How did you decide on your song choices and groups?
As far as groups were concerned, we ended up in the same group as we were in during the first project ‘Eat Sleep,’ because we had all worked together before and it was a similar and familiar environment to the last project. The song choice process was quite difficult to do due to conflicting ideas and willingness to play certain songs, it took quite a while to get the song choices completely nailed down.
Did the rehearsal process go smoothly? What issues did you come across? How did you resolve these issues?
The rehearsal process was not the smoothest of processes, with members being late or not turning up for one reason or another. The 2 fundamental issues that I came across were members being late and a lack of motivation or dedication to practice. This eventually led to a slight bit of panic before these issues were amended with a clear force of motivation appearing, the performance that we were meant to give.
Did you feel you were suitably prepared for the performance?
Not at all. Rehearsals did not produce the results we wanted. This was due to many reasons: band members unwilling to work, band members being absent, disagreements on song choice, and an overall lack of effort being put in at times. This led to our band being underprepared for the performance.
How effective was your contribution to the technical aspects of the projects?
The technical aspects of the project were quite minimal. However, things like setting up, both in a classroom and on stage, I was helpful with, and I believe that I did all my jobs correctly.
Were you happy with the setup of your equipment?
I was happy with the setup that I was given. I ran my guitar into a line 6 amp which was DI out into the monitors. I had a foot switch set up on the floor which meant I could alternate between a clean sound and a more driven sound.
Did you find it difficult to set up before a performance? Did it affect your concentration?
Setting it up was not a challenging task in my opinion. It was a simple task where I just plugged into the amp and sorted out my sound. The only issue with it was the foot switches which led to me switching amps, but that was only a minor problem.
How did the sound check go before the performance?
The sound check before the performance went fine. It was just a case of playing a little bit while the sound engineer levelled everything. It was over and done within about 30 seconds.
Did having to set it up before affect the performance?
Yes, but mostly positively. It gave people a chance to get comfortable with being on stage and being in front of a crowd. I also believe that it did do a little harm, with there being awkward silences where you feel like 1000 people are watching you.
What would you change if you were to do the project again?
I would like to change which band I am playing with and put a lot more focus on rehearsing to make sure everything goes well with our performance and that we produce a good show.
Did this project give you an insight or appreciation of technical aspects behind a performance?
I do not think this gave me much of an insight behind performances at all. It was useful learning about riders but most of it was simply performance, which is something I have been doing since I was young, except in a very free-spirited group.