Performing Popular Music

Cashman and Garrido's accessible book provides an absolutely first rate overview of all things related to the global live music industry. Based on their own extensive experience and interviews with live music stakeholders, the authors take the reader on a progressive journey through a multitude of factors related to this overlooked industry, ranging from experiencing live performance, to 'types' of performance, to advice on rehearsal and practice, to contracts and logistics, to earning a living from and monetising the industry. Written in jargon free language and crammed full of useful advice, the book is an ideal starting point for both the undergraduate student or any practitioner interested in musical performance Although not a research text in the traditional sense, the book does provide many areas for consideration, such as methods of stage communication, attracting audiences, rehearsal methodologies, stage showmanship and the mechanics of 'experience', all of which are fascinating points of discussion and analysis. I would imagine this book would be a really useful course text for all institutions teaching popular music performance and I certainly recommend it. -Paul Carr, Professor of Popular Music, University of South Wales Never has the value of an engaged performance become more evident than during the social isolation enforced on much of the world during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Musicians quickly adapted where they could to the online environment, where the virtual barrier of the computer screen meant that knowledge and skill in creating an evocative and affective performance were never more crucial. And while the live music industry itself struggled, understanding the workings of the industry and knowing how to monetise performances became all the more essential. The release of Cashman and Garrido's overview of the live music industry and how to successfully navigate it predates the pandemic by only months, and it is testament to the book's thoroughness and breadth that it is as relevant to the live music industry now as it was then, if not more. Covering topics from performance and stagecraft, from preparation to delivery, technology and the business of music, it is packed with useful and accessible information for not only the aspiring contemporary music student, but any music practitioner seeking to hone their skillset. I highly recommend it as a set text for any higher education institution in which popular music performance is studied. - Donna Weston, Associate Professor and Head of Popular Music, Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University Cashman and Garrido accomplish a solid blend of practical advice and popular music performance education for undergraduate students. As someone working in a blended classical/popular music program that specializes in working student performers this book fills a gap in the educational literature for my students. Accessible, practical, and brimming with quotes from interviews this volume meets students where they are with clear advice and theoretical knowledge from two writers who clearly have significant performance experience in addition to their academic work. If students are more seasoned performers it offers background, scaffolding, and a road map to more successful gigs and rehearsals. Meanwhile even amateur or inexperienced performers find the advice on rehearsal preparation, stage behavior, and audience communication. In addition, Cashman and Garrido don't shy away from nesting their practical advice amongst theories of communication, performativity, artistic expression, semiotic meaning, and phenomenology. As a result, this book could also serve as a good beginning for student performers who might wish to expand their knowledge with more theoretical monographs on popular music and performance. I would recommend this as a course text for lecture and applied classes, or a supplemental reading for popular music performers in Higher Education. - Rachel Tollett, Lecturer in Music and Humanities, Harold Washington College, Chicago