Category: 1. Live Musician Central

Welcome page for Live Musician Central

Live Musician Central Site Changes And Improvements

Welcome To Live Musician Central

   Welcome to the new Live Musician Central! I’m sure you’re noticing some changes to the site. If this is your first visit to Live Musician Central, the site used to look a lot different than it does today. Either way, if you play in a live band you’ll still find all the excellent resources and product reviews that Live Musician Central has become famous for. You’ll also get to read about my experiences playing in live bands for the last 28 years.

   Over the next few days I will continue to make some changes to the site. I’m hoping to make it easier to read as well as easier to navigate. Some of the changes are purely cosmetic and some improve the overall functionality of Live Musician Central. There will be a few things that may not work correctly and possibly a broken link here and there. Let me know if you run across anything funky and I’ll try to get it fixed as quickly as possible.

   I hope you enjoy Live Musician Central and that you stop by regularly to check out what’s happening. If there are any topics you’d like to see covered, leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do. -Matt-
Sound Wave Art Using A Chladni Plate

I’m into music which is the art of organizing sound so naturally anything created using soundwaves intrigues me. I saw this really interesting video on YouTube of a device called a Chladni Plate being used to create complex patterns out of salt.

The Chladni Plate is basically a flat surface that is resonated at different frequencies. Salt or sand is then scattered on the plate and complex and patterns emerge when the plate is resonated. It’s really fascinating to watch and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. To learn more about Chladni Plate check out the Wiki page about it’s creator, Ernst Chladni.

Chladni Plate, Salt and Sound Waves
Playing Any Gig Is Better Than Playing No Gig At All

Matt Rushton Playing A Live Gig

I’m a guitarist who has been playing for almost 30 years now and I’ve played in live bands almost that entire time. The reason I play is simple, I love to play in front of live audiences. Some things I love about it are the feedback I get from an excited crowd as well as the joy that comes with really nailing the music when the band is playing well.

I’ve played a lot of different styles of music over the years. I’ve played primarily rock-n-roll but I’ve also played country, jazz, pop, electronic and other styles that don’t really fit into any category at all. I’ve played in original bands playing my own music as well as backing up other artists who write their songs. I’ve played in cover bands with all kinds of lineups from two-piece bands all the way up to full size big bands. I’ve also spent time playing in pit orchestras for live stage plays. (more…)
Which Beatle Are You Quiz

With the realease of the new ‘The Beatles: Rock Band’ game there has been a ton of hype around all things Beatles. Let’s face it, The Beatles changed Rock-N-Roll forever. At the beginning of their career, what really carried them, was the simple fact that they were one of the best live bands of all time. They’re one of my personal favorite bands and I’m really stoked to get the new game and give it a spin. The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle has been getting 4 Star and 10 out 0f 10 reviews all over the internet.

One of the great things about The Beatles was the fact that they were truly a band but at the same time were made up of four very distinct personalities. So, to celebrate the release of ‘The Beatles: Rock Band’ I’m linking to a fun quiz titled: Which Beatle Are You? (more…)
Phil Collins – Take Me Home (Live)

This excellent video of the legendary Phil Collins is from his farewell tour with this show being in Paris, France. I really like this clip because of the great drumming at the beginning of the songs. Phil is in fine vocal form and I really enjoy the fact that Phil has Father Time playing bass in his live band. (more…)
Weekend Gig Report – In Stereo at Canyon Inn August 21-22, 2009

In Stereo – Live At The Canyon Inn

My live band “In Stereo” played at the Canyon Inn in Salt Lake City, Utah this past weekend. The Canyon Inn is becoming our home club since we play there so often. In Stereo seems to have pretty good success every time we play there. The regulars tell us we’re one of the better bands that play there and it’s nice to hear those kind of comments. I personally believe we’re the best band that plays there buy hey, I’m biased.

This gig was sort of a surprise as we didn’t have it down on the band calender. But our agent called us up to “remind” us that we were booked to play at the Canyon Inn. It was news to us that we were booked at all but being the professionals that we are, we honored the commitment our agent made for us. We went into this gig without any practices but we have been playing together for about 14 years so we weren’t too worried. (more…)
Les Paul and Chet Atkins Perform “Caravan”

I wanted to share some Les Paul music with you today to memorialize Les the best way there is, by listening to his music. This song is from the recording Les Paul did with Chet Atkins in 1975 and released in 1976, titled “Chester & Lester”. The song is called “Caravan” and was written by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Juan Tizol. The interplay between Chet and Lester is wonderful to listen to. (more…)
Les Paul – In Memoriam June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009

Les Paul – Young or Old, the man could play!

If you had to pick a guitarist that has had the greatest influence on modern music technology then the top candidate would have to be Les Paul. I don’t think any single guitarist has influenced the way we make and record music more than Les Paul has. His advances in the electric guitar and its amplification alone have completely changed the way guitarists play and perform in their live bands as well as in the studio.

Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915. He later adopted the stage name Les Paul which would go on to be one of the most legendary names in all of electric guitar history. Les Paul’s contributions to music have been many and they’ve also been extremely groundbreaking and important. There have been a lot of great guitar players but let’s face it, great guitar players are a dime-a-dozen. Les wasn’t just a guitarist, he was an inventor and an innovator. (more…)
Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel Live 1950’s Television Performance

Elvis Presley really is the King Of Rock-N-Roll and this classic video of Elvis performing “Heartbreak Hotel” live in the 50’s shows what a dynamic performer he was. It’s really fun watching him put on his best stage moves of the era and get the girls all screaming every time he busts a move! (more…)
Weekend Gig Report – Distant Thunder At The Summit County Fair

Distant Thunder Rocks The Summit County Fair (L.-R. Matt Rushton, Frank Lee, Erik Rushton, Kent Rushton)

This weekend I had a chance to play with my cousin Kent’s live band, Distant Thunder. We played at the Summit County Fair in Coalville, Utah as the last act on the main stage before the big rodeo! We had some challenges in getting set up and playing which made it a very interesting gig.

I don’t mind playing at county fairs because there’s usually a pretty good crowd there. Another thing that I’ve found to be true about county fairs is that if your band is the headline act, they pay pretty darn well. We make a lot more playing at fairs than we do playing in bars. The Summit County Fair was no exception. (more…)