kuilo Countdown to 200 - #7: The Changing of the Guard - hotamboyan

We march on to post number 200 with another look back in our Not Countdown Countdown. 

This week I turn it over to my wonderful, fantastic, and amazing (she hates when I do this) editor, Karen Newman. She has been with me since day one and spends as much, if not more, time editing my writing as I do actually writing it. Somewhere (usually multiple wheres) in every post is something she has had a hand in. Much like roadies are behind the scenes making the Popstars look better, she is behind the scenes making me look better. And I can never thank her enough for it.

And now I turn it over to Karen …

At first, Mark’s request for me to pick one of my favorite blog posts he’s written seemed like a daunting task, but when I paused and thought about what it was that made certain posts more special to me than others, then the choice became simple. 

Over the years Mark has written about the importance of teamwork, respect, and mentorship. People. With 2016 ending with the passing of the final member of NASA’s Original Seven, I had a flashback to one of Mark’s first posts: The Changing of the Guard.

Nearly three years and 200 posts later, this post is the first of many in which he reminds us that it is peoplewho make a company successful; it is people who set standards and inspire future generations; and it is people who make history.

The Changing of the Guard

I am a bit of a NASA enthusiast, and this week I thought about the touring industry and NASA, but how do those two groups of people fit in the same thought?

There are three distinct groups of the early astronauts in NASA:

The Original 7

The New 9 and

The Fourteen.

Again, what does this have to do with touring?

This week the touring world lost an innovator in the industry, Mark Fisher. He was a stage designer for a multitude of acts that included AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, U2, and Pink Floyd just to name a few. I never had a chance to work with him but his shows are some of my favorite to watch.

U2 Claw Design by Mark Fisher.

The passing of Mark Fisher has once again made me think about the people who founded the industry: Names like Strickland, See, McManus, Monk, Brutshe, Pierce, and Paulson, the people who were the first to do what the younger generation find common place. These people are now nearing the end of their careers, or in some cases, retired or have passed on. To use that classic phrase: they have forgotten more about touring then most people starting now will ever know. This is the touring equivalent of The Original 7: the people who were the first riggers, stage managers, LDs, FOH engineers. They created the models we work in today, and created the touring industry from the ground up. For them it was a labor of love, being the first out there in our wild new frontier.

Our fearless leader, Michael Strickland getting ready for a show.

Along the way they found and molded and taught the next group: The New 9. In our industry I think there are two halves of the New 9, the Early and the Late. I did not tour with any of the Original 7, but I have been on the bus for many a gig with the Early New 9, Lockridge, Hoover, Rock, Harden, Wannabo, and Murray. These are the people that learned directly from the Original 7. The Early New 9, in many cases, are coming (or already are) off the road. They have moved to support roles behind desks or in offices. I come from the Late New 9, the last group of people that learned by physically doing the job, not by learning about the job. When I started, places like Full Sail were just being established.

Bandit's Rick Munroe setting the stage for KISS's legendary live album: Alive!.

Then there is The Fourteen: the newer generation. Let me be perfectly clear here, these are not just people from Full Sail (and schools like it), but people that have seen what we do from a young age, grown up hearing about the industry, and have a diverse number of ways to get into it (not just “I knew somebody who knew somebody," although that does still help).

What does this have to do with a changing of the guard? Just as the Original 7 passed their knowledge to the New 9, it is now time for the New 9 to pass along to The Fourteen. That makes sense: of course we need to pass that knowledge along. There is one drastic difference though: It is much easier for the newer generation to learn about our jobs by learning about our jobs, not doing our jobs.

At this point I could start on the “Back in the day,” and “When I was your age” bits, but I won’t. I will say this:

To The Fourteen: You are a part of the first group that can learn what we do from a school. Whether you did or not does not matter, that is the group you are from. For those that have come before you, that is a big deal. It may not be right or fair, but that’s life. Just remember that because you grew up “around it” or went to school to “learn it” doesn't mean you know it.

Respect. Listen. Learn. Overachieve.

To the New 9: You took what you learned and expounded tenfold on top of it. You gave blood, sweat, your body, your personal lives, and more to make the industry what it is. It is because of your hard work that the new generation can do what they do, with “the ease” which they do it.

Is it fair to say The Fourteen do not have to have the same desire and drive you did to get where you are? Yes it is. Does it mean that none of them do? Hell no. It just means it might be harder to find the ones that do. But you must find them, and you must teach them. You also must be willing to learn from them. Be willing to understand that there are new ideas and, yes, the world and the industry are different.

Teach. Mold. Listen. Learn. 

To the Original 7: Thank you.

Until next time, “Godspeed, John Glenn.”

Mark

kuilo Countdown to 200 - #8: Leadership and Lighting - hotamboyan

We continue our trip down memory lane with #8 on our Look Back That Isn’t A Top 10 with Leadership and Lighting. 

Being a good leader was something I took very seriously back when I wrote this post (while I was Shop Foreman) and I take it even more so now (as General Manager). Everyone on the road is a leader in their own way, and much like there are numerous ways to do anything in our industry, there are also numerous ways to lead people. There are three other things that I want to say before we get to the post:

Respect – You should work hard to achieve respect every day.

I still won’t tell you what kind of leader I am, you will have to ask the people I work with.

The day has come and, Willie, I hope I’m doing you proud.

Leadership and Lighting

I had a few other ideas for the post this week, but listening to Herm Edwards this morning made me change my mind to the topic of leadership. We’ll get back to Herm later, but first I want to talk about the book Turn the Ship Around(given to me by fellow Bandit, Andrew Heid), written  by L. David Marquet who was a USN Submarine Captain. In this book he discussed two primary styles of leading; Leader-Follower and Leader-Leader.

Leader-Follower

This is the classic military style of leadership. I outrank you, I give you an order, and you go do it. In the lighting world, I’m the crew chief, I tell the tech what to do, and the tech takes his stagehands and does it, then waits for the next set of instructions from me. This works… but is it most effective?

Leader-Leader

This is the new school thinking Captain Marquet brought to his submarine, and it was a tough sell. This goes against most military thinking. The idea is to teach all your men to become active leaders. To go straight back to the lighting example (as this is, a lighting blog), the tech comes to me and says, “I have enough space to go build the DS truss, can I take the guys and go do it?” This sounds simple but it isn’t always that easy. This can be tough because it takes a confident leader to not be threatened by teaching his people to be leaders.

This does not mean everyone can just run around doing whatever they want. Read what the tech said in the paragraph above: “Can I take the guys and do it?” The tech is actively taking control of the situation, and his crew chief is making the final decision. In the long run, this tech is being set up to become a crew chief quicker. This works as well… but is it most effective?

The answer is: There is no answer. I think Leader-Leader works best for our industry, and I bet many people would agree, but in some cases you have to defer to the Leader-Follower mentality. There is one key point with Leader-Leader that can become a slippery slope: There are 50 ways to do everything we do in our industry. This can lead to questioning everything, which is just as bad as questioning nothing. There is a balance that needs to be learned, but once it is, true growth can occur.

Are you a leader? What kind are you? If you aren’t a leader (and I bet more of you lead than you realize), what kind do you want to be? This is the point where I would normally go into the list of all the different boss types and how they act, but I don’t think that is really necessary. We all get The Bad Guy, The Nice Guy, The Micro-manager, etc., and I bet each one of you thought of specific people when you read that last sentence. But which of them do you most want to be like when you lead? Is it a combination of a couple of them?

However you lead, it comes down to one simple thing: Respect. 

Whatever your leadership style is, you have to gain the respect of your crew and that is what is most important. I have toured with all different kinds of Production Managers while each had pros and cons, I always did my best for them, but not all of them earned my true respect. It is a tough thing to truly earn respect, but when it is earned, your people will gladly make that extra effort for you on the days you need it most.

At this point maybe some of you are wondering what kind of leader I am. I won’t say anything about how I feel I lead, but I will tell you about a few people that come to mind when I hear the word leader:

Herb Brooks.

He was the coach of the 1980 USA Men’s hockey team. From all I have read about him, he was brutal as a coach. He did whatever he could to make his players better, make them play for each other and their country.

Herm Edwards.

He was an NFL player and head coach. He is a teacher, a mentor, and a leader to many a player he coached. His outlook on things is so spot on. I heard him say this the other morning, “Lead from your feet, not your seat.” So simple, yet so true, and so hard to really do.

Gene Kranz.

He is probably most famous for being Flight Director for Apollo 13 but he also was one of the few men who helped build the space program. If there was one person I could meet, it would be him. Look up The Kranz Dictum, it is what he said after the accident of Apollo I. It gives me chills each time I read it.

I will add one more person to this list, and this is someone I know and am proud to call a friend. It’s rare that I single out a person I toured with, but I have to in this case. Willie Aames was an amazing leader. You knew he would go to bat for you when you needed him to. He was the ultimate in practice what you preach. It didn’t matter how bad things were on a show day, when he said I need you to do this for me I wanted to do it. Thank you, Willie. When the time comes, I hope I do as well as you did for us.

“You win with people, not with talent. So the quality of the people is very important in building your team.” Herb Brooks

Until next time, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

Mark

kuilo Countdown to 200 - #9 Don't Be a Gherm - hotamboyan

This week we look back at the first post that truly blew up in popularity thanks to both the topic and our new friends: The Gherm Guys. This post was almost a year into the blog and we were still playing with animated gifs and embedded pictures on a regular basis. I also learned, thanks to the aforementioned Guys, that I had been spelling 'gherm' wrong (we won’t talk anymore about that). Aunt Ida from Boise made an appearance, this was also the first of many BDB PSAs.

And now, Number 9 in our countdown to 200: 

Don’t Be A Gherm: A PSA from the Dimmer Beach Blog

One of the really neat things (and one of the most pain in the ass things) about being on the road is being able to acquire tickets for friends and family. I never had a problem with getting people tickets for a gig I was on. It is one of the perks of our job, and most people truly are amazed at what we consider common place (which can be a nice shot in the arm on a bad day).

I liked seeing my family proud of what I had accomplished, and have them meet my road family. As we move closer to the one year anniversary of Bandit Dimmer Beach, I decided to do a post that you, the roadie who makes the show happen every day, can share with people so they know a few of the do’s and don’ts of getting tickets and passes. It’s got me this far, so, in no particular order…

A sure sign of a good time. Photo credit: Rhys A.

How many tickets can I get?

Most tours have comp tickets set aside for their crew, but that doesn’t mean thousands of them. Unless it is immediate family, I never asked for more than two at any given show. Do not text your roadie friend on tour, and ask for “Me + 3.” Bad form for sure. At your roadie’s hometown show he can usually get a couple extra tickets, so Great Aunt Ida can go.

When should I ask for tickets?

This varies depending on the tour. The more time the better on a bigger tour, but usually your roadie will tell you to remind him as the date gets closer. I found that two weeks out seemed to work well for me. It didn’t make me rush my Production Manager, but wasn't so far out that it slipped through the cracks.

Can I get meet and greet or backstage passes?

Do NOT ask for that. Ever. Ever ever. Your roadie friend knows you like the artist, and knows you think it would be cool to be backstage. If he is on a tour where that is possible, he will make it happen. In many cases, a person without a pass can be escorted backstage for a quick tour. Again, if that is possible,your roadie will make it happen for you.

Get there when doors open.

For the love of everything, be there when the doors open. I understand it may be early, but your roadie has a job to do (that’s why he is able to get tickets). If there is a problem, it will need to be taken care of, and set change of the first act is not a good time. Your friend has done you a huge favor by hooking you up: help them out by making it easier if there is an issue.

NOTE: Two important things to remember!

1. Show days are busy, sometimes tickets don’t get sent up or missed at Will Call. If your name is noton the list, get ahold of your roadie and let them handle it. This could take a bit of time depending on what is going on. Do not freak out and yell at building people.
2. Send a courtesy text when you get your tickets. This lets your roadie friend relax just a bit. When I was on the road, I would then go find my people as I had time.

Calm. Down.

OMG! I’m backstage! Now what?

Nothing, that’s what. There is a saying in sports: Act like you’ve been there. That’s perfect. Yes, it is cool. Yes, you may see your favorite pop star. But… it is a job. People are working. Those people dressed in black pushing cases around? Stay out of their way. You move for them. Pay attention and be alert. Your roadie will tell you if you can take a picture here and there, but it will usually only be of their gear or a quick selfie backstage with them.

Don't be this person backstage. 

Mr. Pop Star is right there!

I’m sure he is. He is doing a show tonight. Do not take pics of him. Do not run over to him. Do not jump up and down and giggle. Remember, been there, done that.

No! You cannot meet the Pop Star.

On bigger tours, the Pop Star probably doesn’t even know what your roadie’s name is. Sure, he may know your roadie’s face but that’s it (Personally, I was ok with this. If the Pop Star knew me, it just put a target on my back). On smaller tours when you are all on one bus, it may be possible to meet him, but even then, don’t ask. Trust your roadie is making your experience the best he can.

Be cool, man. Be cool.

My friend got me a backstage pass, and I’m hanging out after the show. Holy crap!

Look at your pass. In almost every case there will be initials on it; your roadie’s initials. If you do anything stupid, like get drunk and make an ass of yourself or get thrown out by security, they will be getting in trouble. If your roadie got you backstage passes, that means they trust you. 

Don’t break that trust.

ALSO: Just because there is food and drink doesn’t mean you can have it. If you can have something, your roadie will tell you. Trust your roadie will take care of you (sound familiar?).

Still want some tickets to a show? Here’s the cheat sheet:

DO: 

Be there when your roadie asks.

Be respectful.

Pay attention.

Act like you've been there.

DON’T: 

Act a fool.

Take pictures backstage unless you are told it is okay.

Act a fool.

Get drunk.

Act a fool.

Until next time, Remember, this is your roadie’s job. You wouldn’t want him drunk and making an ass of himself at your workplace. Don’t be at his.

To check out more Gherm goodness check out the guys who know it so well, follow The Gherm Guys on Twitter. 

Until next time, “We secure our friends not by accepting favors but by doing them.” Thucydides

Mark

kuilo Countdown to 200 - #10: So You Want to Be a Roadie? - hotamboyan

As I mentioned in the post last week, we begin the march toward post number 200. Before we get there I would like to look back at some of the highlights up to this point. While this isn’t a true Top 10 list the upcoming weeks will be ten favorites of myself and those here at Bandit and beyond that help make the blog possible.

We start with a popular favorite: So You Want to be a Roadie?

This was one of the longer posts but also one of the most fun to read. We had seven pictures in the post of which three hold a special place dear to me (which three do you think?). Somehow the “In no particular order” had already become a thing (not sure how since I had only written three other posts), there was a story in there that I have talked about at least a couple times since. My end of post quote was not yet defined as it has become. And we learned early on of my fascination with English writers.

Without further ado …So You Want to Be A Roadie? 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...*

Today we’re looking into the dichotomy that is being a roadie; more specifically, in lighting (this is a Bandit Lites blog after all). After spending twelve years on the road and telling people what you do for a living, you tend to hear the same questions about it. Many jobs have pros and cons, and being a roadie does as well. The difference is that for most pros there is a con to go with it. (Or is it for most cons there is a pro to go with it? Is the glass have full or half empty? Deep stuff.)

Sometimes you get to look at things like this!

Most days you look at things like this.

I loved my time on the road, even the really crappy days (which there were many). Plenty of people think a job like mine is just the best thing ever. I wouldn't have traded it. I have had too many fun days and nights to count. Hanging out, cranking up some music, having a few drinks and laughing with the other crew going to a day off. And the bus parties!
I loved not having in any way, shape, or form, anything that resembles a 9-to-5 job. I’m sure this is understood, but a suit and tie are unnecessary, and green hair is more acceptable on a tour than in an accounting office (but you will still get made fun of). I always have a job people want to talk about, and who doesn't like to get free food in catering and on the bus, and some free swag (on most tours).
Do you want to go on the road? Can you handle being on the road 200+ days a year? Is this job for you? Can we just get to the point already? Okay, here we go… (In no particular order of course.)

Welcome to the reality that is being on the road.

“You get to travel on that bus? That must be so cool!” Yes, the buses are very nice. Yes, newer ones far surpass the ones of yore. Buses today have satellite TV, Wi-Fi, microwaves, fridges, bathrooms (some with showers) and televisions in your bunks with DVD players. Most tours keep the bus stocked with various food and beverages of choice (Mt. Dew, beer, Oreos, and Lucky Charms being some staples).

“Wow! That is great. That must be the best.”

All that being said the bus is still a bus. It consists of two lounges with a bunk area that holds 12 people. You get up in the morning, see these 12 people. Work all day with these 12 people. Finish load-out, and go to bed seeing these 12 people.

On days such as this, it's best to get along with your crew.

Getting the picture here?

Whether you like them or not, you have to live with them. That is a lot of people in a small area. If you enjoy privacy, you better really like your bunk, which is just over 6’ long (tall guys need not stretch out) and when you turn on your side, your shoulder almost hits the top of it. Bathroom stops are also a joy to plan. Many a morning is spent wondering if you will make it to the venue in time.

“I wish I could travel all over.” Yes, we get to travel; some of us just in the US and Canada, some all over the world. I've been to some really cool places, including a couple trips to the UK, a jaunt down to the Atlantis resort, and a free trip to the Virgin Islands. I was lucky enough to find a truck driver on one tour that played disc golf, and we would play on days off. So I played all over the country. Some people spend days off going and getting lost in a city, but for the most part, the “traveling” looks like this:

Get off the bus. You may be looking at the back of the arena, or even better, you’re underground in the arena.

Load-in all day.

Do a show.

Load-out.

Get back on the bus.

Go to next city.

Do it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Then have a day off, where you wake up and get to enjoy a bit of scenery sitting in the jump seat, or wake up at the hotel where you pray you’re near the front of the line for laundry (after 4 or 5 days everyone is looking to do theirs). A run to the mall, out to eat, and back to the hotel to relax.

Airports. Don’t even get me started on airports. After flying twice a week for almost two years, I am happier to drive 740 miles back home to Buffalo then spend a day flying to get there. ‘Nuff said.

How nice is [Insert Artist's Name Here] to work with? Some roadies work closely with band members, but most lighting crew members do not. Usually any work-related contact between artist and lighting crew is via the LD. That is not to say we don’t talk to band members or artists, it’s just that they have a job to do and we have a job to do. Some acts are very friendly with their crew… and others are not. With smaller acts, crew and band are on a bus together and that leads to a closer relationship. It is more common for the lighting guys to stay in the background rather than buddy up with the band. As a rule, it is easier to replace a dimmer tech than a guitar player.

I know some tours where crew and band play golf on days off and others where you never see the band until they walk on stage. Remember, you are there to work, not be buddy-buddy with the bass player. I was always happier if the artist knew I was on the tour, but didn't know much beyond that.

Can I get that set list? Can I get that set list? I understand you want something to remember the show. I know you think it must be so cool to be on stage during set change, but it is a job. It’s work. It can be very hard work. We don’t go to the doctor’s office and scream for the pen he just used. Do we?

Also, you have to stay pretty courteous when dealing with fans who wants stuff, too. You can brush people off or ignore them but you shouldn't be mean to them. You’re a reflection of the tour. You don’t want someone saying, “Those crew guys were jerks, [Insert Artist's Name Here] must be a jerk, too.”

“So what you are saying is you deal with a few crazy fans and you get all those cool perks? Sign me up!”

Wait! There’s more.

Lighting crew are generally the first in and last out. Show load-ins are generally between 8 A.M. and 9 A.M., while load-out ends between midnight and 2 A.M. Meanwhile, you are on standby all day long. And those times don’t include waking up, getting ready, eating breakfast, showering after load-out, relaxing 30 minutes after the day is done, etc.

Now, do 3 to 5 (or more) of those in a row. Throw in the variables of docks or no docks, good stagehands (“Which way do the arrows point?”) or less experienced stagehands (“What’s a shackle?”), loading-in four hours late because of a 600-mile drive overnight (“But I did get to see some of that scenery!”), and THEN there is no Mt. Dew in catering?! (“Grumble, grumble grumble”).

After a nice six-week stint of that, do you know what you get to come home to? A phone call saying you need to come in and help prep the next show. You still in? There is a reason this job isn't for everyone.

Still want in? The answer for me was “Hell yes!” Everything that made gigging hard (I didn't even get into the wear and tear on your body, truck stops, bad catering, etc.) was worth it for the good times:

The relationships you made with people.

.

The first time you call house lights to start a show for 20,000 plus people, and you hear the roar of the crowd.

That one time you met your sports hero from growing up. (I did and it didn't suck.)

That one cue you never forget.

The days your dimmer beach just looked so damn pretty.

Totally worth it.

I will end with a favorite story of mine that always put me back in my place. I was on a country tour and we were doing the usual summer fair and festival run. The days were long, hot, and dirty: port-a-potties abound, catering was non-existent and everyone was miserable. Our artist called us (band and crew) all on the bus and then proceeded to ream us. What he said still sticks with me:

“People that come to these fairs save up all year and take vacation for this. This is what they work all year for: to do this. Come to the fair, see these shows. They may not have any idea what it takes to do what we do, but they would probably give just about anything to do it. So stop whining, go out there, do your job and do it the best you can. They deserve it.”

Until next time-

Heaven is a new pair of socks.

Mark

*Ripped off of Charles Dickens

[Until next time, “Top Ten lists make me insane. I know they’re going to change daily.”
Bill Hader

Mark]