xkcd Is Awesome

The webcomic xkcd is near and dear to my heart - even though I don't always understand the details in every comic (I'm not a computer scientist, or a mathematician, so some things go over my head.)

The comic is here: http://xkcd.com/#

Be warned - strong language and some NSFW elements are present at times.

So - why do I think xkcd is awesome? Well, for one thing, there are comics like the one I saw today:

Official Announcement of Suspension on 12/30/09

In text format:

New Song Underground

v1.0: 7/17/05 - 1/27/07
v2.0: 7/26/08 - 12/30/09
v3.0: ?

Suspended - not closed.
Options are being discussed.
Please stand by.

On 11/15/09, the decision was
made to pursue the idea of
moving New Song Presbyterian
to a temporary location (the
Rowland Hall Chapel).

As a result, we will be suspending
New Song Underground as of
10:00 PM on 12/30/09.

A discussion is in progress as to
how to continue to serve the music
community for the duration of
New Song's occupancy of the
temporary space.

This move is ultimately a good
thing, as it will serve to help the
church transition to a permanent
space - which will hopefully house
a new and improved version of
Underground!

Some Notes On
The Economy Of Grace

An artist being able to express
themselves is a human right, not a
privilege for the rich or well connected.

A venue ought to be a partner to artists,
not a predator.

Every band in the world is "a local
band" somewhere. Local bands and
touring acts are equally valuable.

Art is inherently valuable to the artist.
Whether anybody else likes the work
is just commentary.

Your Eyes Do Not Deceive You

Yes, that is a 10 piece funk band playing "Thriller." (Not that you would be expected to know that they were playing "Thriller" by looking at the picture, of course.)

Interesting Article Re: The Avalon Theater

I just read a piece about the Avalon on CityWeekly. It's the kind of thing that makes me wonder, "When are they going to start regulating what notes and chords people can play?"

Let me be clear - I'm all for safety, and people taking care of each other. However, at some point, I have to wonder if people beating the crap out of each other is actually the responsibility of the venue, or not.

That is, if somebody goes out of control and starts smashing into other people, is it the venue's fault, or the fault of the person that's hurling themselves into anything and everything?

Anyway, here's the article: http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-9581-the-avalon-vs-south-salt-lake.html

Facilities Issues - Booking Suspended - Existing Shows OK

So, just as I get out of my booking weirdness from October, I get some news regarding facilities issues.

At the moment, I don't have any shareable details. However, the bottom line is that new bookings are being suspended until I can figure out what is going on.

If you have a show already booked officially, there is no need to panic. I have no reason to believe that existing bookings will be affected at this time.

However, if you are on a waiting list for an "outside the window" date, or have not yet gotten in contact, please be aware that I will need a couple of weeks to do some sorting out of the current issues.

Thanks everyone - updates as I know more!

Indoor Weather

Crucifixation brought their customary fog system to Underground for the show on Monday.

Now, when I say fog, I'm not talking about little wisps of smoke and haze here and there. I'm talking about "I'm on stage, and I can't find FOH" fog.

Here's a picture:

FOH is about 50 feet "into" the picture, just for reference.

Veritas

As always, I try to avoid singling out one band for attention - but that gets to be rather hard to live by at times. I believe that, at heart, all live sound techs are "fanboys" in one sense or another.

So...yeah. Veritas. Pretty freakin' sweet.

I was sent this band's way by their booking agent, and I must say, I was hooked after seeing this video:

There's nothing like a cool song, arranged well, with a great hook. (In my case, the killer vocals by Jamie are a song-length hook in and of themselves.) I love a well crafted pairing of guitars and synths, too.

In any case, Veritas seems like a band that "really gets it," and is consistently good at everything. (Further evidence below):

I love the vocal "tag team" action in Monsters.

"Cocktail Girl" has a nice hook, and I also like how (like everything I've heard out of Veritas so far), the music has some dynamic swings. Yay for some negative space!

Anyway - those of you with the opportunity should check out this band before they are HUGE, and doing shows that cost $100 (plus various limbs) to attend. Such an eventuality may not take long, as Veritas definitely understands the value of good production and good promotion. (Who couldn't love videos about the process of making an album? Check those out on Veritas's Youtube account. No, I'm not going to get those for you, too. "Look it up!" as your mama would say.)

http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=94671

http://www.myspace.com/veritasband

http://www.veritaslovesme.com/

"STET" by Anthony Phan

Just a quick review of a local record for you folks:

This album is an enormous contrast to what we tend to hear these days. In a world of hyper-processed, hyper-compressed, every-musical-space-filled-all-the-time-at-all-frequencies sonic mayhem, Anthony has crafted a fine, honest record with plenty of space for all the sonic elements.

This is a recording that is meant to be taken in as a piece of art, and not simply used to compete with all the background noise around the listener. Cool arrangements, solid production values, and some great bits of whimsy (The Hot Dog You Gave Me, anyone?) make this album a great one to pick up.

Look for it on Itunes,

...or on CdBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/anthonyphan

...or at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stet-Anthony-Phan/dp/B002PQ7M2G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1256060523&sr=1-1

Behind The Scenes

It's no secret that most of us want New Song Underground to move to a new space, so there is definitely some hopeful anticipation for New Song Presbyterian to finally get a building. As the process of fundraising and facility selection goes along, there are ongoing discussions about how Underground 3.0 might look.

I thought I'd show off some of the concepts that have been put forward.

The first set of images is the "realistic" concept. It fits in about the same amount of square footage as Underground has now, and has an 8-foot ceiling. It isn't "super wow," but it would still be new.

I took the trouble of doing some global radiosity renders for the above pictures, because I wanted to get a better sense of the light in a small space.

Now - the idealized version of Underground. :) This version takes up a lot more room, is much nicer, and has a much more desirable ceiling height. This plan is out of reach, because the money for an appropriate building just isn't there. Still, it's fun to dream.

Also, if you know any folks with a few million dollars to give us, we could still make this happen. :)

For the audio nerds amongst you, yes - those are double and triple stacked FOH PA systems. No, the stacks are not meant to all be reproducing the same material. The setup is meant to be used in a manner similar to Dave Rat's double-hung line arrays for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

You can read some of Dave Rat's thoughts here: http://www.ratsound.com/cblog/archives/342-Quest.html I should note that Dave Rat has moved on to a single hung system, but the single hung system is able to meet the needs he has. There are still some things, though, that the double hung system can do that the single hung just can't. Anyway, read the article. :)

Dave Rat is probably an excellent example of what every live sound reinforcement technician should aspire to be: Curious, innovative, highly professional, and a cool person all around.

Falling In Love Again

You know that recent post where I talked about not being super happy with my Hearos "Musician" earplugs?

Well, one of my usual plugs became misshapen, and it became rather tough to get a good seal with it. I decided to switch back to my Hearos, and...wow! They were easy to insert, and sounded good.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose.

I still wish the Hearos had higher attenuation, though.