As the summer winds down I have been reflecting on all of the amazing opportunities I was lucky enough to be presented with over this past year. The one I have gained the most experience from has been the Alamosa Live Music Association. In May I officially became a board member and joined their programming team, where I assist in deciding what acts to bring in to the San Luis Valley and when they will play! Our most recent project has been putting on the annual Sunday’s at Six concert series throughout the summer.
It was at our concert two weeks ago where I was fortunate enough to meet John Fate, an audio engineer and tour manager for the Black Lillies. He was kind enough to talk to me after the show briefly about what it is that he does and he even agreed to doing an interview for the website! I loved the insight he had to offer and was filled with relief at his positive outlook for the longevity of the live music area! I think at the end of the day, everyone realizes it’s all just about the music!
What was your inspiration or motivation to go into the management area of music business?
I did sound for The Bunny Gang for 4 of their shows in 1 month. After the 4th show I told them that it was important for the success of their band to have someone dancing in the sound booth as well. They had never heard that before. About a month later they called me saying that they wanted me to tour with them but they already had a sound engineer. They wanted me to tour manage them instead. I didn’t even know that that job existed but I said yes and had about 2 weeks to prepare for a 45 day tour. I think it is very important to have a ‘ninja in the shadows’ for any successful band. The band’s success motivates me.
Do you have any performance background? Has that changed the way go about tasks?
I played drums from ages 12-29. I haven’t had a chance to touch a drum kit since I started tour managing in January of 2015. It has helped in many ways because everything I do as a tour manager is based on how I would want something done if I was a member of the band.
How do you strike a balance between being both an audio engineer as well as a tour manager on the road? What are the strengths and weaknesses to doing both?
I don’t find it too difficult to do both most of the time. I get to be an artist when I do sound which is my favorite part. I’d say a strength to doing both is being able to truly take care of every aspect of the band. Most bands that are looking for a tour manager are also looking for an audio engineer so it has been helpful for obtaining work to be able to do both. Every once in a while it can be tough doing both. Sometimes I need to have the house engineer watch the board for a second while I take care of a TM task like helping out the merch seller, getting something on stage that the band needs, talking to security about a patron, etc.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone would have told you before you got into your current position?
I’ve been lucky enough to have some amazingly knowledgable and talented mentors in the industry. When I got the opportunity to be a tour manager I realized that I had pretty much been training to become a tour manager since I was a young teen. I would say don’t be afraid to say yes to a job, even if you’re not fully qualified yet (fake it until you make it!), and, most of the things I have learned in being a tour manager/sound engineer is because I messed it up the first time around. Everyone makes mistakes, it is crucially important to learn from your mistakes so you do it correctly the next time around.
Are you at all concerned with the preservation or longevity of the live music industry?
Not at all. People will need and enjoy live music until the end.
How did you first discover your passion for live music?
I did sound for a lot of musical theater and that has helped me immensely. Playing my first concert when I was 14. During our first song someone broke their nose in the mosh pit, I was hooked. .
What are your favorite/least favorite aspects of the tour life?
People that complain about everything. People that don’t like their jobs. Having a sore neck and back from the constant travel. Favorite things are the people, the venues, the travel, the bands I work with, making a living by doing art and bringing art to places around the world. This is the coolest job ever.
As a manager, are there any other tasks that you perform that someone might automatically not assume?
I make sure the band is constantly drinking water. If we are not making a pee stop every 2-3 hours they are not hydrated enough. I send out a show report to the booking agents and managers every night. I’m constantly emailing promoters about plans in the future, constantly making travel plans, etc. Most of what I do is not known by the band members.
What is the strongest personality trait someone can have looking to enter the artist management field?
Be flexible, organized, have good time management, always see the bright side of things. Plans change all the time, especially when you’re in charge of 5+ people who are driving all over for months at a time. A tour manager sets the tone for the whole tour so hopefully they have a great attitude about most everything in order to keep the morale up. Really, a tour manager needs to be a great people person and they must love what they do. It gets really tough sometimes (losing a guitar player in Germany,our plane getting struck by lightning in Iceland and flying all the way to Denver with a big hole in our plane, etc.), you must love what you do and realize at the end of the day that it’s all about the music.
Emily K Johnson 