Musicians wear many hats...

As a performing musician, it is necessary to understand the technical side of a live performance.  Of course we love to get up to play guitar and sing our hearts out for a captive audience, but it is also vital to the show that we know how to setup the sound system and get the music flowing as quickly and smoothly as possible in new venues each night.  Since I usually end up performing by myself, without bandmates to assist, I am stuck hauling the gear myself, pluggin in all the cables, and balancing the sound for the room.  It can be a challenge to achieve mastery of both the technical setup and artistic performance at the same time.  

Last night I played at Spotlight Music Cafe in Fort Collins.  The stage is great with a nice sound system and lights installed.  This is a welcomed change from bringing in my own equipment like I do at the majority of my gigs.  With a talented sound person running the board, the technical side was all taken care of for me so I could focus on playing the music.  Very nice!  I look forward to booking another date at Spotlight Music Cafe soon. 

Today, I am in Estes Park where I've provided my sound system for a private party.  This is a big change from my usual routine because I am not even playing guitar for the event.  I can't remember the last time I just did sound without providing live music.  After setting up I realized how much less stress there is without the performance factor.  I don't have to worry about out of tune guitars, forgetting lyrics, blanking out on chords, or even deciding which song to play next in the set.  My equipment does the work for me.  I suppose I can just wear my technical hat today!

It almost feels too easy...  I'm up for the challenge.  Good thing I perform tomorrow at Vincent's in Fort Collins where I'll get to set up a small sound system and provide live music for the duration of the evening.  Stop by for happy hour till 6pm...  I'll be there from 5:30-8:30pm.  Cheers!