Friday 06-17-2011
My experience running sound for shows on campus gives me certain opportunities I don’t think I would get otherwise. The Madison Area Arts Council hosts an event called White Night every year, a historic event that originated in Europe and has found its way to America. It traditionally showcases art, music, and all the great things in the area. It’s a celebration of community with an emphasis on light, including artificial light like fireworks and candles.
Chris Francis approached Nathan Edwards about running sound for the event as there would be three bands performing. Nate asked me if I would be interested in assisting. I was more than happy to because I know how much time it can take to set equipment up when you don’t have an extra pair of hands. Tyler Micheel rounded out the rest of our team for the day. We hauled out our gear, which consisted of a Behringer DDX3216 digital mixing console, Bose speakers, and a hundred and one odds and ends that are just as important but would take way too long to name.
Once we got to Prairie Village We debated setting up the stage early because the forecast called for rain, which would mean a small change of venue. So we unloaded everything and decided to lunch at Mochavino. As it turns out, good food, good coffee, the company of friends, and a board game that benefits those with survival skills is a great way to lose two hours of your life. We made our way back to Prairie Village with determined faces, full stomachs, and a decision: We were going to show Mother Nature who was boss. We set everything up at a leisurely pace with plenty of time before the first band arrived.
More Than Heroes is an unsigned band from Pierre, South Dakota. They’ve labeled themselves Pop Punk and consider their influences to be Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, New Found Glory, Foo Fighters, and Weezer. They consist of: Megan Snow on lead vocals, Luke Schuetzle on lead vocals and guitar, Graham Schuetzle on bass and vocals, Raury Cruse on lead guitar and vocals, and Nick Burke on Drums. The band took the stage, a semitrailer flatbed, with acoustic guitars and a small bass amp. They proceeded to explain that their drummer had to move away due to flooding in their hometown. They went on to play a mellow acoustic show with a few covers. Running sound for them was pretty easy: Nate did the preliminary set up, I walked around to listen to his mix, gave him feedback and then did some mild tweaking while he took a break. They talked a lot in between songs. If it’s done right I’m a huge fan of this, and More Than Heroes did a great job. They gave song titles, explained their feelings, denoted covers, and talked over parts while they were tuning, this keeps the audience from getting bored and it’s all a sign of a well seasoned band. They put on a great show and we’re hoping they’ll perform at DSU.
Photo by Joshography
Sioux Falls locals Wumpus had the next slot on the playbill. This Rock and Roll/Country/Pop/Psychedelia band consists of Chad McKinney, Jason Hegg, Rich Hastings, Sean Egan and Matt McFarland. I wasn’t especially familiar with these guys but it was pretty apparent that they were skilled musicians. We did the same thing as before: preliminary mix, walk around, and then minor tweaking. I felt like we were having a hard time getting the voice on top of the mix but that’s fairly common with larger groups, multiple guitar amps, and drums. The sky and the forecast were getting gloomier, but Wumpus played on even after drops started falling. They finished the last song in their set and we went to work putting plastic bags on everything to protect it from the rain.
Chris Francis made an executive decision to move everything into the Lawrence Welk Opera House. This was a pretty daunting task but if we wanted to maintain an audience it had to be done. So we quickly hauled everything, most of it by attaching the flatbed to a truck, to the Welk and brought in only the bare essentials. We managed to set everything up in under twenty-five minutes; it felt like an eternity. The venue was a little unconventional: we didn’t have a place to put the mixing console parallel to the band. We had to set it on the stage and Nate stood in the audience and gave me signals while I adjusted levels, which isn’t ideal.
Photo by Madison Area Arts Council
Pasque was the final band for the night and they were worth the wait. Martin Lien, Thomas Hentges, Tim Munce, John "slap" Meyers make up this Sioux Falls Rock and Roll band. I can say that this was the first time I had ever been on stage with a band for the entirety of their set. I put a lot of effort into trying to not look like a doofus but it was hard not to tap my feet to the beat. All of these guys were great, any one of them could have made themselves the focal point of the show but they still maintained a cohesive sound. Thomas, the frontman, had a voice that matched the vibe of the music and the energy displayed on stage. The lead guitar player blew me away; he played without a monitor, had some really wicked solos, and put up with some annoying extra stage lighting. I had to wear earplugs being that close to the action so I more felt the bass than could hear it but it was still pretty easy to pick out from the din. The drummer was phenomenal, he was switching between matched and traditional grip, and he had a variety of sticks to accomplish the sounds he was looking for.
Photo by Kerry Roberts
White Night was a great show. It was awesome to get out and do some live sound stuff with Nate. It turned out to be a great networking opportunity as I passed out business cards and got CDs for KDSU. I promote any opportunity to take in new music but I would definitely recommend seeing any of these bands if you ever get the chance.
