One of the next generation of Sound Girls, Kelly works at Eighth Day Sound and has blogged about her experiences from the perspective of someone just getting started in the business.
Electric Zoo Part 3 – Load Out
Due to the massive thunderstorm that blew through, the rest of the festival was canceled which became a slight blessing for us since right after dinner we got to start breaking down stages and load out. We were originally scheduled to load out after the show at midnight into the early hours of the next ...Electric Zoo Part Two – The Show
By: Kelly Levstek For the two day EDM festival, I was assigned to work the stage of Main West. We would get the DJs set up and hang out in the wings until the next set change. I found myself doing more odd jobs than audio related ones. A lot of them related to power with ...Electric Zoo Part One – The Setup
At the end of August, I got the opportunity to work my first festival out of state. Electric Zoo was a three day EDM festival that took place on Randall’s Island in New York. We had five stages, Riverside, Main East, Main West, Hilltop, Spiegal, and Vinyl . Each of the stages were different; Hilltop ...Burning River Part Two
After a bit of a rough show Friday night, we showed up early in the day Saturday to regroup and figure out how to make things go a lot smoother. We did end up catching some heat from our superiors about the hiccups we had the previous night but that was kind of expected.Burning River Fest Part One
By: Kelly Levstek A couple weeks ago I got to work at one of our local festivals in Cleveland, OH called Great Lakes Burning River Fest. It’s a two-day festival based on environmental awareness to maintain a cleaner lake and to support environmental issues in the Cuyahoga area. It also celebrates local live music, food, art ...Nautica Gigs
By: Kelly Levstek I’ve recently have been training as a PA Tech at a local venue, Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica. The venue is a shed with a covered stage that seats about 5,000. It is located in Cleveland Flats and is right on the river. Each of the shows I have worked has had the same ...Hello Festival Season
By: Kelly Levstek Now that it is summer time, things are really moving fast in the shop. Many of our techs are out in the field, working a series of music festivals as well as tours and local events. We are strapped for time and resources to get the gear out the door. This is where ...Rochester NY: Corporate Gig Take Two!
By: Kelly Levstek After getting back from my gig in Novi, Michigan, I had two days in the shop and then I was off to Rochester, NY to do the same corporate gig. This time I went with my co-worker Dan Bluhm, who is an experienced PA Tech and has been touring for the past two ...First Out of State Gig – Take One!
By: Kelly Levstek In my last post I wrote about how I got word that I’d be working a corporate conference in Novi, Michigan. It was a two day corporate conference for a prominent beauty line and I would be working it with my co-worker and veteran of live sound Rod Price. In my post I ...First Out of State Gig!
By: Kelly Levstek I got word this week that I’ll be working a corporate conference in Novi, Michigan March 20th-22nd. It’s a two day conference for a prominent beauty line. I will be working the gig with my fellow co-worker and long time veteran of live sound, Rod Price. He’ll be showing me the ropes and ...Andie Cascioli and the Columbus Live Music Scene
By: Kelly Levstek This month I sat down with fellow sound engineer and friend Andie Cascioli. Andie and I both attended Capital University together. Andie is now working as a live sound engineer in Columbus OH. As for myself, I have been busy busy busy at Eighth Day Sound, building cables and new interface boxes for ...The First Big Gig
By: Kelly Levstek My co-worker, Eric and I took the truck to the State Theatre for a small rap show. Load in was at 1 pm, but we got their about 30 minutes early to get our barrings. The theater’s stage width seemed smaller than most I’ve seen, but behind the proscenium, the width is quite ...Truck Party
By: Kelly Levstek Working in the shop we hear over the intercom, ‘Truck Party’. It’s no special occasion or celebration, but the call of a truck on the dock needing to be loaded or unloaded. We all gather at the dock and drop our dock ramp to begin. If the truck is ready to be ...Life in the shop
By: Kelly Levstek Working in Eighth Day Sound’s shop has been a fun adventure and at times a challenge. Since I began working at Eighth Day Sound, I have rotated around the shop to many of the different departments. I’ve worked in the Mic Room, Cable World/Rigging, Audio Repair, and Electronics. In the Mic Room, I learned ...Prepping a Gig
By: Kelly Levstek Recently I have gotten the opportunity to prep a few gigs. Prepping a gig before it goes out on the road gives us the chance to make sure the system we built works properly and to trouble shoot the system to work out any problems that can arise. Working on show prep has given ...The Truck
By: Kelly Levstek While working at Eighth Day Sound I am required to obtain a Class B Commercial Driver’s License in order to drive the trucks. Getting a Class B CDL with an airbrake permit will allow me to drive any straight truck with air brakes. I however won’t be permitted to drive semi-trucks with trailers. ...Meet Kelly Levstek
By: Kelly Levstek I’m a 22 year old 5’ 1” blonde woman that just happens to have a passion for live sound and the world of live music production. As a young child, I have always been interested in music. I was a choir geek for many years and still enjoy the music and unity of ...