Do You Even Gig, Bro? NAMM Pros’ Best and Worst Auditions (Episode 203)

Everything you do is an audition.

Everybody talks. Everybody posts. Everybody flexes. Not everybody gigs. In Episode 203 of The Career Musician, part one of our NAMM 2026 special, Nomad and the TCM Pro Team (Joel Meza and Emily Lauren) walked the floor of the NAMM Show in Anaheim and asked working players, producers and creators one simple question: do you even gig, bro? Then they asked for their best and worst audition stories.

Some answers were hilarious. Some were right on point. Every one of them had something you can use. If you want real music audition tips from people who are actually doing it, this is the episode. Here is what stood out.

Your best and worst auditions both count

Drummers Eric Moore II and Stanley Randolph set the tone. One of them gigs mostly for himself now: he owns his own drumstick company, has people on payroll, and just signed with Gretsch drums. Between the two of them, the stories flowed: landing the Mario gig after an audition in LA, only to hear that for the TV dates Mario wanted Aaron Spears, and getting called to a studio, thinking it was to hear some music, and watching Stevie Wonder walk in by himself. They went to the back and played "Giant Steps" for two hours.

Another player told us about his very first audition. He was a student at Berklee in Boston, drove all the way to Philly, and did not make it through the first round. Now he is heading out on tour. As Nomad told him, you're where you're supposed to be now.

A bad audition is not the end of the story. It is part of it.

Know what they want, then show up aligned

Trevan is an artist, singer, songwriter, producer and, in his words, spontaneous dancer. Gigging is his primary source of income. His audition for a regular spot at Universal CityWalk was simple: here are 40 minutes, play, and we will see how it goes. It went well, and he is now a weekend regular.

He went in confident because he knew his style and vibe lined up with what they were looking for. His advice: get a sense of what they want and make sure you align with it as best you can. Be open to things you would not expect, too. He started in bands with no interest in covers, and covers became a huge part of his income and his education. He also learned Pro Tools so he could write and produce for other artists.

Saxophonist Michael Lington told one of the best stories of the day. He auditioned for Michael Bolton years ago and did not get it. He never found out why. Later, Bolton called and asked him to come out on the road as his opening act, and he toured with him for three years. Luck = preparation + opportunity. He was ready when the second door opened.

"The craft is important, but how you show up and how you're perceived is a really important thing to build."

Michael Lington, 10:25

It's not just who you know, it's who knows you

A lot of the players we met do not audition much at all. Sweetwater's Mitch Gallagher has a monthly jazz gig at a club in Fort Wayne and plays with two rock bands at church three weeks out of the month. His take on auditions: you either get the gig or you don't, and it's all good.

Keith Eaddy on bass and Davy Nathan on keys put it in one line: it's not just who you know, but who knows you. Most of the auditions they have done, they already knew the person doing the hiring. DJ and producer Amayita, who now owns a business and throws her own events, gets work by word of mouth and uses social media as a tool. She posts what feels authentic, then sends personal messages so people know she is not just posting, she is connecting.

Violinist and singer Yasmine Azaiez said her auditions now are mostly online, because people need to see what you do, and then word of mouth takes over. Work begets work. The people who know your work are the ones who make the call.

Be the person they want on the bus

Producer, engineer and guitarist J.J. Blair had a lot to say, and all of it was gold. His first professional audition in LA, at 21 or 22, he brought an amp he had just gotten, and every time he stepped on the lead channel it blew everybody out of the room. He thought they would love his licks. What they actually needed was someone who would not step on the singer, would leave space, and would sound like the record.

"If you're a musician, you're playing for one hour a day. Be the person they want to be with for the other 23 hours."

J.J. Blair, 18:00

He knows players who can play circles around anybody, and nobody wants to be on a tour bus with them. Nomad's version: eyes and ears wide open, mouth shut, especially in the studio when you are not the main act. You are not the main character. That is Low maintenance / no drama.

J.J. had advice for engineers, too. Don't make the session about your process. Don't make the artist wait while you try five mic pres. Do your homework before they arrive, so when the vibe is right you can hit record and get the magic. And always be in record: he has seen people get fired because they weren't. He calls it the Al Green principle. The fidelity might not match a Steely Dan record, but the vibe, the performance and the songs are what people hear.

Relentless, prepared, and ready to serve

J.J.'s last words of advice might be the best thing said on the floor all day.

"The people who are successful, it's not so much because they're talented, it's because they're relentless. And if you're relentless, you will make up for your talent with preparation."

J.J. Blair, 22:02

He doesn't mean the guy asking everyone for a gig. He means showing up with an attitude of service. He told us he once got asked to help Stephen Stills with something well below his pay grade, and he was happy to do it. Next thing he knew, he was playing guitar with Stills and Neil Young at the Greek Theatre. How can I be helpful? People notice that.

Bobby Ross Avila said he never really had to audition. In his words, music meant opportunity, and the job was being prepared in that moment to capture it and deliver. Life is an occasion, and you have to rise to it.

Not every audition deserves you

Not every story was a happy one. Yasmine once waited from 11:00 until 1:00 in the morning to play a half-hour set in LA, and the artist refused to pay her for the overtime. Her favorite gig, on the other hand, was in a Roman amphitheater in Tunisia, her home country, in front of 7,000 people who bought tickets to see her.

An artist who had just moved to LA from Australia once got stuck in a room for hours at an audition for a show, kept hearing "you're next", and finally left tired and hungry. That experience is part of why they focus on original music now. Guitarist Morganizm showed up late to his first label artist audition, for Angie Stone. She heard a couple of notes and told him he had the job.

Drummer Sir Cory James, just off the road, had a simple message for anyone trying to break in: keep going. He has felt like quitting many times. Pianist Knick Smith, who played with Kirk Whalum and Everette Harp alongside Nomad back in 1999, said musicians need to band together the way actors did. "Unity strengthens and division weakens."

The takeaway

The players who are actually working think differently and prepare differently. Most of all, as Nomad said at the close, they have confidence, not arrogance. And whether your audition is a line around the block or a video somebody saw on your phone, methods change, principles remain. Just get the job done.

If auditions are part of your path, start with the free Audition Secrets guide, three steps to nailing the audition and getting the gig. Make Music Your Business.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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