Howdy folks… How ya’ll doin? Well it’s that time o’ year again. The South by South West music, film, and interactive conference (also known as SXSW) down in Austin, Texas is in full swing. I thought I’d hook you up with links to several places around the internet where you can find awesome coverage of everything that’s going on down there.

The key to putting on a successful live performance is to engage your audience. You need to play each song like there’s no tomorrow, but it’s also important to keep things lively in between songs and throughout your time on stage.

In this article, I will address the art of speaking to your audience during the periods when you’re not playing music. This aspect of live performance seems be very natural for some but very difficult for others. I will attempt to address some of the reasons for this and provide some tips for how to effectively engage your audience when you’re at the mic.

Putting on a successful live performance takes a lot of hard work and preparation. Booking your gig and rehearsing your set are important, but they’re only half the battle. Perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle is promotion. How do you get people to attend your show? It’s important to consider both the content and the timing of your email blasts. It has been my experience that a two-email approach for an upcoming gig works best. The first is an announcement email, meant to plant the seed and mark the approaching date on the calendar. The second email is a last-minute reminder, meant to catch the folks who might make a game-time decision about attending your show. Here’s how these two emails break down.

There is nothing more exhilarating and worthwhile than putting on a killer live performance. It’s the single most effective way to convert new fans and win over your audience. But before you let your musical beast loose up on stage, there is a lot to consider when preparing for your show.

Today I’m going to discuss how to construct your set list to ensure a successful concert from the opening song to the encore. Many artists and bands who are just starting out in their gigging career tend to overlook the importance of considering the order of songs in your set. Don’t make this mistake. Craft your setlists wisely!