• 1 hour 38 minutes
    Sub Gigs, Mic Mutes & the Art of Mixing Live with Jesus Hernandez
    Sub Gigs, Mic Mutes & the Art of Mixing Live with Jesus Hernandez episode image

    This week you start things off digging into the craft that separates good gigs from great ones. You’ll get the playbook for prepping and surviving sub gigs, learn (again!) why a splitter snake earns its place in your rig, and sort through the real options when you need a mic mute switch that actually works. Then you wrestle with a question every working band faces today: are fan-posted videos helping your brand or hurting it? It’s the kind of practical, in-the-trenches breakdown that reminds you to Always Be Performing, whether the camera’s rolling or not.

    Then guest co-host Jesus Hernandez joins, and you trace his path from a Portastudio kid to the engineer bands trust with their sound, along with the philosophy he’s built along the way: you’re serving people’s ears, and the console is your instrument. You’ll hear why you should ask a band what they want to sound like before you touch a fader, why learning to mix yourself turns your engineer into a producer, and how routing a digital mixer keeps everything simple when the power flickers. He shares the gear that’s earned his trust, hard-won war stories from the road, his time subbing as a bass player in Nashville, and life on tour with a Phil Collins and Genesis tribute. By the end you’ll be listening to your own gigs with sharper ears and a hungrier inner critic.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 539 – Monday, June 22nd, 2026
    • 00:01:32 Prepping for and playing Sub Gigs
    • 00:04:25 The benefits of splitter snake
    • Listener Questions
    • 00:20:25 Mark-Are fan-posted videos good or bad?
    • 00:24:36 SPONSOR: OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code GIGGAB at https://www.oneskin.co/GIGGAB  #oneskinpod
    • 00:26:54 Guest Co-host: Jesus Hernandez
    • 00:28:20 Lady and the Tramp Start taught him to record multi-track
    • 00:34:27 A2 at a local theater
      • Then the A1 went on vacation, and Jesus became the A1
    • 00:35:38 Then a jazz club
      • Sound reinforcement at the most basic level
      • Ultimately what you’re trying to serve is people’s ears.
      • Use your eyes to serve that purpose.
    • 00:37:38 Recording was rough at first, but you learn!
    • 00:41:24 Ask the band: what do you guys want to sound like on the recording?
      • “Take a picture of the band, then paint on top of it!”
    • 00:32:36 For live sound: how do you find out what the band sounds like?
      • Before arriving: listen to the band’s records (or the band they’re covering)
    • 00:47:26 When doing sound, consider yourself a band member
      • “Playing the console” – The mixer is an instrument
      • I’m controlling the arrangement
    • 00:48:50 Singing the praises of bands that can set levels on stage
    • 00:49:20 A band whose levels are ALL over the place
      • So bad the band was sent home after the first set.
      • You have to be your hardest critic
    • 00:53:25 Learn to mix yourself, then your engineer can go from problem-solver to producer!
    • 00:55:26 “If the power goes out at the mixer, you’ll still sound good”
      • Fixing it at the source
      • The night the power-flickered and factory reset the mixer!
      • PreSonus StudioLive
    • 01:00:19 Keeping it as simple as possible
      • Soft-patching, routing, matrixes, oh my!
      • Learn how to route a digital mixer
    • 01:06:39 The downsides of strictly analog
    • 01:13:38 Bands vs. Reunion Gigs
    • 01:18:25 Bringing an analog mixer…and no snake!
    • 01:24:50 Soca Music
    • 01:26:00 Time for some war stories
    • 01:31:46 Subbing in Nashville as a bass player
    • 01:08:21 On the road with Face Value, Phil Collins & Genesis Tribute Band
    • 01:37:24 Jesus Hernandez Home Studio
    • 01:38:23 Gig Gab 539 Outtro

    The post Sub Gigs, Mic Mutes & the Art of Mixing Live with Jesus Hernandez – Gig Gab 539 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    22 June 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    Three Rush Fans and Rush's 2026 Comeback Tour: From the Room and From Afar
    Three Rush Fans and Rush's 2026 Comeback Tour: From the Room and From Afar – Gig Gab 538 episode image

    Three Rush fans — a father, a son, and Spartacus — walk into a podcast. There’s no punchline, just the tape rolling on a conversation that was going to happen anyway, and you get to be the fly on the wall. Two of them just flew home from LA, where they stood in the room and watched Rush kick off the tour nobody was sure would ever come. The third has been taking it all in from a distance, which is its own peculiar thing when you once mixed front of house for the band for years. You’ll get the origin stories — a kite-flying contest in early-seventies St. Louis, an R40 playlist that turned a kid into a lifer — plus enough on the drummer question (yes, Anika Nilles) and show-count stats to earn the Rush-nerd badge none of them will quite cop to.

    Then it gets real. This is a band that fans and insiders alike once quietly accepted was finished, now back out there proving otherwise, and that turns the talk toward something bigger than setlists. You get to do this. Whether it’s thousands of people or a Tuesday night for a dozen, that gratitude is the whole game — the reason to Always Be Performing no matter how rough the bus ride was. Stick around for a ten-year-old’s perfectly timed gut check that still lands two decades later. Press play, and join Lucas Hamilton, Robert Scovill, and Dave Hamilton for a tour through the opening of Rush’s comeback — from inside the room, and from afar.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 538 – Monday, June 15th, 2026
    • 00:02:46 Rush Stats
      • All three co-hosts have seen Rush live with 2 drummers
      • Lucas and Anika are tied for Rush shows… as of this recording
    • 00:04:39 Robert Scovill was living in St. Louis when he saw Rush with Rutsey
      • KC Kite Flying Contest
    • 00:07:31 Lucas’s Rush origin story
    • 00:08:31 About that whole live concert sound thing
      • Spoiler: Rush always sounded good
    • 00:11:02 Favorite Rush heirlooms
    • 00:13:55 I want a Red Barchetta for my midlife crisis
      • Rush 2026 Tour started with 12 dates
    • 00:16:02 That opening song, that opening night
    • 00:23:40 Anika Nilles’ dropped stick recovery
      • Getting the first mistake out of the way moments into the first song of Rush’s 2026 Reunion tour
    • 00:27:21 Time Stand Still for those emotional moments
    • 00:33:11 Lights and video for 2112 – in the cave!
    • 00:34:00 Singing 2112: Presentation at the tops of our lungs
    • 00:38:50 Moving Pictures to open night 3 set 2
    • 00:40:13 Loren Gold’s keys and vocal harmonies
      • And Geddy Lee’s voice, too!
    • 00:44:29 The composition of YYZ
      • Alex Lifeson is the most underrated guitarist in rock and roll
    • 00:45:48 Anika Nilles is just a star
    • 00:49:25 Anika grooving during A Passage to Bangkok
    • 00:52:22 The physicality of playing Rush music
      • The wisdom of days off in between shows for the entire Rush Fifty Something tour
    • 00:57:41 You know what we get to do today? We get to go play music in front of thousands of people!
      • This is the best job on earth
    • 01:01:23 Who is Spartacus?
    • 01:03:33 Gig Gab 538 Outtro

    The post Three Rush Fans and Rush’s 2026 Comeback Tour: From the Room and From Afar – Gig Gab 538 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    13 June 2026, 4:45 pm
  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    Road Stories, Recording Secrets, and the Perfect Pop Song – with Rand Lempert from The Broken Rings
    Road Stories, Recording Secrets, and the Perfect Pop Song – Gig Gab 537 with Rand Lempert from The Broken Rings episode image

    This week on Gig Gab, Dave Hamilton sits down with guest co-host Rand Lempert of the Broken Rings, a two-piece recording project built on 15 years of musical kinship between Rand and guitarist Gio da Silva. You’ll hear how these two have crafted an intentional, travel-fueled recording process across cities, cutting live instruments and vocals together, passing files between New Orleans, Tampa, and now Denver, and why that friction and urgency is exactly the point. Rand makes a compelling case for keeping things analog as long as possible: real amps, minimal pedals, old-school mic placements like a modified Glyn Johns setup, and the conviction that nothing replaces the feeling of having a human being in the room when the tape (or hard drive) is rolling.

    The conversation ranges wide, from Rand’s vivid 9/11 tour story, stranded in St. John’s Newfoundland on one of the last planes to land before U.S. airspace shut down, to a deep dive into the art of the perfect pop song, with nominations for Tempted by Squeeze, Big Star’s Thirteen, Bryan Adams’ Cuts Like a Knife, and Fastball’s Out of My Head. Whether you’re a working drummer obsessing over beat placement, a songwriter who only writes when the muse actually shows up, or a road veteran who knows that idle days on tour are far worse than grueling ones, this episode has your number. Get out there, stay curious, and Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 537 – Monday, June 8th, 2026
    • 00:01:38 The Broken Rings are a 2-man band
      • Drums, guitar, vocals all handled by Rand Lempert and Gio da Silva, his bandmate
      • They consider themselves musical kin: They agree on 95% of all music
      • Met in Houston, played in bands, then moved to different corners of the USA
    • 00:04:48 Songwriting duo starts with a long distance relationship
    • 00:07:03 Recording remotely doesn’t have the muse of travel
      • So many different avenues to approach recording
      • Finding a way to record with technology in a less sterile way
    • 00:15:08 Preserving analog recording to digital “tape”
    • 00:17:07 The process of recording drums
      • Don’t mess up the end of the track!
    • 00:21:14 Country music
    • 00:23:25 Drummer kinship: Tris Imboden saves the day!
      • Learning by visual
    • 00:31:41 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
    • 00:33:37 Surviving the road
    • 00:34:45 Road story: hanging out in St. John’s Newfoundland for 5 days
      • Sonny James and the Centers in Europe in 2001
      • “There’s nothing wrong with this airplane, but this plane is being diverted because of terrorist attacks in the United States.”
      • Canadian authorities: “What do we do with these people? Bring them to a hockey arena!”
      • Memorial University of Newfoundland
    • 00:44:35 Opening up for Bo Diddley in 2004
      • In Beaumont, Texas
      • Touring is a lot of driving, and you’re doing the driving
      • It’s a lot of lugging equipment, and you’re doing the lugging
      • You get a hotel room…for the entire band!
    • 00:48:55 When touring, days off are worse than the grueling days on
    • 00:51:02 It’s important to travel
      • Touring is the way to do that for a lot of us musicians
    • 00:51:25 Making touring maps as a kid is a good sign Rand needed to do this as a career
    • 00:52:50 First concerts, sound nerding, and getting lost in the music for the first time
      • Rand got lost at four years old!
      • Nerd out about sound and recording
      • First concerts!
        • Weather Report for Dave
        • Air Supply for Rand
    • 00:58:05 The Best pop songs
    • 01:12:22 Gig Gab 537 Outtro

    The post Road Stories, Recording Secrets, and the Perfect Pop Song – Gig Gab 537 with Rand Lempert from The Broken Rings appeared first on Gig Gab.

    8 June 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    AI and Music for Working Musicians: Tool, Threat, or Bandmate?
    AI and Music for Working Musicians: Tool, Threat, or Bandmate? – Gig Gab 536 episode image

    This week Stu Dias joins Dave from a slightly different corner of Durham, New Hampshire, and after a quick detour through barefoot drumming, sweaty-hand fixes, and oversized triangle guitar picks, the conversation locks onto the question every working musician is wrestling with right now: what does AI mean for music? You’ll hear why Dave reframes it as Assistive Intelligence (and the best procrastination-killer and writer’s-block-buster going) even as you stare down the harder stuff: Suno-generated tracks, Jack Tempchin’s AI-assisted album, and the ouroboros of machines learning from the music we make. Should AI art be labeled? What happens when it conjures someone’s likeness? And does any of it move you the way a human in a room can?

    That last question is the heartbeat of the episode. Dave and Stu weigh AI music against the cover-band hustle, remember what COVID lockdowns taught us about humans craving real humans together, and get honest about whose jobs are actually on the line and where AI mixing fits in your workflow. The kicker for every gigging musician: if the machines are going to use your voice and your playing, take a long-term cut of the sales. It’s a sharp, funny, occasionally unsettling look at the line between tool and threat…and a reminder that however the tech shakes out, you Always Be Performing. Hit play for the full conversation.

    The post AI and Music for Working Musicians: Tool, Threat, or Bandmate? – Gig Gab 536 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    1 June 2026, 7:05 am
  • 32 minutes 40 seconds
    Loaded Out, Rolling Home, Rolling Tape
    Loaded Out, Rolling Home, Rolling Tape – Gig Gab 535 episode image

    Ride shotgun with Dave as he records GigGab on the drive home from a Casual Gravity gig, finally living out the show’s original mission. You’ll hear why packing your own mixer saves the night when the venue only wants a single feed from the band, what it’s like when an in-ear band plays its first fully sober gig, and why counting songs in to a click track changes everything once adrenaline stops driving your tempo.

    Then dig into relearning vocal harmonies for the Underground Band: using the Moises app to isolate vocals, pulling sheet music, and plunking out intervals on piano to lock stacks into your ear. Buddy Gibbons sparks a drumming debate on single strokes versus marching-style sticking through the Foreplay/Long Time triplets, and Dave gets honest about throat fatigue, Lyme disease aftermath, dust mite allergies, and the sublingual immunotherapy bringing his voice back. Listen to your body, learn the parts, and Always Be Performing.

    The post Loaded Out, Rolling Home, Rolling Tape – Gig Gab 535 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    25 May 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 1 minute
    What's Your Band's Definition of Success?
    What's Your Band's Definition of Success? — Gig Gab 534 with Paul Kent episode image

    OG co-host Paul Kent rejoins Dave Hamilton to talk about how The Houserockers have stayed booked into their 27th year, and what your band can steal from their playbook. You’ll dig into the social media reality of 2026 (Reels are currently king), why your mailing list is the asset you actually own, and how to grow to 10,000 followers without losing your soul. Paul makes the case that if you want gigs, your band has to be a business, which means alignment on mission, passion, and musical style with the partners or employees standing next to you on stage. There’s nothing wrong with playing for fun, but go in eyes wide open about what you’re chasing.

    From there you’ll dive into the value of scarcity, Kevin Kelly’s thousand true fans, and why mixing up your setlists is one way to keep audiences coming back. Paul breaks down the current Houserockers formula (civic concert series, experiential marketing, and ticketed off-season events) and why aging-up audiences mean you have to market harder and talk to fans like Springsteen does: a lifetime conversation, all with individuals. You’ll also get the real talk on finding bandmates (Craigslist included), the Gig Gab bookable-band checklist, and Paul’s (joking?) pitch for two new show segments. Whatever your lane, Always Be Performing, and start treating every touchpoint like the gig it is.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 534 – Monday, May 18th, 2026
    • 00:01:27 Guest co-host: Paul Kent
    • 00:04:21 Did someone call you an old man?!?
    • 00:08:46 The Gig Gab social media approach
    • 00:10:29 Your band can get 10,000 followers
      • Reels are it…today.
    • 00:13:37 Gain a mailing list
    • 00:16:41 It’s about the music business.
      • Is your band willing to be in business?
    • 00:19:00 There’s nothing wrong with doing what you want to do.
      • Just go in eyes wide open.
    • 00:20:49 Getting alignment within your band. You now have business partners or employees
      • Be aligned with mission, passion, style of music … the alchemy of it.
    • 00:26:48 The value of scarcity
      • Does success equal quantity of gigs?
      • Some people want to play five times per month
    • 00:30:43 Finding Your Thousand True Fans
    • 00:32:05 Mixing up your setlists is another way to keep people coming back
    • 00:36:00 Marketing 101 – you have to have something to say
      • Hopefully unique!
      • And then deliver.
    • 00:37:13 The Houserockers formula for today
      • Civic Concert Series
      • Experiential Marketing
      • Ticketed Events in the off-season
    • 00:39:13 Use your mailing list!
    • 00:41:28 Ticketed events required more marketing this year
      • Audiences are aging up
    • 00:43:04 How do you talk to your audience?
      • Springsteen: my career is a lifetime conversation with my audience
      • It’s about you, your personality, and each individual audience member
    • 00:50:11 Finding band members is an imperfect science
    • 00:56:41 Paul’s show ideas for Dave
      • Dave reads mean comments
      • Dave reads band ads from Craigslist, et al
    • 00:59:47 Gig Gab 534 Outtro

    The post What’s Your Band’s Definition of Success? — Gig Gab 534 with Paul Kent appeared first on Gig Gab.

    18 May 2026, 7:05 am
  • 1 hour 1 minute
    Relentless Consistency and the Scarcity Premium with Mike Schulte from The Pork Tornadoes
    Relentless Consistency and the Scarcity Premium with Mike Schulte from The Pork Tornadoes episode image

    Guest co-host Mike Schulte joins Dave with 15 years of Pork Tornadoes social media wisdom, and the message is blunt: relentless consistency wins. You literally can’t post too much in 2026—nobody sees everything anymore, so repost that same flyer as a fresh post (not a share) and keep going. Give it 45 days before you judge results. Why invest? More fans mean more bodies at the gig, plus the social proof that signals to newcomers that other people already love you. And remember—you’re not competing with other bands, you’re competing with people’s couches.

    From there, Dave and Mike dig into the live-show craft. Build a sound check formula so it stops being a nightmare, then cook up a Suno-generated theme song to walk on to—Always Be Performing means the show starts before the first chord lands. Treat your setlist like art: the opener’s a throwaway, but song three is the most important slot of the night. Then think about your saturation—the Pork Tornadoes cap themselves at two ticketed gigs per year inside a 30-mile radius, and the minute they got scarce, their pay jumped tenfold. Simple, not easy.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 533 – Monday, May 11th, 2026
    • 00:01:10 Did you ever watch Night Court
    • 00:05:06 Managing your band’s social media
      • Relentless Consistency is the key (right now).
      • “You can never post too much” – Mike Schulte, May 11, 2026
      • Mike has been running social media for Pork Tornadoes for 15 years
      • Everyone doesn’t see every post (anymore)
      • It’s money-driven
      • Repost the same thing, the same flyer, the same idea (as a new post, not a “share”)
    • 00:09:49 Getting “started” on social media in 2026
      • I tried to follow your model and nothing changed. In two weeks.
      • You’ve gotta spend a month or more (Dave says 45 days)
    • 00:14:05 What’s the benefit of investing in social media
      • The more fans you have, there WILL be more people who come to your events
      • Also: social proof. Showing people that other people like you.
    • 00:18:55 Social Proof + Bullheaded Persistence = Success.
    • 00:22:00 People don’t go out like they used to
      • You’re not competing with other bands, you’re competing with people’s couches
    • 00:24:39 A band retreat!
      • If 2020 hadn’t happened, Pork Tornadoes would’ve probably gone full time
    • 00:26:04 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
    • 00:27:42 Recent Gig(s) Gab
    • 00:34:19 Orchestrate your sound check
      • Sound check used to be a nightmare, until we created a formula
    • 00:38:27 Create a musical lead-in for your show
      • For the wranglers in the Gig Gab audience
      • Use Suno to create a theme song for your band
    • 00:42:57 Writing a setlist is an art
      • Your first song is a throwaway
      • The third song is the FIRST most important song in the set (according to Dave)
      • Develop business-like rituals for your band
    • 00:48:32 What’s Your Band’s Saturation?
      • Self-imposed proximity clauses
      • Pork Tornadoes Proximity Clause: No more than 2 ticketed events in a 30-mile radius per year
      • Plus one free-to-the-public festival gig to pull people in
      • To the venues who don’t have proximity clauses: why do you not?
      • The minute we started getting scarce, was the minute our pay increased 10-fold
    • 01:00:12 The Pork Tornadoes formula: simple, not easy.

    The post Relentless Consistency and the Scarcity Premium with Mike Schulte from The Pork Tornadoes – Gig Gab 533 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    11 May 2026, 6:19 pm
  • 1 hour 7 minutes
    From Wedges to In-Ears: A Monitor Engineer's Playbook with Paul Klimson
    From Wedges to In-Ears: A Monitor Engineer's Playbook with Paul Klimson – Gig Gab 532 episode image

    Ready to make the leap from wedges to in-ear monitors? Or finally get the stage mix you’ve always wanted? Dave Hamilton welcomes back monitor engineer Paul Klimson, the man who mixed 32 stereo IEM feeds for Justin Timberlake, for a working musician’s deep dive on monitor world. You’ll learn how to build a default mix from scratch (start yourself at 0dB, your instrument at -5, everything else at -15), why drummers have an easier transition to in-ears than most assume, and how a split snake lets you take care of yourself when the gig demands it. Paul digs into hi-hat pitfalls, drum overheads as stage wash, and why bands who mix themselves on stage make life better for their FOH engineer, too.

    Then it gets practical. Paul walks you through IEM fittings (pain is always bad, the seal is everything, and yes, drop an AirTag in your case) plus the universal-versus-custom decision, vetting vendor customer service before you buy, and the repair costs nobody talks about until they need to. You’ll get honest talkback etiquette (keep the drama off-stage, give everyone a voice, remember that your monitor engineer is a short-order cook), the post-mortem habit every band should adopt, and a peek at SoulSeed.tv. Wherever you sit on stage, this is the episode that sharpens how you Always Be Performing.

    • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 532 – Monday, May 4th, 2026
    • 00:03:24 Start with headphones in your practice space
      • Start with earplugs
    • 00:05:09 Drums are a dynamic instrument, which may be why drummers have an easy transition to IEMs (usually)
    • 00:08:33 What do you want in your wedge?
      • What’s your reference?
    • 00:09:11 The artist/engineer relationship
    • 00:11:03 Building a default mix
      • Start yourself at 0dB
      • Instrument at -5dB
      • Everything else at -15dB
    • 00:12:58 Using a Split Snake
      • When possible, take care of yourself
    • 00:14:47 Timing of a mix
      • Don’t forget about hi-hats
      • Work with your engineer to dial-in your own mix
    • 00:19:18 Drum overheads for stage wash effect
    • 00:22:21 In-ears help you listen better
      • Bands who mix themselves on stage makes your ears AND the FOH engineers job ears
    • 00:23:54 Learn where you and your instrument fit into the mix of your band
      • And change it if you don’t fit. You’re not the most important thing!
    • 00:26:40 What’s going to make you stand out when someone comes to see you at clubs of any size?
      • Do you hear the lyrics?
      • Do you hear the intent of the story of the song?
      • Watch your instagram videos and evaluate honestly
    • 00:30:28 Knowing when the studio mix is done.
    • 00:33:27 Fittings for IEMs
      • Things to look for:
        • Pain is bad
      • Is the seal functioning correctly?
        • Listen for sound leakage (including when you open your mouth and move around)
        • Are the ports aimed down the canal wrong
        • Do you hear high-end better when you rock the mold around?
    • 00:37:36 Put an AirTag in your IEM case!
    • 00:39:28 Figuring out which model to order
      • Try universal fits first to learn the musical qualities
    • 00:41:16 Test the customer service of vendors before you choose
    • 00:42:55 The origin of IEMs
    • 00:44:44 Find out repair costs
    • 00:48:20 Talkback Use
      • Keep the drama off-stage
      • Give everyone a voice
      • Monitor engineers are like short-order cooks… be kind!
    • 00:58:23 Always post-mortem the problems from the gig
      • And also “what happens if?” conversations
    • 01:03:22 Soulseed.TV
    • 01:06:05 Gig Gab 532 Outtro

    The post From Wedges to In-Ears: A Monitor Engineer’s Playbook with Paul Klimson – Gig Gab 532 appeared first on Gig Gab.

    4 May 2026, 7:05 am
  • 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
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