Must The Show Go On?

Maybe the actual problem IS that the show always goes on. The show always happens and artists take advantage of that.

See, there’s no person who stops you two or three songs into your show and says ‘this just isn’t good enough, try again in a few months’.

I would argue that if this sort of thing happened once or twice along the way to every artist, there would be a proper fear and respect for what a show needs to be in order to pass.

But this sort of thing doesn’t happen. So the show always goes on and in turn the audience gets a lot of lack luster, mediocre entertainment.

What if you had to prepare in a way that you were juuuuuuust a little afraid the boogie man was going to stop you if it wasn’t up to par?

I’m going to say you would prepare better. Because it would be REALLY embarrassing if the boogie man came on stage two songs into your set and announced it was over because it wasn’t good enough.

The fear of that possible embarrassment would cause you to prepare a better show.

I don’t anticipate any venue will be employing a boogie man with the threat of kicking you off stage…

…so if the ‘show goes on’, make sure it’s a good one.

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

(demo)

(demo) is an invitation for collaboration.

It says: Check out this really great song that isn’t even done yet and is only going to get better from here.

It’s an invitation for excitement and ultimately, hope.

If you send a song to someone with (demo) on the end, you might not actually want their opinion on how to make it better…but THEY feel as if their opinion might be have life. That their opinion might matter to the final outcome. That they matter. That the door is open even if they never get the chance to give it.

(demo) is an invitation.

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

Know Instead Of Hope

Walking on stage knowing you have a good show.

Not merely hoping you’ll have one.

It’s possible to walk on stage knowing you have it…not wondering if you have it and whether or not it will show up.

But it takes a lot of intentional work. And most artists don’t want to do that work.

Intentional work on writing songs you believe, work on how to perform them, the arrangements, work on the set list, the transitions, the talking points, the grand finale.

Pay attention. Do the work. Play the shows and take the time to learn from them. Do the rehearsals and take the time to learn from them.

Dig in and build the show.

Know instead of hope.

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

Changing Mindsets

You thought you were going to write an uptempo song, but now you have to write a ballad.

You were grocery shopping but now you have to go sing a last minute vocal.

You’re tired from working out but now you have to get on the phone with your agent.

You had to hurry but now you have to wait.

You were on vacation but then a huge co-write came through and vacation is over.


Changes like these can be jarring.

It’s hard to change your mind when you don’t want to change your mind, when you’re not in the mood to change your mind

But having practice changing your mind makes you better at changing your mind…and once you change your mind into doing the new thing you’ll probably be better at the new thing.

You were in one mindset but you have to switch mindsets.

So there’s three elements here: the first mindset, the switching, the second mindset.

Most of us are good at more than one thing, we have no shortage of mindsets…it’s the switching that’s hard. Or at least hard to do quickly.

If you get better at switching when switching is necessary, you’ll have a lot more value to offer in any given situation.

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

Play Four Songs In The Dressing Room

A lot of artists say it takes a handful of songs to really get into the show.

Well, if it takes till the fifth song to get in the zone…play four songs in the dressing room before hand :)

Especially when an artist is opening and only doing 20mins…I always hear ‘by the time we were really into it, it was over’.

What a waste of an opportunity.

From the second you walk on stage, be in it.

Five songs is way too long.

Build a routine, a ritual, a series of small important things that put you in your zone right BEFORE getting on stage.

That way the first four songs aren’t just you warming up.

***It also helps to pay close attention to what the elements of the beginning of the show are.  The way you walk on stage, getting the instruments, the first sound, the first sights, the first physical movements, the first song, the first words…the most important thing for you to do in a live show is to use all of these things to make sure you’re mind, body and spirit are in it from the start.

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

Your Market + a Bonus

Is there an existing market(s) for the music you make and the artist you are?

If the answer is yes…Who is it? How big is it? Is it big enough for you to have a career too? How will you tap into the existing market(s)? How long will it take?

If the answer is no…1) you can change what you do in a way that allows you to participate in a beneficial way with markets that already exist…or 2) create a new markets

Creating new ones is harder. But if you create them, they’re yours (at least for a while)

Creating markets or participating in existing ones…both can work, but it’s a good idea to decide which way the ship ought to be steered.

***A pal of mine did a bunch of the voice over work in the new Queen moving coming out this fall. I think this videowill explain why…and make you smile.

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