Generally, this would sound like a good thing if you’re a cheapskate or skint, but when an event organiser tells you this — after you’ve set up all your gear at a venue — it’s a bit disturbing.
Now, we all like a bit of professionalism when we do our jobs. That’s why contracts and the sort are set up right? Now in the music industry, or at least in our part of it, we also have these nasty little things called “technical riders” and “stage plans” — which really just comes down to what we need to perform a relatively decent show. (Hangover and mood depending of course.)
Getting into the finer details of what this “tech rider” consists of will just be wasting your time, as well as bore the daylights out of you. Just understand that it’s like someone asking you to make a meal without any ingredients.
Anyway, bound by contract and the like, we arrived at a new venue, fee agreed and ready to work. Not for the first time, there’s no sound company and no organiser.
Here comes the fun part.
We give our guns a workout by setting up. (Yes, we do still carry our own gear). Finally, the manager/owner/guy with a phone arrives. In my most appreciative tone of voice, I ask this young lad where the sound is. With a serious look of content, he points towards the two speakers in the corner that menacingly overlook the linoleum-square covered dance floor.
“And the microphones?” I ask politely.
“Oh, you need those as well?” “No, not really. We just turn our nipple-volume knobs up to 12 and bellow a couple of almighty notes that will easily be heard above live drums.” I didn’t say that, but now I think it might have been the best answer.
“Have you got a sound engineer here?” was what spilled out of my mouth after realising this guy had as much of an idea about this as my ex-magistrate father. Or me about fistballing.
“Oh yes!” he utters, again with great conviction. “He’ll be here in a bit. He owns an electric guitar and an amplifier and everything.”
“And he has microphones, stands and monitors?”
Not expecting the world, his answer (this time less convincing): “No. But a friend of mine owns a music shop not too far from here.”
“So you’re going to quickly pop in, at 19h30, and go spend in excess of 10k?”
Even less convincing: “Um, yes, but I’m sure he’ll give me a discount.”
So after a lengthy phone conversation, he climbs in his car and drives off with the promise of being back in a couple of minutes with all the equipment.
We didn’t stick around to wait for him to return. A swift packing and loading of gear ensued, followed by a couple of drinks on the band’s account (because we had already received the deposit for the show).
Some may argue — quite rightly — that by doing this we let our fans down. We would like to think, as was proved again in Johannesburg recently where people left the show because the sound was nothing short of horrifying, that we did ourselves justice.
When on stage, and you see familiar faces rather enjoying time at the bar, it becomes quite disconcerting. Our dedicated sound engineer unfortunately has to bear the grunt of it most of the time — even though his hands seem pretty blunt when there are no buttons/knobs/switches to fiddle around with to fix some of the issues.
We’re not the first, and definitely not the last, group that this has happened to. We hear dreadful stories like these on a regular basis.
I guess the bottom line is, that most of the time the sound is out of our hands and although we try our utmost to upgrade and keep our gear and level of professionalism up to scratch, many “promoters” and club owners out there don’t realise the long-term prospects of stepping to the plate. There are exceptions of course.
Muso’s are unfortunately on their own in this country. There is no professionalism here. As a bassist myself, I’ve been in a few bands, one was quite big (won’t say which) and even then we still encountered this problem all the time. The music industry is just too small in SA, and quality sound engineers get no credit, no appreciation and no MONEY. It’s bad enough that most bands are paid virtually nothing for a show, but now they must pay a sound engineer as well? Highly doubt it.
How do these fuckers ever make any money? The beer is always warm, and you’re only drinking beer anyway because they’ve run out of Jack. The sound is terrible, the idiots at the door never have change for a R200 note if you arrive early, and they NEVER EVER start at an actual official time, which is useless if you have a couple of other gigs to catch.
AC/DC wouldn’t put up with this shit.
Thanks Rudi
Funny, sad but unfortunately true.
This is what happens when every Tim, Nick & Sally think they are suddenly event managers because they organised their child/parent/friends birthday/wedding/funeral. I really find the Australians painful with all their rules but there is something to be said for the smooth way their live performance industry works. I find actually speaking with the sound company/venue and asking them to send a list of equipment goes some way to avoiding last minute panic at the gig but name & shame is the only way to prevent this happening to other artists at the same venue. Otherwise your band is the one that gets the bad rep.
Play nice.
Bdc
And journalists… Let’s not forget that bad sound as a result of dodgy promoters often results in the journalist slagging off the singer and the town he grew up in, in print.
Not that they can’t step up to the plate, of course… Some SA journos look like they step up 5 times a day, with snacks inbetween
Not to detract from your pain, but what about Ashtray Acoustic then?
Matt, the sound engineer, or a dedicated one at least, is our own choice/expense. We prefer having someone around that knows the music, and knows when to ride the faders to to speak. It gives us piece of mind.
Generally venues/sound companies have an engineer at the show, but as you might have noticed in the past, they are not always up to scratch.
Once again, it’s really just to try and give the best possible show we can.
Was this by any chance the UFO roadhouse? Played a gig there, and, yea had about the same experience.
There was some really old drunk sound “engineer” that promised that he had all these contacts at this big venues and stuff. Didnt believe him for a second.
Interesting read. I would say I’m shocked, but I’m not. As a sound engineer myself, I know exactly what you are talking about. This is a daily struggle. In the end the bands get the blame.
I made a similar post recently about about Maties Jool fees, where there was a rig, but no sound engineer.( http://www.hendrikvh.com/ )
What a joke. Hopefully venues will start paying attention to tech riders. (at the moment I find 80% of organisers doesn’t even read it)
I read tech riders. I promise. But how about the bottle of this and crate of that that comes along with wanting a mixer with so many little holes? Personally, I think that’s pushing it. Demand the right gear and a good engineer, for sure, ’cause you actually need that to perform. Nobody gives me booze to do my part, right?