Michael Jackson’s Musicians

The world was shocked this week by the sudden death of Michael Jackson, who spent nearly all of his 50 years under the microscope of celebrity and earned universal recognition as one of the best performers of our era.

His influence on popular music and entertainment is so profound and far-reaching that it is inescapable. There is likely no musician on earth that was not exposed to a heavy dose of Michael Jackson sometime since his debut with the Jackson 5 in 1969.

Jackson also worked with some of the best musicians of his time. Jackson’s guitarists included Slash, Eddie Van Halen, Carlos Santana and Billy Idol’s guitarist, Steve Stevens. His long-standing relationship with Quincy Jones produced some of the most significant pop recordings of the 1980s, including Bad, Thriller, Smooth Criminal and many others.

What I Learned at My Record Label Job

At 16 years old, I got my first job at a video rental store. Since then, I’ve worked at a mall, been a waiter, caterer, bartender, bar back, bouncer, sofa bed salesman, and office supply salesman. I also got my first paying gig as a jazz guitarist at 16, playing at a cafe in the middle of the mall. I think that gig paid $22.50 (the band leader took a 10% finders fee and split the rest four ways). That was the beginning of my double life–the kid that worked hard to make a paycheck and the kid that really just wanted to make music. For the most part, the first kid kept the other one kind of quiet because music is a hobby, not a job, right?

My attitude changed when I quit the office supply business and decided to find some mindless temp work to pay the bills while I tried to get things rolling with my music. I was completely honest with the interviewer at the temp agency:

“I’m a musician, and I just want a job where I can punch out at 5, forget about everything I did that day, and go focus on my music.”

He asked me what I played, what I listened to, all the typical music related questions. Then he said he might have just the position for me–Verve Records needed a long term temp to do some data entry. Perfect. Sign me up!

Finding Your Voice: The Basics of Singing

This article was inspired by a handful of my instrumentalist friends recently asking me for tips on basic singing technique. They’ve either been offered gigs in which backup vocals are involved or have to work with singers quite a bit and know that in order to better communicate with vocalists, it’s helpful to understand what they do.

While I was prompted to write this article by those specific friends, it is appropriate for anyone interested in singing. I’m talking singers of rock, jazz, choral work, opera, hardcore, yodeling… you get the picture.

So who wants to learn how to sing? Who wants to learn how to sing with more control? Who wants to understand his/her own voice better, to be a more confident singer with more flexibility and better endurance?

I do I do!

Great! Come with me…

Equipment for the Cruise Ship Guitarist: Part 3

Always, always have a back up plan. It could be as simple as an extra overdrive pedal available to use with an amp in case your multi-effects unit goes down. Or in the case of individual pedals, having extra patch cords and power supplies available.

One pedal that either group could use as a back up is an amp-modeling pedal, such as the SansAmp GT2 or one of SansAmp Character Series pedals, like the Liverpool or Blonde. These pedals emulate an amp type response and could be used to go direct to the PA system, in case a multi-effect unit goes down or an amplifier is not available.

Use what you are comfortable with and within your budget. Always have a backup for your backup plan. As long as you have the basics covered one way or another, most ship gigs are fairly flexible tone wise and you can always build your arsenal of effects and gear while on board the ship if you really need to.