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| Beer of the moment: Yuengling Traditional Lager - Pottsville, PA Oh, and someone snuck a sidecar of Jameson into the shot. |
Anyone that knows me knows how important music is to me. It’s an integral part of my life. I might even go so far as to say that I have an internal soundtrack that plays in my head when I’m not actively listening to music.
When I was younger I grew up in a household that loved listening to classical music. Even as child I knew the powerhouses like Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Chopin. The Boston Pops were the go-to ensemble along with countless CDs and tapes (remember those?) of various classical mixes.
Shortly after moving from the Poconos to South Central PA I started the 5th grade. At this time I was given the option to pick an instrument to play. Being a lover of brass it was a no-brainer for me to pick the trumpet. I probably never practiced as much as I should have, but over the years I played in concert band, the orchestra, and jazz band. Making the transition from a consumer of music to a player of music gave me a whole new perspective, and respect, for musicians.
About the same time this was going on I got into helping with the setup and teardown for the concerts. This eventually morphed into me becoming the unofficial auditorium technical assistant. I would help out during my free periods getting the auditorium ready for everything from concerts to assemblies. This was especially fun when I was finally trusted with things like microphones and lights. My natural aptitude for technical things carried over into the realm of sound, light, and stagecraft.
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| Local Band Chris Woodward and Shindiggin' |
The next phase of my connection with music came in college. I had given up on the trumpet (and sold it) so I was limited in my ability to play music. Also, having not practiced singing since Junior High Men’s Ensemble, my voice was not worthy of being heard on stage. I still had a yearning to be connected though. When I was presented with an opportunity to stack the deck in my favor while transferring colleges I weaseled my way out of Speech 101 and Communications 101 by bumping up to Radio Production and Radio Practicum. This allowed me to ‘play’ music as well as get an inside look at radio station operations. I went from having a one hour show one year, to having a two hour show the next, to having a three hour show. For the most part everyone loved my show and it was a fun and rewarding experience. Not to mention I got to learn a lot about station ops, electronics, and editing. I was able to create all my own liners which was a lot of fun. This of course was still in the analog days before computers. Being able to work a board and a bank of CD players was something I found challenging and I enjoyed every second of it. My last year in the station was the first year they got a computer for the DJ booth. Given the success and popularity of my show I was given first crack at programming it. I adapted my show format for the computer and created various folders for it to draw from based on my own pattern for picking music. I’m sure it would be crude by today’s standards, but 15 years ago I made it work.
While I all this was going on, I was also getting involved with the college’s theater. Having been a sound, light, and stage tech in high school it wasn’t a far jump to find my way backstage in college. I was able to put my experience and knowledge to use rigging speakers for background music and effects, rigging lights, and even helping with scene construction. The cross-pollination between my radio class and the theater program was a product of a small communications department. My circle of friends also included a number of people involved in both theater and radio.
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| A shot of Frank Ballard and his band from stage right. |
Outside of school I had many friends who were musicians. Finally old enough to get into bars I found myself in a new section of the entertainment world. I slowly evolved from just going to shows as a fan, to helping teardown, to helping setup and teardown, to eventually running the mixer for both solo artists and bands. This is when my mantra of “will roadie for beer” started. It’s also something that has never changed. No matter where I’ve lived I’ve always found a way to connect with the local music scene.
In recent years, through my connection with local music, I’ve managed to get opportunities to work with a variety of regional bands and even some Top 40 artists. I can say, with only a few exceptions, they’ve all been a pleasure to meet and work with. The number of stories I’ve accumulated over the last few years makes for great memories. I’m never one to brag though. At least I try not to. I know not everyone has the chance to meet their radio idols let alone hang out with them or even share a drink with them. Because of that I’m not one to ask for autographs and only very rarely ask for a photograph. I think that’s one reason why I get the opportunities I do. To me they are just another person doing something they love. For me, it’s behind the scenes. For them it’s front and center in the spot light. At the end of the night we’re both backstage. I approach them are real people rather than fawning over them and pawing at them like so many “fans” do day in and day out. So, when people ask me why I do what I do, that’s why. It’s a chance to meet other people who love music as much as I do, and sometimes more which is hard to believe.
So, there you have it. That’s the evolutionary story of my connection with music. I love music. It’s a part of me. I listen to it. I play it when I DJ. I help create it when I’m working crew. Even now I have a classical music mix playing in the background while I write. My love of music spans almost all genres too. Currently my niche is within Country Music. A lot of the people I’ve met and worked with are country artists. My default stations on the radio are country as well. I wasn’t always a country fan, but that’s a different story for a different beer.
A parting shot:
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| A selfie with Frankie Ballard in the greenroom backstage. One of the few times I've ever asked an artist for a photo. Also, I needed an excuse to work the beard into this post. |
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