I'm thinking about organising a live group chat here on Skool and wanted to see if there's enough interest. Nothing too structured for the first one. Just a chance for us to actually meet each other, have a chat and talk about anything related to live gigging. Ask questions, swap stories, share ideas, complain about venues... all the important professional development stuff. 😂 If there's enough interest, I'll find a day and time that hopefully works for most people. So, who'd be up for it? Give me a YES below and let me know roughly where in the world you are so I can work around the different time zones. 👍

I am curios. I just sing into a mic through a PA with no effects. The mixer has a simple EQ and I basically set it centre. I did look at one of those harmoniser type peddles but it relied on having a guitar input to work out the harmonics. Too complex for me. Any of you use a simple effects peddle that just adds a little depth to the vocals?

It's common for people to ask if they can play a song, and this is a balancing act. I'm there to play and work, and I also I can't get compensated if they damage the guitar. I say I'm sorry, but I don't do that - but it's always difficult to say no without bringing down the mood. I'd like to hear how others handle this, because it happens a lot.

Hi Todd, I just signed up to this community as mentioned by you which is great to talk to other musicians. As mentioned on YouTube, I’m always interested in musicians equipment, especially what acoustic guitars they’re gigging with. Can you talk about what you’re currently using and why and what you started with? Thanks, Andy

If you're reading this, you're either already gigging and wondering why nobody warned you about half of it, or you're thinking about starting and haven't yet discovered the joys of hauling a PA up three flights of stairs for a wedding that pays in "exposure." Either way, you're in the right place. I've been doing this for 28 years. Somewhere north of 4,000 paid gigs, more bad PA systems than I can count, and enough stories about drunk Garys requesting Wonderwall at 11pm to fill several lifetimes. Most of what I know didn't come from a textbook. It came from standing in front of a room and figuring out, often the hard way, what actually works. This community is where I put that down in a form you can use. Expect real talk about the money side of gigging, the stagecraft side, the confidence side, and the stuff nobody puts in a YouTube title because it doesn't sound exciting enough to click on. A big part of what I want to cover here is the psychology of a room, reading the energy, knowing when to push it and when to pull back, and how to navigate a crowd that's decided collectively it would rather talk about someone's renovation than listen to you. That skill matters more than any scale you'll ever learn. I can also help directly with vocals and guitar, rhythm and soloing both, if that's the part that's holding you back. Grab the 20 songs PDF if you haven't already, it's a solid place to start building a set that works. A few ways to get more out of this than just scrolling. Post your questions, the specific ones tend to get the best answers. Introduce yourself below and tell me where you're at, whether that's your first open mic or your five hundredth wedding gig. And if you want more direct time with me, there's a paid group coaching option and 1-on-1 slots available, details are pinned. No pressure on any of that. Free content here is genuinely useful on its own, not a teaser for the real stuff. Stick around, ask questions, and let's get you gigging smarter.