Category: 1. Live Musician Central

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Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana (video)

For today’s Musician Showcase I’m featuring one of my favorite songs by the great Michael Jackson. As you know, I play lead guitar in my live band so my favorite type of music features a lot of electric guitar. My favorite Michael Jackson songs naturally have the guitar mixed front and center.

The song “Dirty Diana” features the excellent guitar playing of Steve Stevens. Steve was at the height of his fame with Billy Idol at the time and Michael, being the genius marketer that he is, hired Steve to play on this song. I’m sure the decision was based on the great success Michael had using Eddie Van Halen to play on “Beat It”.

What I love about this song is the dark sexiness it evokes. The video shows Michael busting off some of his sexier stage moves and the whole thing just rocks. I hope you enjoy it! (more…)
In Memoriam: Michael Jackson 1958-2009

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…)
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…)
Thanks To My Father For Supporting My Musical Journey

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…)
Bernard Purdie Drum Solo

This is a truly musical and fun drum solo by drum master Bernard Purdie. He has an incredible feel for playing in the groove and keeping right on the beat while playing a melodic drum solo. Anytime a drum solo makes you feel like dancing, it’s a successful drum solo. At the end of his solo he shares some truly sage advice for playing a drum solo. His advice can be applied to any solo instrument. (more…)
What To Do When The Band Breaks Up

Sammy Hagar Became A More Complete Musician After He Left Montrose

I’ve been playing in live bands for 27 years now and I’ve been through my share of band breakups. By band breakup, I mean either the the group will completely disband or I have quit a band that I felt wasn’t going anywhere. It’s always a bummer when your time in a band comes to an end but it’s also an opportunity to re-examine why you are playing music and what you hope to do with your skills as a musician.

I remember when my first band broke up. I had been playing with Seniors in High School and I was just a Freshman. They all graduated High School and that was pretty much the end of the band. I knew I wanted to keep playing but my skills were extremely limited at the time and I had no clue how to even go about getting into another band. I did know a couple of things though, I knew I had a deep love of music and that I wanted to become a better guitarist. So I immersed myself in the study of music theory and the guitar. (more…)
Developing A New Member Of Your Live Band

Brian Johnson Developed Into A Perfect New Singer For AC/DC

When you start a new live band it can be difficult to find an entire group of top level players. Sometimes you won’t be able to find the perfect player for your band. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t give up on the idea of getting your band off the ground. You can really help out an aspiring player as well as your band if you take the time to do some work and develop a player that shows good potential.

The other day I wrote about holding auditions for new band members. One of the challenges you will face when adding a new member is developing their ability to blend with the rest of the band. Remember that everyone grows the more they play in a live band. If you find someone that is showing some good potential that you really like and seem to get along with, give them a chance. Even if they’re not the greatest player in the world you may find someone that will grow and become the best member of the band. (more…)
Video clip of The Who playing a cover version of The Beatles song “Saw Her Standing There”.

I thought this was a very interesting and funny video clip. It’s the cross-mixing of two of my favorite bands of all time, The Who and The Beatles.

It’s common knowledge that Keith Moon and Ringo Starr were very good friends and drinking buddies. I’m sure there was a sense of rivalry between The Who and The Beatles as well. This clip features The Who playing a cover of The Beatles song “Saw Her Standing There” during a filmed rehearsal in 1977. (more…)
Holding Auditions For New Band Members

Paul Rodgers Passed The Audition To Replace Freddie Mercury In Queen

Every live band will go through personnel changes throughout the life span of the band. Members of the band will quit for all sorts of reasons from health issues to the ever popular “artistic differences” which is really just code for personality conflicts. Whatever the reason, if your live band is going to continue you will have to find a new member to replace the one who is leaving.

Sometimes you’ll be lucky and know a musician that can step right in and replace the person who is leaving. Most of the time you’re going to have to do some asking around and find a few musicians who would be interested in joining your band. Once you have a few names, it’s time to have an audition session and give the candidates a chance to show you what they can do. (more…)
The Good Singers Vs. Bad Singers Debate

Bob Dylan – Good Singer or Bad Singer?

Today I’m going to address a topic that is a personal pet peeve of mine. I personally don’t like labeling artists as either “Good” or “Bad”. That goes for anybody that creates a work of art including painters, writers, musicians or any other person that creates something from nothing. Art is subjective and what’s beautiful to one person, may seem ugly to another. But, my real pet peeve is the labeling of something as unique as an individual human voice as either “Good” or “Bad”. The sad thing is that I hear comments from the crowd about good vs. bad singing every time I watch a live band play. (more…)