Eager Music - The Independent Musician's Resource

I had the opportunity to talk to Bri Cauz right after her Mountain West tour! We talked about her tour experience, from planning, to travel and performing as well as talk about her process in writing/recording her album "Trials & Triumphs."    Bio (from bricauz.com): Born & raised in the tech hub of Silicon Valley now based in the Pacific Northwest, Bri is a vibrant young Singer, Performer, &  Producer living out her dreams as a full-time musician. Over the last 6+ yrs of playing live, Bri has built a devoted fan base & foundation from the ground up. That platform has allowed her to be a successful independent artist, touring across the West Coast each year in over 6 states. She's had the privilege to play in venues of all sizes, for crowds of 10 to 10,000+. Her spirit, undeniable talent, & ability to connect with her audiences is infectious & inspiring to witness.  Having parents both classically & ear trained in singing, piano, guitar, & drums it's obvious Bri literally has m

Hot off the release of his sophomore album, "Riverside," I sat down with James Spaite to discuss his musical influences, and his process to write, record and now promote his new album. James is from San Diego, California and recently released "Riverside" on April 10, 2018. His first album, "A Woman Gave Me Music" was inspired by his grandmother, who instilled the first sparks of music into him at a young age.  He moved from Visalia to San Diego for school, and it was there where he released his first album. James, has toured across the US and also abroad in the UK and is planning another summer tour to help promote "Riverside." We talked about his collaborations with featured singers, recorders, producers and how to network while abroad. Then we get into more personal details, highlighting his successes and failures, as well as stories from abroad.  Hope you all enjoy this conversation, and if you want to get in touch with James, you can do so below:   Connect with James Spaite: Website: jamesspaite.com Socia

Cameron and Whitney from Pocket Entertainment join me today as we discuss the ins and outs of their business, and how they are helping to "foster young musicians."  After seeing some success following their first Skacadamy Awards show, Cameron and Whitney decided to pursue their promotional business further. We discuss how they utilize Facebook and social media to promote their shows, how they prepare for big events, and the value of being nice to people. We also talk about how a band with no hype, can use these outlets to build a reputation for themselves, as well as using traditional methods of promoting.   About Pocket Entertainment:  "Pocket Entertainment was formed at the beginning of 2016 following the success of the First Annual Skacademy Awards in Orange County. Founders and partners Cameron Hallenbeck and Whitney Dunkle started the production team as a way to foster young musicians, bring attention to local artists and businesses and develop fun ways for the community to come together and support liv

I sat down with The Big News, an independent Ska-Punk band from Oklahoma for a casual conversation about music, their local music scene, and their musical influences. The Big News is currently touring around the West Coast, and play nearly 100 shows per year all over the country. As they say, "If you're not committed, you're not in."   About The Big News:  "Oklahoma City's The Big News is a Ska Punk band. They mix influences from British two tone and third wave Ska with a heavy influence of 90's punk rock. The Big News has opened for Ska and Punk greats including Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Interrupters, The Toasters, Roddy Radiation of The Specials, Red City Radio, Los Skarnales, Dan Pothast of MU330, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Here Come The Mummies  & Suburban Legends.  The Big News is more than just a band. It is a movement. The common idea that binds this group of musicians together is to create a new generation hungry for the truth in this convoluted and sick political world and to usher in a new g

I recently went to a Red Jumpsuit Apparatus show, and while it was awesome, something really stood out to me during the opening acts; some bands have really poor presence on stage.   Now, I don't mean to sound condescending in any way, this is just my honest opinion, but, a couple of the opening acts did very little to engage the crowd during their performance. They were stiff, with very little movement on stage. Despite their music sounding great, I felt disinclined to approach the stage and rather stood in the back having a beer and talking with some friends. It wasn't until Rivals, the band prior to RJA, came up that I really felt urged to get up close, because man did they put on a show.   Established bands typically have a great grasp on having great stage presence. They have the benefit of playing recognized music that the crowd can sing along too, and can feed off of the crowds energy. Smaller, local bands do not have that same benefit. They have to transfer their energy off of the stage to the crowd t

What does it mean to “make it” in the music business or to find “success” doing what they are passionate about?   Some people say that to have made it, your band needs a top 100 song, sell out an arena, have over a million spotify plays, double platinum album, hand shake with the queen, etc. But thats not necessarily true. Of course those are metrics of success, but those shouldn’t be the only metrics for success.   There are many indie musicians who make a career out of playing music that they don’t need all the aforementioned common-place standards.   I read a great book last year…and then again this year…twice…entitled, How to Make it in the New Music Business by Ari Herstand, where he dissected the topic down into every minute detail to explain what making it really means.   Does someone who has 100million spotify plays, but can’t get 100 people to show up at a live performance have success? How about someone with a 50 thousand plays but is licensing their music on commercials, TV shows and music? Has the

I sat down with For The Record, a local up and coming ska band from Central California for a casual conversation about music, the local music scene, and their musical influences. For The Record will be opening for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on April 5th, 2018 at the Wakehouse in Reedly, CA. They will also be performing in Visalia, CA on April 11th at Cellar Door.   About For The Record:  "For The Record is a Ska band from the central valley of California. Heavily influenced by the sounds of Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Streelight Manifesto and so many other great bands, we try to add our own touch while staying true to the classic third wave ska sound. We give it our all at every show we play, so come on out to a show and have a good time."   Connect with For The Record: Website: fortherecordska.com Social Media: FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter Featured Song: Can We Be Famous Too?   Connect with Joseph Rocha at: Comment on the show notes Email joseph@eagerstudios.com Subscribe on

Performing is easy, and it’s one of the reasons why we do what we do, but one of the hardest things…and the thing most musicians struggle with, is practicing effectively and efficiently.   This episode is going to dive deep, and deconstruct an ideal practice session, and give you actionable tips to setting up your own practicing schedule:   I am going to split this into two parts, setting up individual practices, and setting up practices as a band.   Individual: Schedule an allotted time just for practicing i recommend at minimum 3 day a week, 30 minutes a day make it the same time every day to build routine find a space that makes practicing motivating Dont just run through the easy stuff its easy to just focus on the stuff you’re good at practice the hard stuff, but don’t put all of your practice time into one section Split your goals into chunks a section getting you frustrated? take that section and work on it one measure at a time, then adding the measure before it take it slow, no need to

I personally think hustling is an over used phrase (just my opinion, I’m entitled to it) and the “on fire” mantra has been claimed by legendary entrepreneur JLD, and honestly, I didn’t think any word matched my vision, or experience as to what it is like to be a musician.   Lets take a closer look at the word, “eager” and I’ll show you what I mean:   The word Eager is an adjective, defined as: “(of a person) wanting to do, or have something very much” “The man was eager to please’ Synonyms: anxious, impatient, longing, yearning, wishing, hoping, hopeful It’s secondary definition: (of a persons expression or tone of voice) characterized by keen expectancy or interest “Small eager faces looked up and listened” Synonyms: keen, enthusiastic, avid, fervent, ardent, motivated, dedicated, committed, earnest, gung-ho   These definitions, and their synonyms, to me, really convey what it is like to be a musician, no matter what stage you are in your musical career. Let’s unpack that thought a little…   We wi