|
Post by brian on Jul 27, 2006 23:39:09 GMT -5
well, me and lizard rocked up to the Prince of Wales at 3 in the avo for soundcheck. we got some mics ready, got the PA crankin and a couple of other bits before mitch (the owner) told us that the band wouldn't be soundchecking till 8. so i went home, wasted some time, then went back in at about 7:30. for the first time i ever saw they had the crowd barriers up - huuuuge steel motherfuckers that are so heavy duty b. a. baracus couldn't break them. some band members started puttin up amps n shit on stage, so we mic'd them up and did a line check, then quick sound check. last night was a big first for me cause i was on the foldback desk, and even though it can be really quite simple i was hell nervous. luckily the first band - the critics - didn't ask for a thing for their entire set. they were a really cool band, just straight out punk. weren't many people in the pub at this point, just a few old guys and a small group of teens. so the first band finished their set and my nerves settled. the next band was a hardcore band, not sure of their name, but they used the exact same gear (minus cymbals and guitars) as the first band. makes for cheap touring i guess. this band was also good, whatever their name was. the singer was really cool n shit but he kept cupping his mic as he sang, which sucked because it started feeding back as soon as he was in front of a foldback. so i cut the highs and dropped his vocals in center foldback and it was ooookay but still fed back if he cupped too much or went too close but it was fine basically. feedback during a set almost makes hardcore bands more authentic anyway haha. he apologised mid set to me aswell which was fucking cool man, i was stoked that he did that. there were a lot more people in the Prince by this point, the crowd barrier was being well used haha. so that band finished up, and packed up and now we had to worry about Gyroscope. dunno if anyone else that uses these forums has even heard of gyroscope, but they're pretty famous over here. not really my cup of tea a lot of it, but some of it is pretty damn good. they just changed heads on the guitar amps, and changed drum kits and that was it. mic'd it up again and then i could really relax cause they had their of front-of-house tech, so lizard went on foldback. so i was just chillin from there on in, standing in the areas where the bouncers kicked everyone else out hahaha sweeeet but bloody jesus the crowd was going so stupid. but the worst part wasnt the crowd goin nuts, but the fucking cunts of bouncers that were there. these rockapes pulled a dude that was crowd surfing off the crowd, across the front of the stage/barrier, and out the door - BY HIS HAIR. fucking ow. then they did almost the same, but they changed to his leg once he was off the crowd. thing is, when he got outside, he called one of the bouncers something and bang - huge fist right to his mouth. blood went everywhere. and me i was standing right at the door anyway, so i saw everything. it fucking sucked. the bouncers kept pulling people out and chuckin em out, but outside the crowdsurfers were really pissed (i would be too) so they threw a bottle at the door i was leaning against, and just giving the bouncers shit. one of them punched another guy in the guts when he was outside and im not sure what happened, but a girl i knew walked inside not long after nursing a blood nose. eventually the cops and an ambo rocked up (the dude that got punched in the face was bleeding hard) and after the cops showed some interest the bouncers suddenly were very pleasant and handled people like they were supposed to. lots of other shit happened, but i wont bore yous anymore with this ridiculous thread. so yeah the band finished their set, stormed off, we packed up mics, leads, denied requests for band drumsticks, and went home. it was a cool night. oh and tonight i gotta do it all again fuckin love it
|
|
|
Post by DigitalDwarf on Jul 28, 2006 0:09:50 GMT -5
I want your Job....I was hoping that you were going to say that the bouncer went outside and everyone ganged up on his ass....I haven't been to too many concerts, but the ones I was at, ,the bouncers were really nice. When I went to the TMV concert, the bouncer was sharing water with people in the crowd....very cool
|
|
|
Post by Rubberneck on Jul 28, 2006 0:47:44 GMT -5
sounds pretty badass. i thought my job was awesome; i get payed $7/hour to listen to cds and read the LoTR trilogy because the dorm i work at is dead in the summer, but if you get live music then you come out on top.
|
|
|
Post by Castro on Jul 28, 2006 14:33:24 GMT -5
ditto. sounds pretty awesome
|
|
|
Post by brian on Jul 30, 2006 0:03:56 GMT -5
so last night 4 bands played. i rocked up at about 8, lizard had been there since 7-730 and had basically got the PA rockin minus the soundcheck. so i got the lights going, then me & lizard mic'd up the first band and started to do a linecheck/soundcheck. they're called Trust Broken, they're a local hardcore/metal band. and it kinda showed, cause they barely knew how to soundcheck. luckily for me, they also didn't know how to use foldbacks to their advantage so they asked for FUCK ALL for the whole set, it was cool haha. just get rid of some of the highs off the main vocalist's mic so it didn't feed back so much. BY THE WAY - if you ever start a band and you or one of your band mates is singing - DO NOT CUP THE MIC!!! hold it behind the mesh, where you're supposed to hold it. cause as soon as you cup the mic it feeds back - no matter how well the foldbacks have been EQ'd. if you can't help cupping the mic (as all 4 bands did last night) then don't ask the sound tech for more vocals in your foldback because you simply can't do it without it feeding back. plus - cupping the mic doesn't make your voice sound bigger or better or anything - it just gets muddy and causes problems. </winge> so the first band were pretty cool tho. the bassplayer, george, did a bass swing and hit the roof it was well cool. the crowd got into it pretty early tonight which was cool, probably cause theres a big scene for it in bunbury, and also most of the band members' friends were there. so we packed them up and removed all their gear off stage, loaded up the 2nd band's shit and soundchecked all over again. the second band was called 3 days later or soemthing. they were PUNK ROCK. loved it haha just power chords and 200bpm with lots of shouting, drinking swearing spitting. it was fuckin great haha. and yeah, they weren't amateurs or nothin, but only the drummer asked for stuff in his foldback, the rest of the band played with just their vocals comin out and that was it. fuckin punk rock alright. the crowd went pretty crazy for the first half of their set, but then dwindled a bit. hardcore kids don't like stupid fun i guess, not enough angst or some shit. they didn't finish their set (2 songs short) cause the drummer got too wasted hahaha. shipped their gear off and then loaded up the gear for the 3rd band, Break Even. hardcore band again, but with emo-ish guitars. this band got the crowd REALLY fuckin going. the crowd was just moshing, circle dancing, doing stupid dance things for fun and shit, and the singer really got them involved, sharing the mic with em all the time, and let them jump up on stage and shit. for one song, half the fucking crowd rushed up and shouted into the mic, and the singer just gave it to one crazy fanatic dude and then went and sat down on the left foldback for the rest of the chorus while the fan sang for him hahahaaa when he was sittin there he just looked over at me, wiped the sweat off his head, laughed and shook his head hahaha fuckin classic things were just gettin out of control, but unlike gyroscope, there were less fuckheads (minus one, but ill tell about that later) and just more fun. everyone was dancing and singing, it was pretty cool. so that band finished, there were a few smashed glasses on the ground, they managed to break one of our mic leads, but other than that it was cool. handy thing was that the last band, Carpathian shared all the same gear minus the guitars. easy peasy. hardcore band again, a bit more hardcore than break even, but just as good. the singer cupped his mic like mad, so i just turned him down in the foldbacks. but it still fedback which is gay, but hey i couldn't tell him not to do it (though i tried). they went off, but only had a short set cause 3 days later went for fucking aaaaaaaaages. after a few songs of crazy hardcore DN DN DNDNDN DN DNDN DN DN 'raaaaargh' CHGCHGCHGCHG 'raaaaaaaghfuckinsomthinraaaaagh' CHGCHGCHG pweeeee CHG CHG etc and crazy hardcore dancing - and not the really gay type which was cool, just the drunken lets get silly stuff which is way better. anyway after a few songs they said that they'd give a free shirt to anyone who could pull off a really cool dance move. my mate daniel ran up to the stage, jumped on the edge facing the band and then did a backflip off the stage. bam - free shirt hahha. but he was trumped!!! my mate kyle ran in when noone was dancing in the middle, did a flykick and simultaneously smashed a glass over his head hahahahahhaha oh man that was the best thing i ever saw - and the band thought so too - the singer stopped singing and just about fell over he was laughing that hard. free shirt to kyle as well haha. anyway later in the set some shmuck took the whole crazy fists hardcore dancing too far and punched a couple in the guts, but mustn't have been too hard cause they didn't do anything back. but some little rat shit moron went to his mate with a videocamera and signalled him to like watch what he was gonna do next, and then he just ran up to some fat dude and punched him in the face and ran off. the band stopped playing instantly and were just like 'woah woah come on guys fuckin none of that' and once everyone had calmed down and the rat kid was chucked out they played a few more songs, did a triumphant ending and then finished up. me and lizard packed up all the shit, cleaned up some of the broken glass, had a beer and a quick chat to the band before goin home. lol before we went the singer was walkin towards the door and he was just laughin his ass off and pretending to smash a glass over his head hahha ohh it was a good night aye.
|
|
|
Post by DigitalDwarf on Jul 30, 2006 1:32:47 GMT -5
again, I say, I wish I had your job....
|
|
|
Post by brian on Jul 30, 2006 21:06:18 GMT -5
hmmm this isn't supposed to be a bragging thing, just want to tell the storys thats all.
|
|
|
Post by Castro on Aug 1, 2006 7:50:44 GMT -5
is this guy actually a lizard?
|
|
|
Post by brian on Aug 1, 2006 20:05:44 GMT -5
no, but thats the only name i have ever heard him go by. nobody seems to call him anything else. its actually kind of a mystery, but hes all the cooler because of it
|
|
|
Post by Castro on Aug 2, 2006 8:25:04 GMT -5
i know, its an awesome name.
|
|
|
Post by Evycakes on Aug 2, 2006 16:30:59 GMT -5
lol im jealous!!
|
|
|
Post by brian on Aug 3, 2006 21:57:58 GMT -5
THE DIRTY SECRETS and the VALENTINOS
well last night, apart from a small turn out, was fuckin great. i got there early for once, and thought i'd make an occasion of it and start drinking. and fuckin - why not go all out and get a jamjar (a drink consisting of whatever alcohols you want, in a glass jam jar, and at $5.00AU (2.02GBP, $3.81US) its a steal. so yeah i went up to the bar, the dude goes "hey" and i'm like "hey just a jamjar thanks" "what do you want in it?" "be creative, i like suprises". it didn't taste very good, i think he put in too much of whatever the green bottle was, and not enough of the blue stuff, whatever that was. the bands had already unloaded all their shit a few hours before we got there, and they were just hangin around. we soundchecked the dirty secrets first (they used to be called "Phil's Finest Hour" back in the day, but got sick of it and started a new band). drummer, guitarist/backup vocalist (with a very small, but fuckin loud Mesa Boogie), bassist/backup vocalist (playing through an Aguilar head into a Marshall cab - bizarre) and Jarrah, the singer. jarrah is about 6'8 or something, with a huge redhair afro and skinny ass legs. hes the main singer and plays keys like a fuckin madman. if you can - check this band out, theyre astronomical. anyway we finished soundcheckin them, by sheer coincidence i also finished my jamjar at the same time, had a cigarette OUTDOORS because as of the 1st of this month its ILLEGAL to smoke in a pub in my state (WTF). 2nd band started doin their soundcheck, went all good and then it was just wait till 9:00 to kick it off. the valentinos. they're from sydney, 2 of them look mexican, the singer was from a race i can't determine, and the drummer looked like a crazed hobo. but god almighty - they jammed for 2 weeks and then started gigging, 1 year later they're touring interstate and have 2 EP's - absolutely seething with talent. they had a guitarist on the left who played pretty simply the rhythm stuff and basically kept it in time and stuff, bassist (one of the better ones i've ever heard), guitar right who had so many effects and stuff he was just goin crazy, and the singer, who shared using a Korg synth with the right guitarist. they were weird. sounded like a proggy experimental Bloc Party but with less coherence, less pop and a bit of screaming (no not anything like hardcore - these were arty decisive screams). honestly, they blew me away. their opener sent a huge wave of whatever chemicals my brain thought were necessary down my spine, my arms went to goosebumps. it was bizarre. they were occasionally a bit hit and miss, but my god if they don't go huge i'll be suprised.
the dirty secrets started not too long after, only bout 10-15mins, which is normal i guess. they're fuckin rad. you simply cannot hear a dirtier, ballsier sound than these guys - they've got it nailed. and the frontman Jarrah has SUCH charisma and energy its absolutely remarkable. all 4 musicians are really really talented - the drummer, although using a simple kit, can fill the room and get everyone rockin. the bassist goes nuts, doing really really well structured basslines that rock hard, the guitarist gets in the zone and blazes away, and jarrah does the most intricate keyboard work - one handed, while he sings, looking the other way. its hard to explain the dirty secrets sound. if you heard it you'd probably come up with a summary instantly but i for one can't atm. but definately definately check them out! you will not regret it!!
man wtf is with these posts i don't even know hey
|
|
|
Post by Bradley on Aug 4, 2006 19:31:39 GMT -5
what's a "gig"?
|
|
|
Post by brian on Sept 24, 2006 20:42:19 GMT -5
well last friday was a pretty huge night it was some band (whoops cant remember the name) followed by bob evans, and then the headlining act was Evermore. normal night, except for when i got to the prince everything was practically set up, but the bands (well, evermore) had brought in a shitload of their of PA gear, 2 mirror balls, and 2 big moving head lights. and a lighting desk, complete with lighting tech dude, and each band had their own front of house engineer - which meant lizard was doing foldbacks and i was doing fuckall. the first band was pretty cool i guess, but if they played quietly they would pass as cafe music, it was nice but a little boring. like, coldplay i guess. the singer was hot, and she checked me out which was unusual but cool. bob evans. he was way cooler when he was more indie and was just a solo acoustic act. but now hes got a full band, and writing full pop songs. his songs were pop before, but they had more of a bob dylan influence whereas now he sounds more like.... the beach boys?? i dont know. but he put on a good show, just played good music and talked to the crowd heaps, made jokes midsong about not knowing lyrics. yeah bob is cool still. evermore are dicks. everything was set up for them ready to go, but they fucked around outside running around jumping and shaking their shoulders to 'warm up'. this is normally ok, but they did it for 20 minutes which is not. anyway they finally made it to the stage. they put on an ok show i guess. not my kind of music really, but its ok. it's not that they were bad performers - quite the opposite - they were all really good at performing. its just that, they had a laptop onstage playing basslines and adding background singers and lots of effects and shit, and they had this ridiculous light show, and it was all just this big pomp and splendour and it just made me think that if you took it all away - the lilly-manillee backing track, the lighting fanfare, the huge showmanship - they wouldve been really really ordinary. but credit to them is that they have their own sound, and they do a really good live show for the punters. shouldve had crowd barriers though, it was fuckin packed. anyway because they started 20 minutes late becaues their hair was not quite right they had 5 songs left in their set but the pub licence for loud music is only until midnight exactly and lizard just started yellin at their roadie to tell the band to stop - but they had inears so they couldnt hear fuckall (blessing and a curse - it was like they were mixing their own foldbacks). the roadie wasnt as forceful as we had hoped and so the band got away with two more songs but as soon as they finished that second song lizard hit the lights and killed the amps. so we packed up the mics n shit, cleaned up all we could, and then while evermore went outside to do signings for the screaming fans, everyone else got some pizza courtesy of the pub. which is the BEST thing after a gig
i think tahts it for that one
|
|
|
Post by Evycakes on Sept 25, 2006 16:12:25 GMT -5
A unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024 megabytes
|
|
|
Post by brian on Sept 25, 2006 21:08:08 GMT -5
lol evydork
|
|
|
Post by Evycakes on Sept 26, 2006 1:00:01 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Bradley on Sept 26, 2006 8:01:35 GMT -5
nice!
|
|
|
Post by CoKeS on Oct 5, 2006 15:43:06 GMT -5
last night i went to see Built to Spill for my third time and it was fuckin great! while me and my friends were watching the opening band (Camper Von Beethoven... they were amazing). i spotted Doug Martsch standing right in front of us! there he was with his grizzly adams beard just chillen against the wall taking in the sounds. so me and my friends chatted with him for a couple minutes but then he ran off to get ready for his set, he was a fuckin cool dude. then they put on one of the most amazing shows ever.
|
|