Live Musician Central

Author: Live Musician Central

  • Sunday Funnies – Spinal Tap/The Folksmen “Unwigged and Unplugged”

    This is a great live video of Chritsopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer performing a collage of songs from their bands “Spinal Tap” and “The Folksmen”. It’s just funny to listen to how tight they are moving between singing folk songs and acoustic versions of Spinal Tap songs. These three guys are really talented musicians and performers. I got a good laugh at several parts of this video clip.

    The music ends at about 4:40 and the rest of the clip is an interview. I suggest just watching the song unless you’re a really big fan!       (more…)

  • Michael Jackson Top Album’s and Singles

       What better way to celebrate the life of Michael Jackson than listen to some of his best music? I figured I’d put up his biggest selling albums and top singles. Just click on the albums below to listen to clips of the best Michael Jackson music.

  • In Memoriam: Michael Jackson 1958-2009

    Michael Jackson - The Thriller Years
    Michael Jackson – The Thriller Years

       The world has lost one of the greatest musical talents of the 20th century, the great Michael Jackson. There’s no way to underestimate the impact that Michael Jackson has had on popular music. If you have a career playing in a live band then you know that Michael Jackson was also one of the greatest live performers of all time.

       Michael Jackson has been surrounded by weird stories and scandals for the last couple of decades. His ever-changing physical appearance only added to the strangeness. There’s no question that these things have tainted his legend and at times overshadowed his amazing accomplishments. I don’t want to talk about his eccentricity and bizarre behavior. I am a musician, and Michael Jackson was a musician so that’s what I will remember him for.    (more…)

  • Gibson Les Paul BFG Demo Video

    Gibson Les Paul BFG
    Gibson Les Paul BFG

       The other day on Live Musician Central I wrote a review of my Gibson Les Paul BFG guitar. I use the Les Paul BFG in my live band all the time because it has fantastic tones and it can stand up to all the abuse I dish out onstage. I’ve had my Les Paul BFG for over a year now and it continues to play very well. In fact, the wood has aged nicely as the guitar has broken in and I think it sounds better now than when it was new.

       I wanted to put up a Gibson demo video of the Les Paul BFG so you could check out the amazing tones this guitar can produce. Here it is and it’s a very good example of what the Gibson Les Paul BFG is capable of.         (more…)

  • Steve Vai Performs – I Know You’re Here (Live Video)

       What can I say about the great Steve Vai? The man continually blows my mind every time I hear him play. I’ve been a fan of Steve ever since his incredible 1984 solo release “Flex-Able”. I’ve tried to emulate many aspects of his playing in my own style to use with my live band.

       One of the greatest things about Steve Vai is his ability to play technically and still have great emotion in his playing. We all know he can shred and play a zillion notes per second but what makes him great is he makes every note count. He knows when to play a melody and when to play a scale-fill. Even his fast runs are very melodic and that’s a rare and beautiful ability.    (more…)

  • Gibson Les Paul BFG Review

    Gibson Les Paul BFG
    Gibson Les Paul BFG

       As you know, I’m a Fender player and the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster is my main go-to guitar. But I do play some other guitars regularly onstage with my live band. I also believe that there are just some instances where a Gibson Les Paul is the best guitar to get a particular sound that the Fenders can’t do well. The Gibson Les Paul sound to me is buttery and creamy without a lot of the pop that you can get with a Fender. Today I’m going to discuss my Les Paul BFG.

    First, The Les Paul Custom

       About 10 years ago I added a Gibson Les Paul Custom to my collection of guitars. I love that guitar but because it’s price has continued to climb over the years, I just can’t risk taking it out onstage anymore. I could never afford to replace it at it’s current market value so it stays home, cased up most of the time. I think that’s a sad, sad commentary on these outrageous guitar prices from Gibson and now Fender. It’s just a bummer to have an instrument that’s so expensive that nobody will ever see it played live onstage except in an arena.   

    (more…)

  • Thanks To My Father For Supporting My Musical Journey

    My Dad, Allen L. Rushton, and my 3 older brothers.
    My Dad, Allen L. Rushton, and my 3 older brothers.

       Yesterday was Father’s Day and I got a lot of love from my kids for being such a “great Dad” (their words). I’m glad they feel that way but I had to tell them that the greatest Dad was my Father, their Grandfather. My Dad, Allen Rushton,  is one of the biggest reasons why I play music and perform in a live band today.

       In his day, my Dad played lead tenor saxophone in various bands when he was in his late teens and early twenties. He was a member of the Nevada Musicians Union and would get called by the union and told where and when he would be playing on the weekend. He made some money doing this and wanted to be a professional musician. He then entered World War II and when the war ended, he went to college and got a degree in Education. He ended up being a Teacher, then a Principal and finally the Assistant Superintendent of the White Pine County School District.      (more…)

  • Sunday Funnies – Mick Jagger Quits The Rolling Stones

       A bunch of old dudes horsing around doing a parody of the Rolling Stones? It could be a disaster but it’s actaully pretty funny. Sure it’s amateurish and over-the-top but I got a chuckle out of their impersonation of the Rolling Stones.

       I wonder if this is how the Rolling Stones really act when they’re rehearsing for a tour?      (more…)

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

       For this weeks Live Musician Central set list for your live band to play, we present a Classic Rock setlist. It’s no secret that classic rock is a sure way to get people up and dancing whenever your band plays. You could start a classic rock band and make a good living only playing classic rock songs.     (more…)

  • Chickenfoot Album Review

    Chickenfoot - Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Chad Smith
    Chickenfoot – Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Chad Smith

       Who is Chickenfoot you ask? Maybe you recognize the names Michael Anthony, Chad Smith, Joe Satriani and Sammy Hagar. If not, how about the band’s Van Halen and Red Hot Chili Peppers? Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar are two former members of Van Halen and Chad Smith is the drummer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Joe Satriani is one of the greatest guitarists in instrumental rock-n-roll. These four guys comprise the hot new rock band Chickenfoot. I’ve always been a fan of taking select musician’s from top live bands and putting them together to form elite supergroups. So it was with great anticipation that I waited for the release of the new Chickenfoot album.

       I am a longtime fan of Joe Satriani and have been following his career since he released “Surfing With The Alien” in 1987. Joe’s guitar playing has been a great source of inspiration to me over the years and I’ve always been impressed that he’s followed his own path with his album releases and tours. He’s never become a hired gun for a successful band (other than the Deep Purple tour in ’93) which he did not join permanently so as to pursue his solo career. So I was very intrigued with the prospect of him working with two former members of Van Halen and a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.      (more…)