Booking Gigs for a Full Time Band – Part 2
The second part of our interview with George Merkel. Here’s Part 1 if you missed it. In the second part of my interview with Ben Daniels Band guitarist George Merkel we got into more detail about…
Booking Gigs For a Full Time Band – Part 1
Getting gigs can be a tough chore, and booking agents are not interested in bands that don’t already have a good following. I spent some time with George Merkel, full time musician and guitarist for…
We Sort of Have a Built in Crowd
I remember the first time I went out on tour. It was just for one week but as a young musician I was really excited about travelling around the midwest and the south, playing music…
Pedal by Number
A lot of us want to build our own amps, but the prospect can be daunting and it can be expensive buying high quality kits or parts. A good way to build confidence and learn…
What’s Your Gig Rig?
What’s your gig rig like? Are you the type who likes to have every possible tonal variation available, or do you just plug your guitar into a killer tube amp and play all night with…
Choosing the Right Amp For the Gig
I just got back from playing a rock show at a very small venue. It’s basically a 30 seat theatre that usually hosts folk acts. I wanted to be able to play hard without blasting…
Practicing Tone
(The following blog is a supplement to our Tone PodCast below) Guitarists spend a great deal of time practicing licks and learning tunes, trying to become the best players that we can be, but we…
In the Studio – Interview with Geoff Michael – Part II
Part II In the second part of my interview with Geoff Michael at Big Sky Studios in Ann Arbor, MI, we discuss mic preamps and compression. I am always happy with the way Geoff records…
Papers, Please
About once every two years or so, I pack up my traveling rig and head out for a few weeks of touring in Europe, mostly in Switzerland. It’s great to be able to live the…
In the Studio – Interview with Geoff Michael – Part 1
Part I If you have spent any time in the studio, you know that all recording engineers are not created equal. I like to work with competent people who know how to get good tone…
