This week, you’ll hear how Paul Kent is clocking an impressive 160 gigs this year while navigating the realities of new bands, new towns, and the politics of live music scenes. From the sting of finding out your band might replace you, to turning that around with a “sub for a sub” mindset, Paul shares what it’s like to balance loyalty, opportunity, and staying sharp on stage. You’ll get a peek into the 27-year run of The Houserockers, tackling shows without a co-lead singer, and the ever-present “it’s my calendar” problem every working musician knows too well.
Dave and Paul dig into why a full band creates better music, the importance of subs in keeping the show alive, and even prepping for difficult productions. This sparks a deep dive into the question every musician should answer: what is your brand? Whether you’re juggling hundreds of gigs or building your scene from scratch, the takeaway is clear: Always Be Performing.
- 00:00:00 Gig Gab 496 – Monday, August 25th, 2025
- August 25th: International Banana Split Day (also Gene Simmons and Billy Ray Cyrus’s Birthdays!)
- Guest co-host: Paul Kent
- 00:02:40 160 Gigs this year for Paul!
- 00:05:06 Wait…who is Paul Kent?
- 00:09:00 Starting anew with a new band in a new place is… tough!
- Scenes are a thing…and there’s regionality to it!
- What happens when your band wants to replace you…some of the time?
- It’s never fun to find out that your band is plotting without you.
- Effectively: “If you’re going to sub me out, I have to sub you out, too.”
- 00:19:32 Paul’s band, The Houserockers, are in their 27th year!
- 00:20:19 Doing gigs without your co-leadsinger
- Stinkfoot Orchestra, Nick’s Zappa tribute
- 00:25:55 The “it’s my calendar” problem
- 00:29:00 SPONSOR: GigSalad. Always Be Performing means “Always Be Booking”, too. Head to GigSalad.com to create your free profile today!
- 00:30:25 SPONSOR: Gig Performer is a plu
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com