There's a version of show prep that's just: learn the songs, tune the guitar, show up. I've done that version. It's fine. You play, people clap, you drive home. Nothing wrong with it.

But at some point I started treating a live show like a B2B marketer would treat a campaign. You think about what you want the outcome to be before you start, and work backwards from there. The show itself is one moment. What you build around it is the business.

Below is how I actually prepare for a show. I’ll use an upcoming gig I have set for July 11th at Peace Farm Collective as the live example.

Just to be clear, everything I'm about to describe only works if the music is good, which is subjective, but I mean well-rehearsed with a professional delivery. The room has to feel it. People don't sign up for your newsletter because you had a nice merch table—they do it because something you played stuck with them and they wanted to stay in that feeling a little longer.

So before anything else, I'm in the songs. Running the set. Figuring out what stories to tell between them, which transitions feel right, where to slow things down and where to lean in. A Peace Farm Collective crowd deserves a real show. That's the foundation.

But once the foundation is solid, I start thinking like a builder.

Because the Peace Farm Collective is an artisan festival, I'm doing something more than just performing music, and this is in part why I agreed to take the gig: I'm also showcasing some of my nickVguitars builds.

These are instruments I make by hand from reclaimed and upcycled materials. Old thrift store guitars, salvaged wood, parts with a past. Each one ends up as something that doesn't exist anywhere else. And this kind of show is an ideal place to put them in front of people.

When you see a hand-built guitar being played, it's different than seeing a photo of it online. You hear it. You see how it sits in someone's hands. You understand what it is in a way no product page can fully communicate.

So I'm treating the Peace Farm show as a dual opportunity. It’s a performance opportunity and a gallery showing of my art guitars. The guitars will be present, visible, conversation-ready. If something catches someone's eye before the set or during a break, that's the instrument doing its own selling.

I'll have merch at the show. But I think about it differently than "here's stuff you can buy."

Merchandise is a way for someone who connected with the music to take that connection home. A shirt or a sticker isn't just a product, it's a souvenir of a feeling. So I make sure what I bring is actually something I'd want, something that represents the work honestly.

At Peace Farm, that means having a small, curated table. Nothing overwhelming. The right things, presented well. This is critical because the merch table becomes a natural place for conversation. This brings me to the part most musicians leave on the table (pun intended)…

Here's the brutal truth about playing live. Most people who hear you at a show will never think about you again unless you give them a reason to.

Not necessarily because they didn't like it. More often than not it’s because life moves fast and there are a lot of things competing for their attention.

The email list—my Between Songs newsletter—is how I stay in the room with people after “closing time” (yes, there was a song reference in there). It's where I write about the music, the guitar builds, the creative process, and what it's actually like to try to make something worth making. It's the connective tissue between shows, between published content, between guitar builds, between song releases, and on and on.

So at every show, I actively work to get people onto that list.

At Peace Farm, that will look like this:

A clear sign-up option at the merch table. People who stop to look at guitars or browse the merchandise are already engaged. That's the right moment to mention the newsletter—not as a pitch, but as an invitation: "If you want to know where I’m performing next, or learn about my new guitar builds, signing up for the newsletter is the best way."

Mentioning it from the stage. Briefly, naturally. Between songs is the right moment—hence the newsletter's name. Not a commercial, just a mention that it exists and what's in it for them.

Making the value clear. I don't ask people to sign up to "support me." I tell them what they'll get: upcoming shows, new guitar builds, recommendations of relevant gear I use and books I read, honest writing about creativity and craft. Something worth opening.

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What I've realized is that the performance, the guitars, the merch, and the email list aren't separate efforts running in parallel. They're one ecosystem.

Someone hears a song, looks up and notices the guitar I'm playing looks unusual, comes over after the set to ask about it, picks up a sticker or a CD, ends up on the newsletter list. Three months later they see I have a new guitar build available and reach out. That's the arc. A single show can start that whole chain.

The Peace Farm Collective show is a chance to work all of it at once. An opportunity to play well, show the guitars, connect in person, and pull people into a longer conversation through Between Songs. That's the full picture of what a show can be when you treat it like more than a set list.

See you at Peace Farm Collective.

-Nick

The Lone Girl Brewing Co.
Nick Venturella and friends, including Gemini's Rival (indie rock duo - Dan Lezama & Nick Venturella), and the amazing, Dave Tamkin.
Thursday July 9, 2026 | Waunakee, WI | 6-9pm

Peace Farm Collective
Saturday July 11, 2026 | Spring Green, WI
Nick Venturella music performance time: 12:30 - 2:30pm
Nick will also be showing/selling some of his unique, upcycled guitar designs (nickVguitars)

I’m working on this western / cowboy themed guitar design. Click the image below to see a short YouTube video of the guitar.

The sunburst color of the guitar reminded me of the toy chest my older brothers and I grew up playing with…somehow my brothers would clear out the toy chest and get me in it then shut the lid and sit on it so I couldn’t get out…ahh, fond memories. My folks still have that toy chest.

Here’s an image I was able to find online of the same toy chest.

Stay positive, stay healthy, be kind.

Help others sign up for the Between Songs newsletter by sharing this link: https://nickv.beehiiv.com/

Nick Venturella Endeavors LLC
NickVenturella.com

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