A Barking Dog

Been hot as fuck here over the last six weeks or so. Exactly, Dave, how hot is fuck? Well of course that all depends on who is doing it. Opps, sorry strayed from the topic. Guess that’s what I get for not having Tony give me one of them awards. I’m sure he’s not the guy that gave me all these platinum colored records, errr I mean CDs. Actually, very few were “given” to me. Most of them I had the priviledge of purchasing only after I was associated with the project. I wonder if that Tony guy charges his recipients for copies of the award. Touring we did on many gigs 20k punters per night. Most of these theater gigs don’t do 20k punters per month. Dave are you bitter and grinding an axe against the theatrical discipline based on your limited experience with some of those asshats? No, give me another few weeks and let it really fester. That’s not how you do it in New York? Well, Sunshine, do you think it’s because this isn’t a Broadway theater gig is the reason why it’s not like that? No, really…

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, and fortunately for us, there isn’t much humidity. At least it’s a dry heat… Technically, my first summer here was last summer, though two years ago when I first did the recon down here during Infocomm, it was June and hotter than hell. Hot, hot, hotter than hell, burn you like the mid day sun. Last May, like pretty much every summer for the last 30 years or so, I bailed town to chase the bright lights and glamor of show biz, or at least get a good touring gig where over the course of three or four months I could make most of my nut for the whole year. A year ago this week I was here in town for a week or so, starting my first year at Thee Swanky Dive On The Strip. We had a break between the Euro and US legs and I spent it learning the ropes at the new gig and seeing such comedy favs as Rodney Carrington and Bill Engval.

Other than the insufferable weather, plus the Strip block long walk from employee parking it’s sort of like being on the road living on the bus. But not really. At least a couple of times a week on the way in (or out) of the gig I see many tour coaches and trucks at the docks of the big venues in town. I reflect fondly on the memories, but glad I’m not a passenger in one of those vomit comets. The schedules are different, and that’s one thing that takes getting used to, even after a year. We have basically two modes. Run mode, where we run the show, and dark/creation/enhancement mode. Most shows do the creation mode before the show opens. Now the braintrust that runs our show, even after two years hasn’t quite figured the show out. So they keep changing it. The other shows like ours (or shall I say, the other shows that we are like) don’t seem to have this problem. They tweak, but not to the extent that we do. And we are some tweakin’ motherfuckers. And we change the show quite a bit, too. For the last several weeks we’ve been on “enhancement” mode.

This week I thought I’d give you a chance to see a comparison of schedules between touring fly date roadie, touring bus roadie and production show roadie in run mode. In creation mode it’s like being in pre production touring. You get there early in the morning and don’t leave until late at night.

A Day In The Life….

0600 (we’re doing Euro time here because I think it makes me look cool, or is it kewl?)

Fly Date: You are either at the airport, on the plane already or heading for the airport unless it’s a day off.

Bus Date: Comfy asleep in your rack either at the gig or on the way to the gig unless it’s a day off and you might already be in your day off room. Or in the back lounge regreting you stayed up all night with the lighting guys.

Production Show: Considering where to have breakfast after spending the night in the Artisan/Peppermill/PT’s with the Drinking Club With An Audio Problem.

0900

Fly Date: At the first layover or if you are lucky (or unlucky depending on your outlook) on the ground headed to the gig in some van or minibus that either smells like shit, piss or barf (or a combination thereof) or is way too small for everything and everyone. Or if you’re really lucky, or unlucky, all of the above.

Bus Date: The noise department is just getting up and off the bus to breakfast. The squints have been off the bus of an hour or so but it’s not like they sleep with the amount of krell they do. Hopefully you didn’t stay up with them.

Production Show: Better be in asleep by now, or at least in bed explaining to her that you’ve been really tired lately and aren’t able to perform. Not that it’s happened to me. This week…

1000

Fly Date: You’re either late to the gig or at the gig. If you got in the day before you’re at the gig finding that the locals either a) aren’t there yet or b) there but don’t have the right shit and there’s no hot breakfast catering.

Bus Date: After a hearty breakfast you’re on deck watching chains go into the air and decided where to put the PA so that in an hour or so, after you’ve got the stacks rigged, video or scenic can come in and tell you that the PA is in the “wrong place”, even though it’s the best place soundwise.

Production Show:

ZZZZZZZZZ or trying to convince the gal from wardrobe (or the front office) you’ll respect her in the morning, even though it’s approaching the afternoon.

Noon

Fly Date: Wondering what kind of flat meat is going to be for lunch and wondering if the local production can get it together in time for the band’s arrival mid afternoon.

Bus Date: Wondering what kind of flat meat is going to be for lunch and wondering if the production you brought can get it together in time for the band’s arrival mid afternoon.

Production Show: “All I need is two more hours sleep, honest…”

1600

Fly Date: Hopefully the local production has it’s shit together enough to be able to do the scheduled band check. And with any luck the band isn’t hungover, drunk or in jail and the afternoon goes as planned.

Bus Date: Hopefully the touring production has it’s shit together enough to be able to do the scheduled band check. And with any luck the band isn’t hungover, drunk or in jail and the afternoon goes as planned.

Production Show: Run crew call, start of the day. Hope you got enough sleep. Do your basic check. make sure all is OK, share uncomfortable silence in elevator with gal from wardrobe (or front office). Well, at least you aren’t hitting on the performers. This week…

1830

Fly Date: Lounging in your room or some shitty backstage area because your rooms are in the next county, 40 miles from the gig. You don’t have to deal with the support acts so at this point there is dinner. I wonder what kind of chicken they have in catering for the meal?

Bus Date: Lounging in your bus or some shitty backstage area because your bus is in the next county, 40 miles from the gig. You have to deal with the support acts so at this point there is no dinner. That’s OK, they only want to give you 30 bucks a night to spend a few hours of your already taxed day dealing with them even though if they were hiring you direct it would cost them a couple grand a week, not counting PD and accomodations. I wonder what kind of chicken they had in catering for the meal? Hopefully the merch gal or production assistant will bring something to the console even if it’s stone cold and last in the chaffing dish. If you’re on a good tour, the touring catering goddess will bring you something hot, and if you’re lucky, some food too.

1930

Fly Date: Top of show, everyone look sharp. Hope Elvis stops in a couple of hours.

Bus Date: Top of show, everyone look sharp. Hope there is a 2300 curfew, or least enough disinterest to keep this as short as possible.

Production Show: Top of show, everyone look sharp. The show runs 92 mins and 32 secs per night, though when we improvise it might run 94 mins 45 secs. We like to live on the edge.

2130

Fly Date: On an evening with we better be done by now, we’ve got a 0430 lobby call.

Bus Date: Headliner started about a half hour ago. Hope that 2300 curfew is still in effect and the band doesn’t feel like spending the dough to violate it.

Production Show: Second show started, we’ll be out of here in a couple of hours.

2300

Fly Date: Back in the hotel, and that’s good because the 0430 lobby call you had was really an 0400 lobby call. Don’t worry you can sleep on the plane. and by the way you got a middle seat, last row, it doesn’t recline.

Bus Date: Trucks are lined up, we’re loading this bitch out. Can’t wait for the cold pizza/wings/chinese food in the bus in about an hour and a half or two.

Production Show: Load out? Truck? What the hell is that? We’re heading to the Artisan/Peppermill/PT’s for a meeting of the Drinking Club With An Audio Problem.

0100

Fly Date: ZZZZZZ or trying to explain to the business MILF from the bar that you’ll still respect her in the morning. Even though you’ll leave in 3 hours.

Bus Date: All showered up but there was no soap and the towel was way too small, but you’re lucky you got a towel at all and don’t even start bitching about the cold water in the shower. Or the backline guys, bus driver and merch guy eating most of the after show food. At least there is beer, but wait, it’s warm Coors. (thought you said there was beer?…)

Production Show: The Artisan/Peppermill/PT’s seems kind of dead. Shall we hit Scores, OG or Lil Darlings?

So there you have it, the differences between the various gigs.

More for Gore or the son of a drug lord?

None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord….

Lot’s going on at Thee Swanky Dive in the middle of The Strip here in the shithole in the desert. Been dark for the last couple of weeks, be dark for another couple. We yanked all the FOH PA out, stacks, control, everything. We did leave some of the infrastructure to save the multi billion dollar place a couple hundred grand in costs and save some time. Instead of taking as much time to do it as it takes to do it right, the brain trust that runs the dive decided to set an arbitrary date, based on seasonal schedules and the gross potential of missed gigs instead of taking the time to do it with a schedule that doesn’t run everyone into the ground. Everyone is busting ass with 12 to 16 hour days being the norm. Truthfully, I didn’t retire from touring to move down here to be a sound system installer (at below market rate except when in OT) and we’re just wrapping up and none too soon.

In terms of sound and lights, we’ll be the big swingin’ dicks on the Strip, that is until those clown guys from Quebec open that rocker/magician show at the big glass pyramid on South Strip. That will be a real feat of magic, getting butts in seats in a property that saw it’s best days more than a decade ago. Apparently, we’ve got the largest permanent installation of moving lights in the country, in addition to having the bitchiest (is that even a word?) outside design staff in the world. Apparently they know this guy named “Tony” (I don’t know if he is a tiger or not) who gives out awards (until recently not to sound designers) and that enables them to be insufferable pricks. They tell me that when you get a few of these awards, it entitles you to be a really big dick. I find that curious, because I’ve never needed an award (or excuse really) to be a big dick, particularly early in my career.

Normally, dealing with these type of folks is not a problem for this old roadie. On tour within the first day or so we would have come to an understanding, and they likely wouldn’t have been pleased with the results. But here we can’t do that. It appears our executive management staff have misplaced their testicles and have placed the burden on the supervisors and troops in the field. For example, a roadie translation might be “Excuse me, sir. Is there any chance of you getting your shit together in the near future, say perhaps, before we die of old age?” Simple, effective, it gets the point across. In this environment the truth many times is not welcome and needs to be couched in passive aggressive terms, least one gets a complaint they are “creating a hostile work environment”. The exchange turns into “Excuse me, sir. You and your colleagues are giving me contridictory information and in some cases is not possible to achieve (for example, the 3 channel beltpack for the spot ops… no really…) so you’ll need to get me a design and some information so I can implement a system that actually exists.” Some other choice gems are “this comm is broken, we hear the Lighting Designer on every channel, you must fix it NOW!!” Yes, that tends to happen when the (award winning) Lighting Designer engages the mic on each comm channel. It’s not called crosstalk, though. It’s called routing your mic to every channel on the intercom because you don’t know how to use your base station. Or the lighting design team insisting the comm is broken because the (award winning) Lighting Designer decides to rename the channels on her station, giving them contradictory names to the channels the rest of the show has been running for a couple years now. Or (yes kids, there’s more) insisting the Creative Director’s radio mic is patched into the intercom and it’s likely being heard through an open mic. No that’s not the case at all, they insist. Not possible we say, given our current system. She’s still hearing the Creative Director in her headset. That wouldn’t be because you’ve turned your sidetone all the way up and that person is about 24″ from your open mic, would it be? Why pray tell, it is! It’s not his mic you are hearing, IT’S HIM! At each point (as well as many others like it) it was explained that was how PL comm works. Though each time, it’s a “problem” with the comm. I’ll agree, there is a problem, but it’s with the people using the comm. No apologies, no recognition of an end user issue, just attitude. I’d like to meet this guy they call Tony. If nothing else, to kick him square in the nuts.

All of that to get to the point of this episode which is that dealing in the production show realm is different than it is in the rock realm. In fact, when looking for staff if you apply and have primarily rock/concert experience you likely won’t get the gig, or even a sniff at an interview. As stated some episode back, most of the positions are filled by people you know. There are some instances where the candidates for a particular slot aren’t known quantities, primarily for the entry level jobs. Being as most of the management comes from resort casino, themed entertainment and cruise ship, they really aren’t plugged into the concert SR world. Conversely, the folks from concert SR aren’t plugged into the production show world. The man that many (including myself) consider the Godfather of not only production show audio in town, but audio in general, the Dark Menis, told me just after I moved down that he couldn’t hire me for a senior position because I didn’t know enough about the production show realm. And he was spot on (that’s why he’s the Godfather).

While many in senior management see these more as theatrical gigs, they’re a hybrid mix of theater, rock and corporate. A lot of comm. No A LOT of comm. More than any other discipline except for perhaps broadcast. Big time AV with massive MATV and/or CCTV systems. Rock style mixing on most of the shows. In most musical theater you are lucky to get good thump from the kick and bass (though in Mamma Mia and Hairspray here in town they rocked the house) and in terms of most, well, most of you theater (and AV) kats aren’t suitable for mixing realtime stage mons. One big peeve of mine is that the mons are given second class status. Something on many shows that the trainee does. There are some shows that do understand that proper stage mons are a key to having a good sounding band.

Here’s some tips for trying to land a gig in Vegas, partuclarly a non concert gig. First, you’re really going to move to town, or get a local phone and address so we at least think you live here. Some are able to get gigs before they move here, but your best bet is to pack it up and as the kin folk said “Jed move away from there”. Highlight things other than regional/local concert SR and concert touring. Cruise ships and themed entertainment seem to be in favor with those doing the hiring. Have more than one resume, tailored for each specific type of gig. The showroom/rock club/theater gig is one, the corp/AV gig is another and the production show/extravaganza is another. Mixing is not likely what you will be doing. You’ll need to be strong in comm, video and lot’s of grunt work. Even if you are on a console, unless it’s a concert/music gig, you’ll be supporting someone else’s mix. They define a baseline and you need to hit that every show. You aren’t the guy that decides how it should sound, you get the sound that the guy that decided how it should sound wants. Your gig is to support the production, not design it. Young theater/drama grads, don’t emphasize how much you want to be a sound designer. That’s great, but if you really want to design, don’t come to Vegas. We already have A designer here in town. Better for you to cut your design chops in LORT or summerstock somewhere or live in some shithole in Joisy or Brooklyn and give B-way a shot. We need techs. You need strong troubleshooting skills, computer skills and most of all, but a well rounded, mature adult.

And that’s where a lot of the rock guys fall short. This is an adult environment and many times the concert and touring realm is nothing less than some sort of Peter Pan Never Neverland where a lot of the guys just haven’t grown up, even into their 30s or 40s. You have to act like an adult, dress like an adult and have a reasonable degree of emotional stability. (well shit Dave how did you land a gig there?) If you are still doing drugs, you won’t make it as the screening process will eliminate you. Likewise for more serious felony convictions. They do a full background check. What can you expect? A reasonably stable environment where you can make enough money to raise a family. Granted, you’ll have to do it in Las Vegas, not exactly my first choice if I were starting a family, but there are scores of good gigs available. You have benefits, which sadly are not common in our business. If you are looking for a stable, long term career in pro audio Vegas isn’t a bad place to look. As long as you can hang with what it takes to get and do a gig here.

We’ve got a repeat this week, The A Barking Dog production of “The Glamor of Show Biz”. Shot on location on tour in 2004 with that British soundguy with the hot wife/tourmanager (gotta love a tourmanager that will show you her tits, with her husband sitting next to her…) turned producer/keyboard player/vocalist that liked to work on “projects”. Would have liked to have finished the posts giving the young turks some advice, but we are pretty busy this month at Thee Swanky Dive on The Strip that dunks 90 lb (how many kilos is that?) French chicks in water nine shows a week. Only worked just over a half day today, about 13 hours. They wouldn’t listen to me anyway. Which ironically is one of the things I’m going to address (no, D Day, not you specifically).

I’d been out most of the year in 2k4. In the break between my summer camp with them sisters and going to Brit dude again, I picked up a mini DV cam and a copy of Final Cut. I was (and still do) use it for candid photography,
a nod is as good as a wink to a blind bat, say no more, know whatahmean…) Then I also stated shooting things on tour. Particularly overseas. Got lots of tape, should edit it someday. We started one fall weekend in Amsterdam, two days off (no gig in Amsterdam) prior to starting the tour. Poland, England (where we were almost deported for no work permits), Greece, Italy, The Carribean, Mexico and other locales. Took me about two months to cut and score it.

High band width version at http://www.roaddog.com/video/glamor_broadband.mov

Low bandwidth at http://www.roaddog.com/video/glamor_low_bandwidth.mov

Enjoy… We’ll be back with new posts in a little while.

The Snake Nazi

Originally uploaded by Dave Stevens

No Snake For You

From James Gordon, Managing Director, Digico

DIGICO COMPLETES MBO

July 7th was a significant date on the calendar for many reasons, not least
of which for those at DiGiCo was the completion of its management buyout.
The new management team comprises Managing Director James Gordon, Chief
Executive Bob Doyle, Marketing Director David Webster, Technical Director
John Stadius and Company Secretary Helen Culleton.

Gordon explains the reasons behind the first significant project he has
undertaken since his appointment as MD. “We’ve always been a reactive and
pro active company that understands the market place we’re in,” he says.
“However, when you have external investors, there is a need to explain the
ins and outs of decision making processes and that can slow things down.
“The management buyout removes that requirement and means we can focus more
of our time on doing what we do best, making us an even more agile and
focussed company.”

Along with a number of plans yet to be revealed, DiGiCo will be putting a
share incentive scheme in place for its employees. “It’s nice that as a
modern company we’re able to reward the people that work with us and put in
the extra time,” continues Gordon. “We have a lot of staff that work 24/7
for the benefit of this company and they will now be able to share in the
success with us fully. “The potential of what we can achieve with the
technology we have within the company, both current and future, is amazing.
The enthusiasm and drive for success that has got us this far is right back
to where it was when we started in 2002.”

Whatever happened to NataIie Imbruglia anyway? I was just thinking what I was doing a year ago today. Several hours ago, a year ago today, I was having breakfast in Montreux, sitting across from Van Morrison and his party at The Palace in Montreux. I miss that part of the life, mostly the people (and somewhat the money) but I don’t miss the lifestyle. I’ve got it good right now. But I miss my homies, or is that hommeys? I miss Briggs (and judging from recent email on the current tour he misses me), Kaitoi, Tupper, Big Joe the TM and those knuckleheads in the band, and most of all, “The Jazz Singer”. I have a different gig now, and it’s a different life. Change is good, so I’m told. Part of the change that perplexed me is how people are hired here in Sin City. Oh, BTW yesterday I became an official resident of the “Great State of Nevada”, or as I like to call it, the shithole in the middle of the desert. It was 115 degrees today. Today will likely be my last day off for the next three. perhaps four weeks. Kind of like touring though I have my own space and I’m only on call for about 10-12 hours a day. That said, there are many differences between how I was hired for the gig with “The Jazz Singer” and this gig I have now at a big time show on The Strip.

One of the biggest differences I first saw when I was hired at Thee Swanky Dive On The Strip (marketing, feel free to use that…) was the way they hired sound roadies and also managed the creative talent (we like to call performers) as though they were part of the corporate resort cog, much like porters, doorpersons, cooks and waiters. Based on what I’ve seen in the last year, most of the people outside the immediate production related departments not only have ever managed our sort of workers, I doubt they’ve ever been to a concert. Pretty fuckin scary sometimes.

In our little village of the show it’s not too bad though some in management have never had show biz jobs off The Strip. And it shows. This just in, there is an entertainment industry outside of the few miles of Las Vegas Blvd they call The Strip. That’s right folks, the rest of the entertainment biz is in Nashville and Branson. The crew are pretty hardcore having a myriad of experience, much of it theatrical though there are several of us old rock dogs on staff. We total around 120 or so, of which 75 or so are required so we can do this show. The Noise Department can do the gig with 3 Varsity players on the team. The band has more people than the audio department. Most of the other departments need at least 10, sometimes more just to do the gig. Even after nearly a year on the gig, the scale and scope is awe inspiring. As is the corporate mentality and outright stupid bulshit that surrounds the process.

The hiring process is unlike anything I’ve seen or experienced in the soon to be 28 years in this field. Prior to last year, here’s how it worked…

“Dave, dude, this band, the Big Hahnyocks needs a sound guy. You available?” says the person you know, prod manager, tour manager, manager (or most likely manager’s assistant because the manager can’t be bothered talking to a roadie), wardrobe gal, lampy or backline guy you know. Simple, have a gig, know someone that can do it.

You determine what the dates are, how much cash is to be exchanged what the hell you are supposed to be doing on the gig and everything is golden. Worked for me for touring and for the bigger corp gigs I did. It was more who knew me, rather than who I knew. It worked pretty well and I was on some shit hot crews over the last few decades, if I must say so myself. There were a few numbnuts here and there, but pretty much everything was pretty enjoyable, except for those couple of gigs we subbed for dB in the 90’s which were absolute shit fests and I don’t think either Harry or I ever got past it and Bruce never gave a shit. Old guys will know who I’m talking about. Ironically, the last tour I did before hanging it up for the bright lights, high tech, insufferable resort management, on The Strip was on a tour where they were the provider. It’s a small world and you gotta watch where you shit when you eat, so to speak.

Here is how the hiring process works at this kind of place. You apply on the Web. I lucked out in that my gig was crafted for me. They knew that I had applied for a management position almost a year earlier and a tech position about six months after that. Many, if not most of these higher end slots are filled from within. The posting and application process is more of an EOE/HR jerkfest than a real search for a compatable candidate. There aren’t many people not already working on The Strip that are qualified for these gigs. It’s an interesting mix of rock, theater and corp/AV gigs that define the skillset. Most regular rock guys don’t make the cut. And that’s too bad, because The Strip could use more honed rock guys. Some of the guys working here are an embarassment. They know dick about power distro, basic acoustics and audio theory and how to work with others in a fast paced environment.

You apply. If you’re lucky you get an interveiw. I didn’t, my pal Steve called and offered me the gig and I was hired sans interview, but they knew about me from my nearly three decades in the biz. I wish that were the case with all the candidates. It was just over a year ago, Steve called about 16 hours before I was to leave for Azerbijain on a two month leg. Part of this kind of gig is to get a drug test and background check. I diverted my day to get my drug test. It was at a non descript office in south LV, in the same industrial park where Ultimate Ears used to be when they were in LV. The next morning I boarded a flight to take me away for the next nine weeks to come back to my orientation at the big time resort casino on The Strip.

Nine weeks later we had a week break and I spent it at the big time resort casino, doing my orientation and getting a few days of normal gigging in that environment in. The next six weeks or so I spent knowing that it was likely my last as a touring showbiz roadie. And it was quite a relief. And hooking up with Ksug for a few days was an extra added bonus. It was like the light at the end of the tunnel, except that the light wasn’t a train ready to roll me over, but the conclusion of a life of work. I can’t tour extensively anymore. It’s fucked me up not only mentally, but physically. I loved it, but it was time for me to go. It was probably past time. The transformation into Vegas production show sound roadie from hardcore touring sound roadie has been, well, eventful. and we’ll cover that in another episode of A Barking Dog.