General Stuff:
PA: Peavey 12 channel mixer (lots of flashing lights, knobs, sliding things) sends everything off to an equalizer (none of us knows how it works so we just switch it on and it sort of, err, equalises….) then to a Peavey bi-amp set-up (dead loud and dead heavy). Bi-amp means there’s two of them which means double loud and double heavy. There are then some big fat wires with big clunky blue knobbly things on the end that we plug into the back of huge Peavey speakers, four of them. We’re told it’s all stereo: playing an I-pod through it all is awesome! So far, we’ve had the volume knobs turned up to 8: they go up to 32.
Other bits: We’ve got Mic stands, Mics (Peavey, Sennheiser, Shure, Dan uses one that doesn’t need wires but he has to keep buying batteries), monitors (never loud enough), and hundreds of black wires, all with various shaped plugs on the end of them.
Lights: we’ve got a few that hang off two tripods, and a few more we dot around the place which make us look cool, interesting, and funny colours. We will not be held responsible for your electricity bill the month after.
Dan: Vocalist: apart from the mechanical aids mentioned above, has vocal chords which can do the high bits in that Darkness tune, and attitude. He also brings a Roland keyboard for Terry to play, but sometimes stands in front of it himself and pretends to play (this explains the bits of coloured sticky tape placed in strategic positions over the black notes). Borrows one of Scott’s drum-case straps to stabilise the keyboard stand.
Mark: We’ve no idea what his guitars are, one is a Fender we think…. But they have funny coloured strings. Mark is now in charge of lighting and smoke. He also provides Dan much entertainment on Friday evenings as he drinks to excess and abuses other bands!
Andy: Lead guitar: standard cream battered strat (because he’s too tight to buy a stand and it keeps falling over when he leans it against his amp which is a Marshall 100W top and 4 x 12 cab, nice). Also has a Boss effects unit which he’s just getting to grips with. Uses crap leads. Also uses a funny combination of strings which make it all sound better, allegedly.
Terry: Another lead guitar (ie twiddly bits are shared): Fender strat HM ultra (weird looking thing with, for those who are interested, lace sensor pick-ups, Kahler trem and 24 fret neck) played through a Zoom effects box (which he also doesn’t quite understand really) to a Fender Tonemaster 100W head and 4 x 12 cab. Uses pink leads because no-one else does. Has some spare guitars too.
Gary: Yamaha Gigmaker in burgundy sparkle ? with 20? kick drum for ease of transport with all the punch of a bigger drum! The toms deliver a set of nice clear pitches with good sustain. The toms sound like they could be from a top end kit. Sticks ? ProMark 7A as used by Mr Peart no less! Ludwig Supraphonic snare ? to make him sound a bit Bruford / Bonham! (he thinks) az says: It cuts through those noisy guitar amps like a knife through butter! Tama Iron Cobra kick pedal ? like the Death Star of kick pedals! Cymbals ? Turkish Schezade 14? hats ? crispy and swishy! ? Paiste 2002 20? ride ? nice bell! ? Zidjian K dark crash 17? ? dark and mysterious! ? Zildjian 14? fast crash ? vintage sound, and small! ? Paiste 16? crash ? makes a crashing sound when struck in anger! Hardware ? all good Yamaha stuff built to resist a nuclear attack, but not the destructive discombobulating of well-meaning band-members!
