Two In One Week...

 

Yesterday, the local guys - I'm going to call them Allan's Group - played out.  This is more work, because there is more gear to be hauled.  But, it was for a good cause: Allan works with people who feed the homeless and those who are food insecure.  This gig was for the volunteers, then continued when the facility opened for the homeless.

Volunteers had brought clothing items, which were dumped out on several long banquet tables.  Joan came along with me to this (her photos coming up); while the band was setting up, Joan helped fold clothes.  She can't just sit around while there is work to be done.  Even if it isn't her work.

Speaking of setting up: this is the first time I've played out with these guys.  (I've jammed with them for months.)  There were issues: pieces for mounting the PA speakers onto the stands didn't come along with us.  I borrowed a rolling kitchen cart from the staff there, to give the speaker some height; and we put the other speaker on a chair; not ideal, but you work with what you have.  The small mixer that one of the guys brought didn't use the same cable connection as the powered speakers.  I brought other 1/4" cables, and we made that work.  Allan's bass amp wasn't producing sound; I brought along my Bose S1 Pro PA/amp as a back-up, or to use as a monitor (since this group does play loud).  It isn't meant to be a bass amp, but it's what we had.

The new situation with using that S1 as a bass amp: there is a limit to how much bass sound it can put out.  My solution: "Guys, we are going to have to bring the overall volume down with the guitar and keyboard amps to the level of what the S1 can put out.  From my perspective, this was actually a good thing... the room wasn't small, but we didn't need to be playing at ear-splitting volumes.

And, speaking of the room: the area we had to set up was behind a couple large pillars.  There was no way to arrange positions so that someone wasn't directly behind one of those pillars from the audience perspective...

 It was a different situation for us, since we generally play in a semi-circle at Allan's house, so we can each see all the other players.  Again, you deal.

We ran a quick sound check, since people were already there.  I balanced the PA with the volume of the amps.  A quick break, and then we started playing for real.

 From behind the pillars.  ;-)

The audience was good - nice applause and cheering.  When they opened it up for the crowd that had gathered outside, it was even better: more bodies to absorb sound, and more people clapping.  We were minus one guitar player, but Tony (the guy to the left, wearing a hat) picked up the slack nicely.

During a break, I got to visit with Joan for a bit; I asked her if the sound was balanced.  She said, "I recorded some audio for you - it's hard to get video because of all the people and you guys being behind those pillars.  But, the sound is good.  And you guys sound good!"  Kind of her to say. 

 

 

Gig done, we packed up and headed for home.  Joan and I had supper out before stopping at Allan's house to drop off the PA speakers that we hauled there and back.  Unloaded my gear into the house in the dark.  That was a lot of work.  Joan was a real champ in helping.

 

Playing out with Hip Replacements last Tuesday, and Allan's Group (I call it the Allan Lindsay Project) on Sunday.  In the same week.  I told Mark I had "one gig out per month in me," and this was now two in one week.  Two different groups.  Two different repertoires.  Same aching back.  Sliding into the hot tub last night was a relief.