What's your post-gig routine?

3437 Views 30 Replies 19 Participants Last post by lotus_esprit5, Aug 14, 2007

Frank D

Discussion Starter · May 10, 2007

We've talked about before the gig and during the gig, but what about after the gig? Do you have a routine you follow? Here's mine:

Before I pack up, I swab out my horn with a cloth pull-through swab. When I get home, I take the horn out of the case and put it on a stand to air dry, air out, whatever. I also take the reeds out of the reedguard and let them finish drying. I usually put them on some wire shelves that I have, so that the air can circulate around them.

How about you?

1 - 20 of 31 Posts

hakukani

· #2 · May 10, 2007

I leave my horn in the case until my next practice session.

russellxenia

· #3 · May 10, 2007

Frank D said:
I also take the reeds out of the reedguard and let them finish drying. I usually put them on some wire shelves that I have, so that the air can circulate around them.

I had a clarinet professor to that one time at his house a couple days before his recital. His daughter, maybe 5 at the time, thought it would be cute to have a picket fence around her mom's potted plant and used his reeds. He never lived that one down.

LOL

Ed

Carl H.

· #4 · May 10, 2007

I swab thoroughly, wipe the reeds on my hand or shirt sleeve before putting them in whatever I use to hold reeds for that axe. I then leave the cased instruments in a secure area with case open and swabs dangling from a stand or chair back while I pack stands and other stuff. Then I pack the swabs, close the cases and hit the road. If excess doubling is called for in pit work, I am usually the last guy out of the theater. Not to mention the first guy there.

hakukani

· #5 · May 10, 2007

Carl H. said:
I swab thoroughly, wipe the reeds on my hand or shirt sleeve before putting them in whatever I use to hold reeds for that axe. I then leave the cased instruments in a secure area with case open and swabs dangling from a stand or chair back while I pack stands and other stuff. Then I pack the swabs, close the cases and hit the road. If excess doubling is called for in pit work, I am usually the last guy out of the theater. Not to mention the first guy there.

You mean you leave after the sound guy???:shock::shock::shock:

Carl H.

· #6 · May 10, 2007

hakukani said:
You mean you leave after the sound guy???:shock::shock::shock:

Is that like following the elephants in a parade?

hakukani

· #7 · May 10, 2007

Carl H. said:
Is that like following the elephants in a parade?

Similar, but not quite as messy.

I'm just shocked. I was always the last one out of the theatre. They even paid me an extra 1/2 hour. I had to:

Take the condoms off the wireless beltpacks and remove the batteries (24)
Remove the battery packs from the wireless headsets.
Remove the mics from the pit.
Shut down the power amps.
Shut down the console.
Lock and/or check all doors.

By the time that was finished NO ONE was left.

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Mike Cesati

· #8 · May 10, 2007

Nothing special here Frank. I end up going through the refrigerator after the gig for sure

I do try to rinse out everything as soon as I get home. As for reeds I keep them in my homemade Rivitalizer which consists of Ziplock freezer bag and a paper towel with antiseptic mouthwash on it. After I rinse the reed I put in in a reedguard and into the baggie. I never let my reeds completely dry out. That being said I don't like them waterlogged either. I crack the baggie while I practice sometimes.

I change the paper towel ever other day and the baggie ever week. No Mold

Grumpie

· #9 · May 10, 2007

hakukani said:
Similar, but not quite as messy.

I'm just shocked. I was always the last one out of the theatre. They even paid me an extra 1/2 hour. I had to:

Take the condoms off the wireless beltpacks and remove the batteries (24)
Remove the battery packs from the wireless headsets.
Remove the mics from the pit.
Shut down the power amps.
Shut down the console.
Lock and/or check all doors.

By the time that was finished NO ONE was left.

So after that you quit your janitors job and just joined the band

My whole section is always last with the Big Band, but we all play trombone......I know, I know, nobody is waiting for us guys.

Carl H.

· #10 · May 10, 2007

hakukani said:
Similar, but not quite as messy.

I'm just shocked. I was always the last one out of the theatre. They even paid me an extra 1/2 hour. I had to:

Take the condoms off the wireless beltpacks and remove the batteries (24)
Remove the mics from the pit.
Shut down the power amps.
Shut down the console.
Lock and/or check all doors.

By the time that was finished NO ONE was left.

I guess I had it easy. I never pulled mics from the pit.

The routine just seemed to flow and locking up was just part of being the sound guy. At least we didn't have to run light checks and replace burned out gel. With an assistant, sound check was pretty easy in comparison. Swap it out and throw it on the bench if it didn't work beats climbing ladders and hanging upside down anyday!

hakukani

· #11 · May 10, 2007

Carl H. said:
I guess I had it easy. I never pulled mics from the pit.

The routine just seemed to flow and locking up was just part of being the sound guy. At least we didn't have to run light checks and replace burned out gel. With an assistant, sound check was pretty easy in comparison. Swap it out and throw it on the bench if it didn't work beats climbing ladders and hanging upside down anyday!

I didn't pull mics either until the night the theater got broken into. They stole from the pit:

Half the mics (the akg 460s grrrr!)
All the cymbals from the drum kit and kitchen.
The concertmistresses violin.*

*The violin was recovered when the thief tried to take it to a guitar shop and sell it for $200.00. The rest was never recovered.

The electrician replaced the gels/lamps before the show at our theater.
My assistant was an apprentice (not really in the union). They wanted a department head (i.e. me) to lock up.

...and YO GRUMPIE... I'd rather be called a janitor than a DJ

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Carl H.

· #12 · May 10, 2007

I've never left an instrument anyplace where it could walk off without serious labor being involved. I guess I don't consider my drums instruments, but I took my cymbals with me when I left for the night. (Now all the drum stuff is in the rafters of my garage.)

The guy who was my assistant took over for me when I left. After blowing out the Meyers 3 times while ringing out mics (!!!!) (they bought him a RTA then) he departed with several "items" which were still on inventory. As far as I know that is the only "activity" to take place inside that hall.

hakukani

· #13 · May 10, 2007

Carl H. said:
I've never left an instrument anyplace where it could walk off without serious labor being involved. I guess I don't consider my drums instruments, but I took my cymbals with me when I left for the night. (Now all the drum stuff is in the rafters of my garage.)

The guy who was my assistant took over for me when I left. After blowing out the Meyers 3 times while ringing out mics (!!!!) (they bought him a RTA then) he departed with several "items" which were still on inventory. As far as I know that is the only "activity" to take place inside that hall.

Believe me, the concermistress ALWAYS had her case with her after that. Man, Meyers are hard to blow out! He must have been reeel good.

(We had EAWs).
The drummer just bought more cymbals....

Carl H.

· #14 · May 10, 2007

We had a JBL center cluster which saw too much work thanks to him.

He was the same guy who asked the department chair of a local universities music department why he didn't use a synthesizer for brandenburg V!

whaler

· #15 · May 10, 2007

I put my horn away, get my pay (or hear the excuse about when I'll get paid), say goodbye to the guys, round up my girl and head to the watering hole where we meet up with our (well, my) other musician friends getting off their jobs and wind down with our favorite beverages and maybe a bite to eat.

sonnymobleytrane

· #16 · May 10, 2007

Frank D said:
We've talked about before the gig and during the gig, but what about after the gig? Do you have a routine you follow?

How about you?

Well during the gig I have the Roadies scan the crowd for all the fine looking ladies. Then when we are done playing........

Oh wait that wasn't me

hakukani

· #17 · May 10, 2007

sonnymobleytrane said:
Well during the gig I have the Roadies scan the crowd for all the fine looking ladies. Then when we are done playing........

Oh wait that wasn't me

Hey, that's the Glamorous life we were always promised right. I remember that dream....

martysax

· #18 · May 10, 2007

After the gig ends?

Well, in most bars, the last song coincides with last call, so the first order of business is to order my last scotch, single malt from the Highlands or Islands, at least 12 years old, served neat in an old fashioned glass.

Immediately afterwards I pack all my gear quickly and put it all in my car trunk. Then I come back in to drink and wrap cables while watching the late night shoppers. After wrapping, I carry the monitors and big items out to the truck and wait for the money.

I then drive ~100+ MPH home so my wife doesn't think I'm fooling around with another woman. Then I walk my dog, Asta.

Razzy

· #19 · May 11, 2007

Fall in the bed, and fall asleep, hopefully without having any spins... if spins are present, ya know, if it was that type of gig, then I usually eat some ice cream and listen to Coltrane for a half hour or so until I start nodding off. THEN to bed.

hakukani

· #20 · May 11, 2007

Razzy said:
Fall in the bed, and fall asleep, hopefully without having any spins... if spins are present, ya know, if it was that type of gig, then I usually eat some ice cream and listen to Coltrane for a half hour or so until I start nodding off. THEN to bed.

One foot on the floor always helps me.

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