Don Randi
Los Angeles, CA
Musician

Question:

Is it too late to learn a musical instrument?

Answer:

It’s never too late for music. It’s never too late to sit down and try and play an instrument. You can get enjoyment out of it from whatever it is. And you can’t believe it – when you hear sounds coming out of it, even as bad as it is, once it starts to get halfway decent – you are there. And age has no limit. It’s redundant to say retirement and musicians. We never retire. We can’t. It’s not in our lifestyle.

Jimmy (Ace) Acevedo
Austin, TX
Sound Mixer

Question:

What goes through your mind just before the doors open at a show?

Answer:

I guess it depends on what end of the snake I’m at. FOH is a bit easier – I run back through my inputs and make sure they look right – making sure I’ve saved everything and made proper files.

On the other of the snake, there is a lot to do. Along with the process of going through and checking inputs, changing batteries, tightening stands, and tidying up… but honestly, at either end I think, ‘I wonder what’s for dinner?’

Laurel Stearns
Los Angeles, CA
Manager – Primary Wave
Artists – Red Fang, U.S. Girls, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, The Album Leaf, Moaning

Question:

What do you look for before becoming involved with and signing an artist?

Answer:

The first things I think about when thinking about working with an artist/band is identity and a sound that is wholly their own. After watching a video or leaving a live show that image and song should never leave my memory. That is a true driving force to be inspired to get to work! Everyone I work with does that for me.

Tony Patler
Yucca Valley, CA
Keyboardist for Dave Mason band

Question:

You are playing with an artist whose songs are very well known by the audience. Does that put pressure on you in any way?

Answer:

During the Traffic Jam tour, I covered Steve Winwood’s vocal parts on certain songs. There was never pressure from Dave but there is pressure from me to nail those iconic sounds. In 2017 we toured with Steve Cropper on the Rock & Soul Revue tour and I had to sing certain Sam & Dave parts. Try doing that while playing keyboards with your hands and bass with your feet!

Robert Scovill
Scottsdale, AZ
Sound Mixer

Question:

You take exercise seriously when you are on the road and have produced YouTube videos about that
aspect of touring. So, how many steps are there between FOH and the cheap seats?

Answer:

Not many if you’re bad at your job …
An intense workout of some sort is like my breakfast each morning while on tour. But, it’s all about getting set mentally for the day – the physical positives are just an added bonus. For me, a challenging workout helps train me emotionally to contend with the stresses of work, show, travel, family and just life in general. Stadiums are great environments for that kind of workout.
My mornings are usually this – traverse all the stadium stairs (weighted or unweighted) plus 10-15 pushups and/or squats at the bottom of each stair set. A typical stadium will be anywhere from 20 to 25,000 steps from FOH to the cheapest seats and back and my workout is usually about 60-90 minutes in length. So be good at your job – big venues, lots of seats – stay healthy, especially mentally.

Iris Bringas
Mexico City
Musician, Social Activist

Question:

You are a musician and social activist living in Mexico City. How is your art influenced by
your activism?

Answer:

Art is the main tool for the activism that I do. I am a singer-songwriter, writer and recently I began to work as a script creator, actress, and director of my own short films. I am a conceptual artist and I love breaking schemes and permeating art in peaceful activism. with great strength and firmness. My activism IS my art.
In 2015 I founded the ‘LOVE Project’ with my work and life colleagues, the composers and producers Jehovah Villa Monroy and Ernesto Guerrero. This project promotes the concept of peace through various means, such as stories and concerts, and speaks to assertive communication in the family.
I believe that each individual, once exposed to art, will be able to say that her life will never be the same again.

Steve Hunter
Altea, Spain
Musician

Question:

You’ve played guitar on albums from Peter Gabriel, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and countless others, as well as your own solo albums. Is there one guitar riff that you are particularly proud of?

Answer:

I have to say it is the riff and arrangement I did of Rock ‘n Roll for the Detroit album. That album was my first professional album and I wasn’t completely sure what my contribution should be, other than playing guitar. I was very new to songwriting and had no tunes. Ryder had talked about how he would like to do Lou Reed’s Rock ‘n Roll on the album but wanted to rock it up more. I went to see Mountain one night at the Eastown Theater and was completely blown away. They actually got seven encores that night. It was amazing. When I got home I was too amped to sleep so I decided to have another listen to Rock ‘n Roll. I suddenly had the thought….’I wonder how Mountain would do this tune?’ That’s when the riff came and the rest of the arrangement. I showed it to the band the next day at rehearsal and they loved it. It was the first thing I had done that made it on a record so, of course, I was very proud of it. I was really blown away when I found out later that Lou loved it.

Wayne Kramer
Detroit, MI
Musician, Activist

Question:

Are there any Jams left to Kick Out?

Answer:

Hell yes!

As long as people don’t have enough to eat, as long as there is no justice for all, as long as health care and education and opportunities are within reach for the few and not the many, as long as a kid is in trouble with the police, as long as people serve unconscionable sentences in prison, there will be jams to kick out.

And it will continue long after I’ve left the planet. In my view, this is the nature of civilization building. It’s not crazy to work for a better world for the people of our planet. It’s crazy not to work for one. It’s even crazier not to work to save our planet.
And those jams, the musical ones, will remain important and will need to be kicked out too. We need art, dance, music, theater, film, and all of our story-telling tools to continue to inform us, to amuse us, to nourish us, to connect us, and reinforce our beautiful human imperfection.

Charley Drayton
New York, NY
Musician

Question:

Which is more challenging, playing bass guitar with Keith Richards or playing drums with Bob Dylan?

Answer:

Both assignments are challenging on varied levels.  Keith and Bob are savvy enough to not tell you what to do.  You’re in the room for a reason to begin with! They want to do their thing, so I’m expected to do mine.
I strive to internalize creativity in a similar manner as these next-level musical explorers. 

Chemistry amongst an ensemble is what brings out the best of my abilities. Supporting the sonic root or playing a riff of a song with Keith is a unique and singular experience. Establishing a musical bond and trust between Keith and the band were daily invaluable lessons.

Supporting Bob requires an alternative set of listening tools and posture.
The story is equivalent to a riff or the hook. Bob also sings unlike anyone else, with the exception of the imitators.
His phrasing and rhythmical wisdom is underrated in my humble opinion.

Both professors are capable of having your hair stand up in distinctive ways.

Victoria Butash
Austin, TX
Sound Mixer/Educator

Question:

Which has had the most influence thus far in your career; college, the road, or your punk rock dad?

Answer: I’d say it’s a toss-up between my father and the road. I wouldn’t be the human I am today without his influence, as well as the other musicians and engineers he brought into my life. He’s a DIY pro, bass extraordinaire, and the best dad ever. He believes in me more than anyone else.

Alberto Kreimerman
McAllen, TX
Musician/CEO Hermes Music Foundation

Question: From growing up and playing music in Argentina to becoming “Bingo Reyna” the rocker in
the US, then starting Hermes Music and the Hermes Music Foundation, you’ve had an incredible
life. As you think back, is there one thought or goal that keeps you going?

Answer: I’ve always believed that when you can be happy with the happiness of others, your own
happiness is multiplied. That’s one of life’s gifts, being able to enjoy when my guitar’s music
moved the audience and created emotions in their hearts. When musicians found in Hermes
Music, the company I started 40 years ago, the perfect instrument to make their dreams come
true, when we were able to give them the service and support they needed. When a part of my
company’s profits were always dedicated to giving back to the community, donating toys,
guitars, music school scholarships, countless medical services to those in need and giving
constant support to the indigenous communities of Mexico. Each of those things have made me
just as happy as they did to those receiving them.

As long as my heart is capable of feeling and expressing love, I will continue onward doing what
I do… because I love life… because I love music!

Bill “Sauce Boss” Wharton
Tallahassee, FL
Musician/Author/Chef/
Founder of Planet Gumbo

Question: How did a world-traveling musician end up cooking gumbo and playing for free at homeless shelters?

Answer: It started with my Liquid Summer Hot Sauce. I would carry a few bottles to my shows, then I began cooking gumbo to show the sauce off. I give the gumbo away. I fed well over 200,000 people for free at my shows. I then took it to a new level when I began to use my days off on the road playing and cooking for some folks that could really use a bowl of gumbo. I have played shelters nationwide and a few in Canada. It dovetails into my work and the rewards are deep in my soul.

Find out more about Sauce Boss and how you can help him help others on his website. sauceboss.com

Thomas Guzman-Sanchez
Los Angeles CA
Musician

Question: You are a third-generation Los Angeles musician with strong Latino roots who now writes and performs with your own grown children. How does that make you feel?

Answer: It fills me with pride. I became a recording artist in 1982, and in 1988 I recorded the song ‘Forever Mine’ with my dad, Rafael Guzman- Sanchez, a year before he passed away. I remember him singing across from me as we played a Guaracha rhythm together. He looked at me like never before. I didn’t understand why he had that look in his eyes. It wasn’t until I had the first recording session with my kids that a chill came over me as I heard them in the headphones for the first time. It’s like we were communicating on a whole new level. My heart was filled with so much love and happiness and I finally understood what my dad felt that day. Every time I am blessed to create with my kids, it is like my dad is there with us.

Nashville, TN
Bassist/Producer

Question:

As a bassist who plays both electric and stand-up instruments, you seem to be drawn to a wide variety of eclectic artists. Was that part of the plan?

Answer:

I’ve always been somewhat of a chameleon musically. Growing up I was listening to and playing punk rock while, at the same time, being obsessed with bluegrass and jazz.

All of this variety was compartmentalized, but a few artists broke down those walls for me. Willie Dixon was a big one. To hear Willie play the upright in more of a visceral sort of place gave the bass power and took it out of the delicate world that I had known it in. I loved jazz and in particular The Modern Jazz Quartet. That was amplified by The Flat Duo Jets who played rockabilly and blues but with a modern, punk attitude. A Tribe Called Quest used jazz samples and hard beats. Hearing Ron Carter on those records was also a pivotal inspiration.

Nowadays I intentionally try to blur those lines. I’ll play upright on something where my instinct says otherwise or use an effect with it. There’s beauty in going against the grain as long as it serves the song in the end.

Question:

What do you like most about music?

Answer:

I love performance. Performance, performance. The integrity of the performance is always on my mind when I get involved in a recording project. I am always trying to capture what the artist is trying to do, while at the same time making the listener feel as close to the artist as possible. In other words, to not change the music but to capture the moment instead.

To find out more about Le Mobile click here. 

Question:

What’s the deal with you and the color purple?

Answer:

The color was one part marketing and one part theft prevention. When Heil Sound was a touring company and as I got on to building amplifiers, I’d look on the stage and everything up there was gray and black and silver. I was using Crown amps at the time, and so I’m figuring, if I’m going to build my own amps, we need something that people will recognize from a distance. So, I chose purple. I also made my mic cables in purple so people wouldn’t “accidentally” take them during loadout. I like purple. It’s all fun. That’s the whole thing.

Question:

Answer:

Hah! I hit my microphone with a drummer’s brush as part of the “drum /percussion” solo in my shows. I need it to sound like a bass drum with punch and clarity. Then I need to sing into it as well! The Heil microphone has the sound that I like – frequencies and textures that inspire me to dig in, both as a singer and when I’m trying to beat it to death. Heil mics never let me down, ever!

For more information on where you can catch Tommy Emmanuel on tour head to his website tommyemmanuel.com

Question:

You’ve toured the world with many high-profile artists and recently founded – with your wife, Courtney – the Roadie Clinic. What made you want to open that facility?

Answer:

We’ve experienced every type of tour – from van + trailer, to small theater tours, to awards shows and even the Super Bowl – ending with major world tours with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Drake. And with careers the assumption is that the further along you get – the bigger artist, the bigger venue, etc. – the better your life becomes. We discovered that for many, including ourselves, the opposite is often the case and we wanted to help. When we came across an incredible building for sale in Niles, MI, we knew that The Roadie Clinic would become part of our story, and we weren’t wrong.  We’ve never been more confident in our calling to help our road family with their struggles.

For more information on the Roadie Clinic and how you can help them support roadies please visit their website theroadieclinic.com

Question:

You’ve been a member of a seminal band, Sonic Youth, as well as having a thriving solo career in music. You also create visual art projects. Is there a different mindset for you creatively between the two?

Answer:

I think many creative artists relish the challenge of working in parallel modes of expression. Since I was quite young I’ve worked in three areas: music, visual art, and writing. Work on a poem mutates into lyrics for a song. Words from lyrics or poems are used in visual art pieces. Ideas for paintings or drawings lead to a way to structure a new piece of music. A musical piece will inspire a visual analog. The mindset is always the same — to seek out creative expression — even if the formats differ. The bottom line is being interested in culture, in all its forms, and wanting to participate.

Los Angeles, CA

Sound Mixer

Question:

In your illustrious career what is the most dangerous venue that you’ve mixed sound in?

Answer: ”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, mixing Rihanna there for the Met Gala all the while being told if you destroy any artifacts you’re done and in debt for whatever you destroy. The fear of being on the financial hook for artifacts from 3000 BC puts a new perspective on how you approach your mix. Especially in the sub frequencies.

Chicago, IL

Musician, Author

Question:

In the whirlwind of social media where it seems everyone’s a critic or editor or expert, how are you able to focus and stay true to your songwriting?

Answer: ”

The songs are everything. I’m a musician and every musician out there wants to be judged on the merit of their songwriting, the merit of their performing abilities. I don’t want to be just that transgender performer or that transgender musical artist. I want to create songs and art and have those be judged on their merit alone.
Photo by Alexa Viscius

Nashville, TN

Audio Engineer

Question:

You’ve mixed sound for some legendary acts throughout your storied career. Does any one artist stand out?

Answer: ”

In 1973, upon returning from touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, Showco informed me I would be going out with David Bowie. I was a bit nervous. A couple of weeks later, I was introduced to David in his dressing room. He was so kind and sincere. From that moment I began a journey with one of the friendliest, most caring, abundantly and uniquely talented artists I would ever work with. It was a privilege and an honor that shaped my career forever.

Austin, TX

Nashville, TN

Singer –Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, Little Feat

Question:

In your long and incredible career, you have toured and sung with some of the top artists in rock music. Is there any show that stands out as memorable?

Answer: ”

That’s probably the easiest question anyone has ever asked me…..hands down it was July 13, 1985, just as the sun was going down. I was on the road with Eric Clapton, promoting the ‘Behind The Sun’ tour after I’d sung on the album, and we were asked to perform at the Live Aid concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. As we entered the stage, the crowd of over 100,000 people let out such an uproar that their sound was palpable….we actually were physically pushed back a step or two. The whole tour was magic, but that day will stand out to me forever!!

Austin, TX

Musician

Question: Your live shows with Hector Ward & The Big Time are high energy events. How does being confined to a wheelchair affect your mindset during a performance?

Answer: ”

I have never let a wheelchair confine my mind or my dreams. Life is short and grand, seize it! Going on stage is like flipping on a light switch. Music is energy and I like to share it with everyone. My mindset on stage is to put on a Big Time show to remember. Music lifts any obstacle and sets you free. Just listen.”

Orlando, FL

Monitor Mixer/Artist Consultant – Jerry Harvey Audio

Question: You’ve mixed monitors for some very high-profile artists and have seen technologies change through the years. What have been some of the big developments?

Answer: “The biggest change would be in the console world.
From the days on a Gamble EX56 w/ TT patch bay to
a DiGiCo Quantum 7 is a full 180 change in terms of
mental scope. I mean it’s still audio being fed in, do
what you need to do, and send it, right? Also, the
popularity of in-ear monitors along with huge
advancements in the radio systems for IEMs have
progressed massively in the last two decades. I’ve
been fortunate to have a “second career” with JH
Audio and have seen firsthand the improvements in
technology with IEMs.”

Austin, TX

Touring Drum Tech/Instructor – KennySharretts.com

Question: You are a drum instructor and in-demand touring drum tech. Which is your favorite?

Answer: “I love both as my touring colleagues AND my
students are basically my extended family. Tech
touring supports teaching/drumming, and
teaching/drumming supports touring. What I
learn as a tech I teach. What I learn as a teacher
I apply as a tech. So I guess the answer is yes? I
love both.”

Tiny Desk Audio Engineer – NPR

Question: Do you ever wish you had a bigger desk?

Answer: “No, the Tiny Desk is the ideal size – big enough to cram

12 string players along with PJ Morton or the entire

Broadway cast of Hadestown. What more could you

possibly ask for? I love the challenge the limited space

provides — and using mics from companies like Heil

Sound make my job easier by providing tons of options

that sound fantastic.”

Escondido, CA
President/CEO – Sound Image

Question: Sound Image is entering its 50th year in business. You’ve grown from a small but mighty company –Silverfish Audio – to a world-class sound system provider. Do you ever miss the early days?

Answer: “Of course, I do! I miss being in the action. When the house lights go dim, and the crowd gets on their feet, and my palms get sweaty anticipating that first downbeat, there’s no feeling like it. Later, when I see all of those people go home with a smile on their face, I know it’s been a good night.”