We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Gibbons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks is extremely important if you want to continue to grow and be successful in both your career and your life. Over the years we’ve worked in many different live performance markets, from cruise-ships to local bars & restaurants, national touring in support of our original music to weddings & special events. Each time we chose to move into a new market there is a risk as well as the fear of the unknown. When we left the cruise ship industry, we left behind a steady paycheck, which is a very rare thing to have in our business. We moved to a new city where we had to start from scratch, building relationships with local venue owners. It took several years to build to where we could play 3-5 nights a week and make a good living on just live performance. When we were preparing for our first national tour, we had to clear our calendar of several months of dependable income to drive around the country having no idea if we would even break even. Moving into the wedding and events industry required significant financial investment in the development and presentation of our live production, as well as increased advertisement costs to reach new clients. The events of 2020 definitely put the breaks on a lot of things we had planned for the year. I think it hit the entertainment industry a few weeks earlier than a lot of other areas of the economy. We started having cancellations the 2nd week in March and knew we had to pivot quickly. We got creative with online concerts, personalized #CoverGram videos, and a community-driven tee shirt design contest, and with the help of our incredible supporters, have been able to make it through these crazy times.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We are a husband & wife, multi-instrumental duo. Jackie sings like an angel and rocks the drums like a total bad-ass. I sing and play electric and acoustic guitars and there’s a fair amount of ‘secret sauce’ under the hood that allows us to make a whole lot of noise for ‘just a two-piece’. Over the years we’ve developed a unique sound and style of performing that I think helps us stand apart from other bands and especially from other duos that I’ve seen. I think we have our diverse and eclectic musical backgrounds to thank for that. I grew up on Pearl Jam & Nirvana, studied jazz performance in college, and went on to work as a music director of a cruise ship showband playing top 40 music. Jackie grew up splitting her time between singing in Country review shows and performing in the DFW theater scene. She got her degree in musical theater at the Boston Conservatory and spent some time working in New York before she came out to work in my band on the ship. It’s the combination of all of these past musical experiences with the more recent influences of all of the incredible Texas Americana musicians that we’ve met and played with since moving here in 2015 that have shaped our sound into what it is today!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For the best brunch in town, with great live music and a Texas-like outdoor venue experience, we’d definitely have to hit the Rustic on a Saturday or Sunday. Then maybe head down to the Dallas Arboretum to spend the afternoon enjoying the fresh breeze blowing in off the lake. We’d most certainly have to spend an evening in Denton with some burgers, beers, live music, and an incredible view of the square from atop the roof at LSA Burger. I know it’s Voyage DALLAS Magazine…but if a friend was visiting for the first time, we’d definitely have to sneak across the tracks to Fort Worth and visit the Stock Yards for that authentic Texas experience, then we’d head over to catch a songwriter night at Magnolia Motorlounge. In addition to making music, I love to climb mountains! To work off some of those brunch and beer calories, I’m always happy to share a guest pass and take friends to experience the incredible indoor climbing at Summit Climbing, Yoga, and Fitness in Plano!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This is sort of a two-parter. First, I’ve got to give a huge Shoutout to Bob Baker, author of Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook and podcast host with a wealth of knowledge on how to think outside the box as a creative entrepreneur. It was one of his podcasts that introduced us to our now dear friends and mentors (Shoutout part 2) our producer Jamie Hill and his wife singer-songwriter Shannon Curtis. These two have definitely had the most profound impact on our lives and careers over the past 6 years. In addition to Jamie’s impact on the sound of our music as a producer, he and Shannon’s mentorship has guided us to where we are today as independent musicians!

Website: https://www.thegibbonses.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegibbonses/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegibbonses
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/thegibbonses
Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nxIpbWvdOVYxbo4lPXBAX?si=ahlUOXrFRc2z4LYw4w5uUA

Image Credits
Bradford Martens, Levi Cooper, Megan Kay, Magdiel Photography & Films

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.