Live Musician Central

News, Reviews, and More!

  • A Happy Band Means A Happy Crowd

    Have A Good Time Onstage!

       I previously wrote an article called A Happy Crowd Means A Happy Band, in this post I’ll discuss the opposite point of view. It’s true that the band feeds off the audience, that being said, the audience is the most unpredictable part of your gig. We as live musicians would like to have a pumped up, excited audience every time we play. We can’t control the audience mood but we can control our mood. Or at least how we appear when we’re playing. Whatever your mood appears to be onstage, it will carry over to the crowd. So even if you’re having a terrible night, keep things light and keep a smile on your face.

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  • Rock Band 2 Special Edition For Playstation 3 Review

    Rock Band 2

     Rock Band 2 Special Edition was released for PlayStation 3 on Oct. 19th. Naturally, I picked it up that day and have been playing it since. Even though there aren’t any groundbreaking updates there are several very fun updates in Rock Band 2. Today I am going to turn Live Musician Central over to our new contributor, Skyler Rushton for a review of Rock Band 2. -Matt-

      The new Rock Band 2 Special Edition consists of a drum set, a microphone, and one rock band guitar. (more…)

  • Live Musician Central Tribute To Keith Moon

    Keith Moon of The Who

       One of my very favorite drummers of all time is Keith Moon of The Who. He is the first drummer I remember ever focusing on with my complete attention while listening to a song. I remember being simply blown away by how varied his drumming was and how he could play so much yet still carry the rhythm of the song. The way Keith interacted with The Who’s music is simply perfect and The Who were a great band because of the way Keith played. Keith had a way of intertwining with the vocals, bass and guitar that would lift the other instruments up without overpowering them. It always amazed me how he could sound so scattered and out of time, yet be so perfectly in sync with the music.

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  • Master Sony Acid Pro 6 With Power!: The Official Guide

    Acid Pro 6 Power! The Official Guide

       If you’ve been reading Live Musician Central for very long I’m sure you know I absolutely love Sony Acid Pro 6 Professional Music Workstation software. It’s extremely powerful and can be the heart of your own home recording studio. Sony Acid Pro 6 is a very capable and deep program which is easy to learn but can be a challenge to master. Today I want to turn you on to an excellent guide written by D. Erik Franks called “ACID Pro 6 Power!: The Official Guide“.

       Acid Pro 6 Power is a deep, detailed look at the capabilities of Sony Acid Pro 6. The users manual that comes with Sony Acid Pro 6 will tell you the basic features of Acid but it doesn’t take you very deep into how to get the full benefit of those features. That’s where “Acid Pro 6 Power!” comes in handy to fill all those missing details. There is something for every skill level in “Acid Pro 6 Power!” and it can take your music productions to the very highest quality possible with Sony Acid. (more…)

  • The Key To Successful Band Marketing, Network

    Networking In Action – Eric Clapton's All-Star Jam

       Probably the single most important thing a live musician can do to successfully market themselves, their band and their music is to network with as many other musicians as they possibly can. I can tell you from experience that I’m able to keep playing gigs because of who I know and associate with in my musical realm. I’m not a big self-promoter but I have contacts and friends in the music world that are really good with promotion and finding gigs. Networking with these types of people have really helped me advance my career. By networking with other bands and musicians you can increase your chances of hooking up with them for all sorts of gigs and musical projects.

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  • Sunday Funnies – These Go To 11

    This Is Spinal Tap

       I would like to post the entire This Is Spinal Tap movie for the Sunday Funnies but it’s just too darn long. Regardless, here’s one of my favorite moments from that movie. It’s where Nigel Tufnel is showing his guitar collection and he discusses his custom made Marshall amplifier.

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  • Live Musician Central – Weekend Album Picks 10-18-2008

       Every weekend I pick several albums to post on Live Musician Central. The albums I put up are determined by a couple factors. I usually put up a couple that are being heavily promoted by the music industry. These may not be albums that I particularly like but they are albums that are going to be prominent in the public conscience. It’s good for us as musicians to stay current with what’s being promoted by the industry. We can gauge what we’re doing with what is being pushed out there and see how we fit in with the current music scene. It’s also a good source to choose new music for your band to learn and play live or to have on the iPod to play during band breaks. The reasoning here is that you want to play music that people will know and since the albums I post on Live Musician Central are being so heavily promoted, your chances of people knowing the music at your shows is very high.

       The rest of the albums that I post are either personal favorites or they are certified classic albums that have sold millions of copies and are familiar to a lot of people. Today’s links are all to Amazon’s music service. Amazon has DRM free MP3’s that are ripped at 256kbps which is excellent quality at a killer price. So make sure you check them out!

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  • Playing A Charity Function Gig

    Charity Show For Children's Hospital Autism Program

       Playing a charity gig can be a fantastic way to do some good in your community and give you an excellent opportunity to do some band marketing. Every live musician is looking for as much exposure as possible to be able to market their band and music to as many people as they can reach. If your band gets the chance to play a charity benefit you should take a good look at the potential of reaching a large audience that you normally wouldn’t get to come to your regular shows.

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  • A Simple, Effective Accessory – Velcro Cable Ties

    Velcro Cable Ties

       After wrangling with tangled cables for years and years I finally found a fantastic solution. They’re really a no-brainer and something that you should have on every single one of your cables. I’m talking about the accessory that every live musician needs, Velcro Cable Ties!

       I honestly don’t know how I managed all those years without this simple accessory to keep my cables organized. Since I’ve been using velcro cable ties my cable last a lot longer. Without all the twisting and tangling that I used to deal with the cables don’t break down nearly as often as they used to.

       So make your life easier and pick up a pack of Velcro Cable Ties today!


  • Which Famous Guitarist Are You?

       I’ve got a couple of fun things for you today. First of all, have you ever asked yourself the question “Which famous guitarist do I resemble?”. Well, I’m going to point you to a quiz that will let you answer that question. Just follow this link to find out Which Famous Guitarist Are You? Check out my results below, I’m Jimmy Page. Who knew? I always thought I was more of a David Gilmour type.

    Which famous guitarist are you?

    Your Result: Jimmy Page
     

    You are just one component of music. The spotlight is your home, but only if you’ve have your Jack Daniels for the day. Lay off the drugs and fourteen-year-olds. You have good talent, and you don’t want to waste it by doing stupid stuff now.
    Jimi Hendrix
     
    David Gilmour
     
    Adam Jones
     
    Dimebag Darrell
     
    Synyster Gates
     
    Tom Delonge
     
    Which famous guitarist are you?
    Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

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