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Monday, October 29, 2012
Why would you play this place?
Well... I rarely do this, but as an addendum to my original write-up of Fuel, it's probably worth noting that I've undersold how poorly this place treats, represents, and reproduces the sound of bands.
The stand-out problem is still the bad, bad sound... but my initial complaint was something I assumed was the sound guy's preference: running everything through the mains. Now it's obvious the people running sound at Fuel are just incompetent. A goth/industrial show went spectacularly wrong, as the programmed drums/sequenced synths weren't put through the sound system... so the audience basically had a night where one of the main elements of the music was completely missing.
The bands fought and argued and contested the inability of the sound guy to make the show audible, but musicians aren't a priority at Fuel, and aren't taken seriously. How much respect do bands get? Well... they weren't allowed to start playing until the football game was over, so the flat screen TVs are much more important than the bands.
Though the show started late-- don't be ridiculous: you simply cannot turn off the TVs when football is on-- all the bands did get to play... because, when half of your music can't be heard by anyone, it's not a big deal when the musicians storm off the stage. It keeps the sets short, and you're not missing anything.
Actually, you'd miss less if you just never went to Fuel. Bands shouldn't play there. People who want to see bands should see them somewhere else. With so many other venues in Seattle, why should shows (bands or audience) ever have to deal with Fuel?
Leave this place to flat screen televisions broadcasting The Big Game.
The stand-out problem is still the bad, bad sound... but my initial complaint was something I assumed was the sound guy's preference: running everything through the mains. Now it's obvious the people running sound at Fuel are just incompetent. A goth/industrial show went spectacularly wrong, as the programmed drums/sequenced synths weren't put through the sound system... so the audience basically had a night where one of the main elements of the music was completely missing.
The bands fought and argued and contested the inability of the sound guy to make the show audible, but musicians aren't a priority at Fuel, and aren't taken seriously. How much respect do bands get? Well... they weren't allowed to start playing until the football game was over, so the flat screen TVs are much more important than the bands.
Though the show started late-- don't be ridiculous: you simply cannot turn off the TVs when football is on-- all the bands did get to play... because, when half of your music can't be heard by anyone, it's not a big deal when the musicians storm off the stage. It keeps the sets short, and you're not missing anything.
Actually, you'd miss less if you just never went to Fuel. Bands shouldn't play there. People who want to see bands should see them somewhere else. With so many other venues in Seattle, why should shows (bands or audience) ever have to deal with Fuel?
Leave this place to flat screen televisions broadcasting The Big Game.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
On Stage 24 - Dare to suck
A continuing series of insights from the stage at the local club level...
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| Don't compare yourself, Mike... it ain't healthy |
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