So I’m sitting here working late and grooving to some music from my mp3 collection that was playing in the background….. and suddenly I realized I was singing along to Anne Murray. Whoa! A couple clicks and I was saved by some Icehouse. Whew! That was close.

Now what to do with that nagging desire to hear “Snowbird” again… must… resist….

On the 4th, I did the sound for the big “Red, White and Boom” event put on by the Bakersfield Fire Department over at Bakersfield College. (Well, Sanctus Real brought their own guy, but I ran the board for the rest). Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that the second band, a local Bakersfield band called the Boasting Weak, were really good. Their style is kind of folky, modern, alternative, power jazz… if that makes any sense. Anyway, it’s pretty cool, and they have CD that was just released.

Getting to work with inventive indie bands is probably the thing I enjoy most about doing sound.

Recently I had the opportunity to think back on all the experiences I’ve had in the “sound reenforcement” arena. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised by the amount of work I crammed into 4 years. Here’s some of the high-lights (it’s not bragging if no one reads your blog - is it?)

Notable events:
Bakersfield JR. Miss Pageant (4 years running), BCHS Awards night and graduation, Kids Fest (twice), Glory Project, St. Phillips International Festival (twice), Relay for Life, “Light the Night”/”Celebration of Life” Cancer walk (several times), and too many other things to remember or list (even a funeral).

Front of House Sound:
Kevin Max, Paul Wright (3 times), Peculiar People Band from Cape town South Africa, dizmas, Lost Ocean, Future of Forestry, Edisonglass, Kids in the Way, Amber Salciedo (twice), Jon Shabaglian (twice), Jim Ranger (twice), Rocamole (several times), Shachah, Thee Majestics (several times), Rough Edges, Two or More, Eddie and the Islanders, Joel Jacob, Mosaic (several times), and many other misc. local/unsigned bands, plus Trin-I-Tee 5:7 and several other large Gospel acts that I can’t remember

Monitor Sound:
Acoustic Nerve, Mentu Buru, Bakersfield’s own American Idol - Amy Adams, Hawk Nelson (twice), 4th Avenue Jones, dizmas, kj-52, and many more…

Lead House Tech. (supporting the touring sound personnel):
“In the name of Love” tour (Warren Barfield, Barlow Girl, Todd Agnew), “In the name of Jesus” tour (Nate Sallie, Todd Agnew), Big Daddy Weave, Rebecca St. James with Barlow Girl, Superchic[k], Point of Grace, Sonicflood, Mercy Me, Avalon, Newsboys with Stellarkart and Kutless, Go Fish! , and as before, there are more I can’t remember.

Oh, and I also did sound system installation/tuning at 4 different churches.

You’d think I might know something by now….. but it seems the sound guys that know something are smart enough to show-up after the system has been loaded in, leave before it’s loaded out, and get paid 5 times as much. Wonder what that would be like….

Stop This Train
John Mayer

No, I’m not colorblind
I know the world is black and white
I try to keep an open mind
But I just can’t sleep on this tonight

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can’t take the speed it’s moving in
I know I can
But honestly, won’t someone stop this train?

Don’t know how else to say it
I don’t want to see my parents go
I’m one generation’s length away
From fighting life out on my own

No really, stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can’t take the speed it’s moving in
I know I can
But honestly, won’t someone stop this train?

I’m so scared of getting older
I’m only good at being young, and dumb
So I play the numbers game
To find a way to say that life has just begun
But the game is done

Had a talk with my old man
Said “help me understand”
He said “turn sixty-eight
You renegotiate”

“Don’t stop this train
Don’t for a minute change the place you’re in
And don’t think I couldn’t ever understand
Oh, I tried my hand
John, honestly we’ll never stop this train”

Oh now, once in awhile, when it’s good
It’ll feel like it should
And they’re all still around
And you’re still safe and sound
And you don’t miss a thing
Till you cry when you’re driving away in the dark
Singing

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go back home again
I can’t take the speed this thing is moving in
I know I can
Cause now I see I’ll never stop this train

I’m never gonna stop this train
Oh I’m never gonna stop this train

ZZ Top, Heart, Genesis and Ozzy Ozbourne

What a great set of rockers to honor this year! I loved the performances by the honorees (goose bumps anyone)… they were all in such top form considering that they aren’t spring chickens anymore.

My Special Moments:
- Nickelback rocked out the opening of the show with Sharp Dressed Man
- Gretchen Wilson and Alice in Chains absolutely kicked it out with Barracuda. I was totally blown away.
- Heart. They sounded like they just stepped out of the 70s.
- Robin Williams “preaching” the “gospel” of Genesis
- Genesis… I don’t exactly know why, but I love pretty much anything that Phil Collins sings.
- Jada Pinkett-Smith… uhmmmm… strike that thought.
- Ozzy the one, the only…. there’s nothing more to say.

It would have been a total kick in the pants to run sound for that show.