500 episodes listed below
Real talk from the working musician’s side.
Gig Gab treats live music as a working craft, not a fantasy. Dave Hamilton talks with players, educators, engineers, and road-tested guests about preparation, relationships, gear, audiences, and the habits that keep gigs moving.
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Gig Gab is a long-running conversation about the working life behind live music. Its center is not celebrity polish. Its center is the gig. Dave Hamilton talks with people who know the load-in, the soundcheck, the rehearsal decision, the lesson plan, the crowd that will not behave, and the relationship that leads to the next call. The show can be highly technical without becoming cold. Kevin Glendinning brings in-ear monitor wisdom from years around major stages and broadcast work. That kind of production talk sits naturally beside a solo episode about clicks, setlists, insurance, South by Southwest observations, and the practical questions that pile up for musicians. The format also leaves room for personality. Cliff and Susan Prowse bring the piano-bar skill of making the crowd the star, shaped by country duo work, bluegrass roots, festivals, education, and a heavy live schedule. Courtney Clemson and Paul Clemson shift the frame toward touring health, boundaries, family strain, and the Roadie Clinic. Those conversations make the show feel grounded in the cost of performance, not just the thrill of it. Mike Grande adds another lane: guitar teaching, music schools, student motivation, startups, and lesson technology. Kaitlyn Raitz brings the Nashville reality of being good enough, easy to work with, and ready for big stages where too many moving parts leave no room for guessing. The archive also reaches into funk, soul, and cover-band culture. James Diamond Williams of the Ohio Players speaks from inside grooves that shaped generations, while Steve Witschel represents the online and onstage ecosystem around cover bands and fan turnout. Gig Gab works because it respects musicians as workers, collaborators, business owners, technicians, and entertainers. It is casual, detailed, and frequently funny. It also keeps returning to the same useful truth: performance is a habit built before anyone applauds.
Made for: Gig Gab suits gigging musicians, crew members, music educators, bandleaders, and serious live-music fans who care about how shows actually get made. It is especially useful for listeners who want practical stories from people doing the work.
What sets it apart: The show blends shop talk, career stories, and backstage problem-solving without separating musicianship from logistics. Its strength is the range: piano bars, arenas, classrooms, cover-band communities, touring wellness, monitor engineering, and funk history all belong in the same working-musician conversation.
Welcome to Gig Gab—the podcast sanctuary for working musicians and anyone fascinated by the vibrant, often unseen world behind every note played on stage. Whether you’re a musician, a member of the crew, or just someone who loves peeking behind the curtain to discover the secrets of live performances, you’ve found your tribe.
A kick-drum mic becomes a diplomacy lesson, and suddenly your next soundcheck has a strategy.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear-eyed look at touring, ensemble discipline, and Nashville's relationship-driven gig culture.
Raitz brings a distinctive perspective to Gig Gab: a Nashville-based cellist and composer who moves easily from Schubert to Sondheim to a bluegrass groove, and who was touring with Eric Church's band soon after performing at the Grammys.
A drummer's tour prep turns into useful talk about live rigs, changeovers, and keeping a band moving.
Gig Gab spends its hour on the practical side of getting a summer tour ready, bringing back a guest after seven years and following work as a composer, drummer, and music director for Stephen Kramer Glickman on a worldwide run.
Kevin Glendening turns in-ear monitor physics into a practical stage story, with guitar bleed as the sharpest lesson.
Gig Gab's conversation with Kevin Glendening makes monitor mixing feel less like backstage mystery and more like applied physics under pressure.
Joe Wong interviews drummers and musicians about craft, history, and the working musician's life.
Records, careers and arguments, weighed by people who listen closely.
Drummer and music director Buddy Gibbons returns to Gig Gab after seven years to discuss his upcoming tour with Stephen Kramer Glickman on the Big Time Rush nostalgia tour.
Dave Hamilton interviews Kevin Glendinning, a top in-ear monitor engineer with 25 years of experience working for artists like Alicia Keys and Lorde.
Wilson Fairchild members Will and Langdon Reed describe growing up on tour with their fathers, Don and Harold Reed of the Statler Brothers, including county-fair shows with audiences of 8,000 to 10,000 people.
Ryan Goldbacher describes touring with Tom Keifer of Cinderella, where competence and being "bearable to be around" determine future work.
GigGab episode 540 features Patrice Parris on sync licensing, teaching, and the claim that artists do not need a backup plan.
Gig Gab episode 539 pairs Dave Hamilton’s five-gig week with Jesus Hernandez’s path from cassette recording to touring audio.
Gig Gab host Dave Hamilton, his son Lucas Hamilton and longtime Rush mixer Robert Scoville compare their histories with the band, from Scoville's early-1970s St.
This episode features Cliff and Susan Prowse, a married country duo, discussing their journey from meeting at a piano bar to building a successful career with over 200 shows annually, including insights into entertaining crowds and their various projects like the Entertainers Academy.
This episode features an interview with Kevin Glendinning, a highly respected in-ear monitor engineer with 25 years of experience working with major artists and events, discussing his career and expertise in the field.
In this solo episode, host Dave Hamilton discusses practical tips for musicians on gig preparation, shares insights from South by Southwest, and answers listener questions about show planning, setlists, insurance, and using AI tools like Claude.
This episode features Courtney and Paul Klimson discussing their experiences in touring production, the challenges of burnout and boundaries for crews, and their work with the Roadie Clinic to support mental health and wellness in the music industry.
This episode features an interview with Mike Grande, a guitar player and music educator who founded Rock Out Loud and runs music schools, discussing his journey and tech tools for teaching.
Caitlin Raitz, a Nashville-based cellist and composer, is touring with Eric Church while also handling a last-minute Grammys call with Brandy Clark, Reba McEntire, and Lucas Nelson.
This episode features an interview with James "Diamond" Williams, drummer of the legendary funk band The Ohio Players, discussing his role in shaping their iconic sound and enduring musical legacy.
This episode features an interview with Steve Witschel, an expert on cover band life, discussing his Facebook group Cover Band Central, his book 'Get Him to the Show', and strategies for engaging fans and navigating the music industry.
This episode features an interview with Justin Shiedling, a drummer and drum tech who worked on the Big Time Rush tour with Stephen Kramer Glickman, discussing the life of a tech on a major tour.
This episode of Gig Gab discusses the dynamics of band replacements and strategies for musicians to navigate such situations, while also covering industry sponsors and personal updates.
This episode features an interview with drummer and music director Buddy Gibbons about his preparations for a major nostalgia tour with Steven Kramer Glickman and Big Time Rush, covering tour logistics, gear, and managing a band from the drum throne.