Gig Gab - The Working Musicians' Podcast

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!

  • 1 hour 1 minute
    Stop Guessing, Start Growing: Fix Your Band’s Biggest Pain Points (with Dan Chantrey)
    Stop Guessing, Start Growing: Fix Your Band’s Biggest Pain Points – Gig Gab 531 with Dan Chantrey episode image

    You trace Dan Chantrey’s path from drummer dad influence to choosing music over football, and quickly see the real lesson: the game has flipped. You’re no longer playing gigs to sell music, you’re using music to sell gigs. From record deals fading to booking agents becoming the new gatekeepers, you learn why every band feels like it’s on the brink and how surviving means thinking beyond the stage. GIGNITE emerges as the modern answer, a virtual tour manager that helps you route tours, analyze audiences, and break into new markets with data instead of guesswork. If you want to grow, you stop hoping for “yes” and start building a system that makes it inevitable.

    You rethink what it means to be a working musician: your brand matters as much as your chops, your off-stage work is where the money lives, and yes, it’s okay to get paid for your art. From finding sponsors in your local pizza joint to solving real-world problems like parking the van and booking rooms, you’re shown how to remove friction and scale your gig life intelligently. The stories drive it home: don’t punish the audience that showed up, audition gigs still sting, and your toughest hometown show might teach you the most. The throughline is clear: treat this like a business, leverage the tools, and Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 531 – Monday, April 27th, 2026
    • 00:03:36 Dan’s Dad was a drummer and a singer, started him off, then Dan started playing
    • 00:03:58 Playing live vs. Playing in the studio
    • 00:04:15 Choosing between (American) football and music
    • 00:06:09 Getting signed to Frontier Records
      • Things worked for a while
      • “Every band is on the verge of breaking up at all times”
    • 00:09:06 Things have turned: you used to do gigs to sell your music, now you do music to sell your gigs
      • GIGNITE is a one-stop shop for artists to be able to tour
      • Had an events business running pre-COVID
      • BREXIT happened, so how can we make things easier to get artists move about through Europe
    • 00:12:38 Booking agent deals are the new record deal
    • 00:14:49 Tried to book a festival, booking agents said “no” even though bands said “yes”
    • 00:16:00 GIGNITE is your virtual tour manager
    • 00:17:10 Aggregating Audience Analytics is part of the platform, too
    • 00:18:56 Heading to NAMM to learn what potential customers want
      • NAMM is the meeting place of the music industry
    • 00:20:33 Analytics aggregation for tribute acts and cover bands, too
      • Does Dave’s fictitious band sound like Rage Against The Machine? Why not!
      • Using analytics to decide which markets
    • 00:22:55 GIGNITE is free for artists to join and use
      • Freemium model allows artists to add additional features like press releases and such
      • Primary monetization is from suppliers (aka venues)
      • Venue ratings system!
    • 00:24:22 Gig Unite links artists with sponsors
      • Linking headline bands with opening acts (local and otherwise)
      • Find sponsors for your local bands, folks:
        • Pizza place
        • Construction companies
        • Cleaning services
        • Chiropractor
      • It might be easier to get sponsors for your band than gigs for it!
    • 32:31 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
    • 00:33:57 GIGNITE takes the heavy lifting and headaches away
      • Gives your band the power to look at and consider tours
      • “How do you get a gig in a town that’s 200 miles away?”
      • You can do it yourself, you can get a booking agent, or you can use a service like GIGNITE
    • 00:36:00 It’s called the music BUSINESS for a reason
      • The brand of your band is as important as your stagecraft
    • 00:40:49 I don’t get paid to play shows, I get paid to do all the off-stage stuff
      • Dave says: “It’s OK to get paid for our art”
    • 00:43:41 Where are you going to park your van while you play?
      • Where are you going to stay?
      • GIGNITE answers these questions
    • 00:47:44 Now it’s Gig Gab time
      • Road stories, folks!
      • Parthenon Huxley: Don’t punish the people who showed up!
      • Audition Gigs… love ‘em and hate ‘em!
        • (mostly hate ‘em!)
    • 00:54:36 The hardest gig I ever played
      • “We want to see you in your home town.”
    • 00:58:00 Gig Gab 531 Outtro

    The post Stop Guessing, Start Growing: Fix Your Band’s Biggest Pain Points – Gig Gab 531 with Dan Chantrey appeared first on Gig Gab.

    27 April 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage
    50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage – Gig Gab 530 episode image

    Step inside five decades of rock history with lighting legend Howard Ungerleider, the man who’s been designing and directing Rush’s light shows since 1974. Hear how a $75-a-week mailroom gig at American Talent International — where he pulled off a rogue booking of Fleetwood Mac before he was even an agent — turned into a lifetime behind the console. Get the story of Howard landing in Toronto to babysit “a club band called Rush,” sleeping on the floor at the manager’s house with a St. Bernard, freezing his hand to a car door at -40 in Cochrane, Ontario, and later jamming with Neil Peart at his house to Genesis and Supertramp records. Howard also talks designing Roll The Bones (the one Rush tour he couldn’t operate), embedding at See Factor to build custom gear nobody else could get, and how Blue Öyster Cult first put him in front of a laser: the same craft he now brings to Foo Fighters, Tool, and Janet Jackson.

    Then the conversation turns to the upcoming Rush Fifty Something tour — a four-piece now with Anika Nilles on drums and Loren Gold on keys, freeing Geddy to focus on bass and vocals. Learn why Howard still “plays” the lighting console live with two boards and thousands of touch cues, how robotic spots are quietly changing the craft, and why he and Phish’s Chris Kuroda will be swapping rigs at Madison Square Garden. You’ll also hear the Paul McCartney moment in the Taylor Hawkins tribute dressing room that may have sparked the whole tour, and why Howard insists this is a rejuvenation, a celebration, and proof that no matter the rig, the room, or the era, you’ve gotta ALWAYS BE PERFORMING.

    Because it’s what we do.

    Press play and enjoy, folks.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 530 – Monday, April 20th, 2026
    • 00:02:18 Walked into a NYC office to get a recording contract for his band
      • “You need to learn about this industry before you come knocking on people’s doors.”
      • Introduced him to Action Talent (which became American Talent International)
    • 00:06:21 For $75/week delivering coffee and working in the mailroom
      • After a year and a half he got booted from Monmouth University, then became the ATI gopher
    • 00:08:17 Hey, do you want Fleetwood Mac to play here?
    • 00:11:44 Booking agent
    • 00:13:17 Can you fill in for a week as Blue Oyster Cult’s tour
    • 00:14:51 Howard and Rush were surprised to have Howard working there
      • “I need ten grand” – “no, you can sleep on the floor instead”
    • 00:18:11 Howard had to show Geddy that New York pizza was better than Toronto pizza
    • 00:19:01 Howard learns about Canadian cold
      • Howard’s driving, Geddy’s riding shotgun, Neil’s reading, Alex is smoking a joint
    • 00:20:42 Geddy says, “get out and take a breath of fresh air”
    • 00:22:05 John Rutsey had opted out of touring, Howard moves to Toronto while they’re auditioning drummers
      • “Eventually Neil [Peart] walked in…and that was it.”
    • 00:23:32 Howard and Neil used to jam at Neil’s house
      • Genesis and Supertramp
    • 00:24:19 Road life’s not so bad
      • 200 gigs a year on the road
    • 00:26:09 Rush took a break, Howard did Queensryche and Tesla
      • Howard designed Roll The Bones, but it’s the only tour he couldn’t operate
    • 00:27:51 Howard tour-managed and lighting designed and operated every tour up through Presto, after which he dropped tour-managing
    • 00:28:41 Dave realizes he met Howard on the Presto tour
    • 00:31:43 Don’t put up with crap
    • 00:32:03 Howard’s been doing Rush’s lights since 1974
    • 00:33:05 Moving from clubs and theaters to arenas
    • 00:34:54 SPONSOR: Warby Parker – Right now, buy one prescription pair and get 20% off any additional prescription pairs at https://WarbyParker.com/GIGGAB
    • 00:36:40 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit https://Claude.ai/giggab
    • 00:38:10 Howard first saw lasers with Blue Oyster Cult
    • 00:40:37 RUSH Fifty Something
      • Something completely different than Howard has ever done
      • Other dimensions
    • 00:42:04 Mixing the Juno awards
      • Howard says Neil would approve of Anika.
    • 00:44:51 Hey Howard, surprise! RUSH is going to tour again
    • 00:47:03 Howard did lights for RUSH at Taylor Hawkins tribute
    • 00:48:46 Howard prefers mixing live
      • He “plays” the lighting console live
      • Remote spot locations
    • 00:52:07 RUSH Fifty Something… it’s band of FOUR.
      • Geddy is happy… playing less keyboards, more bass and vocal focus
    • 00:54:42 Howard: “I create lighting choreography”
      • This tour is (currently) 2.5 hours (things can change, folks!)
      • “I try to enhance the show with lighting that can trigger your emotions. I approach it as an audience member.”
      • Loren Gold’s harmonies sound great
    • 00:58:28 Phish and Rush alternating at Madison Square Garden
      • Chris Kuroda also mixes lights live
    • 01:00:45 Howard’s going to 85 dates
      • We’re here to create positivity, have a good time…and Neil Peart is smiling down
    • 01:05:25 Brian Worthen on FOH
    • 01:08:30 Gig Gab 530 Outtro <https://giggabpodcast.com/>

    The post 50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage – Gig Gab 530 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    20 April 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room with Cliff &amp; Susan Prowse
    The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room – Gig Gab Podcast 529 with Cliff & Susan Prowse episode image

    You don’t need a traditional path to build a thriving music career! Just ask Cliff and Susan Prowse, who turned classical piano chops and play-by-ear instincts into a full-blown lifestyle business. Whether you learned to read music first or figured out theory after the fact, what matters is training your ear to hear intervals, stacking up reps, and putting in the practice until harmony feels like second nature. Use your DAW to sharpen your pitch, but don’t psych yourself or your bandmates out: true tone deafness is rare, and confidence is currency on stage. The bottom line: making a real living in music is absolutely possible when you treat your craft like a skill you never stop sharpening.

    Once you hit the stage, remember that the crowd is the star and you’re the emcee who just happens to sing and play. Take your audience on a journey: open at mid-energy, build it up, let it breathe, then hit them again. Mix genres, swap instruments, toss in some comedy, and never leave dead air between songs; keep every second purposeful. Think of your set like a video game where you’re always leveling up the room. Manage your breaks with music that matches the vibe so the party never stalls. Playing covers isn’t just a gig — it’s a masterclass in entertainment, and entertainment is its own art form. Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 529 – Monday, April 13th, 2026
    • 00:03:02 The Ultimate Lifestyle Business
    • 00:03:33 Starting with a Pure Mathematics Degree to Piano Bars
      • Classical Piano at the base of it all
    • 00:05:04 Bumble Boogie piqued Susan’s ears
      • Make sure your kids see that inspiration
    • 00:07:16 Cliff started with music from the day he was born
      • Always treated instruments delicately, even as a toddler
      • Learned to play by ear, but never learned to read
    • 00:09:44 Reading vs. hearing and Music Theory
      • School band director thought he was reading music, when Cliff was just playing by ear and remembering what the band director
      • Susan learned to hear intervals
      • Cliff decided to learn theory after-the-fact
    • 00:14:28 Learning to play before you learn WHY the notes work
    • 00:18:18 Breaking down vocal harmonies
      • Both Susan and Cliff picks out harmony by ear
      • Singing harmonies with the mixolydian scale with the flat 7
      • Really, just practice. Repetition is the key to it all!
    • 00:27:20 Using your DAW to help improve your singing
      • Being actually tone deaf is rare
      • Beware of shaking your bandmates’ confidence…or your own
    • 00:33:21 Making a living in the music business is possible!
    • 00:34:26 The science of the show: Piano Bar strategies
      • Top 40, any genre, any decade
      • Learning the skills of doing the singalong concept
      • Susan and Cliff met on-stage at Willy D’s piano bar in Little Rock
      • From piano bars in Little Rock to Los Angeles to Las Vegas and beyond
    • 00:38:31 Taking the crowd on a journey
      • When you’re there to entertain and throw the party
      • The crowd is the star, you AREN’T
      • You’re the emcee, the DJ, you just happen to know how to sing and play piano
      • Keep it interesting by changing the genre, the groove, the style
      • It’s like playing a video game!
      • Mid energy, at first, then bring it up, then let it ease, then maybe repeat
      • Add variety: different instruments, different singers, different styles
      • Add a little comedy to give them a break from the music
    • 00:45:44 Manage your breaks
      • One school: NEVER stop playing
      • Have good break music, make sure the energy matches
    • 00:49:48 Managing your dead air
      • Don’t allow breaks between songs. Always avoid dead air.
      • “Purposeful Talking”
    • 00:52:44 Entertainers Academy
    • 00:56:44 Being in a cover band is a masterclass of learning entertainment skills
      • Entertaining is an art in and of itself
    • 01:00:17 Gig Gab 528 Outtro

    The post The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room – Gig Gab Podcast 529 with Cliff & Susan Prowse appeared first on Gig Gab.

    13 April 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 19 minutes
    Monitoring the Artists' Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning
    Monitoring the Artists' Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning – Gig Gab 528 episode image

    In this episode of Gig Gab, you get the full story of how Kevin “KG” Glendinning cold-emailed his way from a Chicago suburb into a 25-year career mixing monitors for Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, and more. You hear how a kid sweeping floors at dB Sound ended up on a Metallica tour bus with one piece of advice ringing in his ears: ask questions, stay late, and get a second job because you’re gonna need it. Kevin walks you through migrating artists to in-ear monitors, managing talkback culture for everyone from Eddie Vedder wanting baseball scores to Lorde’s tight production team, and what it takes to help reluctant guitar players finally ditch the wedges. If you’ve ever wondered what separates a good monitor engineer from a great one, this conversation lays it out.

    You also dive deep into the art and science of making IEMs sound right in every room, every night. Kevin shares his process of minimal reduction: fixing a bad mix by figuring out what to take away, not what to add, and explains why tuning for in-ears is just as critical as tuning a PA. You learn why he flies 4,700 miles for a single gig, why the best mixes sometimes come from a throw-and-go, and how setting up dummy channels lets you experiment without wrecking the artist’s mix. He and Dave talk hearing health, audiograms, the DPA capsule as the only open mic on the Lorde stage, and why knowing your own ears matters more than knowing your gear. Whether you’re mixing monitors at an arena or running sound at a club gig, this episode is packed with wisdom you can use tonight. Always Be Performing, folks!

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 528 – Monday, April 6th, 2026
    • 00:02:25 Hotmailing his way into a career
      • Watched the credits of a Metallica documentary, realized DB Sound was near the house, emailed Harry… “Hi, I’m Kevin, and I’m interested in audio…” and the rest is history!
    • 00:07:58 Got put on the road as an audio team assistant
      • Trial by fire
      • Advice from the team:
        • Here’s what to do
        • Here’s what not to do
        • Ask questions, stay late, and get a second job because you’re gonna need it
    • 00:11:22 Learning the personal touch parts of being on tour
    • 00:12:52 Being the stage left PA tech, Kevin gravitated towards monitors
    • 00:13:50 Talkback Culture
      • Eddie Vedder wanted baseball scores in his talkback
      • SOMBR for Coachella 2026 (Chris Rabold at FOH)
    • 00:16:18 Managing multiple talkback channels
    • 00:18:08 LORDE on Talkback
    • 00:19:00 Talkback stories
      • Jaret Reddick’s use of talkback mics in Bowling For Soup
    • 00:20:51 Migrating to in-ears
    • 00:25:09 Helping guitar players to IEMs
    • 00:32:08 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
    • 00:33:44 Back to helping guitar players with IEMs
      • Problem: when a vocal mic is downstage from a guitar amp
      • Ian Beveridge with Foo Fighters
      • Paul Simon prefers wedges
      • Always be learning
      • First: Learn the human being you’re going to be mixing for
    • 00:41:27 The differences between mixing monitors for Miley Cyrus and Ella LORDE
    • 00:42:48 Monitoring the Artists Monitors
    • 00:47:50 Different rooms sound different on IEMs
    • 01:04:06 Learn your own ears (not your IEMs, your human ears) first
      • Take a hearing test with your phone if you can
      • Kevin and Alicia Keys would go and get their hearing tested together, getting audiograms to compare
    • 01:07:09 IEMs are the most personal audio interaction
      • You have to be psychic!
    • 01:09:46 Flying 4,700 miles to save the day
      • Sometimes the throw-and-go results in the best mix because you’re not overthinking it
      • Tip from Kevin: set up dummy channels to experiment without messing with the actual mix for the IEMs
    • 01:15:57 Gig Gab 528 Outtro

     

    The post Monitoring the Artists’ Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning – Gig Gab 528 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    6 April 2026, 7:05 am
  • 58 minutes 46 seconds
    Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep
    Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep – Gig Gab 527 episode image

    You tighten your gig prep by treating every show like a pro mission: build rock-solid routines, line-check your gear and apps, and know your insurance, splitter snake, setlist, click, and IEM plan before you ever hit the stage. You walk into a wedding or club already covered with proper liability, routing, charts, and monitoring so you can stop worrying about logistics and start playing the room. Always Be Performing.

    Onstage, you think like a storyteller, not just a musician: you record full shows to review your banter and flow, you decide when the click helps and when to ditch it, and you refine what makes your band distinctive so people remember your name and feel the FOMO.

    Offstage, you act like a lab: you binge showcases at events like SXSW, steal the best ideas, use AI to critique rehearsals, and keep your gig bag dialed so every performance gets sharper, louder, and more undeniable.

    The post Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep – Gig Gab 527 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    30 March 2026, 7:05 am
  • 59 minutes 28 seconds
    Touring Brains: Boundaries, Burnout, and Being OK, with Courtney and Paul Klimson
    Touring Brains: Boundaries, Burnout, and Being OK, with Courtney and Paul Klimson – Gig Gab 526 episode image

    You see how life on the road quietly rewires your brain, from grief and burnout to decision fatigue and STC (Sleepy, Tired, and Crabby), and how Courtney and Paul built The Roadie Clinic to give crews a place to tell their story and get real help. Through flights, heat‑canceled shows, and jumps from Fallon to Timberlake, John Legend, Drake, and beyond, you learn to Always Be Performing for your own mental health with boundaries, support systems, and even AI to protect your headspace.

    You’re handed concrete ways to care for yourself and your people: snow policies and “last chance to say no” moments, non‑negotiable laundry time, color‑coded calendars that lower stress, and simple communication habits that keep relationships from snapping under pressure. By the end, you’re invited to treat your brain like your most critical piece of touring gear—and to build a crew culture where dignity, respect, and mental health are baked into every gig.​

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 526 – Monday, March 23rd, 2026
    • 00:01:43 Choosing Niles, Michigan for The Roadie Clinic
      • 2019: From living in NYC to “the middle of nowhere” Michigan (but it’s right near an airport)
      • With lots of puppies!
    • 00:04:05 The Roadie Clinic and the whole Human Experience
      • After some family tragedies, Courtney joined Paul on a European leg of the Timberlake tour to support him through the grief
    • 00:07:56 Hottest Day in Central Park doing a show for John Legend
      • And Paul winds up with a sprained ankle but the show must go on…until it’s canceled for the heat!
      • Then off to Sicily the next day… and Courtney joins again!
    • 00:13:24 On the flights, Courtney
    • 00:15:40 “The Show Must Go On”
      • Institute a snow policy
    • 00:17:40 And so exists The Roadie Clinic
    • Decision Fatigue can sometimes be solved by AI
    • 00:26:30 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
    • 00:28:03 Where are you going today, Paul?
      • John Legend to Timberlake to Drake
      • Multi-colored calendars to save the marriage…and the business
    • 00:30:18 From being the monitor/foldback engineer at Fallon to meeting lots of bands
      • …and managers. “Protect the brand” worked to develop relationships
    • 00:32:55 What Gets the Gig Done?
    • 00:37:02 The @ Rule of Texting
      • STC = Sleepy Tired and Crabby
    • 00:39:38 Is this the last opportunity I have to say “no”?
    • 00:43:55 Laundry time matters!
    • 00:45:26 Studying Roadie Brains
      • A lot of Parkinsons, PTSD, Strokes
      • From Fallon to Timberlake
    • 00:47:15 Tricks of being efficient with engineers
      • Step one: Communicate the Input List and Stage Plot
    • 00:50:43 Paul Klimson’s Talkback System
    • 00:54:00 We’re going to win because we’re efficient and we care about humans
      • Dignity and Respect
      • Superbowl Halftime Show – Minneapolis
      • Jimmy Fallon Show … and SNL
      • How are you using AI?
    • 00:57:14 Gig Gab 526 Outtro

    The post Touring Brains: Boundaries, Burnout, and Being OK, with Courtney and Paul Klimson – Gig Gab 526 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    23 March 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    From Wall Street Hacker to Music Mogul: Mike Grande’s Journey
    From Wall Street Hacker to Music Mogul: Mike Grande’s Journey – Gig Gab 525 episode image

    You get a front-row seat to how Michael Grande turned hard-won tech chops and late-night studio hacks into real music-business wins. From escaping NAMM chaos and leveraging smart PR and management, to transforming a throwaway “stupid idea” into Card Chords—an Amazon-topping guitar tool born from a Cricut, Guitar Center testing, and sheer persistence—you see how necessity, experimentation, and saying yes the first time landed him in Jimi Hendrix’s old bedroom at Electric Lady Studios, shredding in the lineage of Vai and Satriani, and inventing Tone Picks on the fly. Along the way, you’re reminded that when you know you’re right, you embrace it, protect your IP, and keep swinging big—whether that’s launching music schools, eyeing Shark Tank with a bold offer, or pivoting your career from Wall Street CTO and Certified Ethical Hacker to full-on guitar innovator.

    Then you’re pushed to rethink how you teach, lead, and build your own music brand. You learn why great schools and studios run on clear mission statements, strong unique selling propositions, and a coaching mindset that focuses on the student, not the curriculum—getting them hooked on the songs they actually want to play, then turning them toward what they need. You see how asking potential customers for their own answers, treating every audience like they matter, and showing up like a coach instead of a teacher all point to one core operating principle: you’re never off-duty, because you Always Be Performing—ALWAYS.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 525 – Monday, March 16th, 2026
    • 00:02:14 Getting out of NAMM
    • 00:03:10 Have a good PR guy!
    • 00:04:15 Hey, NAMM: How high can I go?
    • 00:06:09 Can you afford NOT to hire a manager? Or a PR person?
      • Our Mistakes are Our Tuition – Business Brain
    • 00:08:04 COVID Vaccines lead to Card Chords
    • 00:11:09 Dad – come up with an idea to teach people how to play guitar
      • “That’s a stupid idea” – Ignore, and move on.
      • Bought a Cricut machine, built the prototype and tested it on hundreds of guitars at Guitar Center
      • Came out on December 21st, and became Amazon’s #1 Musical Accessories item within 30 days
      • Also includes an eBook to teach out Beatles, Bon Jovi, Guns and Roses songs WITH Card Chords
    • 00:16:35 Born of Necessity!
    • 00:18:39 The birth of Tone Picks
      • Story time: I didn’t bring a 12-string to Electric Lady Studios at 3am
      • Taped two picks together to simulate a 12-string sound.
    • 00:21:41 How did you get on the list of Electric Lady Studios session players?
      • Mike was a shredder after Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc
    • 00:22:27 Recording in Jimi Hendrix’s old bedroom at Electric Lady Studios!
      • Say yes the first time!
    • Sponsors
      • 00:25:39 SPONSOR: Factor, America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with flavorful and nutritious ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Visit FactorMeals.com/giggab50off and use code giggab50off for 50% off!
      • 00:27:22 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
      • 00:28:51 Mike uses Gusto for his Music Schools!
    • 00:30:33 Running music schools
    • 00:33:37 Mike’s coaching methods are different
      • Learning hands-on
      • Getting students hooked on the songs you want to play
      • THEN turn them around
    • 00:34:42 You gotta be juiced about playing the songs
    • 00:37:16 You need to have a mission statement
      • Mike’s: “We build the confidence and self-esteem through music lessons”
      • You need a Unique Selling Proposition!
    • 00:39:30 Mike’s Unique Selling Proposition
      • Never answer the question… ask the potential customer for the answer!
    • 00:41:48 A teacher focuses on the curriculum, a coach focuses on the student
    • 00:42:44 Mary Fanaro’s Rwanda Rocks
      • Rwanda’s Minister of Education: The children of Rwanda don’t need teachers, they need coaches.
    • 00:48:08 When you know you’re right, embrace it.
    • 00:49:45 Always Be Performing…ALWAYS!
    • 00:53:18 An audience wants to be treated
    • 00:55:23 We’re always wearing
    • 00:57:54 The Chinese stole Mike’s IP for Card Chords
      • Mike’s got a new product that is in the running for Shark Tank
      • Mike’s offer to Shark Tank will be: 20% of his company for $1
    • 01:03:23 Gig Gab 525 Outtro

    The post From Wall Street Hacker to Music Mogul: Michael Grande’s Journey – Gig Gab 525 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    16 March 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
    De-Feedback Plugin for Working Musicians: More Gain, Less Feedback with Devin Sheets
    De-Feedback plugin for working musicians – live sound feedback control with Devin Sheets - Gig Gab 524

    You’re invited into a legacy family audio business that refused to accept “good enough” on feedback control and instead chased the impossible: a truly zero‑latency, AI‑driven way to push your PA louder without squeals. You follow Devin Sheets from growing up on sound gigs to roaming European stages, then back home to build De‑Feedback plugin for working musicians, a live sound feedback plugin and on‑the‑fly impulse‑response generator that listens like a seasoned engineer: separating human voice, room reverb, background noise, and feedback in real time so you can grab at least 6 dB more gain before things start to howl. Along the way you see how NAMM sparked the idea, how inverse impulse responses and probability math beat old EQ and gate tricks, and how “homebrew AI” meant sneaking into every empty church at 3 a.m. just to teach the model what real rooms actually sound like.

    You also learn how to think like a modern working musician: using social media to find the right AI programmers across the world, leaning on LLMs to translate, collaborate, and even rate contractor work so you can move faster without losing control. You come away knowing you can drop a dedicated De‑Feedback box or plugin into almost any rig, from churches to touring consoles to tiny clubs, take it with you even when someone else is behind the board, and quietly stack the deck in your favor. In the end, it’s a roadmap for how you run your own gigs and career: stay curious, embrace new tools, protect your sound, and Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 524 – Monday, March 9th, 2026
    • 00:02:12 Let’s Grow this Legacy Family Business
      • Grew up doing sound
      • Also a musician
      • Lived in Europe
      • Then came back and said, “let’s grow this family business!”
    • 00:03:44 We haven’t “just solved” this feedback problem
      • Went to NAMM for the first time, and was inspired
      • There are automated EQ-based or gate-based systems
      • PSE plugin from Waves
      • 5045 for feedback
    • 00:04:57 Why isn’t there a “balanced audio”-type solution for Feedback
      • Balanced Audio fixes hums and it just works.
    • 00:08:24 NAMM is a great inspiration…and it inspired Devin and his team to seek a feedback plugin solution
    • 00:12:35 Training the AI to listen for three things: human voice, reverb, and feedback
      • Created a de-reverb algorithm and went beyond that
      • A probability calculation does the math
    • 00:16:05 Truly zero latency for the plugin
      • Workflow latency remains
    • 00:19:32 I don’t have any coding or AI background, but I have a gut feeling AI will fix this feedback problem
      • Others: It’s harder than you think
      • Devin: I knew that it needed to happen
    • 00:20:58 Finding an AI programmer who was interested in doing
      • Experimented with some programmers, failed, learned some things!
    • 00:21:09 Social Media to the rescue!
      • Late 2023: Devin found a group of AI programmers who would be interested
      • Sending large amounts of money to China…it’s a risk!
    • 00:26:30 At 3am, a text message: I think I’ve done it.
      • Devin immediately started testing it himself
      • “It seemed to work.”
    • 00:27:17 Installing De-Feedback in Churches
    • Sponsors
    • 00:34:20 What is an impulse response?
      • Impulse Response: An audio picture of how the room sounds
      • Popping balloons in a room/environment and recording the sound is a common approach for creating impulse responses
    • 00:38:33 De-Feedback is an on-the-fly IR generator
      • …and analyzer that’s trained on the human voice, room reverb, background noise…and feedback
    • 00:41:55 Finding the right programmers was the key
      • …in addition to actually having the idea and the bullheaded persistence to make it happen.
    • 00:44:46 Mind-melding was necessary
      • And LLMs helped with translation!
    • 00:48:39 Using AI to make it possible to collaborate with other humans
    • 00:50:03 Using an LLM to rate the work of your contractors and employees
    • 00:51:54 How do we get De-Feedback into the hands of working musicians
      • US$499 for the De-Feedback plugin
      • VST3 or AU plugin
      • A higher-end Windows laptop can likely run it on its own
      • Apple’s Core Audio tech makes it difficult, but they’re working on it.
      • De-Feedback also sells a perfectly-tuned headless computer to do this
      • Alpha Labs tried tons of interfaces that the Focusrite Scarlett keeps glitches out of the mix
      • Waves SuperRack LiveBox
    • 01:01:37 Where do we expand?
    • 01:05:18 Homebrew AI!
      • Training EVERY room he could find
      • “Can you let me into your empty church at 3am?” – To record IR to then train the data set for De-Feeback
    • 01:07:25 Creating your own AI model
    • 01:08:13 What’s the future look like?
      • Acquisition? Demands for security? – Planning for it all
    • 01:09:26 You can get this and bring it with you to gigs where someone else is doing sound
    • 01:17:46 Gig Gab 524 Outtro

     

    The post De-Feedback Plugin for Working Musicians: More Gain, Less Feedback – Gig Gab 524 with Devin Sheets appeared first on Gig Gab.

    9 March 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 13 minutes
    From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees
    Musician hauling gear past a festival stage crowd, illustrating Gig Gab 523 about festival gigs and SXSW survival tips for musicians and attendees.

    You get dropped into a two-show day where you’re juggling festival chaos, a paramedic emergency during set change, and a mysteriously mudded-out bass that turns out to be a rogue low‑pass filter at 90 Hz, all while keeping the gig on the rails because you Always Be Performing.

    Then you pivot into first‑timer survival tactics for attending SXSW: locking in reservations weeks out, over‑planning so you can gleefully abandon those plans, and treating the whole thing as a marathon and a sprint while your calendar app becomes your best friend…and your worst enemy.

    Throughout it all, you’re thinking like a pro: dialing in efficient monitor setups for festival stages, dealing with sketchy solder joints on a microphone (or is that a mic cable issue?), staying sane amid SXSW security, and never underestimating the power of great brisket, BBQ, and a solid spot to reset your brain. You’ll also get the practical stuff no one tells you: what to wear, why you always keep your badge on you, and how finding a seasoned SXSW Sherpa can save your week (and your feet) before you ever hit your first line.

    ​From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Essential Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 523 – Monday, March 2nd, 2026
    • 00:01:41 Two Show Day for Dave
      • First gig, Bitter Pill – Festival
        • And there was a paramedic
      • Bitter Pill: It’s Rock and Roll… It’s Rockabilly… It’s Blues… I don’t know!
    • 00:10:43 Second gig – somehow the bass got a low-pass filter set at 90hZ!
      • Problem solved, gig a success!
    • 00:18:23 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab
    • 00:20:00 Attending SXSW for the first time
    • 00:25:45 Learning how to manage SXSW
    • 00:27:30 SXXpress passes become Reservations
      • And now they’re 3-weeks out instead of 2 days!
    • 00:33:21 Reserving things in advance
    • 00:37:25 It’s all about planning in advance
      • And then throwing away your plans and making a series of Sophie’s Choices
    • 00:39:24 It’s a marathon…and a sprint
    • 00:39:42 Managing the Calendar
    • 00:43:39 With the App
    • 00:48:43 Managing your monitor needs with efficiency at festival gigs
    • 00:52:51 Security at SXSW
    • 00:58:15 Luke Warm Solder Joint on the Microphone
    • 00:58:57 Eat good food!
    • 01:01:11 What should I wear?
    • 01:06:36 Find a SXSW Sherpa!
    • 01:07:58 Finding your badge?
    • 01:08:59 Always have your badge with you
    • 01:11:38 Gig Gab 523 Outtro

     

    The post From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees — Gig Gab 523 with Lisa Hamilton appeared first on Gig Gab.

    2 March 2026, 8:05 am
  • 50 minutes 6 seconds
    From the Eric Church Tour to the Grammys: On the Bus with Cellist Kaitlyn Raitz
    From the Eric Church Tour to the Grammys: On the Bus with Cellist Kaitlyn Raitz – Gig Gab 522 episode image

    You’re riding along with Kaitlyn Raitz as she breaks down the real mechanics of touring at scale: staying human on a bus, finding tiny routines that keep you sane, and surviving the sleep math when you’re one of twelve buses on a massive run. Then it’s straight into the onstage reality of modern country arena production: 24 musicians, a full string quartet, choir, and horns, plus the challenge of making strings translate in a loud arena. You get the practical gear-and-tech layer too: DPA mics and pickups, dynamic EQ, managing cello loudness, and how tools like ToneDexter fit into keeping tone consistent when the room is working against you.

    You also get the career side, unfiltered: how the Eric Church gig happened through the Nashville relationship web, why being excellent and easy to be around matters, and why “Nashville is a ten-year town” if you want longevity. Kaitlyn’s stories span arranging and learning charts mid-tour from iPads, to the whiplash of getting a Grammy call with barely any runway, to recording in LA and wondering how anyone actually functions there. The episode closes with the mindset and performance skills that keep pros durable: protecting your brain and nervous system, flipping a stage persona on and off, and the practical win of transitioning to IEMs for a cellist when monitors are run well. Bottom line: this is how you keep your craft sharp, your head steady, and your show consistent night after night. Always Be Performing.​

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 522 – Monday, February 23rd, 2026
    • 00:01:55 Protein and Joy on the bus
    • 00:02:14 Passing the time productively on the bus…and on the tour
    • 00:05:53 Sleeping on the bus!
      • Twelve tour busses on this tour
    • 00:07:26 24 Musicians on stage
      • String Quartet
      • 8-Person Choir
      • Horn/Woodwind Quartet
    • 00:09:45 Micing a string quartet in an arena
      • DPA Mics AND pickups
      • Dynamic EQ
    • 00:14:47 Cellos and Loudness
    • 00:18:50 Writing, arranging and learning charts mid-tour!
      • Reading from iPads
      • Eleanor Denning, String Lead and Arranger on the Eric Church Tour
      • Bitter Pill has a cellist, too!
    • 00:21:33 Getting the Eric Church gig
      • Sub list for the Nashville Symphony
      • Everything in Nashville is relationship-based
      • Be good at what you do, and also be a pleasant person that people want to be around
      • Nashville is a ten-year town
    • 00:25:07 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
    • 00:26:55 You played on the Grammy’s?
      • Used to play with Brandy Clark, and occasionally gets a one-off gig call still.
      • AND, a week-and-a-half before the Grammy’s, the call came in
      • Do you want to play the Grammy’s with me?
      • Kaitlyn has questions for LA-denizens:
        • How do you live in LA?
        • Do you see people that you know?
        • Do you take public transportation?
      • Recorded at Sunset Sounds in LA
    • 00:33:05 Protecting your brain and nervous system
      • Take on a persona
        • “You are Kaitlyn Motherfucking Raitz”
        • “We are bad bitches, we have earned this”
        • Gary Cherone is the master of turning the stage persona on AND OFF
      • Let the lights blind you
    • 00:40:25 Transitioning to IEMs
      • It’s great for a cellist!
      • IEMs are better than having to use bone conduction
      • Kaitlyn’s IEM mix – she hears the band
      • It comes down to who’s running monitors
      • Ultimate Ears UE7 Pros IEMs
    • 00:47:06 Kaitlyn Raitz’s Music
    • 00:48:52 Gig Gab 522 Outtro

    The post From the Eric Church Tour to the Grammys: On the Bus with Cellist Kaitlyn Raitz – Gig Gab 522 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    23 February 2026, 8:05 am
  • 53 minutes 18 seconds
    Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse
    Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse – Gig Gab 521

    You kick off this week with Dan Ray by reframing failure as a tool, not a verdict. Instead of obsessing over the “vanity listen” after a gig or rehearsal, you do the check-in listen and extract the lesson. You learn to fail fast the right way by making small bets that generate real data quickly, including testing demand before you invest rehearsal time. That mindset carries into band direction changes and the leadership realities that come with them: different people want different levels of ownership, and the job is to be a benevolent dictator who listens widely but decides cleanly. You also get practical about managing public perception and egos, taking cues from bands that protected the brand by being intentional about roles and visibility.

    Then you dig into Dan’s origin stories and the nuts-and-bolts that keep working musicians moving: starting a band young, landing monthly gigs, and learning obvious-in-hindsight lessons like not running a vocal mic through a guitar amp. You hear how scrappy tools like a Tascam 4-track can solve real problems, why running a PA from the stage demands discipline, and why the room you rehearse in changes what you think you’re hearing. From there it gets wonderfully nerdy with quick hits that matter in real life, like using low-pass filters aggressively and remembering that time alignment starts with where sound sources physically live. You close in the feels with theater life and the emotional punch of closing night, a reminder that the tech and the business serve the same goal: show up ready, stay present, and Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 521 – Monday, February 16th, 2026
    • 00:02:08 Guest co-host: Dan Ray
    • 00:03:23 Having a productive relationship with failure
      • Failure can a lesson you lean into
      • After gigs or rehearsals: the check-in listen vs. the vanity listen
      • Fail fast the right way: “make a bet” by setting up something that you can quickly get data from
    • 00:08:47 Transitioning a band’s direction
      • Dan’s Big in the 80s band
    • 00:10:10 Test your market before committing too much
      • Book the gig before you rehearse the songs. Make sure there’s demand and interest. If not… move on! (You failed fast!)
      • Cover Band Confidential
    • 00:12:52 AI solves the blank page problem – use it often!
    • 00:14:28 Leading bands (and people)
      • Be ready for people who want to engage with different levels of ownership
      • Learning how to be a benevolent dictator… but also learn to be the leader, and the decision-maker, the ultimate arbiter. Don’t do it in a vacuum, but I’ll be the last word.
      • The Pork Tornadoes are a democracy-ish. But decision-makers are pre-decided by a healthy division of labor.
      • Learning to manage the public perception of your band (and your egos) like R.E.M. and RUSH did.
    • 00:22:37 Do you name your band after yourself?
    • My Thanks to Our Sponsors
      • 00:25:09 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today and get 50% off Claude Pro, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit Claude.ai/giggab
      • 00:26:50 SPONSOR: Factor, America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with flavorful and nutritious ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Visit FactorMeals.com/giggab50off and use code giggab50off for 50% off!
    • 00:28:38 First kid in high school to start a band
      • Grew out of the school-run rock band
      • Decided to play some originals and covers at home, and got a gig!
      • The school librarian booked them monthly!
      • Lesson: don’t put a vocal mic through the guitar amp
      • Tascam 4-Track cassette recorder to use as a mixer
    • 00:33:27 Dan Manages the PA from the stage
      • We rehearse in a 15×20 indoor, climate-controlled storage unit
    • 00:36:32 Quick Tip: Use Low Pass Filters on everything
    • 00:37:35 Time Alignment: A reminder that sound source locations matter
    • 00:40:36 Having theater kids
    • 00:43:05 The emotions during closing night in musical theater
    • 00:50:12 Gig Gab 522 Outtro

     

    The post Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse – Gig Gab 521 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    16 February 2026, 8:05 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App