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Introducing Douglas White – Guitarist and Live Musician

Get to know a little bit about Doug White in his first article for Live Musician Central.

Writing and working on content for Live Musician Central has been an invaluable resource for me when it comes to connecting with other live musicians. I have had many e-mails and comments from readers regarding my posts as well as inquiries about my Fender Cyber-Twin SE sound patches. I’m fairly well known in Utah but I have been able to connect with musicians outside of Utah because of Live Musician Central. Today I would like to introduce our latest contributing author, Mr. Douglas White from Brick, New Jersey. I met Doug because of his interest in the Fender Cyber-Twin SE sound patches that I posted on Live Musician Central. I’m looking forward to having Doug contribute to Live Musician Central. For his first authored post Doug will tell you a little bit about himself and his career as a live performing musician. -Matt-

Doug White Guitar Player — Douglas White Performing Live

Douglas White

Brick, New Jersey

Guitar Player
How long have you been playing?

I originally started playing when I was around 14 years old. I was young with a passion for music in the 70’s and I knew that the girls just loved a guy who played music. These were the two biggest drivers for me. My best friend, who lived three doors down from me, was a guitar player and was very good. He suggested that I take up playing and learning bass guitar so that we could get something going. We searched the music stores looking for a good deal and then trying to find a way to pay for it. From the time I was 12, I had a paper route. This is probably a foreign concept to many young people today, but back in the day, we would have the local newspaper to deliver to peoples’ homes to try and earn money. It wasn’t much by today’s standards, but back then it seemed like a lot. Continue reading “Introducing Douglas White – Guitarist and Live Musician”

Introducing Alisha Sabin

Alisha Sabin will be writing articles as an author on Live Musician Central.

Alisha Sabin Performing Live — Alisha Sabin

Hi all of you live musician’s out there on the world wide web. I’m very excited today to introduce a new author on Live Musician Central. Alisha Sabin will be writing a series of articles chronicling her experience playing in a live band. Alisha has been singing in her very first live rock band and it just happens to be my band Bonne Nuit. So be sure to watch Live Musician Central to read about Alisha’s fascinating journey taking her from singing into her hairbrush in front of her bedroom mirror to taking the stage for a live performance with a real rock band.

In Memoriam – Amy Winehouse September 14, 1983 – July 24, 2011

Amy Winehouse was found dead at her London home on July 23, 2011. A tragic loss for the musician community.

Amy Winehouse was found dead Saturday July 23, 2011 at her London home at the tender age of 27. It’s always a sad thing when a talented musician has their life cut tragically short. It’s a stark contrast writing this memoriam compared to a musician who had a full, rich life like Clarence Clemons. Continue reading “In Memoriam – Amy Winehouse September 14, 1983 – July 24, 2011”

In Memoriam – Clarence Clemons January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011

Clarenece Clemons passed away at the age of 69 leaving a long musical legacy of unique and strong saxophone playing.

Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen Performe Live

One of the best saxophone players in rock-n-roll passed away on June 18, 2011 from complications related to the stroke he suffered the week before. Clarence Clemons was 69 years old and spent 40 of those years playing alongside Bruce Springsteen in the E Street Band. Clarence brought the soul to the live performances and recordings of the E Street Band and he made them one of the most exciting live bands of the past four decades. Continue reading “In Memoriam – Clarence Clemons January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011”

Live Musician Central Top Posts Of 2010

Top 10 Posts Of 2010 On Live Musician Central

Well it’s that time to reflect on the past year and start making our top ten lists. For all you musician’s out there playing in a live band I hope you’ve found Live Musician Central useful. I’ve had more traffic than ever to the site this past year and there have been some very popular posts. So I’ve put together a list of the top ten posts of 2010 on Live Musician Central. I wasn’t too surprised that the Fender Cyber-Twin SE Amplifier preset downloads were so popular. I’ve had a lot of good feedback on those. I was surprised that my post on the Musician’s Friend Stupid Deal Of The Day got so much traffic though. Without further ado, here’s your top ten posts of 2010! Continue reading “Live Musician Central Top Posts Of 2010”

Shopping For Musical Gifts For Kids

You can find high quality musical instrument toys for your children in this excellent music toys for kids list.

If you’re a musician who just happens to have some kids running around at home I’m sure you’re always looking for music toys to stimulate their musical imagination. It can be tough to find good musical toys for the kids to play with. I know I’ve spent hours searching on various websites looking for the perfect musical gifts for my children only to find a limited selection of low quality musical toys. Continue reading “Shopping For Musical Gifts For Kids”

Fender Slow To Ship 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster

Fender has had a very hard time filling orders in a timely manner for the 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster.

Fender American Deluxe Ash Strat Wine Transparent — 2010 Fender American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster - Wine Transparent

I’ve been doing some asking around and have had many reports of people waiting months to get ahold of the new 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster. There are certain colors available right now but some colors and options are out of stock and have been for months. I ordered a Wine Transparent American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster on April 2, 2010 and it just came in on September 22, 2010. It was almost a 6 month wait. Needless to say, I did not pick it up or pay for it and told the store they can keep it. It’s ridiculous to wait that long for a guitar and I will not play that game. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t get one. I will still be getting my 2010 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster, just not right now. Since Fender forced me to wait for 6 months for a new one, I’ve lost that “must have it now!” attitude and will patiently shop for a used one. It may take me another year to get it, but I’m sure I’ll save some money and in the meantime I’m $1649 richer. Continue reading “Fender Slow To Ship 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster”

Drummer Mike Portnoy Leaves Dream Theater

Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy officially announces he’s quitting the band.

Mike Portnoy's Purple Drumset — Mike Will Only Need A Few Of These Drums Now

Every live band has a life cycle and many ups and downs along the way. Even one of my personal favorite bands, Dream Theater, has to deal with personnel changes. It’s never fun to lose a band member. Especially one so important to the band. I was extremely surprised and bummed out to learn the Mike Portnoy, drummer and founding member of Dream Theater, has quit the band.

It’s a sad day for all Dream Theater fans to lose Mike Portnoy from the Dream Theater family. Mike was a founding member of the band and his father contributed the name Dream Theater to the band’s legacy. But as always, having a member leave gives the band a chance to grow. It seems like every time a member has left Dream Theater the band has come back stronger than before. Maybe they will find a drummer that will just make Mike a distant memory. I hope that Dream Theater continues to write, record and perform because the combination of John Myung, John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess is truly fantastic. James Labrie has grown into a very good singer as well. So here’s to the hope the Dream Theater continues on stronger than ever! Continue reading “Drummer Mike Portnoy Leaves Dream Theater”