Join The Band Summer Jam 2022

Join The Band at The Mint – Summer Jam 2022

126th Concert Review – Summer Jam 2022

Sunday, August 14th, 2022  The Mint

18 Bands Rocking The Mint!

You did it! Congratulations on performing at the “Join The Band Summer Jam 2022.”  We had 18 bands perform on Sunday. 

What a fun day!  The energy in the room remained high all day.  

18 bands rocking The Mint!  8 – Adult bands and 10 – kid/teen bands throughout the day.  We also had 17 new band members experience their first time on a JTB stage! 

Big shoutout to the JTB staff for managing and preparing the band members backstage, setting up and tearing down the stage, and everything else that goes into putting on a JTB show.

We featured quite a variety of music from pop, rock n roll, metal and more. 

Kids as young as 8-years-old, teenagers, adults, and our most senior band members performed to a packed house of uber-supportive fans.

There is nothing better for your musical growth than playing live shows.  Having a performance goal sharpens your focus and prioritizes your practice routines. There are two ways to improve your live performance:

1. Work on your preparation.
2. Play in more concerts.

Every time you play a show you will learn something new. “Things” will happen in live performances. 

Your preparation time makes a difference. Ask yourself these questions:

(We included these below in a previous review but they are worth revisiting.) :) 

• Did I put in proper time to learn my songs? 

1. 1. • You know the answer to this question. Be honest with yourself. 
      • Put in the time. Work with your teacher.
      • Listen to your teacher’s input and apply their advice.

• Did I put in the time to memorize the music and song lyrics? 

• • • Really? You had 3 months and you still need a lyric sheet?  Come on! :)
    • Playing with your head buried in a music stand isn’t fun for your audience to watch.
    • The most successful performances I see are minus the music stands. :)
    • Listening to the song is key. Listen to your songs when you are commuting in your car, going to work, going to school, etc… 
    • Listen to the songs until you can’t stand to hear them again. Then listen to them some more. :)
    • Is my instrument show ready? This applies to guitar and bassists. 
      • Do you need new strings,?
      • Is your input jack working?
      • Volume and tone controls clean? etc…

• Drummers… Did I bring my own sticks?

1. 1. 1. Really? You didn’t bring your own sticks?  Come on! :)

• Guitar players… Are your effect pedals ready to plug in and play?

1. 1. • You should be able to drop your pedal board on the stage, plug it in with 2 cables, and be ready to rock within 2 minutes.
      • Are your gain stages set properly?
      • Are your connection cables working properly? No shorting out? no intermittent problems? etc…
      • Are your pedals mounted on a pedal board with a power supply?
      • We can assist you with your pedal board set up. Just ask. :) 

• Avoid filling your head with “what ifs”. 

1. 1. • What if I forget a lyric? 
      • What if I forget a chord? 
      • What if my sticks break? 
      • What if I break a string? 
      • What if…? What if…? What if…? 
      • All you are doing is creating an image in your head that you don’t want to happen. In other words. “Worrying is like wishing for an outcome that you don’t want”.

Things that are challenging to plan for:

• The audience: The only way to get used to playing for an audience is to play live. Nothing else works. Remember, go in with the attitude that your audience wants you to succeed. Your preparation time is crucial.
• Lights in your eyes: This advice sounds simple but I’ll say it… Don’t look directly at the lights. 
• Night clubs sound different than rehearsal rooms. Every night club/venue you play will have its own sound. Some will be similar but they are all different. The only way to get good at adjusting to a room is play live in a lot of different venues.
• Sound engineer: We had a rookie at the soundboard on Sunday. The sound was good overall but his lack of attentiveness was problematic. 

Practice Routines: 

What is yours and how do you make the best use of your time?

Let’s face it. We are all busy. 

Computers, phones, tablets, and even our watches are supposed to “simplify our lives,” but many times they are vehicles for distraction and wasted time. There is always one more post to send, one more to read, one more email, one more text, one more tweet, one more whatever to keep us from doing the work that really matters.

Plan your practice schedule and stick to it. Setting aside the same days and times for practicing will get you into a solid routine.  During this time, do not use your phone, tablet or computer to read charts and/or lyrics.  Instead,  print out your music and/or lyrics to avoid spiraling down a “digital rabbit hole”. Place your phone in a different room, or just shut it off.  Believe me, the world will continue even if you are “not connected”.