Category: 1. Live Musician Central

Welcome page for Live Musician Central

  • Playing The Song Instead Of The Instrument

    AC/DC Play As A Band

       As a musician have you ever heard the saying “Playing The Song Instead Of The Instrument”? I was having a discussion with some fellow musicians the other day and we were discussing the problem of musicians overplaying during a song. It’s something that I guarantee you’ll have to deal with at some point if you’re playing in a band.

       Let’s define what overplaying is: Overplaying is when you play too much to suit the song. Let’s use the drums as an example. A blatant example of overplaying would be changing the beat deliberately to 5/4 without the rest of the band, just for a measure or two to show you can do it. Blatant overplaying would also be putting a drum break in every bit of extra space in a song. (more…)

  • Weekend Gig Report – In Stereo at Club 90 Aug. 29-30, 2008

    In Stereo Bass Drum Logo

       We had a really good time at Club 90 this weekend. It was by far the best gig we’ve played at Club 90. Historically we’ve gotten booked on bad weekends when we play Club 90 and we’ve never really had a great crowd crowd. This weekend was looking like it would be another lame weekend because it was Labor Day Weekend but with gas prices keeping people close to home, we had a good crowd both nights.

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  • Why I Keep Playing Music

    In Stereo – 2002 Winter Olympics Medals Plaza

       Tonight my band “In Stereo” is playing at Club 90 in Salt Lake City. I’m really looking forward to playing while at the same time dreading all the work that comes with playing a show. I often ask myself  why I keep playing music. There are so many things that are a pain in the butt about playing yet at the same time there is such a high that comes with pleasing a live audience.

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  • Movie Review – The Rocker

    Rainn Wilson in The Rocker

       I just went and watched the new movie “The Rocker” starring Rainn Wilson of “The Office” fame. A lot of people have been saying the movie is a “School Of Rock” ripoff and even though there are similarities, “The Rocker” has more adult laughs. So being a rocker myself and a fan of Rainn Wilson I was really excited to see the movie.

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  • Getting Proper Equalization With EQ Frequencies

    Mackie Quad EQ

    One of the most important aspects of mixing music in a live venue or in the studio is the use of equalization. The other day I wrote about how to tweak your guitar amplifier EQ settings. Today I’m going to write about the effect of equalization on other parts of the mix.

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  • Is Music Is Better Played Live Than Recorded?

    Frampton Comes Alive

       It’s no secret that as a musician I just plain love music. I learned to love music from my father who used to sing with me when I was a little boy. We used to take road trips and sing a whole bunch of old classics. Then as I got older I sang in choir in grade school, then learned trumpet, piano, guitar and a bunch of other instruments. So my love of live performance began at an early age and has developed over the course of my life.

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  • Weekend Gig Report – In Stereo Plays Wedding

    In Stereo Bass Drum

       In Stereo played a wedding at a place called Wolf Creek Ranch this weekend. It was a lot of hard work as we had to play way up in the mountains. We had to haul our equipment across a bunch of gravel which you don’t really realize is going to be so much effort until you do it. We also couldn’t park our cars at the location we were playing so we had to do some extra driving around. All that takes time so our usual 1 hour setup time took us 2 hours. Luckily we got there 2 hours early and were ready to go.

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  • Should The Police Record A New Album?

       So I saw The Police in concert when they came through Salt Lake City last month. It was an excellent show and you can read my review here. The Police tour just ended in Madison Square Garden, New York and with the end of the tour the question has been raised. Should The Police record an album of all new material. I say Yes!

       So here’s a poll, Do you think The Police should record a new album of all original material?
    [poll id=”2″]

  • The Police Tour Wraps Up

    The Police – Madison Square Garden August 1, 2007

       Well The Police played the last show on their reunion tour at New York’s Madison Square Garden on August 7th 2008. They played it at the Garden because they played their first U.S. show at CBGB’s in New York. The tour lasted for 15 months, 150 concerts and they played for 3.7 million people. Sting was quoted as saying “The real triumph of this tour is that we haven’t strangled each other. That’s not to say it hasn’t crossed my mind, or Stewart’s, or Andy’s.”

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  • Preserving Your Musical Legacy

    Archive Those Tapes With Mass Storage

       As a musician I’ve wondered what my legacy will be. Will anyone remember or care that I worked so hard at music for so many years after I’ve gone? I’m hoping that at least my kids will remember and care about my musical legacy after I’m gone. So what is something concrete that you can leave behind? I believe that the recordings that you should be making over the course of your career will be the biggest evidence that you really gave music your best shot. A good body of recorded work will document your life as a musician in a way that nothing else will. It will show your progression from beginner to being the best you could possibly be. A good body of recorded work will bring you a lot of enjoyment as you get older and want to take a trip down memory lane to see where you’ve come from as well. I know listening to my old recordings makes me feel really good about where I am now.

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