How I Prepare Backing Tracks for Playing Live: Behind the Scenes
Added 2025-04-09 15:21:38 +0000 UTCAfter over TEN years, I am finally getting back on stage performing live music.
All of my previous performances have been as the bassist and singer in a band called Go Home Robot. But now it's a different beast, as I am performing these sets as a solo musician.
Now I am not the type of musician who feels satisfied with playing a single instrument on stage. I've never considered myself strong enough as a player on any one instrument to not feel completely fraudulent playing in front of a crowd.
Where I shine is in layering big fat soundscapes. As long as they work together, the more layers, the merrier. (Not to say I don't utilize the interplay between sparse breakdowns and busier arrangements). Gimme sounds on sounds on sounds, and I feel much more confident playing in front of them.
So now that I'm on stage playing a full set of new music, I need to bring along backing tracks to help fill the space that future live musicians will eventually take over.
Here I show you how I am currently taking my beefy 40+minute, 100+layered album project and transferring it to a much more manageable session for live performances.
To watch the most recent live performance on YouTube (where you can skip through the track listing easier) click here.
Enjoy!
