Cover Band Confidential's Podcast (Music Business, Gigging Tips & Making Money as a Musician)

A listener in Scotland asked us for an episode about keyboard players.

There was only one problem: this is a podcast hosted by two guitar players.

So rather than confidently making things up for an hour, we called in Brandon Patrick of The Flannel Pajamas, a ’90s-ish cover band based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Brandon came to keyboards later in life after years as a vocalist, which gives him an interesting perspective on what it actually takes to become a functional, gigging keyboard player—not a concert pianist, not a synth wizard living inside a modular rig, but somebody who needs to learn songs, build useful tones, fit inside a band, and make it through the gig.

We get into how keyboard players learn songs, sheet music versus ear training, using lead sheets and the Nashville Number System, and why playing rock and pop keys is a very different skill from being a classically trained pianist.

Then we head directly into the gear rabbit hole.

Brandon talks about his Yamaha YC, onboard sounds versus software instruments, organ and Leslie tones, patch building, why redundancy matters if you’re relying on a computer, and why the keyboard you buy should be determined by the music you actually intend to play.

We also tackle the eternal question: 61, 73, or 88 keys?

Along the way, Adam and Dan attempt to explain guitars to a keyboard player, discover that a guitar is apparently six strangely tuned keyboards strapped together, and establish the definitive tonal taxonomy:

A Strat goes quack.
A Tele goes twang.
A Les Paul goes chunk.
And an SG starts an argument.

If you play keys, want to play keys, lead a band with a keyboard player, or have spent years wondering what the person behind that giant red Nord is actually doing, this one’s for you.

Featuring Brandon Patrick of The Flannel Pajamas.

Find @theflannelpajamas on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and catch them live around the Dallas–Fort Worth area!

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The soundboard was dripping water. Apparently, the band was still supposed to play.

Mike Schulte of The Pork Tornadoes and the Confused Breakfast podcast joins Dan with a gig story that stands out after roughly 1,300 shows—and for all the wrong reasons. A sudden storm drenched the gear and shut down the night before the band could play. According to Mike, what followed included an angry confrontation, a passive-aggressive load-out soundtrack, and people booing musicians who were trying to get their equipment out of the venue.

Dan and Mike unpack the business side of a rainout: what the band’s contract covered, why the work starts long before the first song, and how a reasonable conversation might have preserved a working relationship. They also look at their own preparation and what could be handled differently next time. Nobody controls the weather. Everybody has some control over how they treat people.

Before the storm story, Mike shares how he’s using a 360 camera for both The Pork Tornadoes and Confused Breakfast—from capturing concert footage to filming an interview at the Goonies house without hauling an entire camera department along.

In this episode:

Moving 360-camera footage versus static camera angles. (link: https://www.insta360.com/sal/x6?utm_source=AffiliateCenter&utm_medium=copylink&utm_term=INRSG0CFLEV)

Capturing the crowd and blending camera audio with a board feed.

Using one camera to create multiple interview angles.

A surprise storm, soaked equipment, and a show that couldn’t happen.

Payment expectations when a band has done everything except perform.

Weather preparation, de-escalation, and knowing when a working relationship is finished.

Check out Mike with The Pork Tornadoes and on Confused Breakfast.

Rock more. Suck less. Keep the load-out playlist civil.

You crushed your first gig. The venue wants you back. Now how do you get the OTHER venues to answer your emails?

This week, a listener’s success story turns into a practical guide to booking your cover band. After building The Riffbillyz from the ground up and earning return invitations—including New Year’s Eve—he asks: What’s the best way to reach local bookers? Email? Messenger? Showing up in person?

Adam and Dan walk through the entire process, from choosing rooms that actually fit your band to turning that first conversation into a lasting booking relationship. Dan shares his “gig hunting” routine, Adam explains what your promo needs to prove, and both discuss why being good onstage is only part of being a band venues want to hire.

**In this episode:**

* Finding the right venues instead of emailing every bar within 100 miles.
* Building a one-sheet, website, and short promo video that make booking you an easy decision.
* Approaching managers at the right time—and following their booking instructions.
* Tracking contacts, booking windows, and follow-ups so opportunities don’t disappear into your inbox.
* Clarifying pay, production, promotion, and what the venue considers a successful night.
* Avoiding promises about your draw that Facebook’s “Interested” button cannot keep.
* Winning over the staff, sending the thank-you, and earning the next date.
* Capturing live footage that helps you sell the next show.

Plus: Adam turns 45, Dan goes on an escape-room adventure, a mysterious guitar purchase is pending, and Adam introduces a new tool for searching the CBC episode archive by topic.

**Your assignment this week:** Pick five venues that fit your band, get your promo ready, identify the booking contacts, and make a specific ask. Then track the conversation and follow through.

Be the band management sees on the calendar and thinks, “Oh, thank goodness.”

Questions or gig-hunting stories? Email **[coverbandconfidential@gmail.com](mailto:coverbandconfidential@gmail.com)**.

Most gigs aren’t life-changing. They’re work.

You load in, fix whatever isn’t working, play the songs, collect the check, and eventually escape through a commercial kitchen.

But every once in a while, the band locks in, the crowd gives everything back, and all the logistical nonsense disappears. Those are the gigs that remind you why you’ve spent years sacrificing weekends, buying too much gear, and voluntarily standing next to drummers.

This week, Adam and Dan talk about:

• A wedding party that turned a regular bar gig into complete bedlam
• The shows where the band, crowd, and room all click
• Creating a meaningful moment for one person
• Songs that hit an audience harder than expected
• The extremely healthy realization that you’ve “still got it”
• Why preparation creates room for spontaneity
• How cameras, technical problems, and overbooking can kill the moment
• Turning nearby weddings and events into marketing opportunities
• Why not every gig needs to be magical

Plus: Sweetwater debt, dueling dead refrigerators, Adam’s early verdict on the Xvive U45D, and a five-star review that claims this show is “actually useful.”

What gig reminded you why you do this? Tell us in the comments or email [coverbandconfidential@gmail.com](mailto:coverbandconfidential@gmail.com).

THIS WEEK IN CBC HISTORY: 
Oasis Reunion, Setlist Science & DIY Gear Hacks! | https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2024-09-05T19_00_00-07_00
How to be the Ultimate Entertainer! | https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2023-09-07T19_00_00-07_00
Is Music a Viable Career? | https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2022-09-08T20_39_24-07_00
Things Musicians Have To Stop Doing | https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2021-09-09T19_10_42-07_00
CBC #118 (If you were Starting from Scratch) | https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2020-09-03T18_05_36-07_00
CBC #066 (Merchanomics part Deux, Instrument Learning, Acoustic Duos, Song Selection) | https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2019-09-04T18_00_35-07_00

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Gear mentioned:

• Xvive U45D Digital Stereo In-Ear Monitor System: [https://amzn.to/4zRDkqJ]
• Gator utility shelf: [https://amzn.to/4h4J3SK]

Some product links may be affiliate links, which help support the show at no additional cost to you.

Cover Band Confidential is the podcast for cover band musicians and band leaders who want to rock more and suck less.

#CoverBand #WorkingMusician #LiveMusic

Being in a band teaches you much more than how to play music.

Every rehearsal, equipment failure, difficult bandmate, last-minute song request, and immovable downbeat develops skills that carry into the rest of your life. In this episode, Adam and Dan break down five things musicians learn almost accidentally: collaboration, discipline, adaptability, people management, and project management.

They also bring research connecting ensemble performance with shared attention, executive function, resilience, empathy, social bonding, organization, leadership, and problem-solving.

Before the main topic, Dan discovers that The New Strange still has some muscle memory, Adam recaps his first Jamzone-assisted solo gig and another massive ATL LBK event, and Cover Band Confidential celebrates 9,000 YouTube subscribers and three million views.

What has playing in a band taught you that has nothing to do with music? Tell us in the comments.

RESEARCH CITED

Collaborative musical creativity and co-regulation:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01285/full

Music and social bonding:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4179700/

Music training and executive function:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9393548/

Resilience and music-performance anxiety:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12584046/

Group music, empathy, and prosocial behavior:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1744000/full

Ensemble participation and transferable life skills:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11239010/

ABOUT COVER BAND CONFIDENTIAL

Cover Band Confidential is the podcast for cover-band musicians and bandleaders who want to rock more and suck less. Adam Johnson and Dan Ray talk about the music, business, gear, relationships, and occasional logistical catastrophes involved in playing music for actual people.

#CoverBand #WorkingMusician #BandAdvice

00:00 Intro
00:58 Band Still Got It
03:08 Rebrand And Karaoke
04:47 Jam Zone Solo Gig
06:45 Frozen Bracelet Tip
09:28 Live Band Karaoke Recap
12:10 Milestones And Consistency
14:40 This Week In History
18:25 Skills Beyond Music
23:50 Receipts and Research
25:06 Discipline and Practice
28:42 ADHD and Executive Function
30:19 Adaptability Under Fire
36:52 Band Relationships and Feedback
41:58 Project Management Skills
45:40 Wrap Up and Call In