There is music in the madness tonight in Austin. Thousands of people are in the streets partying and, mostly, behaving. This being St. Patrick’s Day has added its own layer of crazy into the mix. I swear I heard a reggae band playing “Danny Boy” at a very high SPL. The venues that are using Heil Sound mics have settled into a nice groove and all is going well there. FOH (Friend of Heil) Ryan John has been all over the place mixing the band Twin Atlantic. So much of this festival involves “run and gun” performing, which can mean multiple performances in different venues in a single day.
So, my question is, and has been for some time here, “why do the bands do this?” They drive hundreds of miles to get here, usually in a cramped van, to set up their own gear, and play just a few songs. Which brings me to my pet peeve and rant.
In my perfect world, every band would carry a mic package and there would be time for those mics to be properly set up for each show. Well, that ain’t gonna happen here, but singers need to carry their own vocal mics and insist that it gets used. Take a PR 22 or PR 35 and don’t perform unless the sound crew agrees to plug it in and use it. Sonically, it will make a huge difference. Also, the Heil mics’ rejection characteristics make them perfect for cramped stages. Last, and not least, is the hygiene factor. Without getting too graphic, germs are building mini-condominiums on microphone grill screens all over Austin this week. Come on, it’s cold and flu season and you are going to put your mouth on that grungy mic??? Do your band a favor and pack a vocal mic with your gear. I also recommend a product called “Microphome.” Our buddy, Tommy McCoy, invented this mic cleaning solvent and it works.
Anyhow, back to my question of why bands do this gig. They do it for the love of playing music. Period. And I salute them for that.
I’m off to pick out an urn to ship my ashes back home in. More later!
Greg McVeigh
Guesthouse Projects, Inc
PR/Artist Relations for Heil Sound
