Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Psychology of Sound
When the Black Veil Brides from West Hollywood decided to film their San Diego performance on November 15, they chose SOMA near the Sports Arena, a decision that came down from the Black Veil Brides’ sound guy, local sound engineer Andy Stokes.
“I recommended SOMA,” says Stokes by phone from Texas. “It’s an all-ages venue.” There aren’t many of them, he says, counting off a list of two: the Epicentre on Mira Mesa Boulevard and SOMA. “I don’t necessarily agree with the politics at either place, but imagewise, I think SOMA looks a little better.”
When asked to explain what he means by politics, Stokes won’t say, but he agrees that the working climate at both venues is better now than it has been in the past.
When not touring with a band, Stokes, 25, lives in Little Italy. He is never home for very long. He leaves to join the Warped Tour right after the Black Veil Brides finish their tour.
“I make sure that each venue is up to par, little things like soundboards, monitors, and the [speakers] at the front of the house. It becomes an issue when you tour with bigger bands. You have to make sure that the promoter hasn’t shortchanged you.”
The promoter is generally responsible for providing sound reinforcement equipment, he says. But sometimes in order to save money they cut corners and rent on the cheap or get the wrong kind of equipment. Stokes recalls times when he has had to mix a rock band with sound gear more suited to a country-western outfit. “Or a church. On smaller band tours,” he says, “it happens at every show.”
Stokes learned the sound game six years ago at a trade school and by working postgrad residencies at San Diego clubs, including Anthology and the House of Blues. For rock-and-roll shows, he says he likes the sound at the Casbah best. The secret to being a good sound guy? It’s all in being able to read body language.
“You have to know how to read a performer’s body language onstage and know what it takes [in terms of things like volume and tone] to make them happy.” Otherwise, Stokes’s job is not just to mix the band’s sound but to act as a sort of quality-control policeman at each show. It turns out that the sound guy has the authority to decide whether or not a show actually goes on, he says.
“But in the punk-rock spirit, I’ve never canceled a show over sound issues.”
Here's something you might be interested in.
Psychology of Sound
Psychology of Sound
When the Black Veil Brides from West Hollywood decided to film their San Diego performance on November 15, they chose SOMA near the Sports Arena, a decision that came down from the Black Veil Brides’ sound guy, local sound engineer Andy Stokes.
“I recommended SOMA,” says Stokes by phone from Texas. “It’s an all-ages venue.” There aren’t many of them, he says, counting off a list of two: the Epicentre on Mira Mesa Boulevard and SOMA. “I don’t necessarily agree with the politics at either place, but imagewise, I think SOMA looks a little better.”
When asked to explain what he means by politics, Stokes won’t say, but he agrees that the working climate at both venues is better now than it has been in the past.
When not touring with a band, Stokes, 25, lives in Little Italy. He is never home for very long. He leaves to join the Warped Tour right after the Black Veil Brides finish their tour.
“I make sure that each venue is up to par, little things like soundboards, monitors, and the [speakers] at the front of the house. It becomes an issue when you tour with bigger bands. You have to make sure that the promoter hasn’t shortchanged you.”
The promoter is generally responsible for providing sound reinforcement equipment, he says. But sometimes in order to save money they cut corners and rent on the cheap or get the wrong kind of equipment. Stokes recalls times when he has had to mix a rock band with sound gear more suited to a country-western outfit. “Or a church. On smaller band tours,” he says, “it happens at every show.”
Stokes learned the sound game six years ago at a trade school and by working postgrad residencies at San Diego clubs, including Anthology and the House of Blues. For rock-and-roll shows, he says he likes the sound at the Casbah best. The secret to being a good sound guy? It’s all in being able to read body language.
“You have to know how to read a performer’s body language onstage and know what it takes [in terms of things like volume and tone] to make them happy.” Otherwise, Stokes’s job is not just to mix the band’s sound but to act as a sort of quality-control policeman at each show. It turns out that the sound guy has the authority to decide whether or not a show actually goes on, he says.
“But in the punk-rock spirit, I’ve never canceled a show over sound issues.”
Comments