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Owning It!

by Backstage: Making it Your Own, Materials, Tools & Skills, Sneak Peek Greenroom: 4 Comments

We’ve all had people in our lives probably, telling us to ‘own up’ to something or other.  Or to ‘own’ something – meaning, ‘make it yours!’ Grab on to it and TAKE it. I’m often telling artists while rehearsing that they need to really own it. After we make changes and map out a song […]

Wondering Why You Wander

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills, Sneak Peek Greenroom: 6 Comments

Ever see artists on stage, constantly moving, pacing back and forth across the stage?  Me too…A LOT! Makes me nervous to watch them because they never seem to ‘land’ anywhere.  It can be frenetic and unnerving.  And if the stage floor is eye level, it’s even worse to watch, since the artist’s feet and legs […]

A Whole Palette

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 3 Comments

     No matter what kind of an artist you are – a soloist, a band, a singer/songwriter, a rock group, a Gospel artist, ….. – you have musical colors to paint with. You may have one instrument (like a keyboard or a guitar) or a whole truckload of instruments. You may be one singer […]

Your Songs Don’t Sound the Same

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills, Workshop & Panel Videos Greenroom: 3 Comments

Your songs don’t sound the same, so they shouldn’t look the same! Communication from the stage is 15% the content you bring – your words and stories and lyrics.  30% is the tone or emotion you bring it with.  But more than half of it, 55%, is what the audience SEES. The problem with what […]

Tom at CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference – 2015

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills, Music Makeover Videos, Rehearsal Room Videos, Workshop & Panel Videos Greenroom: 1 Comment

     Grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable to watch Tom at the 2015 CD Baby Conference in Chicago.      You’ll watch, along with some 1000 attendees, as Tom works with a band on performance skills. Backstage Pass VideoBackstage Pass Videos offer a wide variety of great information that will help you […]

Part 2 – State of the Music Industry and Your Live Show

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: Leave a Comment

     You are the character. People come to see people they don’t come to hear just music.      We need to leave space in your show so your personality can come out.  That’s all part of what’s inside your song.  It just needs to be rearranged so your personality can come out and […]

Your Show, Your Vision

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills, Rehearsal Room Videos Greenroom: 5 Comments

     I realize I risk critique from writers everywhere with this blog, in that it goes in many different directions and doesn’t have one specific subject. But, I don’t care.  Fact is, there were so many things touring artists need to be reminded of, that came up in a recent week of rehearsals, that […]

Three Things Instrumentalists Can Do (to Create a Better Show!)

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: Leave a Comment

     You’ve decided no singers for YOUR band, after all, who wants to deal with those divas anyway, right? They never help set up and tear down! (Kidding….I was a lead singer and I loaded in, loaded out and wrapped cords for days…but I digress.)      You instrumental groups might be asking how […]

Getting Better Gigs!

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 5 Comments

      I’ve been asked recently, by a singer songwriter; “How do I get better gigs?  I’ve been playing in bars where no one is listening!”      This is a common problem I hear over and over again.  It’s really quite a dilemma and there are numerous suggestions and possibilities, some dependent on […]

 Six Ideas for Your ‘Different’ Moment

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 8 Comments

     So you get to that fourth song in your set and you’re wondering just what to do to surprise the audience a bit…you need something different.  (See set list blog here) A somewhat ‘left turn’ at this point in your show, will shake things up for the listener. Let me throw you some […]