Keep the Gig: Sean Hurwitz on Being a Hired Gun Guitarist (Episode 75)

Reliability beats virtuosity.

Getting a big gig is hard. Keeping it is harder. Sean Hurwitz has held down two of them for long stretches, playing guitar for Smash Mouth and Enrique Iglesias, and he shares what he learns on his YouTube channel, Live Your Music Dreams.

In Episode 75 of The Career Musician, Nomad sits down with his friend of nine years to talk about how a hired gun guitarist gets the call, keeps it, and builds a life that does not depend on one band. Here is what stood out.

Give yourself a deadline, then go to work

Sean was born and raised in Jerusalem to American parents. MTV arrived in Israel when he was 13, and that was it: he wanted to be a rock star. Mostly self-taught, he moved to Los Angeles at 23. He picked LA over New York partly for the sun and partly because, as a rocker, LA just felt right.

Day one, he landed at 11 in the morning, showered, ate, and by one o'clock was asking where to find a car, a phone, a place to live and a job. A month later he was working at Guitar Center, a job he says is a huge part of why he is who he is today. It taught him to be outgoing and actually talk to people.

He gave himself seven years to make music his living, ten at the most. He was a full-time musician in three and a half.

Before Guitar Center, another store passed on him after a second interview. He walked back in and asked why. The answer: he wore blue jeans and didn't look professional. Nomad's point is that a hit like that can rattle your confidence at the start of a career. Sean's point is that knowing why let him fix it.

Most gigs come through people you know

Sean did his share of cattle call auditions and didn't land some big ones. But Smash Mouth and Enrique both came through relationships.

"People want to play with people they like. They want to play with people they know."

Sean Hurwitz, 25:44

Nomad's view: networking is not a name tag at a convention. It is building and cultivating relationships with people you have things in common with, and it takes time. Sean added the part that matters most.

"Don't do things just because you want something. Do things because you can help other people, and trust me, it will come back to you."

Sean Hurwitz, 27:14

That is Work begets work. And it goes both ways. Nomad and Sean both have a pet peeve: people who say yes and then ghost you. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. A polite "not right now, stay in touch" lets the other person follow up later. Silence leaves them guessing.

Show up over prepared

Sean credits drummer Randy Cooke, who brought him into Smash Mouth without an audition. Years earlier, in a small band with songs in three or four tunings, Sean showed up to rehearsal with a guitar for each one. No "hang on, I have to retune." Randy told him to keep doing that and he would go places.

Nomad has a matching story. When he showed up for the Babyface gig with two big cases holding around 30 instruments, the guitar tech thought they belonged to Smash Mouth, who had just been in that rehearsal room. Then he said that as soon as he saw the gear, he knew whoever brought it was the right guy for the gig.

Sean's touring setup keeps the same idea simple: glow in the dark fret markers, because he sometimes plays alone in the dark before anyone else comes in, in front of tens of thousands of people. Luck = preparation + opportunity.

You're a hired gun, not the artist

An Israeli musician friend gave Sean the advice he repeats constantly: prepare for what they want to hear.

"Your job is to give them what they need. Don't do your interpretation of it. This is not the time to be an artist."

Sean Hurwitz, 41:16

His measure of success is that nobody even looks at you, because everything just works. Nomad brought up Leland Sklar, who has played for James Taylor for about five decades by playing for the song. And Sean shared how Randy Cooke has opened his clinics: with a huge drum solo, then the reminder that the solo will never get you a gig. Playing time with great feel will.

His first show with Enrique, in Monaco, was effectively his audition. He flubbed a fast solo spot in the spotlight. He smiled, played his part, the show went on, and he kept the gig. The lesson Nomad draws: know what you are walking into. Some artists want you to be you. Some want the exact lick. Do the research. Everything you do is an audition.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

When Sean left Guitar Center, he was playing with seven bands, not one. If one stopped working, he had others. Today he balances touring, sessions, licensing music for TV, film and games, YouTube and real estate investing, and he treats each one professionally.

When the pandemic cancelled tours, he lost a lot of money. It was okay, because royalties and other income still came in. Nomad's add: you can be a real musician and still hold a day job while you plan your move. Do the job wholeheartedly, then go home and do music wholeheartedly. That is Diversify or Die, and it is how you Make Music Your Business.

The takeaway

Sean's career is a map for the hired gun: build real relationships, give before you ask, show up over prepared, play exactly what the gig needs, and keep more than one basket full. That is how you keep a gig for years, not weeks. If you want to land the next one, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

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

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.