Thursday Thoughts 5.2.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • Friday 5/3 - Back Porch Brewing ~ Carlisle, PA 7-10pm

  • Saturday 5/4 - Maryland Mallet ~ Westminster, MD 7-10pm

MY THURSDAY THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEK…..

are about life, lessons, and the pursuit of happiness. And my mom. I love my mom.

Thursday Thoughts 4.25.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • THURSDAY 4/25 - TONY LOCOS ~ Woodbine, MD 6-9pm

  • FRIDAY 4/26 - HOOK & FLASK ~ Carlisle, PA 7-10pm

  • SATURDAY - PRIVATE PARTY ~ Nunyabizness, PA

MY THURSDAY THOUGHTS THIS WEEK…….

Are about the crazy “self-reflection” world this podcast has thrown me into, and my gratitude for the immense amount of support I've experienced. Thank you!!!

SM Podcast Ep.16 "Guitars, Bars, and Boobs" w/Jason Carst

In this week's episode, I sit down for a chat about gigging, gear, beer, and boobs with Jason Carst. Jason is a solo cover musician from Central PA that specializes in live-looping performances of artists such as Ben Harper, Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, The Doors, and many more. Jason live-streams every single performance on Facebook, and he really goes the extra mile to ensure a high quality performance, both in person and online. Tons of things to learn and cool conversations were had in this one, give it a listen!!

Jason’s Equipment List

Jason’s venue list (where he’s performed)

Jason’s cover song list

Thursday Thoughts 4.18.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • THURSDAY 4/18 - TONY LOCOS ~ Woodbine, MD 6-9pm

  • FRIDAY 4/19 - IRON LION ~ Hanover, PA 7-10pm

  • SATURDAY 4/20 - PRIVATE PARTY ~ Central PA

THIS WEEK’S THURSDAY THOUGHTS……..

are about my aspirations to become more than just a solo cover artist.

SM Podcast Ep.15 "Storage Units Rock" w/Derek Henry

This week I sit down for a mid-morning chat with Derek Henry, lead vocalist and one-half of the band that is Observe the 93rd. We talked about everything we could possibly think about, and even had some background jams provided by PA based punk pop band Headways: https://linktr.ee/headwayspa

Observe the 93rd was voted 2021 Best Alternative Rock Band and Derek received the award for Best Male Vocalist at the Central Pennsylvania Music Awards.

Observe the 93rd is an alternative rock band from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. It's comprised of vocalist/guitarist Derek Henry and drummer Dylan Zepp. Their focus will always be "raw, authentic expression." The songs are guided by a feeling, an idea, an experience, failure, triumph, suffering, joy...any abstract internal entity that yearns to be externalized. Sometimes the expression of this is a means of reflection, sometimes a means of relief and survival, and other times merely an exploration of the mind or ideas.

Observe has played shows with: Foxy Shazam, Fuel, Three Days Grace, Stone Temple Pilots, Seether, Puddle of Mudd, Otherwise, Flyleaf, Lacey Sturm, Cold, Sponge, Drowning Pool, Saliva, Joyous Wolf, From Ashes to New, P.O.D., Icon For Hire, Conquer Divide, The Funeral Portrait, Rivals.

Thursday Thoughts 4.11.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • FRIDAY 4/12 - SHERMANS CREEK INN ~ Shermansdale, PA 8-11pm

  • SATURDAY 4/13 - LEBANON VALLEY CRAFT BREWERY ~ Lebanon, PA 5:30-8:30pm

THIS WEEK’S THURSDAY THOUGHTS ARE ABOUT……

Taxes, interviews, opposum flinging, merch, and UPCOMING SHOWS!!

THURSDAY THOUGHTS 4.4.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • 4/4 HOPS & BARLEYS ~ Mechanicsburg, PA 6:30-9:30PM

  • 4/5 ARMSTRONG VALLEY WINERY ~ Halifax, PA 7-9PM

  • 4/6 SOMETHING WICKED BREWING CO ~ Hanover, PA 7-10PM

THIS WEEK’S THURSDAY THOUGHTS………

are about the CPMA’s, house parties, NEW MERCH, and being on the radio.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARSHALL STONE ON HIS CPMA AWARD!!

SM Podcast Ep.13 "Ed Varner #BUYTHEVAN"

This week I sit down with the remarkably shoeless, Ed Varner. Ed is a solo musician in Central PA, and he specializes in rock/classic rock from the 70s and 80s. We had a great time shooting the breeze about music and superpowers. We had to cut things a little short so I could get ready for the house party I was playing with Matt Jameson, so I'm really looking forward to having Ed back to talk shop again in the future.

SM Podcast Ep.12 "Matt Jameson"

Matt Jameson Acoustic is a solo acoustic act based out of Harrisburg, PA.
You can check out videos on his Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/mattjamesonacoustic


Matt plays a wide variety of genres and love to get the crowd involved and singing along. That fun, free spirit group energy is what it is all about! Cheers!!!

 

Booking Information:
mattjamesonacoustic@gmail.com
717-497-9011

Genres:

2000s Alternative & Rock, 80s & 90s Pop, Grunge, Modern Country. Classic Rock, Rock, Popular And Oldies

Thursday Thoughts 3.21.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • THURSDAY 3/21 - TONY LOCOS, Woodbine, MD 6-9PM

  • FRIDAY 3/22 - CARLISLE MOOSE, Carlisle, PA 7-10PM

  • SUNDAY 3/24 - CHESAPEAKE INN, Chesapeake City, MD 12-4PM

MY THURSDAY THOUGHTS FOR 3.21.24…….

Are all about dealing with unprofessional people. I find it very hard to understand why some people can be OKAY with providing sub-par service to other people. I feel like you should treat everyone the way you would like to be treated, and I’m struggling to understand why some recent professionals I hired let me down due to their own negligence. Strap in for a frustrating one.

SM Podcast Ep.11 "Wally DeWall"

In this episode of the Solo Musician Podcast…

I sit down with my good friend and musical colleague, Wally DeWall, for an afternoon chat about music, diet tips, growth patterns, and all around interesting topics. Wally is a regularly gigging solo musician, an open mic operator, a talent farmer, a bassist in the COLT WILBUR BAND, a member of the band BAD SISTER, and he was instrumental in getting me started as a musician. HUGE SHOUTOUT to OBSCENIC ARTS Studio for allowing us to use their studio space for this episode!! You can see pictures of their dope recording space in the show post on the website.

Thursday Thoughts 3.14.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • THURSDAY 3/14 ~ Flinchy’s Restaurant, Camp Hill, PA 8-11pm

  • FRIDAY 3/15 ~ Buddy Boy Winery, Duncannon, PA 6-9pm

  • SATURDAY ~ Maxie’s Brew House, Shippensburg, PA 7-9pm

  • SUNDAY ~ Maggie’s, Westminster, MD 4-7pm

THURSDAY thoughts for 3.14.2024:

This week’s Thursday thoughts cover the new radio job, my excitement for guests, and my excited for my new merch order coming in this week. Drop your feedback in the comments and THANK YOU for listening!

SM Podcast Ep.10 "DJ Kevvy Kev"

This week’s podcast features our FIRST GUEST……. Kevin Nelson. Kevin is a solo musician, a duo musician, a full band musician, a live music booker, an audio engineer, an on-air radio personality at RED 102.3FM, and a boundless source of inspiration, motivation, and friendship for me. I loved getting a chance to talk shop with him for a few hours. We talked a little about everything in this one and we’d LOVE to hear your feedback. Send your thoughts to SoloMusicianPodcast@gmail.com

Thursday Thoughts 3.7.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • THURSDAY 3/7 ~ Bearded Goat Brewery, Harrisburg, PA 6:30-9:30pm

  • FRIDAY 3/8 ~ Back Porch Brewing Co, Carlisle, PA 7-10pm

  • SATURDAY 3/9 ~ Maggie’s, Westminster, MD 6-9pm

thursday thoughts for 3-7-2024……

are all about my excitement and reasoning for upcoming guest interviews AND some radio station banter.

SM Podcast Ep.9 "How To Get More Gigs"

everyone has their own system of getting gigs……

There’s so much that goes into getting a venue to hire you for a gig. From finding the venues that even book live music, all the way to actually booking the gig, there a ton of steps along the way where we have the opportunity to showcase our unique skillsets to the booker or talent buyer. It’s really all about what it is that sets you apart from everyone else doing the same thing. There are over 400 gigging solo musicians just in my local area here in Central PA, and most of us are trying to get gigs at the same exact places. Now, I don’t consider myself the most talented or capable musician in my area, so why do I have a full calendar while other more well-versed or talented musicians may be struggling to get booked? I think the answer is simple. I approach all this music stuff as a business owner. I take each task more seriously than any other job I’ve ever had, so I never have to go back to doing something I don’t want to do for money. That doesn’t mean I don’t get to enjoy what I do, I just merely give it the respect it deserves. I treat it like my livelihood depends on it.

Today, I’m going to identify how I get gigs, from start to finish. If you’re a gigging musician and you have a system in place currently that’s working for you, you may not learn anything from this episode. If you’re performing as much as you could possibly ever want right now, and you don’t think you have anything to learn when it comes to booking, I encourage you to pass on this. But if you’re struggling to get gigs, or even get emails returned, this episode is going to be one hundred percent for you. I’m going to provide you the 5 THINGS I feel have given me the ability to quit my day job and be a full time musician for almost 3 years now. I’m not special. I don’t have any secrets or real shortcuts. All I’ve done is identify the things that worked and the things that didn’t work when trying to get the almighty gig, and I believe these same things will work for anyone who chooses to use them. If you possess a solid base of musicianship, everything boils down to getting that initial shot to prove yourself at a new venue, and I believe this episode may provide you with some of the tools to do just that.

TODAY WE WILL COVER……

  1. Websites

  2. Identifying target venues/audiences

  3. Identifying our UNIQUE skills and the ability to explain them

  4. The importance of PRACTICE

  5. Unpacking the best booking email strategies

Thursday Thoughts 2.29.2024

SHOWS THIS WEEKEND:

  • Friday 3/1 - HAGERSTOWN, MD ~ Antietam Brewery Western MD Pkwy 6-9PM

  • Saturday 3/2 - WESTMINSTER, MD ~ Maryland Mallet 7-10PM

My Thursday Thoughts….

this week are about PERSPECTIVE. I share a few stories from my time spent at Keystone Job Corps center including one about a jail-style attack. Perspective cannot be taught, it is merely experienced and inventoried on a personal basis. We should all strive to be more understanding of different views and opinions and compassionate towards other people. You never know what experiences made that person who they are.