Startup Musician Startup Musician

Last year I self published a book called "Startup Musician" in paperback and kindle, but no audiobook. So, it's story time with Brandon. In this episode I read the first 2 chapters of the book. Check out the book on Amazon by searching "Startup Musician."

Cory Wong is a guitarist who has played with artists such as Vulfpeck, Ben Rector, Brandon Heath, and Gene Simmons (just wait!) In June, as Vulfpeck was passing through Los Angeles on their tour, Cory and I met up to chat. What resulted is one of my favorite podcast episodes ever. I know I say that every episode, but seriously, you're in for a treat.

In this episode, Cory and I talk about

How he made money recording acoustic guitar tribute albums
How he came to own the massive library of tribute albums that he recorded
Developing your own sound that makes you more valuable
The most insanely hilarious gig story I've ever heard.
The importance of being artistically satisfied and not just making money
How he splits his time between Minneapolis and Nashville
Balancing career and family and utilizing the support system of musicians around you going through similar things.

We've talked before about the importance of really killing it when you sub for someone else, but John Whitt Jr. takes that to a whole new level. 

In this podcast interview with John Whitt Jr, you'll hear how he managed to sub into the Kendrick Lamar band, on a rig that wasn't his, with no rehearsal or even soundcheck, and nail it enough to land the fulltime gig a few months later. Whaaaa? Yes. 

John Whitt Jr. has worked with many artists such as Kendrick, Miguel, Tinashe, Alicia Keys, and Common. It was a pleasure talking to him and picking his brain, and you'll get a lot of valuable info out of this episode.