Now when most people think of fairytales they picture a princess, prince, fairy godmother, evil witch, and maybe throw in a dragon and some other talking animals in there. And of course at the end of the story, it always ends with a “and they lived happily ever after”. Well growing up I was never really into the whole princess/prince thing… I was more into remote control cars and Thomas The Choo Choo Train. (I blame my dad for this.) So fairytales for me are a little different. Although I didn’t meet any fairies or talking squirrels this summer, the last three months have been MY own personal fairytale. And last night was my “happily ever after” and the perfect ending to an unforgettable summer.

Since I was little and started really getting into music, the artists I’ve considered as my favorite bands have always changed. However, for the past two years this has not been the case…

(CAUTION: The following lines are about to come across very corny, but the writer would like you to know she means every word with the utmost sincerity.)

The moment I heard Mumford & Sons I knew I had found a band different from any other artist I had heard before. Yes, there are songs by other bands that will always be favorites of mine, but I hadn’t come across a band where I have connected with every. single. song. until I heard Mumford. I play them on repeat constantly and I have yet to get tired of one of their songs. The mixture of their lyrics, stage commanding instruments, and the rough, but comforting sound of all their voices combined have made them my number one band for the last two years.

But along with this has come the constant frustration of not being able to see them live because of a little thing called distance. But this is no longer the case. Last night this incredibly rude spell was broken and my fairytale ending came true.

Sr. MarComm Manager, Lena Juncaj, and I arrived to the Chicago Theater around 7:30 p.m. and quickly found our seats next to Cory Lorentz which were third row center left. I about died. (Little did I know I would die at least 4 other times that night.) Dawes started the show playing “If I Wanted Someone” and I knew immediately that it was going to be one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. They continued to play all my favorite songs and then it happened…. Taylor Goldsmith, lead singer of Dawes, stopped to announce that Marcus Mumford would join them on stage to sing “When My Time Comes”. At that moment, Marcus strolled on stage smiling and waving to the crowd and simultaneously my heart dropped fifty stories. My immediate reaction was reaching my arm out and grabbing Lena’s knee. A million things were running through my mind, but the one thought that kept popping up the most was, “THIS IS NOT REAL LIFE.” But ohh it was.

After a few minutes of watching him sing on stage with Dawes, my heart slowly started beating again and I snapped out of my frozen state. From that moment on, I literally could not stop smiling. And I’m not talking about a small smile here… I’m talking a big, wide, gaping, embarrassing thing where people stop and wonder is that her mouth or a pit into the deep abyss?? But I couldn’t have cared less.

As soon as Mumford & Sons walked on stage everyone stood up and stayed standing the entire night. They kicked things off with “Lover’s Eyes” followed by “Roll Away Your Stone” and the crowd went CRAZY. The amount of energy the guys brought to the stage reflected off of every person in the theater. You could see the simple love for music that each one of them had in their eyes as they played and this brought everyone in the crowd to be on the same page.

Half way through the show they stopped playing and Marcus told everyone they would turn off their technology if the crowd did the same. The four of them walked up to the front of the stage, stood close together, Marcus adjusted his guitar, and after a few “shhhh’s” from the audience the entire theater was silent and they began playing “After The Storm”. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The sound of their voices and Marcus’ guitar without any microphones traveled softly throughout the crowd. It was something I will never forget.

A couple of songs later they played “Awake My Soul”… one of my FAVORITE songs of theirs. Dawes came back on stage for this and so did two other unexpected guests. Marcus and Winston Marshall invited two children around the age of seven or eight years old on stage to dance with them because they had noticed that the two kids had been singing along and dancing to every song so far. They were absolutely adorable and again, sang every word right along with them.

For the grand finale, Dawes once again joined them and out of nowhere Mumford & Sons and Dawes started playing “With A Little Help From My Friends”. Within the first second of the song, a THUNDEROUS roar emerged from the audience and everyone had the same expression of shock and joy on their face. It was THEE BEST FINALE I HAVE EVERRRR SEEN. EVER. All the guys on stage were just jumping around singing, laughing, dancing, and having a grand ol’ time playing together.

After the show Cory, Lena, and I went backstage. We went downstairs and when we walked into the room the Dawes band was hanging out mingling with the other people there. It was a great atmosphere for everyone to be in after such an incredible show. A little while later a few members of Mumford & Sons walked in and Marcus immediately walked over to the ping pong table. The three of us were already standing in that area so we watched as Griffin Goldsmith, drummer of Dawes, and Marcus played an intense game of ping pong.

When I fell asleep last night I was still in complete awe of everything that had happened. Instead of flying off into the sunset on a magic carpet, I witnessed my favorite band put on one of the most brilliant performances I have ever seen (which if you ask me was one hundred times better than riding on any carpet). I could not have imagined a more fitting ending to my Shure summer story.

But before I end this blog post, I’d just like to thank a few people who have helped make the last three months here so incredible…

When I received the call from Cory Lorentz back in April that I had won the 2012 Shure Artist Relations Intern Competition, I instantly checked into Hotel Cloud 9. I didn’t think things could possibly get any better. But boy, was I wrong.

My experience at Shure this summer has fully exceeded my expectations. It may be hard to believe, but each day I woke up excited to go to work. Every morning on my drive to Niles, I knew that the day would present a new learning experience because there is not one day in Artist Relations that repeats itself. I have gained more knowledge about the different aspects of this business than I ever thought I would just within a matter of three months.

Don’t get me wrong… the exciting demands and perks of this internship definitely added to my love for this job, but what really made this summer so unforgettable were the people who I worked with. Everyone here welcomed me in a way that I never saw coming. Yes, they were my work colleagues and superiors, but… and I knowww this is going to sound incredibly cheesy… within the second week I considered them friends. And now after this summer I can say I have established a small Shure family. So I would just like to say thank you to Cory, Nelson Arreguin, Rich Sandrok, Ryan Smith, Paul Natkin, Terri Hartman, Mike Lohman, Lena Juncaj, Davida Rochman, Paula Molaro, Todd Pretty, Marianela Silva, Gabe Benitez, Chris Salay, and Bryan Bogardus for making my time at Shure better than I could have ever imagined.

Okay well I’m all out of cheesiness and words… I’m pretty sure this post was longer than the Harry Potter books so if you stuck around until the very end major props to you and if not, I completely understand. It has been amazing writing for the Shure Mic Check Blog so thank you and in the words of Ron Burgundy, “Keep it classy (insert your city here).”

I arrived just in time for Mumford’s soundcheck.  The group is singing on SM58′s and using a host of other Shure mics around the stage. I met the crew for the first time and then started setting up for a video interview.  After their soundcheck, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane came by and knocked out the interview, which went very well.

After a short dinner, I returned and was hanging around backstage when who shows up… Jerry Douglas.  Jerry came to perform with his friends Mumford & Sons.  I also said a quick hello to Dawes right before they went on stage. Drummer Griffin Goldsmith commented that Shure has been very big help to their career so far.  Once they too the stage, I was immediately drawn in to his playing (me being a drummer) as well as his brother and lead singer Taylor’s voice.  This group gave a great performance, full of emotion, animated, and well executed.  On the last number, Mumford & Sons joined them on stage to finish out a great set.

The sold out crowd was ready when the headliners came out.  This being my first time seeing them, I was wondering how this group could fill out their 2 hour set, especially with only one record out.  This show ended up being a lot more exciting than I had envisioned.  Marcus Mumford’s voice grabs your ears and does not let go.  Then the rest of the groups harmonies complete their sound.  They played their hits as well as a few of their new, yet to be released songs. The light show was brilliant, adding to the excitement of the music and making it that much more of a show.This show is ready for arenas but I have a feeling that they love playing to these intimate crowds, especially at the historic Ryman Auditorium for the first time.

At the end of their set, Jerry Douglas joined them on stage for a couple songs, including a great version of “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel.  For one of the final numbers, Dawes also came out and they all went to the front of the stage and performed Bob Dylan’s  “Hey, Momma Rock Me” acoustically.  The entire Ryman audience sang along.  Musicians traded solos. It was quite a party!   Google it and I’m certain someone will have posted a video.

Go see these groups if you have the opportunity.  It was a fantastic show all around.

Ryan

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

January 19-22, 2012
Anaheim, CA – Anaheim Convention Center

From our new products, awesome booth and even more awesome Shure staff, we had an amazing 4 days.  We even brought in some of the most recognized names in the music industry to sign autographs and perform in our booth.

The very first day, Thursday, we had producer/engineer Ken Caillat in for an Q & A about his experiences with Shure products and more.  Directly after that, his daughter Colbie Caillat jumped onstage to sing and then signed autographs for fans.

Following Colbie was a new group from the southern California called The Makepeace Brothers who sang a few short songs for a host of attendees. They had great 4 part harmonies and have performed with endorser Jason Mraz in the past.

After the show closed for the day, a few of us made our way over to the Hilton for the 3rd Annual Worship Night which Shure has been a part of since the beginning.  Israel Houghton & New Breed opened the show and endorser Lincoln Brewster closed it out.  It’s always great to see this event well attended.

Friday’s lineup was pretty stellar!  It kicked off with Heavy Metal group Meshuggah who were followed by Lincoln Brewster.  After that, Alice Cooper showed up and were immediately followed by Korn.  Two humongous lines encircled the booth for both acts…it was quite a site to see.  Jonathan Davis, “Fieldy”, and “Munky” all came to greet fans.

Following the close of Friday in the booth, I was invited by my contact at Meyer Sound to be a guest at their table for the TEC Awards where Shure won for 2 new products – The Beta 181 side address condenser microphone as well as the PGXD  Digital wireless systems. Meyer also won an award for their new MINA sound systems.  Congrats to all the TEC award winner!

Saturday, the one and only Rob Halford or Judas Priest, a longtime Shure user came in to sign and stayed past his allotted time for fans.  Following Rob was a new group called Dawes who sang a couple of songs and then signed.

Many other artists stopped in to say hello including Sheila E., Sinbad, Herbie Hancock, drummer Steve Smith, Richard Patrick of Filter, drummer Kenny Aronoff, and many more.

It is so awesome to have so many great new products to show everyone this year !  We have such a knowledgeable and engaging staff that love taking people through our products.  Keep visiting this blog as well as our main website for more details as the year goes on.

Enjoy the pix!

Ryan

Joe and lzzy from Halestorm

Artist Schedule 2012

Colbie and Ken Cailet

Colbie Cailet Sings

Korn at the Shure Booth

Lincoln Brewster Performs at Worship Night

The Makepeace Brothers

Lincoln Brewster Signs at Shure Booth

The Line for Rob Halford

Paul Jackson Jr.

Hannah Ford and Nik West

Ryan Smith with J. Devil

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

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