For four years straight, FOH engineer Steve Taylor has been on the road. He started off in 2000 as FOH engineer for Jimmy Eat World, then, while the band took time out to go into the studio, Steve headed straight onto FOH for Mars Volta. Fueled by the fact that both bands have the same management, he has lived out of a suitcase for 1,460 days in a row! He answered some questions while on the current Jimmy Eat World show in Canada. "It's been non-stop, but I know I have been really lucky. Jimmy Eat World was out touring for two years straight, then stopped to go back into the studio. The minute they stopped, though, Volta went back out. Later during the Volta tour we had a 10-day break, and Jimmy Eat World booked six shows during the gap! Having the same management, they planned that on purpose. Talk about no time to get bored. It was very unusual!"
What, no breaks at all? It's no joke when one talks about life on the road!
We did have one break, but that was unplanned. Our longest break was five weeks, when Mars Volta was warming up for the Chili Peppers and Jeremy Ward. The Mars effects guy died. He was a band member who performed at FOH–my "partner in crime" out front so to speak. Effects on Mars Volta were such a predominant thing–not just vocal effects but overall effects. He had a full rack and pedals out at FOH. After he died, we tried to replace him with another guy, but we had a hard time replicating the same thing, as no one else knew the music like he did. Now I am doing both! Jeremy was here from the ground up and the songs were partly his, so even what I do pales in comparison. But I at least had been there for four months, so I knew the music.
So what do you do with Mars that is different?
The effects alone are a full-time thing. Sometimes I find myself doing the effects only, and then suddenly think to myself, "Remember to do the whole band as well!" It's hard juggling both. I have a rack that I carry with me for both tours, which includes an Eventide Harmonizer H3500, a TC Electronic D2, a TC Electronic M2000 and a Yamaha SPX990. Between those four units I can do anything I want, even with Mars, which is hands-on. With them I've been put in a situation when I thought I was using too many effects; they came back asking me to use a little bit more!
As for doing anything special, I don't think I really do anything differently that what other engineers would do in this situation. I do, however, double-mic every guitar cab. One is a Shure SM57 and the other is an MD421. I dual mic every guitar and pan hard left and right to get a psuedo stereo effect, for both bands.
What are the main challenges from switching between Jimmy Eat World and Mars Volta?
Doing Volta, they are more of a '70s sounding band–a very busy early Led Zeppelin sound, progressive rock, not really with that weird electronic sound, but more of different grooves. Low-Fi is probably the best way of putting it. This is in contrast to Jimmy, which is more of a high fidelity band with great dynamics and whose vocal harmonies are very important to the mix. While Jimmy Eat World requires more of a "normal" style of mixing, Volta is definitely an unusual band to mix for an engineer, as there is so much going on at once. There is difficulty in getting clarity in the mix. They weren't necessarily looking for the best engineer, but someone who fit their style, mixing them more than any other band; it definitely has a "vibe" aspect going on. Dave Rat, who is an amazing engineer, mixed them for a couple of shows covering for me in South America, and even he came out to watch a show beforehand to check out their style. He'd never have to do this with any other band, but he said he wanted to hear them, and that they were different enough that he needed to make sure he was on the same page!
So one tour really is different from the other…
Yes, Jimmy Eat World has full ears, so there are no stage monitors at all. I talked them into putting their guitar amps backwards so my stage volume is incredibly quiet. In contrast to Mars, who use all wedges and insane stage volume, their set-up is very close together, with a lot of bleed going on. Even on a huge arena stage, they are set up incredibly close together so they can get the feel of being in a rehearsal space.
As for microphones, I generally use Audix vocal mics when I can. The Om7s work beautifully for Jimmy Eat World. He's in such control of his voice that it works really well. I use a Shure Beta 58, however, with Mars. That's the only mic that seems to stand up to its abuse!
How do you deal with scaled down production vs. carrying production?
Jimmy Eat World is carrying some production this time, and Mars isn't. This generally has to do with the size of the venues that we are playing in. Jimmy has carried a full Rat P.A. in the past, including a Midas XL4, which I loved. Someday, I hope to carry one PM5D. I thoroughly advance a show to get minimum of what I need, and I always have enough tour support in case something isn't of good enough quality in the club, so we're not thoroughly at the mercy of the venue.
The thing of trying to bring big production into a small place is that it has more problems than benefit, and it's often unrealistic. Yes, it's wonderful having same gear every night, but in small places it's simple: you just don't have the room to do it. Way back when I started out with Jimmy Eat World, we were playing worldwide, but in small clubs. As their budgets got larger, they played bigger venues. When I started with Volta, we started in the same rooms as with Jimmy, so I was lucky to have played and become familiar with many of the venues. As Mars grew, so did the venues, and obviously both bands have had good fortune to open for large arena acts. I've been lucky as both bands have often been opening for Rat Sound clients, and as I have a Rat affiliation, I knew all the sound techs and so got a foot in the door. It's subtle, but when you're on the road you definitely get treated better when you have a liaison. With Mars, I do have to add, it wasn't always necessary. Everyone seems to love them so much that the band members from the headliner band always make sure the Mars crew and band are personally treated well, just 'cause of who they are!
