Starting a Band: Book Review
Starting a Band is Easy, Getting Work Isn’t
You’re starting a band but now you need gigs. Everyone starting a band reaches this point. Here is a book for those starting a band but needing the chance to show your stuff. Popular Gig Magazine columnist Billy Mitchell--a member of Professional Musicians Local 47 in Los Angeles--pours all of his knowledge and advice on the world of gigging into his brand new book, "The Gigging Musician: How to Get, Play, and Keep the Gig. "
The book takes a street-wise approach to gigging, and is fueled by both Mitchell's own experiences as a musician/producer, and those of others. Included in "The Gigging Musician" is an eclectic array of interviews with a variety of music industry personalities. Mitchell reveals the perspectives of musicians, producers, and agents, giving the reader insights from every side of the issue. Among those profiled are musicians Bobby Rodriguez and Stan Behrens, producers Darlene Chan and Larry Hathaway, and numerous others. Readers will appreciate Mitchell's "tell it like it is" style of writing, bred from the trials and tribulations of the gigging life. He is honest in his assessments of what one must do in order to be successful in the business. By concentrating on "You," "Your Band," and "Your Gig," and combining sage wisdom with straightforward advice, Mitchell's message comes through loud and clear.
The Gigging Musician: How to Get, Play, and Keep the Gig, by Billy Mitchell, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, 2001.
