Hey Solo Artists

It’s true…We might not be able to totally understand what you go through since you’re solo, you’re the ONE…but don’t underestimate us. You can’t afford to in the long run. It’s lonely out there.

And if you start now, over time we’ll understand even more and better. 

This business can often be a truly lonely one. And a solo act, even more so.

As Bob Dylan once said, “At least The Beatles had The Beatles”.

But you’re solo, so you don’t have The Beatles.  But you have us…that is…the world around you.  

Let some of us in starting now so you won’t be as lonely later.

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

Music At Its Finest

Recently I’ve heard a lot of versions of “music is just the distraction we need right now”.

But that word ‘distraction’ has been like a rock in my shoe every time I hear it.  Although the definition of distraction isn’t at all necessarily negative, I’d like to offer something else…

Music at its finest isn’t a distraction…music at its finest is a recalibration.

A recalibration of priorities, of relationships, of the way we spend our time and who we spend it with, the words we use, the care and attention we give. It’s transformative. 

That’s the deepest power of music. Not to distract us from life, but to open our eyes fresher and deeper.

Oreo cookies, reorganizing the bookshelf, mowing the lawn twice in two days…those are distractions…at its finest, music isn’t in that category.

Let’s not seek to use music as a distraction.  That would be to intentionally limit it’s power.

Music is a force. Forces change and transform.  

Music isn’t a temporary way out, but a permanent way in.

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

Looking Up And Out

If you’re up on stage and you’re not sure what to do, slow down, open your eyes look at the people.

If, when you don’t know what to do, you do something that is sure to connect, then you take moments of not knowing what to do and turn them into some of the best most memorable moments.

Connection never gets old. Looking someone in the eyes and experiencing that strange, vulnerable, awkward, intimate, beautiful, fundamentally human connection never gets old.

The eyes are the window to the soul. (So take off your sunglasses)

When you don’t know what to do on stage the bottle of water doesn’t need you, the guitar player doesn’t need you, the backdrop of the stage doesn’t need you.

Slow down, breathe, open your eyes look at the audience and connect.  Just hold it, no need to rush.

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

Making The Band

As we all know, sometimes labels or management or a lawyer put together acts. Duos, trios, the beloved 5 member boy band or girl band.

And inevitably a few years into their careers or a few singles into their careers it comes out that they were “put together”.  It’s said in a negative spin, with many people in the industry and other artists and acts looking at a put together group as ‘not true to the art’.

But here’s the great thing about acts that are put together:

They don’t have a story.

So what do they have to do? Create one and tell it.

And they get to create and tell whatever story they want!

There’s no baggage. No one is beholden to the past. No one is precious about anything because there’s literally nothing to be precious about.

This is why groups that are put together can do so well. Because they story is so clear and focused from the beginning…which is essentially the only option.  

No one would put a group together and, on purpose, go forth with a foggy, spastic, confusing story.

But ‘normal’ acts do it all the time!  When bands start organically there’s an incredible amount of fog, spastic-ness and confusion…but you don’t know it at the time so you just keep going.  And that’s great.

A few years in you begin to understand what a story is and how marketing works and so you sit down and try to frame the story.

But there’s already so much history! There’s already attitudes and feelings and preferences and pain and playing favorites and taking sides.  (And again, I think this is fantastic in so many ways…this is how we got The Beatles and Led Zeppelin)

What if the past didn’t matter? What if a label head put you in a room with a couple fresh faces and you got to make up and tell whatever story you wanted without being self conscious about ‘is this me, is this us’….because NO, IT ISN’T, it can’t be yet.  This group is brand new and isn’t defined. So you get to define it.

Perhaps it’s simply the difference between remodeling/renovation and doing a new build.

Both are great.

But I think the ‘put together bands’ are on to something. Something clear and intentional. Something designed to please one segment of the market and not another.

Put it together.

p.s. Some questions that put-together acts have to ask because they have no back-story, that rarely if ever get asked by organic bands:

Who are we making music for?

What are we going to wear?

What are we going to sing of?

How many people should be in the band?

Who owns the band, recordings, copyrights, etc?

What if someone quits?

Who is going to talk in interviews?

How do we want people to feel when they hear our music?

You get it. All the questions that are easier to ask when you don’t know someone than when you do.




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

Yelling And Whispering

You can get anyone to listen to you once or twice if you yell loud enough.

The problem is no one likes being yelled at.

So while you might get heard a couple times, now you’re known as the person who yells…i.e. the person who communicates in a way no one likes.  

The point can’t simply be to be heard, else the yelling would work more.

And isn’t it funny how you never feel special when you’re yelled at, but the thought of someone whispering something to you feels pretty special.

Yelling might be great for some fast attention, but it’s fleeting.

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

Companies Within Your Company

As an artist, you’re the parent company…and within that company are several companies:

YOU Touring Company

YOU Recorded Music Company

YOU Marketing Company

YOU PR/Celebrity Company

YOU Publishing Company

YOU Writer Company

YOU Merchandise Company

These are just a few of the companies within your company, each one working together and separately. Each one (each team) needing to be built with care.  Each one needing the right people to be hired on.

Each one having its own ROI (a term artists shun solely because of it’s stigma) whether in dollars, attention, referral or life experience.

And here’s the thing too…You might not need all these companies (and more) in order to have the career you want.

Maybe you only really want to build and fuel the Recorded Music and PR/Celebrity. Lots of acts do.  Cool. But if you decide that, don’t be surprised that your Touring, Writing, Publishing, Etc, Etc Companies aren’t doing very well or are nonexistent. 

Assess the companies within your company. How are they doing? Which ones need more attention? Which ones need to be shut down? Which ones need to be rebuilt?

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