For the past several months I have had trouble with writing blogs or creating anything at all. We even took a short break from recording the podcast. I thought we’d be done with this by now, but I see that was an optimistic viewpoint in my pessimist attitude. I feel like Americans have let the world down with collectively selfish behaviors. For those of us who have been staying at home, wearing masks, avoiding others it feels like it was all for nothing. My logical mind tells me that if we didn’t try, it would have been far worse, but it is so bad with so many dead that it’s hard to imagine. This blog is more of a self-reflection than the posts that I try to make with helpful tutorials or access to resources. Forgive me for that, and hopefully find comfort if you empathize with me that you are not alone. For nearly 100 years Americans have turned to films to escape a dismal life, and with this pandemic and the closures of movie theaters, I have found little comfort aside from watching movies at home.
I have always been a fan of disaster, apocalypse, post-apocalypse, and general horror films. Having lived through an actual scenario of a global pandemic has shuttered the fantastical ideals. I found myself putting on films like Outbreak (Petersen, 1995) and Contagion (Soderbergh, 2011) the first weekend that we were home from work back in March. While putting it on I think “why are you doing this to yourself?” We seek guidance when there is so much unknown, and even fictional stories can help process real-life events. Some of us are smart and logical enough to understand fiction from reality, but others are susceptible to paranoid stories with little backing.
I remembered seeing Contagion in theaters and enjoying the methodical research that was presented. I was home from working overseas having just traveled to 11 countries in 6 weeks. I was in so many airports, hotels, buses, taxis as well as working on a cruise ship. Just weeks before I was a FOH engineer mixing for 1200 people every other day and this movie felt far-fetched. We were smarter than that. The film stayed with me for a while after seeing it but what resonates now is a subplot about a conspiracy-theorist blogger in the film that I recall feeling out of place. The conspiracy-theorist blogger feeds paranoia by posting videos promoting a “cure” (hydroxychloroquine, anyone). His viewers flock to a pharmacy to stock up on homeopathic forsythia and even have altercations after the stock runs out. I still have trouble understanding how seemingly competent people can get caught up in fake news and end up hoarding toilet paper and taking random medications, but they showed it almost 10 years ago in this film (minus the TP, that’s a 2020-special). It took almost a decade and a pandemic between viewings before I realized just how powerful it was.
We’ve survived summer and this is still going strong into autumn while the country opens more public spaces. Many people are still out of work. I hope that the public will see the impact that our industry has on the economy. They’ll remember going to live shows and going to the movies fondly. When it’s open, will they still come? I have to be (cautiously) optimistic about the future of the entertainment industry. I can’t imagine a life permanently without music, movies, plays, musicals, drag shows. Drive-in concerts and movies are cute and all, but I live in Florida and air conditioning is necessary year-round. I look forward to future films. Some of the best films ever made were developed during times of strife. Consider the 1970s following the Vietnam War, when horror films redefined the genre: The Exorcist, Suspiria, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, and Carrie, to name a few. Historically, this brutal time will inspire writers and producers to create. We will have work and our entertainment industry back.
I don’t want a zoom movie, please. We’ve suffered enough already.
Ay Ay Ford Wesley – A Love for Audio and The Bigger Picture
Ay Ay Ford Wesley is an independent engineer working in both live sound and production and post audio. She is a co-owner as well as the head engineer with her husband of Sound Signature LLC. She is a graduate of Full Sail University and has been working in audio since 2011. But her love for music audio started in her early years.
She credits her two uncles with nurturing her love of music. They were both in bands and when she was growing up she would attend their concerts. She credits her Uncle Schiavone for the majority of her interest in music, he was in a band called Fighting Gravity and she had all his albums and just loved seeing him sing his heart out on stage. It made her want to be part of that world.
Ay Ay fell in love with audio during her teenage years, when she was working towards becoming the next Brandy. She would write, record, and mix her own music using Cakewalk Music Creator. Learning the software allowed her to be creative with her music and opened her eyes to producing and mixing. She remembers being in love “ with every little element of music and wanted to be that person that balanced everything and added cool effects to make it even more interesting. From there I researched more about what that was called and I found schools that focused on that craft. It became real to me. I went from wanting to sing like Brandy, to wanting to mix her next album. It’s still a dream of mine.”
Her path to audio started with her love of music, to writing and recording her own music and then one day she visited a recording studio and realized that there was a whole team involved in making an album, she met the recording engineers and saw the gear and she was no longer interested in singing. From there she would enroll in Full Sail University to study recording arts but would be introduced to live sound “I had a month of live show production, and discovered this world of concerts and live events and became intrigued. AND THEN my last month of school for my Associates’s degree, we focused on production sound, sound design and post sound mixing and I absolutely loved it! So my initial interest in audio was through music and recording, then it morphed into live sound and concerts and then evolved into post sound and mixing for films and animations.”
She started working live sound in 2011 with PSAV. She says that they were a great stepping stone but she says “ you had to motivate yourself and push yourself to advance through the company.” Motivated she was, pushing herself, learning every piece of gear they had in their inventory, taking on challenging and higher profile gigs.
“I would see other seasoned technicians who would be called in to do the bigger, more complicated and higher profiled gigs and I wanted to be like them. Also, the fact that there weren’t a lot of women audio techs made me stand out and work harder to prove myself. I know people have their opinions about this company, but I really have to give it to the manager that hired me. He asked me where I wanted to go in the company, I told him I wanted to be a top-notch audio tech and he made a way for me.”
During her years at PSAV, she learned that mistakes are going to happen and that they are the foundation for learning and growing. She also learned that there are so many people on the production team that often they do not understand the role of the audio engineer. “ I’ve learned to make sure you are in those production meetings so that you can be aware of any conflicts or issues that may arise during set up and show.”
She also had some really great mentors “Michael Coates was the man that gave me a chance and allowed me to navigate and learn all I could about anything audio. He also put me on complex shows and allowed me to grow. Also, an amazing audio engineer named John Beckstoffer let me shadow him various times during my first few years with the company and he would always give me advice on gear and mixing techniques. He is a person that you could just tell he loved to mix and he loved teaching people. When I started my freelance career and was looking to work on more concerts and tours, I have to give so much credit to Amanda Davis who is an amazing audio engineer! What an inspiration! She has been there to guide me and give advice and she has opened doors for me to work on some big concerts that have taken me across the world.”
Ay Ay’s long term goals are to focus on and continue to build Sound Signature LLC. She hopes to land a contract with a production company for an episodic series or for audiobooks. Of course, during COVID she is looking for more work she can do at home and building a solid foundation for her company to remain profitable, especially for when she decides to expand her family. We are positive she will be successful.
What is a typical day like?
My days vary depending on what type of gig I have.
If it’s a concert I’m mixing for the day, I am up early, packing my pelican with anything I think I may need for the show. I’m listening to the artist on the way to the venue to get my mind and my ear ready to mix and I usually show up to show site super early to have a moment to go over the PA set, mixers (whether I’m running FoH or Mons) and to walk the stage and do my own preliminary tuning and sound check. When the show starts, it’s all about the show! When the show ends I thank God for a wonderful show and help with loadout.
If I’m working as a production sound mixer for the day, I am up early, packing my pelican and making sure I have my sound bag charged and packed. The same applies, in that I will show up to the production location early to get a feel of the area, although I would have joined the production team during the location scouting. If I’m there early enough, I’ll go over the script again, and perhaps get some ambient sounds or room tone while it’s quiet. When filming starts I’ll be working, getting the best possible sounds from my boom and lavs and when the day wraps, I hand the DIT my drives, as well as a sound report and I, head out. Always thankful for the opportunity.
If I’m working from home as a post sound mixer or sound designer, then my day is a little more relaxed. I’ll get up, eat breakfast, get all my social media habits out the way (lol) and go down to my little mix studio at my home and load the session files and either get mixing or if it’s a sound design project, I’ll have my arsenal of microphones and go out and about to capture some sounds that pertain to the project I’m working on.
When I don’t have any work for that day or week, you can find me watching videos on other sound engineers or watching gear review videos and phantom shopping (window shopping) online for future upgrades and such for my home studio.
How do you stay organized and focused?
I make lists of everything I need for a particular gig. I find it therapeutic and a great practice to pack bags and cases the night before, have my show files updated and saved on a drive and have snacks and drinks packed. That way the morning of the show, I’m not doing any last minute things. My mind can just be calm and clear before the storm.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I really enjoy being part of the bigger picture. I love mixing a concert and seeing the audience having a wonderful time and the artists on stage feeling that energy. Whether you’re mixing FoH or Mons, they may be two different worlds but the goal is the same and that goal is to have a fun and successful show. I love the creativity behind any of the audio gigs I pick up. From production sound with hiding mics in places to pick up clear dialogue, capturing sounds for atmospheres and soundscapes, or creating sounds for certain parts of the film, it just pushes you to be creative. In post sound mixing, you can work at your own pace and you have the freedom to build this soundtrack of sounds that help tell the visual story. At the end of it all, when the film is shown at festivals or posted online, to read the comments and see people really enjoying the work, that is what I enjoy most.
What do you like least?
For live sound, I hate when things go to hell lol. I HATE having a bad show, it’s such an awful feeling because it doesn’t matter if it’s not my fault, I still feel horrible. Whether it’s a lack of a soundcheck or the band shows up minutes before the show begins and I’m scrambling to get the lines up, or I’m working as BOTH the FOH and monitor engineer when there should really be two separate people doing the job (yes….there are companies that cut corners like that). Sometimes there are shows I have worked on and there hasn’t been any communication between the company that’s putting the show on and the artists that are performing, so I haven’t gotten a stage plot or an input list or anything.
Unprofessionalism and sexism are also what I despise in this industry. It literally takes a team to put on a production, we are all working together to accomplish a single goal. What does it matter that I am a woman? Why are you shocked that I know what all those buttons do? And the gossip, sometimes it just turns me off. Why get offended when I take my lunch breaks at my console so I can check to make sure my outputs aren’t muted and that there aren’t any surprises before the show instead of sitting in the break area talking about…nothing? That really happens. The annoyance of it all.
What’s your favorite part of touring?
I have worked on two tours in my freelance career and I really liked advancing the show, as it pertained to the audio portion. I loved being in contact with the production companies and show venues to make sure they’ve received all of our needs and requirements. Instead of relying on someone to communicate with the other side of the tour, I did it and it allowed me to be calm and know exactly what we were walking into and what gear would be there at the venue. Any changes that were made I was one of the first to be aware of it. I’d have to say I liked that the most out of anything.
What do you like least?
With those two tours being my first major tours, there was still a lot I was learning as I was on tour and with that, I was so anxious and nervous. I didn’t like how anxious I was on those tours. I was so focused on perfection that I could barely enjoy the countries I was in. I was scared to make a mistake and I just kept to myself. I was a wreck haha. There wasn’t a production manager, I advanced my own gear, lighting advanced their own and the tour manager managed the tour so I was learning as I was going. Honestly, the anxiety I had on those tours really made me not want to tour anymore, but of course, if I’m asked to go on tour in the future, I’m pretty sure I’d say yes lol.
What is your favorite day off activity?
Playing video games. Specifically Elder Scrolls Online.
What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?
When I first started freelancing, and I wanted to get in with an audio warehouse or a touring house to learn more about concert touring and building audio racks, I faced a lot of barriers as I didn’t have the “qualified” experience to work at one which blew my mind because I was wanting to work there to learn more and gain experience. My resume wasn’t “impressive” enough and I slowly realized that it’s more of who you know that could get you in the door of certain facilities. Also, marketing yourself as a freelance audio engineer was a huge obstacle as I didn’t know how to “show” my work and experience without it being a list of concerts and shows I’ve worked on my resume.
How have you dealt with them?
I’ve always believed that there are multiple ways to get to a goal. If I was met with rejection from one company I would move on and pick up a gig with another. I would also pick up gigs as the audio assistant or the stagehand in order to meet people and network. To promote myself, I created a website and an audio-focused Instagram page and started documenting my shows. I got a lot of exposure that way and now use those pages as a sort of portfolio. I’ve gotten gigs from just my Instagram page which is cool.
Advice you have for other women and young women who wish to enter the field?
Have fun and learn all you can! I truly love everything about the audio industry and the technology is ever-changing and advancing and it’s our job to keep up with it. This is such a great industry to be a part of. I would also advise women to be very aware of some challenges they may face along the way. Depending on what part of the audio industry you decide to pursue, you will (it’s inevitable) encounter sexism. You’ll meet people who don’t believe in you and who thinks a man is a better fit for the job. Please don’t let these people deter you. There’s a reason why you’ve chosen this path and you should pursue it with an open mind and an open heart. Your best weapon is your knowledge of the industry and its technology, which ANYONE can learn. Your drive and motivation should be what keeps you moving. Also, the most important advice I can give is to surround yourself with others that are also pursuing this journey. Join sound engineering groups, go to trainings and conventions, meet people and network, see if you can shadow an engineer on a show, which is a great way to learn!
Must have skills?
Troubleshooting is a must. It’s great to have flawless shows, but you need to know what to do and how to pinpoint a problem when things go wrong. Also, understanding the power requirements for gear and acoustical engineering also helps!
Favorite gear?
I love my Whirlwind PA-1 personal headphone monitor. I use it as a cable tester and to check outputs. Also, my laptop/Ipad and network routers. It’s so helpful to be mobile when tuning a system or checking levels, tuning stage monitors, or doing line checks and monitor requests for musicians.
Sound Signature LLCwas founded in 2018 when Ay Ay and her husband Marcellus realized we had more than enough live, production and mixing experience between them to open up shop. Sound Signature LLC covers live gigs, production sound mixing gigs and post sound gigs. Sound Signature LLC is proud to have had the opportunities to work on such projects as:
“Cycles“- Directed by Kathrine Street, which is currently making its’ rounds in the Independent Film Festival circuits.
“Loving Byron“- Directed by Deante Gray, which made its’ rounds in the Independent Film Festival circuits back in 2019.
“Comrades In Arms: The Manila American Cemetery”- Directed by Joshua Colover of Aperture Films, this documentary has been posted on the American Battlefield Monuments Commisions’ Youtube page.
“Harriet Tubman: Soldier of Freedom”- Directed by Joshua Colover of Aperture Films, this short film is posted on the MarylandDNR Youtube page.
The First Step to Marketing Your Music You Probably Aren’t Doing
Over the past few years, I’ve been researching the marketing side of music to be of more value to the artists I work with. Heaven knows I’ve been avoiding the world of “marketing” for the same reasons you have….it’s HARD! It’s hard because there are so many fears attached to it:
It’s expensive
What do you actually spend your money on; ads on socials? Ads on radio or print? Billboards? Your grandma’s book club? What??
You don’t want to be annoying
You are afraid of the negative comments that are bound to come
You’ve tried it before and all you get back in return are crickets and you just can’t bear to hear any more crickets…
Right?
So after a gazillion workshops, conferences, books and articles I’ve delved into these past few years, I think I finally figured out the one main component that most artists are not embracing or taking seriously.
Branding
By now you’ve heard this term thrown around but let’s talk about what branding really means, how to find yours and why it is the very first thing you should be thinking about before you even start creating your music.
Over and over again, artists I work with ask me toward the end of completing their EP or album or single, “Ok, so now how do I get it out there”.
Get my music out there.
I have come to hate this phrase, even though I know it’s harmless and it feels as though there’s no other way to say it. But to me, it’s the same as saying; “I want to go to Japan. Will you drop me off at the airport and then I’ll wander around and hope that someone puts me on a plane that is heading to Japan?”
We all know this will never in a million years work but I can’t think of a better analogy than the scenario of putting all of your time, resources and energy into the creation of music and then “hope” that it will be listened to by millions and create a sustainable career.
Perhaps it’s because there are still some long-held myths out there about being discovered in a coffee shop (the story is true for a few out of millions maybe). Perhaps it’s the fault of the reality shows that seemingly catapult a few into superstardom (and we forget about the fact they are casting a reality show and millions and millions of talented artists have auditioned and are never pushed through to the actual show because they don’t fit what casting directors are looking for). Whatever the reason, the truth is that most artists I observe are creating, crossing fingers, closing their eyes and “hoping” they’ll hit a target.
So, let’s talk about branding. I am not a branding expert, nor a marketing expert. So I am compiling notes and thoughts from quite a few resources which I will be linking you to at the bottom of this blog. Be sure to check out these amazing resources that are available to you, most for free!!
According to Stephen Linn of Amplify Entertainment, branding is one of the 3 Artist Development Buckets that you need to focus on to have the best chance for success in the music industry. The other two are the business side (creating an LLC, registering with a PRO and with Sound Exchange, etc.) and the Digital Footprint (following, content, audience, etc.)
“Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room”, states Linn. I think that’s a powerful statement because it’s scary. Linn also explains that you can’t control it but only influence it. Your brand secures your identity and makes you unique in a very crowded space.
Exercise time!
Take out a piece of paper, notebook or your digital notepad.
List 3 to 4 words that describe your personality. Using these words, create (or hire someone to create) your;
Logo
Photos
Clothing style
Fonts
Wardrobe (on and off stage, yes they can and should be different)
Everything about you that you are going to share *as an artist
*Remember, you are not obligated to share every detail of your true personality with the world, only those parts you want them to see. Even if you are enhancing some qualities or hiding others, you are in control of what influences your brand. If you don’t want people to know that you personally have an obsession with collecting mini tea sets, then pull all photos of that down from your social media and pray that doesn’t get out. OR, you could embrace it and make that part of what you share.
Write down your Mission Statement aka Elevator Pitch. The concept of an elevator pitch is if you only had 30 seconds to describe you, who you are and what your music is like as well as who it will appeal to, you should have this concise and clever summary memorized. Avoid statements like “unlike anything you’ve heard before” or “the best music you’ve ever heard” or some other egomaniac statement. I once heard music described as “It sounds as if Keith Urban and Taylor Swift had a baby and it was raised in San Diego”. You can tell what that would sound like, right?? Be clever!
Define your vision. What do you see when you see yourself as successful? Will you be performing to a stadium full of fans? Will you be living comfortably as a songwriter? What does success look like to you? Spell it out in detail.
Make a list of all of your favorite products, hobbies, restaurants, social spots, etc. Brand Extensions and/or partnerships can become part of your brand. Not only this but brand partnerships can become a source of income for you as well as a way to extend your reach. If you have a hobby of skateboarding or yoga or kickboxing or knitting or
have a love of Hallmark movies, include this as part of your brand. You will be able to connect with people with similar interests who may not have otherwise come across you and your music. This approach can also prop you up into the visual space for the brands you use and love to actually see you.
Make a Brand Binder. This is for you and your team and not for fans or the public. The Brand Binder will include;
Personality traits you narrowed yourself down to in the above exercise b. Phrases, thoughts, statements, quotes that you find inspiring and represent who you are and what matters to you
Mission Statement and Elevator Pitch
Vision
Brand Elements
Colors
Fonts
iii. Pictures
Logo (variations, colors)
Look and feel (mood/aesthetic) using pictures
Offstage wardrobe using pictures
vii. On stage wardrobe using pictures
viii. Any other pictures or swatches of material that add to your brand
Include your list of products, hobbies, restaurants, etc. for potential brand partnerships
I like the idea of having a physical binder for this but you could also use something like Pinterest or Trello to organize your Brand Binder.
You might be asking, after you have gone through these exercises and put your Brand Binder together, “Ok, now what?”
Your next step is
Creating Brand Awareness.
This. Is. The. Hardest. Part.
Honestly, I think creating your brand is really fun. I mean, who doesn’t like talking about all the things they love and creating a visual presentation of it? Brand Awareness is something that takes time. Remember, the Brand Binder is for you and your team, not your fans. It will guide every decision you make about what photos are best, what album cover looks best, what should I post on social media, etc. It is not a substitute for the business of bringing awareness to your brand.
So be patient. Building Brand Awareness is a marathon and not a sprint. Stay “On Brand”. Create Consistently. Contribute Always.
While you are at it, collect email addresses and give something back in return (free download, private invitation to live streaming event, etc.)
The good news is that if you do this right, you will attract fans outside of your regular circle of friends and family without spending a dime on advertising. You can also build brand awareness while you are creating music in the studio! As a matter of fact, that is great content to share as part of your brand building!
Make defining and building your brand the priority now and see how it changes things for you in 6 months or a year.
This blog was originally published on Becky Willard’s website Vox Studios
Here Is A Story Called: Applesauce Takes All Day
2008 Woodbury VT
When I looked up the clock read 12:37. My appointment was at 1 o’clock, more than an hour away. Every single surface (kitchen, personal) was, if not covered, certainly touched by something that came from an apple.
Ring Ring.
“Susan, I’m so sorry. I started my applesauce early this morning and thought I’d be done by now, but it’s nowhere near finished. Could we please push our appointment back?”
She chuckled. “Let’s reschedule.”
“Oh no! I really think I can make it. Just…later.”
“Ah, Willa, when will you learn? Applesauce takes all day.”
2020 Oakland, CA
Time didn’t stop for me with Shelter-in-Place. Something much more nonlinear happened. Is still happening.
A musician and a bodyworker by trade, those professions went up in a puff of shit-green smoke. As business fell away, so did busy-ness. For some months I managed to fill the action back up, anyway. Frantic. Until one day it proved untenable. The day before that I had awoken in such panic I actually wondered if I was about to have a heart attack. “Willa, you can’t go on like this; it’s going to kill you.”
The next day it nearly did. Not a suicide attempt, but the unequivocal point arrived at which everything had to stop. It stopped for me.
In a way, something did actually die.
I canceled everything – there wasn’t any faking it, I could barely talk – and sat there. Sat there in my garden. Sat there on my couch. Sat shotgun while my honey drove me down the coast to sit on the sand and look at the water. Walked from room to room like an old dog that won’t bed, wondering what to do if not doing what I normally do (biting off more than I can chew), what to be if not being as I normally am (heinously, proudly, productively driven).
I developed a touch of what felt like agoraphobia – not for being outside (I could manage the grocery store) but for real interactions with people I knew.
In general (even pre-’Vid) it’s really challenging for me to process emotions near people. It feels like stopping my car in the intersection to check the oil – dangerous and rude and focus-pulling. No, far preferable to drive into the wild where it’s me and the crows and then inspect the planetary gears where no one’s going to ask me about it until I’ve done what I’m doing and the grease is off my hands. (Fine to have some on my jeans, though – sexy.) To be clear, what I mean by “process” is “feel.” It’s actually hard for me to feel strong things in the company of other people. The feeling comes up, I access it largely cognitively, and then I put it somewhere for filing, labeled “feel this later.”
Then I accidentally on purpose mostly usually misplace the file.
Which means when I’m feeling a lot, it’s really hard to be around people. Particularly close ones, because they See me and if I’m trying to have a feeling I don’t want to be Seen. (This can wreak unparalleled havoc. It’s viscerally confusing and piercingly painful to whoever is close to me: “You seem to be having a strong personal experience, but you’re unable to warm to communication and have maybe turned to stone of some nature.”) I’m still learning how to both feel strongly and relate simultaneously, in proximity.
Which premise, it may be obvious to you, dear reader, but was not until recently obvious to me, is predicated on feeling in the first place. So: not misplacing the file. Fully, completely, feeling.
Three months into this “I’ll be right there, I’m just gonna pretend to rest a minute” hiatus, my back went out. Sweet day, feeling pretty stable, donuts (Boston creme and plain yeasted), went to sleep early…woke in the night unable to move. Physically idiopathic. Emotionally crystalline. I hadn’t gotten still enough, yet. So my bodysoul wrote a poem called, “That’s Cute, But Your Ass Is Mine.”
I lay on my back for three weeks. Tectonic pieces began to move. Foci shattered, blew away in the wind. “That thing you thought mattered? Hilarious.” Shadows came into focus. Buried Memories came up to speed, like turning the quiet hall corner into a well-lit kitchen. Stolen Sadnesses. Ungranted Forgiveness. So. Much. Rage. Rage at others, Rage at my own repeated, dragging self-betrayals. Rage, which turns out is just Grief in tight clothing. Grief that made clear why people sing about drowning in tears, the waves of it so unremitting I couldn’t locate the surface to get air, sand in the eyes, hair in the kelp. Awe so shameless my atoms danced with the atoms of the leaves on the pear tree outside the window. Undoing. Unmaking. Stillness.
Some hours I lay there, breathing.
Feeling.
There was literally nothing else to do.
“Where could this be going?” But there was literally nowhere else to go.
Thich Nhat Hanh describes meditation in this way: when we Sit we are as apple juice that has been allowed to rest; the particulate matter settles and the juice becomes clear. (See? It really is an essay about apples.)
Because I had slowed down some – even dramatically – I had thought I could “make it to the 1 o’clock appointment.” But slow enough to hear myself think wasn’t yet slow enough to hear myself feel.
And that may well take all day.
Susan Comen, of the applesauce story, is a writer, musician, educator, homesteader, and bio-geometrist in Middlesex, VT. She’s also a voice of great, smiling reason.
She would – and I would join her – encourage you to pace yourself honestly and kindly, in these times more than ever.
Willa Mamet: Singer and songwriter, Willa was born in a trunk and raised by performers of all kinds. She’s made music since about that time, singing irrepressibly and playing piano and guitar. With her musical partner, Paul Miller, she recorded two albums, East Hill Road and Let Somebody Love You, both of which won the VT Times Argus “Tammy” Album of the Year in 2013 and 2015. Her next album will be born in Spring 2020. Meanwhile, she plays out sola, with Miller, and other beloveds, bringing her unique blend of rapier tongue and honey heart to her audiences. Hear the voice that Patti Lupone calls, “Heartbreaking. Musical. Contemporary and ancient.”
Willa lives in Oakland, CA, with her beloved upright, her uncle’s guitar, a whole lot of elderberry bushes, and her six-pawed cat. She travels. A lot. For music.
SoundcheckPro is offering a discount to SoundGirls Members
SoundcheckPro is a virtual training tool that enables audio engineers to practice “hands-on” without needing to physically be in front of hardware or space. There are 6 consoles from compact to large-format, external audio effects and advanced signal flow routing with patchbays. SoundcheckPro will make anyone a smarter and more resourceful engineer empowered to be better prepared for future opportunities.
SoundcheckPro is offering a discount to SoundGirls members
Apply the coupon code during checkout on the web shop: Here
Hit SYNC on the account page in Soundcheck to refresh the subscription
The Case for Keeping Music Political
As politics become more and more contentious in America, I’ve noticed a growing phenomena of people pleading with musicians to keep politics out of their art. It’s not a new trend, but as the election draws nearer people seem to be louder about it.
Why should politics be separated from music? Music and politics has never been completely separate. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have the music of Bob Dylan. Or Bob Marley. Or of many other musicians, some of them not even named Bob!
I understand the want to tune out the world and relax while you listen to a record, but to insist that musicians “stick to what they know” and stay out of politics ignores the role politics plays in music, let alone the fact that musicians are also the constituents of elected officials and are therefore personally and professionally affected by their policies.
Music is one of the multitude of ways that we, the people, use to express ourselves. When things happen in the world that makes us feel a certain type of way, writing a song about it is a natural reaction that has been happening for generations. I’m no music historian, but even I see the parallels between history, politics, and music.
1900–1920: the labor movement, class struggle, and the great war
1920s–1930s: the great depression and racial discrimination
1940s–1950s: the labor movement vs McCarthyism; anti-nuclear songs
1960s: The civil rights movement, Vietnam war, and peace and revolution
Early 2000s: Iraq War, anti-George Bush protest songs
Today: Police brutality and racial injustice
There are so many pieces of music to choose from to demonstrate what I mean, but I’ve chosen six songs from the past and present to make my point:
Billie Holiday – “Strange Fruit” (1939) was written in protest of the lynching of African Americans at a time when it was socially accepted by many people. It was a haunting statement that came 15 years before the Civil Rights movement in America even began.
Written by Abel Meeropol, “Strange Fruit” has been performed by Nina Simone, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Diana Ross, and Jeff Buckley.
Woody Guthrie – “This Land Is Your Land” (1944) is a rebellious alternative to “God Bless America.” He wanted to craft a song that represented the average working American and their equal rights to the rich. Guthrie sarcastically called his song “God Blessed America for Me” before renaming it “This Land Is Your Land.” Throughout his life, Guthrie was associated with United States communist groups, noted as a “fellow traveler”-an outsider who agreed with the party platform while avoiding party discipline. Guthrie is also known for displaying “This machine kills fascists” on his guitars.
Curtis Mayfield – “(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go” (1970) is a warning about American race relations. In this song, Mayfield conveys the idea that if we as a society don’t get our act together, then all hell will break loose. The song opens with a woman stressing a return to reading the good book and straightening up before it’s too late. The heavy fuzz bass is not only funky, it’s apocalyptic.
Bruce Springsteen – “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984) was misunderstood right from the beginning. “Born in the U.S.A.” was a defiant anthem about America’s poor treatment of Vietnam veterans. Rather than being proud to be born in the USA, the attitude is one of “I was born in the USA so I deserve better than what I’m getting.” The song is so misunderstood that countless politicians (including Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump) have used it to soundtrack their campaigns.
Rage Against the Machine – “Killing in the Name Of” (1992) with lyrics like “Some of those that work forces, Are the same that burn crosses,” and “By wearing the badge, They’re the chosen whites,” the song alludes to the history of US police forces being a white supremacist organization such as the Ku Klux Klan, whose symbol is the burning cross. The song was released six months after the Los Angeles Riots, which were triggered by the acquittal of four white police officers who beat black motorist Rodney King.
Taylor Swift – “You Need to Calm Down” (2019) released in June, Pride Month in the US, “You Need to Calm Down” is a rebuke of internet trolls and homophobes, with Taylor clearly voicing her support for the LGBT+ community. Yup, even Taylor gets political in her sugar-coated pop kind of way.
The Recording Academy itself is entwined in politics and has mobilized members to become District Advocates. District Advocates are encouraged to communicate with their representatives about issues that face music creatives. During this pandemic, the music industry, especially the live music industry, has been brought to its knees. On District Advocate Day back in August, over 2,000 Advocates had meetings with representatives to encourage them to pass legislation geared toward helping the music industry recover. They’ve also set up a website, in partnership with Headcount, where you can check your registration status and request an absentee ballot: Grammy.com/election2020
So maybe the question shouldn’t be “why is music political these days?” Maybe the question should be “why didn’t I realize music was political until now?”
Audrey Martinovich – In 2012, Audrey’s professional recording career began at Audio for the Arts, a Wisconsin-based recording studio specializing in acoustic music, where she quickly became a trusted engineer for several clients in the Midwest and beyond. From recording live stand-up albums for Comedy Central, to recording concerts on a stage floating in the middle of a lake for Reebok, Audrey has done a bit of everything. Intrigued by unusual acoustic environments, Audrey especially loves recording musicians anywhere from silos to cavernous basements.
In 2017, she became the first female contributor to Pro Tools Expert, with articles focusing on tips for recording live performances and acoustic instruments. In 2018, Audrey was a finalist to receive the award for Breakthrough Studio Engineer from Pro Sound Europe. She has spoken and been on panels at Between the Waves Music Conferences, Empowering Women in Audio Clinics, and E-Women’s Network. Audrey is a Warm Audio artist, member of SoundGirls, AES, and a voting member of the Recording Academy.
We need thousands of e-mails to hit the Senators now.
United States SoundGirls -The new bill just appeared and it is 2,152 pages long.
It does not have RESTART. It is urgent that we flood our Senators and the Senators listed below with emails. In addition please send letters to your local media.
Below is a list of Senators staff below. These are the personal e-mail addresses, not a box. The impact is big.
Again, I know this is laborious, but we need thousands of e-mails to hit the Senators now.
Thank you for doing this.
There are a huge number of upset Representatives and Senators, as they know the new bill leaves most small business without funding.
It can be revised in the next few days. Do not give up.
We must act now.
send this to your e-mail list
Address e-mail to yourself
Copy and paste the blue addresses below into the Blind Copy box.
For over 100 years, when the world needs help, who do they turn to? The Live Event Industry.
Whether it be for making the world aware of a need or to raise money, the Live Event Industry has always jumped to the forefront and delivered.
George Harrisons Concert for Bangladesh
Farm Aid
Live Aid
“We Are The World”
“Do they Know that it’s Christmas”
A Concert for Life
The Tibetan Freedom Concert
The Concert For New York
America: A Tribute to Heroes
4664 – Nelson Mandela Tribute
Tsunami Aid: A Concert For Hope
Katrina- A Concert For Hurricane Relief
Shelter From The Storm- A Concert For The Gulf Coast
Live Earth- Combat Climate Change
Stand Up For Cancer
Hope For Haiti Now
12.12.12: The Concert For Sandy Relief
One Love Manchester.
There have been many, many more great events, but these are the most well-known. The Live Event Industry has always been there in times of need.
Not unlike the Red Cross, the Live Event Industry shows up every time we are asked and provides artists, stages, lights, sound, video, lasers, pyro,
crew, venues, catering, staging, busses, trucks, and support to raise awareness, money, and love.
We always work for free to enable all of the money raised benefits those in need. We give greatly of ourselves and our companies each time, no questions asked.
We make it possible for those hurting and in need to survive.
We will do it the next time and every time we are asked. It is who we are.
But now, as we have been shut down since March 13, 2020 and will be until March 2021, we are the ones in dire need.
We have not worked at all in six months and will not work for another six months. Imagine that if you will. Look at your life with no income for a year.
How would you survive?
We are an $877 billion dollar industry with over 10 million people, and we are 100% shut down. We are not the stars,
but we are the 10 million people behind the scenes. Many of the companies we worked for are gone. More go under every day. Something must be done now.
The Live Event Industry has been pushing to pass the RESTART Act for months. Most national media have not carried our story and we are unsure why.
We pray they carry this story. The RESTART Act as part of the next relief bill is the only thing that will save all of the Live Events Industry.
No other Act will save us all. If the RESTART Act is not passed by October first, over 70% of our industry will face extinction.
That means when you want a concert, movie, play, trade show, conference, special event, wedding, birthday party and all of the other events
that make our lives great, most of us will simply not be there to deliver a service for you. Our companies will be bankrupt and our people in other industries.
The Live Event Industry is begging the Congress, the media, and the people to realize we are here and in need.
We love what we do, and we love all of you that make our lives possible. Please help us. Time is short, we only have this week.
Please pass RESTART. It is time the Live Event Industry has some Live Aid Too.
Everything I Need To Know About Sound Design, I Learned From Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ok, maybe not EVERYTHING, but what I mean to say is that I can (and do) apply RBG’s wisdom anywhere. We lost a champion of the people, a defender of equality, and a warrior among women when we lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and it’s up to us to make sure that her legacy is carried out for ages to come. It sounds lofty, I know. Carrying out her legacy does not mean that we need to be as notable as she was. It doesn’t mean that we have to decide the fate of millions of people. It just means that we have to stand up for what is right, and speak up for what we believe in. We can do this in our own little corners of the world. From the moment we wake up until the moment we close our eyes, we make decisions. Some decisions are small, and some decisions hold more weight and can affect more people. Let’s just take an extra breath and ask ourselves, “What would Ruth Bader Ginsburg Do?”
“It helps sometimes to be a little deaf (in marriage and in) every workplace, including the good job I have now.”
This seems like a strange way to begin a Sound Design blog, but hear me out, it’s impossible to hear the macro when we’re so focused on the micro. I don’t know if this is what RBG meant by this, but this is how I’m choosing to read it. It’s hard to see our place in the world when we can only see ourselves. I once composed an opening sequence for a show I was designing. It was perfect, I absolutely loved it and was really proud. During tech, we ran the opening. During the hold, the director looked at me, scrunched up his face, and said, “I don’t think the opening music is working.” It was really the last thing I expected him to say, and now I became hyper-focused and aware of that music. We ran it again, and I listened to the music. Intently. I closed my eyes, I moved to the center of the house, and I listened. The director said, “See what I mean?” No. I didn’t. So we ran it again, and this time I kept my eyes open, and I noticed a costume piece I had not seen before. It was bright. The actors in the opening light looked light and cheery. I wasn’t even listening to the music anymore, I was watching everything on stage, and I realized, my music didn’t match these elements. I had to be a little deaf to it to realize that.
“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”
This one is easy but still important. In the entertainment industry at large, we are compared to those that have come before us and even those that work alongside us. As designers, it is imperative that we have our own voices, thoughts, and ideas. What value is there in “doing it like the cast recording?” Stay far away from “this is the way we’ve always done it.” You don’t need that kind of negativity! “This is the way we’ve always done it” is not good for design, and it’s not good for growth. It’s ok to be the one voice that asks to do things differently.
“Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”
This is ever so true for Sound Designers. We’ve all read the statistics. Sound Design is a heavily male-dominated field, and it always has been. What’s important to remember is that it won’t always be that way. We’re starting to be recognized, we’re starting to be sought after and appreciated, and the next generation will learn from all of these women. There has never been a lack of talented women in Sound Design. There has been a lack of belief and trust in those women. There’s been a lack of support, and now that is starting to change, but there is still work to be done.
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
There should not be one single aspect of your life for which this does not ring true. It does not matter how big or small the situation, if you care about it-fight for it…thoughtfully. I think about this when I’m designing if I come to a point where I’m defending an endangered cue. It’s at the forefront of my mind when advocating for students’ opportunities. When I’m questioning a policy, I remember these words. And when I’m being an ally and an accomplice in industry-wide equity, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words give me confidence and grace.
Look, the fact of the matter is, I could have written this blog about any job in any industry and still been able to apply RBG wisdom. The reason why her words are so applicable to every situation is that they are always about the human experience. Let the small things go, be an individual, assert yourself, equality, equality, equality. One more little piece of advice from me: You can have a role model and still be an individual. If you’re looking for some enlightenment, it doesn’t get much better than Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Identity
The sun shines through the window and the wind rustles the trees. It’s quiet. A soft melody playing in my head and I take a deep breath. Ah… This has been three chaotic and insane months and finally, I am in a place where I can relax. I can let my shoulders finally fall and loosen my jaw, which has contributed to my headaches. I don’t get headaches! Still, they’ve been present together with the looming anxiety. I am a live sound engineer. Although, I don’t know if that’s me anymore, but saying it out loud gives me hope. Hope that one day, not too far away, I will step into the sound booth and work. I long for it. My whole being longs. Whilst life slowly went back to normal in London, I’ve struggled. If I can’t afford to wait for the industry to resume. Who am I?
A few weeks ago I met a couple that belongs to my inner circle. They talked about the breaks in the comfort of their own home and not having to commute. We discussed identity and both of them told me they don’t have this feeling. They both have well-paid jobs and are happy doing their Monday to Friday shifts. At the end of their working day, they stop and leave work at work. Or these days, turn off their computers and work phones.
So why are we in the arts identifying ourselves so much with our work? Is it because we followed our dreams and passions? Maybe it’s because we use our identity in our work and they merge into one. A songwriter uses their experience to create a song. A painter expresses their identity in their art. Like I use my experience and love to craft my work. At the beginning of the lock-down I did a personality test and tried to figure out what I should do with “the rest of my life”. Yes, I am a cliché. I don’t care. The point is I did a full circle. Three months later I filled out a form for a career thing and I realised I do not want to do anything else and I will fight tooth and nail to get my work back.
So now I rest. I wander around my mum’s house in the idyllic countryside in Sweden and greet their hens in the chicken coop. I dream of a packed sweaty room where no one is standing still. But for now; this is not too bad either.
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