Shows

Vulfpeck | Photo by Michelle ShiersYou’d be hard-pressed to find an act out today who has enjoyed as much success as Vulfpeck - without the assistance of a manager or a label. I’ve been following these funky trendsetters for the past four years or so and have seen them catapu...

Stefanie VinselIt’s funny how some venues consistently offer life-changing experiences. Maybe it’s the history of the room. Maybe it’s the quality of acts. Maybe it’s the sound system, the front of house engineer, the venue staff or the sight lines. Or maybe it’s just h...

“From the point of view of the person doing the hiring, it is far better to contract with a competent player who has a great and professional attitude than with a brilliant but irresponsible and egotistical musician who will likely require reigning in and micromanaging. No matt...

In the past, I would have told you all about the show I saw last night. From these great bands with a killer horn section, pocket drummer and bassist, angelic singer, yadda yadda yadda. Because the show was great and I’d really love to give props to the bands I saw. But I’m n...

A lot of musicians want to play colleges, but most don't really know what that means. As someone who has played over 100 official university sponsored shows around the country, it's a field I know quite intimately. From the schools surrounded by a hundred miles of corn to the tho...

I was just at a show last night at the Echo in east LA. A band from Philly was the 2nd of 3 acts. The other two were local, but this Philly band was who we were there to see. I went with a manager friend of mine who had been following these guys for a few years. There was a prett...

Jonathan Sexton hated shipping out his band posters to venues around the country. He hated standing in line at the post office. And the hand cramps after scribbling out show information for 50 different show dates are enough to cause carpel tunnel.Sexton teamed up with Mike Fabio...

I meet (and play with) too many musicians who don't want to get to the venue early enough. Some like to arrive shortly before they need to play, others slightly before doors and others feel they're being responsible by allowing the bare minimum amount of time they believe they'll...

My ears are ringing.I bring ear plugs wherever I go. They're in a little plastic pinch-to-open container on my keychain. I put them in whenever I'm at a loud concert. Well most concerts really. Except for those at the Hotel Cafe. Because they know how to mix. It's a listening roo...

I fly a lot with my guitar. It's a $2,000 Taylor. Over the years, airlines (namely US Airways and United) have told me that my guitar MUST be checked. This usually happens at the gate. However, at LAX they have their own guards checking you BEFORE you even get to security. A few...