This article is an act of public service.
Those who may benefit most: bands who want to get better at performing live. And all bands want this, right? You’re not in this business to sound worse every night.
But where can you turn for advice? Let’s not make this about writing great songs and playing them with all you’ve got. Let’s assume you’ve got that. Let’s just talk about making your songs heard. Who’s going to know the most about doing this?
It could be the guy standing at that monster desk with all the knobs and dials and tiny lights. Some sound engineers in this town have been working concerts more than 20 years. They know more about the difference between music and noise than just about anyone.
Wouldn’t you like to hear it from them? If there’s some easily fixable thing you’re doing wrong, you’d probably appreciate it if the sound engineer sidled up to you and told you about it—just as you’d appreciate a friend taking you aside to say your zipper’s at half-mast.
But in talking to some engineers—among them Animal from Mississippi Nights, Jerry Boschert from the Rocket Bar, and John John from Cicero’s—I found out they’re not too keen on giving bands unsolicited advice. (More on why later.) You’ll just have to read it here for now.
read the rest at Playback St. Louis online by clicking "Columnists" and then "Good Sounds." Or, if you're in the Midwest, look for Playback at your better stores. And if they don't carry it, yell at them.
Posted by eshtine at July 2, 2004 05:31 PM | TrackBack