Monday, September 04, 2006
Three Little Gigs
Besides the regular Saturday volleyball, for which we compile about five hours of music each week, we have played three other gigs since coming to Big Island. For the first of the three, we were asked to volunteer our VJing for a benefit for a guy who had fallen out of a tree and broken his back. It seemed like a great way to get us out in the community and show them what we could do, so we didn't mind the idea of working it from 8pm until 4am, for not even so much as a free vegetarian burrito (the proceeds of which were also going to help Jasper, the unfortunate sod.) It wasn't until we found ourselves walking home at 4:30am during one of the largest rainfalls of the year, carrying two suitcases worth of equipment, that we came to realize that it had not been worth it.
The second gig held more promise. First we had been promised pay, second it was being held at the Banana Boys farm, so we wouldn't have to make it home afterward. We were hired just to do VJing again, but when there was no DJ with people starting to arrive, We pulled out the library, and without any sort of prep, we DJed and VJed for the first two hours. Then continued the visualizations for the rest of the DJs for the remaining five hours of the party. Although the gig itself was a disorganized nightmare, and we were paid only $20 plus a couple doses of magic mushrooms, we made a great time for ourselves after the party, so this one doesn't go down as all bad.
Playing the music for Saturday's volleyball, we have to pre-prep the playlist so that it can just run off the car stereo all day. We try to keep it fresh, and non-redundant, with a bit of oldies thrown in for nostalgia. Volleyball kind of requires everything stay up-tempo, but we try to keep away from cliche gay-bar disco. We get lots of compliments, and occasional jeers, about the mix. The eclectic nature of the Saturday mix, led to the third gig: the labor day party being thrown by the local HIV support organization. They asked us to volunteer the Jeep and a playlist for their party. As we would be playing for the potluck crowd, the pool-side crowd, and the volleyball crowd, we tailored the playlist accordingly.
See, this is the tricky part; when creating a 5 to 6 hour playlist we put a lot of effort into thinking about the audience, the event, and how the party will likely progress over time. The limitation of DJing from a car stereo being that changing things on the fly in real time results in stops and starts and awkward pauses. We are lucky that the Jeep has a MP3 capable stereo, so its possible to fit about 10 hours worth of music on a single CD. So, we try to structure a playlist that will fit a party, set it free, and hope for the best.
Well, so, the Labor Day smash didn't go off very well. The volleyball field was set 100 yards away from the party proper, and we got relegated to playing for just the volleyball crowd. The music was a little low key at times, tailored for the pool-side / potluck set (who ended up without any music at all,) and though some of the volleyball set were really grooving on the mix, others thought that the energy dragged, and just wanted the usual disco to play to. Unfortunately, this was communicated to us in a way very unbecoming to those involved. Sigh, do we just attract drama? So, we got our feelings hurt; the one, two punch of finding ourself in a situation very different from what we were asked to prepare for, and then having our effort disparaged by those who's opinions mean so much.
Still, we made the most of it. One friend had shown up with a CD for us to borrow, and we found a couple of CDs in the changer, so the volleyball Disco Duchesses were appeased with boom boom boom (actually, I think the one person probably responsible for all of the bother got up and left as soon as they got their way.) Of course we couldn't satisfy everyone, and those that always complain that the music is too loud, still had to whine about how blown the speakers were.
We roll my eyes at the lot of you. Do better! Bitches.
Actually, we are greatful for any gigs that we get to play here. Our chances for social life are often few and far between; especially when we average $31 for fuel to get across the island to get to them. We are also grateful for all of the thanks that we do get for our contribution. We hope that our friends will continue to expect us, and we are allways open to constructive additions... Bitches... ;-)
Labels: Hawaii
link | posted by Reese at 10:16 AM