Solo. Duo. Band.

The solo artist gets to call the shots. It’s their name on the poster so understandably it’s their call what goes on the poster.

For the duo: we did it your way last time so this time we’re doing it my way. Makes sense. 50/50. If one person has gotten their way a bunch it’s understandable to balance it out.

As for the band (anything with three or more), it gets completely different. Who is on whose side at this particular crossroads on this day and at this time? He always sides with you unless you agree with me and then all three of them are against us. In a band it’s too hard to keep track of “even” or how many times each person or combination of people have gotten their way.

The more people the more mess. But the shared journey and fulfillment is the prize if you keep it together.

»» If you’re not in music but you’ve watched children try and share toys…it’s the same thing

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New Life On The Road

Eventually gigs will go back to being gigs again, same as they ever were. Fans pack in and listen and experience the band on stage.

But right now as shows start popping up here and there, there’s an in between emerging…where the band and the stage and the setlist are all the same as they ever were but the audience is taking in the show differently than they ever have before. From their car, from just outside their car, in a small taped off area, at a table, with lots of empty seats around them, where having a ticket to a “sold out”  show doesn’t feel like a sold out show because the venue is minimizing capacity.

So there’s a creative opportunity for performers. You (as the artist) get to be on stage pretty much like normal, but your audience is going through something brand new. How can you make this exceptionally exciting for them? Can you put on a show that is memorable, specifically because of this unique artist/audience exchange?

And though its’ been said many times many ways…If you build it they will come…and take pictures of it and put them on the internet and tell their friends.

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Control

‘Out of control’ and ‘out of my control’ are two very different things…and one usually gets mistaken for the other.

When we say something is out of control what we really mean is that it’s out of OUR control.

And something being out of our control can be a really great thing…especially when we can trust the people whose control it is in.

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Validation

When you get validation for your vision/compass/intuition being expertly calibrated it means it’s been that way for a while.

Your expert-ness is true long before the validation you’re hoping for shows up.

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Biggest And Best

What’s the biggest show you’ve ever seen?

That’s easy. You just think of the biggest venue you’ve seen live music at and say the name of the band you saw.

What’s the best show you’ve ever seen?

Way harder. Best is nuanced. Best has to do with the vibe, the people, the connection, the way the singer moved, the flow of the show, surprises, the excitement.


We know that biggest and best don’t necessarily go together.

Biggest is quantifiable so it’s easy to chase.

Best comes from getting better and better, no rules, no numbers, no map. No numbers to point to.

So with no easy definition we revert to bigger and best being the same thing.

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Better Gigs

At first it was hard to get gigs.

Then it was easy to get gigs but hard to get better gigs…and equally hard to say no to the gigs that weren’t the better gigs.

And that’s the crossroads.

There will come a time (if you want to grow) when it’s important to say no to the gig, not because you don’t have the time, but because it doesn’t fit with where you want to go.

»» A little shortcut for bands and artists: Play two hundred shows as soon as possible. Say yes to everything (unless the casino in Baraga, Michigan calls…say no to that one).

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