Live Musician Central

Author: Live Musician Central

  • Weekend Set List For Your Live Band To Play – Dance 4

       This is our fourth Dance Set List that you can use as a guide for building your live band sets. No matter what style of music your band plays, some of these songs are going to work for you. If your band plays dance music, then all these songs should work for you and you will have a complete set of dance music to learn. Even if your band doesn’t want to learn all the songs it’s a good idea to have them on your portable music player so you can fulfill requests while your band takes a break.

       These songs are compiled from the Mobile Beat Top 200 dance songs of all time. They have been proven time and again to fill the dance floor with people which is exactly what you want to see happen when your band plays a gig.

       You can download these songs from Amazon.com MP3 service which requires no special software. All the MP3’s are encoded at 256 Kbps so you will get excellent audio quality. They are also DRM free and will work on any MP3 player including iPods and iPhones.

    Included Songs:

      Grand Funk Railroad – The Loco-Motion
      Joan Jett – I Love Rock N’ Roll
      Lipps, Inc – Funky Town
      Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
      Big & Rich – Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)
      Black Eyed Peas – Let’s Get It Started
      Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe
      KC & The Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight
      The Rolling Stones – Start Me Up
      Natalie Cole – Pink Cadillac
      Journey – Faithfully
      Kool & The Gang – Jungle Boogie




  • Michael Jackson – This Is It – Movie Review

    Michael Jackson - This Is It
    Michael Jackson – This Is It

       Last night I got the chance to see the new Michael Jackson movie, This Is It. I was excited to see one of my favorite live performers of all time, one more time. I went into the movie without reading any of the reviews so I could make my own judgement on the show. I didn’t really know what to expect other than seeing Michael rehearsing for the tour that he had planned at the time of his passing.

       This Is It really is a behind the scenes look at the tour preparations and rehearsal for his O2 tour which was hoped to be a momentous comeback for him. The film starts with interviews of excited dancers who had made it through the tough audition process to be able to be onstage with the King Of Pop. The movie switches Michael footage very quickly which is good, that’s who I wanted to see!   (more…)

  • Musician Gift Suggestions – Swirlygig Chrome Mic Stand Drink Holder

    Swirlygig Chrome Drink Holder
    Swirlygig Chrome Drink Holder

       How many times have you reached for your drink at a gig only to find it kicked over on the floor? I’ve spilled so many drinks over the years it’s amazing I haven’t been electrocuted! That’s why today I’m suggesting the Swirlygig Chrome Mic Stand Drink Holder for yourself or as a gift for anyone who plays in a live band.

       I’ve spilled drinks down my amplifier and I’ve spilled them right into plug bars. Let me tell you the light show from the exploding plug bar was cool but it sucked when the power went out because of a spilled drink. The Swirlygig drink holder will hang right on your mic stand keeping your drink within easy reach while keeping it away from your valuable amplifier and electrical outlets.   (more…)

  • Typical Music Fan Song Critique

       I thought this cartoon was especially funny because of all the times I’ve had friends and family give me feedback on my songs. I got a good laugh out of it and I hope you enjoy it too. The strip is written by Porter Mason.

    comic strip panel 1comic strip panel 2comic strip panel 3comic strip panel 4

  • Sunday Funnies – David Lee Roth – Runnin’ With Billie Jean

    Ever since the isolated vocal track of David Lee Roth singing the Van Halen song “Runnin’ With The Devil” got out on the Internet there have been some pretty funny mashups of David Lee Roth singing with various other songs. This is one of the funnier ones and is a mashup of “Runnin’ With The Devil” and the Michael Jackson song “Billie Jean”. I figured with the release of the new Michael Jackson movie “This Is It” it would be a good time for Mr. Roth to pay tribute to Michael Jackson.   (more…)

  • Weekend Set List For Your Live Band To Play – Top 90’s Songs 1

       Here’s another set list for your live band to learn. I’ve noticed a lot of people in the clubs are really digging hearing the hits from the 90’s now. So today I’ve put together a setlist of top hits from the 90’s. Most of these songs hit #1 on the charts and they all sold millions of copies.

       As you know, when a song sells millions that’s a good song for your band to play because there’s an excellent chance that a lot of people will know the song when your band plays it. These songs were compiled by VH1 and were included on the VH1 list called top 100 songs of the 90’s. If your band doesn’t want to learn them it’s still a good idea to keep them on the iPod to play during band breaks.

       I’m linking to the songs on Amazon.com MP3 download service because the quality is excellent. They are encoded at 256kbps so they sound excellent. You don’t need any special software to download them and they work on any MP3 player including iPods and iPhones.

    Included Songs:

      Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
      U2 – One
      Madonna – Vogue
      Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back
      Britney Spears – “…Baby One More Time”
      TLC – Waterfalls
      Metallica – Enter Sandman
      Eminem – My Name Is
      Radiohead – Creep
      Spin Doctors – Two Princes
      Collective Soul – Shine
      En Vogue – My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)

  • Make Equipment Hauling A Breeze With A Mini Cart

    Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart
    Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart

    One of the biggest things I dread about playing in a live band is hauling equipment in and out of the gig venue. I have hauled more equipment up stairs and ramps than I care to remember. I always hoped I would get rich enough one day to afford my own roadies to haul my equipment. That’s only happened a couple of times so it’s usually me that has to carry my gear in.

    That’s why today I’m recommending to you an excellent mini cart designed to fold extremely small for stowing in your vehicle yet is still strong enough to have a hauling capacity of 500 pounds. This cart is called the Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart and it’s a real back saver for all you live musicians out there.   (more…)

  • What To Do When One Of Your Band Members Won’t Practice

    A Weak Bass Player Is No Problem At All For AC/DC
    A Weak Bass Player Is No Problem At All For AC/DC

       What can you do when one member of your band will only play their instrument when the band gets together to practice? They just won’t practice on their own? I get this question all the time from friends and colleagues that play in live bands. It’s actually a lot more common than you may think to have a band member only practice when the band gets together as a group to practice. It’s something that you may have to deal with in your live band so let’s discuss some of your options.

       It may seem like a no-brainer to just kick the member that won’t practice out of the band. That may seem like the easiest solution but let’s face it, this person may have other qualities that make them very hard to replace. For example, I was working with a young band that consisted of 3 brothers and it was a great marketing opportunity having 3 brothers in the same band. The problem is, one of the brothers would never practice his instrument unless it was band practice. It was very obvious that this brother was far behind the other two in terms of being prepared and also in his actual playing ability. But, it was crucial to keep this brother in the band.  

    (more…)

  • Sunday Funnies – Cool Guys Don’t Look At Explosions

    This is a funny video called “Cool Guys Don’t Look At Explosions” by a group of filmakers called The Lonely Island. The Lonely Island is comprised of cast members and writing staff for Saturday Night Live so I’m sure you’ll recognize the people in this video. There’s a pretty funny cameo of JJ Abrams playing a wicked keyboard solo too.

    The song itself will give you a good chuckle and will make you realize, hey, cool guys really don’t look at explosions!   (more…)

  • Make The Leap To HD Radio With The Microsoft Zune HD

    Microsoft Zune HD
    Microsoft Zune HD

       One of the most important things any live musician can do is keep listening to music on a daily basis. It’s no secret that you are what you listen to and it’s in any musicians best interest to listen to the widest variety of music possible. One of the reasons I love satellite radio so much is because of the wide variety of non-stop music available to listen to.

       I have been subscribing to satellite radio for about 5 years now and had all but given up listening to my local radio stations. But there are some drawbacks to satellite radio broadcasts. The three biggest drawbacks are the monthly subscription fee, the fact that you can’t receive it indoors without a good antenna and the fact that it doesn’t sound as good as a CD. So I was very intrigued with the development of the new HD Digital Radio format.    (more…)