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Behind The Board – The First Challenge Met

As we discussed in the previous post, the NEXT Charity Concert Series had moved this past Thursday, August 23rd. Now some environments can be particularly harsh to music. A warehouse certainly fits the title of “Hostile Environment” for putting on a concert. When it’s Black Taxi with all their dynamics, well, now we’re really being challenged. We met with the people of Captain Lawrence early in the month to get a view of the place and what we were facing. Concrete floors, metal roof panels, cardboard, beer bottles, beer kegs, huge beer brewing equipment. Really, a very reflective venue. Night of show we came in thinking we were prepared for it, but there were some changes. Bottles. A lot more of them. Right next to the staging area. Ever blow into a bottle to make it whistle? If you’ve done this you have an idea of how they resonate sound. How would it react to 8,400 watts and 102 db of Black Taxi? We were about to find out.

Ok. Enough of the build up. It really wasn’t that tough. It was tough, but we caught it. The place was very peaky, so equalization adjustments in the mid to mid-high range were very touchy. The place, as expected had a lot of natural reverb. One adjustment we will be making at the next NEXT show is to bring in another se of our top end speakers. This will give us a better field of sound to overcome some of the reflections. Anyone in attendance for the next show shouldn’t notice much difference. It’s more for us than the concert goers.

Now, about the show. Holy crap! A sold out show! This crowd was treated to two sets by the Black Taxi crew. The energy level was like building fire. By the middle of the first set it felt like it could explode. The highlight of the evening was to see Ezra climb up a ladder at the side of the stage that lead to a storage area, and then finding a step ladder there, he climbed to the rafter to play his tambourine against the steel frame of the roofing. And no we did not have a mic there. I say this every time when discussing Black Taxi, If you haven’t heard them then you need too. Get on ITunes or Amazon and pick up their albums. Catch a show. Get on their website at blacktaxi.com and find out when they’re playing in your area. Then get over to allthingsnext.com because you really need to learn more about new music, and Chris Bro of NEXT is the professor of new music. Listen to the podcast.

September brings another great show in the long running NEXT Charity Concert Series with another amazing band. My Pet Dragon. Stamford people may be familiar with them from their performance at the Alive At Five opening for Hot Chel Rae. We will discuss this show more in an upcoming post.

Pics of the Black Taxi show will be posted shortly.

For more about the Black Taxi show go to NEXT’s review here.

*Black Taxi is managed by Mezzoforte Productions.

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Behind The Board – NEXT Charity Concert Series And Captain Lawrence Brewery

In a couple days, we will be working at a new venue (as previously mentioned) with the NEXT Music Charity Concert Series. We’re really excited by this one. We will be working at the Captain Lawrence Brewery in Elmsford, NY on August 23rd, inside the brewery enjoying craft beers and one of America’s greatest bands, Black Taxi. Originally this was scheduled to be outside, but there are a few factors preventing an outside show there at the moment. We  are working towards returning to that plan, but in the mean time we have a huge warehouse full of beer to play with!

This will however, present us with some new challenges as we will be in quite the harsh environment  for a sound production company. Nothing we can’t handle! Most specifically, we need to dial in a venue that is designed for brewing beer and storing boxes. Concrete floors and metal ceilings. Brewing vats and countless bottles and kegs everywhere. Reflections will have to be dealt with from numerous areas. Environments like these have a tendency to reflect severely high notes. One factor that will help is cardboard. The stage area is actually going to have stacks of cardboard boxes on both sides. Equalization will be vital here. There will be sections in the sounds you hear that will be drastically reigned in, while others are severely boosted. We’ll follow up after the first show on this blog.

Black Taxi, in case you are severely musically challenged enough to not have heard of them, are the modern answer to the Rolling Stones. Dance-able, creative song writing with high entertainment value. These guys are a lot of fun to watch. Honestly, if you don’t know who Black Taxi is, then you’re definitely not listening to NEXT Music on the radio or on ITunes. So head on over to www.allthingsnext.com and click on “podcast”. Pick your preferred method of listening (Stitcher, ITunes, Stream it right from NEXT) and catch up already! You’ve got till Thursday!

Here’s a little help:

 

Food will be provided by Bridgeview Tavern and The Cookery pizza truck.  So, you got great freaking beer, an awesome band, great eats, and Chris Bro to talk music with. Why  anyone would stay home this Thursday I do not know! It’s kind of like the keg parties of our youth. Only! We’ll be partying at the kegs house. And with better food than most parties.

*Captain Lawrence Brewery is so easy to find you have to be careful not to drive past it. (Come on. Admit it. You’ve done that before!) 444 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford‎ NY. Exit 2 on I-287 West (Route 9A).

 

 

*Black Taxi is managed by the super capable Nicole at MezzoForte Productions . Please visit their website if you book bands. She works with some great talent.

 

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Behind The Board – A Great New Change To NEXT Charity Concert Series

We are really excited by the change of venue to the NEXT Charity Concert Series! REALLY!!! When is the last time you got to hold a monthly party/concert at a brewery? Yep..unless you own one yourself, NEVER!!! But that is the new change to the already awesome NEXT Charity Concert Series. We’re moving to the Captain Lawrence Brewery! While the weather is good and warm, we’ll be outside celebrating music and charity! And when the weather begins to become cold we’ll head inside.

Chris Bro of NEXT has begun putting together a stellar line-up and chose an incredible way to start off at the new venue:

8/23 Black Taxi

9/21 My Pet Dragon

Black Taxi is well known to our area and if  you’ve attended the NEXT Charity Concert Series with any regularity then you’ve heard/seen them a few times. My Pet Dragon put on an incredible set at Paulie’s for NEXT earlier this year, but if you have been attending the Alive @ Five in Stamford, CT then you saw them put on a stellar performance that had Columbus Park dancing away!

We’re especially excited for this show as we get to really use our sound systems. Most of you have heard the awesomeness of the BNK sound rig, but not all of you have heard the outdoor rig! (PCTV we did not use the outdoor format although it was outside).

So mark it on your calendars to be at the Captain Lawrence Brewery 444 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, NY (so easy to get to!) and join us for the NEXT Charity Concert Series!!!