Not wanting to sit idle all summer, some of our Music Technology students had interesting experiences to share when they returned this fall.  Here are a few of those stories.

Blake Smith worked as a sound technician for "Day Stage" at Michigan Womyn's Music Festival this summer (Aug 2 - 13).  There are three stages - Day Stage, Acoustic Stage, and Night Stage.  Day Stage tends to have more up and coming acts, or performers that are less well-known.  The Day Stage also has a comedy day or circus every year.  Some of the performers that were at Day Stage this year and the past year that I worked with include Gretchen Phillips (folk/comedy/electronica singer from Two Nice Girls), Ruthie Foster (blues singer from Austin), Toshi Reagan (another blues singer), CocoMama (international band that plays Latin music with vocals, congas, piano, bass, timbales, flute, tenor sax), Patrice Pike (another Austin blues/rock singer), Garrison Star (folk/rock), Boyskout (electronica/punk), Erin McKeown (vocals) and Allison Miller on drums (rock/jazz).  Some of the big bands on Night Stage the last few years included Dar Williams, Indigo Girls, Le Tigre, Holly Near, Ferron, Chris Williamson, Tracy Chapman. As a sound technician, Blake helped set up and tear down sound systems for all stages including setting up microphones, gear patching and stage spiking everything for sound checks and set changes. He also worked closely with front of house engineers, monitor engineers and the musicians.

Lauren Barron worked an internship for Bose Corporation this summer in Massachusetts. She worked in their STiG department, which stands for Software Test Integration Group. Lauren tested all their current and future products within the company. She states, "It was a great job and a fantastic experience".

Brad Adams went on a tour of the southeast playing bass with a band called Swerve. They played in Datona FL, Spartinburg SC, Carey NC, Yorktown VA, and other places along the way. Plus, there were a few shows in Indiana. Brad sent in an audition tape to Keynote (www.keynote.org) and won a position as a sound engineer.  Band members came from all over including a keyboardist from New Zealand. The band met a month before the tour, and at the last minute, Keynote made Brad the bass player and they hired a new sound engineer.