News, Reviews, and 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…)
Sunday Funnies – Funny Guitar Face

Here’s some pretty decent guitar playing going on. What cracks me up in this video is the guys funny “guitar face” that he makes throughout the song. I also cracked up at the tape on the nerd glasses! (more…)
Weekend Set List For Your Live Band To Play – Country

   Ahhh yes, I have to admit that I have indeed played in a live band that played a lot of Country music. It was very interesting and I did learn a lot about playing Country music. So today, I’m bringing you a set list for your live band that focuses on Country music.

   These are classic country songs that will help keep people excited and dancing. As with all the Live Musician Central set lists they are merely a guide for songs your band can learn or that you can play for break music. These songs are time tested and proven to work in front of a live audience.

   I’m featuring songs from Amazon.com MP3 download service because they are less expensive than iTunes, sound better than iTunes, and can be played on any MP3 capable music player including iPods and iPhones. So get to downloading and start learning these songs today!
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…)
Fender Deluxe Player’s Stratocaster Review

Fender Deluxe Player’s Stratocaster – Transparent Blue Finish

Even though I’m a skilled keyboard and bass player, I play electric guitar in my live band and the guitar is my main instrument. If I could, I’d buy a new guitar about every month. I can’t afford that so I get out and shop for them always looking for that next great instrument. The Fender Deluxe Player’s Stratocaster really caught my eye!

I like brand new guitars and I certainly haven’t bought into this whole “vintage instrument” craze. I believe that new guitars are being built better than ever before. It’s a lot more fun for me to get a new guitar and play it than to collect a vintage guitar and keep it in it’s case, un-played.

Fender Player HSS Stratocaster Plus top Guitar-2022- Blue Burst- w/gig bag
$599.00
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Rosewood Fingerboard Guitar Polar White
$879.99
Fender Player II Stratocaster Electric Guitar Hialeah Yellow Finish
$629.95
2001 Fender Mexican Player Stratocaster, Birch Green . With Gig Bag
$699.99
Genuine Fender Player Plus Stratocaster Strat HSH Rout Sunburst Color Beauty! It
$269.00
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar Aquatone Blue Return
$650.00
(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…)

Hey All You Drummers, There’s Huge Savings On Zildjian Cymbals

For all you drummers out there that play in a Live Band, Musician’s Friend is having a big sale on Zildjian Cymbals right now. You can pick up some killer cymbal packs at very low prices. They’re even throwing in some free cymbals during this sale.

I personally feel like a good selection of cymbals can turn a good drumset into a great drumset. All the drummers I play with have a large selection of cymbals and they really add to the overall sound of the band. So if you’re looking to flesh out the cymbal selection on your drumset, now’s the time to do it.

The top selling Zildjian A Cymbal pack includes a 20″ Ride, 16″ Crash, and 14″ hi-hats, plus a free 14″ fast crash. It’s on sale for the low price of $599.95. That’s just too good of a deal to pass up! You can find many more deals just like that one during the big Zildjian Cymbal sale at Musician’s Friend. Hurry, because this sale is only going on for a limited time.

Zildjian A Zildjian Cymbal Pack With Free 14″ Fast CrashThis A Series cymbal pack includes a 20″ Ride, 16″ Crash, and 14″ hi-hats, plus a free 14″ fast crash. Also includes a free Zildjian padded cymbal gig bag ($74.95 retail value).The Classic Zildjian Voice that started it all. These are the cymbals that launched a million drum solos and shaped musical history tried and true musical icons whose history spans centuries and infinite musical styles. A Zildjians are the world’s most popular and versatile cymbals, and for good reason. splashes, crashes, rides, hi-hats or effects, they all explode with a spectrum of tonal colors and excel in any musical setting. They’re extremely sensitive to your particular touch and style, yet capable of producing as much volume as your music demands.

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…)
Sunday Funnies – Do You Like Waffles?

Welcome to the Sunday Funnies on Live Musician Central. Every Sunday we post up a video clip or funny music game that will tickle your funny bone.

Today I’m presenting a clip that could be a Saturday morning cartoon commercial. Remember those ‘Just For Kids’ commercials on Saturday? Well this one has a song that will stick in your brain and have you singing it all day. I hope you like waffles as much as I do! 🙂 (more…)
Weekend Set List For Your Live Band To Play – Top Hits Of 1987

Every weekend I will be featuring a new downloadable live band set list for you to check out and get right here on Live Musician Central. This feature is called “Weekend Set List” and it features proven set lists that keep the audience on their feet in live music clubs. The songs on the set list are time tested and proven to work in front of live audiences.

   The musical style of the setlist is shown at the end of the post title. This week I’m featuring a Top Hits Of 1987 set list. This set list has worked for me very well in some of the clubs that have an 80’s music loving crowd. These songs will keep people up and dancing while talking about the good ‘ol days all night long.

   You can either use this list and learn these songs to play with your live band or you can simply use them as break music. If you play these while your band takes it’s break you will keep the party happening while you get some rest. It’s a good idea to keep these songs on your iPod or portable music player.

   I am posting the Set List with Amazon.com MP3 downloads because they’re cheaper than iTunes, sound better than iTunes and you can listen to samples right here on the webpage.

News, Reviews, and More!

Fender Player HSS Stratocaster Plus top Guitar-2022- Blue Burst- w/gig bag

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Rosewood Fingerboard Guitar Polar White

Fender Player II Stratocaster Electric Guitar Hialeah Yellow Finish

2001 Fender Mexican Player Stratocaster, Birch Green . With Gig Bag

Genuine Fender Player Plus Stratocaster Strat HSH Rout Sunburst Color Beauty! It

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar Aquatone Blue Return