2011 May » The Gigging Musician

Will Your Personality Get You, or Lose You, the Gig?

Posted by Paul Schille at 4:50 pm Life on the Road, News

May 312011

One of the best articles I’ve ever read on this subject, Peter Thorn helps explain why some people get tons of gigs, and others don’t.

Psychology of a Working Guitarist

I won’t get into all the do’s and don’ts as Peter does a great job of covering those, but I’ve been talking about this for years and it always amazes how some people just never seem to get it. At the end of the day, there are always several players who are good enough for whatever level a particular gig is at (and let’s face it, Peter is at a different level than I am, and I’m at a different level than someone just starting out). So if there are always more good players than there are great gigs, what are you doing to be the one who gets the gig?

For a touring band like ours, I’ve always felt that there are lots of guys good enough to play the parts, so I’m always looking for someone that I respect and want to hang with. I genuinely like the guys in my current band and I am really looking forward to an incredibly busy summer of planes, buses, vans, and bad hotels with those guys. Do we have our issues? Of course we do, who doesn’t? But at the end of the day, you are on stage for a couple of hours a night (if you’re lucky) and the rest of the time is spent just hanging out with your bandmates.

And I don’t think this just goes for band situations. I used to be a CEO in a previous life and have hired literally hundreds of people over the years. I’ve found the exact same thing there, where the quality of your work-life goes up exponentially if you are working with people whom you respect and enjoy being around. And with the high levels of unemployment out there today, you can just multiply the number of good people out there competing with you for that gig!

So have a look at the article to see how you stack up and ask yourself: Are you getting the gigs you want?

Tadalafil

Overcoming Stage Fright

Posted by Paul Schille at 5:00 pm How To's, Life on the Road

May 212011

Back when we started this blog late last year, one of the first questions we received was how to deal with stage fright. Ray and I both took a stab at what we thought might be helpful, but since it’s not something either one of us has had to deal with, I don’t know that we were of much help. I’ve been performing onstage since I was in grade school and then spent many years as a corporate executive, so being in front of groups of people is pretty much second nature at this point. And let’s face it, Ray’s middle name is “Ham!”

So when I came across this article in Gig Magazine, I thought I would share it here as I know this can be a real issue for a lot of people.

Overcoming Stage Fright

My favorite line is near the end where the author says, “Ultimately, overcoming stage fright is accomplished by doing the one thing you fear the most: performing…if you are not willing to “face the fear of failure,” stage fright will continue to haunt your performance attempts.” You can ask Ray, I have fallen on my face (both literally AND figuratively) many times over the years and yet I’m still here performing, and have a pretty good gig at that! At the end of the day it’s important to remember that the only person that cares whether you were “perfect” or not, is you! Everyone else is simply there to have a good time and be entertained. If you can find a way to keep that in mind, it will make it a lot easier to go out there and take some chances and have fun!

Road Dog Travel Tips from John Bohlinger

Posted by Paul Schille at 6:58 pm Life on the Road

May 172011

John Bohlinger

For those of you not familiar with John Bohlinger, it’s a safe bet to say you’re probably familiar with his playing. A noted Nashville guitarist, he has recorded and toured with over 30 major-label artists, and currently spends most of his time doing TV and film work. John is a close friend of our good friend Forrest Lee Jr., and when it comes to travel tips on the road, John really knows is stuff. As summer is upon us again, it’s the time where many of us gigging musicians spend a substantial amount of time on the road, and these tips can be lifesavers. You can have a look at his article in Premier Guitar here:

Road-Dog Travel Tips

And I have another tip to add as well. While you’re removing that disgusting comforter from the bed, take an extra minute and douse the TV remote with Purell. One of the most germ-ridden items in the whole room, I don’t touch that thing until it’s had a sanitizing bath!

But other than that, have a great time on the road this summer!

65 Amps and PreSonus Changing the Way We Listen Online

Posted by Paul Schille at 2:23 pm Free

May 052011

I am a huge fan of 65 Amps, and if you don’t know who they are I can guarantee you’ve heard their amps all over the radio and TV. From Keith Urban to Ritchie Sambora to Jared Scharff in the Saturday Night Live band, these amp are everywhere, and once you hear one you’ll know why. Founded by Dan Boul and Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crowe’s guitarist), 65 Amps has quickly become one of the premier boutique amp builders around. Ray and I were fortunate enough to get a private interview with Dan and Peter at NAMM this year, and if we ever get around to recording our NAMM wrap-up podcast you’ll be able to hear it here. They are a couple of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and Dan does a weekly webcast on Wednesdays at noon Pacific time that’s well worth tuning into.

Which brings us to the point of this post. Dan has been looking for the best way to broadcast live sound online and has teamed up with PreSonus to bring you as good a guitar sound as you’re going to find anywhere. Dan recently filmed a piece on how they’re using the PreSonus Studio Live 16-channel board for his broadcasts and it’s well worth checking out. This is the same digital board that Ray and I have used and it’s one of the best small boards out there. For all you guitar players, one of the most interesting things in this video is how they mic the cabinets for the broadcast. I have a couple of those mics, but that Royer 121 is definitely next on my list for recording purposes. You also get an insider’s tour of the 65 Amps facility that is fantastic.

So check out the video and tune in to Dan’s weekly broadcast to learn more about 65 Amps.