1. technology and computing
2. consumer electronics
3. audio equipment
4. headphones

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I
’ve had this conversation a few times, both with friends younger and older
than me. Some of them have terrible taste in music, some of them have
pretty good taste and others are just complete music snobs. We’re not all going
to agree on music all the time, but we can’t deny or change music history.
There are bands that changed the game. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The
Rolling Stones, The Ramones, The Who… the list goes on and on. Music these
days changes constantly and some bands never make it past that 15 minutes
of fame. So, it got me thinking… Will we ever have another Led Zeppelin or
Beatles? Is it even possible? Is it possible that the Beatles did it all as songwriters or that Zeppelin’s raw power will remain unsurpassed?
Sure, a few bands have come close and others are still working on it, but are
they really changing the game the way their predecessors did? The obvious
indicator for those on the path to immortality, are the bands that play the
arenas and sell out every city in the world that has electricity. Dave Matthews
Band, U2, Pearl Jam, Radiohead… these are a few of the select hopefuls. Will
it last? Will these bands become the next generation’s Beatles, Zeppelin, Stones
or the Who?
I certainly don’t have the answers; only time will tell. It’s just interesting to
ponder what will influence the kids in the future. They may not even know
who Led Zeppelin or the Beatles are. Could you imagine? Furthermore, what
are the “oldies” stations going to play when I’m 64?
I will do my best to present music history in its complete form to my
daughter and let her make her own decisions when it comes to what she wants
to listen to, but I won’t be able to sleep at night if she thinks this whole music
thing started with Taylor Swift!
I’m curious, great music appreciators of the world: What’s your opinion?
Will we ever see a band bigger than The Beatles? Are you making sure your
kids know how this whole thing got started? I know as I grew older and
discovered a few things on my own, I went back and asked my dad why he
glazed over some of these all too important details.
Surely I can’t be alone in my quest… Share your thoughts. Until then, enjoy
it all, but never forget where it came from!
On Tour with Shure®
Editor
Terri Hartman
Managing Editor
Cory Lorentz
Associate Editor
Louis R. Carlozo and Davida Rochman
Artist Relations
Nelson Arreguín, Cory Lorentz, Richard Sandrok, Ryan Smith
Art Director/Designer
Kate Moss
Writers
Nelson Arreguín, Louis R. Carlozo, Cory Lorentz,
Richard Sandrok, Ryan Smith
Contributing Photographers
Paul Natkin, Randi Radcliff, Juanlu Vela,
Darren Ankenman, Colin Peterson, Omar Franchi
Printing
Triangle Printers Inc.
On Tour with Shure is published three times yearly by
Shure Incorporated, 5800 W. Touhy Avenue, Niles, IL 60714-4608.
Each separate contribution to Volume 10, Issue 3 and the issue
as a collective work, is copyright ©2010 by Shure Incorporated.
All rights reserved.
All trademarks are property of their respective owners.
All product specifications and appearances are subject to
change without notice. Use of an artist’s name in this publication
does not constitute an official endorsement of Shure products.
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table ofcontents
14
4 Mic Check
Maybe you haven’t found us on Facebook yet, or perhaps
you’re not following us on Twitter… you should by the way.
Well, here’s a collection of Shure-tinged happenings we
probably have shared with our fellow Facebook and Twitter
heads. Check it out and let’s try to work on being a lot
cooler for 2010, okay?
6 Sara Bareilles: Small-Town Girl. Little Voice.
Dolphin Trainer?
What would music be if Sara Bareilles followed that dream
to be a dolphin trainer or a teacher? Luckily, we are not left to
ponder too long; it looks like Sara B is gonna stick with this
music thing as she readies album number two.
20 She’s Got Her Own Thing Now
Cut loose from the reigns of the now defunct Trick Pony,
female country singer/songwriter Heidi Newfield has
found her freedom. We’re not sure what she was waiting
for, but she’s ready and country music is ready, so let’s go!
Did we mention this lady plays a mean harp?
23 Progressing Nicely
Making progress and pushing themselves as musicians are
top priorities for Doves, the trio from Manchester, England.
We hear there really isn’t much money to make touring the
states, but we’re glad the guys still make the trip to share
the new stuff with us.
10 You Can’t Slow Down Toby Keith’s American Ride
Catch him if you can, this cowboy won’t be stopping anytime
soon. Fifteen studio albums, 27 #1 singles, two movies and a
handful of bar and grill establishments across the country, with
more on the way… that’s enough to keep any average man
busy, but Toby Keith is not done yet.
26 The Most Sensuous Word In The English Language
Elbow. Feels good to say, doesn’t it? No? Well, it feels good
to be the band Elbow these days. A career that spans more
than 18 years is finally starting to pay off. Headlining tours,
commercial success in the states and some esteemed peers
as fans have really changed things for the quintet from
Greater Manchester, England.
12 On The Move
What started as a musical experiment has turned into a
movement. Calle 13 has taken the world by storm, winning
ten Latin GRAMMYs will do that sort of thing for your status.
These guys are all over the globe finding inspiration for their
next album, and if you catch them at a theater near you,
you will not be disappointed.
30 Listen Like Thieves
A sure-fire way to get your music out for the masses to
hear: Start your own label first. The duo behind the musical
collage Thievery Corporation did just that, and these
days, they’ve got some pretty noteworthy fans and
musical collaborators. Not too bad for
a do-it-yourself project.
14 Something New
Destination Life. That’s the next stop for bluegrass phenom
Rhonda Vincent. She’s trying out a few new things when
it comes to music and so far so good. She’s got some new
tunes and some new musicians to join her in the studio
and on the stage. Sometimes change is good.
16
16 Nice And Easy
Known for taking a break now and then, things are
definitely not slowing down for Jason Mraz these days.
Sure, he still has his moments of spontaneous vacation
time, but Mr. A-Z is everywhere! It’s safe to say that Mraz
has found his groove and the key ingredient to his
longevity, taking it nice and easy all the time.
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Steve Martin
Î
for Calle 13
Shure endorsers Calle 13 kicked butt at the
10th Annual Latin GRAMMYs, taking home
five awards. The Puerto Rican
alternative/urban hip-hop duo won in
every category in which they were
nominated. These included Record of the
Year [the single “No Hay Nadie Como Tú”
featuring Mexican band Café Tacvba] and
Album of the Year [Los De Atrás Vienen
Conmigo]. The duo, consisting of
Calle 13
He’s a wild and crazy guy, but Steve Martin
is also a serious musician; his nimble banjo
playing has garnered notice going back to
the start of his show business career. So
we were thrilled when Martin used a
KSM313 ribbon mic at Nashville’s International Bluegrass Music Association
awards. Martin was accompanied by his
current tour mates, the Steep Canyon
Rangers. Steve Jones, Martin's Front-ofHouse Engineer, has been using the
KSM313 on the road and on major TV
performances. “The [KSM]313 is a great
microphone… warm, transparent,” said
Jones. “I like the gain before feedback and
the flexibility in the bi-directional tonal
options with this mic.” And though he’s
a celebrated comedian, Martin wasn’t
joking when he praised the mic’s
transparency and warmth: “The mic
sounds great. It’s just the kind of sound
I’ve been looking for.”
singer/songwriter René Pérez [a.k.a.
Residente] and multi-instrumentalist
Eduardo José Cabra [a.k.a. Visitante], also
won the categories of Best Urban Music
Album, Best Alternative Song, and Best
Short Form Music Video. More than
12 million viewers saw Calle 13 conquer
on Univision, the Latin GRAMMYs took
place at the Mandalay Bay Events
Center in Las Vegas.
Î
®
Î A Latin GRAMMY Coup
Steve Martin Marvels At
The KSM313
A Reminder From One Of
Metals’ Founding Fathers
As we were putting things together for
this latest installment of On Tour with
Shure and sending out holiday cards
and making preparations for the year
to come, we received a message
from the metal god… Kids, it
does not get more metal than
this! Thanks Mr. Halford.
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New Endorsers to
the Line Up
Though it’s a safe bet all of these artists
have used Shure mics for years and years,
they’re brand new to our stable of
endorsers, and we’re thrilled to have them:
Phoenix, Silversun Pickups, Cage The
Elephant, Breaking Benjamin, Three
Days Grace and Robin Thicke. Here’s a
quick breakdown on what they’re up to:
Our New DJ Headphones:
Heads Above
Î
Shure and DJs have enjoyed a tight
relationship for decades, with the
turntablist community’s enthusiasm for
our phonograph cartridges. Now bring on
the headphones, as Shure unleashes the
new SRH750DJ, tailored to the special
needs of the DJ set. These headphones
deliver high-output bass cleanly, with
extended highs that enable precise mixing
even in noisy clubs. The SRH750DJs also
allow one-ear or two-ear use, with
increased power handling capability for
use with DJ mixers. For more info, visit us
here: www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/
Headphones/us_pro_srh750dj_content.
Î Mos Def stylin’ with Shure
What do you get when you cross Mos Def,
the Black Keys and Shure? Sound that’s as
solid as Blackroc. The collaborating artists,
performing under that moniker,
played recently on David
Letterman’s show, with
Mos sporting his red
Super 55 Shure mic.
Phoenix continues to ride high off their
2009 release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
The French alternative band just scored a
GRAMMY nomination in the Alternative
Album of the Year category. … Silversun
Pickups also scored a GRAMMY nod as
Best New Artist. As of press time they were
readying to appear on “The Tonight Show
with Conan O’Brien” and a 2010 tour with
Muse. … Cage The Elephant, after
supporting Silversun Pickups on tour in
2009, ended the year with a literal bang:
their hit song “Ain’t No Rest for the
Wicked” has become part of the soundtrack for the post-apocalyptic video game
Borderlands. … Breaking Benjamin has
taken their alt-metal sound all across
America, and begins 2010 by continuing
their relentless touring pace, hitting the
Midwest for a month before jetting to
Perth, Australia in March. … Canadian
rockers Three Days Grace had about as
good a chart debut as you can hope for
with their latest album, Life Starts Now.
It debuted in the Billboard Hot 200 at no. 3,
their highest chart position at the time,
and sold 79,000 copies in its first week. …
Robin Thicke comes on board having
just released new album, Sex Therapy,
Dec. 15th. He’s made lots of
TV appearances to promote
it, including on Conan
O’Brien’s “Tonight
Show” and “Good
Morning America.”
Pleased To Tweet Ya
Shure mics can rock, sing, purr and sound
silky smooth—but can they tweet?
You betcha. Now you can keep up with
our Artists Relations happenings via
[email protected]. It’s the easiest
way, in 140 characters or less, to see
what Shure bands,
singers and performers
have cooked up lately.
And who’s the most
important Shure artist?
YOU, of course! If you’ve
got something you’re
dying to tell us about how Shures came
through in the clutch, or your latest
novel use of an SM57, do give us a tweet.
We’d love to hear from you.
Î KSM313 Love, Part 2:
Color Us Paisley Proud
Martin’s not alone in the KSM313 fan
club: Country superstar Brad Paisley
tried one on for size during the 43rd
annual Country Music Association
awards, giving the 313 a go on his guitar
amp for his performance of “Welcome to
the Future.” His verdict? “This is the best
my amp has ever sounded,” said Paisley,
who won two award categories,
including Male Vocalist of the Year.
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“THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOUR FIRST
RECORD IS THAT THERE’S THE OLD ADAGE THAT
YOU HAVE YOUR WHOLE LIFE THROUGHOUT AND
ABOUT SIX MONTHS THROUGHOUT ON YOUR
SECOND. SO LITTLE VOICE IS JUST A COMPILATION OF TONS OF SONGS I HAD WRITTEN IN
THE PAST TEN YEARS OF MY LIFE.” — S A R A B A R E I L L E S
We are thankful for focus and determination, especially when it comes to Sara Bareilles
and her chosen path of music. The world
would have been a very different place if we
got Sara Bareilles the teacher or dolphin
trainer instead. Of course those nice gentlemen from Maroon 5 were a big help too,
thanks fellas! With album number one,
Little Voice, behind her, Bareilles is as determined as ever to keep the creative juices
flowing and cull some fresh new tunes by
the summer of 2010. Do we have to wait that
long Sara? Really? Can you give us a springtime single perhaps?
ON TOUR WITH SHURE: Who was Sara Bareilles
before her first major label release, Little
Voice? What chain of events led to that
opportunity?
SARA BAREILLES: I grew up in a small town,
in Eureka, California. Then I moved to Los
Angeles to go to school at UCLA. I was
definitely somebody who’s always had a
major passion for music but I didn’t have a
lot of foresight. I wasn’t really thinking in
terms of what my career would be. I
thought maybe I’d be a teacher; I wanted to
be a dolphin trainer for a while. I wasn’t
super focused until I got into college. I think
it was kind of a culture shock of coming to
a new city and just feeling a little bit lost
overall made me turn a little bit more
introspective and I really turned to music at
that time. I’d been playing music forever
and writing songs forever but they never
had this sense of urgency that they did
when I got to college. It was in college that
I realized that this was not just a hobby.
Even more than a passion, it was just part
of my sanity. I started playing live shows to
get started and I did that for several years,
just playing tons of shows. Slowly but surely,
formed a band, started doing rehearsals and
doing bigger and bigger shows. I made a
little CD and sent them out to people but I
didn’t get a lot of good feedback on that. So
I was like, “Okay, I’ll just keep doing this
because I love it.” I had some good friends
from the band Maroon 5—I’d known them
since college and they invited me out for
my first tour—and that’s how I met my
manager. I’d say that was probably a pivotal
moment for me. Through my manager I
met my A&R guy from Epic records and
the pieces just started to fall into place. As
someone who has a ton of live performance in my background, that’s kind of the
heartbeat of everything… trying to make it
about the live performance and the
connection with the fans. That’s always
been really, really important to me. So now
I’m here and had my first record come out.
I’m so lucky with the success of that. I had
the summer off and now I’m working on
number two.
OTWS: Besides having an incredibly strong
voice, you also play piano and guitar. Are
you classically trained as a musician?
BAREILLES: No, I wasn’t. I just took some
piano lessons when I was about 9 years old
and I hated them so I stopped. [Laughs.] It
was always one of those things I was superpassionate about. I would sit at the piano
for hours on end, but I didn’t want to study
it. I tried when I got to college, I tried to
take a music theory class but I didn’t know
enough to get into the class. So I just decided to leave it be and just keep playing
because I love it and it worked out.
OTWS: Were there any musicians or artists
who influenced you when you were starting
to play piano?
BAREILLES: Yeah, all sorts. From a piano playing perspective, there are people like Elton
John, Billy Joel and Ben Folds, Fiona Apple,
Sarah McLachlan. I was really drawn to the
rhythmic players like Elton and Billy Joel. I
really loved the percussive element of the
piano. So it wasn’t as much writing float-y
ballads as it was trying to dig in a little bit.
I loved that those guys did that.
OTWS: Which comes first in your songwriting, the words or the music?
BAREILLES: It’s usually the music and then
maybe one lyric line here or there that starts
to get the idea going. It’s almost exclusively
some riff or chord progression that gets me
excited about building something around it.
OTWS: When writing for a debut major label
release, a lot of ideas are developed that
don’t necessarily make it on the album.
How many songs did you actually write for
On Tour with Shure
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Little Voice? Will any of those songs ever see
the light of day?
BAREILLES: Well actually those songs did see
the light of day in my live performances.
The interesting thing about your first record
is that there’s the old adage that you have
your whole life throughout and about six
months throughout on your second. So Little
Voice is just a compilation of tons of songs I
had written in the past ten years of my life.
For example, a song like “Gravity,” I wrote
that when I was 19 years old and that made
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loved my sound on stage once we switched
to making sure everything was Shure.
OTWS: You and your band also use in-ear
personal monitors instead of traditional floor
wedges to monitor your sound on stage.
Have you noticed a difference in the sound
on stage and in the way you perform as a
result of that technology?
BAREILLES: I think musicians are probably
pretty split on this. As a vocalist, I love it
because it makes it so much easier to hear
myself without having to strain and push
the world. It’s going to be something that
keeps shifting, keeps changing. As an artist
that entered it kind of right at the beginning
of this whole digital era, it’s been really
difficult at times to watch the changes in the
industry—seeing personnel come and go
and watching people try to fit in this new
digital climate. I think like anything, it’s just
going to take time to adjust and things will
settle and move forward, as they always do.
But that’s just the nature of the beast. It can
be a scary time but it’s also an exciting time.
“SHURE MICROPHONES HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE
BEFORE I EVEN KNEW WHAT THEY WERE. ONCE WE
GOT A LITTLE MORE ESTABLISHED IN OUR TOURING
ENTITY AND WE SAW THAT WE NEEDED GREAT MICROPHONES, SHURE WAS RIGHT THERE TO HOOK US UP
AND GIVE US THE BEST OF THE BEST.” — S A R A B A R E I L L E S
it on the record as well as a song like “Love
Song” that I wrote just a couple months
before going into the studio. So it was very
much a compilation. In my little world, it
was a ‘greatest hits’ record of all the songs I
had written. There’s definitely the potential
of some of those songs coming back out.
I‘m really focused on kind of forging ahead
right now and getting creative about
writing new music. There’s always room for
the old music.
OTWS: When you perform live, Shure is on
stage with you to capture the vocals and instruments. What is your history with Shure,
has it been a part of your performance from
the beginning?
BAREILLES: Shure microphones have been
there since before I even knew what they
were. It was always an [SM]57 or an
[SM]58, it’s always on stage at every club
you go to, practically. Once we got a little
more established in our touring entity and
we saw that we needed great microphones,
Shure was right there to hook us up and
give us the best of the best. It was amazing.
My production manager Trey swears by
Shure and I completely trust him. I always
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over the sound of everything else on stage.
They take a little getting used to, but for me,
overall, it’s a much better choice, a much better
way to go. I’m amazed at the sound you get
in your ears. It sounds very live, very roomy.
OTWS: As a major label artist that has gotten
some pretty significant mainstream recognition, what’s your take on the music industry as a whole?
BAREILLES: I think it’s like any industry right
now. There’s a lot of change happening in
SARA BAREILLES
OTWS: When will the new record come out
and what can we expect?
BAREILLES: I’d expect to see it next year at
some point, maybe summertime next year.
It’s been a really interesting process of trying to figure out what you want to say with
the second record. I’ve had a ton of fun and
great success so far with the producer that
I’ve chosen. We’re just kind of hitting our
stride here. I’m really excited about it and I
hope everybody loves it.
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
KSM9
SM86
Backing Vocals
Beta 57A & Beta 56®A
PG57
Kick
Beta 91 & Beta 52®A
PG52
Snare Top/Bottom
Beta 56A/KSM32
PG56
Toms
KSM32
PG27
Hi-Hat
KSM137
PG81
Overheads
KSM44
PG27
Guitar Cabinet
KSM32 & SM57
PG27
Bass Cabinet
Beta 52A
PG52
Percussion
Beta 98D/S
PG56
Audience
SM89
PG81
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Toby Keith has built himself
an empire since his humble
beginnings in 1993. Fifteen studio
albums, 27 #1 singles, two movies
and a handful of bar & grill
establishments makes him no
slouch when it comes to what one
accomplishes in his lifetime.
The only thing is, Keith is far from
done, and he only seems to get
better with every endeavor.
There’s no time for a book of
memoirs just yet, but Toby Keith
will no doubt have a drink
with you at his favorite bar…
the one he owns.
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ON TOUR WITH SHURE: Let’s start with some
very recent news… you just opened another
I Love This Bar & Grill in Mesa, Arizona.
What’s the most exciting part in the process
of opening these restaurants for you?
TOBY KEITH: We opened one in Vegas and one
in Oklahoma City. The most exciting part of
opening these is just to have a place to hang
with my buddies, whether I’m at home or in
Vegas, where we are a lot. It’s a nice place to
hang out and bring all your celebrity buddies.
The ones in Vegas and Oklahoma City took
off and it’s doing real crazy numbers. So now
we’ve got one in Tulsa, Kansas City, Mesa…
soon to be Tunica, Orlando, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, San Antonio, and maybe another one in South Oklahoma on Lake Texhoma.
They’re doing really well… great themes,
great liquor, great whiskey girls, great food
and great times. You build it, they will come.
OTWS: An article about you in American
Cowboy Magazine called you, “A brilliantly
creative risk-taker whose every move is
studied and admired by the most loyal and
most knowledgeable fans anywhere.” Could
we someday see the word “author” listed
after your name… perhaps a book about
your many successful business approaches?
KEITH: When it comes to writing a book I’ve
been asked a million times. They’re really
time consuming and when you’re as busy as
we are right now, you don’t have time to sit
and reflect on all your accomplishments. I
don’t bask in that very much anyway. It’s got
to be a tremendous milestone that somebody brings to my attention before I even
hardly recognize it. We work hard everyday
and as soon as all this shuts down for us one
day, and it will, hopefully I’ll find time to
write a bio or a cool book to remember it
all… or five books maybe!
OTWS: Searching all over the web, I’ve seen
many comments like, ‘finest vocal performances of his career,’ closely associated with
your latest record. Is there anything you do
or don’t do to protect your voice?
KEITH: I have a very strong voice and it’s very
seldom ever let me down. In fact, in the six
to seven years of touring regionally as a garage band and then sixteen years of having a
major recording contract and touring the
world, I think I’ve only missed three shows.
We used to do about 270 shows a year or
more. It’s very strong and never let me
down. It’s God gifted and I’m blessed that
He gave me such a great voice that’s that
strong. I don’t even really have to warm up.
Page 11
I just have set my set list to where I’m not
screaming at the first of the show. If I warm
it up right, no problem… it’s on.
OTWS: For many years now, there has been
one constant on stage, and that’s a Shure mic
front and center. What is it about Shure
products that work for you, and what do
you like about the KSM9?
from wedges to ears, and how have the
Shure systems been working for you?
KEITH: Going from wedges to ear was a big
step because you don’t get any feedback
anymore and that’s number one with me.
You control your own volume; you control
your own world with your wireless pack. So
everybody, I’ll tell you, if you can use ear
Shure microphones go all the way
back. We had [SM]57s and [SM]58s in our
garage band in the ’80s and early ’90s and
that’s all we had. They were just reliable.
They rolled around in the bottom of the
trailer behind the van like grenades do in
the bottom of a Humvee. They made every
show with us. When you needed one, you
just picked it up. They’re very reliable and
that’s why we’re still with Shure today. The
brand new mic I got, the KSM9, is my
newest mic number. Shure keeps me in the
best stuff and it’s fantastic. The ears I have
are great too. It’s really helped save my
voice, longevity and my hearing.
OTWS: Back when in ear systems started to
show up, how was the transition for you
monitors… I’ve got some old rockin’
buddies that won’t use them, but if you can
learn to use them, they’re a lifesaver. They
really save on the wear and tear of your
voice when you are on the road. I
recommend them to anybody.
OTWS: Any more movies on the horizon?
KEITH: Not any movies right now. The last
thing we did, “Beer For My Horses,” took
ten months to write, three months to
produce, three months to shoot and three
months to promote, and I still ain’t got over
it. They’re real long projects. I’m glad I did
one, I’m glad I wrote one, glad I produced
one, and glad I got to play in one and do all
that. I check marked all those boxes, but it’s
gonna be a while before I do that again.
KEITH:
TOBY KEITH
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
UR2/KSM9*
PGX24/SM86*
Backing Vocals
KSM9 & Beta 56®A
PG58
Kick
Beta 91& Beta 52®A
PG52
Snare
SM57
PG57
Toms
Beta 56®A
PG56
Hi-Hat
SM57
PG57
Overheads
KSM27
PG27
Guitar
UR14D*
PGX14*
Fiddle
UR14D*
PGX14*
Guitar Cabinet
SM57
PG57
Bass Cabinet
Beta 57A
PG57
Pedal Steel Cabinet
SM57
PG57
Leslie Cabinet Top/Bottom
SM57/Beta 91
PG57
Saxophone
Beta 98H/C
PG57
Trumpet
Beta 98H/C
PG57
Trombone
Beta 98H/C
PG57
* wireless system
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Half brothers Rene Perez, a.k.a. Residente [Resident] and
Eduardo Cabra, a.k.a. Visitante [Visitor] have accomplished a lot since
their self-titled debut album in 2005. After forming their band as an
experiment, the boys from Calle 13 of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico have won
a total of 10 Latin GRAMMY®s, one GRAMMY and are continuously at
the top of the charts. Now the jet setting duo travels the globe
to get inspired by their experiences and to communicate with
their fans in the neighborhoods, barrios and villages.
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We sat down with them while they were in
Chicago to find out what served as inspiration
for their latest album Los de Atras Vienen
Conmigo [They’re With Me] and what inspires
such creative rhythms, rhymes and flow. Let’s
go…
ON TOUR WITH SHURE: You’re currently on
tour promoting your latest studio album,
Los de Atras Vienen Conmigo. Who are “Los
de Atras” and where are you guys going?
RESIDENTE: Los de Atras are our band of 11
musicians that make up Calle 13, also everyone who is rejected, objectified or unwanted, all of these people of different social
classes. Anyone who feels rejected in some
way, those people are part of Calle 13. The
people of villages, the barrios, upper class,
middle, everyone...
OTWS: Your songs are very creative and diverse and they range from political all the
way to romantic. What is the creative process involved in developing your stories?
RESIDENTE: The stories, many of my ideas for
writing lyrics, come from the same people I
come across in the street. That is why I need
to travel and move to write. For example,
the song I did with Ruben Blades, “La Perla,”
I went to that neighborhood, I was writing in
La Perla to write part of that song. I did the
same when I wrote “Pal Norte,” I was traveling. I write on airplanes a lot. I also get lyrics
from my brother’s music, or sometimes I give
him music through my lyrics. We’re always
working together and traveling to different
places, we never make an album in a studio
or lock ourselves in the studio. That’s why
we have to travel and move.
OTWS: In this new album you guys collaborated with a couple of impressive artists in Café
Tacuba and Ruben Blades. How did these
collaborations come about and how easy is it
to align each other’s ideas for the songs?
VISITANTE: I think that the collaborations flow,
because we collaborate with people that we
admire. And it’s very helpful when the artists
we admire want to collaborate with us. We
have made great friendships through collaborations, I think because our music is
influenced by their music. So, if they like
Calle 13 I think it’s indirectly because their
music is within us as already. Because of that,
our collaborations and partnerships have
emerged some very memorable songs.
OTWS: I notice that you share the stage with
Shure microphones. How long have you
been using Shure and how did that collaboration begin?
VISITANTE: I think a year ago we began
Page 13
officially…
RESIDENTE:
Shure microphones and equip-
ment...
And everything is flowing great,
we made some inventions with the accordion, we cut a few wires here and there and
placed two microphones on it, but it’s cool,
I’m wireless now with the accordion and
the melodica, so cool…
OTWS: I also noticed that you use in ear
monitors. When did you start using them
and how have they helped your performVISITANTE:
ance on stage?
RESIDENTE: Yeah they are very helpful. It is
important to be able to hear myself clearly
so I use Shure... because I hear myself very
well, I used them at Viña del Mar, and have
used them throughout our tour in Latin
America and they have worked very well so
we will continue to use them as long as we
continue to be sponsored... [Laughter.]
OTWS: What is it about Shure microphones
that you like so much?
RESIDENTE: I like how they sound; I like
how I sound in the monitors, my voice, and
CALLE 13
how they are heard in the house. It is important for the people to understand everything you are saying, the lyrics and everything. It is extremely important and that’s
why I like them.
OTWS: Do you guys have a favorite Shure
story that you can share with us?
RESIDENTE: Well, before the shows I always
go to urinate, um, One time I went to urinate
and had the microphone turned on and I
was heard outside in the house. So, Shure
fidelity is very good because everyone heard
me urinate clearly... [Laughter]
OTWS: Finally, what’s next for you guys?
RESIDENTE: Well currently we are traveling a
lot throughout Latin America. But, next is
Mexico and then from Mexico we go to
Spain. From Spain we are going to jump to
London and then France. We are expanding
in different countries, things are getting
bigger and better and we're happy because so
far we’ve had a very short career. It important
that we take advantage of the energy that
comes with having such a young band. We
need to take advantage and grab all we can so
we can continue to communicate with people.
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
UR2/Beta 58®A*
PGX24/PG58*
Backing Vocals
UR2/Beta 58A* & Beta 58A
PG58
Kick
Beta 52®A
PG52
Snare
SM57
PG57
Toms
SM98
PG56
Hi-Hat
SM81
PG81
Overheads
SM81
PG81
Guitar Cabinet
SM57
PG57
Bass Cabinet
Beta 52A
PG52
Congas
Beta 57A
PG57
Bongos
Beta 57A
PG57
Timbale
SM57
PG57
Djembe
SM57
PG57
Zurdo
SM57
PG57
Cajon
SM57
PG57
Alegre
SM57
PG57
Tambora
SM57
PG57
Saxophone
SM57
PG57
Trumpet
SM57
PG57
Trombone
SM57
PG57
*wireless system
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ON TOUR WITH SHURE: There
have been countless
artists who’ve performed at the Ryman Auditorium.
What does it mean to you to perform on this stage?
RHONDA VINCENT: Well I remember being at the
Ryman, I was about 6 years old — maybe 5 or 4 —
and we stood out front and we waited in line all the
way down the street. The artist that stands out in my
mind that I really remember is String Bean, and I’m
sure it’s because of how unique his costume was. So
this holds a very, very special place for me in several
respects. I was here when I was very young. We
listened to the Opry every Saturday night, even if we
were performing, as soon as we got to the car, even
when it was so much static you could just barely
listen. I was also here for Bill Monroe’s funeral. I sang
a song called “Is The Grass Any Bluer On The Other
Side,” and the very first place ever I sang that song
was when the Opry was here in the wintertime. I
also sang the songs “Fishers of Men” and “Last, Best
Place” at the funeral for Grand Ole Opry star Skeeter
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Davis. So I have a lot of memories here, but
more than anything it’s just something that’s
really a part of me because it’s been so many
different moments. Tonight is special because
I’m also appearing with my daughters and
their new group The Next Best Thing. So
tonight will be another special moment in
my life.
OTWS: You’ve been out supporting your latest release, Destination Life…
VINCENT: We started the year [2009] with
new musicians and new music. We created
this album with my band, The Rage. This
was the first time in my career that I’ve ever
just recorded with The Rage. So we all went
together, shared ideas and collaborated.
Everyone put in their individual talents, it
wasn’t anyone saying, “Play this. Do this.” It
was them coming in, usually by themselves,
to really get a chance to create themselves
once we cut the initial track. So it was a
really unique experience. It was very relaxed and something that I’m very, very proud
of. It was released on June 16th and it was
on the Billboard charts at #2 for three
straight weeks. Also, on the Country Charts,
it debuted at #52. So it’s been really, really
great, and all the reviews… the Boston Globe,
the New York Times… we [were] in Oprah’s
magazine in September—a lot of great
things have come from this new project.
[It’s] lots of fun to perform and it’s really,
“What you see is what you get,” because it’s
exactly the way we recorded it. There are no
triple fiddles, because we can’t play triple
fiddles all at the same time. So when you
here twin mandolins on the Poco song
“Crazy Love,” that’s Hunter [Berry] and I
playing the mandolins, and we’ll be playing
them on stage just like that.
OTWS: What is Destination Life? Tell us about
the meaning of the title.
VINCENT: I liked Destination Life for several
reasons as the title. I started on a new destination in my life with the new music and
the new members. The song came actually
from New Zealand. I got on my message
board on my website at rhondavincent.com
and I asked the fans to share song ideas for
this project. There’s a fellow by the name of
Don McLean and he’s is in New Zealand.
He’s the one that posted the song “Destination Life.” It’s from an artist by the name of
Donna Dean from New Zealand. She wrote
it, she recorded it and this is the very first
project that it’s ever been released on in the
United States. But it also had that special
Page 15
meaning because of it being this new destination for me in my life.
OTWS: Are you listening to any other artists
outside of bluegrass, anyone on your iPod
that you would like to mention?
VINCENT: Well, I don’t have an iPod [laughs].
I’m always listening for songs. I always encourage folks to send me CDs or to share
their songs. I always listen to those when
I’m in the car. I listen to mostly demos but
my favorite group is The Isaacs. I got to see
them recently on the Opry, and I got their
CD that’s called Songs That We’ve Worn Out.
I texted all of them and said, “You have not
worn out this song, and you have never
failed me.” That’s the music that I’m listening to.
OTWS: How does it feel to see your daughters follow in your footsteps?
VINCENT: It is very exciting! A lot of folks say,
“Did you discourage it?” I told them when
they graduated from high school and start-
RHONDA VINCENT
ed in college, I said, “You know, you’re going
to have to work for a living. You’re going to
have to do something. Make sure that you
love it. Whatever it is, I don’t care what it is.
Whatever it is just make sure that you love
it.” So they have just discovered their love
for bluegrass. They were part of the bluegrass program over at East Tennessee State
University in Johnson City and they are
lovin’ the music. They put together a little
CD for their grandpa and from that they
started getting play on Sirius XM and other
radio stations. They also got booked for 30
to 40 dates in 2009 and they’re on their way.
OTWS: Let’s talk about your touring schedule… there are no breaks, it’s constant. Why
is your schedule so heavy?
VINCENT: I enjoy touring and that’s my favorite thing. I love to work, love to tour, I
love the people and that’s not for everybody.
For me, if I’m home I get really bored and
I’m ready to go, I’m ready to move. I don’t
sit still very well. Also, my husband books
me and I guess he’s trying to make sure I’m
never home. [Laughs.]
OTWS: You are out doing shows and your
gear probably takes a beating. What does it
mean to have the support of manufacturers
behind you?
VINCENT: It’s VERY important, especially from
Shure. They provide us with our in-ear personal monitors, we have our KSM44 microphones and a few other models that we
use. I think we’re probably a very good
“workhorse” to show the durability of the
equipment. If there’s something in the design that isn’t working, we’ll know right
away. We’ll be on the road 275 days this
year, doing about 140 dates. So we’re, I
guess, living proof of the durability of the
equipment and how great it works. I love
pulling in a place and they might look at it
and say, “You’re only going to use four microphones?” They are very skeptical and it’s
a very easy load in. Then after the show,
they go, “What kind of microphones are
you using?” So it’s always fun to make a
believer out of somebody and say, “Wow
that really worked well.”
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
KSM44
PG42
Fiddle
KSM27
PG27
Banjo
KSM137
PG81
Monitors
PSM® 700
PSM 200
On Tour with Shure
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Page 17
eing on a break is a life philosophy for
singer/songwriter Jason Mraz. From the
moment Mraz finished high school, he
was determined to do as little as possible and enjoy life to the fullest. Playing
music with friends was his favorite waste of
time, but as adult responsibilities started to
enter Mraz’s life, he began to share his music
with the world, which made him enough
money to continue his life of ease. More
than seven years later, Mraz is still standing
by this same philosophy and judging by the
success of his latest release, We Sing, We
Dance, We Steal Things, it seems to be his
recipe for longevity.
ON TOUR WITH SHURE: You were on a self imposed hiatus for a bit from the music industry, and in an age when acts are so quick to
turn around in the popular mind collectively, did that make you nervous at all,
taking a bit of a break and then coming back
to release We Sing We Dance We Steal Things?
JASON MRAZ: No, I wasn’t nervous about it
at all. I was more nervous about not taking
a break. Living out here on the road, things
just become so routine—you forget what
you might look like if you grew your hair
out. You forget what you buy at the grocery
store if you were really given the time to
run around the store. It’s basically kind of
checking in with yourself, and I certainly
recommend it to every student, to get out
there and travel, see the world. Anyone who’s
been in their career for 10, 20 years take a
break, go see what your body is capable of
doing. Smell things, taste things… that’s
really all I wanted to do. I wasn’t concerned
about not turning a record in on time; I’ve
never actually believed in that paradigm
that albums need to come out every certain
amount of years. To me the album is a reflection of whatever that artist is creating or
not creating so… my next one is certainly
coming up again very soon.
OTWS: Is taking a break something that you
had to discover or has that always kind of
been a philosophy of yours?
MRAZ: I think just being on a break is my
life philosophy. When I got out of high
school, I was like, “Cool, I’m done! Now I’m
just going to hustle my way through life.
What can I do, how can I live my life… in
just joy and bliss and totally resigned from
it all?” Actually what I found is that music
is what was giving me all my power—this
ability to participate in music and to participate with other musicians. I realized
that was my life, that was how I was wasting my time. It was sitting around with other
musicians or sitting around with my instrument and fulfilling my time. I was like,
“This is all I need, why would I have to do
anything else?” But of course, you know,
supporting yourself and supporting a
family comes into play and I figured out
how I could then share my music with the
world or with various communities and in
exchange I was getting food, I was getting
places to stay, and eventually I started selling my CDs and was earning a little bit of
money. But I never really gave up my life
philosophy, that is take it easy... you know…
just take it easy.
OTWS: When it comes to the process of collaborating with other artists, how have things
changed throughout your career?
MRAZ: Well in the selection of someone you
want to collaborate with, certainly the position we’re in now, it’s easy to get a hold of
people and at least ask them if they want to
participate. Certainly there are agents and
lawyers and managers that are in between
myself and these other artists, but it’s those
agents, managers, and lawyers that actually
give us the connections and the network to
reach out. I’ve been very fortunate to meet
a lot of artists who are willing to collaborate
that way. But the best way to meet up with
other artists is just meet with other artists.
If you see somebody on the festival bill that
you’re going to be playing, get out there and
get in front of them, shake their hand and
say, “Hey what’s up?” We’re only people and
all of us are musicians who are just trying
to take it easy in the first place and share
their music with other musicians and other
communities so… I’m still as selective as
ever about collaborating at the same time.
OTWS: You don’t feel like anyone needs to
shove a collaborator down your throat perhaps?
MRAZ: Yeah, certainly not. Collaborations
certainly bring up new opportunities,
whether I’m collaborating with another
musician or a songwriter, that’s where I
learn. I learn from sitting down with other
songwriters and seeing what their process
is about. So I definitely welcome it. But I
think it’s a lot harder for any of us to do
anything if we’re forced to do things.
OTWS: Now, given that you’ve been touring
so much, especially as of late, and that you
have a lot ahead of you, how do you write
songs while you are on the road?
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Well, I don’t write songs as easy as I
would if I was just on my own adventure,
because to me, my songwriting has just
been a chronicle of my adventures. It’s been
a story I’ve liked telling, it’s been a spiritual
juice that I’ve enjoyed tapping into and
being high off of. The routine of the road
sometimes sort of interferes with that. The
things that I need to do to prepare my body
and my spirit for another night of being as
passionate as I can be, fully in the moment,
keeping all of those songs fresh, that’s where
my creative energy ends up going. By the
end of the night, I just kind of want to turn
it off, or read a book. So, I usually end up
writing poetry, I usually end up writing
blogs, writing stories—writing other material, that once the tour ends, that material
then gets filtered into songwriting. So my
songwriting usually happens, funny enough,
away from the tour because music is happening constantly on tour.
OTWS: Now, you had mentioned blogs, and
on your website you interact with your fans
on a daily basis, where do you feel that importance comes from?
MRAZ: Long before there was ever a word
blog, I kept a road journal on my website
and I felt it was a great way for me to keep in
touch with family and friends and people
MRAZ:
Page 18
that I met in various cities that I was traveling to. It was also an extension of my own
journal. I just love to write and share
thoughts, tips, inspirations, opinions, whatever it may be. It’s just nice for me to put it
out there, and it’s just something I’ve kept
up with. It’s been seven, eight years now that
it’s been up on my website and of course,
through all the various networking sites
now, it makes it a lot easier for people to
tune in almost instantly and that’s a really
rewarding feeling. When I step onto a stage
and the room is sold out, I feel like I’ve been
invited to some special party and I know
everybody in the room. My job is to just
play the songs, and we’re all going to sing
along to them; it’s a really special feeling. I
definitely have to give credit to the internet
for allowing that connecting to be possible.
OTWS: Now you’ve been using an SM86 for
JASON MRAZ
18
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your voice, is that something that you experimented with, with your engineers or yourself, or is there something that resonated—
do you actively seek out particular sounds
in various microphones?
MRAZ: My monitor engineer and I have been
seeking the right sound. And for me, I need
something true, I need to know what I’m
sounding like. Honestly, I never used to care
what microphone was in front of me… on
my last album I wanted to only sing with an
[SM]58, your basic, most famous Shure
microphone. I did my whole album with it
[Mr. A-Z]. I even got engineers yelling at me
saying, “No you can’t, you can’t!” I’m like,
“I don’t care, I just want to perform and this
feels good to perform with.” So we were
using that for quite a bit on stage throughout the years, and I noticed my monitor
engineer would change out the mics every
once in a while. When I was traveling early
last year, we found an SM86 in the drawer
at home where all of our mics are kept, and
it was my roommate’s. I said, “Oh, let’s take
this out on the road and see how this feels.”
Honestly, my first love about it was that it
was just flat, that my lips could actually get
right up on it and there wasn’t a sphere that
I had to figure out the space on. I felt like I
could really kiss the mic and really love it
and have my moment with my instrument,
my tool. The reaction I got from the front of
house and the reaction I got from the monitor world was that the top end was a lot
smoother, and that it was really just working with my style of singing, and how I like
my mix in the microphone and everything
else, so I’ve been using the 86 ever since
and it’s a great mic, it feels good!
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
SM86
PG58
Backing Vocals
SM86 & SM58®
PG58
Kick
Beta 52®A
PG52
Snare
Beta 56®A
PG56
Toms
Beta 56A
PG56
Hi-Hat
KSM137
PG81
Overheads
KSM32
PG27
Guitar Cabinet
KSM32
PG27
Congas
Beta 98D/S
PG56
Bongos
Beta 98D/S
PG56
Toys
KSM137
PG81
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She didn’t know what to expect when she parted ways with her former band Trick Pony to pursue a solo career,
but Heidi Newfield was ready no matter what. For Newfield, it felt like starting over again as a new country
artist, even songwriting seemed brand new. Luckily for Heidi Newfield, her fans and friends in country music
weren’t too far behind, and her debut album, What Am I Waiting For, was released with critical acclaim. Freedom
has obviously been good for Heidi Newfield, and we wonder, just what was she waiting for?
So you’re out on your
own… how does it feel?
HEIDI NEWFIELD: Oh my God, it feels like
FREEDOM! It feels wonderful. I’m having
the time of my life. Crazy about this new
music, crazy about the people I’m working
with, crazy about this new band.
OTWS: So you’re ready for this then?
NEWFIELD: I’m more than ready for this. I’ve
been ready longer than I actually realized.
OTWS: You co-wrote a good part of this
record [What Am I Waiting For, 2008 Curb
Records]. What inspires you when you
write and when is your best writing time?
NEWFIELD: I used to be a mood writer. I
used to write whenever the mood hit me
and it could be at two o’clock in the morning. When I was writing for this album, I
had to learn more of the “craft” of songwriting. So I learned that thing, where you
get up in the morning, you roll up your
sleeves, and you go in and say, “I’m gonna
ON TOUR WITH SHURE:
20
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build a song today.” I think a lot of that fire
came from all that stuff that was going on,
building up, culminating inside, getting up
to that point when I was on my own. So
there was a lot to talk about, lots of melodies and lots of ideas running around and
swimming around in my head. So it was
really fun to just sit down and start laying it
all out there. Some of my collaborators on
this particular record… I really got to write
with some people that I have such admiration for, such respect for; people that I built
relationships with that will be lifelong friends
now. So it’s been rewarding in so many ways.
OTWS: Describe your experience with veteran producer Tony Brown in the studio…
NEWFIELD: Well, working with Tony… sheer
joy. We were right on point with one another
creatively. He loved that I wanted to make a
nice, easy, organic, natural departure from
the Trick Pony sound into my own sound.
He loved that I wanted to dig down a little
deeper, [have] a little bit more substance
and make a really ingratiated record. We
just had so much fun. That’s one of the
people I can honestly say that I’m honored
to consider not only my producer but my
friend. I just adore him from the top of his
head to his toes. He’s awesome, one of the
most talented people I’ve ever worked with.
The thing about Tony that I need to add is
he is not a formula producer. I’ve shared
this a few times but it’s so important. He’s
one of those rare individuals that looks at
you, looks within you, looks at the material
and we scrutinize over every song, over
every bit that we had going on the record.
He told me from the very get go, “We’re
making YOUR record. We’re not making
my record, we’re making your record.” His
job as a producer, he feels, is just to find the
essence of who you are and then just to
help guide you on your path. He did just
that and we made a record that I’m ultra
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proud of, and I’m already just chompin’ at
the bit to get into the studio and make the
next one. So, I loved every moment of it.
OTWS: You picked up the harmonica at an
early age. What songs were you learning to
play? Who were your teachers?
NEWFIELD: I picked up the harmonica when
I was about 6 or 7 years old. I still have
some of my grandfather’s old Hohner harps
that still smell like the drawer where they
were kept in the kitchen, it was so awesome. He played harmonica but he played
Page 22
hoped that maybe we might get one or two
nods from the Academy [of Country
Music] on this record, perhaps for “Johnny
and June,” because I was so proud of that
song and the way it kicks the record off.
When they kept calling my name, I won’t
lie, I was just so pleasantly surprised and
so happy that the industry as a whole has
welcomed me back with open arms. This
is proof of that. Frankly, Trick Pony, we
had a great run. We got to do a lot of really
cool stuff. We even won some awards and
“SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER, I’VE USED THE
GREEN BULLET. I’VE LOVED THAT SOUND, THAT
NATURAL TONE. I CAN GO DIRECT FROM A
B ULLET AND GET JUST THE TONE I WANT .”
—Heidi Newfield
more straight harp; more like that old campfire music like, “Red River Valley,” and some
of those old campfire songs like that. I used
to sit on his lap and listen to him play. I
always loved the sound of the harp.
Somehow, it was either an old Sonny Boy
[Williamson] or James Cotton… an old
Delta harp great record landed in my lap
and I was hooked. I loved the blues. So
what I would do is I would sit down with
those great old harmonica players from
Chicago, and they were my teachers. I
would sit down and take lick by lick and
just cop that lick and learn it. Then of
course, like anybody who is learning an instrument, you start to gain confidence in
your own style; you start to add your own
style to whatever that is. So I’ve incorporated that into my “stone cold” country
songs or into my soulful stuff on the record
or into bluesy stuff. I proabably have my
Grandfather to thank for that. Those old
blues records were who taught me.
OTWS: Hearing your name called so many
times at the ACM nominations must give
you a renewed sense of confidence on this
new path of your solo career…
NEWFIELD: Oh my gosh! You know the first
words that came out of my mouth were
“I’m shocked.” But then the more I really
realized it, I thought you know, that’s not
necessarily the proper words. I was so
happy and so pleasantly surprised. I had
I’m very proud of what we accomplished.
But we never got to really play at that level.
So this is the first time I’m gonna get to
kind of step out and shine and get to sort
of play with the big boys. That’s how I look
at it, so this has really been exciting and I
thank the Academy for welcoming some
new blood into the mix. I hope I make ‘em
all proud.
OTWS: Shure has been with you for quite a
while and we’re happy to be continuing
our support. What does it mean to you to
have this kind of support on the road?
NEWFIELD: Shure takes care of me and the
customer service is amazing, they literally
make the best product. If we’ve got a problem with something and if we need some-
HEIDI NEWFIELD
thing, I can call my man Ryan in Nashville
or my road manager Bartt and it’s taken
care of. You know when you’re in my position as an almost established artist, sort of
a veteran artist, but ultimately also balancing that new artist thing, because I’m starting over again. I’m starting over as a solo
female [artist]. That whole starting over
thing, there’s a lot to that. The support that
Shure has given me has been invaluable. I
can’t say enough about them and I can’t
thank them enough.
OTWS: You’re not only using the UHF-R
Wireless with an SM58, but you’re also
swinging a wireless 520DX Green Bullet for
your harmonica. I’m guessing you’re not
standing still too much during your shows?
NEWFIELD: [Laughs.] What’s ironic is that I
think most of us started out using a good
old Shure 58. That’s one of the best microphones ever made; just consistent as all get
out. Since I was a teenager, I’ve used the
Green Bullet. I’ve loved that sound, that
natural tone. I can go direct from a Bullet
and get just the tone I want. A lot of that
comes from here [motions to her mouth]
but a lot of that comes from that microphone. The products are great. Yeah, there’s
not a lot of standing around, there’s a lot of
energy on stage. I never have, from day
one, been a stand there and sing kinda girl;
once in a while on a ballad. But for the
most part, I like to move around and I like
to work the crowd and I like to entertain
the crowd, I like that energy. If I’ve got it
and my bands got it and that chemistry on
stage is happening, then that’s translating
to the crowd. I get so much from them;
I feed off of their energy.
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
UR2/SM58®*
PGX24/PG58*
Backing Vocals
SM58
PG58
Kick
Beta 91& Beta 52®A
PG52
Snare
SM57
PG57
Toms
KSM27
PG27
Hi-Hat
KSM137
PG81
Overheads
KSM32
PG27
Guitar Cabinet
SM57
PG57
Bass Cabinet
SM27
PG27
Saxophone
SM57
PG57
Monitors
PSM® 700
PSM 200
* wireless system
22
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Page 23
Doves come to some cities and they never really get to see too much, they’re only here for the show, for the
fans and for the money… well, maybe not the money. At a recent stop to Chicago, the Williams brothers,
Andy and Jez, tell us it costs a bit of money to tour the states! Well, we’re glad they still make the trip, a
Doves show is unlike any other. The band has continued to push themselves musically and the effort shows
on their latest release Kingdom Of Rust, an album they produced collectively in a makeshift studio, complete
with living quarters, on a farm in Cheshire, England.
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Did anyone in particular get bitten by the producer bug while
working on Kingdom of Rust?
JEZ WILLIAMS: We’re our own producers,
really. [With] this particular album we took
control more of the production, more than
previous albums. It was a bit like our first
album [Lost Souls] when we produced most
of the stuff ourselves.
ANDY WILLIAMS: All of them have been produced by us in the end, really.
JEZ: Particularly this one and Lost Souls were
more... When you build your own studio you
can have more control anyway because it’s
your environment, your studio, not someone else’s. We had help, a guy called Dan
Austin—he’s brilliant, on our wavelength.
But it was a self-produced album, as opposed to the previous album [Some Cities],
which was Ben Hillier. It felt right at that
time to do that.
OTWS: As artists just starting out, you typically work on your own productions. As
success comes along, you begin to work
with producers and see where things end
up. Do you feel there’s a progression there
and that eventually you want to return to
your own productions?
ANDY: That’s our priority, progressing musically and pushing ourselves musically. For
each album that’s what we try and do. Personally, I wouldn’t rule [out] working with
a producer. I mean, you always have to think
it’s going to work [as your own producer].
It’s not something that I’d rule out, but I
think just by the nature of us listening to a
lot of music and being big fans of music, that
we do progress record to record. [We] don’t
really ever want to stand still. It’s about being excited about what you’re writing.
OTWS: If we switch over to the touring side
Page 24
ON TOUR WITH SHURE:
24
www.shure.com
“THAT’S
OUR PRIORITY, PROGRESSING MUSICALLY
AND PUSHING
OURSELVES MUSICALLY.
FOR EACH ALBUM
THAT’S WHAT WE TRY
AND DO.”
—ANDY WILLIAMS
of things... What have you learned that
makes you way more efficient while out on
tour now versus just starting out more than
10 years ago?
JEZ: Learning to deal with not [having] much
privacy; learning to get some sort of routine going when you’re on tour. I think having some kind of routine is a good thing.
ANDY: Pacing yourself and not going absolutely mad.… When you’re younger, your
first week you go, “Wow, I’m on tour. [woohoo] I’m gonna do everything.”
JEZ: You get ill.
ANDY: You just end up getting ill and not
enjoying the tour. We still have our moments, but we generally try and take it a bit
more easy. We’re knocking on now, so…
[Laughs.]
JEZ: Yeah, and the live show is… we keep
putting more and more in to the live show.
Now we’ve got four albums worth of material. It’s really a luxury to pick and choose
the songs; it’s really, really good. Just getting
to a fourth album these days is something
of an accomplishment. [Laughs.]
ANDY: We also feel very lucky we’re able to
go out and tour. It’s getting harder and harder for a lot of bands to properly tour because everything’s shrinking, isn’t it?
OTWS: There are a lot more bands nowadays, too...
ANDY: Seems that way.
JEZ: Seems to be. I mean, in a way, the internet has provided that sort of self-publicizing angle, that...
ANDY: Platform, yeah.
JEZ: You don’t need record companies. There
is a lot more choice. Some people argue
that there’s too much choice, but with all
the crap, there are always great bands there
if you look for it.
OTWS: Do you find that as you tour city to
city you’re able to enjoy the city you’re in
for each stop?
JEZ: You very rarely get a chance, but today
in Chicago, we went to the Sears Tower and
had a bit of a giggle. That was good. Occasionally when you get time off, it’s great.
You get to see a little bit of it. But more
often, you spend quite a bit of your life indoors. It’s either in a tour bus or in a venue.
It’s something that you forget, but when
you go back on tour you remember. It’s one
of those, “Oh yeah, I remember this.” It’s a
sort of claustrophobic, kind of indoor feeling. That’s why it’s so good when you get a
day off just to get out; just to see a bit of
the world. All this is for that hour-and-ahalf on stage. That’s what it’s all for; all this
touring, all this traveling and all this sleep
deprivation. It’s for that hour-and-a-half
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on stage because that’s the very reason
you’re there.
OTWS: I don’t know how ticket prices are
in England, but they’re tending to go up
around here.
JEZ: They’re more, yeah, because there’s less
tour support. That’s one reason, because
there’s no money in music anymore. A record
company can’t pay £20,000 for an up-andcoming band to go and tour. Because of
that, ticket prices have to come up because
the money has to come from somewhere.
ANDY: It’s very expensive to tour as well. I
mean, for instance, for a tour like this we
personally won’t make any money off of it
because we have a big team around us and
we have quite a set up. So we’re certainly
not getting rich touring the States.
JEZ: We’re getting poorer. [Laughs.]
ANDY: We’re getting poorer, if anything. I
think you get to a level, obviously, of certain
bands doing stadiums, and they’re doing
well... you can make money on that kind of
scale. But mid-scale and the lower-scale,
most bands, they’re not making anything.
JEZ: Losing an awful amount of money.
OTWS: Where do you make your living?
ANDY: Songwriting.
JEZ: Songwriting. We’re all songwriters, so
my advice to anyone is to try and get into
songwriting as well as being a musician.
Songwriting is most rewarding as well, personally. It’s incredibly rewarding, creatively.
OTWS: You guys have had quite a bit of
licensed material. TV shows...
JEZ: Yeah, we’ve never had an advert. I have
to stress that. People always think [that].
Yeah, we get licensing for TV, like football
and stuff like that, but we’ve never actually
approved an advert.
ANDY: Yet!
Page 25
“…IT’S GREAT
BECAUSE YOU GET
ON STAGE AND YOU
KNOW IT’S GOING TO
BE RELATIVELY THE
SAME AS THE NIGHT
BEFORE, WHICH IS
A GREAT THING.”
—JEZ WILLIAMS
JEZ: Yet! [In a singsong] If the money’s
right... gotta pay the rent!
OTWS: When you guys changed from floor
wedges to in-ear personal monitors, was it
a drastic change for you?
ANDY: To get used to, yeah. It took a while
to get used to. The great thing about inears is it’s consistent, hopefully, night after
night. You get your mix. Now that we’re
using digital monitor desks, you can hopefully rely on.… Using monitors you can get
DOVES
wildly different mixes every night. It can
be hard to work with, but you know you
can rely on your in-ears—that hopefully it
will be similar sound every night.
JEZ: Yeah, the beauty is, you don’t have to
do sound checks, which frees up four hours
of your day. [Laughs.]
OTWS: You can go explore Chicago…
JEZ: Yeah, explore Chicago, if you want. If
you don’t have to rehearse any songs it’s
great because you get on stage and you know
it’s going to be relatively the same as the
night before, which is a great thing.
ANDY: I still use a side-fill in my set-up
because I do still like a bit of ambient sound
around me, but I do really rely on [in-ears]
because I listen to click tracks. It’s definitely a good move. We started on the last
tour, it was suggested to us that we use
them. Once we got used to ’em, it was the
way to go.
OTWS: It’s an interesting thing to be cut off
from the crowd.
JEZ: I was gonna say, that was the first thing
that really freaked my head out, is when
you’re taken off monitors and in to in-ears.
Suddenly there’s almost this kind of wall
there, but you soon get used to that. You
feed these ambient mics that [are] set-up
at the front of the stage, facing the
audience, in to your mix and it’s quite easy
to get that back.
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
Beta 58®A
PG58
Backing Vocals
Beta 58®A
PG58
Kick
Beta 91 & Beta 52®A
PG52
Toms
Beta 98D/S
PG56
Hi-Hat
KSM137
PG81
Overheads
KSM32
PG27
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t feels good to say the word “elbow,”
according to the BBC’s Singing Detective, and these days, it feels good to be
the band Elbow. As a band for more than 18
years now, the quintet has garnered only
minor commercial success… until now. No
longer a supporting act, these days the guys
are headlining their own shows and gaining
some esteemed fans along the way, such as
U2, Radiohead, Coldplay and R.E.M. We
caught up with keyboardist Craig Potter in
Chicago to get his take on what keeps
Elbow progressing.
ON TOUR WITH SHURE: In the time that you’ve
been a band you’ve run the whole gamut
when it comes to playing different venues.
Is there a type of venue that you guys
appreciate more, now that you’ve got the
experience with all of them.
CRAIG POTTER: Well, if you were to ask me
that maybe six months ago I probably
would have said the large theaters, which I
think everybody likes. That three to four
thousand capacity, big theaters are always
great to play because it’s not too big, it’s not
too little and it’s a great atmosphere. We’ve
only done our own arena gigs recently. The
whole idea was to actually make these
venues as small as possible; as intimate as
possible. We played Wembley Arena and I
think we pulled it off. We were actually
really surprised that we enjoyed it just as
much as the theaters that we do. We’re not
that experienced. We’ve done plenty of
support in stadiums and things like that,
but it’s not really the same thing. So headlining gigs, it’s more... The last arena gig we
did was great, so we’ll see how it goes. I
suppose a few theaters in a row, you’re
guaranteed to get a good atmosphere. But
we did alright the last arena one.
OTWS: Did you ever feel like there was a
distance between you and the crowd that
was kind of hard to overcome, maybe,
when you got to the larger arenas or the
larger venues?
POTTER: That’s what we thought was going
to happen, but it just didn’t. It seemed to
be just as intimate as all the rest of them.
Guy [Garvey, lead vocals] is really good at
talking to the crowd and we managed to do
that even in the big places. I think we
pulled it off pretty well.
OTWS: You are versatile in both the production realm and live as well. When did
you get bitten by the production bug?
POTTER: Well it was right from when we
i
Page 27
first did demos. The first recordings we
ever did were on a four-track tape and then
we went on to a MiniDisc eight-track
recorder. When we did the first album with
a guy named Ben Hillier, I think that was
what really got me. I was always the guy in
the band that was over his shoulder
wondering what was going on. We got our
own Pro Tools rig and we ended up doing
our own b-sides. We had a little bit of
experience, and having worked with a
producer and in studios... you get a gist of
what to do. Everyone was pretty involved
with it. It’s not just me. It’s just that I took
on the producer role on the last album. So,
yeah... it’s right from the first album, we
started doing our own b-sides and that was
it, really. I was always really interested in
what was going on and started reading up
online about it.
OTWS: Do you have something equivalent
to those four tracks that you guys tour with
now?
POTTER: I’ve just heard there’s a four-track
application on the iPhone that’s come out,
isn’t there?
OTWS: Yeah.
POTTER: [I] quite like the look of that. I’ll
probably check that out, but we’ve got a
little [Pro Tools] LE rig with a laptop that
we take with us. I think it’s really important to keep writing. We made a little bit of a
mistake after our first album. We were sort
of “basking in our glory” for a while and
actually stopped writing, which is a real big
mistake. So we make sure that we’re always
doing a little bit of writing wherever we are.
OTWS: Is there a better place than not for
doing that writing? Do you find more inspiration on the road or does it just kind of
depend on where you are?
POTTER: It depends, and it depends on what
everyone’s frame of mind is. Sometimes
everyone can be really inspired on the road.
It’s difficult to grab rooms that you can get
a bit of peace and quiet and you don’t have
people wandering in all the time. But if you
get a nice room with a big window then
anywhere can be as good as anywhere.
OTWS: As you’ve been doing the production
throughout the career of the band, have you
noticed that you tend to approach music differently now that we’re in an age of singles
rather than entire albums?
POTTER: I know that a lot of bands do and I
can hear it from the stuff that comes out.
But I don’t think we actively try not to. We
make sure that the album is the most important thing and it always has been. We
work in Pro Tools and our mix, everything
is completely in the box. When it comes to
putting the album together, even half-way
through writing the songs, we actually put
in the sessions, we start to decide how the
album’s going to go; where the songs are
going to go. We put the songs in the session
before and after. We don’t just work on individual tracks. We make sure we have a
little step back and have a listen to the song
that comes before it and see where it might
take; try and maybe drag some sounds or
just vibes across from the song before. On
Seldom Seen Kid there was one track that I
think was quite heavily influenced by what
the background vocals were doing on the
track before it. We like to sort of keep the
flow like that. [It’s] great because we can
shove it in the sessions right next to it and
sometimes have a listen to it in a row, and it
works really well like that.
OTWS: So the flow of the album is crucial to
you guys in terms of how you want to produce your product?
POTTER: Absolutely, yeah.
OTWS: In the final product there’s obviously
mastering and you guys support...
POTTER: Turn Me Up!™. Yeah, it’s [men-
On Tour with Shure
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tioned] on the album. There’s a website
called Turn Me Up! that I think a lot of
people should check out. There’s quite a
lot of musicians aware of it but there’s a
thing called “the loudness wars,” which is
happening and it’s a very tough to try and
get people’s heads ’round what it is in the
first place. A lot of people don’t know what
a compressor is or a limiter and also why
there is a problem. The problem is that,
basically, a lot of bands and labels don’t
want their albums to be quieter than the
next band’s. So when you put it on, espec-
ially now, like you said before, it’s all about
individual songs—if your song comes on
next to another person’s song, the bands
don’t want—and it is down to the artist,
really—their song to be quieter than the
next. It’s all about confidence and as a
result of that, they end up squashing it and
trying to get as much volume out of it [as
they can] in the mastering stage. That not
only kills all dynamics in the music but it
also adds various distortion. There are examples of... was it the new Bruce Springsteen
album? It just sounds horrible because it’s
just been squashed, and the Metallica one
got a lot of bad press, you know...
OTWS: That was like a poster child for overcompressed.
ELBOW
28
Page 28
POTTER: Which is great, it’s great that they
did it because then it got a lot more people
talking about it. But if you listen to albums
that haven’t been remastered, which is
another worrying thing that happens, too...
you know albums from the ’90s or whenever, they just have much more dynamic
range and sound a lot better for it. So
hopefully people can check it out. Check
out www.turnmeup.org. Have a read-up
about it. It’s important. It gives the choice
back to artists, if they can put something on
their album which says... It’s like a seal of
quality, really—this is a certified Turn Me
Up! album. Then maybe other bands will
see that and say, “Oh, I want my album to
be like that as well.”
OTWS: So it’s badged?
POTTER: There’s a badge, yeah. We didn’t
have the badge on ours. We just had a little
“this is certified…” They’re working on it at
the moment. It’s not official. I think they’re
still working out what the parameters
should be. It’s sort of a little bit up in the
air, the whole debate is. Just to get people
talking about it is a good thing.
OTWS: Do you think
people would pay attention to making an album
more dynamic?
POTTER: Yeah, hopefully.
People have different opinions about this. Some
people think it’s really just
come from radio meetings
where record companies
put their songs forward to
try and get on the playlist.
And if one song’s quieter
than the other in the first
ten seconds it doesn’t get
noticed. There is that side of it.
But I think it’s really down to the
artist. If they put their foot down then most
labels wouldn’t insist on getting their
albums mastered squashed and sounding
horrible like a lot of these albums do.
OTWS: Now on the subject of volume. You
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
KSM9
SM86
Backing Vocals
Beta 58®A
PG58
Overheads
KSM32
PG27
Guitar Cabinet
KSM32
PG27
Monitors
PSM® 700 & PSM 600
PSM 200
www.shure.com
guys use in-ear personal monitors. Has it
helped you guys on stage versus wedges on
the ground?
POTTER: Four out of five us us use in-ears
now. It’s helped me amazingly with vocals.
Actually, now that I’m heavily involved with
production and I’ve been working with
other bands, it becomes something that I
want to do more frequently. You have to be
careful about how much volume you subject your ears to. You can have just average
listening levels and you can hear everything
perfectly clear. A lot of guys just can’t do the
in-ears because they think they’re not used
to the atmosphere changes; they can’t hear
the crowd and all that. When we have them
set up, we have crowd mics that we can mix
in with it and I think it works perfectly
well. I’m glad that I’m not getting blasted
by monitors. You end up turning them up
and then everyone else turns theirs up and
it ends up getting like... a mess.
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Page 30
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton didn’t think any of
the suits would like their music when they
started on their musical journey as Thievery
Corporation, so they started their own label to
ensure distribution of their creative efforts. With
a label in place, a few 12” singles hit the streets
and the duo garnered themselves a little
attention. The rest is history, although these
days, Garza and Hilton are still amazed at the
idea that some of their more recognizable peers
are adamant fans of their work.
30
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You guys are pretty
well-known for your business acumen in
addition to your musicianship, so we’re going to start of with the label side of things.
You guys started off creating your own label,
making your own music and that has perpetuated throughout your entire career.
What made you decide from square one that
you wanted to go with your own label.
ROB GARZA: We didn’t think that anybody
would want to put out our music so we had
to kind of [laughs] do it ourselves because at
the time we were starting, the genre [ambient
dub] didn’t really exist in the way it does
today. It’s kind of like we couldn’t really be
dependent on, “maybe somebody will like
us and pick it up.” We just decided, “Why
not just do it ourselves?” We were inspired
by a lot of bands in Washington D.C. that
came out on the Dischord label. I know
Eric’s been really influenced by that whole
scene. He started 18th Street Lounge with
some partners. I was doing some business
things with a friend of mine, helping him
start a label, so we knew how to actually
manufacture things and find distribution.
So we’re like, “Let’s just do it ourselves.”
OTWS: And the growing pains, was that all
kind of resolved beforehand or was it a new
experiment that you guys were getting in to?
ERIC HILTON: Well, there were always growing pains. I mean, you have to get paid by
your distributors and I think we got stiffed
from one of our early distributors from
Florida, which was like $2,000 or something at the time, and that was a monumental amount of money. And then later
down the road, as we got bigger, around the
time of Richest Man In Babylon, a distributor in Europe went...
GARZA: It was about 400,000 Euros?
HILTON: Yeah. Went out of [business].
[Laughs.] So that’s a tough one to write off
but we do it for the love and not the money
and we find that the money will somehow
find us if we just do what we enjoy. So we
could absorb that loss, but it’s not always a
bowl of cherries.
OTWS: Do you guys find a particular place—
live or in the studio—to be better than the
other?
GARZA: Well, being in the studio is where
we started and it’s what we’re about: creating
music. The studio is where it all started for
us. Just being in there, you know... we had
basic equipment when we started off and our
passion has always been about creating
ON TOUR WITH SHURE:
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music. I think it came as a surprise through
the years that people really wanted to see the
music and have an experience with it. So it’s
something that we’ve grown to love more
and more; being out there and having contact with our audience. But I think our main
love is actually creating music.
OTWS: Now when it comes to guest singers,
which you have plenty of on all your recordings, is that something where you go out
and pursue particular individuals, or do they
come to you? Is it a mixture of both?
HILTON: Usually it’s a matter of us pursuing
them, when it comes to the bigger artists
like Flaming Lips or David Byrne. We had
“It’s very
important for
clear sound
because we’re
producers and
that’s where we
start from—
in terms of
creating a sonic
experience.”
–Rob Garza
done a remix for David Byrne so we had a
little bit of a connection there, but we asked
him to collaborate. And on this past album
[Radio Retaliation] we did a little short list
of people that we really wanted to work with
and Femi Kuti, Seu Jorge, they were definitely on that list, and...
GARZA: Chuck Brown, we’ve always wanted
to work with.
HILTON: Chuck Brown, yeah. We thought
THIEVERY CORPORATION
that one was like a long shot even though
he’s from D.C., and that worked out. And
strangely, Anoushka Shankar, we did a remix
for her. She’s Ravi Shankar’s daughter and she
was very happy to come in and work with us.
GARZA: And it’s surprising because a lot of
these people you want to work with, they
know our music and they’re fans, so it’s like a
very good energy in terms of creating music.
HILTON: It’s like the ultimate compliment
when they actually know your music and
you can’t believe it.
OTWS: Do you find yourselves writing for
these particular artists or do you find that
they would fit in to a particular song?
GARZA: With the Flaming Lips, we actually
did some shows with them before and we
were always kind of winding up on the same
circuit. So we had this track and we’d send it
to them and they would have their own lyrical
ideas. Same thing with David Byrne. Other
artists like Seu Jorge or Femi Kuti, they came
to the studio in Washington and it would be
more of a collaborative [process]. What do we
think of different ideas? Femi Kuti was one
experience where the lyrics were pretty much
already written. Eric started these lyrics.
Seu Jorge, he wrote about living in a Hare
Krishna [community] when he was homeless, so he [brought] ideas. So every experience is very different from the other one.
OTWS: Do you feel that having your guest
vocalists on wireless helps your performance on stage?
GARZA: Well it’s great. We hooked up with
Shure and part of our music is about being
electronic and being a studio-based band,
but there’s also that live element that I think
is very unique to electronic music. So we’re
bringing all of these live artists in and the
in-ear personal monitors help and the
microphones. … I mean, it’s very important for clear sound because we’re producers and that’s where we start from—in
terms of creating a sonic experience. It has
to be good on stage.
Theirs
On A Budget
Lead Vocals
UR2/SM58*
PGX24/PG58*
Backing Vocals
UR2/SM58*
PGX24/PG58*
Overheads
SM81
PG81
Guitar Cabinet
SM57
PG57
Congas
Beta 98D/S
PG56
Percussion
Beta 98D/S
PG56
Horns
SM57
PG57
* wireless system
On Tour with Shure
31
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