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It’s Time – Turn it Up to 11!

I just finished a session with the band Sidewalk Prophets, here in Nashville.  They wanted help on a 15-minute set they’ll be doing on the 2011 Winter Jam tour – one of the largest tours happening in North America!

According to Pollstar, the Winter Jam tour consistently ranks in the Top 5 attended tours in the first quarter of the year, and last year broke record attendance with over 400,000.

So the band will be in front of thousands of people every night, and it’s important they make an impact in those 15 minutes.  It’s one chance to make a fan for life!

Now we’ve worked together before, on their 2010 tour, and the guys know how this aspect of their gig will keep growing and evolving. They want to continue to get better and not rest on ‘last year’s’ success.

I love these guys.  They’re great songwriters and players with a killer lead vocalist. They’ve already had some hits on Christian radio the last few years.  The only thing I didn’t like about this session was that they needed to do 4 songs in their 15 minute set.

We at Tom Jackson Productions will always favor creating great moments (even if it’s only ONE!) over ‘more songs’. However, due to previous hits, new singles coming out, label directives, etc., I couldn’t take away any of the songs. The guys edited pieces of the songs out already to make 4 songs fit.

So, my hands were tied a bit, BUT we created some nice moments and worked on making each song look a bit different, working with different tools, movement, dynamics & changing the pressure on the audience.  They will be using some video as well which can be a moment in itself if you’ve got the means to use it.

Even after this session, one of the guys asked about me working with them before their summer festivals on a longer set.  This makes me happy because I know they GET it. It’s a process, and they keep striving to get better.

How ‘bout you? Ready to make a New Years resolution for 2011 and admit you need some help?   I know, it’s tough because you’ve got your friends and family telling you that you’re already great, but are you really?  When it comes to a new audience that doesn’t know you, are you connecting with them and leaving the gig with new fans?

There are different ways to achieve this, through working one-on-one, the DVD’s and video critiques.  Your first step may be our Bootcamp March 4^th & 5^th here in Nashville.

Bootcamps are amazing times – for the artists AND for us! Check out the testimonials from artists who have been to them. We’ve literally seen transformations in artists’ careers from what they learn here.

Nashville is calling…better pick up!

(For more information about our next Bootcamp, click here.)