Live Musician Central

Category: 1. Live Musician Central

Welcome page for Live Musician Central

  • Negotiating Gig Payment For Your Live Band – Get A Signed Contract

    Download Live Band Performance Contract for gig payment.
    Download Live Band Performance Contract

       How much should your live band be paid when you play a gig? That’s a very delicate question and the answer is going to be different for pretty much every gig you play. Some clubs pay a standard $350 per night. Some will give you a percentage of the door receipts. Some clubs pay less and some pay a lot more. The thing that you have to remember is that gig payment is always negotiable and it’s up to you to agree to a fee before you play the gig.

    Negotiate Gig Payment In Advance

       The most important thing to remember when booking a gig is to negotiate gig payment in advance. Try to reduce any variables the venue may throw at you. If the venue tells you “we’ll decide on payment after we see how many people show up”  then that is a great big red flag and you should seriously consider not playing that venue. Don’t agree to any stipulations such as “payment based on food and drink sales”. Even payment based on door receipts is tricky because most clubs won’t let you audit their door receipts. The best thing to do when you’re booking your gig is to get all the payment details right up front.   

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  • Dealing With Change And Guiding Your Live Band’s Evolution

    In Stereo Sings 3-Part Harmony
    In Stereo Sings 3-Part Harmony

       One thing I’ve found from all my years of playing in a live band is that things are constantly changing. The type and quality of equipment is always changing. The current popular songs are always changing. Your live band has to constantly change as well just to keep up with everything else. Believe me, the best way to let your band die is to refuse to change.

       One of the biggest problems I see in live bands is they become unwilling to change to fit the their ever changing environment. The biggest reason for this is because of plain old laziness. It takes work to keep your band up to date and relevant. The biggest mistake that bands make is an unwillingness to change their set list. You really need to get rid of songs that you’ve been playing forever and start learning some new songs. Your song list should be constantly added to and changed up at gigs.   (more…)

  • About The Product Links From Amazon, eBay and Musician’s Friend

      
       Hi everybody, I’ve had a few people ask me if Live Musician Central is all about selling products. The answer is no, Live Musician Central is all about playing in a live band. That’s why I link the words Live Band to the homepage of Live Musician Central. So why do I have so many links to products on Live Musician Central?    (more…)

  • Steve Vai Demo Video For The Jemini Distortion Pedal

    Jemini Distortion Pedal by Steve Vai and Ibanez
    Jemini Distortion Pedal by Steve Vai and Ibanez

      If you’re a guitarist playing in a live band, then no doubt you’ve searched high and low for killer distortion pedals. Today I’m posting up a video of Mr. Steve Vai himself doing a demonstration of his Signature Jemini Distortion Pedal which he designed with Ibanez. Get ready, because killer playing ensues on the video!

       This video had me laughing out loud several times as Steve cracks jokes with himself. I’m not kidding you, there are two Steve Vai’s in this video and they even play an amazing guitar duet. I thought the “Jack Butler” reference from the movie “Crossroads” was pretty hilarious. Whoever did the video editing is a genius and Steve does a fantastic job interacting with himself in the video. So grab a snack, settle in and get ready to laugh and be blown away by Steve Vai’s incredible guitar (and acting?) skills!    (more…)

  • Fender Cyber-Twin SE Amplifier Demo Video

       For all you guitarists currently playing in a live band, Fender Musical just posted up this excellent demo video of the Fender Cyber-Twin SE Amplifier. I use and love the Fender Cyber-Twin SE and I highly recommend this amplifier for any gigging musician out there. Greg Koch is absolutely right about the Cyber-Twin SE saving you from having to haul tons of equipment to your gigs. That’s the main reason I began using the Cyber-Twin SE, so I wouldn’t have to haul so many different pieces of equipment to the gig.

       The video features guitarists Greg Koch and Gary Hoey along with Fender amplifier marketing manager Shane Nicholas. Needless to say, you’re in for some excellent guitar playing in this video! This is by far the best demo video I’ve seen of the Fender Cyber-Twin SE amplifier and it’s worth watching simply for the incredible guitar playing by Gary Hoey in part 3 of the video.      (more…)

  • In A Live Band, Multiple Skills Will Increase Your Value

    Frank and Kyle Are Both Multi-Instrumentalists
    Frank and Kyle Are Both Multi-Instrumentalists

     One thing I’ve noticed in my years of playing in a live band is how important members are that can do multiple things in the band. I was in a band where we had a lead guitar player that was a good lead guitar player, but that’s all he did. He didn’t sing lead or sing backup, he only brought his guitar and his amp and he didn’t book any of the gigs. Yes he would have the songs all learned and he played his parts perfectly but he just didn’t seem to contribute as much as the other members of the band.

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  • Live Musician Central One Year Anniversary Of Everyday Blogging

    Live Musician Central Author - Matt Rushton At The "Imagine" Mosaic, Central Park, New York City
    Live Musician Central Author – Matt Rushton At The "Imagine" Mosaic, Central Park, New York City

       This week marks the one year anniversary of Live Musician Central going live online. It’s been a really fun year writing and producing Live Musician Central and I’ve learned more about Blogging and web development than ever imagined that I would. I’m giving myself a pat on the back here because the only outside help I’ve had is from friends and family who have done some graphics work for me. It’s been very challenging at times trying to get things to work the way I want them to on the site and I think Live Musician Central is improving all the time.    (more…)

  • Eddie Van Halen Live Guitar Solo Circa 1983

       There are very few live guitarists that can compete with Eddie Van Halen. He is truly a master of the electric guitar. This video is from a live DVD made around 1983 and features Eddie doing his live solo at one of the high points of his career. It’s just plain fun to watch him go crazy on his Frankenstein Strat. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Eddie Van Halen!!    (more…)

  • How To Deal With An Emergency That Threatens To Cancel A Band Gig

    In Stereo with Frank Lee
    In Stereo with Frank Lee

       A couple weeks ago my live band , In Stereo, was faced with a situation that you hope you never have to deal with. We had an important gig scheduled and one day before the gig our drummer, Ted,  came down with a life threatening staff infection in his ankle. It was very obvious as soon as he was admitted into the hospital that there was no way he would be able to play the gig. That left us with a commitment to fulfill with the club that had us booked and as you know, the show must go on. So what are your options in a live band when one of your core members goes down?     (more…)

  • G3 Tour 2005 – Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci Perform “Smoke On The Water”

      What can I say about these 3 groundbreaking, mind blowing live guitarists? This video clip is from the 2005 G3 Tour featuring Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and John Petrucci. As an added bonus you have Billy Sheehan on bass although he’s totally holding down the bottom end and keeping the song together on this one. I guess all I can say is sit back and enjoy as these three electric guitar masters trade unbelievable solo’s on the Deep Purple classic “Smoke On The Water”.

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