Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

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

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

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 Day

Guest co-host: Kaitlyn Raitz

00:01:55 Protein and Joy on the bus

00:02:14 Passing the time productively on the bus…and on the tour

Swimming

Swimply OR PlacesToSwim.com

Thrifting

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

ToneDexter

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

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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.

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 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

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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

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 theater

00:50:12 Gig Gab 522 Outtro

Follow Dan Ray

@DanRayMusician

@CoverBandConfidential

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

You jump into this episode balancing the reality of working gigs with the mindset that keeps musicians moving forward. From Dave’s recent experiences playing atypical rooms with Bitter Pill to cramming new material for Casual Gravity, you’re reminded that momentum matters even when the crowd is small. Always Be Performing is not about scale, it’s about consistency. That theme carries straight into the conversation with Laura Whitmore, whose career has been shaped by connecting people, creating opportunities, and knowing when to pull back just enough to build a sustainable life alongside the work.

As Laura walks you through the birth and growth of the She Rocks Awards, you hear what it actually takes to build something lasting. It started small, grew through trust and partnerships, and evolved by treating the event like a show, with pacing, flow, and intention. You dig into what real visibility looks like, how to define success on your own terms, and why borrowed platforms are never enough to build a career. The takeaway is practical and clear: start with a big vision, set measurable goals, build community deliberately, and own your audience.

This episode is a reminder that longevity comes from intention, preparation, and showing up with purpose, gig after gig.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 520 – Monday, February 9th, 2026

February 9th: National Pizza Day

00:01:00 Dave’s Gig Updates

Playing atypical venues with Bitter Pill

Learning new songs with Casual Gravity

Always Be Performing…even for the small crowds!

00:17:10 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.

00:18:34 Guest co-host: Laura Whitmore

00:22:20 The love of connecting people and making things happen

00:23:08 Pulling back a little…to have a life

Backstory in partnership with Guitar World and Parade

00:26:28 The green room at The She Rocks Awards is the ultimate networking event!

00:29:33 The Birth of the She Rocks Awards

Writing a women-in-music blog at Guitar World, realizing the women in music didn’t know each other… yet!

Started as a breakfast (with sponsors…the cheapest meal of the day!). Orianthi performed, serendipitously.

After two successful years, NAMM invited She Rocks into the event officially, and The Bangles performed.

“You don’t really know what you’re capable of until you’re challenged and take that leap of faith.” – Laura Whitmore

2026 was the 14th year of She Rocks Awards.

170 She Rocks Awards have been presented in the last 14 years.

00:34:51 “Is this ever going to come together?” is scary

Reframe it with “how is this ever going to come together?”

It takes a village, folks!

00:38:12 Having good partners helps

00:38:59 Create the event for yourself as an audience member

That way you’ve got a stake in how it “feels” to attend, which means the audience is represented

00:41:16 Assembling the featured women

Nominations at TheWimn.com

Crafting the arc of the night by slotting the right people at the right spot. It’s a show!

00:43:49 Managing the flow of the night

She Rocks Awards YouTube Channel

00:46:58 People whose names became known after they were on She Rocks

Queen Herby (as Amy Heidemann)

Beaches

PRS Guitars brings in the opening act, with a fantastic Artist Relations team

00:49:40 Defining valuable visibility

What’s your end goal?

What are your metrics? What defines success?

For your band, those might be:

Did I get contact information?

Did I build on success that I had before?

Did this exposure opportunity help me grow to a new place/level?

Start with big vision, small goals

00:54:16 You don’t own social media platforms, so don’t leave your audience there.

Facebook used to let you message all your followers. Used to!

If your audience is a subset of Facebook’s audience, that’s not your audience. Give them a reason to give you their email address.

Gather those email addresses.

Keep those pieces of paper – scan them! Spam laws might require you to prove it!

01:00:18 Gear Gab!

Laura Whitmore is Sr. VP of Marketing at Positive Grid

Spark practice amps (with an app!)

Project BIAS X – Standalone or Plugin

01:07:36 Designing high-quality technology for a market with a budget

01:13:02 Gig Gab 520 Outtro

Follow Laura Whitmore

Check out TheWIMN.com (sign up for the mailing list for free!

On Instagram

On LinkedIn

Contact Gig Gab!

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[email protected]

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The post Creating the Room You Want to Be In: Laura Whitmore and the She Rocks Story – Gig Gab 520 appeared first on Gig Gab.

You walk into NAMM 2026 thinking you will just wander and see what grabs you. You leave reminded that wandering works best when paired with a plan and a willingness to torch a few sacred cows along the way. This episode is a fast-moving field report from the floor, where the real takeaway is not just gear but mindset. You hear why talking with people matters more than chasing booths, why listening beats pitching, and how staying flexible turns a chaotic show into a productive one. NAMM rewards curiosity, but only if you stay intentional and remember that Always Be Performing is not about being loud, it is about being present.

From there, you get a tight rundown of what actually stood out. You hear about clever mic and monitoring solutions, portable PA ideas that punch above their weight, smart tools for managing stage volume and feedback, and electronic drums and keyboards that feel less like compromises and more like real instruments. There is a clear throughline here: gear is getting smaller, smarter, and more musician-centric, solving real problems instead of adding features for the spec sheet. By the end, you are not just caught up on what Dave saw at NAMM 2026, you are thinking differently about how to approach shows, stages, and decisions long after the badges come off.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 519 – Monday, February 2nd, 2026

February 2nd: National Tater Tot Day

NAMM Coverage Sponsors

Ultimate Ears Pro

Earthworks Audio

Rock-N-Roller Carts

00:02:23 NAMM Guidance

Wandering is fun. But have a plan also.

Be ready to abandon sacred cows

Talk with people… share and listen

00:05:11 DPA Microphones on the Yamaha Stage

00:13:12 JBL BANDBOX Solo ($250) and BANDBOX Trio ($600)

00:18:37 D’Addario IR Mic Mute

00:21:05 Card Chords

00:24:55 UE 350 from Ultimate Ears

00:27:57 Sensaphonics IEM dB Check Pro

00:35:27 Efnote Electronic Drums Efnote 3 (with optical hi-hats) – $2,499

00:36:52 KickPort KickTone Pro microphone

00:40:12 Alpha Labs De-Feedback in action

00:43:57 Nord Electro 7

00:46:27 Allen & Heath Qu-5

00:49:49 iCON P1-M (on Amazon)

00:52:31 QSC CB10

00:55:21 Gig Gab 519 Outtro

Thanks to Parthenon Huxley for today’s outro song. And thanks, Hux, for everything you gave us all while you were here on this earth!

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The post Gear, Gimmicks, and the Good Stuff at NAMM 2026 – Gig Gab 519 appeared first on Gig Gab.