Category: Band Related

Functioning In A Band

How To Quit Your Band

Quitting your band can be a hard decision but you can make it easier on everyone by leaving the band slowly.

Silver Tuba Player
Even Tuba Players Think About Quitting The Band

   So you’ve been playing in your live band for a while but it just seems like it’s not what you wanted. Believe me, we’ve all been there. I remember playing in a band where I had steady gigs three weekends a month and all I had to do was learn the songs, show up with my gear and play. But it was becoming a hassle trying to juggle band practices and gigs with my personal life. I also wanted to write and perform my own music live. I knew the time had come to quit that band but what was the best way to do it?

   Well, quitting a band is just like quitting a job. There’s a right way and several wrong ways to quit a band. Let’s discuss the wrong ways first.    Continue reading “How To Quit Your Band”

Finding Roadies For Your Band

How to find roadies to help you move equipment and make your live show happen for your live band.

Bonne Nuit Doing Sound Check
Bonne Nuit Does Soundcheck On Stage Set Up By Roadies

   Every musician dreams of having their own team of roadies for their live band. I’m here to tell you that roadies are out there and that you can have your very own roadies hauling and setting up your live band’s equipment. The best thing is that most of these roadies will work for very little money or even for free dinner and admission to your shows. I’ve been using roadies for all my summer gigs this year and I’m telling you it’s been fantastic having some guys to haul my equipment around and set it up.    Continue reading “Finding Roadies For Your Band”

Highway 6 Releases Love Songs To The Desert On iTunes

Live Musician Central author Matt Rushton plays guitar on the new Highway 6 album Love Songs To The Desert.

Highway 6 at the 9th and 9th festival
Heidi Nedreberg, Matt Rushton and Tom Nedreberg in Highway 6

   I play in multiple live bands as well as record with these bands in the studio. One band I’m involved with is named Highway 6 and is headed up by my good friends Tom and Heidi Nedreberg. They are a Father-Daughter team who write and perform their own original music. I’ve been playing with Tom in various bands for the past 20 years or so. This past year they’ve recorded their debut album, Love Songs To The Desert.    Continue reading “Highway 6 Releases Love Songs To The Desert On iTunes”

Matt’s Band Bonne Nuit Playing At Brincos

Live Musician Central author Matt Rushton and his sons will be performing in their live band named Bonne Nuit at the H2O For Mexico benefit concert.

Bonne Nuit
Bonne Nuit Is A Band Featuring Live Musician Central Author - Matt Rushton

   Hey everyone that lives in Utah. Me and my sons will be playing with our band Bonne Nuit in Provo on Saturday May 8, 2010. We are part of the Utah Valley University charity concert called H2O For Mexico. There will be 9 bands playing from 12:00-9:00 PM. We are slated to play from 4:00-5:00 PM.

   For details on this event including the address, check out the event page on Facebook: Bonne Nuit @ H2O For Mexico Benefit Concert.

We hope to see you all there! 🙂

Why A Live Band Is Better Than A DJ

I believe a live band is far better than a DJ because of the overall experience of a great live show.

Bonne Nuit At Cybergate 4-17-10
Bonne Nuit Playing Music You Can Dance To

   I’ve been playing in live bands for years now and have seen their popularity swell and recede at various times over the years. I remember when I was going to High School in the 80’s that we rarely had a big dance without a live band. Live band’s were the best and it was always a special occasion when we had one. I ask my kids if they ever have live bands play dances at their school and they don’t.

   When I started playing in clubs there were dozens of them for our band to play at. Over the years and especially recently I’ve seen a lot of clubs switching over to using DJ’s. It seems like a lot of gigs that bands used to get are now going to DJ’s. I personally haven’t played a High School Prom in years because all the schools are using DJ’s in my area.   Continue reading “Why A Live Band Is Better Than A DJ”

Week Before Gig Preparation

Suggestions for how to prepare your live band the final week before your gig.

In Stereo At 2002 Winter Olympics   Having a big gig on the calender is the main goal of every live band. If you’re lucky, you’ve had plenty of time to prepare for your gig,  you’ve got all the songs learned and your show is completely rehearsed. There are a few things I like to be on top of my game the week before a big gig.

   The first thing I do is spend time alone practicing any parts that I have trouble with. This includes complicated guitar solos, tricky lyrics or anything that gives me rhythmic problems. I like to just put a little more polish and sparkle on my playing the final week before a big gig so I put in some extra time playing with a metronome as well. I try not to overdo it but the extra practice really settles my nerves.

   Continue reading “Week Before Gig Preparation”

Bonne Nuit To Play Live Online Concert Saturday March 3, 2010

The band Bonne Nuit comprised of Matt Rushton, Skyler Rushton, Erik Rushton and Austin Rushton will be playing a live online concert on March 3, 2010.

Bonne Nuit
Bonne Nuit Is A Band Featuring Live Musician Central Author - Matt Rushton

   My band, “Bonne Nuit”, will be playing a live online concert on March 3, 2010 from 7:30 pm-9:00 pm Mountain Time. The band members are Matt Rushton, Erik Rushton, Austin Rushton and Skyler Rushton. Bonne Nuit plays a few cover songs and some original music too. It’s all guitar based rock-n-roll with the instrumentation being two guitars, bass and drums. We’re very excited to be playing an online concert as it’s a real thrill to explore new ways of playing live in a band and reaching an audience. 

   The show will be broadcast using a Shoutcast server. It’s very easy to connect and enjoy the show. The name of the Shoutcast station will be Bonne Nuit Live and that’s what you will want to search for when you go to Shoutcast.com.     Continue reading “Bonne Nuit To Play Live Online Concert Saturday March 3, 2010”

How To Listen To A Shoutcast Stream With Winamp Or iTunes

Step by step instructions for listening to Shoutcast Radio streams in iTunes or Winamp.

I’ve been doing some live online broadcasts of my live band lately using Shoutcast. Shoutcast is a technology that allows anyone to broadcast audio from their PC to the Internet. Shoutcast broadcasts in MP3 or AAC+ format and can be played by Winamp, iTunes or the somewhat unreliable mini-player at Shoutcast.com. Broadcasters using Shoutcast can have their station listed in the Shoutcast.com Radio Directory.

I’ve had a lot of listeners complaining that the Shoutcast Mini Player has been crashing browsers and computers. So today I’m going to write a tutorial on how to listen to Shoutcast Radio streams using either Winamp or iTunes.    Continue reading “How To Listen To A Shoutcast Stream With Winamp Or iTunes”

Tips For Auditioning For A Live Band

If you are going to be auditioning for a live band, here are some tips to help you do your best.

Kyle Johnson
Bill Barely Passed His Audition

   The other day I wrote a post about joining a band by answering Musician Wanted ads. Naturally the next step in the process is going to the audition so that’s what we’ll discuss today. I’ve played in a lot of live bands over the years and been to my share of live band auditions too. Auditions are always an interesting process and I’ve always learned something going through the band audition process. Today I’m going to give you a few tips on preparing to audition for a live band.

   The first thing you want to do is make sure you have the correct address for where the audition is going to be held. I remember once getting so lost going to an audition that I was an hour late. Needless to say, it didn’t make a good impression and I didn’t get the gig. Get directions and a phone number you can call in case you get lost or you get stuck in traffic.     Continue reading “Tips For Auditioning For A Live Band”

Tips For Answering “Musician Wanted For Live Band” Ads

When answering Musician Wanted ads, follow these simple tips to protect yourself and your equipment.

Frank With Drums
Frank Brought His Own Drums And Cords To The Audition

   I’ve played in a lot of live bands over the years and I’ve answered my share of “Musician Wanted” ads as well. Finding auditions are always an interesting process and I’ve always learned something going through the band audition process. Today I’m going to give you a few tips for when you answer a Musician Wanted Ad before you set up an audition.

   Let me start off with a little story. One time when I was about 18, my bass playing friend and I were at the local music store looking at musician wanted ads. We picked one out that said something to the effect of “Wanted, musicians to form rock band. Need guitar, keyboard and bass player.” So naturally we gave them a call. The guy on the phone said “bring all your equipment and come to our practice studio at this address.” We asked what constituted “all our equipment” and the guy said “microphones, amplifiers, mixer, speakers…whatever you have”. Luckily, we didn’t have much but we loaded up our beat-to-crap microphones along with our beginner guitars and amplifiers. We then set out to find the address of the practice studio.    Continue reading “Tips For Answering “Musician Wanted For Live Band” Ads”

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