LA’s Kulak’s Woodshed Live Streams LA Music Scene to the World

by John Mahoney

Kulak’s Woodshed (KulaksWoodshed.com), is an LA music venue that is a center of the LA singer/songwriter scene, live streams performances worldwide via the worldwide web.

One of LA’s best kept secrets is now making it known throughout the US and the world that live performances of seasoned players and new artists can be viewed for free on the Kulak’s Woodshed website. Read more »

5 Tips to Improve Your Musical Performance Technique

Author: evan

This week we’re going to look into some tips on how to improve your technical agility. One of the main abilities a musician must have is to have command of the technical aspects of his/her instrument.

Tip #1: Play everything slowly

“Slow is the same as fast”. Maybe you’ve heard of that phrase. I’d like to interpret it as understanding that all movements that you make while playing rapid passages must have the same relaxed feeling as though you were playing slowly. What better way to do that than practicing slowly? Read more »

Music Business – Cash in on the Big Show

by Greg Joes

Summer is prime time for large musical festivals. Every genre and crowd has their own music business in all major festivals. Between musicians, fans, and press the event can be a practical who is who of any given scene. Regardless of who is there the large volume of people make a music festival (or any show really) the perfect opportunity to spread the word about your own music business.

I know that we all have been at a show or festival and been handed a flyer to another show. I typically find this action annoying, but that is because the presentation of the person handing out the flyer. They act as if they are handing out a sample of toothpaste on the street during lunch hour. If you are passing out flyers or demos you need to impress the people in the ten seconds you have their attention. Read more »

Starting your Own Band

by Andrew M. Lee

If you learn to play guitar, drums or bass for example the next step that many of you will want to take is to start your own band. This has been the dream of teenagers for years but just how do you go about undertaking this? Well there are a number of avenues that you can explore; you could advertise for other members or you may know people who have friends or family who are also interested in starting up a band.

In my experience however one of the main ways that bands come together is friends. If you are learning guitar and your best friends are learning bass and drums it comes pretty naturally that you will form a band together but deciding to be in a band is one thing, making it work is another… Read more »

Schmoozing for Gigs

By: Ty Cohen

If you want to get gigs, then you are going to have to do some schmoozing with club owners, bar owners and people of that nature. This means you are going to have to appear as professional and convincing as possible. You are going to have to come prepared with all the gear you need to successfully market yourself so you can book gigs and get paid.

First impressions are the most important thing in this biz. If you want to book gigs then you need to bring the following things with you to a meeting: a resume, a demo, a business card (with a link to your site), a poster or flyer, price and a confidant attitude. And most importantly, dress for success. You don’t have to wear a tux, just look presentable. You might even want to bring your instruments in case they want a short live audition, you never know.

Hopefully you will get the gig and it will end right there but you may not get hired right away. If this is you then you need to have a little persistence. Stop in every week or so and see if they have anything for you. Ask them if anyone has canceled and if there is a spot that needs to be filled. But beware, there is a fine line between persistence and stalking so be careful you are not doing the latter. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Read more »