A few years ago, I met a seasoned vet of live sound engineering by the name of Wes Delk. Wes had already made a name for himself pushing faders and twirling knobs for the likes of Waylon Jennings and Widespread Panic, and we met one evening at Metro Chicago while he was behind the board for Dawes. The Metro is a great sounding room. Wes did something that night to make it sound its best. Take a look back at my earlier post on my first encounter with Dawes here… http://blog.shure.com/mic-check/id-like-to-introduce-you-to-dawes/

And now, without further ado, meet my friend Wes Delk…

Any questions? Pretty random stuff, another cool part of this AR gig.

Rock Out – Cory

…That’s what you hear as the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards go live to air in the packed to capacity Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. However, before all of the applause and packed seats of onlookers, the GRAMMYs go through a rigorous schedule of rehearsal and timed perfection. What you at home see on TV is the result of A LOT of hard work. The madness that is GRAMMY week is bigger than any single concert you’ve been to, and it is where we spent most of last week as things began to take shape for music’s biggest night.

Prior to entering the bowels of the Staples Center, Shure once again sponsored the Producers & Engineers Wing GRAMMY Week Celebration honoring Quincy Jones & Al Schmitt. Hang on… prior to that, we made a stop to In-N-Out Burger in honor of Mr. Mike Lohman, who could not be with us on this trip. It was worth the wait. It was delicious. Why don’t we have this in Chicago? Back to the GRAMMY stuff…

Making our temporary home in Studio B of The Village Recording Complex, Shure served up some fresh seafood and the latest in wired mics and headphones. It was amazing to hear so many stories about Shure mics being used on classic recordings from the engineers and producers in attendance. The Super 55 tree, as we have dubbed it, was a bit of a challenge to construct, but I’m happy to say that it made through the entire evening without incident! Aside from being in such esteemed company, the highlight of the night for me was watching a few very critical ears try on the Shure SRH940 and SRH1840 headphones and be completely blown away! That and the countless offers that were made to purchase the SM7B on site or the questions about it being included in some sort of raffle. Most visitors to Studio B had something positive to say about the sleeper hit that is the SM7B.

Okay, so breakfast at the hotel was not that good and VERY expensive, not doing that again. Never mind that, we were making our way to the tunnel into the madness I referenced (there it is on the left) to join in the fun of rehearsals, day one. By the way, the “we” in question is Ryan Smith, Artist Relations Nashville and Jenn Liang-Chaboud, Market Development Senior Specialist. There is so much that goes into this show and everything is in the same place every year… good thing, as I’m just starting to get this whole thing down. As we arrived to the backstage area, we were called into a meeting with production who were concerned about how much “fun” the band fun. was going to be having on GRAMMY night. The “fun” in question was the rain curtain you all undoubtedly witnessed, where the band, all of their instruments and microphones were all drenched in a rain storm. Of course there was concern that the mics may fail if exposed to that level of water, but we were never all that concerned… that’s how we test this stuff! Aware of production’s concern, we immediately put a few phone calls in to the home office in Chicago to have back up transmitters and capsules sent out the next day (thanks to all of the Shure people who came through in the clutch)! Needless to say, we never needed back ups. Those mics you saw on Sunday night were the same mics from rehearsal and dress rehearsal… that’s multiple rain storms!

Making our way around the arena, we found some familiar faces in Mike Parker and Tom Pisa working stage left and stage right respectively. We were also happy to see some familiar product in place as the exclusive in ear monitor system for all artists performing at the GRAMMYs. Twenty-four channels of Shure’s PSM 1000 was once again the preferred choice by production and most of the artists that performed this year. Rehearsals did not begin until about 1:30 pm on day one, so it gave us some time to catch up with everyone and provide them a little Shure swag in the meantime. It actually got cold there in California… nothing like what Chicago was going through, but even a hooded sweatshirt (this year’s swag item) struggled to keep me warm. I did refuse to opt for the winter coat stashed back at the hotel… I’m from the midwest and way too many people would be a little upset and quite possibly revoke my man card if I was discovered wearing a winter coat in California.

So anyway, as the rehearsals moved into full swing, lots of Shure mics were in some pretty important positions on stage. It was nice to see the KSM313 on the guitar amps of the Lumineers and Jack White, that’s quickly becoming everyone’s favorite mic for guitar amp… it looks pretty sweet, too! On vocals you saw Taylor Swift on an Axient Wireless System with a Beta 58, fun. on UHF-R Wireless with Beta 58s, Mumford & Sons on Beta 58As, Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z on UHF-R Wireless with SM58s… a last minute vocal mic change put Justin on a Shure mic for the evening and I thought he sounded pretty damn good on it too! Adam Levine from Maroon 5 was on a UHF-R with a Beta 58 when he joined Alicia Keys onstage, The Black Keys rocked on their SM58s. Kelly Clarkson brought the house down on an SM58! The Lumineers had everyone singing along on SM58s. Jack White tore up the stage while on an SM58. The Levon Helm tribute featured amongst others, Mavis Staples on a UHF-R SM58, Brittany Howard on a UHF-R SM58 and Mumford & Sons on UHF-R SM58s. Juanes sounded amazing on a UHF-R KSM9 and Frank Ocean debuted a new track on a UHF-R SM58. The night ended with two hip-hop icons blazing up the stage as LL Cool J and Chuck D performed on UHF-R SM58s.

All in all, a pretty good selection of Shure mics helped to provide the audio on music’s biggest night!  I would also like to mention the big win by Shure endorsers Mumford & Sons for Album of the Year, fun. for Best New Artist and Song of the Year, and The Black Keys for Best Rock Song, Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance.

So, things are kind of normal around here now, but I would be lying to you if I said I haven’t started thinking about next year!

Rock Out!
Cory

The day started like any other, phone calls, emails, meetings and random visitors, until one email caught my attention. My good friend “Chrisite Z” Pabon, who organizes the DMC battles and Park Jams for New York DJs, mentioned that her friend Biz Markie was in need of some needles for his DJ sets. I told her to have Biz give me a call so we could discuss what needles he preferred to use, and moments later Biz was on the line. At first, it was kind of weird… I mean, I’m an old school hip hop fan and Biz was definitely one of my favorites growing up. He changed the game. He was always this larger than life character to us suburban kids. Honestly, who didn’t scream along to “Just A Friend” when it can on the radio?

Anyway, Biz and I discussed needle choices for a bit and he mentioned a few upcoming gigs and a recurring role he had on TV’s Yo Gabba Gabba! a show that quickly became a favorite of my daughter’s. I told Biz I would send him some needles to get him through his gigs and he proceeded to provide his address, making certain to mention that his real name is Marcel Hall. I told him I already knew that, to which he quickly replied, “No you don’t.” I said, “Sure I do, I’m a fan from way back Biz.” Now sounding surprised on the other end of the line, Biz replied, “Well, since you’re a big fan, I’m gonna send you a big surprise!”

The needles went out to Biz, but no big surprise had made its way to my office. Perhaps he was just messing around or the big surprise fell through. No big deal, plenty of things to surprise me in this job. I left my office momentarily one day and upon my return, there was a a tall rectangular box resting on my desk. I opened it up and within minutes the phone rang with Biz on the other line. “Did you get the doll?” he asked. Examining the contents, it was clear that my big surprise was this 18″ Biz Markie action figure. I started laughing and told Biz that this was the most interesting thing I’ve ever received in the mail from anyone ever. It’s quite possibly the most interesting thing I will EVER receive in the mail from ANYONE.

As you can tell from the picture, the doll was packaged in a gigantic cereal box (no cereal unfortunately), complete with nutritional value. The doll itself came equipped with a three finger ring, booger-pickin’ finger, an SM58 mic, Biz Markie hat and beat boxing sounds if you gave Biz a squeeze!

This is truly a conversation piece and most definitely the BEST SWAG/merch item from an artist! Biz and I continue to keep in touch and it’s always one of my favorite phone calls to receive. You never know what Biz has in store for you!

-Cory

We pride ourselves on taking care of our gear, making sure it’s clean, in working order and not missing any parts. Most times, those borrowing the gear return the favor. For a recent loan to Howard Jones, I received the gear back in a seemingly cleaner state than when it originally went out (I think it was actually shinier than I remember it!). Also, it was all individually packed in a new box with additional packing materials to ensure a safe journey home. Also included were a copy of Howard’s live DVD and few CDs of his music… nice gesture, thanks guys!

So, that’s a respectable level of handling the gear we loaned to you, I could tell they appreciated the favor. Let’s talk about a few different scenarios that we stumble upon from time to time. I present to you… The Top 5 Most Irritating Things About Gear Returning From A Loan:

5. If a product has ceased functionality while in your possession or perhaps you or someone in your production forced the product into a non-working state, please let us know. It kind of sucks to just blame it on the UPS guy and the shipping process. Shure’s product line can be dropped from the top of our building and still function, so let’s not assume that a ride in a brown van is going to contribute to it being deemed in need of service. We appreciate your honesty when we are in the midst of a loan, so if your lead singer slammed the mic into the stage at the end of the show as a means of artistic expression, great, at least we know the product is coming back slightly skewed from when it left our possession.

4. Most of the product we have in our loaner stock is no older than ten years and the majority of it is within five years old. Please return the product that we loaned to you, or at least try to get within the correct decade. The purpose of the loan is not so you can upgrade your older SM57s and SM58s with new, cleaner versions. Again, we know what the product looked like when we sent it out, so when we receive older, scratched, faded and rusted mics back from you, it’s pretty apparent that you did a bit of upgrading. The gear that you borrow today will eventually be loaned out to another artist, tour or show, so we like to keep this stuff in a new-ish state. If you do want to upgrade or replace your older gear, let’s talk about that before you handpick a few of the better looking pieces from our loaner stock.

3.Have you ever tried to return a rental car with a missing spare tire, rear bumper or shift handle? You most likely would not be allowed to leave without an explanation and a replacement cost to pay. Unfortunately, we’re not standing curbside with a checklist and a critical eye as you pack up the gear and ship it back to us. If a knob got lost or broken, please let us know before you ship the gear back, or at least leave a note in the box, we don’t like surprises. When the gear originally arrived to you, you checked to make sure it was all there and in working order, please repeat this process upon it’s return. A missing antenna or power supply are still critical parts when it comes to loaning the gear out to the next artist. Can the gear function with replacement parts? Can the car still shift without the shift handle? Sure, but why should we anticipate the product will return in this state where replacement parts are a constant concern?

2. While we prefer that you use packing materials when returning gear, potentially used stage towels do not get our vote for the best solution. There’s just something dirty about a raggedy old towel taped around a wireless receiver in a beat up box. We will give you the benefit of the doubt that these are clean towels and not the ones found next to the drum riser after a show, but please understand where our minds tend to go when we receive gear packed this way AFTER a tour has wrapped up. We’ve seen some questionable “white” towels. Newspaper is a great alternative, concert t-shirts are even better. Let’s keep the dirty laundry out of the equation.

1. We understand that tape is a great identifier, especially white tape you can write on with a Sharpie. Chances are, the next person that borrows this gear from us, is going to have a whole different way of identifying mics on a stage, perhaps a different word on the tape itself, different colored tape, or no tape at all. We always assume the latter, and are left with the tedious task of removing this old, gummy tape and its residue from our gear. Again, using tape is fine, but we prefer to receive the gear back in the same clean state you received it in. We know that you wouldn’t want to receive gear from us with old tape and markings all over it that you would have to spend time cleaning up and making it all stage worthy, We think it’s a waste of time, too.

There you have it folks. Again, these are not typical situations, just some things we’ve seen that have made us bang our heads against the wall.

-Cory

Just last week, I sat down in front of my laptop on a quiet Monday morning, intent on getting through some of the things that have lingered on my “to do” list, when I heard from Brian French, Smokey Robinson’s production manager. Brian sent an email to let me know that Smokey was in town to perform with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall that evening. He invited us to come down for rehearsal and to stay for the show later as well.

Hmmm… plow through some emails in my stuffy office or go hang with a Motown legend? Guess which one we picked? Actually, read all about it in our Summer Intern’s recent blog post here: http://blog.shure.com/mic-check/smokey-robinson-at-symphony-center/

So, this week’s random-ness brought us to a really cool rehearsal facility in the Fulton Market area of Chicago called the Music Garage. The place is owned and operated by a guy named Scott Spector, and it is state-of-the-art when in comes to a practice space or small studio. Oh, and there’s this AMAZING drum shop called Vic’s that lives in the same building… it’s your heaven if you’re a drummer, trust me. Check it out here: www.musicgarage.com

No, we were not looking for a place to rehearse with our artist relations band… we do have cool names if we ever do go down that questionable path. We were actually there to drop off some mics and listen to a little of the the Chris Robinson Brotherhood band while they prepped for their tour. Chris (yes, that guy from The Black Crowes) and his band just released an album entitled Big Moon Ritual, very cool stuff and different from the Crowes. The band is comprised of all of the same members that appear on the album, so these guys know each other and the material very well.

During our visit, they were actually working on a new song Chris wrote, trying to put everything in its right place. It’s always cool to see a band working on a new idea that evolves into a song… and sometimes it happens pretty quickly when the musicians know each other and their instruments that well. Aside from the musical aspect of our visit, the witty banter in between was just as enjoyable.

Be sure to check out the new album and catch the guys on tour! They’re playing this weekend in Chicago if you’re around. I’ll be sure to write you next week about something random in my week. Although next week is gonna be completely bananas… I already know it.

-Cory

Walking into the Metro is always a nostalgic treat, so many great rock shows took place there and it is the epitomy of the term “rock club.” I made my way up the stairs and caught the band setting up and preparing for a sound check. Jeff Neuberger, the band’s monitor engineer greeted me and walked me around the stage, pointing out all of the Shure gear responsible for Cults’ sound. On vocals, KSM9 was the favorite. Guitar cabinets were captured with SM57s. The drum kit featured Beta 52A and Beta 91A on kick and SM57 and Beta 181/C on snare. A Beta 52A was also the complement to the bass cabinet. Finally, the band took a mix from Jeff in monitor world through the PSM 900 personal monitor systems.

As the band ran through a few tunes and the lighting tech set the mood, I ran down to the legendary green room to set up for my interview with the band. In about an hour or so, the venue went quiet, letting me know that it would soon be time to sit down with Brian and Madeline and learn a little more about Cults. Looking back on it now, it was a pretty good conversation. We’ll be posting this soon, so stay tuned.

Leaving the band to their own devices, I met up with legendary photographer Paul Natkin for some dinner at Uncommon Ground, one of the sites for our National Open Mic Night. This place is always packed, but Paul knows everyone, so the 10 -15 minute wait turned into, “Please follow this gentlemen to your table.” This is a great place if you ever make it to Chicago, very organic and green-minded. The acoustic music that takes place there is pretty incredible, too. I have to make a note to show up in mid-November for the Jeff Buckley Tribute Show. I’m a big fan, but never got around to going. After listening to Paul talk about it, I’m making my plans already.

After milking our dinner time for every minute we could, we made our way back to the venue… two hours to show time and nothing to do but check out the opener and people watch.

Finally, 11 PM rolled around and Cults took the stage to a screaming crowd. It’s always interesting to see how a band is going to pull off certain elements of songs from their album, and I have to say, they pulled it off effortlessly. The sound on stage was a little more aggressive than the album, making it a little more lively for an onlooking crowd. All in all, a great show and a great band. I can’t wait to see what comes next from Cults. This evening also ended with a stop at White Castle.

-Cory

A series of shows was being recorded during a residency at Grocery on Home in Atlanta, GA… audio in a small venue is always a challenge. Ben and company reached out to us and put us up to the challenge of capturing Ben’s vocals, cello and overall vibe of the room. Sounded like a job for the KSM9 on vocals and Beta 181 on cello and ultimate room vibe. The Beta 98AMP made an appearance on the toms and snare, KSM32 was on overheads duty and employed to mic the big bass drum, Beta 91A in the cajon, KSM9 on the box and the standard SM57 on amp. The captivating results are evident on Ben’s latest recording, Live At The Grocery On Home. Ben Sollee was joined by fellow musicians Casey Driessen (fiddle and mandocaster) and Jordon Ellis (drums, cajon and samples) and the vibe is certainly captured, it feels like you’re there, really. Here’s a link to the CNN story… http://bit.ly/xJToh3

Ben will be coming to Chicago soon and I will definitely be there. In the meantime, I will keep this CD on repeat, picking up on every nuance our trusty Shure microphones captured. Thanks to Grayson Hunter for the great photos and thanks to Mr. Ben Sollee for making us a part of this very cool project.

- Cory

According to Jason Powell, Guitar Center “Audio Guy” who recorded this session:

“Joe has such a distinct sound that I wanted to make sure that I was using microphones that accurately represented what it was like to be there in the Vintage Room of the Guitar Center on Sunset with him. Shure mics always provide great level and clarity that’s needed to capture great performances like this one.”

If you haven’t seen this, there are a bunch of other great performances as part of the “At: Guitar Center” podcast, including Shure endorsers Alabama Shakes and Switchfoot, and a host of other artists: Dr. Dog, Jimmy Cliff, Linda Perry, The Dears and Bad Religion among others. All of these were recorded exclusively using Shure microphones.

You can hear Joe’s other performances including “Ballpeen Hammer” by download or streaming for free at www.guitarcenter.com/podcast

- Cory

There are so many elements that contribute to putting on an awards show like the GRAMMYs.  To list every aspect would take too long so we’re going to focus on our side of this trip.

As everything usually comes together at the last minute for this show, we sent out a nice compliment of Shure mics to supplement what sound company ATK Audiotek already had in stock. Appearing for the first time on this show was the Beta 181/C condenser mic. We sent 20 of those and saw several get used on tympani (The Beach Boys) and occasionally on drum overheads. We also sent a few of the KSM313 ribbon mics, one of which prominently appeared on John Paul White’s guitar amp during The Civil Wars short but very effective performance in the show.

We were also very pleased to learn early on that the PSM1000 ear monitor systems would be the exclusive system for the show this year. There were plenty of bodypacks on hand for the performers and many of the crew people made a point to let us know how well the system was working for them.

Watching the rehearsal and then the performances over the course of 4 days, there were many highlights for us that sounded amazing in the house, thanks to both Jeff Peterson who finely tuned the PA and Ron Reeves who mixes the acts so well.  The Beach Boys segment featuring Maroon 5 and Foster The People was quite a thrill to hear live in the house. Each group nailed the original harmonies, it was one of the highlights of the evening. The other was seeing The Civil Wars perform on this broadcast. They have quickly become a respected group that continues to impress well-established artists like Adele, Taylor Swift and now Coldplay, who Tweeted that they are now fans of the group.

The Glen Campbell tribute featured newly signed artists The Band Perry who sang “Gentle On My Mind.” It was great to see Glen having so much fun on stage in light of his ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s.

It was especially gratifying to have the industry standard SM58 open this years’ show in front of Bruce Springsteen and then have Sir Paul McCartney close the show on a wired Beta 58A. You can’t get more Rock and Roll than that!

Seeing the same crew that has been doing this successfully for so many years is always a wonderful part of this trip. Maintaining those relationships and letting them know we are there for support is a vital part of attending this show as well as talking with them about our products. There were a lot of people who have not had the opportunity to try the PSM1000’s out. Thanks to ATK Audiotek and the monitor engineers for this show, Mike Parker and Tom Pesa, over 20 acts were exposed to the new standard in monitoring.

Special thanks go out to Michael Abbott who is the audio coordinator for the show, John  Harris and Joel Singer with Music Mix Moblie, who take care of the music mix that goes out to television and Eric Schilling who shares music mix duties with John Harris. This years’ show was monumental in size and every year, it just keeps getting better and better!

- Ryan, Cory and Jenn

Upon arriving to the Congress Theatre on a cold Saturday in late January for the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, I encountered the Drive-By Truckers and their faithful crew, all set-up and ready to try out a few “special” KSM9 microphones I brought specifically for their live stage. Once I opened the case of mics I brought along, it was like that scene in Pulp Fiction, when Vincent and Jules open Mr. Wallace’s briefcase and the characters are captivated by what’s inside and giving off a soft, angelic, golden glow. Soon Colin (monitor engineer) and Matt (front-of-house engineer), were asking what I had for guitar cabinets, pedal steel, cymbals, overheads… Shure mics were soon everywhere on stage and ready for critique by the band and the engineers. KSM9s were on the vocals, KSM313, KSM32, SM7B and SM57s were on guitar cabinets, Beta 181C on pedal steel, KSM141 on cymbals, Beta 98AMP/C on toms, and VP88 on overheads.

I proceeded to the front of the stage and listened as the band ran through a few tunes. I could tell the focus was very heavily focused on guitars and vocals as Matt and Colin made their adjustments. Once everything seemed finely blended and at an ample decibel level, I made my way back to the stage to get some initial feedback on the recent microphone placements. Colin was completely floored by the “special” KSM9s I brought along, pointing out the frequency response and rejection. Matt kept it simple and said, “I like it.” When asked which one, he replied, “All of it!” This could have gone a completely different way, it’s not often that a band will change that many mics in one soundcheck and use those same mics for a show later that evening. There was certainly an element of trust; in me and moreover in Shure’s product line.

Once the Truckers made their way back to tour bus world, Dawes showed up for load-in, traveling light as this was a fly date for the quartet from LA. Yours truly was on microphone duty for this visit as well, but Wes Delk (front of house engineer) and I sorted through the mics and where they would end up on stage weeks prior to this show. I handed out a few mics to Wes and soon enough the guys were ready for soundcheck as well. Watching the guys run through a few tunes, some gawkers on the side of the stage started to marvel a bit and made a note to check out the Dawes set later that evening.

So with everything in its right place, there wasn’t much left to do besides have dinner and maybe catch a few bands on the extensive bill. There was certainly a lot of down time and this is where life on the road gets a little mundane. Somehow, we found ways to make the time pass and soon enough Dawes was making their way to the stage.

This whole “festival” started at around 4 pm that day. There were bands in the lobby of the venue, in the balcony of the venue and bands sharing the main stage as well. At around 10 pm, Dawes launched into their first tune. Again, as I mentioned in my earlier post about Dawes, this is a band you have to check out and get to a live show the next time they’re in own. There’s something there that a lot of us feel will be there for quite some time.

With Dawes off the stage and their dressing room filling with fans new and old, the stage is readied for the Drive-By Truckers set. It was now about 11 pm and the Congress Theatre was still filled with eager fans. Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and company proceeded to play for the next two and a half hours. They certainly have the musical catalog to support more than that, but a strict curfew made them complete their set by 1:30 am… making it officially Sunday morning. They sounded fantastic that night, maybe it was that microphone selection from earlier that day? Of course, Shure can’t take all the credit, the Truckers are a great live band; masters of life on the road.

As I packed up my last mic, letting Colin keep the vocal mics for their next gig (he wasn’t gonna let me leave with them anyway), I made my way back to the southside. Of course, no late night venture for a southsider is complete without a trip to White Castle, and at around 2:30 am, that’s where I officially ended my evening. Love this life.

 -Cory

On a rainy early evening at Metro Chicago, I caught the guys from Dawes during load-in and soundcheck. Needless to say, they were pretty happy with their new-found microphone situation on stage. Later on that evening, I would bear witness to the sound they are so grateful for night after night. I first ran into Taylor Goldsmith (lead vocals/guitar) who shared his love of the SM7B on his guitar amp. He also made mention that Dawes used the SM7B to record the vocals on their debut album North Hills. With Taylor back on stage, I was greeted by his brother Griffin Goldsmith (drums/backing vocals), in the middle of some much-needed drum head replacement. He walked me through the rest of the mics on stage and their respective applications, including the Beta 91A, the ONLY mic he uses on his open front kick drum. We were soon joined by Wylie Gelber (bass/gear geek of the band) who rounded out the conversation regarding the rest of gear situation on stage. Keyboard player and backing vocalist Tay Strathairn would later share his love for the Shure PSM 900 personal monitor system, stating that they made such a difference in his performance. Another life changed by the power of the PSM 900.

Of course traveling with a veteran front of house engineer like Wes Delk, formerly of Wide Spread Panic and Waylon Jennings, certainly contributes to how good those mics are going to sound on any stage every night Dawes plays. Wes is also the real deal, this guy knows his stuff and knows how and when to use it. Most importantly, he knows this band. He alluded to the fact that he kind of came out of retirement to work with these guys.

Apparently, Wes was asked to sit in for a friend one evening and serve as engineer at a local listening room in Athens, Georgia. Dawes hit the stage, and about three songs into their set, Wes Delk decided he really liked what he was hearing. The dynamics and space and harmonies were almost sweet nostalgia to his ears. At the end of the evening he went and met the guys at the merchandise table and jokingly offered to get on the bus with them one day and hit the road together. No less than a month later he got a call from Griffin Goldsmith, explaining that Dawes was to hit the road with Alison Krauss & Union Station and they needed to have their own engineer. Knowing he had an old-time friend in Alison Krauss & Union Station’s engineer, Cliff Miller, Wes jumped at the chance and took that seat he had joked about upon first meeting the band. Dawes is more than aware of what Wes Delk brings to their sound on stage every night.

Showtime had finally come. This was a late one for a school night, with the first band, The Belle Brigade from LA, hitting the stage at 9:00 pm. By the way, this brother and sister act definitely had everyone’s attention, check them out, next time you go downloading. Dawes finally took the stage at 9:45 pm and the place erupted. I’m certain that I was not alone while marveling at the dynamics Dawes had on stage. Some personal favorites from the evening’s set list were “If I Wanted Someone,” “When My Time Comes,” “Time Spent In Los Angeles,” and “A Little Bit Of Everything,” which, for a moment felt like a church hymn ringing through the rafters.

After witnessing Dawes, the live version, something tells me that we’ll be hearing more from this band in the years to come, one can only hope. Dawes is a much-needed breath of fresh air in the music industry.

Cory