243 episodes
Gig Gab - The Working Musicians' Podcast BackBeat Media
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- Music Commentary
Each week Paul Kent and Dave Hamilton come to you sharing their gigging experiences, tips and tricks learned, and interviews with other weekend warriors and pros. Wanna talk shop with your musical buddies? Look no further than GigGab!
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How Do You Scream?
Listen, sometimes running a band isn’t fun. Sometimes it requires thinking about accounting and managing people and employment law and all that. Today’s Gig Gab digs into some of that not-fun stuff, specifically about managing shared band expenses and another bit about California’s AB5. Really, this stuff isn’t fun, but it’s necessary to think about, and Paul and Dave share their thoughts and invite yours.
But your two favorite weekend warriors do also ask the important question: How do you scream? After talking about accounting you’ll probably want to anyway.
* 00:00:00 Gig Gab 244 – Monday, Feb 17, 2020
* 00:03:00 How do you scream?
* 00:04:13 AB5 Follow-ups
* Gig Gab 242 with a segment about AB5
* 00:25:20 Jonathan-Managing Shared Band Expenses
* 00:40:57 GG 244 Outtro -
Recording – and Managing – Your Band
Dave’s fresh out of the studio at The Noise Floor where he spent the weekend recording a new album with Bitter Pill. He’s got a lot of takeaways to share from that experience, and some new things to look forward to, as well.
Then he and Paul dig into – and praise – the concept of a band. What does that mean? How do you define it? How do you protect it? Those are the questions they begin to answer… or at least get clarity about asking! Listen as they dissect all of this and more, then send in your feedback, either in the comments here or at feedback@giggabpodcast.com.
* 00:00:00 Gig Gab 243 – Monday, Feb 10, 2020
* 00:01:29 Dissecting a Successful Bitter Pill Recording Session
* February RPM Challenge!
* Isolation Studio benefits
* Engineer benefits
* Lesson: when producing your bandmates, be economical with language and time
* Lesson: learn your DAW, specifically with regards to chopping takes together
* Logic Pro Smart Tempo
* 00:21:29 SPONSOR: CHAUVET DJ. The new GigBAR Move has moving head fixtures, wash light pars, strobes, and lasers on one, easy-to-setup bar.
* 00:23:47 In praise of bands
* Boss RC-300 Loop Station
* The flow of things: From bros-to-business-partners
* 00:39:00 The Sociology of a Band
* Temptation of other band members when different one changes
* Gig Gab Episode 1 (or, well, 2).
* 00:57:58 Live Mixers with USB Interfaces
* 00:58:35 Midi 2.0
* 01:01:21 GG 243 Outtro
* feedback@giggabpodcast.com -
Blues, Bits, and Bosses
Who’s your boss? Are you the boss? These questions are important to ask when discussing matters related to employment. The latest in this saga is unfolding in California right now with AB5, causing a re-definition of some musicians from independent contractors to employees. We’ve seen this before, but is this time different? Paul Kent and Dave Hamilton begin the discussion… you can add to it by commenting below or sending an email to feedback@giggabpodcast.com
That’s not all, though: first your two favorite weekend warriors discuss the blues, what it means, and how to begin learning to play it. Entertaining a crowd makes another appearance – as it should! After all, we need to Always Be Performing! Finally, Neil Young has put his technological foot in his rambling mouth again, and the guys have something to say about that!
* 00:00:00 Gig Gab 242 – Monday, Feb 3, 2020
* 00:01:11 Working the crowd
* 00:09:00 Blues without (and with) a drummer
* The Nasty Habits Intro from Tommy Castro
* 00:18:35 Neil Young is Shaming Technology
* 00:28:26 The impacts of California AB5
* Ari’s Take
* “I Am Your Unpaid Steward”
* Gig Gab Facebook Group
* 00:55:00 GG 242 Outtro -
Do You Want My Help?
Playing music together often creates a very tight bond between musicians involving trust and compassion. But even though that bond is strong, it’s usually not something that’s naturally all-encompassing. How do you take that and build from it? And how do you use it to help your band? These are the interesting questions that you pose and your two favorite weekend warriors ponder.
Speaking of listener questions, this episode addresses two others: one about a story in the previous episode, and another about onesies and IEMs! Indeed, there’s a lot to unpack here, and Paul and Dave dig through it all with you.
* 00:00:00 Gig Gab 241 – Tuesday, January 28, 2020
* 00:01:20 Dave-240-What happened to the guys from DNA Entertainment?
* 00:04:04 Dan-Onesies and IEMs
* Tune Belt Microphone Belt
* “Where do you get your onesies?”
* House of Onesies
* 00:08:39 Eric-Sideman Dos and Don’ts
* 00:30:37 Carving out Band Bonding Time
* 00:38:21 Addressing band conflict
* Neil Peart’s Far and Wide
* “Do you want my help?”
* 00:53:00 GG 241 Outtro -
Should We Play It Like The Record?
Two questions to start: How do you handle not-currently-in-use vocal mics? And when you setup on stage, do you make sure everyone can see each other without turning around?
That’s how this Gig Gab episode starts, folks, and then it evolves, winding up with a dissection of having your audience help you choose the right songs for them, and how to decide upon the best interpretation of those songs.
Listen as Paul and Dave, your two favorite weekend warriors, dig through all of this and more, including some feedback from you, dear listeners. After all, Gig Gab is a conversation at it’s core, and you are very much a part of it! Press play… and enjoy.
* 00:00:00 Gig Gab 240 – Tuesday, January 21, 2020
* 00:01:14 Sean-239-Song Selection and Satisfaction
* The Insiders (great “snippet” video and website design)
* Fling.band (just because we mentioned it. Get yourself a .band domain!)
* feedback@giggabpodcast.com
* 00:12:05 Beware muting vox
* 00:17:40 Stage layout with no less than 90-degree head turns
* 00:22:58 What are the right songs for our desired audience?
* 00:32:30 Do we play it like the record?
* 00:51:04 More Fistbumps Less Handshakes
* 00:52:20 GG 240 -
Song Selection, Cowbells, & The Professor
It’s time to start off the new year by thinking about your song list. Paul and Dave have a lot to say about song selection, mostly because they’ve both made a ton of mistakes in this regard, both about songs and the process of selecting them. Learn what they’ve learned so that you can avoid these pitfalls.
But first, your two favorite weekend warriors take a breath to talk about Neil Peart, drummer for Rush who recently passed away. They each have their own connections and stories to share, both in remembrance, and as inspiration for moving forward. Neil was certainly a man who was dedicated to his crafts, and that’s one lesson Paul and Dave are happy to take as inspiration. After all, Gig Gab is but one of their crafts, and the goal is for everyone to learn and take something away from it all. Press play and enjoy!
* 00:00:00 Gig Gab 239 – Monday, January 13, 2020
* 00:02:07 Neil Giraldo: the beginnings of songs.
* 00:08:32 Remember The Professor
* 00:24:28 SPONSOR: CHAUVET DJ. Don’t just rock…rock in the spotlight with CHAUVET DJ!
* 00:29:53 PSA: Cowbell girl on NYE
* 00:34:37 Tom-Democracy and Song Selection
* Slack
* GG 239 Outtro
Customer Reviews
Long time listener
I’ve been listening to the show for many years and always look forward to the conversation each week. It’s insightful getting to hear other weekend warriors share their experiences playing music. ABP!
Excellent tips and band conversions!
Love this podcast and look forward to their Band conversations every week !
Thanks guys !
Addictive for Weekend Warriors
I play drums and percussion and sing in my wife's original/cover band, Groovy Judy. She told me about the Kenny Aronoff episode, which I loved. I started checking out other episodes and have made a point of listening to all of them. I think I'm addicted.
There have been plenty of discussions where I found myself nodding my head and thinking, "Yep, been there, done that." Other discussions had me thinking, "Huh, that's interesting." It's always nice knowing I'm not the only one who feels a certain way about the triumphs and trials of being in a local band. I also appreciate the perspective and knowledge Paul and Dave bring to the table.
I live in the Bay Area, not far from where Paul lives and have played in at least one of the same venues as The House Rockers. I've never seen the band, but I'm curious about them now.
I tried and, thus far failed, to get my band on Slack. I recently got a Telefunken M80, based in part on a mention in Gig Gab and I'm about to find out if it performs as well at a gig as in rehearsal.
Thanks, guys, for your contributions to the betterment of weekend warriors and for your entertaining and enlightening podcast. Keep up the great work!
