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You are here: Home / Archives for Materials, Tools & Skills

It’s You – Only Better

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 4 Comments

As Live Music Producers, we are misunderstood quite regularly. And until someone hears Tom speak, sees us work one-on-one, or watches Tom’s teaching videos, they’re usually confused as to what we’re about. Here’s part of a comment Tom received on his blog called Seeing the Music: “In some ways you are right on in getting […]

I Don’t Do Choreography

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 1 Comment

Years ago, I was in Florida hanging out with a friend. He introduced me to the whole Orlando scene at the time: Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, New Kids on the Block, and Creed (not sure where that fits!). I was also introduced to Janet Jackson’s manager. We talked for a few hours, and after […]

Don’t Miss the Moment

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 20 Comments

We are always talking about getting a plan for your show. Mining the moments in your songs, rehearsing them, mapping out what they should look like, and so on. This is crucial in becoming a great performer, and we help artists learn how to do this very thing. Once you’ve laid the groundwork with a […]

Write Songs? Check out MasterWriter!

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 1 Comment

As many of you know, I’m not a songwriter – but I’ve worked with many of them! And a huge percentage of those I work with tell me this is the best songwriting tool they’ve ever seen: MasterWriter. Artists like Gwen Stefani, Rob Thomas, Clint Black, LeAnn Rimes, Amy Grant, Kenny Loggins, David Foster, and […]

The Feeling of Being Misunderstood

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 7 Comments

Sometimes I feel like I live in a rehearsal studio. There are two main Nashville venues where I work regularly. One is Soundcheck. The other is S.I.R., which has studios in LA, New York, Nashville…everywhere. They rent gear for tours, and they rent out rehearsal spaces for people to get ready for those tours. I […]

Building Momentum for Your Career

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 1 Comment

Check out this video clip from the New Music Seminar 2010 with Little Steven (Bruce Springsteen), Bill Werde (Billboard), Just Blaze (Eminem and Jay-Z), Kelly Cutrone (Lady Gaga), and myself. We were discussing how to build momentum for your career: Tom JacksonTom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist’s live show into a […]

Rehearsal is the New Black

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

I’m not sure why some musicians think they should magically be able to conquer the stage without actually working on their show. Performing well requires working on and with some specific tools and skills – just like you would to master any other trade – and this can’t be side-stepped if you want a long […]

Movement: You Know You Should do Something, but What?

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

I was sitting at home one afternoon and the phone rang. It was a great vocal coach and good friend, Brett Manning. He said “I’ve got someone sitting here that you should talk to.” I said “Put her on.” She said, “Hi, this is Taylor.” “Taylor?” “Yeah, Brett tells me you’re the guy I’m looking […]

American Idol: Top 24 Finally

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 1 Comment

This week’s American Idol was really full of drama! In fact, picking the top 24 finalists played more like a dramatic series than a vocal competition. They really know how to keep a person on the edge of their seat as they talk to the artists, letting them know whether they’re in or out. (Makes […]

I’d Wanna Learn From a Pro

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 1 Comment

If you’re a football quarterback, there are things you need to practice that, at first, feel uncomfortable. A 3-step drop, a 5-step drop… technical things you’ve got to do over and over again to get comfortable, because it’s the most efficient and effective way to play. Now, you could learn these fundamentals on your own […]