The most shocking musical deaths of 2012 include the passing of both iconic figures and a pretty little flower that never fully bloomed. With celebrity deaths come extravagant burials and funeral caskets. Some stars were buried in the most expensive coffins and caskets that include jewels and other high class accessories.

Davy Jones of the Monkees trumped the calendar odds by dying on the least probable date of February 29th. He was found on that once-in-a-four-year morning in his car complaining of serve chest pains. Jones was taken to the hospital for treatment. He ultimately succumbed to a heart attack.

Don Cornelius, the man behind the hit 1960s show Soul Train, also accepted his invitation to the hereafter. Cornelius died of a self inflicted gunshot to the head in the early morning hours of February 1st this year.

Leslie Carter is the pretty little flower the Reaper plucked before it had a chance to bloom. Leslie was the little sister of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Cater. Leslie constantly attempted to peek out from her brother’s pop shadow through feverishly attempting to write and perform music. Unfortunately, she died of a prescription overdose in her home in upstate New York on January 31st. It’s both shocking and sad so much effort was cut short before a breakthrough was made.

Of course the real trophy Death hauled into the Great Beyond was the one and only Whitney Houston. 2012 will surely go down as the musical year we lost Houston just as 2009 is fossilized as the year we lost Michael Jackson. On February 9th, Whitney Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel. While the official record states Houston died of an accidental drowning, it’s clear that such accidents are much easier for Death to take advantage of when one has a kaleidoscope of drugs in their system. The Reaper will have to work hard to evict someone from the music scene with more emotional drama than Houston to finish off the latter half of 2012. Let us hope Houston’s demise was the climax of musical deaths this year. The rest of the year will hopefully only bring the passing of obscure indie rockers still believing there are enough folks left on MySpace to check out their band.

On a softer note, perhaps the most shocking is the one we would be prone to forget about. Robert B. Sherman, the musician behind the childhood ditty “It’s a Small World After All”, also left our world. Truly this is the year the music died.

Mobile computing has gone a long way. Today’s mobile phones are computers, and through the use of software popularly referred to as “apps”, they can be pretty much be whatever the user wants them to be. While Android and Iphone are both operating systems that allow the user to play back MP3 files, some mobile users want a little more when they are enjoying their music on the go. There is a wide variety of apps to help these users accomplish this. Some of these applications are free while others have to be purchased (the price is typically only a few dollars). Some of these apps store music on the phone while others store it in the cloud.

Audio Galaxy is one popular (and free) smartphone app for people that enjoy music. This is one of those applications that stores the user’s music in the cloud rather than on the phone’s memory. Some users prefer this simply because the little memory cards that most phones use can be quite an expense when somebody continues to buy MP3s on a regular basis. The way Audio Galaxy works is that the user basically rips the CDs that they already own and then uploads them to the web. The only real downside is that Itune users will not be able to upload the music that they bought online because of the DRM licensing. To be fair, this software was designed for transferring a person’s CD collection to the cloud so that they can enjoy it on their mobile device.

Pandora is another one of those free apps that many music lovers enjoy. This app basically serves as a radio service. People pick up channels, or streams, and they listen to these radio streams on their mobile device. This avoids the cloud and the phone’s memory altogether. This particular app is commonly seen on home computers and Blu-ray players as well.

For only a few dollars, mobile users can enjoy an app called My Artists. This free iPhone apps specialize in the way that music is played. Biographies, photographs and other information regarding the artist that is currently being played can be enjoyed by the user. This app also recommends other artists that are similar in nature to the ones that the user enjoys.

People that want to enjoy music in a way that Android and Iphone operating systems won’t allow them to out of the box might enjoy some of the app recommendations that have been discussed here. There are plenty of other unique music apps out there. This article has only been discussing a few of the most popular ones.

Every musician wants awesome gifts that make their enjoyment or performance better. However, finding the perfect gift for a musician poses a few challenges. Whether a musician loves rock and roll or classical, there are a few things that music performers need to enhance their playing or singing. The gift giver need not spend big bucks to surprise their music loving friend or family member. Gifts suitable for any musician are easy to find.

Keeping Time

Remember the annoying ticktock of the metronome during piano lessons years ago? Turns out piano teachers knew what they were talking about. Using a metronome helps a lot when practicing any instrument. Notes get better timed no matter what the tempo and that helps performance. Today’s metronomes have a lower annoyance factor and are much cheaper than their older counterparts of yesteryear. The old swinging style is nice to sit on the piano, but to move into the 21st century pick one that is digital. There is one in any price range with any variety of settings and options.

Pages and Pages

Musicians always have sheet music on their list of things to buy. Today’s sheet music is easy to find with the birth of internet websites that sell music. Searches for specific songs are simple to buy. After purchasing songs are immediately available for printing at home. Everything from Reggie and Rap to Bach and Beethoven is available. Some of it can even be printed for free depending on the website.

Tickets Please

Concert tickets bring awesomeness to musical gift giving. Nothing primes the creative wheels for a musician better than attending a concert they can enjoy. Tickets can be bought on online, but a gift card from an online ticket sales company would be appreciated, too. The musician can purchase tickets for their favorite style of music or performance for any date available.

It can sometimes be difficult to purchase a gift for creative minds as they can be picky in their preferences. However, finding a gift for a musician doesn’t need to be difficult for the non-musician gift giver. Keep in mind music styles, personality types, and instruments played for a fool-proof way to please the musicians in your life.

During the past few years there has been a major explosion in the area of social media sites that share music. With so many different companies taking advantage of how society is consumed with the music world, listening to music has become a growing and more significant experience for all.

Social media has been providing a world of opportunity to help people discover music, to share music, and even find music in so many exciting and fun ways. Today we can share the music experience using many tools that are available on the web.

There are so many different platforms and apps one can use to share their music. Because there are so many, one needs to choose the ones that are more beneficial for them carefully, based on your wants and needs. There are platforms that are designed to help you discover music from different parts of the world. There are platforms that let you promote your music or the favorites that you have. There are platforms that allow you to show your talents as an artist yourself and to help promote your own music. Each different platform can serve a specific need based on what you want.

Listening to music through your platforms can give much inspiration and enjoyment to someone, therefore it is important to research and learn about the social media aspects involved in music and know what features are out there for you to take advantage of.

When listening to music you enjoy, remember to write down the genre and songs that you enjoy best. Use some of the features available like playlists to keep track of your favorites. Keep lists of what you don’t like as well. Anything that is enjoyable for you to hear is something worth keeping. If you hear songs while you’re driving along, or shopping, or at a friend’s house, write it all down and add it to your favorite playlist.

Integrating your music into the social media world is fun! Using social media tools you can share your playlists with friends. You can post updates on your status adding links to music sites or your playlists or link your friends up to your favorites!

Always remember that using social media only works best if it is a two way thing. You need to listen to what your friends post and like as well as them listening to you to keep the trend going. Let the power of social media be the way you promote awesome music to the world!

Going on a road trip as a band can be one of the worst experiences for a band, especially for one that is just starting out. The band spends too much time together in a small space, where tempers can quickly rise and where normally ignored habits can become legendary nuisances capable of sundering the best relationships. However, a few basic preparations can help the band survive the experience without killing each other or splitting up.

The first is the vehicle itself. At the minimum a van should be considered; a vehicle should allow the band members to spread out a little as well as allow for some storage. Although a trailer can be used to supplement storage, and is highly advised, the vehicle should be able to carry enough food and beverages for the band, at least between cities. The other issue is that there should be some room to stretch; there needs to be some distance between members, as too much physical contact can drive the band mates to murderous limits.

It is advised that hotel reservations be allowed for. Although it may save money to sleep in the vehicle, there is a psychological advantage in being able to get away from the same people you have just spent some serious time in physical proximity to, even if it is just a few feet. Thus, for the the sake of brotherhood to survive, at least consider campgrounds or some other way of not being forced to sleep in the vehicle for any time other than that required to drive between gigs. By the same measure, make sure that there is more than one driver and that shifts of no more one or two hours are the law; it helps deal with fatigue, ensuring that the band will arrive safely.

The aforementioned supplies are the last consideration. Not only can a properly stocked icebox save money on the road, it can help ease tensions by making sure that hunger and thirst will not be the cause of problems. It is also advised that each band member have some sort of distraction available; boredom can be a scary thing when it involves anyone that is creative and/or passionate. With minimal planning a road trip can be survived, with the band itself keeping intact. As long as the band members themselves are ready for it, it can actually be a fun experience.

Whenever you go to a wedding, one of the things you expect today is an extravagant reception, complete with a decadent meal, beautiful decorations, and large amounts of adult beverages. The one thing that no reception would be complete without however, is music. Having a DJ do your music is the most popular route to take, but can result in many unforeseen problems as well, in addition to the simple fact that the DJ is just playing other people’s music.

The other route that you can take for music at a wedding reception is to get a band. While more expensive, a live band gives a more “authentic” feel to your festivities. Of course, if you know someone in the band, the cost of the band can be somewhat, if not totally, mitigated. The other problem with a live band is that, let’s be honest, you are not going to be able to get an easily recognizable band to play for your wedding, so you’ll be stuck with local “indie” bands for the most part. That leads us to the most important thing, actually choosing the band you want to play your wedding.

The first thing you should keep in mind while choosing a band is, of course, their style. You need to make sure that the band is not only compatible with your tastes but also the tastes of your guests. If your wedding guests will mostly be composed of friends, you can probably keep that modern band, but if your guests are mostly older family members such as parents, grandparents and the like, it might be worth rethinking your choice.

You should also keep in mind the attitude and general demeanor of the band. If their basic style is a generally safe kind of music but they personally are going to be rude to your guests or, even worse, to you, the style of music that they are performing becomes irrelevant. To judge this, it is best to have a personal interview with the members of the band, especially if you know them personally, to outline what kind of behavior you expect from them while they are up on that stage.

As long as you keep all these things in mind, the band at your wedding should be a hit with everyone who attends, and they’ll remember your wedding for years to come.

When you think of professional makeup, most people think of models, movie stars and TV actors as people who need professional help when it comes to the application of makeup. However, what many people may not understand is that another industry that relies quite heavily on makeup is the music industry. Whether it’s for an appearance, interview or a concert, Preparing The Makeup for Your Band requires a bit of planning and a bit of understanding about how makeup is applied and how it can best improve the look of the person wearing it. Here are a few tips on how to apply and what to apply when making up a band.

When a band is performing in concert, they’re going to be surrounded by stage in concert lighting. There are several different degrees of lighting the band will be subjected to so shading and shadows can often make facial features difficult to recognize. One of the main facial features that tends to become obscured in this sort of lighting are the eyes. That’s why using non-reflective mattes and layering them with shimmer or glitter shades helps give the eyes depth and helps the skin to not be so reflective under what can be intense and vibrant lighting.

It’s also important to remember that whether the performance is being videoed or not, under this type of intense concert lighting, warm colors tend to look the best. That is an important fact to keep in mind when you’re preparing makeup for a band.

Lastly, it’s important to understand that the rigors of performing a concert. The physical exertion, the preparation and the heat of concert lighting demands that all makeup products be as rugged as possible. If you’re planning on using foundation, the best option in these cases are silicone based foundations that won’t melt under the intense heat of the stage setting. In addition, this foundation is waterproof and won’t be susceptible to extreme amounts of perspiration.

The same reasoning goes for mascara. If the musical artist or the band is planning on wearing mascara, it’s important to apply several layers of mascara. This will allow the mascara to last even the longest and most intensive musical performances. Another thing to remember about the mascara that you use, sure that it’s smudge proof and make sure that it’s waterproof. As with foundation, mascara is going to be subject to a great deal of perspiration. Waterproof mascara is the best option.

Choosing the right makeup for a band can be a challenge for a makeup artist. With the right products, however, you can provide any band with a great look that will last for the duration of their concert, photo shoots or videos.