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30<br />
Welcome To My Nightmare<br />
Anklebiter or Stuntman?<br />
I<br />
don't like taking parties or bar gigs, but<br />
sometimes you have to pay the bills,<br />
right? So there I was loading gear into<br />
task at hand... rain. Fortunately, plastic<br />
trash bags make wonderful speaker covers,<br />
and as the mist passed, the band be-<br />
the back of my Toyota Prius. We were loadgan<br />
to show. After attempting to reassure<br />
ing for a venue that did not provide park-<br />
the band, apparently "the hottest band in<br />
ing, and a rooftop gig meant a very small<br />
town,” about the power concerns, they be-<br />
amount of gear. Of course, I was reassured<br />
gan their pre-show ritual of whiskey and<br />
there was an elevator. Fortunately, years of<br />
beer and said, "just make it f***in’ loud<br />
experience told me to look at this venue<br />
man!" And loud we made it. This was one<br />
the night before, which by the way was just<br />
of those rare moments when I told the gui-<br />
about an hour after I got the call to do the<br />
tarist to turn it to 11 and stay there, and<br />
gig. Yup, no elevator!<br />
the bass let it all out because my little PA<br />
Friday night, I arrived at the location<br />
is for the vocal and a bit of drums!<br />
and began to carry my orange Home Depot<br />
After reaching a 110 dB on an open<br />
buckets of cables and connectors up four<br />
air rooftop and finding out the music was<br />
flights of steps, only to find another artist<br />
heard during a pro basketball game three<br />
playing in my setup time. After a brief yet<br />
blocks away, I felt complete in my journey.<br />
intense discussion with the owner, I was<br />
Alas, the party for the little spoiled rich girl<br />
reassured that the artist would be finished<br />
ended, cables were packed back up in our<br />
only an hour after I was supposed to be<br />
orange buckets, four flights of stairs were<br />
setup. Then I began to address the issues<br />
descended many times with all the gear,<br />
of a one-power outlet on the roof for a<br />
attempting not to run down the drunks<br />
four-piece rock band. He just shrugged his<br />
in the way, and the Toyota Prius was re-<br />
shoulders and said it's not his problem and<br />
covered from a parking garage six blocks<br />
don't run any extension cords on the floor<br />
away. In the end, the promoter was happy,<br />
or down the stairs.<br />
power for my board and two small amps, orange bucket and pulled out yet another the owner could have cared less, the music<br />
After looking fervently for options, I no- but the one plug on stage would never be length of manna from heaven and tied the was loud, and no anklebiters were harmed<br />
ticed a frozen margarita machine behind a enough for the guitar and bass amps that 10-gauge cord around the young warrior’s performing stunts in search of power. But<br />
makeshift bar. Lo and behold, I saw a plug would soon be arriving.<br />
waist and said “JUMP – it'll hold you if you as we left the venue, I couldn't help but<br />
sitting behind it amongst the bags of trash I looked over the horizon to the roof of fall!” And so he jumped, and yes, the young- wonder how long it would be until they<br />
and whatnot. I pull out my trusty 10-gauge the building next to me and saw the founster made it safely to the building holding figured out why the margarita machine<br />
extension cord and ever so covertly find my tain of AC attached to the neighbor’s HVAC the treasure we sought.<br />
wasn't working!<br />
way to the source of glorious power. After unit. Oh, glorious day! I did what any good- After disguising our power among<br />
disguising my cord in the rafters and over natured and resourceful tech would do… I the remnants of an old satellite dish, the Paul Kocel<br />
doorframes, I diverted my attention to the grabbed the young grunt helping me and youngster made his way down one fire es- Soul Fuel Music<br />
next dilemma... more power! I now had pointed out his destiny. I reached into my cape and up another to return to the next Denver, CO<br />
In The Trenches<br />
Danny Leake<br />
<strong>FOH</strong> Engineer<br />
Urban Guerrilla Engineers<br />
Chicago, IL<br />
312-310-0475<br />
www.urban-guerrilla-engineers.com<br />
DRLUrbanG@aol.com<br />
Services Provided: <strong>FOH</strong>/live recording.<br />
Clients: Dennis DeYoung (Styx), currently<br />
<strong>FOH</strong> for the Stevie Wonder’s 2008 “A Wonder<br />
Summer's Night” U.S. tour, upcoming <strong>FOH</strong><br />
for Stevie's European and Australian tours.<br />
Quote: "Painting pictures with sound."<br />
Personal Info: Forty years in the business,<br />
20 in recording studios, expert at integrating<br />
orchestras with high volume rhythm<br />
sections (Rock and R&B).<br />
Hobbies: History, science fiction, aviation, books.<br />
Equipment: Midas Heritage 3000 (two of them on the Stevie Wonder tour).<br />
Don’t leave home without: “My Massenburg GML 8200 Parametric EQ, SPL Transient Designer<br />
and Cranesong STC8 Compressor.”<br />
AUGUST 2008 www.fohonline.com<br />
WHERE WHERE IS THE<br />
*@%#ING *@%#ING INPUT? INPUT?<br />
We can’t print ‘em if you don’t send ‘em!<br />
We want to hear from ALL our DIE-HARD<br />
readers out there! Don’t be shy...<br />
Send your complaints,<br />
ideas and plans for<br />
world domination to:<br />
bevans@fohonline.com
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