Surviving the Slow Season
Roadies are typically seasonal workers, our most active season for work is usually during the spring and summer, with the year winding down during the fall. As the holiday season approaches, our gigs for the year are close to wrapping up. It is an excellent time to return home for some downtime. The holidays are usually low key and allow us to catch up with friends and family. Some of us will find ourselves busy on New Year’s Eve. The fortunate will be touring Australia or South America during January and February. For most of us though, we will have sporadic work through the winter months as we wait for tours and festival season to start around March. (more…)
Part 9 – Different Paths to Becoming a Sound Engineer
By: Malle Kaas
I have a lot of experience as a sound technician, but I practically have none as a mixing engineer. However, as I have mentioned in previous blog’s, it is my goal to become a mixing engineer. I would like to share my thoughts about the path I have chosen to follow to becoming a sound engineer. (more…)
Part Eight: How I have Changed?
By: Malle Kaas
Did the ten years I was away from the industry change me?
Well, of course, I have changed in the last ten years, things in my life also changed. I started working as a nurse, but becoming a nurse was not really a dream of mine. At the time though, I wanted a career that I could work anywhere and becoming a nurse filled that desire. (more…)
Smaarter Than You- Who works for who when it comes to technology
In his book, “A Sense of the Mysterious”, author Alan Lightman suggests that technology has grown burdensome despite its advances because we’ve reversed the human-tech roles – whereas innovation used to strive to create purposeful tools for serving mankind, it now creates robotic nanny-masters that give us instructions and objectives, and we, in turn, serve them. Now, there’s no doubt that we have and do things on a daily basis, from the terrific to the mundane, that have been gifted to us by science and computers and math that look more like hieroglyphics than actual numbers. (more…)
Part Seven – How has the Industry Changed in the Last Twenty Years
I have noticed that a lot of things have changed in the industry in the last twenty years. (more…)
Part Six: Can you be too old for this?
Within the last year, I have asked myself many times if I’m too old for this. Sure, I’m not 21 years old any more but am I too old? Should I be concerned about my age? Should I be bothered if others think I’m too old?! Well, many of my co-workers who were around when I started out 20 years ago are still touring and still dedicated and enthusiastic about their job as a sound engineer. I even know of some that are close to sixty and still touring.
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Japan is Mr Big’s home away from home. They are adored by their fans here and consider them lifelong friends. They have always had a huge fan base in Japan and even when the band broke up in 2002 the Japanese never gave up hope and never stopped pleading for a reunion. That reunion happened in 2009 and the band, with all four original members, has done three world tours and made two new records since. (more…)
Electric Zoo Part Two – The Show
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 running power to certain parts of the backstage area to hang lights. I had to pack up quad boxes at the monitor position, as I was tired of everyone trying to use our power. (more…)
Two Shows, Two Weekends, One Festival – Part Two
The week between ACL we traveled to Tulsa, OK, and Lincoln, NE. We had two days off in Tulsa, right in downtown – let’s say it leaves a bit to be desired and with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees walking around was out. I did make a trip to the Greenwood Historic District, which was once known as the Black Wall Street. (more…)
