We're getting there . . .

I helped with a set-up the other day at the beautiful Memorial Park Library for Calgary Show Services, for a show put on by Femme Wave on International Women's Day. It got me thinking about what a great space this library is and how cool it is that things have started happening there lately besides folks just taking out books. Calgary is slowly turning into a very fun and vibrant city. Yay, us!

Latest projects:

- mixing for a new full-length release by The Ex-boyfriends (this is the fifth album I've worked with them on!!)

- mastering an EP for Lethbridge group Body Lens

- mixing an LP for Montreal via Seattle outfit Beret

- mix tweaks and mastering for an art installation/performance Soon All Your Memories Will Be With Me by Lisa Lipton. I went to the closing event and was pretty entranced and bewildered. Such fun. My pal Tim Uniac was running a crazily complicated sound rig with speakers everywhere and multiple headset mics. Nice work!!

- finishing (!!!) the mixes for Burnt Shrines upcoming full-length

- mixing and overdubs for a very cool Indian-tantric-EDM album by Prashant John

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Here we have my very first "COS" road case at my new job at FMAV, done at 1am last night at Arts Commons. This means that I've checked the contents (12 LED lights, plus associated cabling) and signed off on the contents of the case so that it's what it should be when they send it off for the next event. It's little details like this that I really appreciate about this company - take the time to get it right the first time and you save time and energy down the road. Today, I'm a little tired.

The best artist rider ever

I will admit that I am slow, SLOW, to the game of keeping up with the internet, and this has been written about for at least eight years, but, if you haven't seen Iggy and the Stooges' tech and hospitality rider, it is probably the best 15 minutes you will spend today.

Gems, such as: "1 x 13inch and 1 x 14inch TOM-TOM, WITH MOUNTING. And if you can't bring the mounting to us, we'll have to send a bloke called Mohammed to the mounting. A stand mount would be fine, or a bass drum mount. Here endeth the sermon on the mount," and "About Iggy's vocal - we need lots. The best thing is, make it strong and punchy, a bit like a boxing kangaroo. Then turn it up. When you think you have turned it up enough, turn it up some more!."

My favourite bit: "When we arrive, if there is either a YAMAHA or DIGITAL CONSOLE of any manufacure (sic) located on front of house island, I will chop it into a hundred pieces, and each of those pieces I will chop into a hundred pieces... so that's like, er... tenty hundred? Anyway, then I will douse them in petrol and burn them. In accordance with local and national guidelines on the burning of bits of shit mixer, of course."

I'd say that's pretty clear!

Weirdly enough, I think the trickiest thing to satisfy on this rider would be the MiniDisc recorder - I don't think anyone has them anymore?