Being in a band and potentially living the life of a rock star is an incredible dream that we’ve all entertained at one time or another. That’s why even the most tone-deaf among us get together with our best friends and jam away in our garages, driving our parents and neighbors crazy. Never mind that the road to fame involves sketchy venues and poorly paid gigs! Here on The Sims 3 team, we are pretty excited that your Sims can now actively pursue that rock and roll dream!

The Band career is flexible and full of possibilities in The Sims 3 Late Night. Buy one of four new instruments and your Sims can play in anything from a jazz band to a rock band. There’s a double bass, keyboard or piano, and a drum kit. Your Sims must learn to play an instrument first because really, what kind of band leader doesn’t know basic scales. Once they’ve gained some skill, it’s time to recruit band members.

Form a band with members of your Sim’s household, friends, or the guy who lives next door. As a band, Sims can learn new compositions that they can buy at the bookstore. Your Sim’s band must have at least four Sims if you want anyone to hire them to play gigs. Otherwise, if they’re strictly a jam-for-fun band, they can have anywhere from two to four Sims in their band. One of the best parts of having a band is getting to choose a fantastic name for the band—like The Stinking Llamas or Reticulating Spliners. You can rename their band as many times as you wish or just go with one of the names that we’ve come up with. As the band leader, your Sim also has the power to kick out members anytime you wish. Be prepared for the consequences to your Sim’s friendship though!

When they start out, your Sims will be offered three hour gigs at dive bars around town. Make sure your Sim gets to the venue early. The other band members will meet your Sim there. Even if your Sim’s band starts playing paid gigs, they’ll still want to practice. Your Sim can practice with their band mates anytime, anywhere. Just call the band members and they’ll drop what they’re doing to come practice. Choose different styles during a session. Will it be a jazz jam session or a blues jam session? Your Sim can jam with up to eight Sims, whether they’re in the band or not.

Your Sim’s commitment to the band need not be full-time. Perhaps you still want your Sim to pursue their day job in the film career path and make time for band practice after hours. On the other hand, if you want your Sim to go pro, you could register them as self-employed at City Hall and chart their progress from Attic Act to Legendary Musician. The measure of success for any band is the amount of Simoleons they rake in from tips and gigs.

There are lots of places in Bridgeport that are fair game for earning a few Simoleons. You’ll find a stage set up at every venue in Bridgeport. Waylon’s Haunt is one of our favorite Bridgeport venues. It was one of the first venues that made it into the game and it’s like a familiar, neighborhood bar: a bit grimy, yet cozy with neon lights and dartboards. There is a diverse assortment of clubs and venues to play at. Your Sim can even stash an instrument in their inventory and then descend into the subway to play for tips.

Becoming a high level musician or pursuing the band career are just two of the many ways to achieve celebrity status. Among the perks of being a celebrity, there’s a chance of getting a free grand piano or a themed electric guitar complete with amplifier that will really take your Sim’s band’s image to the next level.

Whatever your Sim’s musical style, there are new outfits and accessories to suit everything from the grungy to the refined look, like leather wrist bracelets, sharp indie vests, or thick ironic glasses! And don’t forget the tattoo system—every self-respecting rock star knows that body ink makes you look legit.

See? Becoming a rock star isn’t so hard. At least for your Sims. Rock on!