Chris Raspante's guest appearances

Chris Raspante

The Unstarving Musician

Simon Tam

David Barrett

Jason Bonham

Rex Brown

Kevin Breuner

Joy Ike

Brian Young

Peter Wilson

Chris Taylor

Aki Kumar

Rebecca Loebe

Greg Kihn

Paul Kent

Dave Hamilton

Jason Davis

OwlTail

This episode features musician and recording engineer Chris Raspante. It's a second look at our conversation recorded in May of 2017. It's a rewind episode, in which I dig deeper into past conversations. It's also an attempt to uncover insights that were perhaps lost in our collective note taking. This is intended to better serve you and the rest of the professional music community. Hear the very first rewind episode featuring Mike Dawson. Chris has worked with many well known Nashville artists including Travis Tritt, the Dixie Chicks and Stan Lynch among others. His successes stem from a leap of faith, putting in the work, playing the long game and a little luck. The conversation begins with how Chris got his start in Nashville as a recording engineer and session player. It's a discussion on how be became sought after engineer and player. Chis was invited in the late 90s to visit and work with friend  and professional songwriter Jon Christopher Davis. The invitation was specifically to work with Davis on song writing demos and to meet people in the Nashville scene. Chris took Davis up on the invitation and commuted between Dallas-Fort Worth and Nashville for over a year. He was almost immediately invoicing Davis' record label for recording work. Chris reflects on this time as a period as his slow but sure entry into the Nashville music business. Referrals eventually began to come his way, increasing his visibility and income. Chris also reflects on the changes that occurred during his time in Nashville and the man y changes that have happened since. He describes the landscape of music and work as very competitive. He also recalls overcoming objections that came at him for using a home studio setup. Recording in a home studio wasn't yet a thing, but it soon would be. Chris shares details of the studio setup and recording methods he was using, methods that would eventually become common in recording. Tagging along for sessions with Davis lead to meeting people in the business and opportunities to make studio contributions. People in the business started asking for Chris. He says he was doing all this by the seat of his pants, but I suspect it was more intuitive than he gives credit. Then a stroke of luck happened when Chris was invited to join Jace Everett to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Chris had worked with Jace on the recording of a song called Bad Things, which caught the interest of the Tonight Show. That same song would also catch the interest of HBO and would eventually become the theme song for the hit series True Blood. Chris says he was the only non a-list player to work in the those album session, an opportunity he attributes to his friendship and working relationship with Jace Everett. He also says it was all a lucky fluke that the Everett was picked up by the Tonight Show and True Blood, but even more so that he and several others were taken along for the ride. As we discuss the significance of being an indie musician, Chris noted that the industry was changing dramatically every couple of years. This pace of change has obviously continued since. But it was the internet that changed everything in Chris' memory. The internet shifted  the focus from music sales to live shows and fanbase development. The album became a glorified business card for everything else artists do, a reality that's still true today. On the upside of all these changes, Chris feels that the live music industry flourished. As we discuss marketing himself, Chris states simply that networking and reputation are everything in music. He adds that if you're nice, fun, dependable and prepared, good things will happen. After re listening to our conversation, I decided that he could add humility to this list. Chris has plenty of it.  Hear my full conversation with Chris recorded in May of 2017. Support the Unstarving Musician The Unstarving Musician exists solely through the generosity of its listeners, readers, and viewers. Learn how you can offer your support. Mentioned in this Episode Jace Everett - Bad Things (Official Video) Mike Dawson on Gigging, Studio Gear, Music Ed, Early Music Influences, Marketing, and YouTube (Ep 1) Chris Raspante on Serendipity, Networking, Reputation, Nashville, and The Wonders of Today’s Talent (Ep 002) Making Music with an Open Heart and Mind – Jon Christopher Davis Crossing Paths with Jace Everett Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for links related to this episode. This episode was powered by Music Marketing Method, a program for independent musicians looking to grow their music career. Music Marketing Method was created by my good friend Lynz Crichton. I’m in the program and I’m learning tons! I’m growing my fan base and learning about many ways that I’ll be earning money in the new year. It’s also helping me grow this podcast. How cool is that? To lean more and find out if Music Marketing Method can help your music career, visit UnstarvingMusician.com/MusicMarketing. Resources The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs, by Robonzo Music Marketing Method – The program that helps musicians find fans, grow an audience and make consistent income Podcast Startup – The podcast learning platform for creative voices Bandzoogle – The all-in-one platform that makes it easy to build a beautiful website for your music More Resources for musicians Pardon the Interruption (Disclosure)  Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means I make a small commission, at no extra charge to you, if you purchase using those links. Thanks for your support! Visit UnstarvingMusician.com/Podcasts for related links, episode transcripts and past guests. Sign up for the Unstarving Musician email newsletter at UnstarvingMusician.com Stay in touch! @RobonzoDrummer on Twitter  and  Instagram @UnstarvingMusician on Facebook  and  YouTube

This episode features musician and recording engineer Chris Raspante. It's a second look at our conversation recorded in May of 2017. It's a rewind episode, in which I dig deeper into past conversations. It's also an attempt to uncover insights that were perhaps lost in our collective note taking. This is intended to better serve you and the rest of the professional music community. <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/mike-dawson-rewind-1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hear the very first rewind episode featuring Mike Dawson</a>. Chris has worked with many well known Nashville artists including Travis Tritt, the Dixie Chicks and Stan Lynch among others. His successes stem from a leap of faith, putting in the work, playing the long game and a little luck. The conversation begins with how Chris got his start in Nashville as a recording engineer and session player. It's a discussion on how be became sought after engineer and player. Chis was invited in the late 90s to visit and work with friend  and professional songwriter Jon Christopher Davis. The invitation was specifically to work with Davis on song writing demos and to meet people in the Nashville scene. Chris took Davis up on the invitation and commuted between Dallas-Fort Worth and Nashville for over a year. He was almost immediately invoicing Davis' record label for recording work. Chris reflects on this time as a period as his slow but sure entry into the Nashville music business. Referrals eventually began to come his way, increasing his visibility and income. Chris also reflects on the changes that occurred during his time in Nashville and the man y changes that have happened since. He describes the landscape of music and work as very competitive. He also recalls overcoming objections that came at him for using a home studio setup. Recording in a home studio wasn't yet a thing, but it soon would be. Chris shares details of the studio setup and recording methods he was using, methods that would eventually become common in recording. Tagging along for sessions with Davis lead to meeting people in the business and opportunities to make studio contributions. People in the business started asking for Chris. He says he was doing all this by the seat of his pants, but I suspect it was more intuitive than he gives credit. Then a stroke of luck happened when Chris was invited to join Jace Everett to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Chris had worked with Jace on the recording of a song called Bad Things, which caught the interest of the Tonight Show. That same song would also catch the interest of HBO and would eventually become the theme song for the hit series True Blood. Chris says he was the only non a-list player to work in the those album session, an opportunity he attributes to his friendship and working relationship with Jace Everett. He also says it was all a lucky fluke that the Everett was picked up by the Tonight Show and True Blood, but even more so that he and several others were taken along for the ride. As we discuss the significance of being an indie musician, Chris noted that the industry was changing dramatically every couple of years. This pace of change has obviously continued since. But it was the internet that changed everything in Chris' memory. The internet shifted  the focus from music sales to live shows and fanbase development. The album became a glorified business card for everything else artists do, a reality that's still true today. On the upside of all these changes, Chris feels that the live music industry flourished. As we discuss marketing himself, Chris states simply that networking and reputation are everything in music. He adds that if you're nice, fun, dependable and prepared, good things will happen. After re listening to our conversation, I decided that he could add humility to this list. Chris has plenty of it.  <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/ump-2-chris-raspante/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hear my full conversation with Chris recorded in May of 2017</a>. Support the Unstarving Musician The Unstarving Musician exists solely through the generosity of its listeners, readers, and viewers. <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/crowdsponsor/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn how you can offer your support.</a> Mentioned in this Episode <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMPNjPpdjKU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jace Everett - Bad Things (Official Video)</a> <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/ump-1-mike-dawson/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Dawson on Gigging, Studio Gear, Music Ed, Early Music Influences, Marketing, and YouTube (Ep 1)</a> <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/ump-2-chris-raspante/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Raspante on Serendipity, Networking, Reputation, Nashville, and The Wonders of Today’s Talent (Ep 002)</a> <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/jon-christopher-davis/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Making Music with an Open Heart and Mind – Jon Christopher Davis</a> <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/jace-everett-music-career/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crossing Paths with Jace Everett</a> Visit <a href="https://unstarvingmusician.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UnstarvingMusician.com</a> for links related to this episode. This episode was powered by Music Marketing Method, a program for independent musicians looking to grow their music career. Music Marketing Method was created by my good friend Lynz Crichton. I’m in the program and I’m learning tons! I’m growing my fan base and learning about many ways that I’ll be earning money in the new year. It’s also helping me grow this podcast. How cool is that? To lean more and find out if Music Marketing Method can help your music career, visit <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/musicmarketing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UnstarvingMusician.com/MusicMarketing</a>. Resources <a href="https://amzn.to/2g2SWSU" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs</a>, by Robonzo <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/musicmarketing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Music Marketing Method</a> – The program that helps musicians find fans, grow an audience and make consistent income <a href="https://unstarvingmusician.com/podcaststartup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast Startup</a> – The podcast learning platform for creative voices <a href="https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=robonzo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bandzoogle</a> – The all-in-one platform that makes it easy to build a beautiful website for your music <a href="https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/resources/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">More Resources for musicians</a> Pardon the Interruption (Disclosure)  Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means I make a small commission, at no extra charge to you, if you purchase using those links. Thanks for your support! Visit <a href="https://unstarvingmusician.com/podcasts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UnstarvingMusician.com/Podcasts</a> for related links, episode transcripts and past guests. Sign up for the Unstarving Musician email newsletter at <a href="https://unstarvingmusician.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UnstarvingMusician.com</a> Stay in touch! @RobonzoDrummer on <a href="https://twitter.com/robonzodrummer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>  and  <a href="https://instagram.com/robonzodrummer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> @UnstarvingMusician on <a href="https://facebook.com/unstarvingmusician/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>  and  <a href="https://bit.ly/UnstarvingYouTube" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>

Lucky Beats Good Sometimes – Chris Raspante Rewind (Ep 235)

Bill Lonero

Robert Berry

This best-of episode features four musicians who appeared as guests in early episodes of the podcast. I chose these guys, because their insights say so much about the little things musicians can do to build a career or keep their gig calendars full. Texas Guitar Slinger Chris Raspante on Marketing When I asked Chris what he’s learned about marketing during his rich career, he went straight to relationships and networking. He lays out all the things that a musician needs to be in order to get hired, to get invited back, and to be remembered. Without hesitation Chris says that these qualities will give you the best marketing results you can ever ask for. Gig Gab Co Host &amp; Houserockers Front Man Paul Kent on the Value of Building a Network My conversation with Paul Kent chimes in on how to assemble and sustain a quality band by building a network. His 11-piece Houserockers averages about 100 gigs per year, so Paul definitely an expert in this area. He views his network as a giving opportunity and a Karmic thing that shows him love, time and time again. Bill Lonero on Drive, Perseverance, Passion, &amp; Focus Bill Lonero’s career is relatively young, but he’s learned a lot. His growing wisdom compliments his strong opinions. Bill talks about drive, perseverance, passion and focus as though nothing else matters. That and ignoring negativity. Robert Berry Credits His Success to Family Support and a Backup Plan Robert Berry has a very impressive musician resume, and he’s a longtime business owner. His values are simple and his approach to music is uncomplicated. He rounds out these best-of conversations by sharing a lesson from his father, his support network, and his belief in a good backup plan.  SHOW NOTES Bad Things by Jace Everett Gig Gab Podcast The Defiant Machine Straptight December People RELATED EPISODES Episode 2 with Chris Raspante Episode 9 with Paul Kent Episode 16 with Bill Lonero Episode 19 with Robert Berry RESOURCES FOR MUSICIANS The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs, by Robonzo Growth Farming the Seth Godin Way, a FREE ebook by D Grant Smith  More resources for musicians

This best-of episode features four musicians who appeared as guests in early episodes of the podcast. I chose these guys, because their insights say so much about the little things musicians can do to build a career or keep their gig calendars full. Texas Guitar Slinger Chris Raspante on Marketing When I asked Chris what he’s learned about marketing during his rich career, he went straight to relationships and networking. He lays out all the things that a musician needs to be in order to get hired, to get invited back, and to be remembered. Without hesitation Chris says that these qualities will give you the best marketing results you can ever ask for. Gig Gab Co Host &amp; Houserockers Front Man Paul Kent on the Value of Building a Network My conversation with Paul Kent chimes in on how to assemble and sustain a quality band by building a network. His 11-piece Houserockers averages about 100 gigs per year, so Paul definitely an expert in this area. He views his network as a giving opportunity and a Karmic thing that shows him love, time and time again. Bill Lonero on Drive, Perseverance, Passion, &amp; Focus Bill Lonero’s career is relatively young, but he’s learned a lot. His growing wisdom compliments his strong opinions. Bill talks about drive, perseverance, passion and focus as though nothing else matters. That and ignoring negativity. Robert Berry Credits His Success to Family Support and a Backup Plan Robert Berry has a very impressive musician resume, and he’s a longtime business owner. His values are simple and his approach to music is uncomplicated. He rounds out these best-of conversations by sharing a lesson from his father, his support network, and his belief in a good backup plan. SHOW NOTES <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMPNjPpdjKU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bad Things by Jace Everett</a> <a href="http://www.giggabpodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gig Gab Podcast</a> <a href="http://amzn.to/2wRjGhq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Defiant Machine</a> <a href="http://straptight.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Straptight</a> <a href="http://DecemberPeople.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">December People</a> RELATED EPISODES <a href="https://www.robonzo.com/ump-episode-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 2 with Chris Raspante</a> <a href="https://www.robonzo.com/ump-episode-9/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 9 with Paul Kent</a> <a href="https://www.robonzo.com/ump-16-bill-lonero/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 16 with Bill Lonero</a> <a href="https://www.robonzo.com/ump-19-robert-berry/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 19 with Robert Berry</a> RESOURCES FOR MUSICIANS <a href="http://amzn.to/2g2SWSU" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs</a>, by Robonzo <a href="http://dgrantsmith.com/sethgodingrowthfarming-ebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Growth Farming the Seth Godin Way</a>, a FREE ebook by D Grant Smith <a href="http://www.robonzo.com/resources/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">More resources for musicians</a>

Musician Insights from Chris Raspante, Paul Kent, Bill Lonero and Robert Berry

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features Chris Raspante, who I first met at a holiday season jam last December 2016, near Fort Worth, Texas. the place I originally called home.   Chris is a gigging musician for hire, a songwriter and recording engineer whose guitar work has been featured on the HBO series True Blood and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Chris has also worked with a host of Nashville noteworthies, including Travis Tritt, The Dixie Chicks and Stan Lynch. On top of all this, he’s a hell of a guitar player and a really nice guy.   In our conversation we talk about serendipity, networking, reputation, Nashville, the wonders of today’s talent and much more.

Chris Raspante on Serendipity, Networking, Reputation, Nashville, and The Wonders of Today’s Talent (Ep 2)