW???!!!!!!!  What a stressful nightmare it was to look down at a scantron sheet with that many of the same letter in a row. 

Certainly this is a mistake.  So now I’m second guessing my certainty not only of question 22 but for the previous four as well. I’m not certain of my answers and performance at all.  It now becomes nothing about my test preparation and everything about how my middle school mind thought the powers-that-be put this scantron test together.

So here’s the thing…

The scantron sheet doesn’t care that there have been four A’s in a row. 

Your mind wants to look and see a distribution of letters that “makes sense”… but the scantron doesn’t care what the distribution of correct answers is.  The scantron sheet doesn’t have a stake in the game at all!  The scantron sheet isn’t an actual thing with a say.

Without evening knowing it, you’re looking for the scantron sheet to be what you want it to be on the journey to completing and succeeding on the test.  But the scantron sheet has nothing to do with completing and succeeding on the test.

So if you’ve answered A on the last four questions and you know the next one is A too, you need to answer A. 

You do the very best you can at the time with the current question and move on and do the same with the next one.

There is no right path or pattern or sequence in this business, so there’s no need to second guess your previous steps or what your gut is telling you while taking the current step. 

The music business doesn’t care about the path or pattern or sequence that it’s doling out to you.  But every step is indeed a chance to get it right.

So all you have is the next…

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

You Need Three Songs

One to show them at the beginning of the meeting.

One to show them when they ask what else you have.

One to send them after the meeting because they want you to “send me more stuff”.

If you can get away with playing your best song second instead of first, do it.  The risk is that if they don’t ask to hear another song you’ll always think you should have gone with the best one first.

The third song, you won’t be there when they listen to it, so keep that in mind.

First impressions are real.  But a little reminder about impressions and progression…If I was with Michael Jordan and he said “I’m going to dunk the ball from the 3-pt line” and then proceeded to do so, my jaw would be on the floor, my mind would be blown.  If, after that he said “Now watch me dunk it from half court”…my body would be in complete shock and awe in a way that I have never experienced.

However…If he starts out with the half court dunk first and then follows it up with the 3-pt line dunk…the 3-pt line dunk isn’t as great, my mind isn’t so blown.  I just saw him dunk from half court, no duh he can also dunk from the 3-pt line.

The progression of impression is important.

But really, just make sure all three of your songs are slam dunks.

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

When People Like Your Songs...

A really good way for your live show to be more fun is if the people know your songs.

No duh.

What’s even more is if the audience not only knows your songs but likes them too.

Knowing and Liking.

Two fantastic ingredients to be working with.

When you have these ingredients (akin to, say, butter and sugar), the likelihood of something good happening is quite high.

Perhaps again, no duh.

But two things…

1. How much time, energy and resources went into securing these tasty ingredients for this show, on this night, with these people, in this city?  

It’s silly to complain about not having sugar when you don’t spend money on sugar.  It’s also silly to complain that the cookies didn’t come out sweet and tasty if you know there wasn’t any sugar in the recipe to begin with.

2. If you don’t have those two ingredients on hand…what else are you going to create an experience with?  What other tools will you summon in order to have a great night?


Butter and sugar are the best.  It’s a good idea to have them.

Knowing and Liking are great to work with.

But what about when you don’t have them…  

What then?

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

When The Road Becomes A River

“If it doesn’t work out we’ll just go back to the way it was.”

But eventually you can’t.

Maybe you can for a day or a week, but eventually “we’ll just go back” doesn’t work anymore.

You won’t be able to turn back the clocks and reset your life to the moment BEFORE you dove into the thing. Because you dove into the thing!

Pursuing a career in this music biz is a road that quickly becomes a river.  

You start a band or a record label or a management company and the fail-safe is that you can always go back.

But you can’t go back because life and time happen and things change and the place that you ‘can always go back to’ doesn’t exist anymore.

Hopefully this realization brings an added weight and responsibility to what you choose to do.  The things you do matter.  The way you spend your time matters.

The reason why what you’re doing right now is so vitally important is BECAUSE you can’t go back.

Perhaps the better way is to flip the phrase and consider what it means for you…

“If it doesn’t work out we’ll just keep going”…understanding this phrase and how it applies to you might very well be an actual fail safe.

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

One Simple Idea

I’ve probably done hundreds of blog posts pertaining to artists’ live shows.

The reason for all of those hundreds of posts (and probably hundreds more to come) is that they are inroads to one simple idea…

Here it is…

When you put on a show your job is to lead the people and follow the spirit.

There it is.  That’s the whole thing.  Everything else I write about putting on a live show is a derivative of that or a guide post pointing to that.

Lead the people and follow the spirit.

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