Post by Susan on Mar 6, 2007 16:50:07 GMT -5
.38 SPECIAL ROAD CREW
The Heroes Behind The Band
Roadie: [slang] a person hired to travel with a group of rock musicians while they are on the road, for the purpose of handling the equipment, running errands, etc.
These are the people no one hears about. They get no fame, or glory for what they do. Yet without them, the show would not go on. They are there before, during and after the show to make sure all goes right so that .38 Special can perform the best Concert they can for their fans. No one asks for their picture, or autograph, most don’t even know their names. They drive the trucks, set up the equipment, they run the equipment during the show, (very professionally I might add), they tear it down, pack it up and hit the road again. All in a days work to them. . Well, I am here to change all that. See, I have had the pleasure of meeting two of these gentlemen and will be proud and honored when I can say I personally know them all.
First let me introduce you to Mark Rogers, (Tour Manger). Now I have to say that I honestly don’t know what all he does for the band So I looked it up and here is what I found. Advancing the shows after he you get the contracts from the booking agent, make sure everything is set and in line for their arrival. Usually he’ll try to do that a week and a half to two weeks in advance. Making sure that everything that's in the rider they're aware of, find out if there is going to be any problems with the items that are in the technical rider or the hospitality rider. Also, he does the routing once he has the tour lined up, sit down and work out how their going to get from point A to point B. Deal with all of the settlements, the door accounts with the venues, the ticket manifest, like Ticketmaster, if you are on a tour that needs that type of attention. Doing the payroll, doing your petty cash payouts, making sure hospitality is ready once you get into a venue, it's not as glamorous as a lot of people think. I only hope that I have done you justice Mark.
Next we have John Livoti, (Front of House Sound Engineer). His job is no small task. I am proud and honored to say that my husband, (Randy) and I have met John on two occasions. Once in Sparks, NV in 2005. And again in Oroville, CA April 20th, 2006. And as always he was a sweetheart and greeted us with open arms. John appears to be the type of person who enjoys meeting everyone and treats us all with care and respect. Which by the way, I have nothing but love and respect for John and am proud to call him, ”My Friend”. He always takes the time to stop and speak with you, whether it be, before or after the show. As a Sound Engineer, he is one of the best if not the best I have ever met. John’s job is not an easy one. It is described as such: Sound engineering technicians operate machines and equipment to record, synchronize, mix, or reproduce music, voices, or sound effects in recording studios, sporting arenas, theater productions, or movie and video productions. Sounds very technical to me. And John is great at his job. Which by the way I am under the impression that John not only does this job for .38 Special, but also the Van Zant Brothers Band. John is responsible for every, note and the vocals are clear no matter where you are in audience
Now we have Garry, (Mojo) Hensley, (Monitor Engineer). Now Mojo is the other crew member that I have had the pleasure of meeting. He outgoing and loves to talk and enter act with the fans. I personally saw Mojo in the Casino in Oroville, CA and called out his name. Without hesitation he turned and greeted me with a hug and shook my husbands hand. We exchanged words and I told Mojo that I was glad to see him playing Bass for the Van Zant Brothers. He thanked me and we parted ways. Very nice man that I can’t wait to meet again and will surely look for at the next concert. Lets see what his job is. Looking it up on the web. Here is how it is explained. The role of the Lighting Director in any production is essential to the success of that production.
To be a successful monitor engineer it is essential that you think like the performer, not like the audience or even more to the point like a separate listener. Not only do the performers as a whole require something different than what the audience hears; each individual on stage requires something different which makes your job twice as hard if you only have one or two mixes. The thing to remember here is that they require monitors for timing, intonation and sometimes even cues. If this is a musical performance, everyone will need some sort of "vocal mix". I don’t know about you but that sounds like a job for superman. However, this is not his only job. He makes sure the ear monitors that the band wears area adjusted for each one. He also tunes guitars, and drives the equipment truck. What can I say Mojo, you’re a muli-tasker.
On to Noah Hungerford, (Drum Tech, Lighting Director) Oh my. I have never met Noah but have seen him in action setting up and tearing down the equipment. He also plays the drums for the Van Zant Brothers. So now look up his two titles. Drum Tech, can’t find anything so I have to assume that Noah sets up and tunes up the drums so they have the best possible sound for the concert arena or club they are in. I am also sure he has to have a good ear to do this. Now for his other duty, Lighting Director
The role of the Lighting Director in any production is essential to the success of that production. After all, other production elements like sets, props, talent and camerawork all depend on the light they are presented in - literally! Poor lighting can bust an otherwise professional production; conversely, good studio lighting can significantly enhance the production value. Wow, now that’s pressure.
Then we have, Mick Weick, (Guitar Technician), I will have to take a stab at this one myself too. I’m assuming Mick replaces strings, tunes up, cleans and maintains the overall condition of the guitars. And he is most likely one of a couple others that fine tunes them before the show. Knowing who’s guitar is who’s, know at what point in the show and what song is coming as to which guitar the band member uses at that moment. I’m sure he is the man who rush’s on and off stage to retrieve the guitars and switch them out. Making sure at all times that these instruments are being handled with care.
So, these are the men responsible for the show going of without any problems and everything goes smoothly. They all specialize in different tasks and are good at what they do. I had to look up all these jobs on the internet. And in some instances used my head as to what each job was. I can only hope that did each and every one of you justice and did not make your job less than what it is. If so, please feel free to post here and let me know. I will be happy to make any and all corrections. Be sure that this is one fan who appreciates the work you do so that I may see a concert that is nothing less than perfect.
The Heroes Behind The Band
Roadie: [slang] a person hired to travel with a group of rock musicians while they are on the road, for the purpose of handling the equipment, running errands, etc.
These are the people no one hears about. They get no fame, or glory for what they do. Yet without them, the show would not go on. They are there before, during and after the show to make sure all goes right so that .38 Special can perform the best Concert they can for their fans. No one asks for their picture, or autograph, most don’t even know their names. They drive the trucks, set up the equipment, they run the equipment during the show, (very professionally I might add), they tear it down, pack it up and hit the road again. All in a days work to them. . Well, I am here to change all that. See, I have had the pleasure of meeting two of these gentlemen and will be proud and honored when I can say I personally know them all.
First let me introduce you to Mark Rogers, (Tour Manger). Now I have to say that I honestly don’t know what all he does for the band So I looked it up and here is what I found. Advancing the shows after he you get the contracts from the booking agent, make sure everything is set and in line for their arrival. Usually he’ll try to do that a week and a half to two weeks in advance. Making sure that everything that's in the rider they're aware of, find out if there is going to be any problems with the items that are in the technical rider or the hospitality rider. Also, he does the routing once he has the tour lined up, sit down and work out how their going to get from point A to point B. Deal with all of the settlements, the door accounts with the venues, the ticket manifest, like Ticketmaster, if you are on a tour that needs that type of attention. Doing the payroll, doing your petty cash payouts, making sure hospitality is ready once you get into a venue, it's not as glamorous as a lot of people think. I only hope that I have done you justice Mark.
Next we have John Livoti, (Front of House Sound Engineer). His job is no small task. I am proud and honored to say that my husband, (Randy) and I have met John on two occasions. Once in Sparks, NV in 2005. And again in Oroville, CA April 20th, 2006. And as always he was a sweetheart and greeted us with open arms. John appears to be the type of person who enjoys meeting everyone and treats us all with care and respect. Which by the way, I have nothing but love and respect for John and am proud to call him, ”My Friend”. He always takes the time to stop and speak with you, whether it be, before or after the show. As a Sound Engineer, he is one of the best if not the best I have ever met. John’s job is not an easy one. It is described as such: Sound engineering technicians operate machines and equipment to record, synchronize, mix, or reproduce music, voices, or sound effects in recording studios, sporting arenas, theater productions, or movie and video productions. Sounds very technical to me. And John is great at his job. Which by the way I am under the impression that John not only does this job for .38 Special, but also the Van Zant Brothers Band. John is responsible for every, note and the vocals are clear no matter where you are in audience
Now we have Garry, (Mojo) Hensley, (Monitor Engineer). Now Mojo is the other crew member that I have had the pleasure of meeting. He outgoing and loves to talk and enter act with the fans. I personally saw Mojo in the Casino in Oroville, CA and called out his name. Without hesitation he turned and greeted me with a hug and shook my husbands hand. We exchanged words and I told Mojo that I was glad to see him playing Bass for the Van Zant Brothers. He thanked me and we parted ways. Very nice man that I can’t wait to meet again and will surely look for at the next concert. Lets see what his job is. Looking it up on the web. Here is how it is explained. The role of the Lighting Director in any production is essential to the success of that production.
To be a successful monitor engineer it is essential that you think like the performer, not like the audience or even more to the point like a separate listener. Not only do the performers as a whole require something different than what the audience hears; each individual on stage requires something different which makes your job twice as hard if you only have one or two mixes. The thing to remember here is that they require monitors for timing, intonation and sometimes even cues. If this is a musical performance, everyone will need some sort of "vocal mix". I don’t know about you but that sounds like a job for superman. However, this is not his only job. He makes sure the ear monitors that the band wears area adjusted for each one. He also tunes guitars, and drives the equipment truck. What can I say Mojo, you’re a muli-tasker.
On to Noah Hungerford, (Drum Tech, Lighting Director) Oh my. I have never met Noah but have seen him in action setting up and tearing down the equipment. He also plays the drums for the Van Zant Brothers. So now look up his two titles. Drum Tech, can’t find anything so I have to assume that Noah sets up and tunes up the drums so they have the best possible sound for the concert arena or club they are in. I am also sure he has to have a good ear to do this. Now for his other duty, Lighting Director
The role of the Lighting Director in any production is essential to the success of that production. After all, other production elements like sets, props, talent and camerawork all depend on the light they are presented in - literally! Poor lighting can bust an otherwise professional production; conversely, good studio lighting can significantly enhance the production value. Wow, now that’s pressure.
Then we have, Mick Weick, (Guitar Technician), I will have to take a stab at this one myself too. I’m assuming Mick replaces strings, tunes up, cleans and maintains the overall condition of the guitars. And he is most likely one of a couple others that fine tunes them before the show. Knowing who’s guitar is who’s, know at what point in the show and what song is coming as to which guitar the band member uses at that moment. I’m sure he is the man who rush’s on and off stage to retrieve the guitars and switch them out. Making sure at all times that these instruments are being handled with care.
So, these are the men responsible for the show going of without any problems and everything goes smoothly. They all specialize in different tasks and are good at what they do. I had to look up all these jobs on the internet. And in some instances used my head as to what each job was. I can only hope that did each and every one of you justice and did not make your job less than what it is. If so, please feel free to post here and let me know. I will be happy to make any and all corrections. Be sure that this is one fan who appreciates the work you do so that I may see a concert that is nothing less than perfect.