Post Show Banter >>>>

emmanuel wrote:

Mogwai was fun, earplugs were mandatory 

Best sound I've seen for a Mogwai show (and first time at 9:30). It was great! although not very different to the last five tours!

I went to a Mogwai show without earplugs exactly 1 time and learned a lesson. Sound was very good last night. Of the 7 or so times I've seen them, this was the only time they didn't play Fear Satan. Bat Cat made up for it though.

Hexenjagd wrote:
I am not a QOTSA fan but my two cents:
No. The author isnt taking into account (in regards to tone/sound): Amp model, Pedals, mic placement, settings on the sound board (maybe his channel had EQ settings different than the other guitarists) and a myriad of other factors.  I am sure Josh knows what sound he wants (or his techs do) and he uses the guitar(s) best suited for it.  I would never say that the only three guitars with good tones are strats, Les Pauls, and SGs.  No way.  That leaves out like 98% of the guitars out there.  WHat about Jaguars?  Jazzmasters? rickenbackers?  PRS? 

I am looking through a list of his equipment (http://equipboard.com/pros/josh-homme)… Not bad. 

Also LOL at the author mentioning that you can get a different sound mix based on where in the club you are.  Of course.  That is literally every venue on Earth.  It is going to be optimally mixed for the spot the sound guy is at.  Any other spot might have variances because of speaker location, reverberation, etc.

Lastly, this author is pretty bad.  I barely made it through the whole review.  Here is my favorite awkward sentence:

The rhythm section of Jon Theodore on drums and Michael Shuman on bass is particularly impressive as they pound away at the foundation that allows the whole thing to work.

Yeah, I feel like he got the new album, and owns SFTD and his boss asked him to go review this concert. He applauds Homme's sound then says that it's a detriment to live the live experience. Whatever.

Can they just have a monthly residency at 930. How do we get that petition going.

matts wrote:

emmanuel wrote:

Mogwai was fun, earplugs were mandatory 

Best sound I've seen for a Mogwai show (and first time at 9:30). It was great! although not very different to the last five tours!

I went to a Mogwai show without earplugs exactly 1 time and learned a lesson. Sound was very good last night. Of the 7 or so times I've seen them, this was the only time they didn't play Fear Satan. Bat Cat made up for it though.

The Beastie Boys at the Aragon in 1992 taught me that earplugs are necessary. My ears rang for FOUR days. I didn't want to go through that again.

That happened to me after one of the Les Savy Fav/Enon shows at the Black Cat. 

I'm so glad I wore them to Mogwai back in the early 00's.  Still the loudest show I've ever attended!  I probably should have doubled up for that show (earplugs and earmuffs!)

I probably should wear them since I work in environmental safety :)

personally i think a band should never play so loud they hurt the people paying for them to play…

people should not need to wear ear plugs in order not to lose their hearing..

that ringing you hear for days is damage to your ears…tinnitus results and its a bitch..

hutch wrote:
personally i think a band should never play so loud they hurt the people paying for them to play…

people should not need to wear ear plugs in order not to lose their hearing..

that ringing you hear for days is damage to your ears…tinnitus results and its a bitch..

Although I agree on some levels, I also understand that some artists feel their music needs a certain dB level to achieve what they're trying to do. When I saw Sugar in 1993 and they played the "Beaster" EP, the volume definitely contributed to how powerful the whole experience was. Same thing with My Bloody Valentine. I cannot imagine a "quieter" Dinosaur Jr. show because J. Mascis' guitar sounds so good cranked. Otherwise it'd just be like "Battle of the Gentle Bands", and he'd be "Featherwash". 

You call them artists, I call them assholes.

I'm with Hutch.

bearman wrote:

hutch wrote:
personally i think a band should never play so loud they hurt the people paying for them to play…

people should not need to wear ear plugs in order not to lose their hearing..

that ringing you hear for days is damage to your ears…tinnitus results and its a bitch..

Although I agree on some levels, I also understand that some artists feel their music needs a certain dB level to achieve what they're trying to do. When I saw Sugar in 1993 and they played the "Beaster" EP, the volume definitely contributed to how powerful the whole experience was. Same thing with My Bloody Valentine. I cannot imagine a "quieter" Dinosaur Jr. show because J. Mascis' guitar sounds so good cranked. Otherwise it'd just be like "Battle of the Gentle Bands", and he'd be "Featherwash". 

hutch wrote:
personally i think a band should never play so loud they hurt the people paying for them to play…

people should not need to wear ear plugs in order not to lose their hearing..

that ringing you hear for days is damage to your ears…tinnitus results and its a bitch..

People should be wearing earplugs at all shows.  A typical rock concert is around 102-115dB.  the OSHA permissible exposure limit is 90dB over an 8 hour work period (what you can be exposed to without wearing any hearing protection). You can be exposed to 115dB for no more than 15 minutes before you should wear earplugs.  So, that is why you should wear earplugs at shows.

I can't understand anyone not choosing to wear earplugs. I guess not everyone will lose hearing capabilities at the same rate, but this is not something I really want to test.

Even more, I can't understand why bands like Mogwai, or the venue/promoter, are not offering free earplugs at the door. Some bands did that lately, although I can't remember who. This is not an issue for most regulars here, but I didn't wear earplugs for my first two years or so of shows, assuming that "adult" promoters would not allow unacceptable levels, but now we know that no one really cares about that.

Philly got Fear Satan AND Cody last night.

Not the best Mogwai set (I wasn't into 4 or 5 songs, esp. Mexican Grand Prix)

matts wrote:

Best sound I've seen for a Mogwai show (and first time at 9:30). It was great! although not very different to the last five tours!

I went to a Mogwai show without earplugs exactly 1 time and learned a lesson. Sound was very good last night. Of the 7 or so times I've seen them, this was the only time they didn't play Fear Satan. Bat Cat made up for it though.

.

emmanuel wrote:
I can't understand anyone not choosing to wear earplugs. I guess not everyone will lose hearing capabilities at the same rate, but this is not something I really want to test.

Even more, I can't understand why bands like Mogwai, or the venue/promoter, are not offering free earplugs at the door. Some bands did that lately, although I can't remember who. This is not an issue for most regulars here, but I didn't wear earplugs for my first two years or so of shows, assuming that "adult" promoters would not allow unacceptable levels, but now we know that no one really cares about that.

Agreed.  Especially because earplugs are cheap.  I didn't wear them when I was younger.  But, I'm also deaf in my right ear, so nothing "seemed" loud to me then.

Something to also think about when you're listening to music in the car.  Cars with loud music can be just as loud.

Safety lesson over for the day :)

Got wrote:
i'm still bitter about that black cat show they cancelled due to visa issues.  saw them the previous time they came through though.

and yeah i thought the s/t kj album with grohl on drums was great

I was super bummed they missed getting their visas in time for that show!  I did happen to catch them this last tour last April in Philly when they had CZAR on tour with them and between the two bands my face was melted and my ears were filled with delight.

Grohl on the KJ was an awesome and one of my favorites, but I don't think it improved Killing Joke.  It wasn't like when I saw QOTSA in front of 120 or so people at the 930 Club opening for VAST. The next time they came through "Music For the Deaf" was released and Dave was on tour playing drums since he did the album. Totally different story. He made that band shine and the show was beyond sold out!

Hexenjagd wrote:
I am not a QOTSA fan but my two cents:
No. The author isnt taking into account (in regards to tone/sound): Amp model, Pedals, mic placement, settings on the sound board (maybe his channel had EQ settings different than the other guitarists) and a myriad of other factors.  I am sure Josh knows what sound he wants (or his techs do) and he uses the guitar(s) best suited for it.  I would never say that the only three guitars with good tones are strats, Les Pauls, and SGs.  No way.  That leaves out like 98% of the guitars out there.  WHat about Jaguars?  Jazzmasters? rickenbackers?  PRS? 

I am looking through a list of his equipment (http://equipboard.com/pros/josh-homme)… Not bad. 

Also LOL at the author mentioning that you can get a different sound mix based on where in the club you are.  Of course.  That is literally every venue on Earth.  It is going to be optimally mixed for the spot the sound guy is at.  Any other spot might have variances because of speaker location, reverberation, etc.

Lastly, this author is pretty bad.  I barely made it through the whole review.  Here is my favorite awkward sentence:

The rhythm section of Jon Theodore on drums and Michael Shuman on bass is particularly impressive as they pound away at the foundation that allows the whole thing to work.

The first time I went and saw QOTSA was because a discussion a friend and I had about their gear/amp setups and it was something I wanted to check out.

The music sounds like SHIT if you have earplugs in. So much of the sound quality is drowned out.

Why can't the bands just play at lower volumes?

James wrote:
The music sounds like SHIT if you have earplugs in. So much of the sound quality is drowned out.

Why can't the bands just play at lower volumes?

I partially agree, but I do not think it will ever become true in practice. Certainly a few of these bands want to be famous for their "full body experience". And even for instance if Mogwai played half as loud, I would still use earplugs. There are very few rock shows where I don't use earplugs.

That's one of the reason I record shows, it is sometimes much better on the recording, at a decent level, and without earplugs of course.

emmanuel wrote:
Even more, I can't understand why bands like Mogwai, or the venue/promoter, are not offering free earplugs at the door. Some bands did that lately, although I can't remember who.

MBV does. If you're playing loud enough to need earplugs, you better make sure you're compensating for it. The 'Holocaust section' of 'You Made Me Realise' is worth the earplugs.
Mogwai, MBV, and Motörhead are about the only bands I have no problems wearing earplugs.

James wrote:
The music sounds like SHIT if you have earplugs in. So much of the sound quality is drowned out.

Why can't the bands just play at lower volumes?

They have earplugs that dont "drown out the sound quality."  But you have to pay good money for them.  I have a pair of Westone earplugs.  The earplugs were custom fitted to my ears.  And they have a filter (-25 db).  What it does is lower the volume, without compromising the sound.  I had to go to an audiologist to get mine made.  They ran me about $150 for the earplugs and filters.  Replacement filters run $35 per filter.  I recommend them to anyone who goes to a lot of shows, wants to retain their hearing, and wants to hear all of the performance with no blocking. 

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399650659&sr=8-1&keywords=etymotic+ear+plugs

For a more affordable but great ear plug, I recommend these. You can adjust how much sound you want to drown out…I find them to be really durable and excellent. If you find most ear plugs make the music sound bad, give these a try.

sweetcell recommended a good pair a few weeks ago to me that I purchased… I think they were roughly $15 a did a helluva job compared to my old **block out snoring sounds** ear plugs.