As I put down the guitar and stepped off the front of the stage, my intent was to punch the sound guy in the face.
Anyone who has been around me much knows I’m fairly even keeled and calm. Frustration of this caliber is a rare and fleeting thing, but I was ready to take this little episode to a violent place and calling my wife from the King County Jail and asking if she would pick me up seemed like a possible end to the evening.
Rodeo Kill had been asked to play Hartwood’s CD release party that night at Jules Maes in Georgetown, just south of Seattle. Being asked to play a release party is a great compliment; the band who is celebrating wants to hear your band and wants their fans to hear your band. It is an honor to be asked. Hartwood asked we play last, so they could whoop it up, get drunk, mingle with their peeps and have an overall good time. It was their party, so of course we agreed, full well knowing that some folks who came just to see Hartwood would leave, but the band and their fans who where there to really celebrate would stick around, get drunk and be fun.
We had played Jules Maes before several times, great venue, the stage and room where the band plays is tucked in back. Not a huge space, but good energy and you can get the place rocking. Hartwood got up and did there thing, running late, but who cares, we would play as long as they would let us, it was their night. They finished, cleared their gear off stage and the sound guy, not the one we has previously worked with there seemed friendly enough, a bit distant, but not the worst attitude Rodeo Kill had ever come across. The usual rules applied, turn your amp volumes down on stage, and let the sound guy adjust them thru the monitors and the house PA. We got set up, got our drinks and setlists in place and started in.
The on stage sound was awful. Our main vocalist and guitarist Scott West’s pleas to the sound guy for more vocals and guitar in the monitors went unanswered. In fact, the guy behind the sound didn’t even seem to notice. We are not prima donnas. We have played and rocked with some truly horrible sound, but the sound at Jules Maes doesn’t have to suck and the lack of response from the sound guy was almost surreal. Scott’s frustration grew quickly. We turned his guitar amp on stage up, that might have made it all worse, and his voice quickly wore out from having to yell just to hear anything from the monitors. The sound guy made several small adjustments, moving around a bit in the back of the room where the sound board was, but it was bad and it was hurting out performance. Frustrated, we called on a friend Paul Shrug who used to play with us to come up and sing a song off the set list. We butchered it, Paul was a good sport. The room was clearing out, our frustration showing. The sound guy was responding and even got up several times and left the room, going to the front of the bar for something.
A sparse crowd was left back there when we skipped several songs and I switched spots from drums to guitar with Scott to play several songs. I got going and it was actually worse that Scott had led me to believe. Between lyrics I yelled for the sound guy to adjust things, he stared at me blankly and when he got up and started walking towards the bar again is when I flipped out, set down the guitar in the middle of a song as the song broke apart, and went after the sound guy.
There wasn’t a bunch of crowd at that point to part, but a path opened between me and the sound guy, he saw me coming and got back up behind the sound board, placing the mixer between us. I was yelling obscenities at him and gesturing wildly with my arms. Rodeo Kill had quit, several member packing up their gear and heading out the door. Scott came out from behind the drums and met the sound guy on the floor as he finally got up the courage to get out of the sound booth and head towards the front of the bar, probably looking for safety.
Scott and I talked for a moment, also including some from the remaining crowd who found this outpouring of Rock ‘n’ Roll drama quite entertaining. After a bit, the sound guy returned and started rolling up the equipment on the stage.
I’m not sure all what was said. I know at one point he tried to blame us. I know at one point I was insulting his mother. I know the word Fuck was being used generously. I was fairly sure either Scott or I would end up hitting him. The sound guy did this weird thing was Scott was bent of picking up his pedals or cords where he stood over him. Scott quickly stood up and I was sure an assault charge was going to be filed.
Somehow it mellowed after a bit. Both Paul and Jerry Ziegler, drummer for Hartwood, were sure to express me it was one of the great rock and roll moments of recent history.
Within several days, I emailed both the bar manager and show promoter. Both explained that he wasn’t the usual sound engineer and they would take action. I never heard back and we’ve never been asked back.
I have been approached by people since then who have heard the story. In two cases, they heard it did result in punches being thrown, and I was congratulated on being such a badass. Sometimes the stories are better than the actual event.
