Despite its potential to be an extremely efficient means of communication, email has become a modern-day disaster. The ability to email anything to anyone, at any time, for zero cost, has led to a society full of anxious people who cringe with every addition to their inbox. However, I know that email can be efficient, so I spend a lot of time and energy speaking to people about ways to integrate efficiencies into the emails they send.
Touring is alive and well, and music festivals are on many artists' schedules this year. There is so much to think about when preparing for a festival. However, if we're prepared and ready to take on the inevitable curve ball, the experience can be rewarding. We can never foresee every problem, but I wanted to touch on some of the most important things to consider.
It’s fair to say that not everyone uses the same metrics to measure success. Often defined by superficial things like how expensive someone’s car is, affluence and personal income are probably the most common measurement tool. Some people desire a particular job title or position within an organization and don't feel successful until they’ve reached the top of whatever ladder they’re climbing. Others define success as simply being content in their everyday life.
“Patch these cables into the front of this rack. Everything is color-coded, so it's pretty straightforward.”
The young lady smiled big, and her eyes lit up as I handed her some audio cables to accompany my instructions. In that instant, I could see all the emotions on her face; surprised that I had asked her to help me, excited for the opportunity to be involved, and a little nervous about being given the responsibility.
This exchange happened recently at a show I did in Glasgow. The venue had implemented a job shadowing program with the local audio school to give aspiring live sound engineers real-world experience. And I didn’t waste any time putting this person to work.
At eight in the morning, incoherent and not fully aware of where I was, I reached over to hit snooze on my alarm clock. The room was dark, the bed was warm, and I was nowhere near ready to wake up. So, ten minutes later, another snooze. I repeated this cycle for the next hour until my alarm gave up. I don’t remember any of it, but I didn't get out of bed until eleven thirty, so I have to assume that’s how it all went down. My thought process when setting the alarm the night before went like this:
Get a solid eight hours of sleep.
Wake up well rested.
Get a head start on initiating a new morning routine.
I stood by, watching as our tour manager’s friendly demeanor turned cold.
"Yea, that's not going to work. There is no way I'm going to pay that."
The look on her face proved that she was serious and ready to stand her ground.
Together we had just checked in a tour party of ten people, along with more than thirty pieces of luggage and equipment at Jakarta, Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta airport. With well-worn passports and freshly printed boarding passes now in their possession, the band and crew dispersed to entertain themselves. And the tour manager and I headed to pay the checked luggage fee.
By August 2020, the world began to resemble a zombie apocalypse movie. In the parking lot of every tour bus company, weeds had forced themselves through cracks in the pavement. Without vehicles coming and going, there was nothing to stunt their growth.
The first hint of fresh paint and chlorine hit my nose before I even crossed the door’s threshold. The chlorine helped sanitize the pool; the paint offered a facelift to the walls of the building. Walking into school for the first time after a summer break was always a bit surreal.
What are you doing after work today?
Although you may not know exactly what will happen, you know that you won’t be working. If you’re still working in an office despite the pandemic, you’ll definitely be leaving. Snag your cell phone from its charging cable, cram your things into a bag of some sort, say goodbye, or not, to co-workers who are still lingering, and leave.
Something wasn't right. I was halfway through the burger before I got anyone's attention.
"Soy?" I asked, hoping this simple, one-word question would overcome the language barrier.
"No, beef." Being a vegetarian, this was not the reply I wanted to hear. However, based on the texture and taste, I wasn't surprised.
In my late twenties, I had a mohawk and looked closer to twenty than twenty-nine. As a touring sound person, my baby face was a cause for concern among some colleagues. A seasoned audio engineer has some wrinkles and often a grey ponytail.
In part one of this blog series, I discussed what information a tour’s representatives will exchange with a venue or promoter during the advance process. For part two I’ll discuss what the venue representative will provide to tour and production managers during the advance process.
Advancing plays a vital role in live production. A large amount of information is exchanged during the advance process, requiring clear and efficient communication. To ensure nothing goes unnoticed, attention to detail throughout the process is crucial.
There have been a few rare instances in my career where a single show has been canceled. Of the two that come to mind, one was due to artist illness, the other was caused by nasty winter weather that rendered travel unsafe, and we were unable to make it to the next city.
For those of us who travel extensively, it’s hard to believe that some people don’t like flying. Even when taking the hassle of airports out of the equation, they just prefer to be on solid ground.
