I am so-o-o-o not a metal music person. Yes, I gave my husband Brandon the Metallica "Some Kind of Monster" DVD for our 1st Valentine's Day together, but that's about as far as I've gone. Enter an irresistibly lovable, powerful, passionate band of soul bro's called "Grinwire" -- www.myspace.com/grinwire. It's been a pleasure getting to know the men and their music, through their project process here at KALEIDOSCOPE.
One day, Aaron Pelky, the energetically-driven lead singer, came in early for a session to warm-up and work on vocals, with our resident vocal coach (that would be me!). The studio is such a different animal than live onstage singing, so attitude adjustments and paradigm shifts are key to session success. Among the nuggets discussed: ditch the fear--the setting is here to serve you, not vice versa; make friends with that microphone--be in command of it; use your performance physicality, be in control of the room space (in other words, the whole area in the live room, not just your little space standing at the mike). Vocally, it was about the 3 B's: Body Language, Breathing, and Big Notes! When session time came, the hunger Aaron displayed for delivering the goods was akin to a lion aiming to pounce, or a slugger poised for a grand slam.
Combine Aaron's ferocious vocal intensity with the sheer power and vitality of his playing partners-in-crime, Nick, Scott, and Stew, and you've got a heavy-metal magic force to be reckoned with, that knocks over even a non-metal person like me! When asked what he'd like to share with others about their studio experience, he said, "relax, go with the flow, enjoy your time!" Good advice for Aaron's very own upcoming wedding day on 06-07-08! Thanks, Grinwire guys, for encouraging me to expand my musical comfort zone, and for giving us the pleasure of your talented company. We believe in you!
Response welcomed!
28 March 2008
18 March 2008
KALEIDOSCOPE the song - Verse 1
Let's do a mini-series that takes a closer look at our business through the lyrics of our company song (words and music by THF):
Verse 1:
Change is never an easy thing
As it carries us into a grand design
Farewell to the mysteries that break our hearts
As the morning dawn awakens the divine
Wow, what does this have to do with wheeling and dealing in our local music/audio world? Aside from being the composer of these words, while I read them now as an entrepreneurial businessperson, I see transition, creativity, personal growth. So many times when people come to us with their music and audio needs, their specific situation is somehow related to a life crossroads, a significant special occasion, some catalytic event or phase that has given birth to new music, etc. As we at KALEIDOSCOPE relate to our customers, we are mindful of these personal details, and followthrough with executing the customer's needs accordingly, making strategic use of our technical and artistic expertise in ways that are sensitive to both the person and the product.
Back when I worked in customer service at The Principal Financial Group when my daughter was a toddler, I was trained with a little motto that still serves me well today in this work: person first, problem second; feelings first, facts second. A purely technical approach might work for a plumber coming to fix your sink. But "fixing a song" is different, whether in the studio or on the stage. Those charged with this task must meet the customer where they're at. On some rare occasions I've seen customers come in, usually for some high-speed emergency need, and pass through with a fairly non-relational process. But way more often than not, it's in conjunction with a milestone, an achievement, some personal angle that is pertinent to the product, that we would be foolish not to be aware of and provide support for. Just another example of the many things we're learning as we seek to improve our services and ourselves.
What are YOU learning these days...?
Verse 1:
Change is never an easy thing
As it carries us into a grand design
Farewell to the mysteries that break our hearts
As the morning dawn awakens the divine
Wow, what does this have to do with wheeling and dealing in our local music/audio world? Aside from being the composer of these words, while I read them now as an entrepreneurial businessperson, I see transition, creativity, personal growth. So many times when people come to us with their music and audio needs, their specific situation is somehow related to a life crossroads, a significant special occasion, some catalytic event or phase that has given birth to new music, etc. As we at KALEIDOSCOPE relate to our customers, we are mindful of these personal details, and followthrough with executing the customer's needs accordingly, making strategic use of our technical and artistic expertise in ways that are sensitive to both the person and the product.
Back when I worked in customer service at The Principal Financial Group when my daughter was a toddler, I was trained with a little motto that still serves me well today in this work: person first, problem second; feelings first, facts second. A purely technical approach might work for a plumber coming to fix your sink. But "fixing a song" is different, whether in the studio or on the stage. Those charged with this task must meet the customer where they're at. On some rare occasions I've seen customers come in, usually for some high-speed emergency need, and pass through with a fairly non-relational process. But way more often than not, it's in conjunction with a milestone, an achievement, some personal angle that is pertinent to the product, that we would be foolish not to be aware of and provide support for. Just another example of the many things we're learning as we seek to improve our services and ourselves.
What are YOU learning these days...?
14 March 2008
The M of our EMT group
At Kaleidoscope, we're fortunate to be on track with an acclaimed small business source called "The E-Myth." This school of thought outlines an "EMT magic combination" for a managerial team, Entrepreneur-Manager-Technician. Joe Koelling's our Technician, I'm the Entrepreneur, and the Manager is none other than the incomparable Ben Williams. Ben is "quite a human resource," as his abilities take shape in an awesome combination of skills all perfectly designed to fit together for building our business, almost as if he were born for it! This past year, after achieving top-level accolades in his insurance career, Ben (and his family--Lori, JB, and Jeremy) took an extraordinary dive off the safe status quo board into the challenging liberation of the faith ocean, in order to pursue the awakening of some long-sleeping dreams, not only for his own sake but to impact countless songs and lives.
Per "The E-Myth ", the Entrepreneur works a little IN and a lot ON the business, the Technician works a little ON and a lot IN the business, and the Manager works both IN and ON the business. Ben shows natural wisdom in both these directions, transforming our daily grind into daily gratitude. Yes, that sounds a little precious, but it's true nonetheless. Connect with Ben at Kaleidoscope, or at his bands' shows (Lady Blue--www.myspace.com/ladyblueband as well as the new jam band he leads called Truth Be Told--www.myspace.com/truthbtoldband, and the acoustic trio Embryo). And don't be surprised when you find yourself believing as we do, in "the gospel of Ben".
Shout-outs welcomed...!
Per "The E-Myth ", the Entrepreneur works a little IN and a lot ON the business, the Technician works a little ON and a lot IN the business, and the Manager works both IN and ON the business. Ben shows natural wisdom in both these directions, transforming our daily grind into daily gratitude. Yes, that sounds a little precious, but it's true nonetheless. Connect with Ben at Kaleidoscope, or at his bands' shows (Lady Blue--www.myspace.com/ladyblueband as well as the new jam band he leads called Truth Be Told--www.myspace.com/truthbtoldband, and the acoustic trio Embryo). And don't be surprised when you find yourself believing as we do, in "the gospel of Ben".
Shout-outs welcomed...!
05 March 2008
The very first post - Technology and Touch-ology
Yin and yang, right-brain and left brain, inspiration plus perspiration, we've all heard the examples touting the need for seemingly opposing forces to work together in an integrated fashion. I'm convinced that this particular need is vital for success in all aspects of the music industry, and especially when it comes to recording. I like to think of it as "technology and touch-ology." Here at KALEIDOSCOPE, I regularly witness the integrated application of these two forces, and I'm thankful for a setting that is teaching us all to master this delicate balance.
After nearly a year in this business endeavor, all the knobs and bells and whistles and levers and wires and speakers still make my head spin every time I walk through the control room. And I empathize with the mystified, quizzical looks of our customers, eager to "get in on" the magic they see and feel in our studio setting, even while being just a teeny bit intimidated by their non-grasp of the technological aspects of the tracking, the mixing, the mastering, etc. . But along the way, we are growing daily in our understanding of the "technology and touch-ology" principle, and it's gratifying to see so many songs (and lives) be influenced by it.
Comments invited and encouraged...
After nearly a year in this business endeavor, all the knobs and bells and whistles and levers and wires and speakers still make my head spin every time I walk through the control room. And I empathize with the mystified, quizzical looks of our customers, eager to "get in on" the magic they see and feel in our studio setting, even while being just a teeny bit intimidated by their non-grasp of the technological aspects of the tracking, the mixing, the mastering, etc. . But along the way, we are growing daily in our understanding of the "technology and touch-ology" principle, and it's gratifying to see so many songs (and lives) be influenced by it.
Comments invited and encouraged...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)