A New Perspective

It's hard being told you're not doing a good job.  In order to save your pride a little you always say that if they really knew what it was like doing what you do they'd eat their words.  Well, last week our  most persistent critic (although critic may be to harsh a word) walked a mile in my shoes and mixed the singer's night concert.  And while I secretly wanted him to walk away cowering and praising the job we do considering all we put up with, my feelings at the end of the night are neither good or bad.  Honestly the whole experience was a little awkward.  Kind of how I imagine watching your mother take your Ferrari for  a spin would be.  You love her and trust her but are a little uncomfortable with the way she drives.

As I've mentioned before, the core principle in live sound is compromise.  I want the piano as far from the drummer as possible.  The pianist complains that he can't see.  I am then faced with either upsetting the band (the result being a bad concert), or dealing with the drums leaking into the piano mics (also not good).  My job is to make a choice that will appease everyone.  There is sacrifice involved. That is what differs from a live performance and a studio setting.  When it's live there are all of these variables, all of these balls that you're juggling to make the show happen with as few hiccups as possible.  In the process some things take precedent over others.  Can I hear everyone who is playing? Is the band comfortable on stage? These are the questions that are fore front in my mind while mixing. A close third is does everything sound natural? Meaning does the sound coming out of the speakers reflect the sound coming from the instrument. Usually these three concerns take up all of my time and concentration, let's face it, it is not a detail oriented job. That's what I like about it. Last Tuesday provide me with a different perspective and it was interesting to see someone who had an entirely different set of priorities. The first and most important of these being sound quality.

I watched as he truly engineered the concert.  The drummer re tuned the drums to his specification, each reverb was listened to carefully and adjusted, effects, dynamics, everything was approached with careful consideration. The result sounded great.  It sounded good and in control.  Now I could see what he had been complaining about all these years. He couldn't understand why we claimed to have so little power when we obviously do.  I found my self thinking wow what a difference maybe this job doesn't have to be about settling all the time. And then reality reared it's head and I realized that there are cons to this method. Firstly it's slow.  We didn't have time for a run through because we were taking too much time from song to song.  Secondly there were feedback issues.  The low end boost may sound nice but once it starts feeding back it no longer does. And third there is little room for subtlety in live sound.  At least that was always my opinion. Why do something the audience won't notice?  As I watched I was reminded of the AA serenity prayer: God, give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

 We complain so much about all of the things that make our mixes sound bad. After a while you just throw your hands up and say "Fuck it" What I took away from this experience and what I believe he wanted to convey was that yes, there are things about live sound that are out of our control, but just because the things you can control are subtle they are not insignificant.  Watching Him mix was different and I can't say that I will be adopting much of what I saw. But I will approach my job with less sense of futility.  80% of this job is perception, I play the perception game all of the time. (Who hasn't reached for a fader, changed nothing and have the performer tell you how much better it sounds) Perhaps a little more effort on my part could change my perception too.

String Showcase

I am beat. I am finally sitting after spending the last nine hours on my feet...literally on my feet.  This show completely broke me.  There were so many things that were just plain wrong about this show I don't know where to start. Yet despite all of my aches and pains the show (as usual) turned out wonderfully.  It's so frustrating that I can't be mad about this show (well maybe I am a little).  It was a great show, a resounding success, but now I'm going to have to write a long e-mail to my boss about why it can't happen like this again.  First, it only hurts the show when the engineer works nine hours with no break.  At some point I just wasn't hearing anymore, or thinking straight, or thinking at all really.  So while I understand the need to have an extended sound check, four hours is just too long for one person to try and make sense out of the madness, and nine hours is way too long to reasonably expect for me to do a good job.  Second, there is no way to fit thirteen bands into a 90 minute show. Attempting to do so and then inevitably failing just upsets everyone involved.  It always amazes me how little people understand the consequences of their actions. For instance no one ever thinks of the cost of their show running late.  It's like they assume that Berklee venues are free of the concerns of other performance spaces.  Just because you are not paying for the use of the space doesn't mean that it's free.  There is a limit to the amount of money we can spend on staffing shows, and going over that means losing it in other areas. New equipment, repairs, new positions all things I'd rather not sacrifice simply because a concert leader can't get their shit together.  And forget about the money, what about just common courtesy?  I think people assume that we only exist in our professional capacity.  Don't I deserve to get home at a reasonable hour? To enjoy an hour or two with my family before going to bed? It may seem a bit melodramatic but that is what I lose when a concert runs late.  My babysitter had to leave before I got home.  Thankfully my cousin was there to take over, but what if she hadn't been?  I know I can't expect people to take these things into account when they put on their show.  But they should at least try and put themselves in my shoes.  How would you like it if you were hoping to be home by 11 and then was forced to work for an extra hour. Or it's five o'clock, you're grabbing your coat and suddenly your asshole boss drops more work in your lap before you can leave.  It sucks right? And yet it happens to me and my coworkers over and over again.  That is the worst part.  I'm positive I've written another blog entry saying the exact same thing.  It never changes.  So while I enjoyed a lot of yesterday's concert (Eric Robertson And The Boston Boys rocked my world!) I can't in good conscience say that they deserve another concert next year, which is just sad.

Free Jazzing

             If you were to take a poll of the stage crew at Berklee and ask them "what music do you enjoy listening to the least at work?" There would be a surprising majority who'd say Jazz. It's surprising because of all the styles of music Jazz is the one that Berklee is best known for. There's an easy explanation for this though. Let's say for example that you worked at Willie Wonka's chocolate factory and part of your job was tasting the chocolate before it gets packaged. If someone were to ask you if you liked chocolate, after spending an entire day eating it, you would most likely answer "no." That's exactly what it's like for our work-study students.  We hear so much Jazz in this job we can barely stand to listen to it anymore.  So when I look at the program and see the first piece is entitled "Free Jazz" I groan.  Not only would tonight be Jazz but it would be unlistenable Jazz.  We spend the rest of the relatively simple set up time making jokes about how awful tonight is going to be when one girl meekly states that she is looking forward to the show tonight. At my incredulous response she says "I know, no one here likes Jazz." Which made me pause.  I didn't want that to be the case. In fact, I enjoy a lot the jazz concerts around campus.  I explained that there are many types of Jazz, so that wasn't necessarily true, but decided I would reserve judgment on "Freefall" (the concert title) until I'd heard it.
          The concert had an impressive line up. Most notably (for me at least) was Joe Lovano, George Garzone, and Josh Rosen.  The first group started the show off with a 50 minute free jazz piece, with two saxes and drum set.  I know, it sounds awful, but I was reserving judgment.  Instead of listening to it how I usually do (trying desperately to stay awake) I listened and thought about the crew girl who was excited to hear this show.  What about this music is appealing? There is no melody or harmony or even a rhythm to keep your interest, all of the reasons I enjoy music are missing, so what is there? As I watched and listened I was reminded of a scene from "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.  In the scene the protagonists are in a jazz club, but it's not a jazz club like I know them. This was a crowded dive, a lively party where everyone is there to be lost in the music. It sounded wild or crazy with a level of energy I've never experienced in a jazz club. The scene resonated with me because even though the environment was unfamiliar, the music he described was.  I hear it everyday.  So now as I listen I imagine being in that space. The heat of bodies is almost overwhelming, cigarette smoke hangs thickly in the air,  and it's noisy, not just with the sound of two wailing saxophones, but there are clinking glasses and boisterous conversations intermingled with cries of encouragement to the band. Everyone here is seeking release and the music embodies that search.  The audiences experiences through the musicians a freedom that they don't get anywhere else in their lives. It makes you want to shout, to move, to let everything go and just be apart of it.  This is a place I would love to go.  I can see myself dancing on a table occasionally adding to the din, with laughter and shouts or music of my own.  Anything goes here, that's what defines this music... it's free.
         I open my eyes and I'm back in a dark, still room watching three men make noise on the stage. They are expressing this freedom, but there aren't sharing it.  The room doesn't allow them to share it, it's too big. At this point it has been 30 minutes of them playing.  My threshold for this stuff has reached it's limit and I am now pitifully watching the clock hoping they stay within the 45 minute time restraint which of course they don't.  Now that my listening exercise has fizzled out I struggle again to pay attention, to not fall asleep, to at least pretend that I am actively listening to what is happening on stage.  Let's not forget that I have a job to do.  But as the minutes tick by I turn into my five year old self trying to stay still in church. I fidget and look around, make origami shapes with the program, count ceiling tiles. I honestly had the hardest time doing my job simply because I couldn't listen any more.  Of all of the difficult shows I've complained about over the years I've never felt I wasn't up to the task of mixing it. And even if it sounded band I was always working to make it as good as it can be. This show proved that I have some limits. Fortunately I didn't need to do much. And I can't help but think that despite the acclaim of  the musicians playing or even the crowd that came out, that this music has no business being played in a concert hall. It's supposed to be about connecting with people and I have a hard time believing that anyone was connecting to what these guys were doing. There once was a time and a place for this music, when it served a purpose and spoke to people. What I saw last night while I'm sure it was gratifying to the players was stripped of it's meaning when it failed to move the audience emotionally.  Last night wasn't about freedom and expression, it was just noise.

Steph's Recs 10/17

This was the week of clinics for me.  So unfortunately I don't have any concert reviews. Although I watched a little bit of Shun Chein's Super Mario Party which was so much fun.  It wasn't an impeccable performance, but the themes from the games were cleverly arranged into listenable songs. I only stuck around for a couple of songs since the room was packed (kudos to you sir) and I had to get home, but I'll definitely keep an eye out for any upcoming shows of his.  Now on to the main attraction...

Mon: 1W 4pm, Deepak Gopinath- Deepak is a fellow crew member so I have to give him a shout out. If you like jazz you should come check it out.          
Tues: 1A 6:15pm- Esterhazy String Quartet Student Readings- I always enjoy hearing this group play. I especially enjoy hearing the student compositions.  I think having predominantly jazz musicians write classical  music results in a very unique listening experience.
Wed:  1W 4pm, Utar Dundaratun- I will preface this by saying the last time I heard him play I almost became violently angry at one of his players. And yet despite my awful experience I still think he's awesome and would go hear him play again.  Even if my nemisis was playing with him.  
Thurs: Steve Heck Room 1pm, Jonathan Joubert- Gypsy jazz, need I say more.
Fri:   1A 4pm, Rika Ikeda- Elcletic Jazz violinist. Some people say that Jazz is an antiquated style of music.  Eight years at Berklee has shown me otherwise and Rika is a perfect example of all the new places Jazz can go.

The Business of Music

                Yesterday Berklee's music business department hosted their annual Hip Hop Symposium. A panel of black music industry professionals assembled to discuss their experiences in the business. The panel included Ryan Leslie top artist/producer; Ed Woods Attorney, former exec VP of Black Music, Casablanca; Francesca Spero whose credits in publishing, project executive oversight, music supervision include longtime VP Management/Publishing;  Joi Pitts Head of Urban Marketing/Brand Partnerships Mgr - Atlantic; Leonard Lb Brooks Sr. VP A&R Labels/Head of Urban: EMI; and Sharon Heyward Former top exec Virgin Perspective.  While this is I believe the 4th year that they've put on this symposium it was the first time I had seen it. And I wasn't particularly impressed. Oddly enough the high point of the night for me was watching the Hip-Hop Ensemble play. I say oddly because miraculously it sounded good, and I didn't need to fight the band to get it that way. For such a high energy start it just fizzled out and then got really awkward at the end.
                  I always complain that clinicians who come to Berklee rarely rise to the level where Berklee students operate. That was the impression I had last night.  The general message was: educate yourself about the business of music, so you can make your own success.  This was the driving message to a room full of students who were presumably studying music business?  I think they came to that conclusion already. I was hoping for something more insightful, more specific, something that spoke to the technicalities of working in music business. Now maybe I'm being unfair.   I've been at Berklee awhile and have heard many many many clinics on how to become a successful artist. After two or three you realize that there is no formula for success. I forget that there are students who haven't had the benefit of hearing this message yet.  On the other hand I would have loved to hear something unique.  Especially since this panel was speaking specifically about the business of Hip- Hop. I was curious to see if the experience in the Urban music industry varied much from the other industry representatives Berklee has hosted over the years.  My husband jokingly asked after it was over if they gave advice on how to patch bullet holes in your Escalade, or what the appropriate size for an entourage is. And he's right, their experience seemed no different from any one else who works in this business.  I will say the main attraction of the night Ryan Leslie, was worth the hubbub. Beyond the usual bland advice he put some ideas out there that I'd never heard before and that never occurred to me.  Mainly the idea of using social media not just as a means of getting your music out  there, but as a gauge of whether or not it's any good.  If you put something on Facebook and of your 100+ friends and only 3 people comment on it, then it certainly won't catch the attention of any one else outside of that network. A valid point which made me very insecure about my measly 24 followers on twitter. Geez, maybe I should rethink this blog for that matter.  My own failings aside, it's a novel idea. In this world of instant access there is a way for anyone to say whatever they want to say and get feedback on it. Now he wasn't the only one touting the benefits of using social media but he was the first, and then in true superstar fashion left early to then get on a plane to Paris. And while I had never thought of it that way, telling a group of 18-21 year old the potential of social media is the epitome of preaching to the choir. What everyone failed to mention is the vast amount of luck you need to be "discovered" via the Internet.
                  These talks always seem to center on how to become the next big star, and it makes sense because these panelist all work with big stars, or are big stars, but there are so many ways to live and make music without being a household name.  Frankly the large music industry establishment is running on an antiquated system that is dying out. It's always more interesting to hear how different "indie" musicians have carved a place for themselves.  My favorite example of this was ( not so indie) John Mayer, who said that it's important to always set new goals for yourself. Explaining that as an artist you decide when and what makes you a success.  Can you afford a house and support your life? Did you sell out the 300 seat club you are playing at. There are so many types of success that don't require you to be a phenomenon, they simply require you to be good and work hard. In that case you don't need to worry about creating a brand or image for yourself to sell to labels. Who you are as an artist will develop and solidify with time.  So in between the "find yourself a good manager" and "don't sign anything without a lawyer looking at it first" the underlying message was hone your craft, and learn as much as you can about as many things can, which at the end of the day is a message I can get behind even if I'm a little tired of hearing it.

Drummers the unsung artists

I just finished watching what was admittedly a very boring clinic given by Lewis Nash. But, I couldn't help but appreciate the quality of the clinician not just as a player but in the way he presented his knowledge. Since I'm not a drummer I found the whole thing to be over my head and terribly dull. Still I found my self engaged listening to this man explain his craft both technically and conceptually.  It made me feel like I picked the wrong instrument.  I've never scene a drum clinic that didn't encompass all aspects of playing.  Explaining the mental and physical mechanics of playing as well as the more spiritual or philosophical challenges of making drumming musical.  It always impresses me how eloquently these players can discuss their instrument. 

The Berklee Aesthetic

The Berklee Aesthetic
I have a very general grasp on the English language, it's depth completely lost on me. So when I hear the word "aesthetic" I don't really give it much thought, I understand it to mean all things beautiful.  I'm not even sure if that is an entirely correct understanding of the word but there it is.  So when we recently had a discussion in my department about what we want the "aesthetic" of our halls to be, I was a little confused.  As far as I know we have no control of what gets performed in our halls. And to be terribly clichéd, beauty is in the eye of the beholder: My aesthetic vision for the BPC is going to be entirely different from someone else's. Realizing that there might be some gaps in my knowledge I dusted off my handy, dandy (widget) dictionary and looked it up.  Apparently my definition of aesthetic is the adjective. It can also be used as a noun, which, according to my widget dictionary is "A set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement."  Aha! So we are not just talking about making pretty music, we are talking about a revolution, a movement. The actual question being posed to me is not what do I want to hear performed, but what music best represents the school's artistic principles. In order to answer that question I have to first determine what the school's artistic principles are, if we even have any.

Before I started my first semester I had the privilege to hear James Carter play at a jam session at Baker's, in Detroit.  Taking pictures of my friends playing together for possibly the last time before we all went our separate ways, I sat next to him and mentioned that I was studying at Berklee in the fall. He made a face, which surprised me, and told me "Just don't lose who you are as a musician." I admittedly didn't really know what he was talking about. Wasn't I heading to the best Jazz music school in the world? How could I do anything but grow as a musician? Now that my school years are behind me I can see some wisdom in his advice as well as perhaps some bitter smugness. Fortunately my mediocrity as a singer ensured that my "artistic integrity" (for what it's worth) remained untainted. But I recall numerous conversations with co-workers and classmates of how much we despised the "Berklee sound". A sound characterized by self-gratifying noodling, boring free jazz, cookie cutter pop divas, all head and no heart; All parts of a machine that is churning out cogs of the industry while neglecting the art. Is this the Berklee aesthetic? Is it an accurate description of the quality of Berklee musicians? Not entirely, but that is certainly the perception. What defines a Berklee musician?  Should there be something that unites us artistically? Do we judge a musician on the quality of his works, his success in the field or by the aesthetic of his creation? It's so difficult to quantify music as an artform that I can't say definitively if Berklee ensures growth as an artist, in the same way that it ensures preparedness for a career. Our motto, "To be, rather than to appear to be" implies actions but doesn't speak to the College’s intellectual aspirations for it’s students. With such a diverse student body, encompassing all of them with a single guiding principle is difficult. Especially with such sentiments as Mr. Carter's.  How can we be a part of a collective while maintaining individuality?
   
I believe it’s possible to be both. If Berklee dedicates itself to nurturing innovative art, we can encourage individuality while presenting a singular artistic vision. We can set a standard that being a Berklee musician means you have a responsibility to push the envelope of musical creativity.  To a certain extent we are already there. New music is constantly being made here, yet I rarely see it performed on campus. I find that odd. If anything the academic environment should encourage students to play music that may not be appreciated elsewhere. Instead, year after year I see and hear the same things over and over again. I see a lot of imitation and little innovation. For example, in the eighteen Singer's Showcases I've seen, I can maybe recall two or three stand out performances. It's disappointing to see that show sold out, while remarkable, interesting music goes unseen. Students approach their classes in the same way. Scoffing at music history class, or trad harm, not appreciating that all knowledge enriches who they are as artists. It always seemed to me that Berklee students were only interested in skills that were directly applicable to what they wanted to do professionally. I should know, because I was one of them. Now, I regret that I didn’t spend my college years immersed in the intellectual pursuits of music as opposed to thinking of the bottom line. I understand that it's hard not to focus on attaining financial security. After all you are going to have to earn a living after school.  But in this nurturing environment you should feel free of those worries and trust that by exploring the possibilities of your craft at college, you will open doors professionally when you leave. So I partly blame the student body for taking knowledge from the school while giving nothing back, but I also know that often times the institution doesn't reward innovation. I can recall one instance where a production teacher criticized my project for not being "marketable." A valid concern, but should I not do the music I enjoy simply because no one else does? I say no, and so should the faculty. Even if the reality is that you have to be able to sell your art in order to live off it, that thought has no place in academia. Some people would argue that point with me. In fact many I've spoken to came to Berklee because of the success of their alumni. Figuring it was a practical choice for someone wanting to work in the music industry. Yet with all of it's talent, and diversity, the perception is that this isn't the place to do something daringly new. It's always a couple steps behind the cutting edge. Changing that would require more open mindedness from teachers and students, and a clear message of what type of an institution we are. Is it about the art? Or is it about the industry? We have the potential to be more than just a training ground for working musicians. And while the school can't force the quality of the art being produced, we can certainly change the aesthetic perception, and perhaps with time the perception will reflect the reality.

The Michael Jackson Case: MJ or KOP (I'm totally serious that is the name of the show.)

                  I'm not going to beat around the bush, it was awful. All of my production gripes aside this was just a really, really bad show.  Which sold well two nights in a row for some reason which is beyond my understanding.  If you are going to have students who couldn't write a grocery list let alone a play put on an original play, don't go for high art. Stick to simple stories, timeless stories, hell I would have welcomed a cliched romance story over that mess. The moment someone mentioned "alter ego" they should have gone back to the drawing board. I mean honestly I've seen some bad shows, but there was no amount of talent that could have saved this premise. For those of you who missed out.  There were basically two stories. #1 The detective investigating Michael Jackson's death gets involved with a reporter who is covering the case, cheesy romance ensues. Plot #2 a hacked up biography of Micheal Jackson's life. With a couple of snippets thrown in to show the impact he had on the world. (gag me)  The show was mostly songs which would have been fine had they used the songs to advance the narrative.  The only time this happened was in "Scream" where Janet and Katherine Jackson, fed up with media and police scrutiny break down and sing this song. And even then while Katherine was acting out the part of grieving mother, Janet was thrashing around the stage like she was in concert. The whole thing was scattered.  There wasn't enough plot development to support the songs whether they were relevant or not.  An example of this is "Ease on down the road". After telling berry Gordy he is leaving Motown and a heartfelt rendition of "I'll be there" is sung, there is about six lines of dialogue before Diana Ross and Michael sing "Ease on down the road." The only segue into the song being

DIANA: Listen baby, they’re going to be making a movie version of The Wiz. I’m going to play Dorothy.  I want you want in it?   Hollywood, Michael.
            
MJ: Yeah! Children all over the world love that story.
            
DIANA: You and me in the movies. Michael, a black version of the Wizard of OZ—It’s a milestone in the industry.

MJ: Ok- Diana.
            DIANA and MJ sing and dance to “Ease on Down the Road.”                  
And the whole play was like this.  It was as if they made a conscience decision to toss out the story in order to fit more songs in. There was some attempt to give depth to MJ's character, hence the alter ego (The King of Pop) but it was so badly done it was just confusing.  It was laughable. I did laugh, often, and so did the audience.  What ever it was they were going for I'm pretty sure mocking laughter wasn't it.
              I will say that the band was good. Too loud, but very good. The dancing was also some of the best I've seen at the school, it would have made a wonderful tribute concert if they'd just done that and forgotten about the "play".  It's unfortunate for them that they had to come on the heels of Aida, because it was a vastly superior production in every way.  They sounded better, the book was better, the set was better, they were better prepared and I'd even say they performed better. I'm not blaming the ensemble, it couldn't be helped, but having that comparison showed the inadequacies of the MJ show. At least they had Michael Bierden there. He was the MD for This Is It and he came on after intermission to tell a couple of stories about his time with Michael Jackson before he died.  He was funny and endearing and a hell of a lot more entertaining than anything else that happened on the stage that night. In fact I bet he was the reason the show sold so well.  Oh well I can honestly say now, more so than with any other show I've done at this school that I'm glad it's over and I hope to never have to work with those people again. ( Like I'd ever be so lucky)

Steph's Recs 5/1-5/7

I know I continue to be inconsistent with this post, but as I like to say "Better late than never" right? Well any way I won't have any long introductions, I'll just get right to the meat of it.

5/3 Christine Gallagher- 1A (Berk recital hall) I missed my opportunity to recommend Pitch Slapped's concert in 939, so I'm doing it now. I forget which concert I saw them perform in but they were good. All around their arrangements (which I believe Christine writes) are clever and they are a lot of fun to watch. So go check them out, if for no other reason than Pitch Slapped is the best acapella group name ever!

5/4 Concert Jazz Orchestra- BPC 8:15pm This is my favorite big band at the school.  While Rainbow band produces more stars, I feel the future of jazz music is better represented by this group.  It's all about pushing the envelope.  Most of the arrangements are written by students and though it can get a little heady (overly intellectual music that's hard to understand let alone listen to) it never fails to impress.

5/5 Songwriter's Night- BPC 8:15 pm I have no doubt that this concert will be well attended but in case you weren't planning on going you should.  This concert has a lot of school heavies performing. In fact between Women's musician network and heavy rotations I think I've seen almost all of these performers before. And I look forward to seeing them again.

5/6 Vintage Vocals 1A 4:00pm- Formerly the historic vocal jazz ensemble (birthplace of the group Syncopation) David Scott leads an ensemble of vocalist singing amazing arrangements of vocal jazz. Think Manhattan Transfer, or Lambert, Hendricks and Ross.  Keeping in theme with this acapella singing trend that's swept the nation, this is a great concert for someone who wants to see the greats that gave birth to the "Glee" kids.

5/6 Shawn Crowder 1A 7:00 pm -How do you like your jazz? Personally I prefer it swinging, but I can appreciate it with a edge.  While jazz fusion may not be my favorite style of music, talent is talent and this guy is good. His quintet played at the percussion awards concert, of which he was a recipient. With shredding guitars and intricate rhythms This is for those who prefer a little rock in there jazz.

I refuse to recommend "The MJ Case" because it's awful and really I sick of Michael Jackson just let the man die already. But don't worthy there is a juicy review coming.  Until then, I hope you see you around campus.
-Much Love-

Breaking the Pew

I enjoy gospel music, very much. But I can not understand why it has to be so loud.  I've never seen  gospel in a concert venue, but I find it hard to beleive that a professional act would be  as painful to listen to.  No one would go if the music is always this loud. So what's the difference? Why am I looked at like a mad woman for suggesting that they are playing too loud.  Why would any one come up to me saying they can't hear the toms when the choir is barely audible.  I once took pride in the fact that I changed the experience of the gospel ensemble in the BPC.  When at one point there were fights breaking out between players and staff, now there was a mutually enjoyable and aggreable evening.  Yet the more I work this concert the more disheartend I get.  There is no way to  make it sound good.  Yes, little miss optimism is throwing her hands up in defeat and admitting I can't make the gospel choir sound good.  The choir was either ear peircing, or inaudible.  The band sounded phasey do to loud stage volume and mic bleed.  I have never felt so tired and frustrated as I did last night.  I think I'm tired.  I need a vacation, somewhere quiet and secluded with sweet umbrella clad drinks garnished with tropical fruit.  Unfortunately there are no relaxing beaches in my future.
         Somewhere deep down I know there is a secret to making the choir sound better.  At the moment I compromise the sound quality of the choir for volume.  If I could get less of the band in the mics I wouldn't have to high pass it so much (I think lower frequencies would make it less piercing).  I tried reversing the polarity on the choir mics with no effect. I had more luck placing the mics so that they cancelled out the band.  Ultimately I'm fighting a loosing battle.  Bottom line is there is too much band to give the choir it's proper space.  Two keyboards, organ, guitar, is too much.  So I can search for a magic solution til I'm blue in the face but basically all my effort is just a headache inducing turd polishing. At the end of the night it's still shit.

I hate the spring semester

I'm spent.  Me the sweet, understanding, everybody's friend reached the end of my rope today.  I was ready to throw something I was so angry.  I almost cried I was so angry, but I would be damned before I let some  prima donna flute player get the best of me. I usually pride myself in my ability to reason with everyone.  My number one engineering rule is make the musician comfortable.  But there was no reasoning with this guy.  I've never been in a situation where the words I spoke were completely disregarded.  It was like talking to a wall.  A really frustrating wall that wanted to ruin my mix with his ridiculous monitor demands.   The flute in the monitor was louder than the band in the PA.  I had the flute out of the house and it was still loud.  I'm still a little angry.  I just don't understand why the assumption is that I'm an asshole.  News flash, if every engineer you work with is a dick, it's not them it's you.  The worst part is he ruined the sound check for the five groups that came after him.  I need a vacation. And while I'm asking for things I won't get, I'd also like to not have to work with this guy again.  

Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA

You can typically tell how busy I am by the amount that I write. Last week my life was consumed by Showcase.  And frankly showcase wasn't worth reviewing.  And after a long weekend (not nearly long enough) I was thrown into Aida.  Doing theatre at the performance center is impossible. We have no orchestra pit, no wing space, no space at all.  And there is no time to put on a production properly.  Last year we pulled off the impossible with a production of Parade.  When the director (Sharon Brown) told me this year we were doing Aida, I managed not to laugh in her face, and told her "That's...ambitious". And yet here I am five months later after another successful production.  After two nights of scrambling, frustration, annoyance, and exhaustion, I come out on the other side very proud to have been at part of it. And happy with the job that I did.  I must say I have a new found respect for broadway sound guys. I had 12 wireless omni body mics, full rhythm section, orchestral percussion, strings, woodwinds, brass, and a harp that was added the day of the show (awesome).  I managed to squeeze the orchestra onto 12' deep risers going 30' across. Knowing there'd be no room I had almost the entire band with clip on mics.  I used the Berger method of clipping a lav mic on the percussionist instead of over heads, they both thought it was genius (Yeah Brad!).  While the clip ons help my space problem it did make getting a nice natural sounding mix difficult.  Ordinarily I would use only a few over head mics to pick up the orchestra, so they take care of the mix themselves. Since I was unfamiliar with the music this would have been ideal. But live sound is about compromise, and there is no way I could have gotten the orchestra over the rhythm section with section mics, so clip ons it was.  I wish I had one more day.  I think everyone wanted another day. It was hard to dedicate enough time to all of the  different elements that I was controlling, while reading along in the script. It was slightly controlled chaos, which I managed to wrangle in and make sound half way decent. My challenge for the next time is finding a way to mic the ensemble. This is where my admiration for theatrical sound lies.  I couldn't figure out how I could place unobtrusive microphones with enough level to hear them well while at the same time avoiding the enevitable feedback.  I've had some suggestions but unfortunately no time to try them out.  I hope they will have a longer run in the future.  As for the performance, it was a very Berklee production. It sounded amazing, it looked great but lacked substance. I felt that the singing was exellent, but the acting left much to be desired. It was as if they were simply going through the motions until the next song. There was zero chemistry between Radames and Aida, the only sincere moment was at the end with "Written in the Stars" which was beautifully heart breaking.  The show stealer for me was the young man who played Zoser.  I remember him from last year's "Parade" where he was also exellent. There is a level of commitment in his performance that overpowers the rest of the cast, in a good way. So while I was blown away by some parts I was dissappointed by others. And the rest of the time I wasn't paying attention. But, good or bad I look forward to doing it again next year. 

Steph's Recs 4/10-4/16

I know I haven't been particularly consistent with my recommendations, but now that I've gotten back in the habit of writing regularly I promise (for what it's worth) to keep these up.  I'm sorry I didn't have time for last week's since it has been an awesome week for concerts. Well mainly is was an awesome week because of one concert, The Gary Burton all-star extravaganza. (I'm pretty sure that's not the official title. But whatever you call it, it was awesome. Unfortunately I had to miss it but I got to hear them rehearsing all week, which is the next best thing. If you didn't go to see it you missed out.

Ok so without further ado...

STEPH'S RECS
          These final weeks before the semester ends are filled to the brim with concerts.  There's something for everyone. This week my recs are all about jazz, especially since we're seeing a lot of the Jazz Comp. portfolio concerts.  For those who hear enough jazz around berklee, I threw in an extra at the end.  Also, I outsourced my recs this weeks, so I want to give a shout out to Alejo for making some recommendations. Enjoy! :) 

 
4/12
Branko Popovic 7pm 1W 1140- I found this online and it basically made my decision for me.

4/13
Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra 8:00 pm First Church of Boston- I was never very impressed with the classical music ensembles at the school, particularly the orchestras. Yet under the leadership of Franisco Noya the BCSO has blossomed into a superb ensemble. One I am willing to go off campus to see. With special guest Patrice Rushen (composer), Ada Pasternak violinist, and a premiere performance of a piece by this semester's compositional "It girl" Sonya Belousova.  With a diverse program and excellent musicians this is bound to be a concert any classical music lover will enjoy.

Hyunjoong Ekah Kim 7pm 1A 1140-http://www.myspace.com/hyunjoongakakim
Marton Juasz 4pm 1A 1140-http://www.myspace.com/martonjuhaszmusic
4/14  
              Rika Ikeda 4pm 1W 1140- This recommendation comes courtesy of Alejo. I unfortunately haven't had the pleasure of hearing Rika play. But there's noone who's tastes I trust more than Alejo's And as soon as I mentioned her name he said that this is deffinitely going to be a good one. http://www.rikaikeda.com/Site/Home.html
4/16
              Guatakeando with Lorena Perez 4pm 1W 1140- Lorena is an awesome percussionist who I've seen perform many times here at the BPC. I'm super excited to see what she does for her recital.  I'm hoping for a lot of fun South American rythyms that'll have me movin' in my seat. 

And for something completely different (or a little different)...
Felix Martin 4/16 4pm 1A

That's all for this week. Stay tuned for next weeks recs and reviews.

I am not impotent! a.k.a YES I CAN

I've been giving some thought to my approach to sound mixing.  I have always believed that my job is to capture a performance, make it audible, and make the musicians comfortable.  The equipment I use is merely a mechanism for making what's happening on stage heard.  No frills, no bells and whistles, no magic make me sound good button.  Lately I've been wondering if that is just a lazy way out.  Wouldn't the mark of a great sound engineer be that regardless of the circumstances it always sounds good?  To be fair I do my part to make the band sound good, but it usually involves me talking to the musicians on stage to adjust the problem there.  Yesterday however I was approached with a different problem and I'm not sure I handled it as best as I could.  And the question I was left with is am I here to modify sound, or amplify it? I believe the answer is both.

     Yesterday was the Piano Student Concert here at the BPC.  Considering the craziness of last week this concert was a breeze.  Solo piano, piano trio... piece of cake right? Well, firstly I hate the little puny kick drum the jazz drummers use.  It is impossible to make it sound good. (Yesterday the floor tom was tuned lower than the kick drum honestly!) But I did my best to make it sound halfway normal, which basically involved me taking the mic out of the mix. (This rant was totally unintended but surprisingly ties in nicely with the theme) I had two options right there.  I could either place the mic then recreate the natural sound of the kick. Or I could try to manipulate the drum sound to something more appropriate for the non-jazz songs.  I didn't even try the second option.  I brought up the mic said, "Yeah that's how it sounds" and tried to find a decent balance with the rest of the band.  Technically I did my job, I wasn't happy with the way it sounded but in my mind I thought that there was little else I could do.  Up next was a solo piano piece. Same deal, I wasn't going to put much piano in the mix since it didn't need to over power a band. But as the pianist was playing the first notes, the head of the piano department turns to me and says, "It's too bright".  At the moment which she said this, the piano mics weren't on. I told her she was hearing the piano acoustically at which point she asked, "Oh my God it's the piano! Is there anything you can do about it? My typical answer (the one I say in my head, never aloud) is a big fat NO followed by a derisive laugh. I instead started messing with the EQ knowing I wouldn't make any difference.  She was eventually happy but it made me think.  Perhaps I shouldn't be so dismissive if someone asks me to alter an instruments sound.  I'm not a miracle worker, but I'm not impotent either.  Complacency is the death of excellence and ultimately whatever the situation is, if it sounds bad, it's my fault. Sound guys are always full of excuses (mainly because we're always under attack) but perhaps in making excuses, we forget all of the resources we have to make a bad situation great.

Singer's Night Part 2

I need to apologize for yesterday's post. It was a bad night but not nearly as bad as I made it out to be. Perhaps a bad tech night is necessary for a successful concert. While I would desperately wish that to not be true, I walked away from the rehearsal feeling awful and convinced that it sounded awful. It even sounded bad in sound check the next day. Then like magic the show starts and it was fine. Better than fine, I was so pleasantly surprised I actually enjoyed myself during the concert. All of the bad things from the day before were washed away and I was reminded of why I enjoy this concert so much. There is a real celebration of singers at Singer's Night. The music was interesting, diverse and there was a lot of love coming from the audience. This was best exemplified by kid who sang "Bust the Windows" who had the audience screaming the whole time. I had to throw my hands up because there was no way to mix over the noise. But how awesome is that! I was suddenly transported to some pop star arena concert. I didn't even know what happened but I loved it. I wish more berklee musicians got that kind of love.

Singer's Night Part 1

      I'm tired. Dog tired. Can't even muster the energy to be annoyed that this rehearsal is running late. Keeping me away from my baby boy. Sorry, I know it's a bit melodramatic but that is how I feel.   It's so inconsiderate and people just don't understand.  Yes it is my job to be here and put up with this nightmare.  However it is my nightmare only up to a certain point, where I then go home and live my life.  Which believe it our not does not involve your concert or any concert for that matter.  Professional courtesy is what it boils down to and it always seems to be lacking here at the BPC.  I am constantly inconvenienced, condescended to, second guessed, and at times blatantly disrespected and belittled.  Mine is not the nicest of jobs.  With all of it's perks there are some serious lumps. And the more I work here the less patience I have for it.  Yes I know what I'm doing and yes I will only put one microphone over your congas. Why? Because, in a concert titled Singer's Night, the balance between the low and hi congas is pretty far down on my priority list.  Right after making the third rhythm guitar audible over the organ, piano, Rhodes and the two other guitars that are all playing the same part. It is so frustrating being in this position, because I want it to sound good, but I can only do so much.  Then the assumption is that I don't know what I'm doing, and thus the cycle starts.  Dealing with students makes it difficult since (ironically) they don't know what they are doing and that inevitably affects my presentation.  Bad mic technique, out of my control; inappropriate monitor request (i.e. percussionist asking for violins. Do you really need to hear the violins) out of my control; obscenely loud amps, all of these things combine to make me look bad come the day of the show.  To be fair the singer's night staff is very hands on when it comes to fixing performance issues. But all the talk in the world isn't going to make any difference in a day. So unfortunately I have to stay for an unnecessarily long "tech night" and pray for a good show tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Folk It Up (title courtesy of BPC Facebook page)

      Preparedness is the key to a hassle free night in the BPC. I know I'm like a broken record about this but it's the only way I could think of to put the concert into perspective. Twelve bands, with twelve entirely different set ups, instrumentations, and needs. Ordinarily I relish the chance to not mix a show like that, but this time being on stage was soooo much worse. Although kudos to Alejo for making something beautiful out of a difficult situation. My job for the two nights was to wrangle 48 channels and attempt to bring some order to the chaos. This night more than any other really exposes the stage hands. There is nothing worse than the awkwardness of knowing everyone in the audience is watching you scramble to set up a band. I especially love the MC turning to us realizing we're not done and then searching for something to say to fill the time. Favorite quote of the evening... "I got nothin!" 
    
        My dream is to one time do this concert seamlessly. No misplaced microphones, ( 90% of the time when the mix sounded funny it was my fault not the sound guy's. My bad Alejo.) no scurrying off stage when the band starts before I'm finished setting up, and we would end on time!Of course I would also like to have a million dollars; win an Oscar... see a pig fly, but dreaming and achieving are to different things. Making my dream a reality would require more time and coordination from the beginning which given everyone's time constraints is a lot to ask. So the real question becomes is it worth it? The show was successful. There were very few problems on our end, it sounded great. So aside from running me ragged and going over time is there really a need to change the way we prepare for this show. Ordinarily I'd say no, it's fine how it is, but I love this show.  It inspires me every year to learn more about how music influences our culture. I get excited about discovering new styles and stories. I watch from back stage and envision a spectacular show where each act culminates in a single message: that even though we're different, there are universal things that bind us. When I first started working here I introduced the slide show of pictures from each country, with the goal of showing how despite their differences there are many things that are similar in each country.  Kind of like "It's a small world" in picture form. What I would love is for the concert to take the audience on a journey, one of education, transportation and ultimately entertainment. A perfect example of this was Italy's performance. From the moment the announcer stepped on the stage you were in a different place. His introduction capturing the theme perfectly, he included everyone, we were all Italian at that moment. Each country should be presented like this. It's about more than the music. The students should be challenged to really represent their country and tell the story of a time, a place and it's people. There should be less bands and longer sets. Each group should have a thorough well-written introduction, and frankly the awards and speeches at the beginning needed to be shortened, or done away with completely. Yes it was a good show, as it always is, but why settle for goodness when it could be great.

Engineer's Perspective: A Long Road Back

After a long hiatus, I finally have enough time and energy to start writing again. Actually, if I were really being honest with myself it wasn't just a lack of time that was keeping me from writing. I started this column to bring attention to those unknown talents performing to empty recital halls around the school. And month after month I went to fewer and fewer concerts until I was only writing about the concerts I was working. Which ultimately means I was writing about the same concerts over and over again. After I got back from my leave I realized that reviewing the same concert twice hardly makes for the most interesting reading. So, this year I want to focus again on promoting new, innovative, exceptional music at Berklee. I will challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone and really get to know the music being made around campus.  And every week I'll give recommendations of shows to check out here at Berklee.
This Weeks Recs
2/16 New Music Festival- I have to give some stage crew love to my girl Silvina who will performing that night.  She's awesome and definitely worth checking out.
2/17 Mike Clark Concert- Ok, not a student but this concert will be too good for me not to recommend it. If you like Funk this concert is for you. Famed as the "most sampled drummer" Mike will deliver a night of grooves you won't soon forget.
2/18 Neara Russell- Saw her last year in the New Music Festival and really liked it.  It's singer/songwriter style  with a edgy electronic twist. The kind of songs I always wish I could write.
2/19- Extraordinary- Calvin led the praise and worship portion of the Gospel Ensemble Concert last semester and rocked the house.  I can only imagine how awesome a whole hour would be.

Well, that's it more this week.  I'll be back monday with a new review and recs. Until then...
Much Love