The news of Taylor Hawkins death struck the music community like a tidal wave. It was shocking to say the least, and my deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, bandmates and the entire music community.
It was hard not to notice the complete outpouring of love on social media and...
One of my favorite shows to watch is none other than the Great British Bake Off. In the latest season, I saw an interesting journey playout for two phenomenal bakers, Jurgen and Giuseppe.
(FYI this is a season spoiler so you are warned but I think I've waited long enough if your'e fan...
What I’m about to say is either going to encourage you to wipe away some cobwebs and get going, or you’re going to realize something you haven’t wanted to admit.
I don’t know how many people I see drudging through the tasks of creating a music business. Oddly enough...
In honor of National Guitar Day
Read until the end for a String Give Away
So you’ve been playing guitar for a while and you have some go-to strings you like (mine are the GHS Guitar Boomers). Even though you have a few backup strings in your guitar case, you realize you haven’t really...
Imagine you’re bursting with a great idea. You want to jump right in because there are a few things you know how to do really well, but then you realize there are some crucial steps you’re totally lost on. Now imagine you take this idea and you share it with a friend because...
There’s a habit among musicians to compare and care what other people think about our decisions: fans, friends, family, anyone! We forget to put our blinders on and forget to just keep getting excited about what we’re doing. It can be a real bummer, time sucker and career killer! What...
It’s the holiday season which means either you’re the busiest you’ve been all year, or you’re forgetting to do some things you need to do.
For me, it’s the busiest I’ve been all year because amongst writing to last minute briefs, scheduled co-writes, and my...
Today, my “why” became more meaningful and specific. Every year it gets clearer because of creative thinking, action and reflection and I want your why to be as loud as a battlecry.
I’ll explain.
As I record music for a potential TV show placement in my home studio, I find...
When setting out to produce and record a track, either for an indie artist, music library cue, or sync brief, I always have a go-to move that gives my guitars an ability to be exactly how I want to hear them.
So you know from the beginning, I don’t go into crazy technical stuff,...
You’re sitting at home, with just your voice and your guitar writing a song. You have the lyrics and the chords down, and it feels like you have something good! You jump to record it in your phone or in your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), but it just doesn’t sound AT ALL what...
I went on a Facebook Live the other day, and I was talking about dreams versus goals. It hit me how many people never move past the dream phase. Honestly, it made me a little sad, because I know it’s possible for you to move past it, and I’m tired of seeing people give up after...
Networking - it’s not out of your reach
Imagine you’re hungry- starving- so you look in the fridge, you look in the cupboard and there’s no food. I mean that’s inconvenient, but you wouldn’t say, “oh well, I'm just gonna starve to death”. No! {shakes...
Judy Stakee is a legendary music publisher, songwriting mentor, author, and speaker. Former Sr. VP of Creative at Warner Chappell Music, she’s responsible for signing and developing many of today’s most acclaimed artists and songwriters (Sheryl Crow, Katy Perry, Joy Williams, Jewel)....
For two years Bonnie J. Baker was figuring out songwriting again after making multi-platinum hits! She’s had amazing singles cut with so many artists, that I could use this entire platform just to talk about that. We talk about how she got started, and a period of time, later in life,...
