The tragic passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen has left a serious void in the music world. Many consider him to be the best there ever was, and few could argue. It's inevitable that all or our heroes will eventually be gone, but this one hurts.Van Halen was quite possibly the epitome of arena... Read more
A lot has been written about the different instruments we play, the hardware, effects, and even software. Most musicians read these articles like they did as a kid with the Christmas edition of the Sears catalog. And it’s easy to waste an entire evening reading about the merits of tube amps versus digital modeling. However, very... Read more
There have been many, many movies and documentaries made about real life musicians. Some of them have been critically acclaimed (Ray, Amadeus, This Is It, A Hard Day’s Night) while others have been universally panned (Spice World, Justin Bieber’s Believe).Only a handful of cinematic tales have graced the silver screen (and your local Redbox) involving... Read more
One of the primary objectives that I’m aiming for in featuring a “Spotlight” artist every week is to showcase acts that provide an example of how to do things right. From a killer song selection that caters to the party crowd, to putting time and work into providing an entertaining show, to taking advantage of... Read more
One of the most difficult things to accomplish when playing cover songs is to find a way to set yourself apart from the rest of the musicians that perform the same material. There are hundreds, if not thousands of bands that cull from the same list of tried and true songs that will go over well... Read more
John Monnecka - Cover Band Central's "Spotlight Artist of the Week" If you've read any of my previous articles, you know that I like to focus on several criteria when selecting a Spotlight Artist. Among the most crucial aspects to me are song selection, musicianship, and most importantly...great vocals. The majority of musicians that play... Read more
It isn’t always important to have great, professional musicians in a band. Many cover bands can get by just by playing crowd-pleasing songs and having an entertaining show without being incredibly proficient at their instruments. However, it’s a real treat to stumble upon a cover band that takes their job seriously enough to learn songs... Read more
In just about every town, every state and most countries in the world, you’ll find cover bands slogging along, playing regular shows for comparatively very little money, sometimes to very few people. But just because a group isn’t always packing rooms doesn’t necessarily diminish its level of talent. In fact, it’s not rare to stumble upon... Read more
There's something about music from the 80's when it comes to cover bands. It could be the catchy melodies, the fist-pumping choruses, or perhaps the fact that people born in the 80's are now in or approaching their 30's. It's hard to find a cover band anywhere that doesn't incorporate some of the now classic... Read more
You folks in internet land may have seen a surprisingly good video show up recently on your Facebook News Feed of two guys in a pizza joint slaying Toto’s “Africa.”The YouTube video has nearly three million views as of this writing, and is on its way to becoming a viral sensation—and for good reason.The song... Read more
