Can You Showcase When It Counts?
Occasionally I get to see it…the finale…the end result…the ‘frosted cake’ if you will. But not very often. Most times I work for days with an artist on their set for an upcoming event or showcase; but typically I’m not able to be there for the ‘big event’ because it’s in another city or I’m [...]
Me and Harry Potter
I wasn’t into magic as a kid – didn’t believe in it. I couldn’t figure out how someone could change a toad into a prince. When I saw Disney movies, the ones about magic never grabbed me. Then along came Harry Potter – I don’t know if I’d gotten younger, or what – but I [...]
Band Reilly Headlines European Festival
Congratulations to the band Reilly, who just closed a European tour by headlining at Heavenstage Festival in Zurich, Switzerland! I am really proud of this band for taking Tom’s Live Music Methods and going full throttle with them! Dan Huie, who plays lead guitar and violin for the band, says “Since we worked with Amy, [...]
Loomis and the Lust Video Exceeds Half Million Views
Congratulations to Loomis and the Lust on their latest video at YouTube! As of today, views of their “A.D.D.” Official Video have exceeded 543,000! Loomis & the Lust were introduced to Tom Jackson and his All Roads Lead to the Stage DVDs after winning the New Music Seminar Artist on the Verge contest in Los [...]
What Music and Football Have in Common
By the mere title of this blog, you are probably trying to figure out what the heck Scott is talking about! Well, there is a story here about an experience my son just went through that could apply to anything in life. However, because it’s my son and I’ve worked in the music business, this [...]
Show Me Whatcha Got!
I teach all over the world, and besides coming home with 100s of CDs, I constantly get asked to watch the artist perform at the event where I am. But I can’t. For example, New Music Seminar (where in 1984 I saw Madonna, They Might Be Giants, and Shawn Colvin) has about 1500 artists attending. [...]
Artist or Karaoke Star?
I recently worked with an artist who was going to be playing a few big gigs over the next couple months. I flew out and we started to push through the material. Song after song, note after note…I realized we were looking at a cover act show. Why? They had great material on their new [...]
Confidence on Stage? Priceless.
I just sat on a panel with country artist JoDee Messina and regional rep for Shure microphones Ryan Smith, to judge the “Sing Your Heart Out” talent competition in Franklin, TN. Contestants from grade school through high school came from across the South to perform in front of us judges and a live audience. There [...]
Are You a Sitcom or a Movie?
I’m writing from Canada today, just having finished a workshop with about 100 artists and bands. And most of them are good. But the biggest mistake I come across when working with artists is the song arrangements they use. In most cases, what every artist does is play the song exactly as it was recorded: [...]
What I Forgot I Already Knew
I’ve said in the past, Tom Jackson and I go back a ways in touring together. I learned so much during that time, about being on stage, creating moments, connecting to the audience by zone communication, and the list goes on. After that time on the road, I moved to Nashville to become a big [...]
