Greetings fellow denziens of the internet. Today's blog wraps up the series on my time at South by Southwest. In this section I gloss over the rest of the weekend after that first special concert. For the price of one concert I got three Lindsey concerts and shows by a wealth of other bands. A very good deal. The original artical I am pushing to magazines is in black italics. Please take the time to comment, because you could help me modify it and make it shine for publication.
The show is over, but the crowd wants more. Enough Lindsey fans are present that a chant of “One more song!” commences. She has already unplugged her violin. Her keyboardist and I exchange shrugs at each other. He seems game for another song but the venue is on a schedule and it is probably almost closing time. The band is flattered but closes down shop. The venue breaks down into controlled chaos. Lindsey comes over to exchange a few brief words of small talk with me before she is bombarded with requests for photos. One man literally leaps up and down over me to get her attention. She is escorted out by members of her stage crew and progress is slow, because she honors as many requests for photos as she can. Meanwhile, I visit with Drew and Gavi for a while.
As much as I would have liked to talk further with her, I wanted her to get the heck out of dodge. The crowd was unpredictable and at different levels of intoxication, and some were even hostile towards her, throwing things up on stage during her performance. I didn't feel she was all that safe and hopefully they can truly get the venue reserved if they do something like this again.
I do not overstay my welcome and make my way back out onto the organized chaos of sixth street with a feeling of having just witnessed something truly special. There may be a time not far off when Lindsey is too big for the random appearance at a small venue, because it is obvious the girl is going places and continues to wow audiences. I have just seen the start of the next chapter in her career.
She performs twice more at South by Southwest and manages a few interviews. I happen upon a performance by chance the next day for Pandora while traversing Sixth on my way to the Willcall office. An RSVP list for the venue is strictly adhered to this time, and I am content to listen for a while from the street. Last, I attend the concert I originally bought a ticket for—a charity event for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation in which several amazing bands like “A Great Big World” and Ingrid Michelson participated. Although nice, neither of these compare to being at the edge of the stage and capturing the essence of the performance.
The Perez Hilton event was unique in a different way, and I gloss over it here. If I return to Lindsey Stirling in my Independent Music blogs, I may go into more detail. I felt a bit like a spy, but from my balcony I could see things the general audience could not. I found it intruiging how she was led around from camera to camera, person to person, doing the walk of a star before they finally let her prep for her set.
I watched Lindsey Stirling perform three times in less than twenty four hours. I can add this feat to my list of above and beyond fan accomplishments. It may seem like overkill, but each performance was a completely different experience. This is one of the benefits of being a fan of such a unique brand of music. There is always something new to see and hear, and the music is so layered it can take on a number of meanings. It must be exhausting to perform three times, rehearse, give several interviews, and who knows what else in such a short amount of time—but this is the extent of Lindsey’s dedication to her art and to her fans.
I am dedicated to the power of imagination to change the world. We cannot always be prepared for when inspiration will hit us in our lives, for I believe inspiration comes from God and arrives on his time. Our challenge as mortals is to harness the power of this motivational force for creativity when it strikes and pass it on to as many people as we can through our own talents. Lindsey conducts herself as a shining example of this ideal, and the encouraging motifs of her music urge people to fight through adversity, keep love in their heart, and realize their dreams. In this way, she has been granted the power to change the world. I share her belief that we all have this power within us and can cause the same sort of positive influence on the world in our own way. In short, when we come across someone who has the power to change the world we want to help them do it.
Thanks for reading everyone! Please go support this amazing talent. I plan on covering Pentatonix in my next blog on Independent Music, so stay tuned.
Lindsey’s music and style of performance is easy to access on youtube at www.youtube.com/lindseystomp
Tour information can be found at her website at www.lindseystirling.com
You can also preorder her next album and get exclusive content here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/lindseystirling
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Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Lindsey Stirling: South by Southwest and Beyond Series - Part 3 - Technical Difficulties
Hey Folks! Pregame time is important. I call this period before he concert "pregame" because it has the same feel to me, from the perspective of the entertainer, as I had getting ready for a fotoball game when I was an athelte. There are nerves, prayers, moments of intense concentration and warm ups. I got a chance to watch Lindsey and crew at their pregame, and it was quite a bit more intense than the soundchecks fans can pay to attend at typical Lindsey tour sound checks. The original article is in Italics once more.
It only took five minutes to get inside the Blind Pig Venue, rather than a few hours, but as I walked through the door I saw band members from other performances of the night wandering all over the place, and I had to wonder what I would do if I ran into Lindsey. My goal if that happened would be to reestablish professionalism and demonstrate respect without overstaying my welcome. I kept an eye out for Lindsey and her crew, but if they were even in the same building they were well sheltered and hidden away from the mob of rooftop partiers. This was just as well in my mind, because as I made my way to a covered rooftop, the stench of pot increased. I estimate this rooftop to have been about the size of a football field, split into two sections. A stage was set up at the furthest point away from the street. A Vanilla Ice-type rap artist with foul language was performing, and once I figured out a side route to the front of the stage, I settled in to wait for Lindsey.
I never had to deal with technical difficulties, though. Has anyone ever had to try an make sure their instrument was in tune with a crowd chanting at you or loud music playing in the background? I think it was a good thing Lindsey, Gavi, and Drew have worked together so long and know each other so well. Had this been their first tour I don't think they would have worked through these issues with such a cool demeanor.
Two hours later her stage crew and her two band members escorted her through the middle of the crowd to the stage. They were scheduled to begin their set at one in the morning, but there were technical difficulties. Somehow, Lindsey managed to tune her instrument over an intense drone of crowd noise and other music. I got the impression she has mastered the violin enough to the point where she can feel the music she plays, more than hear it. Her Keyboardist, Jason “Gavi” Gaviati had to maneuver two huge keyboards through the crowd and up onto the stage, and after he finally had them set up they would not play like he wished. Her drummer, Drew Steen, had a set of drums from the venue that every band had been using, but he still seemed to flounder a little getting used to them. At about fifteen minutes past the hour they were ready to begin.
Below: Lindsey and Gavi discuss set up issues
A simple chant begins while these issues are being worked out.
“Lind-sey, Lind-sey, Lind-sey.”
I join them. She makes an over-dramatic show of humility, waving the crowd off from their chant with a bemused smirk. She’s like this during the whole set up, alternating between intense concentration on her pregame and spurts of impish fraternization with the audience. The stress of setting up her unique equipment in a noisy and somewhat nauseous environment could have consumed all of her attention, but she takes time to smile and wave at individual fans, lean down and shake hands, and welcome as many people as she can.
Lindsey has a natural crowd leadership ability not all entertainers have. Every time she speaks to the crowd she adds energy and usually gets the response she is hoping for. She has so much fun on stage her audience cannot help but join her.
Gavi would explain to me later that one of the issues was the keyboards were not giving him the sound he wanted. This would effect the quality of the new song, "Beyond the Veil". However, even at a lower quality this song was still amazing. They have some fun antics planned for the tour so prepare yourselves Lindsey fans.
It only took five minutes to get inside the Blind Pig Venue, rather than a few hours, but as I walked through the door I saw band members from other performances of the night wandering all over the place, and I had to wonder what I would do if I ran into Lindsey. My goal if that happened would be to reestablish professionalism and demonstrate respect without overstaying my welcome. I kept an eye out for Lindsey and her crew, but if they were even in the same building they were well sheltered and hidden away from the mob of rooftop partiers. This was just as well in my mind, because as I made my way to a covered rooftop, the stench of pot increased. I estimate this rooftop to have been about the size of a football field, split into two sections. A stage was set up at the furthest point away from the street. A Vanilla Ice-type rap artist with foul language was performing, and once I figured out a side route to the front of the stage, I settled in to wait for Lindsey.
I never had to deal with technical difficulties, though. Has anyone ever had to try an make sure their instrument was in tune with a crowd chanting at you or loud music playing in the background? I think it was a good thing Lindsey, Gavi, and Drew have worked together so long and know each other so well. Had this been their first tour I don't think they would have worked through these issues with such a cool demeanor.
Two hours later her stage crew and her two band members escorted her through the middle of the crowd to the stage. They were scheduled to begin their set at one in the morning, but there were technical difficulties. Somehow, Lindsey managed to tune her instrument over an intense drone of crowd noise and other music. I got the impression she has mastered the violin enough to the point where she can feel the music she plays, more than hear it. Her Keyboardist, Jason “Gavi” Gaviati had to maneuver two huge keyboards through the crowd and up onto the stage, and after he finally had them set up they would not play like he wished. Her drummer, Drew Steen, had a set of drums from the venue that every band had been using, but he still seemed to flounder a little getting used to them. At about fifteen minutes past the hour they were ready to begin.
Below: Lindsey and Gavi discuss set up issues
A simple chant begins while these issues are being worked out.
“Lind-sey, Lind-sey, Lind-sey.”
I join them. She makes an over-dramatic show of humility, waving the crowd off from their chant with a bemused smirk. She’s like this during the whole set up, alternating between intense concentration on her pregame and spurts of impish fraternization with the audience. The stress of setting up her unique equipment in a noisy and somewhat nauseous environment could have consumed all of her attention, but she takes time to smile and wave at individual fans, lean down and shake hands, and welcome as many people as she can.
Lindsey has a natural crowd leadership ability not all entertainers have. Every time she speaks to the crowd she adds energy and usually gets the response she is hoping for. She has so much fun on stage her audience cannot help but join her.
Gavi would explain to me later that one of the issues was the keyboards were not giving him the sound he wanted. This would effect the quality of the new song, "Beyond the Veil". However, even at a lower quality this song was still amazing. They have some fun antics planned for the tour so prepare yourselves Lindsey fans.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Lindsey Stirling: South by Southwest and Beyond Series - Part 2 The Dangers of Fandom
Howdy folks. Thanks for coming back for more. I didn't just want to write about a concert experience. I had done that before. I wanted this article to mean something in regards to fandom in general. It is human nature to have heros. It is human nature to want to be the hero, or to chase after that which inspires us. We have fan clubs, we dress in costumes, we have entire conventions based around one subject or even one person. We see worship and emulation of rock stars long after their deaths. I wanted to write a little bit on the subject of obsessive behavior. Its not a fun subject and this section seems to be a little bit controversial with some early readers. I hope it is written in such a way that it adds to the piece rather than detracting from it. I introduce the subject this way. Again, the sections of my article are in black italics.
As I get in line for the venue I wonder if I will be treated with a performance of a song from the new album, and I find myself lamenting the fact that I was unable to find any friends old or new to come to the event with. In fact, only a few people know I have made this trek from Houston to Austin. There are a few friends who if I told them I was going to a special Lindsey Stirling concert would give me a hard time. Even though they like Lindsey themselves, their teasing is meant to keep me honest. They want to make sure my enthusiasm for the violinst’s music never becomes unhealthy. I have quite a history.
If I did the all of the following for Star Wars related events, people might call it "normal" for a geek. It still would be unhealthy if I made Star Wars fandom my entire life, but I nobody would bat an eye. The horror stories we read about surround one star or starlet. My objective here is to start to differentiate the overly enthusiastic from the dangerously obsessed.
Last year I went to four concerts. I paid pretty good money to meet her three times, and briefly interacted with the dubstep violinist on a fourth occasion. I had an action figure made in her honor and gave it to her as a gift. My kids and I made a commercial for this figure, and we also spent Black Friday filming a promotional video—running through a crowded shopping mall in the Spirit of Assassins Creed. I dressed up in a funny redneck disguise as a joke, and I tried to give her a brief martial arts lesson, the result of which was awkward. I remember it as a “seemed like a good idea at the time” moment. I also approached her with intent to collaborate as a writer and although I tried to maintain an air of professionalism, I have doubts about whether I succeeded and fear I came off forced. I’ve gone above and beyond the norm for most fans, and even to me it seems a little much sometimes. As a result, I evaluate and re-evaluate my motivations for all of my actions regarding Lindsey, and my conclusions are always positive. If I can adequately share my experience this past weekend, I think anyone who reads this will understand why I am such a geek for this artist. More than that, I would hope they would share my enthusiasm and support this amazing talent toward even greater heights in her career.
Now to get serious. This is the darkness that fame can bring. By the end of this article, I will be focusing on the light - on the way we all can use inspiration to change the world. But we all must be mature enough to be aware of the danger that may reside within ourselves and others.
True obsession is no joke. I am still struggling to understand why it occurs in some people to such a dangerous degree, and it makes me sad that so many who achieve their dreams of fame have to then shield themselves from the fans they love because of this unfortunate reality. I have witnessed the cursed mark of obsession in some of Lindsey’s fans. One in particular was a young person struggling in life who Lindsey sought to help. However, Lindsey’s kindness was abused to the point of belligerence and attempts to control or coerce. The entire situation was eerily similar to the story of the murderer of famed Tejano singer Selina in 1995. Yolanda Saldivar shot and killed the object of her fandom after being fired from her position as fan club president and merchandizing manager for suspected theft. Lindsey had to block this individual from her life. This is not to say that Lindsey was ever in any mortal danger, but after a certain point who could afford to take the chance?
All of us have some void to fill. That is why we need God. Some of us find other forms of goodness and spirituality to fill this void. For me, I call it Jesus. The article isn't religious in nature, but the unspoken words here are that we should never try to fill the void in our hearts with something worldly, and especially not another human being - no atter what your faith, humans and material things of this world will fail you and let you down. So look within and learn to love yourself first.
I hope to encourage others to chase their dreams with all the passion in their hearts with this article, as to me that is what Lindsey stands for. Yet we all should realize our dreams do not and should never revolve around a single achievement, and especially not a single person. The drive to succeed must come from within.
See you next time! Check out the full article here if you like. Please follow and comment: http://hightowerdreamland.com/category/media-and-interests/
As I get in line for the venue I wonder if I will be treated with a performance of a song from the new album, and I find myself lamenting the fact that I was unable to find any friends old or new to come to the event with. In fact, only a few people know I have made this trek from Houston to Austin. There are a few friends who if I told them I was going to a special Lindsey Stirling concert would give me a hard time. Even though they like Lindsey themselves, their teasing is meant to keep me honest. They want to make sure my enthusiasm for the violinst’s music never becomes unhealthy. I have quite a history.
If I did the all of the following for Star Wars related events, people might call it "normal" for a geek. It still would be unhealthy if I made Star Wars fandom my entire life, but I nobody would bat an eye. The horror stories we read about surround one star or starlet. My objective here is to start to differentiate the overly enthusiastic from the dangerously obsessed.
Last year I went to four concerts. I paid pretty good money to meet her three times, and briefly interacted with the dubstep violinist on a fourth occasion. I had an action figure made in her honor and gave it to her as a gift. My kids and I made a commercial for this figure, and we also spent Black Friday filming a promotional video—running through a crowded shopping mall in the Spirit of Assassins Creed. I dressed up in a funny redneck disguise as a joke, and I tried to give her a brief martial arts lesson, the result of which was awkward. I remember it as a “seemed like a good idea at the time” moment. I also approached her with intent to collaborate as a writer and although I tried to maintain an air of professionalism, I have doubts about whether I succeeded and fear I came off forced. I’ve gone above and beyond the norm for most fans, and even to me it seems a little much sometimes. As a result, I evaluate and re-evaluate my motivations for all of my actions regarding Lindsey, and my conclusions are always positive. If I can adequately share my experience this past weekend, I think anyone who reads this will understand why I am such a geek for this artist. More than that, I would hope they would share my enthusiasm and support this amazing talent toward even greater heights in her career.
Now to get serious. This is the darkness that fame can bring. By the end of this article, I will be focusing on the light - on the way we all can use inspiration to change the world. But we all must be mature enough to be aware of the danger that may reside within ourselves and others.
True obsession is no joke. I am still struggling to understand why it occurs in some people to such a dangerous degree, and it makes me sad that so many who achieve their dreams of fame have to then shield themselves from the fans they love because of this unfortunate reality. I have witnessed the cursed mark of obsession in some of Lindsey’s fans. One in particular was a young person struggling in life who Lindsey sought to help. However, Lindsey’s kindness was abused to the point of belligerence and attempts to control or coerce. The entire situation was eerily similar to the story of the murderer of famed Tejano singer Selina in 1995. Yolanda Saldivar shot and killed the object of her fandom after being fired from her position as fan club president and merchandizing manager for suspected theft. Lindsey had to block this individual from her life. This is not to say that Lindsey was ever in any mortal danger, but after a certain point who could afford to take the chance?
All of us have some void to fill. That is why we need God. Some of us find other forms of goodness and spirituality to fill this void. For me, I call it Jesus. The article isn't religious in nature, but the unspoken words here are that we should never try to fill the void in our hearts with something worldly, and especially not another human being - no atter what your faith, humans and material things of this world will fail you and let you down. So look within and learn to love yourself first.
I hope to encourage others to chase their dreams with all the passion in their hearts with this article, as to me that is what Lindsey stands for. Yet we all should realize our dreams do not and should never revolve around a single achievement, and especially not a single person. The drive to succeed must come from within.
See you next time! Check out the full article here if you like. Please follow and comment: http://hightowerdreamland.com/category/media-and-interests/
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