The Show Starts At Load In

If you're in a band that is at the point where they can afford a road crew, you can skip this week's installment.  However, if you're like the majority of us working stiffs and are still setting up your own shows, then stick around.  In fact if you do have a crew, make sure they read this.  They're representing you before you get to the venue.

Most bands have the mindset that the show starts with the first song of the night (OK, maybe it starts with a shot, then the first song of the night).  But when you're working for a venue, you're "on stage" as soon as you start loading in.  Yep...people start watching then.  And if people are watching, then you're in the spot light whether you want to be or not.

Don't be super concerned about the general patrons in the room, although you do want to be nice to 'em (and you'll always get the "what kind of music do y'all play" questions).  No, you want the manager and any bar staff working there to see a group of professionals show up with the right tools and the know-how to put a production together.  Let's first talk about how not to do it, because I can find far more examples of that.

Our band, "Nitro & The Fart Knockers" roll in at 6:00PM for a show at 7:30 (which is actually really early for Austin bands...most wouldn't get there until 7:00).  They drag their in their gear in cardboard boxes, trash bags, and just piled up in their arms.  Cables are hopeless tangled, and no one can find what they need because all of the wiring has been thrown into one Charmin toilet paper box that's been reinforced with duct tape (now that's rock-n-roll).

The bassist has to putz with his amp for several minutes to get it to work (only to find out he's get 2 bad cables from the above mentioned toilet paper "road case").  By this time, the guitarist (who has his rig up, running, and set to "stun") is practicing the stuff he should have worked out for rehearsal the previous week, and the lead singer (who considers himself "set up" once he plugs in his mic) is at the bar trying to "catch up" with his girlfriend who has been slamming Jello shots since they got there.

By the time they start (late, because someone had to go back for their mic), the singer is slurring, the guitarist has driven away several patrons, and no one bothered to check the sound out front...because if they had they would have realized that it was predominately "cowbell".

The club manager has been watching all of this, and by now has decided that Nitro and his band should have never left the garage they came from.  They finish the night (early, because the singer's girlfriend was bored and had to go...true story). But, there is little pay and no invite back. 

Their down fall started when they walked in.  Why?  Because they simply didn't appear to know what they're doing.  That, and a lot of rookie mistakes cost them any chance of getting another gig at that venue.  And here's a news flash:

Ken's Road Tip #93  - Club owners talk more to other club owners about their bad bands than their good ones.

It's like the old saying "bad news travels fast".  When you're screwing up club dates, your reputation will be ahead of you when you look for your next venue.

So, what should have happened?  Easy... at least give the appearance that you know what you're doing and that you have the tools (gear) to do the job at hand.  You need to look like you play for a living.  Sure, your friends know you have a day gig (almost mandatory at even regional band levels now), but they don't want to think about that. Everyone is there to be entertained.

After years of slugging it out in clubs, here's what I've found (based on personal experience and feedback from club owners I know well and respect) as to what they want to see in their bands:

Show up with time to spare - You're going to see this mantra over and over again here. Being rushed, having technical problems, and running late are the best ways to get a show off to a lousy start.  Always over estimate how long it's going to take you to set up and get ready.  

Don't look like you just bought your gear at a garage sale - A mechanic doesn't carry his tools around loose in the back of his pickup.  Why should you?  If you've made an investment in the gear you need to play, make sure you have it packed in something to protect it to and from the shows.  The best piece of equipment is no good to you if it shows up broken.  I'm not saying you have to go invest thousands of dollars in flight-rated road cases, but at least go to The Container Store and get some storage tubs to carry cables and small parts around in.  And unless you want to call attention to them, get 'em in black please. Otherwise, people will be staring at the stack of powder blue storage bins in the corner instead of watching you.

You're not set up until the entire band is set up - Some band members will be up and running quicker than others.  Drummers usually have the greatest number of individual pieces to put together and will typically take the longest.  If you've got a simple rig (or done your prep work on a complex one and can slap it together fast), then see who else needs help and what needs to be done.  For our drummer friend, just handing things to them or assisting in getting them mic'd up is a huge help.  Are there cases and containers that have everything out of 'em?  Then stack 'em up in the corner and clear the stage area.  Have all the cables been run?  Good, tape 'em down so nobody trips during the show (very un-rock 'n roll). You're done when everyone is done!

If you're not playing a song, you don't need to be playing - Guitarists....having your rig up and running is not a license to endlessly noodle. (Note:  This is a leading cause of guitarists being hit by blunt objects at gigs). All you want to do is just want to make sure that everything is working, and that should only take a minute or two.  There's no need to play the 12 minute version of "Green Grass & High Tides" to check your amp and pedal settings.  Trust me, you're not impressing anyone but the thrice-divorced cougar at the bar who's been there drinking since noon.

Know how to hook your stuff up - Seems simple, right?  You would be surprised.  Granted, not everyone is an electrical engineer, but if you've packaged your systems right, then everything should connect up and work first time you turn it on.  When I build a system (either for myself or another band), it has to pass my "4 by 4" test.  More on that in the near future.

Make it look like a stage, not a storage unit - It just kills me to see how many bands leave empty crates and guitar cases laying around on stage.  When's the last time you went to a concert and saw that?  We might not be playing on a 60' x 40' stage with a wall of amps behind us, but you can at least put away the empty cases and containers to make the stage look better.  And for you guitarists who leave their case on stage to lay your guitar in between sets...are you nuts?  You might as well put a sign on the floor pointing to it that says "Drunks...step this way to destroy an instrument" (I witnessed a gorgeous Takamine crushed by a size 11 boot in this manner). Invest $10 and get a guitar stand, will ya?

The show isn't over until everything is loaded out - After 4 sets, you're earned a few minutes to sit down and catch your breath.  It's also a good time to go around and thank people for coming out.  But, remember that the club employees (at least one of 'em) can't go home until you're loaded out.  If you have a small rig, it might not be that big of a deal.  But if you carry a lot of production, make sure you're not keeping them waiting unnecessarily.

In short, just looking like you know what you're doing goes a long way.  I'm not the greatest musician in Austin...but I can tell you that the bands I'm associated look and carry ourselves more professionally than most on our circuit, and we'll do our best to deliver a quality product every time.  It's rare that my bands don't get invited back to a venue.  The few times that has happened, it's always because we just were not a good fit musically for the room.  And that's OK...different venues want different things and there are few one-size-fits-all bands.   But it's never been because we were anything short of professional or failed to put on a quality show.

Next up, we'll probably spend at least a couple of weeks on the technical side of putting audio systems together and hooking things up.  I'll explain my "4 by 4" test that every system I build has to pass, and how you can use a lot of the same tricks on your existing system for very little money.  

Until next time, keep the meters out of the red!

Ken

Ken Carver has been a musician and performer since the early 70's, and involved with live music production since the mid 70's.  He worked for 15 years as a broadcast engineer, building numerous studios and transmitter sites around Texas.  He's also worked in Critical Care Communications for the medical industry, R&D for an automated lighting manufacturer, and owned Project Lighting & Sound in the 80's.  He currently heads up an R&D Hardware Technician Team at National Instruments in Austin, and still performs on the weekends in the Central Texas area.  You can reach Ken at kcarvertx@gmail.com.