Your Competition Is the Couch: Building Fans Through Theatrical Live Shows with Megan & Alan from Neonautica

Megan Ihnen and Alan Theisen of Neonautica went from contemporary classical recitals to headlining dubstep parties in New Orleans, and they brought a theater kid’s discipline with them. You’ll hear how they split band duties so nobody has to wonder who’s handling what, why the only correct response to a note is thank you, and why there’s no such thing as a good or bad sound, only the sound you meant to make and the one you didn’t. They also explain why they wrote an hour-long set the way a composer writes a symphony, and what it means to control the room instead of just reading it.

Then it gets into the fun, nerdy stuff! You’ll learn why the decisions in a duo are unanimous or they don’t happen (a rule worth stealing for any band), why a Rick and Morty sample got its one word bleeped when both dads showed up, and how bass music meets Stop Making Sense became the Neonautica pitch. Live music is a visual art, so give your audience a way in on the joke, use a character to quiet your nerves, and remember that you’re not competing with other bands. You’re competing with the couch. Get them off it. Always Be Performing.