Day one went okay, despite the title. The show was pretty fun, if chaotic. We don't have our act together yet with regard to loading, unloading, merchandise, that sort of thing.
Unfortunately, the monitors were quiet, which is a disheartening way to start off a string of 30 + shows. It's not just that you sound a bit more retarded than usual when you can't hear the vocals; it's that your reflex in such a situation is to try to make your voice compensate for the monitors' deficiencies by pumping up your own volume. But no singer can overpower a loud rock band with drums and amps and all by sheer force of will. So you end up screaming, straining your voice, doing damage that will affect all the shows down the road. You're just standing there, realizing that this is happening, powerless to stop it, praying, praying that it doesn't do too much damage. And remembering that one, terrible time in Victoria, BC where you lost your voice entirely and could only whisper for a good week.
Even "good" or strong singers will tell you: your voice may not literally be a finite resource, but it can't regenerate nearly as fast the Bad Monitors demon can damage it. Your voice is like a character in a video game, with a little, green, depleting bar above its adorable little head. Every night like last night knocks a couple of segments from the bar. It will probably be okay if it can avoid a major defeat in the immediate future; that is, enough of it will regenerate to allow it to live to move on to the next level, weakened but still pretty much in the game. But if the following night is a Bad Monitor night as well (which is quite likely) your cute little voice could end up losing it all. Game over again.
Unless I'm rather luckier than usual, there will probably be a good handful of Bad Monitor nights ahead. That's my lot in life. All I can do is humbly ask St. Cecilia (who I believe is the patron saint of hapless low budget touring musicians) for her intercession in this matter: please, please, St. Cecilia, please do what you can to space out the Bad Monitor nights so that there aren't too many in a row. That's all I ask.
Posted by Dr. Frank at February 8, 2004 05:38 PM | TrackBackGod I hate bad monitors. I once had a sound guy who refused (or just didnt know how more probable) to turn the monitor up, or preferably turn my guitar down in the mix...So I decided to take matters into my own hands and turned my measly 30 watt guitar amp master volume down to 2 (from 5). I figure its possible to play guitar without hearing what your playng but not so possible to sing without hearing what your singing. So anyway, if your listening soundboard gods, no more B.M.Ns for the Doc please!
Posted by: Danny at February 8, 2004 09:23 PM"A family of musicians took shelter for the night
In the little harbor church of St. Cecilia"
- Paul Simon
You may be onto something...
Posted by: Hulka at February 9, 2004 02:07 AMIt was nice to see that even Celine Dion has monitor problems from time to time (Grammys). Pretty funny ordeal.
Posted by: Matt Riggle at February 9, 2004 05:41 AMMaybe you should pray for the intercession of St. Blais, too. Oh, and regarding the upstream mustache thread: thanks for the Wodehouse reference.
Posted by: Paul at February 9, 2004 01:21 PMThis may be a truly dumb idea, but what about completely covering your ears with your hands?
Posted by: JB at February 9, 2004 03:06 PMFor your own sake and the fans' sake as well, Frank, I hope you know your limitations and don't overdo it just for us fans and scream yourself out of rock n' roll like the guy from the Spin Doctors did. I can't imagine what it'd be like to go from rock star singer to permanently barely audible voice in such a short time. Scary.
Posted by: Channon at February 9, 2004 07:25 PM.. and why, might i ask, are you so up on spin doctors trivia? hmmm. i think we found a 3rd prince here..
Posted by: slim hathaway jr. at February 10, 2004 09:17 PMI like the Spin Doctors, I don't see anything wrong with that. I also like Enya, Great Big Sea and Garth Brooks. I am a well-rounded person unconfined to a single music genre. All heil me!!!! (just kidding folks) btw...you'll NEVER catch me listening to a rap or blues record.
Posted by: Channon at February 10, 2004 10:43 PMwell, channon, if all those Cds were in my record collection, i'd throw myself into the Great Big Sea.
Just kiddin. The 'Doctors were a decent rock band, they were a moment in time there. I always remember that video where they splattered each other with paint. That was pretty punk. What the hell you got against the blues?
I guess you're the whitest guy in the world ;)
I've been accused of that before, Slim :) .... I also forgot to throw in my hatred of R&B.... I AM the whitest guy in the world, a man without soul..... ha ha ha not that there's anything wrong with that ;)
Posted by: Channon at February 11, 2004 05:46 PMJust to be clear...I DO listen to the Dropkick Murphys, Skrewdriver and Stars & Stripes, but I DON'T myself or have any friends who are bald or wear white sheets, if you get my drift.....
Posted by: Channon at February 11, 2004 05:52 PM