Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

This week Stu Dias joins Dave from a slightly different corner of Durham, New Hampshire, and after a quick detour through barefoot drumming, sweaty-hand fixes, and oversized triangle guitar picks, the conversation locks onto the question every working musician is wrestling with right now: what does AI mean for music? You’ll hear why Dave reframes it as Assistive Intelligence (and the best procrastination-killer and writer’s-block-buster going) even as you stare down the harder stuff: Suno-generated tracks, Jack Tempchin’s AI-assisted album, and the ouroboros of machines learning from the music we make. Should AI art be labeled? What happens when it conjures someone’s likeness? And does any of it move you the way a human in a room can?

That last question is the heartbeat of the episode. Dave and Stu weigh AI music against the cover-band hustle, remember what COVID lockdowns taught us about humans craving real humans together, and get honest about whose jobs are actually on the line and where AI mixing fits in your workflow. The kicker for every gigging musician: if the machines are going to use your voice and your playing, take a long-term cut of the sales. It’s a sharp, funny, occasionally unsettling look at the line between tool and threat…and a reminder that however the tech shakes out, you Always Be Performing. Hit play for the full conversation.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 536 – Monday, June 1st, 2026

May 25th: National Barefoot Day

Guest co-host: Stu Dias

00:00:56 Playing drums barefoot

00:02:34 Iontophoresis for sweaty feet and hands

00:05:05 We all have our own thing for ourselves

Large guitar picks for Stu. Equilateral triangles!

00:07:03 AI and Music

00:12:40 AI is the best procrastination eliminator

It helps with writer’s block

AI Based Plugins and Compressors are fantastic

For Dave, AI is Assistive Intelligence

00:13:59 AI Generated music like Suno

00:18:22 Should AI-generated art be labeled as such?

00:22:58 What about if AI generates the likeness of someone?

De-Feedback on Gig Gab

00:24:53 Ouroborotic

00:27:31 Using AI to create music

Business Brain theme music

Jack Tempchin’s AI-assisted album

Beck’s Song Reader

Creating walk-on music for your band

Bowling For Soup’s (non-AI-created) walk-on music for live shows

00:40:47 Comparing Human-Created Music vs. AI-Created music

00:45:11 AI Music vs. Cover Music

00:47:58 COVID Lockdowns taught us that we like to bring humans together

00:55:37 What’s AI going to make Dave say?

01:03:08 Jobs on the line

Elvis impersonators and sax players from rock songs in the 80’s

01:05:42 AI Mixing

Davis Thurston on Gig Gab

01:13:04 Do we have to

Take a long-term cut of the sales, folks!

01:18:06 Gig Gab 536 Outtro

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Diaspora-Radio.com

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The post AI and Music for Working Musicians: Tool, Threat, or Bandmate? – Gig Gab 536 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Ride shotgun with Dave as he records GigGab on the drive home from a Casual Gravity gig, finally living out the show’s original mission. You’ll hear why packing your own mixer saves the night when the venue only wants a single feed from the band, what it’s like when an in-ear band plays its first fully sober gig, and why counting songs in to a click track changes everything once adrenaline stops driving your tempo.

Then dig into relearning vocal harmonies for the Underground Band: using the Moises app to isolate vocals, pulling sheet music, and plunking out intervals on piano to lock stacks into your ear. Buddy Gibbons sparks a drumming debate on single strokes versus marching-style sticking through the Foreplay/Long Time triplets, and Dave gets honest about throat fatigue, Lyme disease aftermath, dust mite allergies, and the sublingual immunotherapy bringing his voice back. Listen to your body, learn the parts, and Always Be Performing.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 535 – Monday, May 25th, 2026

May 25th: National Tap Dance Day

00:00:10 Driving Home Experiment

00:01:42 Casino Gig Setup

00:06:38 Sober Show, Strong Set

00:08:19 Relearning Vocal Harmonies

00:18:15 Drumming Through Both Hands

00:21:47 Insurance And Smoke-Filled Gigs

00:26:42 Throat Troubles And Recovery

Stuff Mentioned:

Mackie DL32S

Moises

I Love a Piano

MusicPro Equipment Insurance

00:31:24 Gig Gab 535 Outtro

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The post Loaded Out, Rolling Home, Rolling Tape – Gig Gab 535 appeared first on Gig Gab.

OG co-host Paul Kent rejoins Dave Hamilton to talk about how The Houserockers have stayed booked into their 27th year, and what your band can steal from their playbook. You’ll dig into the social media reality of 2026 (Reels are currently king), why your mailing list is the asset you actually own, and how to grow to 10,000 followers without losing your soul. Paul makes the case that if you want gigs, your band has to be a business, which means alignment on mission, passion, and musical style with the partners or employees standing next to you on stage. There’s nothing wrong with playing for fun, but go in eyes wide open about what you’re chasing.

From there you’ll dive into the value of scarcity, Kevin Kelly’s thousand true fans, and why mixing up your setlists is one way to keep audiences coming back. Paul breaks down the current Houserockers formula (civic concert series, experiential marketing, and ticketed off-season events) and why aging-up audiences mean you have to market harder and talk to fans like Springsteen does: a lifetime conversation, all with individuals. You’ll also get the real talk on finding bandmates (Craigslist included), the Gig Gab bookable-band checklist, and Paul’s (joking?) pitch for two new show segments. Whatever your lane, Always Be Performing, and start treating every touchpoint like the gig it is.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 534 – Monday, May 18th, 2026

May 18th: National Visit Your Relatives Day

00:01:27 Guest co-host: Paul Kent

The Houserockers in their 27th year!

00:04:21 Did someone call you an old man?!?

00:08:46 The Gig Gab social media approach

00:10:29 Your band can get 10,000 followers

Reels are it…today.

00:13:37 Gain a mailing list

00:16:41 It’s about the music business.

Is your band willing to be in business?

00:19:00 There’s nothing wrong with doing what you want to do.

Just go in eyes wide open.

00:20:49 Getting alignment within your band. You now have business partners or employees

Be aligned with mission, passion, style of music … the alchemy of it.

00:26:48 The value of scarcity

Does success equal quantity of gigs?

Some people want to play five times per month

00:30:43 Finding Your Thousand True Fans

00:32:05 Mixing up your setlists is another way to keep people coming back

00:36:00 Marketing 101 – you have to have something to say

Hopefully unique!

And then deliver.

00:37:13 The Houserockers formula for today

Civic Concert Series

Experiential Marketing

Ticketed Events in the off-season

00:39:13 Use your mailing list!

00:41:28 Ticketed events required more marketing this year

Audiences are aging up

00:43:04 How do you talk to your audience?

Springsteen: my career is a lifetime conversation with my audience

It’s about you, your personality, and each individual audience member

00:50:11 Finding band members is an imperfect science

Craigslist lets you find who is available THEN.

The Gig Gab Band checklist

00:56:41 Paul’s show ideas for Dave

Dave reads mean comments

Dave reads band ads from Craigslist, et al

00:59:47 Gig Gab 534 Outtro

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SVHouserockers.com

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The post What’s Your Band’s Definition of Success? — Gig Gab 534 with Paul Kent appeared first on Gig Gab.

Guest co-host Mike Schulte joins Dave with 15 years of Pork Tornadoes social media wisdom, and the message is blunt: relentless consistency wins. You literally can’t post too much in 2026—nobody sees everything anymore, so repost that same flyer as a fresh post (not a share) and keep going. Give it 45 days before you judge results. Why invest? More fans mean more bodies at the gig, plus the social proof that signals to newcomers that other people already love you. And remember—you’re not competing with other bands, you’re competing with people’s couches.

From there, Dave and Mike dig into the live-show craft. Build a sound check formula so it stops being a nightmare, then cook up a Suno-generated theme song to walk on to—Always Be Performing means the show starts before the first chord lands. Treat your setlist like art: the opener’s a throwaway, but song three is the most important slot of the night. Then think about your saturation—the Pork Tornadoes cap themselves at two ticketed gigs per year inside a 30-mile radius, and the minute they got scarce, their pay jumped tenfold. Simple, not easy.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 533 – Monday, May 11th, 2026

May 11th: National Eat What You Want Day (also Hostess CupCake Day!)

Guest co-host: Mike Schulte

00:01:10 Did you ever watch Night Court

Dave reminds Mike of Harry

Confused Breakfast

Shows that were so far ahead of their time:

All In The Family

Roseanne

00:05:06 Managing your band’s social media

Relentless Consistency is the key (right now).

“You can never post too much” – Mike Schulte, May 11, 2026

Mike has been running social media for Pork Tornadoes for 15 years

Everyone doesn’t see every post (anymore)

It’s money-driven

Repost the same thing, the same flyer, the same idea (as a new post, not a “share”)

00:09:49 Getting “started” on social media in 2026

I tried to follow your model and nothing changed. In two weeks.

You’ve gotta spend a month or more (Dave says 45 days)

00:14:05 What’s the benefit of investing in social media

The more fans you have, there WILL be more people who come to your events

Also: social proof. Showing people that other people like you.

00:18:55 Social Proof + Bullheaded Persistence = Success.

00:22:00 People don’t go out like they used to

You’re not competing with other bands, you’re competing with people’s couches

00:24:39 A band retreat!

If 2020 hadn’t happened, Pork Tornadoes would’ve probably gone full time

00:26:04 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today, which includes access to Claude Cowork, too, when you visit https://Claude.ai/giggab

00:27:42 Recent Gig(s) Gab

Boston Cream Band at Seacoast Repertory Theater

Pork Tornadoes is a 2-hours straight-thru band

00:34:19 Orchestrate your sound check

Sound check used to be a nightmare, until we created a formula

00:38:27 Create a musical lead-in for your show

For the wranglers in the Gig Gab audience

Use Suno to create a theme song for your band

00:42:57 Writing a setlist is an art

Your first song is a throwaway

The third song is the FIRST most important song in the set (according to Dave)

Develop business-like rituals for your band

00:48:32 What’s Your Band’s Saturation?

Self-imposed proximity clauses

Pork Tornadoes Proximity Clause: No more than 2 ticketed events in a 30-mile radius per year

Plus one free-to-the-public festival gig to pull people in

To the venues who don’t have proximity clauses: why do you not?

The minute we started getting scarce, was the minute our pay increased 10-fold

01:00:12 The Pork Tornadoes formula: simple, not easy.

Gig Gab 532 Outtro

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Confused Breakfast

The Pork Tornadoes

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The post Relentless Consistency and the Scarcity Premium with Mike Schulte from The Pork Tornadoes – Gig Gab 533 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Ready to make the leap from wedges to in-ear monitors? Or finally get the stage mix you’ve always wanted? Dave Hamilton welcomes back monitor engineer Paul Klimson, the man who mixed 32 stereo IEM feeds for Justin Timberlake, for a working musician’s deep dive on monitor world. You’ll learn how to build a default mix from scratch (start yourself at 0dB, your instrument at -5, everything else at -15), why drummers have an easier transition to in-ears than most assume, and how a split snake lets you take care of yourself when the gig demands it. Paul digs into hi-hat pitfalls, drum overheads as stage wash, and why bands who mix themselves on stage make life better for their FOH engineer, too.

Then it gets practical. Paul walks you through IEM fittings (pain is always bad, the seal is everything, and yes, drop an AirTag in your case) plus the universal-versus-custom decision, vetting vendor customer service before you buy, and the repair costs nobody talks about until they need to. You’ll get honest talkback etiquette (keep the drama off-stage, give everyone a voice, remember that your monitor engineer is a short-order cook), the post-mortem habit every band should adopt, and a peek at SoulSeed.tv. Wherever you sit on stage, this is the episode that sharpens how you Always Be Performing.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 532 – Monday, May 4th, 2026

May 4th: Dave Brubeck Day

Guest co-host: Paul Klimson

00:03:24 Start with headphones in your practice space

Start with earplugs

00:05:09 Drums are a dynamic instrument, which may be why drummers have an easy transition to IEMs (usually)

00:08:33 What do you want in your wedge?

What’s your reference?

00:09:11 The artist/engineer relationship

00:11:03 Building a default mix

Start yourself at 0dB

Instrument at -5dB

Everything else at -15dB

00:12:58 Using a Split Snake

When possible, take care of yourself

00:14:47 Timing of a mix

Don’t forget about hi-hats

Work with your engineer to dial-in your own mix

00:19:18 Drum overheads for stage wash effect

00:22:21 In-ears help you listen better

Bands who mix themselves on stage makes your ears AND the FOH engineers job ears

00:23:54 Learn where you and your instrument fit into the mix of your band

And change it if you don’t fit. You’re not the most important thing!

00:26:40 What’s going to make you stand out when someone comes to see you at clubs of any size?

Do you hear the lyrics?

Do you hear the intent of the story of the song?

Watch your instagram videos and evaluate honestly

00:30:28 Knowing when the studio mix is done.

00:33:27 Fittings for IEMs

Things to look for:

Pain is bad

Is the seal functioning correctly?

Listen for sound leakage (including when you open your mouth and move around)

Are the ports aimed down the canal wrong

Do you hear high-end better when you rock the mold around?

00:37:36 Put an AirTag in your IEM case!

00:39:28 Figuring out which model to order

Try universal fits first to learn the musical qualities

00:41:16 Test the customer service of vendors before you choose

00:42:55 The origin of IEMs

00:44:44 Find out repair costs

Comply Foam Strips

00:48:20 Talkback Use

Keep the drama off-stage

Give everyone a voice

Monitor engineers are like short-order cooks… be kind!

00:58:23 Always post-mortem the problems from the gig

And also “what happens if?” conversations

01:03:22 Soulseed.TV

01:06:05 Gig Gab 532 Outtro

Follow Paul Klimson

SoulSeed.tv

@TheRoadieClinic

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The post From Wedges to In-Ears: A Monitor Engineer’s Playbook with Paul Klimson – Gig Gab 532 appeared first on Gig Gab.