You’re Not Their Backup Plan: How to Market Your Band’s Shows with Pat Watters
Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast
Twenty years ago, Pat Watters looked at Texas country’s self-sustaining scene, where bands lift each other up and fans proudly claim their own, and asked a simple question: why only Texas? He’s spent every year since 2008 answering it in Wisconsin, building the Pat Watters Band on unapologetic regional pride. As a marketing agency partner, he knows exactly how bands get found. Stop pitching your gig like a fallback. “If you’re free Friday night” tells people you’re the last resort, so talk like you’re the best option and they just haven’t heard about it yet. Guard against oversaturation, because if fans can see you anytime, they’ll never actually come. Load your originals early while the room is still listening, and give every song a story worth leaning in for.
Then work all three relationships: artist to artist, artist to media, and artist to fan. You’ll hear how the Midwest Country Music Organization turned rival bands into a real community, and why one musicians’ dinner on a slow Monday could start the same thing in your town. Pat shares his show-promotion formula: title every Facebook event with your band name and the venue, drop the event link in the comments, and post one simple day-of line that gets your followers asking where. Don’t build on rented land. Own your domain and your mailing list, and spend a few smart dollars on Meta ads. Then dress like you meant to be on that stage. Become a bigger version of yourself, and Always Be Performing.
00:00:00 Gig Gab 557 – Monday, October 26, 2026
October 26th: National Chicken Fried Steak Day
Guest co-host: Pat Watters
00:02:24 Texas, a collaborative musical environment
Pat Green from Texas, an inspiration!
00:06:24 Leveraging regional pride
00:10:56 Assume you’re the best option, they just don’t know about it yet
Marketing your band in 2026
Re-making room for music post-COVID-lockdowns
“If you’re free Friday night”
Create FOMO…ASSUME FOMO.
00:13:50 Manage saturation, resist the temptation to play too often
“If somebody can go see you anytime, they’ll never go see you.”
00:15:32 Beware the three-year arc
Make yourself less available
00:16:26 Playing covers as an original band
Play originals at the beginning of the night, covers towards the end
00:19:38 Give the audience a reason to pay attention
“Upbeat Songs About Death” – Bitter Pill AND the Pat Watters Band
00:21:18 That public talk is also self-talk
Our job is to entertain
00:23:16 SPONSOR: Tidal Upload. Visit https://Tidal.com/giggab to create an account and start uploading your music for free.
00:24:27 SPONSOR: Hims. With Wegovy® at Hims, lose up to 20% of your body weight when combined with diet and exercise. Visit https://hims.com/giggab to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.
00:25:54 Three relationships: artist-to-artist, artist-to-media, and artist-to-fan
Midwest Country Music Organization
Related: Building fans through theatrical live shows with Neonautica (Gig Gab 555)
00:31:59 Create an evening for yourself
00:36:11 Formula for marketing your shows
Learn your audience’s demographics
Facebook event and a Facebook post (with a link to the event in the comments)
Keep website up-to-date
“I get to play country music today.”
Related: Social media for musicians with Chris Cron (Gig Gab 554)
00:47:14 Always create your own event
“The Pat Watters Band at [Venue]”
00:48:10 Don’t Build on Rented Land
Joe Pulizzi – The Content Marketing Institute
Have a website and a mailing list
00:53:51 Marketing on Facebook Ads
Meta Business Manager
Keeping a band together
00:59:46 Intentionally Wear a Costume on Stage
“Performers are all figments of our own imagination” – Kris Kristofferson
The Alter Ego Effect
“Be an exaggerated version of yourself”
01:07:31 Gig Gab 557 Outro
Contact Pat Watters
PatWattersBand.com
Facebook: ThePWB
IG: ThePWB
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