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.

Read more…

Hey there! Hope your summer’s been full of great gigs and venues…can’t believe it’s August already.

I had someone write in recently saying their single biggest challenge was finding good, dedicated musicians (and affordable!) to implement the kind of advice we give for the live show. Musicians who will share their vision and spend time rehearsing and creating moments.

Seems you’re either forced to hire Read more…

I just finished working in New York City with an artist, Zach Maxwell, and his band. Two of the hottest days they’ve had in NYC in awhile and our cramped rehearsal room just refused to cool down. Even the car that took me to the airport had no A/C!

(So I’m a bit picky when it comes to temperatures and being comfortable…sue me.)

We sweat it out, physically and mentally, working on Zach’s show. But even with less-than-ideal working conditions, it was Read more…

Here we are again. I just finished meeting with a band that has sold over 6 million records, have had several Gold albums, and numerous #1 hits. They have one of the most charismatic front men around, who’s also a great singer!

I wasn’t sure what to expect. This group is actually known for their live show; and they want me to help make it even better. I was so impressed with their desire to learn, grow and improve.

In fact, I told the lead singer Read more…

There’s no shame in being part of a cover band or a tribute act. I’ve worked with some. The thing is, if you do that, do it well and make no apologies!

I must admit, most cover bands I’ve seen are forgettable, or painful, or worse – cheesy. This doesn’t have to be the case. When I was in Las Vegas a few months ago, Read more…

One of my best friends in the music industry says “more than a manager, more than a record label, more than a hit on the radio…what an artist needs is great publicity.”

So he hires a publicist to write things about him and his music that sometimes (oftentimes?) stretch the truth. He can look good that way.

I submit to you that a great show can solve that problem WITHOUT having to stretch the truth! Read more…

Recently, we were in Virginia Beach in front of a theatre full of Army personnel from all over the country.

Tom, Lang and I put one of the US Army’s rock bands, USA Express, onstage and worked with them, taking a song and creating moments to connect with the audience.

And we heard and saw it again! Read more…

I’ve been working with two bands the last couple of weeks. Both of them are potentially on the verge of breaking big. One’s a rock act; one is a country band. One’s been on MTV a lot; one just did the ACMs, opening for Lady Antebellum.

It still amazes me that acts like these are not using the technology available to make their show better! Read more…

What makes a drummer awesome, from a stage presence perspective? The answer to that question, I believe, begs another one. How do you define awesome?

You ask a musician for their answer, and you’ll get an answer based on a musician’s perspective. If you ask that question of a non-musician, you’ll get a pretty different answer. So who’s right? Read more…

All roads lead to the stage; I’ve been saying it for years. The live show is where the artist lives and breathes and has their being. It’s where your music happens, where your message gets out, where you make your money, and where you fulfill who you really are!

South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference calls themselves “the most important networking event in the music industry today.” (With nearly 12,000 in attendance and going strong for almost 25 years, it’s probably true.) So I was interested to read what The Vancouver Sun recently said about the conference: Read more…

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