There’s no shame in being part of a cover band or a tribute act. I’ve worked with some. The thing is, if you do that, do it well and make no apologies!

I must admit, most cover bands I’ve seen are forgettable, or painful, or worse – cheesy. This doesn’t have to be the case. When I was in Las Vegas a few months ago, Read more…

Recently, we were in Virginia Beach in front of a theatre full of Army personnel from all over the country.

Tom, Lang and I put one of the US Army’s rock bands, USA Express, onstage and worked with them, taking a song and creating moments to connect with the audience.

And we heard and saw it again! Read more…

What makes a drummer awesome, from a stage presence perspective? The answer to that question, I believe, begs another one. How do you define awesome?

You ask a musician for their answer, and you’ll get an answer based on a musician’s perspective. If you ask that question of a non-musician, you’ll get a pretty different answer. So who’s right? Read more…

All roads lead to the stage; I’ve been saying it for years. The live show is where the artist lives and breathes and has their being. It’s where your music happens, where your message gets out, where you make your money, and where you fulfill who you really are!

South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference calls themselves “the most important networking event in the music industry today.” (With nearly 12,000 in attendance and going strong for almost 25 years, it’s probably true.) So I was interested to read what The Vancouver Sun recently said about the conference: Read more…

I’ve had the opportunity to work with some military bands over the last 14 months and we’ve had such a blast!

These particular groups are rock bands that entertain troops abroad and in the States, as well as playing high school shows for recruiting purposes.

It’s been such a privilege to work with these quality people who are willing to serve our country. These men and women are able to bring some joy and fun to those in war zones, and it’s nice to know I get to be even a tiny part of that when I work to put together their shows.

Even though these bands perform mostly cover songs, they put their all into performing them well. That’s their job! Good gig huh? So I look for ways to do some of them differently for the sake of a better moment. We all know that there are some songs you just ought not fool around with, like “Sweet Home Alabama” for instance. You could get shot for messing with that one! Read more…

Being in a band or group of any kind requires teamwork. No question about it.

That was very evident as I watched American Idol contestants divide up and perform in group competitions. It was rough! Many of them weren’t used to the give and take singing in a group calls for.

Typically someone will name themselves “leader” of the group, but their leadership skills may leave much to be desired. In one of the groups on American Idol, Read more…

OK, maybe your drummer didn’t blow up as in Spinal Tap:

“Peter ‘James’ Bond, an early Tap drummer, was the first rock musician to ever spontaneously combust. He left behind a green globule on his drum seat and a scarred set of drumsticks that were retrieved as mementos by manager Ian Faith. The same fate befell Mick Shrimpton.” (from Spinal Tap A to Zed)

Thank God this doesn’t happen frequently! But maybe you don’t have a drummer anymore, or maybe you never had one. Read more…

Everybody loves to be on the inside of an inside joke. You know, the kind where only a few people know why it’s funny and you get to be one of them. But the best kind of joke is when everybody gets it, but feels like they’re in the inner circle.

Well, here’s a video I got a good laugh out of, and I know you will too: Read more…

Sometimes I have to ask myself: what IS wrong with this picture?

I’ve done numerous rehearsals with one of the biggest artists in music today. Millions of records sold, huge tours, radio, TV, awards for everything from best artist to best video to best entertainer. And the awards keep coming.

Rehearsals with this artist are always a joy – creative, lots of energy, ideas floating out of everyone. There’s a great attitude from the artist and from all the members of the band.

I always feel Read more…

Ask Reilly. They decided to make an investment in their career. They decided to invite me to work with them to find out how to make a better emotional connection with their audience.

They already had good songs, and are good players, but they recognized that there was something missing. So I helped them find the “missing link” that would capture and engage their audiences!

Read more…

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