Live Musician Central

Author: Live Musician Central

  • Alice Cooper Theatre Of Death Concert Review

    Alice Cooper Theater Of Death Tour 2009
    Alice Cooper Theater Of Death Tour 2009

       I had the opportunity to see one of my all time favorite artists, Alice Cooper, in concert on October 17, 2009 in Wendover, Nevada. I’ve been a fan of Alice Cooper since I was 6 years old. I would go cruising around with my older brother Craig in his car listening to the “School’s Out” 8-track. In fact the song “School’s Out” is the first song I can remember wanting to hear over and over and over. I would beg my brother to play it while we were driving and he’d always put it on for me.

        I’ve only seen him Alice Cooper live once before and that was during the “Constrictor”  tour in the 80’s. I remember how amazed I was with the incredible stage show he put on. I was also struck with how fantastic his voice sounded live. That 80’s Alice Cooper concert is one of the concerts that I’ve been to that really sticks out from the crowd. I’ve been to a lot of shows over the years but I still remember almost all of that concert.    (more…)

  • Sunday Funnies – Stuff People Send David Choi

       David Choi is a musician from Los Angeles who has generated a pretty good buzz for his music and merchandise. You can check him out at davidchoimusic.com to see what he’s all about.

       I’m posting a funny video that he made showing all the crazy things that people send to him in the mail. It’s amazing the amount and variety of things that people all over the world send to him in the mail. One part that really cracked me up in this video clip is when he’s playing the miniature bagpipes that some lady in England sent him. It’s pretty hilarious and I hope you enjoy watching it too.    (more…)

  • Weekend Set List For Your Live Band To Play – Classic Rock 3

    The week we continue the live band set lists with another set of Classic Rock for your band to learn and play. You just can’t go wrong throwing in some classic rock songs at your gigs. Pretty much everyone that likes listening to live bands also loves listening to classic rock songs. The great thing about classic rock is they’re usually very easy to learn and they fill the dance floor with people.   (more…)

  • Is Your Live Band Feeling Stale? Bring In A Guest Musician

    The Beatles With Guest Musician Billy Preston
    The Beatles With Guest Musician Billy Preston

    If you’ve been playing in with the same group of musicians in the same live band for a while it’s pretty common for things to become routine. A problem arises when the doing the same old routine every time you get together starts to get boring and stale. This happens to a lot of bands over the course of their career and it doesn’t matter what your bands routine is.

    Your band may be playing the same 3 clubs over and over to the point of boredom. Or you may get together regularly to create music in the studio and make recordings but never play out. The Beatles became a recording studio band and guess what? It still got stale and boring even for The Beatles! So what did The Beatles do to get some fresh ideas and some new life in the band? They brought in guest musicians to play on their recordings.     (more…)

  • The Beatles: Rock Band Intro and Outro Animations

    The other day on Live Musician Central we did a review of The Beatles: Rock Band video game. One of the things we talked about was how amazing the animation was in the game. So today we’re posting up the video clips of the opening and closing animations of The Beatles: Rock Band so you can see for yourself how great they look. On our Playstation 3 system they look much better because the resolution is true HD.

    The intro and outro videos were directed by Pete Candeland who is best known for animating The Gorillaz. The videos in The Beatles: Rock Band definitely have his unique style to them and they really take you into another world where The Beatles themselves rule.    (more…)

  • Sunday Funnies – John Lennon Tub Scene From A Hard Days Night

       Hard Days Night is my favorite Beatles movie simply because it seems so fresh and carefree. This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie with John Lennon horsing around with toy submarines in the bathtub. He just cracks me up doing all the funny voices and generally goofing off. I always get a good laugh out of it and I hope you do today as well.   (more…)

  • Download Free Fender Cyber-Twin SE Preset Patch “LMC Talk-Wah”

    My Stage Amp - Fender Cyber-Twin SE Amplifier
    My Stage Amp – Fender Cyber-Twin SE Amplifier

       Today I have another of my custom programmed Fender Cyber-Twin SE preset sound patches for you to listen to and download. I use my Cyber-Twin SE in all kinds of live band settings because the amplifier is so incredibly versatile. I have programmed several ‘Special Effect’ type sound patches that I use when I need a specific sound to fill a spot in certain songs.

       This sound, LMC Talk-Wah, was created specifically to mimic the sound of the Talkbox being used on the Nazarethsong “Hair Of The Dog” which my band plays. If you aren’t familiar with that song that’s okay, I play the lick in the sound clip below. The sound is similar to what Peter Frampton does on “Show Me The Way”.     

    (more…)

  • Movie Review – It Might Get Loud

    It Might Get Loud - Jack White, Jimmy Page, The Edge
    It Might Get Loud – Jack White, Jimmy Page, The Edge

       I’m always up for seeing a movie that has anything to do with the electric guitar or playing in a live band. So when I heard about the new movie titled “It Might Get Loud” featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White, I knew I was going to have to go see it. I got that chance Saturday night at the Broadway Theater in Salt Lake City.

       It Might Get Loud is about the relationship each of these musicians has with the electric guitar and also with music in general. At first glance I wondered who in their right mind would sit a legend like Jimmy Page down with a young player like Jack White to discuss the electric guitar? Their styles are so different and Jimmy has all these years of fascinating history all on his own. I also questioned the wisdom of bringing The Edge to the party since his style is so completely different from Jimmy and Jack’s.     (more…)

  • Sunday Funnies – Muppets Sing “Devil Went Down To Jamaica”

       Yup, it’s the Muppets singing about Reefer, Pot, Marijuana. Is it funny? I believe it is, that’s why it’s making it onto Live Musician Central’s Sunday Funnies.

    (more…)

  • How To Become An Expert Musician

    Kent, Matt and Erik Rolling Up Gig Hours
    Kent, Matt and Erik Rolling Up Gig Hours

       I recently had a discussion with a good friend about how the 10,000 hour rule applies to musicians that play in a live band. If you haven’t heard of the 10,000 hour rule it simply states that if you spend 10,000 hours of deliberate practice on something you will become an expert. Deliberate practice being defined as a focused study and application of a skill or subject. If you’ve been working at your job for 10 years then you’re most likely an expert as 10 years job experience roughly translates into 10,000 hours of deliberate practice at your job.

       I’m sure that if you’ve been doing the same job for 10 years that your co-workers probably consider you an expert at whatever your job function is. The same thing can be said for musicians. I’ve been playing in live bands for 28 years now and I have become an expert at playing in live bands through experience. I’ve put my 10,000 hours in by practicing my instrument, preparing for live performances, setting up, tearing down and hauling equipment. I’ve put the hours in working with agents, club managers and other musicians. I’ve put the hours in mixing sound, programming sound patches and running amplification.   (more…)