Breakout West 2013 Kick-Off Street Party

Last Thursday, we helped kick off the Breakout West 2013 kick off street party.
The all ages event was free and open to the public, and hosted on Stephen Avenue – just a few steps east of the entrance to Flames Central.

The lighting truss we had set up held six Par 56 lights and two Mac 250 moving heads, daisy chained as a single circuit from the computer light mixer.

Kris and Mike from Calgary Sound Rentals, tech’ing both audio and visual respectively. This picture is contrary, however, as the two had swapped positions for Kris to review the light fixtures before the show.

This band came prepared, and what a way to start the evening. Opposite the name, these musicians are veterans to the scene, and came prepared with in-ear monitors and their own mixer. We worked with a the band’s iPad interface to adjust the different faders involved. As this was unexpected, we learned how to use the interface fairly quickly from the band. They played a very clean set, and were great to work with. They brought a sweet crowd-draw from the get-go.

Crystal Kid’s preferred digital mixing interface.

We’ve tech’d for this duo fairly regularly, and have been thoroughly impressed on every occasion. As announced at the event, both members of this group are international award winners – sought to no end.
As always, they floored the standing audience – with both jarring vocals and rhythmic soul.

This self-proclaimed folk and reggae band laughed and said they were heavy metal on stage. This four-piece seemed every genre but metal, but seemed they could take the genre on if need be.
Their confident country jive fit the mood nicely, warming up spirits while the weather sent us chills.

This soulful rock star gave’r the whole set, hearing holler-alongs from the street passers-by and a dedicated fan base out to see her.

Described as infectiously catchy, she got the crowd up and dancing early in her set, creating a few moments of moms and daughters singing together.

Initially, they’d tested the limits of feedback from the mic – and with good reason. The lead singer performed a hair’s distance from the microphone, and, damn – did they sound awesome.

This band engaged the floor off the cuff, resonating like a backwoods twang.

Calgary-based Reuben & The Dark headlined the evening, bringing old adorers and new fans to the stage to sing along. A great way to end the night, the band played poetically into the evening.
The warm hot chocolate, combined with their engaging performance, really topped the night off.
Overall, it was an absolute blast to work with all of the bands, managers, organizers and fundraisers involved in this shotgun set. The show required quite a lot of communication – both prior to and during the performance.

Because of effective planning, good judgement, and professional edges on the grind – all of those involved helped to pull off an awesome show, bringing Calgary and its culture a little closer. Of course, a group has to huddle to stay warm.