Doppler, A Roadies View

Monday, January 20, 2014

The road and another year gone...

It's a very cold and snowy day today.  I decided to log onto my blog, which I realized today I never seem to post to anymore.  I guess it happens.  I find myself on Twitter and unfortunately Facebook. Also there are a few industry blogs and forums that I like to frequent.

Time seems to go by quicker each year.  2013 found me still touring, though not as much as the previous few.  The guys in YES have been keeping me busy and 2014 is gearing up to be more so than 2013.

The music business is shifting on so many levels.  Bands are making very little money selling their music.  So touring is a means to make some real money and if they are lucky a living.  The bean counters have really stuck there noses into the industry.  Managers, accountants and even the bands themselves are cutting back on salaries offers.  They are also pushing to cut back on the amount of people they hire and ask the ones they do to wear more than one hat.

This multi hat issue is not new.  It has been going on with the younger and up incoming artists for some time.  The problem is established and more well known bands are doing it more and more.  For example they want the same person to do sound and road manage.  Or they want someone to set up the band gear and handle the merchandise.  Yet they only want to pay them the equivalent of one job or even less.

What this is leading to is the quality of work is suffering.  Also I believe it will lead to safety issues as well.

As a fan it will effect you to a point.  The quality of the product will go down.  Say if you have an young inexperienced sound person mixing your favorite band and it sounds bad, you a not getting what you paid for.  This will come back on the artist because "you" the fan may not be willing to pay your hard earned money to see them the next time around.




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Monday, November 12, 2007

Sunshine and music


It's turned cold in the northeast and I am bored. We have been home on break for about 10 days which is the longest I have been off since the beginning of July. The break is nice but I have been in road mode lately. I really like touring these days.

We head back out for 5 days later this week and it's off to Florida. Sunshine, warm weather and ladies in bikini's. Hopefully we will have all three. The shows are radio festivals. Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Drowning Pool and some others will be on all the shows. I'm not sure what time we play but I know it should dark when we go on. These shows are always throw and go and I get to run lights on the fly. I love the challenge.

It looks like we will be out for at least two weeks in December also. Most of the shows will also be radio festivals. I know that Norfolk, Washington D.C., Phoenix and Denver are confirmed. The Denver show is a headlining date.

The single Paralyzer is number 14 on the Top 100 Billboard and number 11 on the pop charts this week in the US. This makes this their biggest song yet here. The CD is already platinum in their home country of Canada. Hopefully it will go number one here but that is going to be tough. The CD is number 87 this week.

Looks like we will be working into the new year.

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Friday, October 05, 2007

Words cannot describe

I don't like to put down bands....but.....oh just watch.

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