-Guitar Hero is all the rage for consumers.

-Need to take a break from searching for the latest gear during The NAMM Show? Here are some celebrity appearances and parties to check out.

-Attendance increased at Music China and Prolight + Sound, and Kenny G made a big splash.

-Improving next month's NAMM Show is like making the 1972 Miami Dolphins better. But NAMM is certainly not resting on its laurels.

-We reveal all of the manufacturer nominees for Music & Sound Awards to be handed out next month at The NAMM Show.

-Counterfeiting on MI products, particularly guitars, may have received minimal national press, but the problem is real and not going away.

-Find out how to sell products your customers are probably not looking to buy.

-M&SR features its second annual independent retailer roundtable. What's on dealer's mind's this year. Are things better than last year?

-Females playing musical instruments now outnumber males, according to a NAMM/Gallup survey.

-Industry leaders paved the way for the next 10 years.

M&SR: Do you get much of a chance to shop at the little mom and pop stores these days?
Rubano: When we're on tour, that's what we head out looking for in particular. Particularly Fred [Mascherino, former lead guitarist] would be way more interested in going into a store like that than a big chain store. And I think that's certainly where you find some real gems sometimes. It's always just a more personal thing.

M&SR: What's in your current rig?
Rubano: Right now, where I'm sitting, I can see my Martin acoustic guitar that I bought a little bit more than a year ago, that I love to death and I play every day. I can see my 1972 Fender Jazz bass, which is my favorite bass but one that stays home a lot because I don't want to put it through the crunch of touring. And I can see my custom-made six-string Michael Tobias bass that I have. I also just recently acquired an upright bass; an acoustic bass. I've been playing a lot of that lately. These are just in my bedroom (laughs). But as far as my touring rig, I have a great relationship and a great setup of Aguilar bass gear that I feel like is second to none. From the first time I played it, it was just a hands-down, no-brainer decision that it was the best-sounding stuff. And then I took it on the road and it's been nothing but super solid for me. I really love that stuff.

M&SR: What is your next gear purchase going to be?
Rubano: I went to see a friend of mine play in New York a couple of weeks ago, and he was playing a Fender Mustang bass. It was kind of a unique sound and a different Fender bass than I've seen before. So I've had my eye on those. But lately I've been more in a practicing and writing mode than amassing equipment.

M&SR: Taking Back Sunday played this year's Live Earth concert. Is that a cause you guys are aware of? Do you play "green" instruments?
Rubano: Wow, I actually haven't heard of any of the "green" instruments. That sounds really interesting. But the opportunity to play the Live Earth show is awesome, both because of what the cause is and the sort of all-over-the-world factor. And of course to be sharing the stage with so many huge names in music. But the environmental awareness is something we've implemented into our band lately as far as our touring. It was initially brought to the band by Fred who, in his personal life, is quite conscious of those things. His home runs on green energy and he has a car that runs on vegetable oil.

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