Artist Hats

When you’re a new artist you wear every hat imaginable.

You’re the artist, manager, agent, label, publicist, road manager, graphic designer, video maker, video editor, songwriter, a&r, marketer, radio team, street team, social media manager, photo stylist, van driver, producer…

All of them.

It’s easy to think all of those things make up your full time job. But the thing is, each of them IS a full time job.

For each of those hats you wear, the is a full time job in the industry for that work. Pay attention to which hats you like to wear and don’t be afraid if that hat you want to keep isn’t the artist one.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Football Lessons

Football Lessons

If you don’t make a touchdown on this play, you can try again next play.

If the coach is yelling at you it’s probably too late.

The perfect pass is only a perfect pass when lots of little adjustments get made in order to get the perfect result.

Next man up is an advantageous mind set until you’re the one injured.

And while next man up is an understandable team strategy, isn’t it the goal to have players/people who are so good that they aren’t replaceable. Shouldn’t the goal be that next man up doesn’t work? That you have to say ‘Stop. We aren’t the same without them. We need to retool for a bit’.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

You and the World

The world doesn’t need you to do it.

The irony is…if you decide to do it, you can give the world something it needs.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Phone Calling

If you don’t have time to talk, don’t answer.

So then…

If you pick up, don’t act like you don’t have time.


Both answering and not answering can be the friendly thing to do.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Bored Band In A Van

At the beginning, you’re on the road with just the band. No crew. Just four or five people in a van.

When there’s only a handful of people on the road a few things happen…

-you talk about everything there is to talk about

-you get bored

-there’s still no new people in the van

-boredom is no fun

-you start wondering and (hopefully) asking why you’re doing this at all


And that is a great place to be. That is the glory of paying your dues on the road.

(Teenage superstars never get bored long enough to ask that last question.)

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

The Good Front Of House Engineer

If you’re going to take the time and money to hire the good players, don’t forget about finding and hiring the good front of house engineer.

Having the good players is essential and gives you lots of confidence in the music while you’re on stage…but having the good front of house means you know the audience is hearing what you want them to hear.

It needs to sound good in the audience.

And if it does they’ll never even notice it.

But if it sounds bad in the audience, they’ll notice. Even if they don’t notice it, they’ll know.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com