fuck it up boys, make some noise
Jim the kitten courtesy of Mary Lattimore
1) It seems I am unintentionally taking the summer off from politics, even though there is much to do. Enjoy these frivolous posts while they last!
2) It’s my belief that people in long-distance relationships should have a little societal leeway in terms of, say, talking to themselves in the supermarket, or wearing outfits that might not have passed muster had someone else been there to give an opinion on them – quirks like that. Being in a LDR is hard – it never gets easier, and you don’t even want it to get easier (that’s the first sign of trouble, for sure).
So if you find yourself going a little crazy at times, everyone should understand. But: nice mentions of your sweetheart in the Seattle Times sweeten the deal a little bit, don’t they? In case you are my mother and your computer at work is slow and you don’t like to click on links, here is the relevant paragraph:
“And the sound must be noted. Oberst brought sound operator Jacob Feinberg on tour, he and his digital mixing board replacing the house system at Neumo’s. Turning knobs the whole time, he controlled each member of the sextet’s output individually and mixed by ear. “Can I get a little more,” Oberst began, about to ask for a change in the levels. “Oh, wait, I think you already got it.” Every instrument sounded distinct, the sound was full and powerful and there was no need for earplugs. Feinberg was on his game.”
Aww.
OK, “sound operator” made me laugh – he’s a sound engineer, yo! And the truth is that when Conor asks for more of something, it’s the lovely and talented Brent, the monitor engineer, who gives it to him – Jacob does sound for the audience (front of house, or FOH, as they say), so Conor actually has no idea what he’s doing. But still – I’m glad someone finally pointed out the fact that, unlike almost any sound engineer I’ve ever witnessed – and I have witnessed a disconcertingly high number, as sound engineers always have to stand by the mixing board when attending shows for “fun” – Jacob is actually mixing all the time, constantly making tiny adjustments based on what he knows the songs should sound like, what the musicians are going for, and his own (impeccable!) taste.
I used to be weirded out about Jacob being that dude who stands at the back of the room and twiddles with the knobs. I used to always point out that he is also a tour manager (and these days, a manager), but the fact is (avert your eyes, bands for whom Jacob tour manages) that he kind of hates tour managing and is deeply in love with sound engineering. With apologies to Plath, sound engineering is an art, like everything else, and Jacob does it exceptionally well. He does it so it feels real. I guess you could say he has a call. (Oh Sylvia, I’m sorry. I woke up reading Lady Lazarus.)
Oh, I just noticed this gut-wrenching sentence: “Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band kicked off their international tour with what might have been a perfect concert Wednesday at Neumo’s on Capitol Hill.” Kicked off. Oh god, I’m trying to ignore the months to come, please don’t write sentences like that, people.
Anyway, I have a half-finished post all about the dreaded LDR, so be excited for more whining on the topic soon.
Did you just die of cute overload?
One Response to “fuck it up boys, make some noise”
What a sweet little kitty!
And how interesting about the front of house sound vs. back of house sound, I guess I never really thought about it.