One morning in late August, 2005, Randy Frierson woke up with a bad feeling he couldn’t shake. There was a storm coming, but something felt especially wrong about this one. In addition to Concert Systems Production Group, he also had an RV business. So they loaded up as many family members and employees as possible. They headed out just as the devastating hurricane known as Katrina hit, and got as far as Pensacola where the bridge was washed out. So was, it turned out, most everything in their hometown of Gulfport, MS.
“We lost 80 percent of our clients in one day,” co-owner Candi Frierson sighs. Luckily, they had some gear out on the road with long-time clients K.C. and The Sunshine Band. But that was the only luck they had. Several of the area casinos containing their gear had been decimated. “We had all the insurance we were supposed to, but they backed away, saying that, technically, we as a business weren’t hurt, our clients were.”
And with nothing left in Gulfport, they relocated the business to Tampa, then elsewhere in Florida, before they settled down in Pensacola in 2009, where their operation is today. “I think I still have post traumatic stress syndrome from it all,” Candi says of Katrina.
But they have re-established themselves and are growing.
“I don’t take all the gigs offered to me, only the ones where we can make a difference,” says Randy Frierson. And like so many others, CSPG does more than just sound. “We specialize in audio, lighting, backline, staging and production management. Our staff is experienced in live sound, video, film, broadcast, event planning, show direction and event management.”
Relationships
Randy Frierson was a bass player who was increasingly unhappy with what was happening behind the mixing board, and thought he could do better. He was right, and realized that pro audio was his path into the live entertainment business. Working with bands around Shreveport LA, he worked his way up to casino work and then on the road with acts like country’s Doug Stone and The Real McCoys. He planted his feet back in Gulfport, and all was well with CSPG until the smackdown that was Katrina.
But the trial by hurricane also reinforced some key relationships, especially Meyer Sound. As they rebuilt the company, “it was interesting to see who was really there for us,” Candi says. “One [pro audio] company wasn’t very supportive, but Meyer really was. They went way above and beyond to help us.” This resulted in a huge investment of Meyer gear, which the Friersons are proud of. “I call them the shiny happy people, because they are so great and helpful,” she adds with a laugh. (Randy adds that Yamaha was another company that really stepped up for them as well.)
Randy credits Candi’s enthusiasm for Meyer gear with a big part of the company’s growth and success. “We call her Mrs. Meyer,” he winks. Today, Meyer MICAs are the company’s go-to line array system. “I like the quality, and the fact that the longer line you build with them, the better it sounds.” Also in their mix are 600-HP subwoofers, Galileos and M’elodies. They are now eyeing the new Meyer LEO, currently in beta. “I think it will be something that will rival the K1 and others.”
Driving the speakers are boards from DiGiCo, Yamaha and Avid. “We have a wide assortment of mixing consoles, and even a Yamaha analog, though we try to go digital with everything if we can.”
“We like to be a one-stop shop, and we encourage customers to work through us and not have 10 different points of contact,” Candi says. “We can manage everything they need, even if it includes going with a different product from a different vendor that saves them money.”
The Friersons are grateful for the relationships they’ve been able to build through the years with many production/tour managers including Rick Huber (Beach Boys), Maceo Price (Yo Gotti), and Rick Raymond (KC and The Sunshine Band).
“We do the bigger fairs, festivals, and corporate work,” Randy says. Touring accounts include the Beach Boys. CSPG also has a growing installation segment.
The company has a full-time crew of seven (along with a stable of freelancers) and the Friersons are looking to add one more full-time position. “We don’t have a sales person, and we need one,” Randy says. “Every time you go to a new location and set up shop it’s a little tough — thank God we have good friends in the industry.”
CSPG is relying on word of mouth for now, though, and it pays off when they do an event like the Dayglow Paint Party, a touring act that visited Tallahassee recently that is part live concert, part art, and part circus. “We did some one-offs for them and they really like our sound system.” In between gigs, the Friersons are upgrading their website (www.concertsystemsusa.com). They are also building a social media presence with additional content on Facebook.
A Labor of Love
With an eye on diversifying, the Friersons have become manufacturers as well. Their Insight LED Lighting products are hitting the market. TourProducts designs and manufactures pro powered loudspeakers, which include their TourSub, TourTrap and TourArray. “We’re really excited about the TourArray,” Randy says. “We started just by building stuff we couldn’t find in the marketplace that we needed as a large regional production company, and it’s starting to take off. People ask why I’m doing tour product manufacturing,” he says. “Well, I just realized that there were a lot of holes in lines for regional companies like ours.”
But they are forever dedicated to serving live events, no matter what life throws at them.
“What sets us apart is an unwillingness to take half steps,” Randy says. “I don’t like to cut corners. I’m a purist from my days back being a tour/production manager. My goal is that when the artist gets off the bus and meet us, they know it’s going to be a great day. They learn quickly that not only did we pay attention to the rider, but we went the extra mile. The speakers are deployed correctly so the engineer just sits down and does his or her job without having to reconfigure things. It’s really all about service.”
Yet with all their trials and tribulations, Randy admits this isn’t the easiest way to make a living. “This is a labor of love,” he says of CSPG. “We could be doing other things to make money, but I live for the show. And when we do it, it has to be everything I want it to be.” He pauses and adds: “Our first and most important mission is to be the best concert production company we can.”
