Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

Monitor engineer Kevin “KG” Glendinning joins you live from a Roman amphitheater in Pula, Croatia: eight countries in seven days into the Lorde world tour…and he’s got the receipts. You’ll hear how fifteen trips through the SNL stage started with a Carson Daly taping, why the rooms that treat you well are the rooms you remember, and what happens when a 32-year veteran finally plugs in a source expander and realizes the “new guys” were right. That’s the through-line: always be learning, always be open-minded, and never let a get-off-my-lawn attitude about new tech be the reason your phone stops ringing. Then it gets into the real in-ear monitor conversations: recreating a Celestion cab with a 2.6mm armature, the one-ear trick that quietly costs Adam Levine and John Mayer another 25% of volume, and why ear fatigue deserves the same respect a pitcher gives his arm.

The road stories land hard from there. Super Bowl XLV in Dallas with snow, the Black Eyed Peas, and a lesson in letting the pros run their own show. Red Rocks (aka “Wet Rocks”) and why a mountain full of shuttle trucks is worth every minute. A locked-up console mid-residency and telling Christina Aguilera the audio will come back, all while genuinely hoping it would. A charter plane struck by lightning over the Amazon, an emergency landing at a decommissioned airfield, and waking up to the news about Taylor Hawkins. Plus the covert phone call that became seven years with Justin Timberlake, and the soft ask years earlier that made it happen. Rehearse enough that nerves turn into muscle memory, thank the people who opened doors for you, ask for the gig you want…and Always Be Performing.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 549 – Monday, August 31st, 2026

August 31st: Eat Outside Day

Guest co-host: Kevin Glendinning

00:02:38 Pula, Croatia. 8 countries in 7 days

00:04:36 SNL stage for The Deftones with the Carson Daly show

00:06:20 Making an impression on touring musicians with

00:08:35 Always be learning about the new tech

Learning from the “new” guys

Neve 5045 Primary Source Expander

Waves PSE Plugin

Digico Mustard Source Enhancer

00:13:55 Always be open-minded

00:18:57 Mixing ears and the respect of it all

00:21:02 Chris Rabold mixing monitors for REM

00:22:06 Now some REM stories

00:24:23 Helping get Adam Levine & John Mayer through ear fatigue with one ear monitor

00:26:46 OzFest System Engineers and hearing fatigue

00:27:45 Sometimes it just doesn’t sound right

00:30:44 Super Bowl in 2011 in Dallas…with snow!

And The Black Eyed Peas

00:35:45 Being rehearsed enough to just do the gig (and fix what goes wrong when it goes wrong)

00:36:25 Lorde’s large-and-resilient fanbase

00:39:21 Working Red Rocks..”Wet Rocks”

00:44:33 Christina and the reboot

“Don’t worry…the audio will come back.”

Dave’s issue with the Mackie DL32S losing input signals

00:49:58 Batteries Matter

00:52:31 Miley Cyrus, Taylor Hawkins, Lightning-stuck aircraft, oh my!

00:56:28 Getting paid to see the world

The pros and the cons

00:59:11 The “covert” phone call… and Justin Timberlake

Get to know ML who works for ShowCo

Ask for the gig you want (and, specifically, ask Anthony Giordano)

The Victoria’s Secret Awards!

Watching Muse with Justin

01:06:11 Have gratitude for everyone who you’ve worked with

01:08:14 Kevin wants to answer your questions!

01:09:52 Gig Gab 549 Outtro

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The post Ask for the Gig You Want: Kevin Glendinning on SNL, Super Bowls, and 25 Years on the Road – Gig Gab 549 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Your voice is the most temperamental instrument you’ll ever own, and this week Victor Carrillo Tracey – original company member of Broadway’s The Outsiders – walks you through what it takes to keep one working eight shows a week. Hydration and sleep swap places at number one, alcohol and caffeine cost more than you think, and inspiration doesn’t get a vote when downbeat is 8pm. You’ll hear how a single college voice lesson with a head cold taught Victor to navigate around a compromised instrument years before he needed it on Broadway, and why nerves usually answer to preparation rather than talent. Book the room. Play your opener as the last song of soundcheck. Always Be Performing starts well before anyone’s watching.

Then it gets nerdy. Victor breaks down what a swing actually is (think relief pitcher), and how he covered nine tracks at once before working his way up to playing Paul full-time. You’ll pick up forced perspective, the staging trick that tells an audience exactly where to look and translates straight to your own stage. Plus the band sealed in the pit under the apron, monitor wedges in the floor and sidefills in the wings, a rig that tracks each voice around the house, watching a Broadway book get written in real time, and Dave’s case for mixing your in-ears in stereo instead of piling everything up the middle. Victor’s last Outsiders show is October 11th, right around performance number one thousand…and he still tells himself this is the best job ever before every show.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 548 – Monday, August 24th, 2026

August 24th: International Strange Music Day

Guest co-host: Victor Carrillo Tracey

00:02:45 The voice is the most temperamental instrument

00:06:04 The benefits of an education

Always Be Learning – Beginner’s Mind

00:08:54 Learning to navigate around your voice when things are non-optimal

00:13:28 Taking care of your voice

The most important thing is hydration.

Except Sleep is the most important thing.

Be aware of alcohol and caffeine

00:17:01 Inspiration won’t always strike

00:18:35 And taking care of your body

00:20:55 Preparing yourself for success

Play your opener as your last soundcheck song before the house opens

You can visualize this, too!

Book the room to rehearse in advance

Always be preparing

Having a preparation mindset

00:28:40 SPONSOR: Hims. With Wegovy® at Hims, lose up to 20% of your body weight when combined with diet and exercise. Visit https://hims.com/giggab to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

00:30:08 Being a Swing

Kinda like a relief pitcher

Nine tracks at once!

00:33:33 Ok, a detour into musical theater and The Outsiders

00:39:02 Forced Perspective

00:43:12 Missing playing a non-voice instrument

00:45:19 Playing with the band in a theater show

…without seeing your bandmates

00:50:46 Watching the Broadway book being built

And recording the Cast Album at Power Station at BerkleeNYC Music Studio

Jamie Eblen

Justin Levine

00:56:11 Mixing a musical…and hearing it on stage!

Monitor wedges in the apron

Sidefills in the wings

Cody Spencer

01:04:55 Previews are grueling, and great!

01:05:45 Mix your in-ears in stereo

Nothing up the middle: kick one degree right, snare one degree left.

01:07:43 Victor’s leaving The Outsiders after 2.5 years

Choosing your destiny…follow your gut

And make it happen!

Gratitude!

“This is the best job ever” before going on stage every time.

01:12:37 Gig Gab 548 Outtro

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The post From Broadway Swing to Principal: Eight Shows a Week – Gig Gab 548 with Victor Carrillo Tracey appeared first on Gig Gab.

Matt Beck taught himself guitar strung upside down and backwards and has never once found a reason to stop. He joins you this week from the pit of The Outsiders, where he’s played since opening night three years ago, and from a July that had him running Jon Anderson, the B-52’s, and Matchbox Twenty in the same month: seventies, eighties, and nineties, back to back to back. You’ll hear why a guitar player who can actually read on a staff gets calls other players never see, how orchestrators bury Easter eggs in a score, what it does to a band when the pit is closed and the audience only sees you on camera at the curtain call, and why the plight of the freelancer always comes down to the same thing: your calendar, and what you said yes to eight months ago.

Then it’s the road stories. Matt traces twenty-three years with Matchbox Twenty back to a Lisa Loeb tour with Dweezil Zappa standing next to him, and the Zappa family connection that put his name in the right room. He talks about building parts alongside Bono and The Edge for the Spider-Man musical, writing live arrangements for Rod Stewart, and finally getting Sugarjar out the door with Richard Hammond and Sammy Merendino. You’ll also get a Matchbox soundcheck shut down by something nesting in the rafters, three cups of hotel cocoa and a green tartan suit that taught Matt everything he needed to know about a pre-show routine, and the discipline underneath all of it: on Band Geeks off-days, he ran the entire Jon Anderson show every single morning. Always be performing and, as Matt adds on his way out, always be practicing.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 547 – Monday, August 17th, 2026

August 17th: Black Cat Appreciation Day

Guest co-host: Matt Beck

00:03:48 Musicals trying to make it on to Broadway

00:04:50 Theater work in NYC

Playing, orchestrating

“Play like Steve Gadd”

“Play like Steve Vai”

“A la Larry Campbell”

00:09:45 Acknowledging the band

00:11:56 Reading guitar on staff music

00:14:36 Knowing your castmates

00:15:59 Managing the schedules of multiple projects

Going from Jon Anderson to B-52’s to Matchbox Twenty…in a month!

00:22:07 Logistics of travel on gig day

00:24:37 Matchbox Twenty…23 years!

Got the call for…Lisa Loeb, alongside Dweezil Zappa.

And the Zappa family connection delivers, along with great networking.

00:30:38 Studio vs. Live

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00:34:15 Working with Bono and Edge on the Spiderman Musical

Creating those signature moments

00:35:32 Live arrangements with Rod Stewart

00:37:03 Creative collaboration is the key

00:38:06 Playing in original bands as an informative piece of the career

00:39:27 Learning how to be in a band

00:40:24 Sugarjar, Matt’s 3 piece band

Richard Hammond

Sammy Merendino

00:42:30 Learn to play every style authentically

And play with as many people as you can.

Diversify!

00:45:01 Growing up with professional musician parents

00:47:09 The risk of a day job

00:48:21 As if a swarm of bees

00:50:44 Slipping through the crowd in a green suit!

00:54:47 Pre-show routines and biological imperative

00:57:30 “If You’re Gone” – matchbox twenty

Dave says: Yes, I know… “When I am Gone” is a similarly tear-jerking Bitter Pill song

01:02:08 Band Geeks and Jon Anderson…and Matt Beck

Off-day routine: run the show

01:11:15 Gig Gab 547 Outtro

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The post Matt Beck on Matchbox Twenty, The Outsiders, & Hot Cocoa and a Green Tartan Suit – Gig Gab 547 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Guest co-host Sean Mullaney joins Dave Hamilton to prove that the gig you want is usually hiding inside the gig you almost skipped. A video with eleven views got Sean hired, the same way a YouTube clip landed Alexandra Mullaney in The Book of Mormon, so the lesson is simple: put the work out there, then be ready to say yes when someone finds it. You’ll dig into managing your niche without getting trapped by it, and the bigger question every bandleader eventually faces: who do you want to be as a frontman? You can’t make a face unless you’ve seen it, so study the greats, then get authentic to who you actually are. Preaching from the stage is hard. Performing as yourself is harder, and better.

Then things get deliciously specific. You’ll hear what it’s like to chase Robert Plant with Mr. Jimmy, where nobody’s speaking English, everybody’s in full costume, and the details are so meticulous that imposter syndrome becomes something you manage rather than something that eats you. Sean said no. Then Sean said yes…and ended up on a sold-out stage at the Whisky a Go Go, a little petrified because the stakes were higher. That’s the point. You’ll get the upcoming Whole Lotta Heart show, why theater runs are a fun grind, what happens when you make that first mistake in front of everyone, how to honor your influences by studying the film instead of copying the notes, and how to manage your voice so you can keep doing this. Always Be Performing! Even when nobody’s watching yet, because view number eleven might be the one.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 546 – Monday, August 10th, 2026

August 10th: Duran Duran Appreciation Day

Guest co-host: Sean Mullaney

00:01:00 The Underground Series

00:02:33 Hired on the 11th view!

Once at Seacoast Repertory Theater

Sean singing Leave by Glen Hansard (now with more than 11 views!)

Alexandra Mullaney was booked into The Book of Mormon from a YouTube video

00:10:40 Managing your niche!

00:11:27 Be ready to say yes to opportunities

00:16:12 The Instant Classics in Phoenix

00:18:29 Who do you want to be as a frontman?

“You can’t make a face unless you’ve seen it”

00:22:42 Being authentic to who you are

Preaching is difficult!

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00:28:37 Do you want to be Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin?

No one’s speaking English, and everyone’s in full costume

The Mr. Jimmy Story on Gig Gab

Led Zepagain

With Mr. Jimmy, Sean plays a sold out show at The Whisky a Go Go

00:41:56 Managing Imposter Syndrome through the meticulous details

00:43:34 So…I said no.

And then I said yes.

00:48:58 Upcoming Whole Lottta Heart Show

00:51:11 Petrified a little because the stakes are higher.

00:55:03 The Underground is… alternative programming!

In Danger of Being Discovered

Brother Love’s Album of the Year

00:59:13

01:06:02 Theater shows…a fun grind!

01:10:37 Making that first mistake

01:11:23 Honoring your influences

Studying film!

01:14:00 Managing your voice!

01:19:37 Gig Gab 546 Outtro

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The post Hired From an 11-View Video: Sean Mullaney on Opportunity and Owning the Stage – Gig Gab 546 appeared first on Gig Gab.

It’s just you and Dave this week for a full mailbag episode, with road stories up front: Matt Musty behind the kit with Train at Great Woods, three nights of Phish and Rush at MSG, and the Rush policy worth stealing: when a mistake is a one-off, don’t talk about it. Then into your questions. Should the front-of-house feed live in your in-ears? Here’s pre-fader versus post-fader, and why the answer’s usually no unless you’re a drummer. Maybe. Bass distorting in your IEMs? Start with gain structure, work down the chain one variable at a time, and suspect your earphones. Plus the cable fix for that hummy mono click, and the Zoom Q2n-4K for filming your gigs.

Nobody bought a ticket to watch load-in. That old adage – you’re not paid to play, you’re paid to haul gear – gets retired here, because the performance is the product, and that’s exactly why we Always Be Performing. From there: sitting ahead of, behind, or dead on the click and why none of it’s wrong, how to stop cringing at your own stage videos using the Alter Ego Effect, and why demand for small-act live music has softened: drinking age, drinking habits, and the couch you’re competing against.

00:00:00 Gig Gab 545 – Tuesday, August 4th, 2026

August 4th: National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

00:01:20 Matt Musty with Train, then Phish/Rush/Phish at MSG

00:03:31 Rush’s rule: don’t talk about a one-off mistake

00:04:51 Frankie Valli tribute nights with The Underground

00:05:46 Drums mushy in the wall the sound

00:06:36 Issue Mackie DL32S

00:10:49 Jeremy-What about adding the FOH mix to my IEM mix?

Pre-Fader vs. Post-Fader

00:16:49 Glynn-Why is my bass distorting in my IEMs?

Behringer XAir XR 12

00:23:42 Steve-Solving the mono click hum problem?

00:27:42 Drew-Recording Your Gigs with a Zoom Q2n-4K

00:31:50 Adam-Playing for free vs. being paid to load gear

00:37:10 SPONSOR: Hims. With Wegovy® at Hims, lose up to 20% of your body weight when combined with diet and exercise. Visit https://hims.com/giggab to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

00:39:00 Joe-Playing with the click vs. ahead or behind

Roland SPD ONE: Kick and Electro

00:44:54 Kim-How do I learn to control my body on stage?

Alter Ego Effect

00:52:34 Noah Kirkeide-Why is demand for live music down?

00:57:46 Drinking laws morphed during World Cup

00:59:28 Gig Gab 545 Outtro

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The post Nobody Bought a Ticket to Watch Load-In – Gig Gab 545 appeared first on Gig Gab.