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

The Dial-Up Survivors are a new four-piece band playing ’90s and 2000s alt rock, pop punk, and emo. They joined Adam and Dan for a band coaching session about what it takes to get from the rehearsal room to regular gigs.

We talk about choosing a band leader, dividing up responsibilities, building a set that works for a general audience, and resisting the urge to launch with a niche concept show before you have an audience. We also get into rehearsal planning, social media when you don’t have much live footage, venue outreach, and what to expect when you’re playing with in-ears.

If you’re starting a cover band—or trying to get a new project out of the practice space—this one’s for you.

Topics covered:
* Naming a band leader and making responsibilities clear
* Building enough material for a full night
* Balancing crowd favorites with deeper cuts
* Using rehearsal footage to create content
* Finding the right venues and building relationships
* Making rehearsals count when schedules are tight
* Getting comfortable with in-ear monitors

Sweetwater Affilate Link: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xJE4rk 

 BACTrack Affiliate Link: https://www.bactrack.com/coverbandconfidential  

MaestroDMX (10% off discount link): https://maestrodmx.com/discount/DISCOUNT4CBC?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fmaestrodmx

Blank Contracts & Riders: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/performance-contracts

Backing Track Resources: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/backing-track-resources

Thank you so much for tuning in!  If you want to help be sure to like, subscribe and share with your friends!  

BANDLEADER RESOURCES: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/links 

Follow us on Instagram!
@coverbandconfidential
@adampatrickjohnson
@danraymusician

If you have any questions please email at:
Coverbandconfidential@gmail.com

Consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/coverbandconfidential

Or buy us a cup of coffee!
paypal.me/cbconfidential

And for more info check out 
www.coverbandconfidential.com

Gear Used in this Video (Affiliate):

Sony ZV-E10 Mirrorless Camera: https://amzn.to/3DBqtOy

Elgato Prompter: https://amzn.to/3X3IAq8 

Shure SM7B: https://amzn.to/4dDCJx0 

Elgato Stream Deck XL: https://amzn.to/3gKjhqi

Magic Arm Camera Friction Mount: https://amzn.to/3SK5yNk

#musician #livemusic #band #coverband

A band leader needs a sub musician. 

You reply, “I’m your man.” Then they ask if you’re available—and you aren’t.

That’s one way to make yourself memorable.

This week, Adam and Dan break down five things that make it easier to hire you and call you back. Read the ad. Send relevant performance clips. Be clear about your availability. Show up prepared. And make the band’s night easier, not harder.

You don’t need a polished promo reel or a Netflix special. You need enough clear, relevant information to show a band leader what it would be like to work with you.

In this episode:
- Why a useful first reply can put you ahead of other applicants
- What to include when you respond to a gig ad
- How to share performance clips that actually show your ability
- Why “I’m willing to learn” and “I’ve done this before” aren’t the same thing
- How to confirm the full gig timeline and commitment
- What band leaders need to provide so subs can prepare
- Why being a good teammate can beat having flashier chops

Your assignment: Review your last response to a gig inquiry. Could the recipient tell whether you fit, whether you’re available, and where to hear you play without chasing you down?

What has a sub musician done that made you immediately want to hire them again—or move them to second call? Tell us in the comments or email coverbandconfidential@gmail.com.

Coaching: Want Adam and Dan’s feedback on your band? You can do a public coaching session for free, which becomes an episode of the show, or book a private paid session. Email coverbandconfidential@gmail.com to ask about either option.

Subscribe for more conversations about working cover bands, band leadership, and the business of being a musician.

What happens when a venue stops booking your band?

You can get pissed. You can write the email. You can explain why they’re wrong. You can make sure everybody involved knows exactly how disappointed you are.

Or… you can not do that.

A few weeks ago, we talked about a venue that decided to pause its recurring live band karaoke dates with Adam’s group. The gigs ended, everybody finished the dates they had agreed to, and the relationship was left intact.

Then the venue called again.

Less than six weeks later, they wanted ATL LBK back—this time for a private event.

So this week we’re talking about something working musicians don’t spend nearly enough time thinking about: ending well.

How do you handle it when a venue stops booking you? What should you actually say? When should you ask for feedback? What happens to remaining dates, money, and promotion? And how do you resist the extremely human urge to get the last word?

We also flip the situation around. Sometimes you’re the one ending the relationship. Maybe the money no longer makes sense. Maybe the venue isn’t a good fit anymore. Maybe better opportunities have come along.

The same rules still apply.

We get into:

• Why your first angry draft probably shouldn’t be your final draft
• Closing out outstanding dates, payments, and obligations cleanly
• Finishing the last gig at the same standard as the first
• Why you should never trash the venue from the stage
• How to give honest feedback without settling old scores
• Why trading up on already-booked dates is a bad look
• When it makes sense to circle back with an old client
• How to evaluate the opportunity if they eventually call again
• Why professionalism matters even more when things aren’t going your way

The goal isn’t to guarantee that every lost booking eventually comes back.

It’s to make sure the gig can come off the calendar without your band going on the blacklist.

Because sometimes the economics change. Sometimes the venue changes. Sometimes your band changes.

And sometimes, if you handle the ending well, the phone rings again.

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!

Sweetwater Affilate Link: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xJE4rk 

 BACTrack Affiliate Link: https://www.bactrack.com/coverbandconfidential  

MaestroDMX (10% off discount link): https://maestrodmx.com/discount/DISCOUNT4CBC?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fmaestrodmx

Blank Contracts & Riders: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/performance-contracts

Backing Track Resources: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/backing-track-resources

Thank you so much for tuning in!  If you want to help be sure to like, subscribe and share with your friends!  

BANDLEADER RESOURCES: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/links  

And for more info check out 
www.coverbandconfidential.com

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.