Too Many Miles: Advice from 150 Shows a Year as an Indie Artist (ft. Bobbo Byrnes)

Welcome back to Let's Talk Media! In this episode of the media deep-dive podcast, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Bobbo Byrnes, an award-winning Americana singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and author based in Southern California. Known as a true "road warrior," Bobbo has spent over two decades in the music industry, releasing more than 20 albums and playing up to 150 shows a year across the globe. From his rootsy acoustic storytelling to his unexpected comedy writing, Bobbo shares the gritty realities of the indie touring circuit and his multi-hyphenated career.In this episode, we discuss:The Firefly Connection: Bobbo shares how he and his wife Tracy formed the band The Fallen Stars and ended up writing an entire concept album based on every episode of the sci-fi TV show Firefly. This unexpected sci-fi pivot led them to perform at massive conventions like Comic-Con, WonderCon, and other fan events.The "Goodwill Ambassador": We unpack the subtitle of Bobbo's book, Too Many Miles. Bobbo explains how his 2016 European tours turned him into an unofficial "Goodwill Ambassador" trying to spread positivity and combat the "ugly American" stereotype.European Audiences vs. US Sports Bars: Bobbo contrasts how Europeans and Americans treat performances differently.The Two-Day October Album: The incredible story of Bobbo recording his solo October album in just two days while out on tour. He split the recording between the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin (where David Bowie recorded) and Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, carrying the entire unbacked-up album home on a single thumb drive.Catching Lucinda Williams: Bobbo shares the funny encounter of physically catching rock legend Lucinda Williams when she lost her footing at an LA bar. This encounter inspired his song "Queen of the Party," and the accompanying music video features 17 different female musicians from his network.Writing for Funny or Die: In a fun pivot into comedy, Bobbo reveals how he wrote a script that was produced by Funny or Die, albeit changed.If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava.You can find Bobbo's music, including his ambient Music for Train Stations albums, and his book Too Many Miles on Amazon, Bandcamp, Spotify, or his website. Thank you for listening!