Jim Pelz — Starting Over at 35: Reinvention, Resilience, and the Real Business of Gigging

Mackenzie Price - Exclamation Points in the Brain

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/fan_mail/new] Mackenzie Price is 30 years old, based in Portland, and running an indie band called New Here entirely on her own terms — no label, no manager, no spreadsheets. If you heard our episode with Gregory McKillop (also known as Rune), you already know the name. Gregory built the band around Mackenzie's songs because they believed in her. This is her side of that story. We get into what gigging actually pays in Portland (door money versus merch money — the gap will surprise you), how New Here tours without a label and breaks even doing it, the Midwest show where a college kid forgot to run the door, and why her band application doubles as a contract with a substance use policy. Also: TikTok has 37,000 of her followers and gives her 300 views a post, the laundromat show that sold out and drew eight people, and why she calls herself a dumbass with the wheel in her hand. In this episode: * $60 door, $300–500 merch — and "I should chart these things" * Touring that pays for itself: art patrons, tech bros, and fan investment * The $65 stiffing story and the drummer who said enough * A band application that covers money, touring, and how drunk is too drunk * "TikTok is a hellscape. Don't do TikTok." * Gimmick shows, blood on the guitar, and the laundromat that sold out 00:00 Cold Open & Intro 01:21 New Here's Origin Story 04:05 "Exclamation Points in the Brain" 11:07 The Real Numbers: What Gigs Actually Pay 14:24 When a Venue Burns You 19:37 On Stage: Channeling Rage & The Cranberries Comparison 22:42 The TikTok Lottery 27:08 Lazy Promo, Gimmick Shows & What's Next Guest: Mackenzie Price — New Here Instagram: @NewHerePDX [https://www.instagram.com/newherePDX] Bandcamp: newherePDX.bandcamp.com [https://newherepdc.bandcamp.com] MoneyGigs helps gigging musicians track their pay, see their real hourly rate, and tap a crowdsourced venue database. Free download: iOS [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moneygigs-know-your-worth/id6752310856] | Android [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.themoneygigs.moneygigs] Use code INV-MACKP for access to the venue database. Did you like the show? Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] Join the Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/moneygigs] Follow MoneyGigs: * TikTok @themoneygigs [https://www.tiktok.com/@themoneygigs] * YouTube @MoneyGigs2026 [https://www.youtube.com/@MoneyGigs2026] * Instagram themoneygigs [https://www.instagram.com/themoneygigs/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] Support the show by visiting our sponsor (and get a deal!): TryFloral THC Beverages [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] Copyright (c) 2026 MoneyGigs, LLC

Phil Carillo - Me No Play, Me No Roof

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/fan_mail/new] Phil Carillo [https://steelparade.wordpress.com/] has spent 45 years gigging in Southern California on steel pan and vocals [https://www.youtube.com/user/steelparade] — and he's the rare working musician who figured out the business and won't apologize for it. We get into why he charges $3,500 for a two-hour wedding, how he runs a band nobody burns out of, the time he got banned from the Orange County Fair for making too many people dance, his surprisingly balanced take on AI, and the "Free Expression Sessions" [https://www.tiktok.com/@philj.carillo] that taught him quality is the enemy of a finished idea.  If you've ever wondered what your time is actually worth on a gig, this one's for you. In this episode: - Why "no playing equals no eating" — and how to price like it - Running a band: pay for everything, but never be late once - Banned from the OC Fair for making too many people dance - A 45-year veteran's honest take on AI in music - "Quality is your enemy": creating without fear  Guest: Phil Carrillo — Steel Parade steelparade.com [https://steelparade.wordpress.com/] TikTok @philj.carillo  00:00 Meet Phil: 45 years gigging, steel pan & Long Beach roots 09:21 $3,500 a gig & the worth of your time 14:47 "What is this burnout?" + how he runs a band 21:36 Banned from the Orange County Fair 27:25 Phil on AI & the future of live music 33:01 Free Expression Sessions: "Quality is your enemy" MoneyGigs helps gigging musicians track their pay, see their real hourly rate, and tap a crowdsourced venue database. Free download:  iOS [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moneygigs-know-your-worth/id6752310856]            Android [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.themoneygigs.moneygigs] Use code INV-PHILC for access to the venue database for $2/mo. Did you like the show?  Well then.. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support ] Join the Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/moneygigs ] Follow MoneyGigs:  * TikTok @themoneygigs [https://www.tiktok.com/@themoneygigs] * YouTube @MoneyGigs2026 [https://www.youtube.com/@MoneyGigs2026] * Instagram themoneygigs [https://www.instagram.com/themoneygigs/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] Support the show by visiting our sponsor (and get a deal!): TryFloral THC Beverages [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] Copyright (c) 2026 MoneyGigs, LLC

Dan Karlsberg — The Playing Was Never the Problem

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/fan_mail/new] Dan Karlsberg has been playing Cincinnati for a long time — CCM (University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music) grad, seven albums, and teaches piano to students from age four to ninety-one. He just released a solo record called Rooms Without Walls, built in late-night sessions, mostly not knowing where it was going. By the second session, he did. DAN'S NEW ALBUM >>>> https://dankarlsberg.bandcamp.com/album/rooms-without-walls [https://dankarlsberg.bandcamp.com/album/rooms-without-walls] Episode Crossword [https://crosswordlabs.com/view/dan-karlsberg] We talk about what it actually feels like to gig — the driving, the parking, the day-of call you weren't ready for, and the internal voice that tells you mid-performance that you can't do this. We talk about why his gig floor has gone from a hundred dollars to now three or four hundred, why he shifted his income to teaching, and the anxiety he carried for twenty years before he had a name for it. 1:25 Who is Dan Karlsberg — the baseball card  4:26 Life outside music — exploring, obsessing, Nadia Boulanger & Elvis  7:04 Rooms Without Walls — making a solo piano record  17:32 The gigging landscape — when the playing isn't the hard part  19:04 Gigging rates flat since 1980 — the economics of working musicians  22:01 My biggest challenge is myself  26:03 Panic attacks, therapy, and finally understanding himself  27:32 Teaching ages 4 to 91 — playing without hurting yourself  🎸 Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] 📲 Download MoneyGigs — the app built for gigging musicians: * iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moneygigs-know-your-worth/id6752310856 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moneygigs-know-your-worth/id6752310856] * Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.themoneygigs.moneygigs [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.themoneygigs.moneygigs] * Use invite code INV-DANKARL for access to the community venue database at $2/mo.  Cancel any time directly from the app. 🌿 This episode is sponsored by Tryfloral: https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] Support the show by visiting our sponsor (and get a deal!): TryFloral THC Beverages [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] Copyright (c) 2026 MoneyGigs, LLC

Jim Pelz — Starting Over at 35: Reinvention, Resilience, and the Real Business of Gigging

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/fan_mail/new] Jim Pelz started as a jazz trombonist in Boston, moved to Cincinnati, and then a rare neurological condition robbed him of his embouchure. Instead of quitting, he picked up the guitar and basically started over at 35. Today he plays the gigs he wants, says no to the ones he doesn't, and made more money from music this past year than ever — with a full-time warehouse day job and zero regrets. We talk about focal dystonia, imposter syndrome, the moment COVID changed everything, why doing less keeps it fun, and what it really means to know your worth as a working musician. Jim's Upcoming Performance Schedule in Cincinnati: 5/2 Crow’s Nest 8 pm 6/6 the Esplanade 5 pm 6/23 Kroger Oakley 5 pm 6/24 Taste of Belgium 6 pm 6/25 Taste of Belgium 6 pm 6/26 w/Tyler Christopher, Fitton Center If anything Jim described sounds familiar, the Dystonia Foundation at dystonia-foundation.org [https://dystonia-foundation.org/] is a starting point. 🎸 Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] 📲 Download MoneyGigs — the app built for gigging musicians: * iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moneygigs-know-your-worth/id6752310856 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moneygigs-know-your-worth/id6752310856] * Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.themoneygigs.moneygigs [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.themoneygigs.moneygigs] * Use invite code INV-JIMPELZ for access to the community venue database at $2/mo.  Cancel any time directly from the app. 🌿 This episode is sponsored by Tryfloral: https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] Support the show by visiting our sponsor (and get a deal!): TryFloral THC Beverages [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] Copyright (c) 2026 MoneyGigs, LLC

Jan Diehl: What 50 Years of Gigging Actually Teaches You

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/fan_mail/new] Jan Diehl has been playing professionally since he was 12 years old. Saxophone, clarinet, flute, bass — 50 years of gigs, 35 years as a music educator, and more wisdom per sentence than most podcasts deliver in an hour. I showed Jan my app. He told me he'd never use it. And he's right — because Jan isn't who I built it for. I built it for the version of me in 2015. The guy with 142 gigs that year, making $3.85 an hour without knowing it, losing his family to the grind while thinking he was doing everything right. This conversation is honest, funny, and practical. Jan talks about showing up an hour early, why gigs are relationships not transactions, and what he wishes every gigging musician understood from day one. 📲 Download The Money Gigs free: iOS: https://tinyurl.com/yc3hnxbs Android: https://tinyurl.com/46vbt69h 🌿 This episode is sponsored by TryFloral — THC beverages in 2.5, 5, and 10mg varieties. Visit tryfloral.com/themoneygigs for your discount. If this episode gave you something, share it with one musician who needs to hear it. That's how this show grows. You can support the podcast as well: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support]↗️ Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2509891/support] Support the show by visiting our sponsor (and get a deal!): TryFloral THC Beverages [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs [https://tryfloral.com/themoneygigs] Copyright (c) 2026 MoneyGigs, LLC