Category Archives: Blog
Returning in July: The Levitate Music Festival 2014
On July 12th, the Marshfield Fair grounds will again, serve as the venue for the second annual Levitate Music Festival. This day long event will feature local artists, crafters and food trucks as well as an impressive lineup of musicians.
A family-friendly event, attendees can expect plenty activities for their little ones as they enjoy the delicious food and featured artwork. Bring some folding chairs or blankets to sit on and enjoy the experience!
Steely Dan guitarist Denny Dias plays Berklee concert July 18th, will feature Lisa Jason and Bellevue Cadillac’s Andy Bergsten
Originally posted @ BillCopelandMusicNews.com
Bass player Andy Bergsten, from Bellevue Cadillac, has announced he will be playing with Steely Dan co-founder Denny Dias and vocalist Lisa Jason at the David Friend Hall at Berklee College Of Music on July 18th. Booked as “Denny Dias Of Steely Dan, Introducing Lisa Jason,” the show will no doubt offer many Steely Dan favorites.
Dias was the founding member of Steely Dan, who, in 1971, placed an ad in the Village Voice for a keyboardist and bass player. The ad was answered by none other than Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, hence giving birth to Steely Dan. Dias was the primary guitar player from their beginning until the Aja album, which was when he left the band.
Bergsten and Boston vocalist Lisa Jason recorded a 1999 album which included some of Dias’s newer originals. Ms. Jason has recently been on a mission to get Dias’s Steely Dan history more recognition.
“We’ll be playing some old Dan stuff as well as some of the originals that haven’t been recorded yet,” Bergsten said.
A legendary guitarist, Dias recorded on Steely Dan albums, Can’t Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied, The Royal Scam and Aja. He is well known for his guitar solos for “Do It Again”, “Bodhisattva”, and “Your Gold Teeth ll”.
A diverse musician, Dias, in 1991, joined the band Toto on their Summer Festival Tour. In 1992, he performed, in Los Angeles, in a tribute to Jeff Porcar, playing alongside such legendary musicians as Michael McDonald, Don Henley, Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, Eddie Van Halen, George Harrison and David Crosby. Dias has recently been playing with Spanky And Our Gang.
Introducing Lisa Jason who has been called “a breakout performer,” by Stephen Hanks, of Cabaret Scenes in New York City. She has also been written up in Boston publications: “Behind her petite 5’2 100 lb. (soaking wet) frame lays a powerhouse artist with an astounding vocal talent and a dynamite stage presence,” wrote John Amodeo of the Edge in Boston.
Ms. Jason is a nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter and her one woman shows have earned rave reviews from Provincetown to New York, Washington to the Caribbean. She has worked with the original cast of the Jersey Boys, Huey Lewis and the News, KC and the Sunshine Band, Otis Day, The Bonnie Raitt Band, John Cafferty, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Hooters, and many more.
She began collaborating with Dias on several recordings of his new music. She also collaborated with famed sound engineer Dinky Dawson on her second CD “Matter of Time”, featuring songs from artists, Dee Dee Stewart, David Pac, Ambrosia, Harriet Schock, and The Mamas and Papas.
A multi-faceted artist, she has been a featured singer with the Cape Cod Symphony, The No Rules Theater Company in Washington, DC, and she performed the National Anthem at Fenway Park. Her award winning song, Beautiful Child was adopted by The March Of Dimes, for their Northeast campaign efforts.
Ms. Jason and Mr. Dias are currently collaborating on a new CD, and are planning to tour in the near future. For information on their July 18th Berklee appearance, please visit:
Now available for rent! New Meyer M’elodie Line Array!
We have added a new Meyer M’elodie Line Array to our Pro Audio rental inventory!
It is now available upon request.
Evolution 101.7 no more, “The Bull” is in Boston
At the end of 2012, Clear Channel Media & Entertainment launched the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) station, after a $14.5 million signal purchase from Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Just days ago, however, EDM was replaced by “The Bull”, which claims to be “a new brand of country.”
The new station will run commercial-free for the entire summer. It will feature an award-winning syndicated program, based in Nashville, “The Bobby Bones Show” among other locally based programs, to be announced soon.
In direct competition with Boston’s longtime WKLB Country 102.5, Dylan Spraque, Vice President of Programming for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Boston, in a press release, says “The Bull” is “for the new generation of Country Music fans.”
Evolution 101.7, Clear Channel’s first EDM broadcast station in it’s company history, willcontinue to air on 107.9 HD2 and will be streamed online. Fans of the station have already begun protesting the abrupt switch.
College/University Concert Planning: Things to Consider
If you want to produce a major concert at a college or university, be prepared, as it will take a lot of time, patience and hard work. Concerts at schools come with a specific set of circumstances that are usually not seen when booking with ‘for profit’ venues.
To make all of your concert planning efforts worthwhile, be sure to review our list of ‘Things to consider” before you start:
* The first step of this process, is to determine a clear purpose for the event. Why should this concert take place?
- To entertain the student body.
- To raise awareness and/or money for a cause or community.
- Teach event committee how to produce a concert.
Identifying the purpose of your event will help determine what act to book, how much money to spend, when/where it should happen, etc.
* Next, consider the goals of the event and the factors that will impact the planning process- such as:
- Is the concert closed to students or open to the public?
- Does the entertainment need to meet certain criteria (ie: genre- rock, comedy, hip hop) to ensure community interest?
- Will this concert be free or will attendees need to purchase tickets?
- What (if applicable) is the break even point? Does money NEED to be made?
- Will the event appeal to all student demographics? If not, can adjustments be made so it will?
Event Planning Tips: Industry Keywords
If you are someone who hasn’t spent much time planning comedy, music or theatrical shows the process can be quite overwhelming. Don’t let industry lingo complicate your event planning experience! Take a look at our list of most commonly used terms and their definitions as they pertain to event planning, below:
Advance– (in context: “I have to advance the rock show”): When someone affiliated with the act (usually a manager) calls to discuss event details such as arrival time, production requests, rider changes etc.
Backdrop– A large colored or painted cloth hung at the back of a stage to serve as a setting (theater) or background for the performance/event.
Backline– Musical equipment requested/required by the hired performers. In most cases, a tour manager will provide an artist ‘Rider’ (see below for definition) which will indicate what musical equipment is needed. In most cases, production companies like us are able to fulfill those requests.
Bid – an offer of a price for a service. Event planners often deal with many bids from potential vendors (providing the same service) and will usually pick the most budget-friendly price. Bergsten Music is frequently asked to provide/enter a bid when our services are being considered for a large scale event.
Break Even– The point where revenue generated from ticket sales is equal to the amount of money spent producing the show.
Moog introduces the Theremini
Moog has re-imagined one of the oldest electronic instruments, the Theremin. Being the only instrument that can be played without touch, the Theremini combines features of Moog’s Animoog sound engine with a traditional ‘no- touch’ Theremin.
From MoogMusic.com:
The Moog Theremini is a re-imagination of one of the oldest electronic musical instruments in history, and Bob Moog’s first love – the Theremin. Its design fuses the experience of performing with an instrument you don’t actually touch, with a powerful sound engine derived from Moog’s award winning synthesizer, Animoog. The Theremini guarantees immediate success to any player at any skill level, while providing new ways to experiment with music, education, and gestural control.
Spotlight: CDJ-2000nexus
- Send music files stored on smart phones, tablets*1 and computers*1 as well as other various devices via Wi-Fi/LAN/USB cable connections.
- “SYNC MASTER” function enables playback with matching master clock of DJM-2000nexus to beat of CDJ-2000nexus’s music. In addition, also features “BEAT SYNC” to match the best of the music instantly between the players.
- “TRAFFIC LIGHT” function enables to easily check which songs are in a key that is compatible with the music being played.
- Shows at a glance the channel status (On-air status, channel number).
- The Quantize function enables to apply beat effects perfectly synchronizing the music tempo.
- DJs can play from two rekordbox™ laptops for easy changeover and back to back play.
- Sample microphone input and master output and immediately play/scratch it back on the CJD-2000nexus/CDJ-2000/CDJ-900
- Monitor music files in rekordbox™ through DJ mixer cue.
Music Museum of New England: Bellevue Cadillac
One of Andy Bergsten’s bands, Bellevue Cadillac, is featured on the Music Museum of New England website! Click below to visit the page.
We’re Hiring!
A1 Audio Technicians
Part and full time positions available; Freelance applications welcome.
Bergsten Music is committed to providing top quality production services for Boston, New England, and the Northeast. A staple in Boston for over 40 years, we’ve worked with every type of client from local productions to major national tours.
Job Description:
As a tech at Bergsten, you will work in a fast paced, professional environment as lead engineer on numerous projects throughout New England. You will be expected to adapt and learn new skills and be able to trouble shoot on site. Excellent verbal communication and teamwork are a must. You will be building shows from the ground up, interacting with customers, and other employees.
Job Requirements:
- Degree in audio engineering or equivalent industry experience
- Familiarity with the following products: Avid Venue, Yamaha M7CL, Yamaha PM5D, JBL Line Array, Shure and Sennheiser In Ear and Wireless Mic Systems.
- Excellent knowledge of signal flow and on‐site show setup
- Able to lift heavy cases over 50 lbs.
- Must be comfortable driving trucks up to 26’ (CDL not required)
- Must be flexible to work irregular hours (nights and weekends included)
- Experience in lighting design a major plus
- Knowledge of backline instruments a plusSalary commensurate on experience
Benefits and retirement offered for full time positions.Please submit to BergstenJobs@Gmail.com a current resume and three references for consideration for this position.
