I was awoken from a strange dream and found myself in a land of sweltering heat and amidst the sound of rolling waves and obnoxious birds. And as the sun beat down upon my brow I was reminded why I came here. Yes, I have a mission: this calling. My sore forearms are a painful …
The Great Gig Killer: Bad Morale
Wow! It’s amazing how one person’s terrible attitude can kill a gig. Bad morale is like an infectious disease that spreads like a sweeping plague through a crowd. It’s like a scene from “28 Days Later.” Once one person gets bitten then the rest of the crowd turns within seconds. They’ll turn on you and …
Cirque Dreams Rocks Cancun – Tour Diary Week 3: Lessons from the Road
Being able to adapt to your surroundings. It is an essential quality in the survival of the species; it is an essential attribute to the traveling musician. While on tour in Mexico I’ve had to learn several lessons from the road. Some of these lessons deal with my playing, some deal …
Cirque Dreams Rocks Cancun – Tour Diary Week 2: The Camaraderie in Circus
There’s a level of camaraderie in circus that I find has always been missing in rock groups. Yes, they’re two completely different animals, but really what you’re dealing with is a group of people that have come together in artistic expression with the specific purpose to blow people’s minds. Whether you’re launching your partner …
Cirque Dreams Rocks Cancun – Week 1
From Baton Rouge, to Dallas, to Cancun. That was my basic flight plan. As a musician, it was my first time leaving the country to perform my craft and it was the first day of my 2013 tour with Cirque Dreams – starting with a 7 week stint in Mexico at the Moon Palace Resort. …
The Other Side of Preparing for Tour
I’m about to head out on tour today and there are a lot of things to consider when leaving on an extended amount of time. Preparing for tour not only means getting your gear in order but you also have to prepare your belongings that will be left behind. By that, I mean, your vehicle, …
Recording Your Practice, or How To Make A Better Band With One Easy Step
Whether you’re in a band, rehearsing for a solo performance, or just tightening up your chops, recording your practice is one of the best ways you can dramatically improve your overall performance. This is something I swear by. Being able to listen back to what you just played is a huge advantage over anyone else …
Furthering Your Music Education & Pushing Past Musical Stagnation
The vast majority of musicians I’ve ever run across pretty much all share a similar trait: they’re comfortable at the plateau they’ve reached in their playing abilities. By that I mean they’ve reached a certain point in their playing where they’re happy with where they’re at and they now have no desire to push beyond …
I’m officially signed on as an MTD Endorser!
As of Friday I officially signed on to be an MTD endorser for their basses and strings. I bought my first MTD fretless bass a couple of months back and immediately fell in love with it. It’s quickly become my main bass. There are some aspects of the MTD that I’m surprised people don’t readily …
Make Your Own Guitar Counterweight For Neck Heavy Instruments – A Special How-To
If you’re like me you’ve got a couple of instruments that are particularly neck heavy. It’s hard to find a balanced bass guitar, especially when you get into the realm of 6-strings and 7-strings. Those extra strings require more headstock room, and with that comes extra weight. Many people have looked to find a …