Rants
Pay To Play at Open Mikes.
We maintain two open mikes pages, (Connecticut
Open Mikes and Out
of State Open Mikes) and we are always interested in hearing about new open
mikes. Saturday, we saw flyers for two new open mikes in central Connecticut,
both at bars. One annoyed us immediately, and we will not be adding it to the
open mikes page.
In the lower right hand corner of the flyer, it said there was a $10.00 charge
for each performer or group. That's outrageous. We don't have a problem with
non-profit organizations charging a performance fee, but we have a big problem
when a for-profit business does it. Open mikes at any bar, nightclub,
restaurant, or coffee shop, that charges performers to play should be boycotted.
September 2007
Louder Is Not Better.
My ears were assaulted twice this weekend by people who think the louder live
music is, the better it is. First, was a band I heard on Friday night at a
restaurant/pub. The keyboard player/lead singer had the PA cranked up to the
point where his vocals were distorted. He also appeared to be using a 100 watt
Peavey keyboard amplifier. He was so loud, there were times when he drowned out
the guitar and bass guitar. The guitar player had a Fender Deluxe 40 watt tube
amp, and the bass guitar player had an Ampeg BA112 50 watt solid state amp.
Those amps were no match for the keyboard amp, or the PA. I actually saw a woman
hold her ears. There was no reason for being that loud in that restaurant/pub.
The second assault was at the Terryville Fair on Saturday afternoon. A three
piece blues-rock was playing on the main, outdoor stage. The
"professional" sound man had the PA cranked up to jet engine loudness.
I was standing right next to the mixing board, maybe 100 feet from the stage,
and my earplugs were not helping. I don't know how people sitting closer to the
stage could stand it. I had to leave after three songs. There was no relief in
the vendor booths nearest to the stage, either. Even 300 feet away, the
"music" was annoyingly loud. One vendor told me it was even louder the
previous night. There's no excuse for this.
Louder is not better. The band on Friday night was too loud for the room.
It was unprofessional for them to be that loud. The same goes for the sound man
at the Terryville Fair. It was unprofessional for him to have set the PA system
to be that loud. You want to hear the music, not be deafened by it.
September 18, 2006
Grim Music Service - When You Just Have To Listen