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Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

Written by: Dave Hamilton & Friends
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 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.BackBeat Media, LLC 2026 Music
Episodes
  • Gumbo, Gigs, and Grit: Bill Wharton’s Sauce Boss Path

    Gumbo, Gigs, and Grit: Bill Wharton’s Sauce Boss Path
    Jan 26 2026
    Dave’s back from NAMM 2026 and has a little something to share about that. Actually three little somethings, so that’s where we start. But there’s more to say about that, and it’s not yet time, so we’ll extend the NAMM discussions into next week (and beyond?). For today, well, you don’t become the Sauce Boss by chasing a gimmick. You hear how Bill Wharton built a real, working-musician career by leaning hard into what felt natural to him, starting with a Datil pepper, a pot of gumbo, and a simple idea: turn the gig into a gathering. From cooking onstage on New Year’s Eve 1989 to feeding hundreds of people at festivals and never charging a dime for the food, Bill shows how blending music and food transformed shows from transactions into shared experiences. By creating a kitchen onstage, he stopped entertaining people just long enough to take their money and run, and instead built something with a life of its own, something that keeps audiences leaning in and coming back. As the conversation unfolds, you trace Bill’s path from top-40 bar gigs to one-man-band independence, full-band firepower, and stages as far-flung as Saudi Arabia. You hear why learning your strengths and ruthlessly discarding what doesn’t matter is not selfish, it’s survival. From dynamics, gear choices, and in-ear monitors to the lessons behind Blind Boy Billy, Bill makes the case that longevity comes from clarity, connection, and doing your thing without apology. The message for working musicians is direct and empowering: build the show you want to play, build the life that supports it, and keep showing up ready to give. Always Be Performing. 00:00:00 Gig Gab 518 – Monday, January 26th, 2026 January 26th: National Spouse DayGuest co-host: Bill Wharton NAMM Coverage Sponsors Ultimate Ears ProfessionalEarthworks AudioRock-n-Roller 00:14:31 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.00:16:21 Guest co-host: Bill Wharton00:18:41 How to become a sauce boss magnate…while also being a musician Bill found the Datil pepper. Spicy and flavorful.People would eat all the sauce at his houseSo he made Liquid Summer hot sauceBut he wanted to sell hot sauce at gigs.December 31, 1989 – made a pot of gumbo on stage to demo the hot sauce No one would ever have to pay for for my gumbo… 240,000 bowls later, here we are! 00:23:26 Blending music and food. It’s better than entertaining people, taking the money, and run! 00:25:12 Food and music are good together Every good party has everyone hanging out in the kitchenBill creates the kitchen on stage 00:26:33 That first Sauce Boss gig00:28:16 It has a life of its own and takes care of itself It took 3.5 hours to know that this was going to work long-term 00:30:38 Bill: “Always looking for something distinctively mine…something unique” It’s hard to do your own thing. 00:33:15 The typical sauce boss gig means cooking for 100 (or more) people 400 people at a festival (it took TWO pots of gumbo) 00:35:07 From Florida to Saudi Arabia Sauce Boss plays/cooks at an Air Force base in Saudi Arabia 00:37:09 A soul-shouting picnic of Rock and Roll Brotherhood One or two 75-minute setsThe show never ends 00:40:16 Learn, and then KNOW your strengths Started playing top-40 gigs as a kid…and then realized that’s a rat trap. Bill made a point of putting only the stuff that matters to him in his day…and his show.Being “greedy” about putting my thing out there.If I can do this, you can do thisDiscard the things you don’t enjoy, embrace the things you do.Story Time, it turns out! 00:43:23 Jimmy Buffett wrote a song about the Sauce Boss – “I Will Play For Gumbo” Playing a gig at Jimmy Buffett’s club in New Orleans… and Jimmy was there!“This is the best (bar) band I’ve seen in a long time.” 00:47:13 Where did “Sauce Boss” come from? Tobacco Road, in Miami 00:49:47 Bread and Butter is the One Man Band “But I have a music problem, and I like jammin’ with my buds!”There’s something that happens when you have a little more firepower of a full band 00:53:13 Bill is his own funky one-man band with a kick drum, hi-hat, and a guitar00:55:16 Dynamics are everything in terms of keeping a crowd00:57:09 Bill’s thoughts on in-ear monitors Future Sonics 01:02:17 Gear Gab: Create a portable screen/keyboard/mouse for your home studio01:06:24 The Life and Times of Blind Boy Billy A songbook, a recipe book, and Bill’s memoir. 01:09:29 Gig Gab 518 Outtro Follow Bill Wharton, the Sauce BossContact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List The post Gumbo, Gigs, and Grit: Bill Wharton’s Sauce Boss Path — Gig Gab 518 appeared first on Gig Gab.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • The Engineer Is in the Band: Instinct, Ears, and Live Sound with Mike deAlmeida

    The Engineer Is in the Band: Instinct, Ears, and Live Sound with Mike deAlmeida
    Jan 19 2026
    You’ve done gigs where nothing goes according to plan, but this episode reminds you that chaos is often the classroom. From sleeping on road cases at the Puerto Rican Day Parade to riding a flatbed packed with servo-driven subs that overwhelmed even earplugs and shooting cans, you hear how real-world pressure forges real skills. Mike deAlmeida walks you through learning to roll with it, figuring out systems on the fly before tools like Smaart were common, and walking into unknown gigs where the unknown singer/songwriter turns out to be Shawn Colvin. The lesson is clear: when you don’t know the band, communication is everything. Ask how they sound, listen closely, and remember that for that moment, you are part of the band. You’re playing the “mixing keyboard” today, so Always Be Performing. As the night wears on, the room changes and so must you. Heat, humidity, and ear fatigue quietly shift the mix, especially in the highs and high-mids, and Mike explains why gradual adjustments beat drastic moves every time. You’re reminded to watch the show, not just the meters, and to listen first before using tools like Smaart to confirm what your ears already know. From sweating out microphones and treating them like EQ devices to protecting your hearing with custom molds, active earplugs, and smart exposure management, this episode ties craft, tech, and longevity together. Layer in legendary Celebrity Week stories, the Van Halen M&Ms lesson, and Beach Boys theatrics, and you’re left with one guiding principle: mix a good show, every time, because that’s how careers last. 00:00:00 Gig Gab 517 – Monday, January 19th, 2026 January 19th: Tin Can DayGuest co-host: Mike deAlmeida, Program Director, Audio Engineering at University of HartfordNAMM coming up! GG Coverage Sponsor: Ultimate Ears Pro! 00:01:50 Puerto Rican Day Parade Sleeping on road cases overnightAn insane number of speakersEarplugs + Shooting cans STILL were too loudServo drives – highly efficient, but not fast. They have motors in them.Security wouldn’t let us off the truck. 00:06:43 Gig learning vs. classroom learning Learning to roll with it 00:08:52 When you don’t know the band A little jazz band…as wallpaperSussed out the system manually (before the Smaart Live days!)And a singer/songwriter… who turned out to be Shawn Colvin 00:12:52 Communicating with a band you’ve never seen Very helpful tips:“Here’s how our band sounds.”Guitar players who manage their levels between rhythm and solosAs an engineer, you are a member of the band (for that moment)“You play mixing keyboard today” 00:20:37 Teaching the foundation in class, students often seek practical experience on their own Finding practical applications WHILE you’re in class is gold. You learn so much.It all comes back to communication skillsFor FOH engineers, watch the show! Pay attention to the band members 00:24:30 Sound changes throughout the night Heat and humidity will cause ebbs and flows (especially outdoors, but even inside)Watch the highs and high-midsSound travels faster through a thick mediumGradual adjustments so it sounds betterIncreasing the mains throughout the show to keep the perceived level due to ear fatigueSmaart Live for tweaking live soundListen first, then use the gear to confirm what you’re hearing 00:31:35 When I mix, I want to hear a good show So I tell the sound guy (me) to mix a good show 00:32:57 Using the tech to isolate live to find (and fix) problems Beyerdynamic MM1 – a measurement mic AND a podcast mic 00:33:48 Learning the nuances of problems00:35:24 Hot lights to add to the sun! Sweating out microphones… heat shrink tubing plus medical tape solves itMicrophones are EQ devices – Matt from Roswell Audio 00:39:38 Mixing with earplugs? Westone custom mold earplugs with 15dB Etymotic filtersHearing protection vs. exposure timeUS Navy study on hearing health with submarine crewHuberman Lab episode on hearing health 00:44:39 AirPods Pro “active earplugs” (aka Hearing Protection) Comply Foam tips for AirPods ProDefendEar from Westone 00:52:25 Stories from Celebrity Week at North Shore Music Theatre Almost got into a rumble with Al MartinoFace the wall when Wynona Judd walks byGallagher (or his brother!)The Beach BoysWeird Al 00:56:04 The Van Halen M&Ms story00:57:37 The Beach Boys surfing on the revolving stage00:59:41 Gig Gab 519 Outtro Follow Mike deAlmeida Check the University of Hartford’s BS in Audio Engineering Technology Contact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List The post The Engineer Is in the Band: Instinct, Ears, and Live Sound with Mike deAlmeida — Gig Gab 517 appeared first on Gig Gab.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Be Prepared and Predictable: How Richie Castellano Stays Gig-Ready

    Be Prepared and Predictable: How Richie Castellano Stays Gig-Ready
    Jan 12 2026
    You jump straight into the deep end with Richie Castellano as you explore what happens when preparation collides with opportunity. You follow his path from mixing weddings to standing behind massive analog rigs, wrangling six guitar channels, chasing down mysterious hums, and learning fast that the gremlins always show up when you least expect them. When the call comes to go from being Blue Oyster Cult’s sub sound engineer to bass player in four days with 21 songs to learn, the lesson is clear: play something you know, rehearse smart, and build a Just In Case bag that saves the gig. Success is not luck. It is preparation meeting the moment, and you are either ready or you are not. In order to Always Be Performing you need to Always Be Preparing! As the conversation deepens, you learn how adaptability gets and keeps gigs, from joining the culture of a band to solving problems so painlessly you become indispensable. Richie breaks down the craft of learning, teaching, and arranging vocal harmonies, including Yes music at the highest level, where not nailing the vocals means the whole thing falls apart. You hear why simplifying is sometimes the smart move, how spreadsheets can ease rehearsals, and why blending matters more than showing off. The episode closes with practical wisdom on collaboration with front of house, constant communication inside the band, and surrounding yourself with people on the same mission. This is a masterclass in being prepared, predictable, drama-free, and trusted when it counts. 00:00:00 Gig Gab 516 – Monday, January 12th, 2026 January 12th: National Hot Tea DayGuest co-host: Richie CastellanoNAMM coming up!GG Coverage Sponsor: Ultimate Ears Pro! 00:01:40 From mixing weddings to arenas overnight Called to sub as Blue Oyster Cult’s sound engineerSteve “Woody” La Cerra“Make them sound like a big bad rock band” 00:06:53 The differences doing sound in a big room? Six channels of guitar for 3 guitar players!Where’s the cowbell?!? 00:10:28 Arriving ten minutes before downbeat with the biggest system of my life And it’s analog!What’s that low hum 00:12:49 The Gremlins That Run Around On Stage When You’re Not Looking Play something you know 00:17:46 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.00:19:10 From sound to…playing bass in four days! Here’s 18 songs… I mean 21 songs. Be ready to play this by FridaySuccess is when preparation meets opportunity. Here’s the opportunity. Now you have to prepare for it!Buck Dharma on Gig GabFirst gig was canceled… But that led to a rehearsalTime to talk about the JustInCase…aka the Idiot Bag!Plugged into the TV to rehearse 00:22:39 “If you can do this five times in a row, this will be your gig.”00:25:02 Do you just want me to join the band? If you solve a problem for someone painlessly, you’re not likely to be replaced.Be Prepared and PredictableAnd No Drama 00:28:41 Joining the culture of a band Matt Beck on guitar for the recent Jon Anderson tour fit perfectlyBeing adaptable gets and keeps gigs 00:33:22 Learning and teaching harmonies Learning how to soften and blend40th Anniversary of Agents of FortuneA trick: learn how to do impressions. “Sing this like Peter Gabriel”, “Sing this like Michael McDonald” 00:39:51 Arranging Harmonies for Yes music Don’t be afraid to simplify, folksUse a spreadsheet!Get it to “the best WE can do it”Then ask “how can we make this blend better?” 00:45:13 If we don’t nail the vocals, we suck!00:48:29 The collaboration between band and front of house Ask front of house engineer: What do you need from me to sound good?End sound check with an a capella vocal moment 00:52:24 Talk to your bandmates and continually tweak things “Why does your snare drum sound different today?” 00:54:11 Surround yourself with bandmates who are on the same mission00:59:58 When bands write vocal harmonies01:04:18 Gig Gab 514 Outtro Follow Richie CastellanoContact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagramfeedback@giggabpodcast.comSign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List The post Be Prepared and Predictable: How Richie Castellano Stays Gig-Ready — Gig Gab 516 appeared first on Gig Gab.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
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