Best Advice For Summer Gigging The bus (or van, or station wagon) is packed, the porta-potties await, and hopefully the masses are ready to rock. ’Tis the season for concerts, so we enlisted the help of Middle Class Rut guitarist Zack Lopez to help us
offer tips for basking in the heat of the moment.
STAFF PICKS
Rebecca dirks
Web Content Editor
What are you listening
to? The Black Keys, El
Camino. After watching
the band tear it up live
following a Rig Rundown shoot, I couldn’t
resist employing the boisterous, fun rock
tracks as my springtime “Yay, it’s getting
warm!” soundtrack.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Put asses in seats—use those
dreaded social networks to get fans to your
shows and make some money. But don’t
forget to have fun!
Tessa Jeffers
Managing Editor
What are you listening
to? I thought I knew
M. Ward’s sound, but
the peek-a-boo, eclectic electric layers (subtle rockabilly!?) in A
Wasteland Companion came out of nowhere
and climbed on top of my current playlist.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? If you get stuck playing a stuffy
afternoon slot, pretend the sun’s about
ready to eclipse and it’s your job to light
the place up. Or, pretend they’re all naked.
Also, what Zack Lopez said.
Andy Ellis
Senior Editor
What are you listening
to? Dustin Wong,
Dreams Say, View,
Create, Shadow Leads.
Imagine the richly layered phase-pattern
lines and rhythms of Philip Glass and Steve
Reich translated to 6-string, toss in a little
Discipline-era King Crimson, and you’ve got
the kaleidoscopic, loop-driven sound of this
inventive guitarist. Stunning.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Stay hydrated, wear a brimmed
hat if the stage is outdoors, and dig all
those tank tops.
chris kies
Associate Editor
What are you listening
to? I’ve been jamming
to dynamic live performances lately: David
Bowie’s Live in Santa Monica ’ 72, Cash’s
At Folsom Prison, Misfits’ Evilive, Pantera’s
Official Live: 101 Proof, The Black Crowes’
Warpaint Live, Chris Cornell’s Songbook,
and Queens of the Stone Age’s Rated R.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Always say yes to any gigs and
never take the purple acid, man.
Shawn hammond
Editor in Chief
What are you listening
to? Adestria, Chapters.
Adventurous metalcore
with brutal breakdowns,
aggro/melodic vocals, and intriguingly intricate mellow sections.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Make sure your tuner is visible in
direct sunlight, otherwise doom will follow.
Oh, and bring a powerful fan, but make
sure you plug it into a different circuit than
your pedalboard and amp.
Rich osweiler
Associate Editor
What are you listening
to? I’ve been spinning
Cowboy Junkies’ The
Wilderness, the latest and
last installment to their four-record Nomad
Series. The band’s melancholy alt-country
is a pretty perfect backdrop to this week’s
nonstop Bay Area rain.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Friends don’t make friends ride
in the trunk! When it’s hot out there
and you’re driving some distance, keep
your instruments up front when possible or you’re asking for trouble.
Zack lopez,
Middle class Rut
Guest Picker
What are you listening
to? Street Legal by
Bob Dylan.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Know yourself and what you’re
getting into. Four bottles of water for
every bottle of booze. One pack of
condoms for every bottle you finish. $50k
in the bank for every condom that breaks.
Nine months of anxiety. Next summer
you will not be touring.
What are you listening
to? Gunn-Truscinski
Duo, Sand City.
Acoustic improviser
Steve Gunn and drummer John Truscinski
are simultaneously heavy, airy, and medi-tative on this gorgeous LP of beautifully
executed and organically meandering tunes
and improvisations.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Beer and lemonade. Bring a good
Gabor Szabo mix tape.
Jason Shadrick Associate Editor
What are you listening
to? Organic
Instrumentals, Michael
Landau. Known as a
sideman to the stars, Landau steps out on
his own with this album made especially for
guitar nerds. His fluid chops and pristine
tone will likely catch the attention of more
than those who hang at the Baked Potato.
What is your best advice for summer
gigging? Bring a backup. Between the heat,
rain, and the drunken dude who insists on
sitting in, something always breaks down.
