Hey folks, Jay, NEVAH's sound guy/techie/roadie. I'm very excited to be working with NEVAH, learning how to best present their "live" progressive NewGrass sound to the public. It brings back fond memories from my youth.
Personally, I have played music on the Maine scene for over thirty years, and performed in most every bar and festival through out the state. Back then, it seems like just a few years ago, my band would be performing behind the old wire cage which prevented beer bottles from hitting the equipment. Performers were never the consideration, performers heal, however, equipment does not and costs real money to repair, aspirin doesn't work on amps. There were moments I recall playing next to the occasional tractor pull with the diesel fumes so thick you couldn't breath and the sound-man having all he could do to get the volume up over the roar of the engines. But, in my mind, not one of the Maine venues matched the ever popular Maine Garage Band performances I did.
Most musicians start their careers in their parents’ home rehearsing and performing in the basement or garage. In Maine I spent my formative years playing for the cows, goats, and pigs in the barns around the country side. Before each performance my friends and I often had to herd the animals out and shovel the stalls so the odor would not be to offensive for all our fans (family, relatives and friends) that were sure to come. And being Maine, when the temperature dropped, it added another dimension to the show. Barns usually have high ceilings and all the heat would rise to the roof. One show, I remember, had all the fans crammed inside a small room within the barn. This room had a seven foot ceiling and a wood stove. We set up in the open area outside the doorway, making sure the amps and the PA were directed into the tiny space. As the temperature dropped and the wood stove got cooking it made for a very loud, and dare I say, HOT show our friends and family are still buzzing about 30 years later.
I have come a long way from the old barn days, and now through my association with NEVAH there is one memory that has returned to me, it's the smiles on the faces of the NEVAH band as they rock the crowd. Whether NEVAH plays in a bar or a showcase you will always see the joy that comes from making music on their faces.
I really wish they'd played the "barns" with me all those long years ago.
Personally, I have played music on the Maine scene for over thirty years, and performed in most every bar and festival through out the state. Back then, it seems like just a few years ago, my band would be performing behind the old wire cage which prevented beer bottles from hitting the equipment. Performers were never the consideration, performers heal, however, equipment does not and costs real money to repair, aspirin doesn't work on amps. There were moments I recall playing next to the occasional tractor pull with the diesel fumes so thick you couldn't breath and the sound-man having all he could do to get the volume up over the roar of the engines. But, in my mind, not one of the Maine venues matched the ever popular Maine Garage Band performances I did.
Most musicians start their careers in their parents’ home rehearsing and performing in the basement or garage. In Maine I spent my formative years playing for the cows, goats, and pigs in the barns around the country side. Before each performance my friends and I often had to herd the animals out and shovel the stalls so the odor would not be to offensive for all our fans (family, relatives and friends) that were sure to come. And being Maine, when the temperature dropped, it added another dimension to the show. Barns usually have high ceilings and all the heat would rise to the roof. One show, I remember, had all the fans crammed inside a small room within the barn. This room had a seven foot ceiling and a wood stove. We set up in the open area outside the doorway, making sure the amps and the PA were directed into the tiny space. As the temperature dropped and the wood stove got cooking it made for a very loud, and dare I say, HOT show our friends and family are still buzzing about 30 years later.
I have come a long way from the old barn days, and now through my association with NEVAH there is one memory that has returned to me, it's the smiles on the faces of the NEVAH band as they rock the crowd. Whether NEVAH plays in a bar or a showcase you will always see the joy that comes from making music on their faces.
I really wish they'd played the "barns" with me all those long years ago.
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| Nevah Smiling and Singing |
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