When I arrived, Buddy’s crew had just finished setting the stage for his soundcheck.  I had brought along one of our yet to be released GLXD guitar pedal wireless system to show to crew and hopefully have someone demo. Everyone who has tried this system so far has been very impressed with it’s sound and features.

After Buddy’s soundcheck, Jonny’s band showed up and began to set his stage.  After a 30-40 minute check, I went up on stage to say “Hi” to Jonny and show him the system.  As usual, he was impressed with the features and said “Let’s give it a try.”  After a 15-20 minute trial, he was definitely interested and wants to try it again once it’s available.  He mentioned that he hasn’t used wireless in quite a while and he would love not to be dealing with a trailing cable again.

Jonny took the stage first and immediately the room started heating up.  Jonny has been singing on the KSM9 for quite a while now and he’s got a KSM313 Ribbon on one amp and the KSM32 on another. He’s been performing for so long and it’s incredible to see how much emotion pours out of him in performance.  He’s such an approachable person and music just flows out of him.

Buddy Guy is legendary!  You are hooked right when he walks on stage.  He has been through so much and never seems to stop performing, even in between recordings, he’s still out there.  Buddy Guy has been a Shure Artist for well over 20 years.  He commands the stage through is KSM9HS yet can be as subtle as a kitten on guitar.  Your attention is quickly drawn in when he starts out a song with a guitar lick at almost at an imperceivable level.  Every show I’ve seen with both of these artists is a treat and I will always make it out to their shows when I can.

Who are some artists that you will not miss when they come to your town?

Ryan

Buddy's KSM9HS

Buddy Guy's amps - KSM313's

Jonny's KSM9

Jonny tries GLXD

Jonny Lang

Buddy Guy On Stage

This year, we had a host of great performances in the booth.  The Makepeace Brothers and Yellow Marbles are two great up and coming groups based in the LA area. They both performed 10-minute sets on Thursday.  Friday brought us 2 a cappella groups – a new group called Pentatonix who won the first competition on the TV show “ The Sing-Off” and the second was Shure Artists Take 6, who are now celebrating 25 years as a group.  Both of their performances brought an amazing amount of energy and a large audience into our booth space.  On Saturday, we welcomed famed producer Eddie Kramer for a discussion of how he used and continues to use Shure products to work his magic.  Last but not least, a great local LA artist named Britany Christian performed short demos for our newly introduced wireless line GLXD.  We are very thankful to all the groups who spent some of their time with us at NAMM.

Other artists that came by to visit included Sheila E., Sinbad, Christina Perri, Tony Royster Jr., and Actor/Musician Charles “Chip” Easton who plays Deacon Claybourne on the hit TV show “Nashville.”

Ryan Phillips and Adam Russell from the group Story of the Year also came by to interview yours truly as part of a documentary called “Who Killed (or Saved) the Music Industry?”

Since I have started Tweeting, I have been followed by a number of artists. One in particular, 10-year old Claire Stevens, came out to NAMM with her family.  She is a singer/pianist/guitarist who is writing her own songs and is determined to be a big artist someday.   She already has a 5 song EP that she recorded and her parents bought her a Super 55, which she has used at many performances including some at various House of Blues venues.  Keep an eye out for Claire because you can tell she loves to perform and now she has her eye on our wireless products.

OK, so here’s where the “+” comes in from the title.  After a successful NAMM show, I stayed in the area to catch The Who perform in Anaheim.  Definitely a BIG +!  The group Vintage Trouble has held the opening slot on their tour for the last few months and they know how to get people moving.  I’ve been fortunate to see The Who about 5 times now and it continues to amaze me how much energy they still have for performing.  Pete Townshend moves like someone half his age. Roger is still swinging around his vocal mic (now a Beta 58A) and had a big hand in the arranging of this presentation of Quadrophenia for this tour.  The encore consisted of several of their biggest hits.

The next day, I went up to the LA area to visit a few artists and management companies.  I got to catch Simon Phillips recording some new tunes with KSM27’s all over his toms as well as Kenny Aronoff playing at The Baked Potato with the Bombastic Meatbats, Chad Smith’s group.  What a great way to spend time in LA.  Loved every minute!

What Shure Artists, you say?   OK, so here’s the rundown:

fun., Luke Bryan, Maroon 5, Dierks Bentley, The Band Perry, and newly signed Shure Artist Hunter Hayes all performed on the show. Shure Artist Sheryl Crow appeared to announce along side Chris Young.  To top it all off, Maroon 5 performed a 40 minute set after the hour long broadcast.

Let’s talk nominations!  Several Shure Artists are up for awards including: Mumford & Sons, fun., Arturo Sandoval, The Civil Wars, The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, Maroon 5, Chris Botti, Megadeth, The Roots, Dierks Bentley, Ronnie Dunn, Little Big Town, Al Jarreau, Casting Crowns, TobyMac, Fonseca, Lila Downs, Dailey & Vincent, and Dr. John.

A big CONGRATUALTIONS to these and all who are nominated. Best of luck in February 2013 !

I’d also like to give a big shout out to all the crew who work this show.  Joel Singer, Jay Vicari, Mark King, Jeff Fecteau, Mikael Stewart. Steve Anderson, Andres Arango, Jackie Brooks, Danny Breedan, and so many more. You guys ROCK!!!

Ryan

Opening this show is a new group that is primed to explode with the right ammunition – Vintage Trouble.  Their lead singer, Ty Taylor, is singing primarily through a Shure 565SD microphone until he grabs a UHF-R and runs offstage to get the crowd going.  Nashville loved the group and so did I.  We wish them the best of luck as they progress in their career.

Since this is the Quadrophenia tour, The Who performed the entire set to an almost sold out crowd.  I am still amazed at how much energy both Pete and Roger have on stage.  Roger is still swinging his mic (now a Beta 58A) around on a wire, taped up like crazy.  Pete still whips out his signature wheel house on guitar.   In the drivers set on the drum kit is Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr who is such a great player.  Once they made it through Quadraphenia, they closed the show with a few of their big hits like “We Don’t Get Fooled Again”, “Pinball Wizard”,  and “Baba O’Riley.”

The crowd was energized and I had a great view from the side of the stage, mezzanine section to catch all of the action.  If you have a chance to catch the group who have part of the Shure family for over 45 years, it’s an awesome show!

Ryan

OK, enough with the commercial announcement- back to Ben.

What’s that you say? You are not FAMILIAR with Ben Sollee?  We did introduce you to him a few blogs back.  You remember.  That cool cello player who rides to some towns via bicycle that used a bunch of Shure mics  to record his latest live album that you can now pick up which comes with 2 copies: one for you and one for your friend, which is super cool idea…(deeeep inhale)…yeah, that guy!

It was great to finally meet Ben as well as his band since our discussions had previously happened via email.  The record turned out great, I received a copy and then a week later, I noticed he was playing in Nashville.  We immediately got into discussions about the road and the antics the guy play on each other to keep things fun.  When someone has a leftover hotel room key, the have to try to pawn it off on someone else, who unknowingly accepts it and keeps the game going.  Once, a card made it into Alex’s (FOH Engineer) hands via a waitress.  I’m sure these guys will come up with other interesting ways to prank each other because isn’t that what life on the road is truly about ?   (RRRRRiiiiiiighht!)  Alex took me outside and introduced me Tammy, their recently acquired new ride who, since being named, has behaved and treated them very nicely.

Ben was asked to perform on the show last week and was a fitting closer for the evening.  Joined by band mate and friend Drummer Jordan Ellis, Ben commanded the stage singing through a KSM9 while Jordan complimented Ben’s unique cello stylings.  There were solo’s, dynamics, laughs, and most importantly standing ovations.  The crowd loved it and I was happy to be among them.  Please take the time to visit Ben’s site and find out more about this creative artist and all around interesting guy.

All of us were watching the local radar via our phones to see if and when the rain was going to come.  Just as Fitz & The Tantrums took the stage, the rain came in hard.  Didn’t matter.  People were there to see the group and they hung in there like true fans would.

I had a quick few moments backstage with the group and they show no signs of slowing down.  They are about to settle down for just 3 weeks to start recording a new CD and then pick right back up where they left off on the road.

Next up was MUTEMATH.  If you have yet to experience their show, move that up to the TOP of your list. Even without the added video wall/production, which had to be taken down due to the rain, the show I saw Friday ranks up there among the top 10 shows I’ve seen in almost 30 years of going to concerts.  They went on about an hour late, but I stayed for every note. Yes, it was cold, rainy (even though I was under a tent), and most of all, I hand’t sat down for a total of 4 hours.  My legs were killin’ me.  I was being held up by the spirit of a group who give 150% onstage.  Darien, their lighting tech, was in sync with every song, which added so much excitement to the show.  Coupled with the rain coming down, the lighting added an almost music video-like quality to the show.

I can’t say it enough….GO SEE MUTEMATH!

“End of Line”

Ryan

So, naturally, we think open mic ROCKS.

Shure is sponsoring National Open Mic Night in cities around the U.S. April 22–28. Below are the participating venues, which will have Shure gear onhand for performers to use. If you’d like to perform, check in with your local venue about how to get on the set list. There’s no advance sign-up through Shure, but each venue may have its own way of doing things.

• Austin, TX: Monday, April 23, at B.D Riley’s Irish Pub
• Berkeley, CA: Tuesday, April 24, at The Starry Plough Pub
• Cambridge, MA: Monday, April 23, at Lizard Lounge
• Chapel Hill, NC: Wednesday, April 25, at Jack Sprat Café
• Chicago, IL: Monday, April 23 & Tuesday, April 24, at Uncommon Ground
• Durham, NC: Wednesday, April 25, at The Broad Street Café
• Jamaica Plain, MA: Wednesday, April 25, at The Midway Café
• Los Angeles, CA: Sunday, April 22, at Canter’s Kibitz Room
• Memphis, TN: Thursday, April 26, at Java Cabana
• New York, NY: Monday, April 23, at The Sidewalk Café, and Monday, April 23, at Nuyorican Poets Café
• Nashville, TN: Monday, April 23, at The Bluebird Café; Thursday, April 26, and Saturday, April 28, at Commodore Grille
• San Diego, CA: Tuesday, April 24, at Train of Thought
• San Francisco, CA: Monday, April 23, at Hotel Utah; Tuesday, April 24, at Ireland’s 32 Pub; and Wednesday, April 25, at 50 Mason Social House
• Santa Monica, CA: Wednesday, April 25–Friday, April 27, at Un-Urban Coffeehouse
• Seattle, WA: Monday, April 23, at Molly Maguire’s, and Wednesday, April 25, at Skylark Café
• Somerville, MA: Tuesday, April 24, at P.A.’s Lounge
• Tacoma, WA: Sunday, April 22, at Mandolin Café

Plus, check out the National Open Mic Night page on shure.com for information about our SE315 earphone giveaway and our Facebook Event page.

Now, get out there and rock the house.

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

Nashville, TN – The Ryman Auditorium

There is such a wonderful feeling when you know you are watching something special.  Whether it’s a great movie,  football games when everyone player giving 150 % (I’m talking Walter Payton 150 %), or a music group that draws you in.

Part of my role in Artist Relations involves seeking out artists that have the ability to influence other artists and people in many ways, but namely musically.  After all, that is where it should start, right?  You know from my past blogs about The Civil Wars and also from word of mouth (if you are now following them) that they are one of those artists.

How is it possible that 2 singers/ instrumentalists can grab an entire audience and keep them as quite as a sleeping child during each song?  You just have to go see it for yourself.  They have so much fun, sing and play so well, that you have absolutely no choice but to be quite and enjoy every second.  Backstage before the show, I was talking with singer/songwriter/guitarist John Paul White who said he has been looking forward to this show for such a long time and that’s what I told him to do – “enjoy every second.”

After the first 2 songs, singer/songwriter/pianist Joy commented to the audience that she probably should not have worn too much black mascara and John Paul said “me either” which was just one of many funny comments during and evening filled with laughter and great music.  Both Joy and John Paul were very emotional about this show and toasted the audience several times for making their first show at the historic Ryman Auditorium a sell out.  It has been their dream to play here. When they initially got together as a team, neither imagined that it would lead to this moment.

Here they are though. Their singles and the albums have captured so much attention. Their live performances have gathered acclaim from many of their peers, including 2011′s Top selling artist Adele. Before Adele though, right here in Nashville, was where they captured the attention of a younger artist.

Towards the end of the evening, John Paul started mentioned how the group likes to give back to the community and help out “less fortunate” artists.  He went on to say that they found an artist that they thought could benefit from an appearance with them but that she was a bit “shy.”  John Paul and Joy motioned for her to come out on stage.  Seconds later, Taylor Swift strolls on stage and sings  a song with the group called “Safe & Sound“.  This beautiful song is included on the upcoming release of The Hunger Games soundtrack.  (I just finished this great book myself and am looking forward to starting the second book)

Taylor became a fan of the group when they performed at The Belcourt Theatre.  She tweeted about them and this certainly helped their cause of trying to expand their fan base.  Thanks Taylor!

I also got the chance to meet with the groups’ videographer Allister Ann.  Allister has been capturing video and photos on the road for a while now and does some amazing work.  She took the time to interview the group for us.  You can watch that video here.

Many of their family members were in attendance for the show.  John Paul jokingly commented that “My whole family tree is here and y’all are probably part of it since we are here in the South.”

Both Joy and John Paul sound crystal clear through the KSM9 and there’s aKSM313 ribbon mic/SM57 combo on his guitar amp.

Look up their schedule online and if they are not coming to a town near you, MOVE!  Seriously, it is worth a road trip to see their live show…it IS something special.

Ryan

Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN

Having been down in Nashville for 10 years now, it is always great to be able to attend this awards show.  It’s a reunion for both a lot of our Nashville contacts but also some of our East and West Coast based contacts as well.  I get to hang with Michael Abbott, one of the Audio Producers for this and many other TV shows and  J. Mark King, who does the production mix for the Academy of Country Music Awards also comes out to do this show.  There’s Steve Anderson, who swaps out the input boxes between each act as well as the engineers from Music Mix Mobile (John Harris, Jay Vicari and Joel Singer) who mix the music for the show.  The Nashville crews and the crews from each coast all dig in together to get over 20 performances on the air.  Once the show is on, it’s amazing to watch it all happen.  Even though most of this crew has been doing shows like this for years, they are always looking for ways to improve and present the best show for millions of viewers.

The same goes for Shure!

This year, Shure would play an even bigger role as we have a new series of personal monitor systems to present to artists.  The PSM1000 was about to make its appearance on this show for the first time.  Was I nervous? Not at all.  The system has been out there for a while now and been tested in some high profile settings.  Monitor engineer Jason Spence had just used it 3 weeks ago with Alabama and it passed with flying colors.  The system was ready and so were we!   Jason had been speaking with Shure about wanting to use this system on this show for months.  He told Mike Parker, also a monitor engineer for this and many other shows, that he planned to have units there.  Mike, also a beta tester, would not settle for anything less on his side as well.  When all was said and done, ATK Audiotek out of California shipped 14 channels for this show as well as sending a rack of systems out for the Latin Grammies that same week!

Are you as excited as we are??  Seeing our packs labeled up for use with names like Taylor Swift, Lionel Richie, and Ms. Piggy is pretty exciting.

Jason commented on how beneficial it was for them to be able to adjust the output power of the transmitters so they could reach an artist clear across the arena, providing them with dropout free signal.  That is very important to an artist who is performing in front of a live audience and in turn to millions watching at home.  If their signal cuts out, it can be a real mood killer for an artist in the heat of the moment.  Having those 2 antenna’s on the beltpack makes an amazing difference!

As far as artists on this show, we are always delighted when the list of performers comes in and we see a great representation of Shure Artists.  Like Martina McBride who performed her new single “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” on a wired SM58 and Luke Bryan, who worked the stage with his custom chromed UR2/SM58 wireless on “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).”    We also saw a great Glen Campbell Tribute perfomed by endorsers Vince Gill and Brad Paisley, joined by Keith Urban – all on Shure wireless. Both Lionel Richie and Kenny Loggins requested Shure to use on their performances!

New to the Shure family is The Band Perry, who performed on custom painted Super 55′s and went on to pick up 3 CMA Awards that night!   Sara Evans sang her most recent big hit “Stronger” on a UR2/Sm58. Taking home the coveted Entertainer of the Year award that night was Taylor Swift who sang on a UR2/Beta 58A.

Endorser Luke Bryan also co-hosted the red carpet with Ellen before the show.  His FOH engineer, Pete Healey, came by earlier that day to see if we could find him a Shure wired mic that Luke could use for that broacast.  We found an Sm58 and thanks to Pete, another TV spot!

During the show, I ran into many artists, engineers, and managers backstage.  It’s always a great time to catch up with them as they are usually out on the road or busy releasing a new record.  I was waiting  around backstage each time The Band Perry picked up an award to congratulate them.  I also talked with Rascal Flatts drummer and endorser Jim Riley, who was getting set to travel up to Indianapolis for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) to do a drum clinic later in the week.  I would be traveling in the same direction right after this show.

After the awards show concluded, I went up to Jason Spense’s monitor “world” and talked with him and his techs about how the show went.  Thumbs UP all around.  One tech even commented that they received no complaints about dropouts or bad mixes, which he mentioned was very unusual for this show.   That brought a big smile to my face!

A BIG THANK YOU to Mike Abbott, Jason Spence, Mike Parker, J. Mark King, John Harris, Jay Vicari, Joel Singer, Steve Anderson, and so many more for an amazing job.  Thank you to the artists who continue to rely on Shure every night they step on stage.  Most of all, thank YOU for spending your time on our blog site and reading this blog.  Send it along to a friend !

Take care and keep coming back for more!  (If you want more RIGHT NOW, here’s our press release on the show and the amazing PSM1000 system.)

Ryan

Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN

The last time these wonderful Christian Artists were in Nashville, I had a prior commitment and was unable to stick around for the show.  Tonight, I planned to spend the afternoon and evening with the band and crew.

I meet up with Carter Hassebrook who is the bands FOH Engineer and stage manager.  We went to the stage and I grabbed some video b-roll of the mics on stage.  Shure UHF-R wireless mics are on all vocals with various capsules for each singer.  For their acoustic set, lead singer  Mark Hall has been using a Super 55 and loving it.  I also grabbed some footage of the drum kit as they are using the new Beta 98AMP’s on the toms and the Beta 91A in the kick drum.

As I finished up gathering the b-roll, drummer Brian Scoggin arrived and we got set up to grab a quick interview with him on stage.  I was also planning to interview Carter so I decided at the last minute to interview them at the same time, which worked well!

Since every member of the group is also a Youth Minister, they are all very well spoken and know so much about each other.  It was a great interview – you can look for that on our YouTube channel at some point. Following the interview, the band soundchecked for about 30-40 minutes. After their soundcheck, everyone usually meets at the front rows of the venue for prayer time.  They discuss a bible verse or two then disperse amongst the chairs in the venue to bless them and send their prayers out that the audience will enjoy the show and live in the moment.

Then the openers, Sanctus Real, The Afters, and newcomer Lindsay McCall from Chicago all soundchecked.  According to Carter, all three lead vocalists for these groups requested to sing on the UR2/KSM9!

It is always great, during these economic times, to see a full house.  People were spending their money on shirts and merchandise. This tour for Casting Crowns is in support of their freshly released CD Come To The Well.  Their messages are very powerful and thought provoking.  “God doesn’t NEED me, he WANTS me.”

It is so important that the message reaches the audience with the utmost clarity.  Shure microphones are there to help complete that mission.

Ryan

Bridgestone Arena- Nashville, TN

I’ve seen them before, and I will see them again – every chance I get!  Maroon 5 is such a great band to see/hear live.  They are tight, energetic, and well “schooled” in playing so many styles of music. After all, that’s what they are all about and it shows in their music. So many different influences come together in music that makes you move.  Everyone in the band has their part in each song, well orchestrated to let each part shine equally.

I was seated with my 15 year old son side stage, which forced us to watch the musicians more than the video screens, which were hard to see from our angle.  While I can appreciate great graphics and visuals that always add to the performance, I really enjoyed this angle.  As some of you may have gathered, I’m a drummer. So naturally, I tend to be drawn in to that person in a band quickly.  I must, therefore,  start out by citing that M5 drummer Matt Flynn is a MONSTER player.  Everyone has their place in a group but the drums provide the foundation.  Matt provides that so well in this group as this music demands it.  He was “on” all night and Adam Levine was right “on” with him.  I love watching a drummer who commands his drum kit.  Watching Matt land hits crashes so tightly and with such cool force all set long was inspirational.

Back to the rest of the band.  Adam Levine had a great time last night.  “You’re wearing me out, Nashville” he yelled out after one song.  He is a great front man and wonderful vocalist.  He and James Valentine’s guitar playing compliment each other so well.  Michael Madden on bass locks in on Matt’s solid foundation and Jesse Carmichal’s keys provide a harmonious counterpoint for each song.

Changing directions is in this bands nature but it always sounds like Maroon 5.  That’s their magic.  It’s no wonder why they took an immediate liking to fellow new endorsers Fitz & The Tantrums early on.  Both band provide a fresh approach to honoring those who came before them but in their own unique ways.

Adam sounds awesome on his UR2/KSM9 champagne colored wireless mic.  FOH engineer Jim Ebdon loves this mic on Adam’s voice and had the band dialed in nicely!  I also was introduced to one of the groups recording engineers for the past 2 records, Noah Passovoy, who stated that the SM7 has been the mic of choice for Adam’s vocals, beating out much more expensive and typical competitors for that spot.

I look forward to every new project from this group and wish them nothing but the best on their road to continued success.  Speaking of the road, here’s a link to catch them while they are out on tour:  http://bit.ly/oRtiOv

When you go to their show, feel free to write back and tell us about your evening.

Also, check our MySpace page and our Artist site regularly as we will be editing the video interview I got with Adam and James backstage.  I included a few photos from last night including a shot of the groups “recycling center” in each of the dressing rooms.

Enjoy!

Ryan