Have you ever been a house band? If so, or if not, what does that concept mean to you? Listen as Paul and Dave talk through the whole idea of what a house band could be, and how different folks are iterating on that idea. What can you adopt from the house band concept for your shows?

But first, none of these gigs happen without learning the songs first. Paul grills Dave on the process of prepping for his gigs using this past week’s Mad Haus as a guide. But don’t worry, these are universal lessons that Dave, Paul, and even you can apply to any gig for which you don’t already know the tunes.

That, plus a couple of geeky gear items as Cool Stuff Found make up this week’s show. Enjoy… and always be performing!

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Your band is filled with people, and that means there’s a psychological component to everything you do, including keeping your band together. How actively do you and your bandmates manage that? And is that enough?

That’s not all Paul and Dave talk about today, though! Dave got to see three bands in three nights, and took away some lessons about the whole “Always Be Performing” concept… on both sides of the coin. Listen as your two favorite weekend warriors go through all of this and more. Then send in your thoughts to [email protected] and chat with other listeners in the Gig Gab Facebook Group.

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When the crowd is there to hear you, paying attention to every nuance, it’s a completely different world. Dave had the option to re-experience that recently, and talks through it all.

Then it’s time to talk about your vocal technique. Dave and Paul share the lessons they’ve learned as not-professional-singers, and perhaps there’s some wisdom there. Or perhaps they’re just full of something else. You decide!

Finally, it seems table stakes are different for up-and-coming players these days in terms of technique, and Paul and Dave talk through what they’ve seen and why they think that’s so.

All of this and more on Gig Gab. Press play and enjoy! Then email [email protected] and let your two favorite Weekend Warriors know what you think!

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What do vanity songs, iPads on stage, Nashville, and your reviews of Gig Gab all have in common? Well, they teach Paul and Dave to get over themselves and just deliver the podcast for YOU, our listeners. Yes, it’s true, your two favorite weekend warriors sometimes get stuck in their own heads when the goal is to get stuck in yours. Listen … and see if they succeed!

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What do you do to keep things fresh for your band and your audience? What more could you do?

As much as we love the music, it’s not just about the music. There’s more we can all do – especially in today’s attention-distracted world – to ensure our fans are interested in coming to the next show. Heck, there’s more we can do to ensure we are interested in playing our next show. What is it? Paul and Dave talk through this.

Also, what’s the magic that makes your band special? Getting some perspective on this can be helpful, at times, and your two favorite weekend warriors talk through this, as well. Press play, and always be performing!

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What’s it take to get you to put your pants and shoes on and leave the couch? That’s the question to ask your would-be audience when deciding how to advertise to them. You want them to get up off the couch and come to your show, so make ’em an offer they don’t want to refuse.

Paul and Dave spend the second half of today’s episode talking through all this stuff ad-related, after starting with stories from some fun Halloween/Halloweekend gigs. Press play and enjoy hearing your two favorite Weekend Warriors!

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Listener Sean brings us back to the marketing table asking how best to make that very first contact with a potential club to play. Paul’s the experienced one here, and he leads us all through a great lesson on how best to make that work.

It seems we’re all now members of the blackout generation, at least in terms of generating power during blackouts. Dave shares some of his tips about powering your band through a power outage, as both he and Paul have needed to do lately!

And, of course, there are all of your favorite gig-related stories. It’s amazing how much stuff happens at “normal” shows, isn’t it? We love it. After all, that’s what makes Gig Gab exist!

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Does your band have a new song approach policy? Maybe you need to adopt the rule of three. Maybe you need to tweak the wireless frequencies of your devices. Maybe it’s good to have a conversation about trust between your bandmates. Listen, there’s a lot of maybes in the world, and your two favorite weekend warriors can only tackle a few each week. Listen as Paul and Dave address these topics (and maybe another!). Press play and enjoy!

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There’s a point you can get to with a band where playing together feels like putting on your favorite comfy slippers. Things are happy, things are smooth, and you have room and confidence to conquer the stage.

But what happens when the slippers aren’t comfortable anymore? Or aren’t even there? Well, your two favorite weekend warriors talk through all of this. Listener Tom even has a scenario brewing that requires an extended conversation jam between Paul and Dave, trading fours back-and-forth like two guys with something to say and listen to. It’s all yours right now, just press play!

And if you have a question, send it in to [email protected]

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It’s great to get your band to a place where you can just get setup and play without any issues. That’s not always easy, mind you, but it’s great. Paul and Dave both have a few stories – and a few tips – about how to make this happen… and what happens when it doesn’t!

Crowd interaction is a critical tentpole of our “Always Be Performing” motto here at Gig Gab, and Dave had some interesting experiences with that this past weekend. Sometimes the crowd is too easy to engage, and that can present its own set of problems to be solved. Never fear, Paul is there to help solve them.

Lastly, a tech question about the right kind of mix for your in-ear monitors. Really, it’s a question that applies to any monitor mixes, so you’ll want to hear your favorite Weekend Warriors’ thoughts about that, too! Press play to get it all right now.

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