The Business of Playing Live

May 1, 2016 

There's a thing that happens sometimes when you play live, you consider your sets, the songs, the order, the keys they are in, the musical journey, you rehearse, and then you are onstage, and then, time shifts, and you have some great moments, and it's over. And whether the gig was an intimate house concert or a concert hall, if you got the hair to raise up on your arms, or you hit the one sweet sound, it was worth it. If someone takes the time to thank you and say you touched them, it is definitely worth it. 

Before all that though, there is the worry. 

Not about the art, but about the business of playing live. 

And here is how it goes for me: 

I try to surround myself with professional musicians, and usually they are people who make the bulk of their living in music.  Somehow, I have been blessed to play with fantastic players both live and in the recording studio.  Juno award winning composer and Bass Player, Michael Lent, Guitarist and Producer,Russell Broom, Fantastic Jazz Drummer Sandro Dominelli, WCMA nominee Tyler Hornby.   

If you haven't been gigging live in a while( that is me, this time around), booking the room gets to be a decision about: ok, how many seats can I fill and how much is the room going to cost, am I renting the space, what about the cost of sound, what about promotion, am I going to fill enough seats to break even, pay the guys well, not be crushed when the size of the room is small..am I spending enough time on social media, am I driving my friends and fans crazy with my posts and reminders.. 

Eventually, you have to let all that go. 

Let the lights go down. 

Take a deep breath 

Get your feet on the ground and do what you came to do 

Sing 

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