No Such Thing as a Small Stage
Not long ago, I was having lunch with a new acquaintance/friend from Canada who was in Nashville for a couple days. He had seen my work, told me he’d become a fan, and asked me to work with a couple of his artists. At the end of our meeting, he mentioned there were two other [...]
Psychology and Your Audience
Although a country audience is different than a heavy metal audience, which is different than a hip hop audience, which is different than a neo-classical metal punk fusion audience, which is different than….(you get my drift!), the concepts I teach about the live show are the same for every genre. And those concepts are extremely [...]
You Could Be in the Spotlight
If they could only see you! Let’s face it – people need to see you, hear you, and learn about you, in order for you to have a career in music. In fact, getting good exposure is one of the basics for any business, including the business of being a performer. You need to be [...]
Your Chance to Get Onstage
Here is your opportunity to get onstage in front of the industry: managers, producers, radio promoters, booking agents, A&R, publicists, and more! You’ve been working on your music, woodshedding the fundamentals, practicing and rehearsing your live show. You are Backstage reading, watching, and learning… so let us put YOU and YOUR MUSIC in the SPOTLIGHT! [...]
The Great Song Paradox
When I work with a singer/songwriter on their show, I’m often dealing with a paradox. They know how to write great material for themselves or others, following the rules for song writing. They’ve indoctrinated themselves and formed their arrangements around the “hit song” writing machine that publishers and record labels have made the focus for [...]
Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, and What You Need to Learn
I recently went to a talent competition and contest. I’d been asked by a manager to check out a new up and coming teenage artist. It was a loooong night. Too long. The talent was all over the map – but no matter what genre or age the artist, each one consistently made the same [...]
New Year’s Resolutions in September
My real New Year’s resolutions are made when my kids go back to school. The year begins in September for me! After summer is over, I get motivated, my dreams are rejuvenated, and I make my goals for the year. Maybe you do the same thing. And if you are a musician who plans on [...]
My Labor of Love
Many of you know I’m writing a book right now (in fact, I’m getting close to being done with the actual writing part of it!). I knew it would give me a chance to put my concepts and principles on paper. But I had no idea how much it would energize me and give me [...]
How About a Great Rehearsal?
We all know what a great show looks like. But what does a great rehearsal look like? It isn’t just running through all the songs, putting them in some kind of order, and then going out to do your show! The rehearsal is the place where spontaneity happens, believe it or not. Most artists don’t [...]
Just to Be Clear…
As most of you know, we’ve changed our website. Our intention is to bring you more content and to help you succeed in the music business! But I’ve had a few people tell me I haven’t been clear about what it is we are doing. In the past, our website consisted of these 2 things [...]
