Creating the Room You Want to Be In: Laura Whitmore and the She Rocks Story
Gig Gab - The Working Musician's PodcastShow Notes
You jump into this episode balancing the reality of working gigs with the mindset that keeps musicians moving forward. From Dave’s recent experiences playing atypical rooms with Bitter Pill to cramming new material for Casual Gravity, you’re reminded that momentum matters even when the crowd is small. Always Be Performing is not about scale, it’s about consistency. That theme carries straight into the conversation with Laura Whitmore, whose career has been shaped by connecting people, creating opportunities, and knowing when to pull back just enough to build a sustainable life alongside the work.
As Laura walks you through the birth and growth of the She Rocks Awards, you hear what it actually takes to build something lasting. It started small, grew through trust and partnerships, and evolved by treating the event like a show, with pacing, flow, and intention. You dig into what real visibility looks like, how to define success on your own terms, and why borrowed platforms are never enough to build a career. The takeaway is practical and clear: start with a big vision, set measurable goals, build community deliberately, and own your audience.
This episode is a reminder that longevity comes from intention, preparation, and showing up with purpose, gig after gig.
00:00:00 Gig Gab 520 – Monday, February 9th, 2026
February 9th: National Pizza Day
00:01:00 Dave’s Gig Updates
Playing atypical venues with Bitter Pill
Learning new songs with Casual Gravity
Always Be Performing…even for the small crowds!
00:17:10 SPONSOR: Squarespace. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/GIGGAB to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code GIGGAB.
00:18:34 Guest co-host: Laura Whitmore
00:22:20 The love of connecting people and making things happen
00:23:08 Pulling back a little…to have a life
Backstory in partnership with Guitar World and Parade
00:26:28 The green room at The She Rocks Awards is the ultimate networking event!
00:29:33 The Birth of the She Rocks Awards
Writing a women-in-music blog at Guitar World, realizing the women in music didn’t know each other… yet!
Started as a breakfast (with sponsors…the cheapest meal of the day!). Orianthi performed, serendipitously.
After two successful years, NAMM invited She Rocks into the event officially, and The Bangles performed.
“You don’t really know what you’re capable of until you’re challenged and take that leap of faith.” – Laura Whitmore
2026 was the 14th year of She Rocks Awards.
170 She Rocks Awards have been presented in the last 14 years.
00:34:51 “Is this ever going to come together?” is scary
Reframe it with “how is this ever going to come together?”
It takes a village, folks!
00:38:12 Having good partners helps
00:38:59 Create the event for yourself as an audience member
That way you’ve got a stake in how it “feels” to attend, which means the audience is represented
00:41:16 Assembling the featured women
Nominations at TheWimn.com
Crafting the arc of the night by slotting the right people at the right spot. It’s a show!
00:43:49 Managing the flow of the night
She Rocks Awards YouTube Channel
00:46:58 People whose names became known after they were on She Rocks
Queen Herby (as Amy Heidemann)
Beaches
PRS Guitars brings in the opening act, with a fantastic Artist Relations team
00:49:40 Defining valuable visibility
What’s your end goal?
What are your metrics? What defines success?
For your band, those might be:
Did I get contact information?
Did I build on success that I had before?
Did this exposure opportunity help me grow to a new place/level?
Start with big vision, small goals
00:54:16 You don’t own social media platforms, so don’t leave your audience there.
Facebook used to let you message all your followers. Used to!
If your audience is a subset of Facebook’s audience, that’s not your audience. Give them a reason to give you their email address.
Gather those email addresses.
Keep those pieces of paper – scan them!
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