Load In / Load Out: Notes from a Working Musician's Notebook

If you’ve ever loaded a PA system into the back of a truck in the middle of a Texas summer, or spent hours tweaking the tone on an acoustic guitar preamp just to get it right for a specific room, you already know what this section is all about. For a working musician, the gig is only a fraction of the story. The real work happens in the hours before the first note strikes, and the quiet moments after the last chord fades out.

Welcome to Load In / Load Out. This is my personal notebook from the road, completely stripped down and unscripted. It’s a space where the curtain is pulled back on the actual mechanics of being an independent solo artist. Whether you are a fellow songwriter looking to swap trade secrets or a music lover curious about how the magic actually gets made, this column is your backstage pass.

When you hang out in this section, we are going to dive into:

• The Gear & The Tone: Honest breakdowns of the guitars, preamps, pickups, and portable audio gear that survive the realities of gigging along the Gulf Coast.

• The Creative Process: The messy, beautiful, and sometimes frustrating journey of songwriting, rehearsing, and finding a unique voice in a crowded scene.

• Real Stories from the Road: Personal observations, studio updates, and the honest, behind-the-scenes lessons learned from a lifetime of chasing songs.

Being an independent artist means wearing a dozen different hats—musician, sound engineer, roadie, and driver. This column is where we talk about all of it.

Let's start the conversation. Drop a comment below and let me know: What is the single most reliable piece of music gear you’ve ever owned, or what is the biggest creative hurdle you face when trying to sit down and write a new song?