It's not that the sound guy doesn't get it. He doesn't give a shit.

It's true, a number of sound guys have probably had a gutful, so they don't care. However, I've also been on both sides of the audience; have helped out friends who are respected sound engineers and I think it is frustrating job with so many things that can go wrong. I preferred to stick with playing my guitar .

At 3am they always have a bucket full of wiring to pack up too.

Tim O
oestmann guitar

tunes

clips

It's nice when when you play a show and the sound guy thanks us at the end of the night for not being another...

shit pop/punk/rock/marshall/power-ballad/weezer-wanna-be/guitar-center-is-having-a-sale bands a night

It sometimes happens at places you'd least expect it

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/rockinrio.delrosa

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/TheHighTides

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/pages/The-Blue-Demons

Nebula3
97% of the bands are going to get up there, crank their amps up to whatever they want which usually overpowers the first fifteen feet of the room, whine when the monitors don't go any louder, and then the girlfriend of the guitarist is going to come back to the sound booth and tell me the guitar isn't loud enough.

:LMAO: spot on. If I were a soundguy Id bring a baseball bat to every gig just in case the band brings two full Marshall stacks to play to 25 people. the bat would be worn within 6 months I bet.

I always tell the soundguy a few preferences of ours and ask friendly if he can do that. nad We actually listen to him too, e.g. when he asks to turn it down.

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

Yikes! I neglected to describe my worst on-stage experience.

There isn't any one particular time, with the exception of the night The Nebulas were "accidentally" double booked with lesbian-poetry night at Club Fred in Fresno, CA. (Home of Kevin Federline, BTW) That was simply horrible as we and The Infrareds had to let dike-night do their thing in between sets. Surf bands mix well with a lot of other genres, but that wasn't one of them.

I would say the most unpleasant experience has happened to me on numerous occasions, and it's being electrocuted in the face by the mic. The worst is when it happens over in Europe. OUCH! I was borrowing a bastardized reverb tank from Reefrider...I plugged into it and when I walked up to the mic I thought someone had pulled a John F Kennedy on me.

Nebula3
the night The Nebulas were "accidentally" double booked with lesbian-poetry night at Club Fred in Fresno, CA. That was simply horrible as we and The Infrareds had to let dike-night do their thing in between sets. Surf bands mix well with a lot of other genres, but that wasn't one of them.

Dano, I'm very surprised you feel that way, given that you're a big Satan's Pilgrims fan - you must know about the EP "Goofyfoot" that the Pilgrims recorded with lesbian singer-songwriter Phranc back in '95?

Ivan

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
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One night my old band The Mudcats were playing an outdoor festival show where our stage was a very old flatbed semi trailer. Halfway into our second song I took a step and my leg went through the rotted wooden bed floor and I found myself buried up to mid-thigh in the hole. Luckily I didn't break anything (on myself), but the fall jammed the jack and jackplate on my ES-335 copy (thank God) all the way through the guitar body.

Matt Crunk
Decatur, Alabama

Founder: North Alabama Surf Alliance (NASA)

I was in a rock band, and we played an outdoor party. We were on a rickety flatbed trailer that any time anyone moved. I was singing when the lead quitarist stomped, the trailer flexed, the mic bounced and punched me right in the mouth. Twice. Fun. The trailer was so small that we had to scrounge up another tiny trailer to put the drummer on as there was no room for him on the "stage" with the rest of us.

After the sun went down it started to get really cold, and the party goers lit a bonfire and crowded around it. Of course, the bonfire was somewhere behind the stage, so halfway through our set we find ourselves playing to an empty field.

Well, we entertained ourselves, anyway.

Ralph
The Storm Surfers

Be at one with the universe. If you can't do that, at least be at one with your guitar.

What strikes me, though, is that the bands I'vew seen having bad nights have mostly responded with aplomb, often quite heroic aplomb, as things blew out, disconnected, fell off, fell apart or caught fire; as critical members of a band forgot to show up; as audiences reacted with boredom, hostility or friendly requests for the improbable, or perhaps simply covered their children's ears very firmly and looked accusing; as the house ordered them repeatedly to play more quietly or not at all; as drunks snagged cords, drank their beer, knocked over whole tables of glassware, spilled ill-placed beverages, and joined them in fellowship on the stage. As torrential rain interrupted the extended drum solo that was all that was possible during a complete power failure. Sometimes their eyes bulged a little. Sometimes their smiles were a little strained. Sometimes the repertoire became rather eclectic or the playing a bit panicked. Sometimes they lost it for a second or two and started beating up a particularly obnoxious drunk. But (almost) all of them smiled and kept on. (After the rain, anyway.) I guess something about being in a band brings that out in people.

Tuck,

If awards were giving for paraphrasing/summarizing what most of us have been through, you'd win it. Hands down. No contest...

Mel

bodr1
Ok ill post one! In the early 90's I played in a metal band in NC. I had been drinking all night and decided to eat a sub from a gas station about 45 minutes before we went on (I wasnt the only one that was pounding tallboys either). Our sets were only like 45 minutes long and at these show there were usually like 4 bands that played. About 15 minutes into it I puked all over my guitar, my shirt,pants and shoes... It gets worse... we finished playing and stayed for about 1/2 an hour... When we go to leave I realize I had pissed my pants... So to ride home I had to take all my clothes off except for my underwear. I left my pants and shirt right there in the parking lot. On the ride back I passed out in the back of my buddies car... They left me in there. I woke up at like 6 in the morning basicly naked in the back of this car freezing.. shaking... Thats all I got. Over the last 9 or 10 years I will sit in with my friends Celtic band and thats about it and you can imagine not to much goes on there....

Nice one Bodr1!!!

Tim O
oestmann guitar

tunes

clips

I pounded an energy drink on the way to a gig in san jose, by the time we went on, I was feeling sick, I spent the whole set just barely making it through every other song, and running to the parking lot to puke... Not even from drinking.... that sucked, The guys asked me if I wanted to pass on the next nights gig, and I said no.... I slept till three the next afternoon and went to the next gig in SF with PDM. On the drive there, it felt like a miracle had happened half way through the drive, I felt great. I got to meet Jim Thomas that night, and go to his apartment to hang out. I was really glad I decided to play that night!

THe NEpTuNeS