Kulak’s Woodshed (KulaksWoodshed.com), is an LA music venue that is a center of the LA singer/songwriter scene, live streams performances worldwide via the worldwide web.

One of LA’s best kept secrets is now making it known throughout the US and the world that live performances of seasoned players and new artists can be viewed for free on the Kulak’s Woodshed website.

Kulak’s Woodshed was started by Paul Kulak who had a dream about having a music club that streamed video on the web in 1997, and he actually opened the Woodshed in 1999. It became so popular with musicians and artists that it became its own self fulfilling prophecy.

The only problem Paul had was keeping the Woodshed open financially, when it became so popular with musicians, which led to how it operates today; completely with audience donations and the dedication of volunteers as a labor of love.

“Our shows are constantly praised by high ranking entertainment industry people here in L.A. and around the world who believe that live webcasting is the next big thing and artists from beginners to Grammy winners perform here because they want to be a part of it.” says Kulak, adding “I’m very hopeful that the timing is right for this to resonate with online audiences.”

Kulak’s Woodshed is like a television studio with props and a set that feels like a living room where friends can play to friends and seats 49 people. It has 6 cameras and a professional sound system which have all been donated.

The intimacy translates well via live streaming to help the online viewers feel part of the experience; and viewers can even email performers and get a response during the shows.

On Monday nights, the Woodshed broadcasts its very popular “Open Mike” Night where 35-40 mostly regular performers play their music to a full capacity crowd and many online viewers.

Some of the notable Woodshed “Featured Artists” include Jackson Browne, Paula Cole, Peter Case, and Delaney Bramlett. Other “Featured Artists” at the Woodshed have included Jack Tempchin, Guitar Shorty and Deacon Jones.

Tempchin was songwriter for “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “The Girl From Yesterday” recorded by the Eagles. Guitar Shorty played with Ray Charles, Willie Dixon, Guitar Slim Big Joe Turner, and Little Richard. Jones was band leader for John Lee Hooker for 18 years.

A full list of Woodshed artists can be viewed at KulaksWoodshed.com/artists.

Current “Featured Artists” range from well known artists like Wendy Waldman who performed on July 8th, to emerging artists like T. J. Doyle and Allan Frank performing at the Woodshed on August 20th.

The Woodshed broadcasts from 7:30pm to 10:00pm on Mondays for the Open Mike Night show, and Featured Artist performances are broadcast from 8:00pm to 10:00pm PST on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

Paul Kulak refers to the Woodshed as a “labor of love.” Now people anywhere in the world can be part of his “labor of love”!

Paul Kulak can be reached at paulkulak@earthlink.net.

Article Source: Amazines.com

Join us as we take a look into several different methods of how to improve your guitar tone during a live performance. You can also learn the benefits of using guitar backing tracks to help perfect your skills in practice and for help developing tone live.

One of the key aspects of putting on a great live performance is having a great sounding guitar tone that cuts through the mix. There are a lot of different ways that you can improve your guitar tone during a live performance to help you achieve a professional sounding tone that will leave your audience’s ears pleased.

One of the ways you can improve your tone during a live performance is to cut back on the distortion. Too much distortion can make your notes sound thinner and cause a lot of buzzing that will take away from the rest of your performance.

It’s recommended that if you need a little extra crunch on your guitar that you use an effects pedal rather than the amp settings. Do not cut all the mids out in your settings. Try not to go for the modern “Scooped” mid sound in Mesa Boogie ampilfiers unless you really require that tone. Marshalls are great for their strong midrange and that is the reason why they record so well and are great live amps. Mid range is what makes your tone sound BIG!

Do also ensure that the drums are not over powering and the microphones are properly placed. The noise from the drum will drown the volume of the guitarists if the microphones are not placed strategically in the setup.

Another great tip for improving guitar tone in your live performances is to use a tube amplifier. These provide a warm sounding tone and can really help to bring out the sweetness of your guitar sound. You will also need a great deal of wattage on the speakers too if you have playing in a large hall. Those small amps will not cut it.

The best way to improve your guitar tone when playing live is to remember that great tone lies in your fingertips. Developing good tone means you have to develop your techniques and skills. The best guitarist in the world could play through the worst equipment around and still make it sound good, because of his playing abilities. If you gave an amateur the best equipment and guitars money could buy, they would still sound like an amateur.

One of the best ways to perfect your techniques and skills is to practice and perform live with guitar backing tracks. Guitar backing tracks can be very beneficial for learning good improvisation techniques. Playing with backing tracks for guitar can help you to be prepared for playing live and help you to develop the natural tone from your own playing style.

These backing tracks for guitarists can also be used to get better guitar tone by using them to play your live shows. Using guitar backing tracks for live shows are like being backed by a professional sounding band, which can help you to find a great quality tone.

Guitar backing tracks are professionally recorded by seasoned musicians and can help you develop your ear along with your skills.

About Eugene Walker: Want over 1000 Guitar Backing Tracks Visit Planet of Rock to improve your lead guitar playing and jam to professional live bands! Eugene is the founder of Planet of Rock Music Studios. He is a professional guitar teacher and has contributed to publications as Guitar Player and Maximum Guitar. Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory