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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 […]

To Mess or Not to Mess

by Backstage: Making it Your Own Greenroom: 3 Comments

     I’ve had the opportunity to work with some military bands over the last decade and these are always fun sessions for me…I feel privileged and honored to hang with quality musicians who are willing to serve our country. Amy WolterAs a trained Live Music Producer for Tom Jackson Productions, Amy Wolter brings her […]

Why CeeLo Green Loves Nikki’s Wives

by Backstage: Making it Your Own, Vision & Planning Greenroom: Leave a Comment

     I started working with London, Ontario artist Nikki Whitehead several years ago as a young solo artist.  Since then she’s formed an alt-pop band called Nikki’s Wives, and I’ve been able to work with them and their amazing songs several times, as we worked toward putting together a solid set.      They’ve […]

Under Pressure

by Backstage: Making it Your Own, Materials, Tools & Skills Greenroom: 3 Comments

Hey everybody,       Here’s a blog from an artist I’ve worked with in the past, Jessica Ridley. As I mentioned in my book, there are multiple ways to get prepared to walk on stage and she found her way like this… “This is for all my high strung singers out there. 🙂  I think I […]

Your Music, Your Business

by Backstage: Making it Your Own Greenroom: Leave a Comment
This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series 7 Deadly Sins

Music is emotional. It’s creative. What you write, what you perform — you do it with passion and sensitivity. You have the desire and drive to share your music with others. And the minute you decide that’s what you want to do for a career (what you need to do), that’s when your music must […]

2 More Mistakes Most Musicians Make

by Backstage: Making it Your Own Greenroom: Leave a Comment
This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series 7 Deadly Sins

I’m not trying to be alliterative… just a habit, I guess… but it is true that many musicians make major mistakes. Not the “messed up the words” “played the wrong chord” “forgot who was taking the solo in this song” kinds of mistakes. The mistakes I’m talking about are foundational ones that can make your […]

How to Make a Song Better, with a Good Story

by Backstage: Making it Your Own Greenroom: 2 Comments

Watching Clay Mills co-write a song with some of our Bootcampers last September in front of an audience was fascinating. It made me think how great it would be if every audience member you have could witness this process — see the original ideas thrown around between writers… writing and re-writing lines… hear that melody […]

Don’t Stop Before You’re Done: Reshaping Your Songs

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Songwriters use creativity to write songs. They get ideas, they start throwing those ideas down on paper, they write and rewrite until they’ve got the basic form. But what if they stopped there? Those songs need to be edited and reformed. Even in the recording studio, they continue to be edited and worked on. Songwriters […]

Don’t Play Without Knowing the Rules

by Backstage: Making it Your Own Greenroom: 6 Comments
This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series 7 Deadly Sins

We don’t like rules. We think rules limit us and box us in. We don’t like being told what to do. But what if there were no rules when you played a game? You get three strikes in the baseball game, but the other team decides they get five strikes whenever they’re up to bat. […]

Are These 2 Places YOU are Majoring in Minors?

by Backstage: Making it Your Own Greenroom: 4 Comments
This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series 7 Deadly Sins

Last week I wrote about my list for success: the 7 Deadly Sins of an Artist. I developed this list because I believe that by learning from others’ mistakes, you can build a foundation for your own success. This week, let’s look at the Deadly Sin of “majoring in the minors.” Not only can majoring […]