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Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

Auteur(s): Dave Hamilton & Friends
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 Welcome to Gig Gab—the podcast sanctuary for working musicians and anyone fascinated by the vibrant, often unseen world behind every note played on stage. Whether you’re a musician, a member of the crew, or just someone who loves peeking behind the curtain to discover the secrets of live performances, you’ve found your tribe.BackBeat Media, LLC 2026 Musique
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  • From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees

    From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees
    Mar 2 2026

    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
      • March 2nd: International Rescue Cat Day
      • Guest co-host: Lisa Hamilton
    • 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
      • Heil PR-40
    • 00:58:57 Eat good food!
      • Brisket and BBQ
      • Eastside Cafe in Austin
    • 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
      • Contact Gig Gab!
        • @GigGabPodcast on Instagram
        • feedback@giggabpodcast.com
        • Sign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List

    The post From Festival Gigs to SXSW: Survival Tips for Musicians and Attendees — Gig Gab 523 with Lisa Hamilton appeared first on Gig Gab.
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    1 h et 13 min
  • 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
    Feb 23 2026
    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 February 23rd: Curling Is Cool DayGuest co-host: Kaitlyn Raitz 00:01:55 Protein and Joy on the bus00:02:14 Passing the time productively on the bus…and on the tour SwimmingSwimply OR PlacesToSwim.comThrifting 00:05:53 Sleeping on the bus! Twelve tour busses on this tour 00:07:26 24 Musicians on stage String Quartet8-Person ChoirHorn/Woodwind Quartet 00:09:45 Micing a string quartet in an arena DPA Mics AND pickupsDynamic EQ 00:14:47 Cellos and Loudness ToneDexter 00:18:50 Writing, arranging and learning charts mid-tour! Reading from iPadsEleanor Denning, String Lead and Arranger on the Eric Church TourBitter Pill has a cellist, too! 00:21:33 Getting the Eric Church gig Sub list for the Nashville SymphonyEverything in Nashville is relationship-basedBe good at what you do, and also be a pleasant person that people want to be aroundNashville 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 inDo 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 conductionKaitlyn’s IEM mix – she hears the bandIt comes down to who’s running monitorsUltimate Ears UE7 Pros IEMs 00:47:06 Kaitlyn Raitz’s Music00:48:52 Gig Gab 522 Outtro Follow Kaitlyn Raitz On InstagramOn Facebook Contact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List 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.
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    50 min
  • Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse

    Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse
    Feb 16 2026
    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 February 16th: National Rationalization Day 00:02:08 Guest co-host: Dan Ray Last visit: July 19, 2020 for GG 265 and CBC 100 00:03:23 Having a productive relationship with failure Failure can a lesson you lean intoAfter gigs or rehearsals: the check-in listen vs. the vanity listenFail 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 ownershipLearning 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/giggab00:26:50 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 bandDecided 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 ampTascam 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 everything00:37:35 Time Alignment: A reminder that sound source locations matter Check out the 16-minute mark of this episode with Robert Scovill for more 00:40:36 Having theater kids Stagelights in Greensboro, NC 00:43:05 The emotions during closing night in musical theater00:50:12 Gig Gab 522 Outtro Follow Dan Ray @DanRayMusician@CoverBandConfidential Contact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List The post Cover Band Confidential’s Dan Ray: Test the Market, Then Rehearse – Gig Gab 521 appeared first on Gig Gab.
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    53 min
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