Production Profile

I am one of the fortunate few sound guys that is also a musician and earns a living doing both.  I am also one of even fewer who get the honor to travel overseas entertaining our troops, which I have been doing since 2001. These tours have taken me, multiple times, to Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Korea, Italy, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and a few of the other “-stan” countries.

Jeffrey “Jj” Hillman has a tough job. He mixes audio for a show full of stunning hotties who just happen to spend much of the show topless. Sounds cool, right? But it is not what it appears. “I just came off a 60 hour week,” he says. “Nice paycheck but…” That “not what it appears” applies to pretty much everything about this show.

Once again, the call came via ProAudioSpace.com. Would I be interested in coming out to cover the Robin Thicke/Jennifer Hudson tour and The Pearl, the high-end concert venue at the Palms Hotel that was covered in FOH back when they were building it? I really liked the idea of the venue, but the one show I had seen there left me underwhelmed because the room was under subbed, and with an act as great as the Black Crowes, that is well nigh unto a sin.

“We had a big P.A. that would rival any big rock show,” Fred Volger declares. “Lots of low end, lots of gain, surround sound speakers out in the house  — we pumped.”

Ahhhh. Salt Lake in late November. Just cold enough to be miserable but without all that crisp white snow to create a beautiful scene to distract you from the fact that you are freezing your ass off. I’m not a Coldplay fan (are there any young bands out thee who actually write HOOKS anymore?) but there was something going one here that made it worth the eight-hour drive—besides the fact they are my daughter’s favorite band and it was her birthday.

Updated system puts sound on par with lights at Stone Mountain.

While theme parks and historic sites are both known for attracting tourists and locals alike, it isn’t often that you find them coexisting in one location.  But with miniature golf, paddleboats, a skyride and other attractions centered on the world’s largest piece of exposed granite, Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park is equal parts kitschy fun and ode to Southern history. 

Rat Sound Powers Up L.A.’s Detour Festival.

In this business, there is no doubting the importance of relationships. Whether it’s a chance meeting that grows into a lasting business relationship, or the way you handle and troubleshoot the inevitable issues that occur due to the nature of the live event industry, relationships are built daily.

It’s not only the squints who are going green. Audio is getting onboard as well.

How does sound go green? The best it can do is by being efficient. It’s still a fundamental truth that you have to move air to make sound, and moving air takes power. A lot of it. Recently, Radiohead took a new approach to touring that they hope will inspire others in the industry. Throughout their 2008 In Rainbows tour, Radiohead has been keeping an account of the carbon footprint they are creating and comparing it to past tours. This means that even in the realm of sound gear every choice is weighed against the ecological impact that each piece would have. The equipment chosen not only had to sound good — but it also had to be “green.”

We get the inside scoop from crew on Avril Lavigne’s latest world tour.

Avril Lavigne’s The Best Damn Tour has been on the road since 2007, starting with promotional appearances and festivals throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The world tour launched in March of 2008 in Avril’s hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, and is currently finishing up within the next two months in Asia. Working with Nettwerk Management, supporting the tour on the audio side has been LMG, Inc., a full service provider of show technology with locations in Orlando, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Throughout the run of the tour has been Jim Yakabuski, FOH engineer and LMG tour technician, Monitor Engineer Matt Peskie, and throughout the U.S. and European leg, Evan Hall, systems engineer and LMG audio technician. They’ve contributed some “perspectives” from the road of their experiences, challenges and solutions supporting Lavigne.

MGM Grand and Foxwoods Resort Casino join forces to build a new entertainment venue.

The symbol of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is a reflection of the past. A tree perched on a rocky knoll and framed against a clear sky represents Mashantucket, the “much wooded land” where the people hunted and prospered. A statue of a fox stands as a vigilant reminder of the turbulent times when the Pequots adopted the name that still remains today, the “Fox People.”

Sound crew worked hard to ensure the Boston Pops’ Fourth of July performance was as vibrant as the fireworks.

There’s nothing like hearing majestic symphonic music and then seeing a sky erupting with colorful fireworks on the Fourth of July, and the concert at the Esplanade on the Charles River is the most prestigious annual celebration of its kind. Featuring lively performances from conductor Keith Lockhart and the acclaimed Boston Pops Orchestra, guest appearances throughout the  years by everyone from David Lee Roth to Rascal Flatts, engaging hosts like talk show personality Craig Ferguson, and (of course) a vibrant fireworks display, the event is a local sensation, and after 10 p.m., a national television event on CBS.