keys to prove it
click to see keys
These were picked up over the course of jubal and cirkus. No one key is shown twice. Multiple keys from the same place only means we when back to the same motel again. That was usually a sign we didn’t cause too much ruckus while we were there. Yes, we did return keys most of the time. Time period was 1975-1983. It’s almost depressing to think about what the pile would look like if I had a key from every place we stayed – all that time on the road. Even these are a very small fraction of the places we stayed. Thinking back about all that traveling is tiring.
You traveled that much in your band? Wow - I’m impressed. I never played to that extent. The most I traveled was with this folk singer David Mallett & even that wasn’t much.
Yeah. It was full time and pretty non-stop between 1974 through 1987, minus a couple of years between bands ('77 and '84). I didn’t keep any keys after 1983 - after cirkus. '87 to '96 it was part time drumming, part time sound engineer, part time guitar repair…then I finally got a real job.
There’s a partial iteneray at http://cirkus.phootoons.com It’s only a few years worth since only one of the guys in the band thought it was a good idea to keep records, but that stretch is pretty complete. The rest is lost to history I suppose.
I’ve been sitting on that box of keys for many years thinking I should put them on the website eventually. I finally got them all scanned in tonight. They aren’t added to the site yet.
One of the guitarists, Sean the only smart one that remembered to write down where we played, sent me some old pictures he stumbled on a couple of weeks ago and one of them was a few keys he had scanned in. That got me off my butt to scan what I had.
WELL DUHHH!! I forgot to add his keys…BRB…
Got it.
That’s pretty amazing! I looked at some of your pics before but I’ll check 'em out again.
How’s your hearing? Our drummer wears plugs (he’s smart).
No plugs for me. I couldn’t play with them. I tried, and did use them in a few places. The way we set up the stage in most places put me behind the amp line though. I was probably in the quietest place in the room. It was hard to hear the guitars without monitoring them in some places. Cirkus had a reputation for being loud but we really weren’t that loud on stage. We used power attenuators on the amps. We weren’t a a quiet band by any stretch, but to be loud it was better to crank the PA than it was to crank the stage.
Then there was the band I was in starting in 1986 – PG-13 (with Jesse James Dupree and John Hayes). We were so loud on stage that I started monitoring my drums just so I could hear them, including the snare. It’s strange to not be able to here a drum that’s right between your legs.
I had no hearing damage before PG-13, but do now. I think most of it happened while being a live sound engineer out front after PG-13, but I don’t know for sure. I tried to limit most bands to 102 db, but there were some that were louder than that coming off the stage with no PA, and some A LOT LOUDER (112db to 116 db in a small club). My ears would buzz for days after them. I would put in plugs when mixing these guys, but there’s no way to mix with ear plugs so they’d be out most of the time anyway. Bad idea but I had to hear the mix the way the crowd was hearing it as best as I could.
I can’t hear anything above 12k or so at all…period. It’s a big hindrance when there’s some high end junk up there that’s obvious to everyone, except I can’t here it at all. It’s hard to fix things you can’t hear and there is no way to compensate if it’s all gone.
I attribute this loss strictly to live house mixing, and not PG-13 or any other band I was in, but playing live that many years probably did weaken my ears enough that it could be nothing more that hearing loss usually attributed to old age kicking in early (house mixing didn’t CAUSE it). I guess it doesn’t matter why now.
Wow! Look at those keys! 
I have this image in my mind, of motels all over America going out of business, because despite the fact they have an abundance of potential customers and a plethora of empty rooms, no one can get into them! 
But talking about deaf drummers, I was in a wee place last night, fairly small stage, and the drum kit was at the back against the wall.
Directly in front of the kit was a large perspex screen, must’ve been about 8 foot wide by six foot high. I don’t know its purpose, beer protector? Sound screen? Halitosis?
Anyway, the band were country/rock, and I thought to myself, “that drummer is gonna be deaf soon”.
But he seemed happy enough, sat there grinning and banging the #### out of the kit. Mind you, I never saw anybody try to talk to him between numbers.
Ali
| Quote (phoo @ Sep. 18 2004,12:11) |
| No plugs for me. I couldn't play with them. I tried, and did use them in a few places. The way we set up the stage in most places put me behind the amp line though. I was probably in the quietest place in the room. It was hard to hear the guitars without monitoring them in some places. Cirkus had a reputation for being loud but we really weren't that loud on stage. We used power attenuators on the amps. We weren't a a quiet band by any stretch, but to be loud it was better to crank the PA than it was to crank the stage. Then there was the band I was in starting in 1986 -- PG-13 (with Jesse James Dupree and John Hayes). We were so loud on stage that I started monitoring my drums just so I could hear them, including the snare. It's strange to not be able to here a drum that's right between your legs. I had no hearing damage before PG-13, but do now. I think most of it happened while being a live sound engineer out front after PG-13, but I don't know for sure. I tried to limit most bands to 102 db, but there were some that were louder than that coming off the stage with no PA, and some A LOT LOUDER (112db to 116 db in a small club). My ears would buzz for days after them. I would put in plugs when mixing these guys, but there's no way to mix with ear plugs so they'd be out most of the time anyway. Bad idea but I had to hear the mix the way the crowd was hearing it as best as I could. I can't hear anything above 12k or so at all...period. It's a big hindrance when there's some high end junk up there that's obvious to everyone, except I can't here it at all. It's hard to fix things you can't hear and there is no way to compensate if it's all gone. I attribute this loss strictly to live house mixing, and not PG-13 or any other band I was in, but playing live that many years probably did weaken my ears enough that it could be nothing more that hearing loss usually attributed to old age kicking in early (house mixing didn't CAUSE it). I guess it doesn't matter why now. |
No plugs for me either, but my ears are just as shot as phoo's. I've tried using them but just can't abide them. I'm just not comfortable with them in. Cirkus didn't play as loud on stage as some bands, but we were plenty loud. A maxed-out 50-watt Marshall head, even with an attenuator on it, is loud as all get out. We only attenuated one notch down, and even that was short-circuited to allow a little more volume through so it was really only like turning the master volume down to 9 instead of 10. Of course, most of *my* hearing loss is because of the placement of phoo's favorite crash cymbals - if I reached out my right arm, I could grab either one of them (and did, regularly, just to mess with him) so they were pretty much right in my ear. I have more hearing loss in my right ear than left although age (and concert-going) is starting to even things up.
I went out front of Cirkus's PA system ONCE while we were playing and could feel my eardrums vibrating. That was enough for me.
The funny part of looking through all those keys to me is seeing all the different motels in the same towns....we'd usually try to stay in the same places wherever we went, but some towns, well.....after staying there once, they didn't want us back. I can't imagine why.
| Quote (phoo @ Sep. 18 2004,00:06) |
| click to see keys These were picked up over the course of jubal and cirkus. No one key is shown twice. Multiple keys from the same place only means we when back to the same motel again. That was usually a sign we didn't cause too much ruckus while we were there. Yes, we did return keys most of the time. Time period was 1975-1983. It's almost depressing to think about what the pile would look like if I had a key from every place we stayed -- all that time on the road. Even these are a very small fraction of the places we stayed. Thinking back about all that traveling is tiring. |
Oh yeah....Hi phoo!
| Quote (phoo @ Sep. 18 2004,00:06) |
| These were picked up over the course of jubal and cirkus. No one key is shown twice. Multiple keys from the same place only means we when back to the same motel again. That was usually a sign we didn't cause too much ruckus while we were there. Yes, we did return keys most of the time. Time period was 1975-1983. It's almost depressing to think about what the pile would look like if I had a key from every place we stayed -- all that time on the road. Even these are a very small fraction of the places we stayed. Thinking back about all that traveling is tiring. |
So I've been over there looking at all those keys....man, the memories some of them jog! There is probably a story that goes with every one of them, and not a dang one of them can be told in an open forum.
Yep, we traveled a LOT. Easily played around 250 dates per year, sometimes more, sometimes a little less, but most places were one-nighters with the occasional two or three-nighter thrown in. We were in hog heaven if we got to stay somewhere for an entire week, although that was usually at Myrtle Beach so we'd party so hard for the week that it physically felt like we'd just played 21 straight one-nighters.
Boogers…!!!
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| Quote |
| … well…after staying there once, they didn’t want us back. I can’t imagine why. |
I can’t imagine why either…ummm…at least it wasn’t because of anything WE did (meaning phoo nor Sean). Let’s just say it was usually something that happened in another other room…so we can’t imagine…yeah…deny deny deny.
THAT’S IT!
Yeah right, key personell
| Quote (phoo @ Sep. 18 2004,15:59) |
| Boogers....!!! ... well.....after staying there once, they didn't want us back. I can't imagine why. |
I can't imagine why either.......ummm.....at least it wasn't because of anything WE did (meaning phoo nor Sean). Let's just say it was usually something that happened in another other room.....so we can't imagine....yeah....deny deny deny.
THAT'S IT!
I don't remember, Mommy.
Deny, deny, deny. You bet your bippy.
One word: White Wine
OK…that’s two…but what it causes is one.
| Quote (phoo @ Sep. 18 2004,16:49) |
| One word: White Wine OK..that's two...but what it causes is one.
|
That doesn't count - it wasn't in a motel room. It was the front parking lot at the after hours place in Myrtle Beach....and the side of the road....and oh yeah, the motel room, too.
Nevermind.
| Quote (phoo @ Sep. 18 2004,01:00) |
| It's only a few years worth since only one of the guys in the band thought it was a good idea to keep records, but that stretch is pretty complete. |
Nah, it wasn't to keep records, it was to keep up with where I was or where I was supposed to be going.
"This is Tuesday, I must be in Wilmington. Gotta drive to Covington. Okay, just lemme get some coffee. Phoo! Waffle House NOW! Oh, man, I'm too young to feel this bad."
That’s my white pick-up parked there… lol… Who’s following me…,