Well folks, my band Amerikan Junk has 2 gigs in Iowa this weekend, one in Des Moines at The House of Bricks and one in Okoboji at The Lux Martini Bar. The reason I mention this is not only to promote the shows but to also talk about how lovely the drive will be and how the van needs to have routine maintenance done periodically as do our instruments and amplifiers. It happens too often where musicians play gigs and don’t necessarily make sure their instruments are up-to-snuff so to speak before the show. What I suggest to you as a fellow musician is to give your gear a once over before heading out to a gig to help eliminate any unforeseen technical difficulties or problems from arising. Here are my suggestions.
Drummers: Look over every piece to your kit including hardware. The drum heads should not show too many dimples or tears and if they do, you may want to consider replacement. The hardware should not have any stripped wingnuts or bolts and should function properly in all positions. You may even want to give your drums and hardware a little polish using some guitar cleaner/polish, it’s safe for all types of finishes.
Guitarists(bassists too): Check out your strings for signs of wear or buildup. If you notice anything or know that you are not in the habit of wiping your strings and fretboard down after playing your instrument, you may want to change your strings but beware they will need to stretch and may fall out of tune for a few tunings. Again, polish up your axes, it never hurts to have a guitar that looks and sounds great on stage.
Vocalists: Unless you have some effects units which you control from stage, you don’t have much to check other than your vocal mic of choice. For effects users, go through your presets to verify that they have not been changed, erased or otherwise modified to a setting that is undesirable.
Keyboardists: You’ve got a pretty easy task since most keyboardists that I’ve met keep real tight tabs on their patches and such. However, one thing you may overlook is cable continuity and that is important since your signal is only as strong as the weakest link and that could very well be your cable so double and triple check them guys.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for my performance Tech Tip. I’ll be out tomorrow and apologize for not posting but I’ll be traveling in the van for about 6 hours. Have a great weekend everybody and if you are from the Des Moines or Okoboji areas, maybe we’ll see you at the shows. Take care!
-Ryan
