Rock N Roll Soundcheck

A Rock N Roll sound check is when you perform portions of your show during rehearsal on the day of your show to make sure you, as an artist, are comfortable with the Rock N Roll sound on stage while ensuring your house Rock N Roll sound, what the audience hears, is great, too. Doing a Rock N Roll sound check is essential!  You'll want to include every instrument you will be playing or different effect pedals you may be using.  In the next few paragraphs I will break down what is most important and how to go about getting it right.

 

Rock N Roll sound check!

In my traveling, gigging situations we leave our amps, keyboards and drums at home. We never play the same amp twice and am always working with different personnel.  Why not bring my own audio man and my own amps and drums on the road, you may ask?  BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO WORK FOR FREE!  Do you know how much it costs to fly amps, drums and keyboards from one city to the next?  Do you know how much it costs to fly a tech man, pay him and give him hotel rooms?  TOO MUCH!!!  That being said, I quickly learned how to efficiently and successfully do a Rock N Roll sound check in a matter of 2 hours or less using other people's gear and dealing with strangers running the board, as long as the gear is in place when the band arrives.  These gigs supply the amps, drums, keyboards and tech personnel.  It saves me money to just have the band show up with their guitars and drum sticks and work with the gear supplied.  We don't get paid more to bring extra people or gear, so why would we bring extra personnel  when we can get the audio right with what is supplied?

I've had tons of experience doing this.  You'd be surprised how some of the most seasoned players just don't understand the importance of a Rock N Roll sound check. It's so much easier to be in a famous or well paid band who usually bring along their own gear and tech personnel.  Piece of Cake!  But, even they have to do a Rock N Roll sound check.

Rock N Roll sound check! Rock N Roll Forever!

Let's get down to it.  There are lots of variables that can affect audio, like temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, the room ambiance, the musician's hearing, positioning of your amps, the strength of your voice that day, and much more.  While you're tuning up and getting your sounds in order, the first thing you want to get right is what you hear in your monitor.  This is what you hear on stage while you're playing.  Your monitor mix has absolutely nothing to do with what the audience hears.  This is for you and only you!   One at a time each musician takes their turn making sure what they hear in their monitor is what they want.  Some players prefer to just hear their own vocal in their monitor.  Since some player's amps are right behind them, they usually don't need to hear that in their monitor, either.  If playing in a big room I may add some drums and lead vocal and whatever else is needed to stay in sync with the other performers.  Some musicians prefer to hear everybody and everything equally in their monitor.  Whatever works for you is fine.

Rock N Roll

After the whole band gets their monitor and instruments sounding as they like it, it's time to do a house check.  During your monitor check the tech personnel are already starting to adjust the house but they are probably NOT familiar with  what you want the audience to hear.  This is a 2 step process.  I go out to the house to make it sound good (without me playing) and then someone else from the band goes out and listens while I'm playing.  If the final mix is good for both of us, mission accomplished.

The key to a good Rock N Roll sound check is to pick 5 or 6 different songs featuring different instrumentation or volumes or vocal harmonies.  Use these same songs every time for consistency, focus and efficiency.  Make sure the lead vocals are on top of the music, the harmonies are set to your liking and the solos, drums and all instruments are properly balanced.  I am not an EQ by the numbers kind of guy, instead going more by what I hear.  I may ask the technician to give me more "clarity" on the vocals, or make the kick drum feel more "punchy" or "less boomy".  Be sure to have a mixture of types of songs to hear; a rocking song, a ballad, an acoustic song, a song with harmonies and a song with solos, etc.

Rock N Roll Lives!

It can't be emphasized enough how important it is for the musicians on stage to play during the rehearsal check exactly what they will be playing during the show.  Same instrument, same feel, same lick.  After all, that is what a Rock N Roll sound check is all about.  Too many times musicians ask for adjustments AFTER the rehearsal, which can really mess things up.  What if the technician accidentally presses the wrong button or messes with another musician's settings?  IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!  Don't be a bone-head or guitar hero by "trying" a different guitar during the Rock N Roll sound check than you normally use during the show.  You're supposed to be rehearsing exactly what you'll be playing for your evening performance.  This is not the time for experimentation or showing-off your new ax.  Save that for rehearsals!

Rock N Roll Sound Check

You'll often find the Rock N Roll sound is way different at showtime then it did during rehaearsal.  This could be for many reasons . . . Things were changed . . . a room full of people will dampen and dramatically change what you hear on stage . . . maybe one of the musicians is playing louder or softer because their adrenaline is flowing  . . . With time and experience you'll know how to make adjustments and deal with this.  This is why it's best to keep your monitor mix as simple as possible.  If it seems a little low at showtime you can simply signal the audio tech to make your voice louder in your monitor by pointing to your mouth and and then pointing up, meaning make your voice in your louder.  Simple!!!

Rock N Roll, Dude!

Sometimes the tech personnel will tell you your guitar or bass is too loud for the room.  A simple fix for this is to turn down and/or put some of your guitar audio in your monitor.  EASY FIX!  my guitar player's amps are aimed upward toward their heads and not aimed directly to the audience.  This makes the musician hear their instrument better and not blast the audience at the same time.  It also makes it much easier to blend the guitars through the main PA for a better balance and listening experience.

Rock N Roll Most Important Tip!

Remember, When the Rock N Roll sound check is over, DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING!  What you hear on stage is not at all what the audience hears.  You have to make yourself happy and be able to hear yourself on stage while at the same time make the sound for your audience awesome.  It's very challenging.  It's Rock n Roll!  Keep on Rockin' and Let's Rock, Rock N Roll forever! Rock N for the love of it, baby!

I Love Rock N Roll - Airline Travel With Guitars

I Love Rock N Roll

My name is Greg Piper, (aka RockNRollDude) and I have flown around the globe extensively for the past 25+ years as a professional guitarist and bassist, which gives me new meaning to the expression; time flies!  It seems like just yesterday, 1987 to be exact, when I notified my soon-to-be wife that I was going to be traveling the road with my rock show, thus being away from home more than the average person.  Fortunately, she was cool with this and, lo and behold, it happened!  My gig had me performing one-off evening performances from city to far away city on consecutive nights, flying from Los Angeles to Atlanta to NYC, to Japan, China, India, you get the picture.  I have taken hundreds of airline flights with my guitars carried on by back and have flown well over a million miles.  I'm here to share some airline tips to my fellow traveling musicians who travel with their guitars.

Don't you Love Rock N Roll?

The excitement and thrill of being a high flying, world traveling "Rock Star" can be dampened very quickly when the airlines take your instrument away from you before boarding the plane.   They'll erroneously tell you "it doesn't fit", which is generally not the case at all.  When that happens they often place your guitar under the belly of the plane with the other luggage. This creates the possibility of the guitars either being broken, delayed or even lost!   I know some musicians prefer to check their instruments in at the ticket counter having their guitars in anvil cases, but that sometimes cost a substantial fee and does not guarantee their safety or arrival to your final destination.  Try sleeping if that happens!

We  Love  Rock N Roll

There are three main obstacles for musicians bringing guitars with them on flights; the ticket counter, the TSA security check, and the gate agent, where you actually board the plane.  These three areas often could care less about you and your guitar and their attitudes often show it!  If you can get past them, you've made it and you can breath a sigh of relief.  The flight attendants on board are usually very friendly, cooperative, caring, helpful and understanding.

Peace + Love  Rock N Roll

Here's what to do.  When you first arrive at the airport you initially go to the ticket counter.  This is where to get your tickets, seat assignments and check in your bigger luggage.  It is best not to flaunt your stringed instruments because if you do the agent may try to have you check them in with your larger luggage.  By doing so your guitars will be handled by the same baggage handlers who throw your suitcases all over the place.  You don't want this to happen!  If the ticket counter person asks you to check your guitar with your baggage, kindly tell them, "This is my very fragile and expensive guitar that I need for my job tomorrow.  It's my livelihood, not a hobby and I cannot afford to have it damaged, delayed or lost.  I would like to see if I can fit it in the overhead on the plane, which usually fits, and if it doesn't I'll let the boarding Agent "gate-check" it there"  (Gate checking is when they take your luggage and hand delivers it to a special place under the plane, separate from the bigger bags.  Your hand checked item is usually brought back to you as you immediately depart the craft, and not put on the conveyor belts with the larger luggage.) This request on your part lets the ticket agent know that you are aware of the limitations of baggage space and that you are very willing to corporate and that you understand the situation.  I've never had my 6-string taken away at that point after this explanation.

 

Love Rock N Roll

Next, you have to deal with the TSA, whose job is supposed to be about security and airline safety.  Sometimes the TSA goes beyond their call of duty, much to a musician's detriment.  If TSA says your guitar is too big to advance to the boarding gate you have no other choice but to return to the ticket counter agent and ask for assistance in dealing with the TSA.  Fortunately, this almost never happens.  Make sure you only are carrying one instrument and maybe a laptop roller bag or a bag that is somewhat small.  If you have more than 2 items, you are definitely asking for problems!

Doesn't everybody Love Rock N Roll?

If you get past both the ticket counter and the TSA, you're left with the final and usually biggest hurdle, the gate agent :(  Gate agents are a breed of their own and they aren't paid to help you.  They're the ones who make the repeated announcements over the PA about allowed carry-ons and size requirements, etc.  The gate agents will almost always say your guitars won't fit.  They are trained to tell you that.  What you have to do, in a professional and friendly way, is simply tell them the same thing you told the ticket counter agent earlier, "This is my very fragile and expensive instrument that I need for my job.  It's my livelihood and I cannot afford to have it damaged, delayed or lost.  I would like to see if I can fit it in the overhead, which usually fits, and if it doesn't I'll "gate-check" it." This usually works.  Not always, but it's clear you are trying to work with them.

I Love  Rock N Roll - Peace N Light

Sometimes the gate agent insists you must gate check the guitar, no matter what!  They won't budge.  It's as if they know their supervisor is watching them and they must not let any instrument on board for any reason, period.  So, what do I do?  I simply allow the gate agent to tag my case.  Then they tell me to drop it off at the end of the ramp just before boarding for someone to take it underneath the aircraft.  As soon as I get pass the gate agent with my tagged case and am out of their view, I take the tag off and proceed to take the guitar on the plane.  Like I said earlier, the flight attendants are way cooler and much more helpful and accommodating.

I Love, Love  Rock N Roll

Now this is very important! - you don't want to be one of the last people to board!  You want to be near the beginning of the boarding line.  Why?  This is the only way you'll be able to fit your guitar into the overhead space.  They'll usually do fit unless it is a small prop plane.  If the craft is full and you're one of the last ones to board, you will not get the guitar to fit in the overhead as the space will have already been taken by other people's carry-ons.

I Love, Love, Love  Rock N Roll

On a final note, carry your ax in as small a case as possible.  Also, leave your custom, one-of-a-kind $10,000 guitar at home and bring your $500 Strat on the road instead.  You get paid the same no matter what  you bring, right? Anything can happen on the road.  Do you really want to take the chance of your $10,000 guitar getting lost, stolen or destroyed? If you must have that over-priced classic with you, my advice is to stay home!  You don't get it and you're not made for the road.  (unless money is no issue for you)

I Love, Love  Rock N Roll - Peace N Light

Traveling is not for every musician.  When it comes to flying, the airlines are in charge, not you.  It can be a slippery path for unknowing musicians with guitars and getting their valued instruments on the plane without incident.  You may be a "Rock N Roll Star" on stage but when it comes to the airlines, you're nothing more than a musical sardine.  The airlines have a funny way of looking at your guitars, their eyes bug out, you're like a target to them.

I Love To Rock - I Love, Love  Rock N Roll

Remember, the airlines motto at times is, "The passenger is always wrong!"  Again, you cannot argue with them.  They have a monopoly on fast travel and they know you have little or no alternatives for getting to your destination on time.  You have to play the game and be flexible, cunning, alert and on your best behavior.  If this is not for you, get a day job, travel via Amtrak Train, Greyhound Bus, or take a very long drive or boat ride.  None of these options work for me.

Rock On, High Fliers!  Peace N Light

Happy Halloween

Today is the day when some cultures believed the Earthly plane and the plane of the dead are the most closely aligned thus allowing the year's easiest communication between the living and the dead.

People would dress up as their dead ancestors, not necessarily as witches or pirates or sexy cats unless that's what their dead relatives happened to have been, and would ask for offerings of food from each other. This custom came from the tradition of leaving offerings to the dead and evolved into giving candy to kids. The Trick Or Treat tradition represents the risk of accruing the wrath of your dead ancestors if you don't leave them an offering.

Christmas was once celebrated as the birth of Jesus, a religious leader to many of the world's population and like Halloween has been turned into something completely different. So much of the Western World's religious traditions have been streamlined, condensed and compressed into bite sized chunks for human consumption. Singing hymns came from chanting mantras used in meditation. Incense was originally used as something on which to concentrate while meditating and prayer was the watered down version of looking deep inside for answers through meditation. We kept a lot of the ritual while forgetting the reason behind it.

But enough of my Bah Humbuggery over Halloween. Here's The Tooners' spooky music video to help get the mood back:

Click above to view video.

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Happy Birthday Greg Piper

Happy birthday to Greg Piper who is 106 today! Greg was born in 1907 during the San Francisco earthquake and grew up to be the lead sing in the L.A. New Wave band Womanizer and later The Tooners. He and his brother Tim played as The Village Inn Pipers at a pizza parlor called The Village Inn in the San Fernando Valley when it was still only orange groves with the Wright brothers testing their flying contraption out in the West Valley.

The Piper brothers formed the rock band The Pipers and played throughout the Jazz Era and into the Great Depression at high school dances and hay rides. During the New Wave days of World War 1 sister Susie joined on vocals and the band sold out the world famous Troubadour when it was still only a tar pit on Santa Monica Blvd. With the advent of the Second World War sister Sally and mom Beverly joined the band and with the invention of electricity the boys switched to electric guitars which initially got them booed. But they persevered until trying to escape the clutches of their mobster managent company Greg and brother Tim entered into the Witness Protection Program where they were given new identities as members of The Beatles.

 

Greg Piper circa 1936.

Although Greg remained defiantly set in his course to continue making original music in The Tooners, he and Tim traveled the world in Beatles bands such as Twist And Shout, Imagine, Yesterday and Revolution, always one step ahead of their pursuing gangster managers and despite always having to change their bands' names and even their onstage personas as Tim switched from appearing as a Mr. Paul McCartney to eventually assuming the identity of one John Lennon.

Finally, after years of running from country to country and show to show they temporarily settled down to perform the John Lennon themed show called Just Imagine at L.A.'s Hayworth Theater on Wilshire Blvd. Believing most of their tormentors are either dead or are now too old to effectively continue the pursuit they now can relax, somewhat, and enjoy their golden years. They hope.

Happy birthday, Greg!

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Another Beatles Cartoon

Here's something interesting, it's a new graphic novel about Brian Epstein the manager of the world famous Beatles. It's illustrated with quite some style but the character designs don't always conform to what the memory of those events were in the minds of the original fans (Baby Boomers). I also wonder if the "graphicness" of this graphic novel makes the intended audience gay men rather than Beatles fans. After all, this is Brian's story, not The Beatles'. Wouldn't you just love to see your secret sex life turned into a comic book?

 Click on the photo to see the graphic novel promo.

This design reminds me of The Beatles Rockband look. I don't know if they are designed by the same person but they do seem very similar.

Until the Rockband promo goes all 3D and everything...

I think what's interesting about the Rockband promo is that it is 2D animation for the early Beatles but once they go psychedelic the animation changes to 3D which ironically looks more "real" than the 2D yet is suppose to illustrate a complete fantasy. According to this video once the Beatles record Sgt. Peppers they were summoned up into a higher plane to a hyper realistic / fantasy world. I guess the game's producers thought it best to just skip that whole Yoko thing completely. Good call.

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Happy Birthday Mrs. S

Today a lady I met when she was twenty-five years old turns sixty years old. I haven't seen her for decades but with Facebook and all we have sort of kept up on each other. Maybe she even reads the Rock & Roll Rehab blog (which is why she shall remain nameless).

She lived in Hollywood when I met her and was an aspiring actress. She was certainly beautiful enough but like some other actresses I knew (I did work in the Entertainment Industry in Hollywood so I met quite a few back then) she always talked about moving to New York. She was in HOLLYWOOD, and she thinks New York would be an easier nut to crack? Of course now I figure that was just an excuse to let me know not to get serious about her because she was going to leave someday. No problem.

What I remember is that over the years she would always freak out on her birthday. "I can't believe I'm THIRTY!" she'd say. "I can't believe I'm THIRTY-FIVE!" and so on. This is why I'm remembering her today. I can't believe she's SIXTY! Unless motherhood and sixty years of growing up have matured her she must be really having a cow today. I hope not. 

She is less than a month younger than I and although men don't seem quite as emotional about aging I'm happier about my last birthday than any previous birthday since I turned twenty-five when I expected to get a car insurance discount (I didn't). What I'm really happy about turning sixty is that I DIDN'T DIE IN MY FIFTIES! Whoopeee!!!!

I read a statistic that said if an American man lives into his sixties his chance of making it to his eighties triples. Happy freakin' birthday to me!

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Old Songs About The Old

There's a line in the John Prine song Angel From Montgomery that goes, "How the hell can a person go to work in the morning  - And come home in the evening and have nothing to say?" Believe me it happens. It's even worse when said person is unemployed and doesn't even have a job to go to in the morning or to come home from. Now imagine said person trying to write a daily blog. I would imagine he or she would eventually get to the point where the only thing to write about are the deaths of old acquaintances found in the obituaries (see yesterday's post) or the difficulties of writing about the life of a shut-in.

I suppose I could write about other John Prine songs. My favorite one is Hello In There. I think it's one of the saddest songs I know. The line about losing his son in the Korean War is heart breaking and for a guy in his twenties when he recorded it he has a voice that sounds totally believable.

John Prine now at the age the character was written to be.

It's strange to think that a young man of 25 would, let alone could, write a song about old age with such authenticity.  

Old Friends by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon and Garfunkle on their classic Bookends album is about old age from the point of view of two young friends imagining what old age would be like.

Do these old friends even talk to each other these days?

The funny thing is that you seem to have to be a young person to write a song about being an old person otherwise you just end up with a song that sounds like a list of complaints.

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Goodbye Lou

From the L.A. Times obituaries:

Lou Scheimer dies at 84; founder of cartoon studio Filmation

With characters including Superman and Fat Albert, Lou Scheimer's Filmation grew to become a Saturday morning cartoon powerhouse. It held out against overseas production but was criticized for lacking artistry.

 

When the boss looks this unhappy it's time to look for another career.

 I worked at Filmation back during the He-man and the Masters of the Universe days of the 1980s. Filmation used a technique called "limited animation" which was standard for television animation until Disney TV got into the game in the late 80s. Hanna-Barbera were the kings of TV animation before Filmation but got away using the limited animation style mostly because the design of their characters and backgrounds was so "cartoony". It's a lot more fun to look at a funny drawing that's not moving than it is to watch a "realistic" drawn character that's standing still as a stone.

When I first worked at Filmation they had two shows, Zorro and Tarzan that featured realistic characters and movement, sometimes. They used what they called a stock system. They had filmed real actors in costume doing "stock" actions such as running, jumping, walking, swimming, etc. then rotoscoped the action meaning they traced the film, frame by frame, onto paper to create a very real looking action sequence. These finished scenes were to be used by the animators as often as possible, whenever the action for a scene was appropriate. This technique was also used by us on He-man which meant He-man would do all sort of realistic action but would then freeze for all his close ups and dialog scenes. This contrast probably hurt the overall effect more than helped it since the contrast was so extreme between movement and stillness.

I don't remember anyone at Filmation ever saying anything negative about the boss, Lou Scheimer although he didn't seem very hands on, sort of a ghostly presence in the third floor offices. The only interaction I ever had with him in the five years I worked there was the time I was walking into the building behind him one morning and he let the door slam on me. He quickly apologised, it was just an accident, but that was the only time he ever said a word to me and I think a lot of the other animators had even less interaction.

By the time Filmation was sold to a company that said nothing would change and then closed the place up for good I had been working from home so I wasn't around to see how everyone reacted to losing the only animation jobs in town at that time. A lot of the old timers decided it was time to retire and a lot of the younger people had to find work in other fields. I was lucky in that I already had work animating commercials and that held me over until the "Second Golden Age of Animation" started in the late 80s.

Now that hand drawn animation in this country is a thing of the past (the 20th Century), I kind of wish I had found work in another field back when I was young and starting over was relatively easy. Now it seems impossible.

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Playing With Your Image

In a previous post I talked about musician image in regard to their press bio. To illustrate the concept that the public will better understand your music and you, faster, lets see what sort of image we can think of that might work for well known non musician people. This has little to do with their own musical taste, just what their appearance, personal style and personality suggests.

President Barrack Obama: Genre: Smooth Jazz Clothes: Expensive suits Hair: short

Mel Gibson: Genre: Heavy Metal- Clothes: His old Road Warrior costume - Hair: long and wild (Braveheart style)

Brad Pitt: Genre: Pop Metal - Clothes: Torn Levi Jeans - Hair: long but styled as in Troy

Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory): Genre: Goth - Clothes: black leather with heavy make up - Hair: short, like he wears it.

Aaron Paul (Jessie Pinkman, Breaking Bad): Genre: Punk Rock - Clothes: his street clothes from the show although the yellow hazmat suit could work too - Hair: short

Jon Hamm (Mad Men): Genre: 50s Retro / Rockabilly - Clothes: black T-shirt, jeans with black leather jacket - Hair: slicked back in ducktail style

Sarah Pallin (ex Governor of Alaska): Genre: Country - Clothes: tight jeans with anything else - Hair: big.

Joe Biden (VP of the USA): Genre: Classic Rock - Clothes: work shirt and jeans - Hair: back in a ponytail

 Get the general idea? What kind of a rock star would you be? What would you look like and what kind of band would you be in? This seems like a fun little parlor game but we actually do this in real life every day. Some of us are what we are because of what our parents brought us up to be, some of us are what we are because of what society wants us to be and some of us are who we choose to be. That last one is often the hardest thing to live with and I would bet that no one thinks they are anything other than what they choose to be but look at your next door neighbor, your fellow employee in the next cubicle or your own family members and try to imagine what they must be thinking if THAT'S how they actually want to be. Then go look in the mirror.

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Your Self Images

Unsigned Records has signed a really great singer-songwriter and is planning to release the CD he is currently recording around Summer 2014. Part of the radio and press campaign to promote his first single involves telling the world "his story".

This guy is rather shy and thinks his music should speak for him but the first some folks are going to learn of him is not from hearing his song on the radio but from reading about him in music magazines and the Internet. In fact radio stations want to see him being promoted and written about before they'll feel comfortable playing his records. In the music business Context Is King and the public will decide what a performer is and where he belongs if he doesn't do it himself first.

Bob Dylan spent a good amount of his early career fighting the image he was given by the press. He hated being "the voice of his generation" and insisted he was simply a "song and dance man". However, writing protest songs didn't back up his claim as protest music is hard to dance to so without him giving them a viable alternative (they appreciate people making their job easier) they decided who and what he was.

This is not a matter of making up some pack of lies about what he's done or where he's been or with whom he's slept (although those are effective press angles), but simply writing his bio, which should always be included in any PR or record mailing, in a way that makes him seem interesting. Everyone has something that helps to define them. Maybe a hobby or an experience or a lifestyle or a home in a particular geographically interesting location can be used to help add some color to someone who feels their music is all they have. Every musician has music, that's not unusual or unique. Thinking your music should speak for itself is like writing on your resume you're unemployed and that should be enough to answer an perspective employer's question as to why you want the job.

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