Jimmy McGorman

Jimmy McGorman is a Berklee-trained multi-instrumentalist who has spent three decades as a sideman, musical director, and backing vocalist—currently with the Goo Goo Dolls, and previously with Avril Lavigne, Cher, Gwen Stefani, Shakira, Michelle Branch, Weezer, Poison, Paul Stanley and Ariana Grande. As a songwriter, he has worked with the Goo Goo Dolls, Sabrina Carpenter, and Michelle Branch. He’s co-founder of the synth-pop duo Flight to London (Virgin Music), and writes about the working musician’s life on his Substack, Surviving the Dream.

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Jimmy McGorman

The Gig Behind the Gig: The Show Goes On

Accumulated absences, sudden ambushes, and the reality that no matter what's happening in your life, the show still has to go on.

The Gig Behind the Gig: The Incredible Shrinking Band

Five-piece touring bands are becoming three-piece bands running tracks. What’s being lost, what’s being built, and the technical skill every young musician needs to learn.

The Gig Behind the Gig: Tone Is a Decision

From a wine-red Les Paul that “sounded like a record” to Keith Richards making a cheap parlor acoustic roar, the search for great tone keeps circling back to one inconvenient truth: it lives in your hands.

The Gig Behind the Gig: Get Out of Your Bedroom

The irreplaceable parts of playing guitar—listening, locking in, knowing when to support—can only be learned by playing with other musicians in real time.

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Jimmy McGorman

The Gig Behind the Gig: The Show Goes On

Accumulated absences, sudden ambushes, and the reality that no matter what's happening in your life, the show still has to go on.

The Gig Behind the Gig: The Incredible Shrinking Band

Five-piece touring bands are becoming three-piece bands running tracks. What’s being lost, what’s being built, and the technical skill every young musician needs to learn.

The Gig Behind the Gig: Tone Is a Decision

From a wine-red Les Paul that “sounded like a record” to Keith Richards making a cheap parlor acoustic roar, the search for great tone keeps circling back to one inconvenient truth: it lives in your hands.

The Gig Behind the Gig: Get Out of Your Bedroom

The irreplaceable parts of playing guitar—listening, locking in, knowing when to support—can only be learned by playing with other musicians in real time.