Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast Podcast Por Dave Hamilton & Friends arte de portada

Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

De: 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 Música
Episodios
  • The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room with Cliff & Susan Prowse

    The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room with Cliff & Susan Prowse
    Apr 13 2026
    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 April 13th: National Silly Earring DayGuest co-hosts: Susan Erwin Prowse & Cliff Prowse 00:03:02 The Ultimate Lifestyle Business00:03:33 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 toddlerLearned 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 directorSusan learned to hear intervalsCliff decided to learn theory after-the-fact 00:14:28 Learning to play before you learn WHY the notes work00:18:18 Breaking down vocal harmonies Both Susan and Cliff picks out harmony by earSinging harmonies with the mixolydian scale with the flat 7Really, 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 rareBeware 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 decadeLearning the skills of doing the singalong conceptSusan and Cliff met on-stage at Willy D’s piano bar in Little RockFrom 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 partyThe crowd is the star, you AREN’TYou’re the emcee, the DJ, you just happen to know how to sing and play pianoKeep it interesting by changing the genre, the groove, the styleIt’s like playing a video game!Mid energy, at first, then bring it up, then let it ease, then maybe repeatAdd variety: different instruments, different singers, different stylesAdd a little comedy to give them a break from the music 00:45:44 Manage your breaks One school: NEVER stop playingHave 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 5-Day Gig Amplifier ChallengeSusan and Cliff love to teach! 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 Follow Cliff & Susan Facebook & Instagram Contact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List 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.
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    1 h y 2 m
  • Monitoring the Artists' Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning

    Monitoring the Artists' Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning
    Apr 6 2026
    In this episode of Gig Gab, you get the full story of how Kevin “KG” Glendinning cold-emailed his way from a Chicago suburb into a 25-year career mixing monitors for Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, and more. You hear how a kid sweeping floors at dB Sound ended up on a Metallica tour bus with one piece of advice ringing in his ears: ask questions, stay late, and get a second job because you’re gonna need it. Kevin walks you through migrating artists to in-ear monitors, managing talkback culture for everyone from Eddie Vedder wanting baseball scores to Lorde’s tight production team, and what it takes to help reluctant guitar players finally ditch the wedges. If you’ve ever wondered what separates a good monitor engineer from a great one, this conversation lays it out. You also dive deep into the art and science of making IEMs sound right in every room, every night. Kevin shares his process of minimal reduction: fixing a bad mix by figuring out what to take away, not what to add, and explains why tuning for in-ears is just as critical as tuning a PA. You learn why he flies 4,700 miles for a single gig, why the best mixes sometimes come from a throw-and-go, and how setting up dummy channels lets you experiment without wrecking the artist’s mix. He and Dave talk hearing health, audiograms, the DPA capsule as the only open mic on the Lorde stage, and why knowing your own ears matters more than knowing your gear. Whether you’re mixing monitors at an arena or running sound at a club gig, this episode is packed with wisdom you can use tonight. Always Be Performing, folks! 00:00:00 Gig Gab 528 – Monday, April 6th, 2026 April 6th: National Siamese Cat DayGuest co-host: Kevin Glendinning 00:02:25 Hotmailing his way into a career Watched the credits of a Metallica documentary, realized DB Sound was near the house, emailed Harry… “Hi, I’m Kevin, and I’m interested in audio…” and the rest is history! 00:07:58 Got put on the road as an audio team assistant Trial by fireAdvice from the team: Here’s what to doHere’s what not to doAsk questions, stay late, and get a second job because you’re gonna need it 00:11:22 Learning the personal touch parts of being on tour00:12:52 Being the stage left PA tech, Kevin gravitated towards monitors00:13:50 Talkback Culture Eddie Vedder wanted baseball scores in his talkbackSOMBR for Coachella 2026 (Chris Rabold at FOH) 00:16:18 Managing multiple talkback channels00:18:08 LORDE on Talkback Phil Harvey on FOHSarah Parker is LD 00:19:00 Talkback stories Jaret Reddick’s use of talkback mics in Bowling For Soup 00:20:51 Migrating to in-ears IEMs can preserve your hearing, if done rightFuture Sonics uses dynamic drivers 00:25:09 Helping guitar players to IEMs Mike Dias on Gig GabSensaphonics 3MAX IEMs on LORDE tour 00:32:08 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/giggab00:33:44 Back to helping guitar players with IEMs Problem: when a vocal mic is downstage from a guitar ampIan Beveridge with Foo FightersPaul Simon prefers wedgesAlways be learningFirst: Learn the human being you’re going to be mixing for 00:41:27 The differences between mixing monitors for Miley Cyrus and Ella LORDE00:42:48 Monitoring the Artists Monitors TX1 Wireless TransmittersREMI with Brad Madix on Gig Gab 00:47:50 Different rooms sound different on IEMs AFAS Live (formerly Heineken Music Hall) in Amsterdam sounds greatDave says Alamodome in San Antonio is one of the worst-soundingTo fix IEMs in a bad-sounding room: what can we reduce to make it sound better?Last night it was a bongo mic that was making the drumset sound too washy in the IEM mix“The process of minimal reduction”Ella’s DPA capsule is the only open mic on-stage on the LORDE tourTune for the IEMs, too: listen to something you know, and EQ itTuning the podcast for JH Audio Laylas 01:04:06 Learn your own ears (not your IEMs, your human ears) first Take a hearing test with your phone if you canKevin and Alicia Keys would go and get their hearing tested together, getting audiograms to compare 01:07:09 IEMs are the most personal audio interaction You have to be psychic! 01:09:46 Flying 4,700 miles to save the day Sometimes the throw-and-go results in the best mix because you’re not overthinking itTip from Kevin: set up dummy channels to experiment without messing with the actual mix for the IEMs 01:15:57 Gig Gab 528 Outtro Follow Kevin Glendinning IG: @kev_chitownLinkedIn: Kevin ‘KG’ Glendinning Contact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List The post Monitoring the Artists’ Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning – Gig Gab 528 appeared first on Gig Gab.
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    1 h y 19 m
  • Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep

    Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep
    Mar 30 2026
    You tighten your gig prep by treating every show like a pro mission: build rock-solid routines, line-check your gear and apps, and know your insurance, splitter snake, setlist, click, and IEM plan before you ever hit the stage. You walk into a wedding or club already covered with proper liability, routing, charts, and monitoring so you can stop worrying about logistics and start playing the room. Always Be Performing. Onstage, you think like a storyteller, not just a musician: you record full shows to review your banter and flow, you decide when the click helps and when to ditch it, and you refine what makes your band distinctive so people remember your name and feel the FOMO. Offstage, you act like a lab: you binge showcases at events like SXSW, steal the best ideas, use AI to critique rehearsals, and keep your gig bag dialed so every performance gets sharper, louder, and more undeniable. 00:00:00 Gig Gab 527 – Monday, March 30th, 2026March 30th: Take a Walk in the Park Day00:01:29 What is your gig prep process?00:06:55 Skylar-How does a band get a certificate of insurance for a wedding gig? Insurance CanopySpecial Event Insurance 00:11:15 n-Brian from Durham-Do we need a splitter snake? Mixing StationProreck Splitter Snake 00:16:57 Bill-What Setlist App do you use? forScore 00:19:39 Dan-What click track do you use live? PolyNome 00:21:51 Dan-What about IEMs with ambient filters? Ultimate Ears Ambient Option 00:24:20 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit Claude.ai/giggab00:27:05 I’m a band guy…how about you?00:30:15 SXSW 2026 — bands seen and lessons learned: 38 showcases in 2026Family BattenbergThelma And JamesTimmy Skelly 00:39:43 Record yourself live, not just for the music, but for the whole show, including your banter. Lainey Wilson vs. John Popper and band 00:43:24 The stiffness of a click, vs not. Soultone vs. Lainey 00:45:56 PODCAST: Rock Talk Studio Podcast00:47:29 Tell people who you are, and make it distinctive. Leverage FOMO 00:51:54 Olight OClip Pro in your Gig Bag00:54:25 Moskowizard-Use AI to evaluate your rehearsals (critical listening)00:57:00 Andy-CSF-Supertone Clear00:58:16 Gig Gab 527 Outtro Contact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List The post Stop Winging It: Dial In Your Show with Clicks, Setlists, Insurance, and Gig Prep – Gig Gab 527 appeared first on Gig Gab.
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    59 m
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