You know when summer is just around the corner when the new schedule for North Carolina's longest and most successful summer music program, Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park (MUSEP), is posted. Hosted by the City Arts division of GSO Parks and Rec, this years festival brings a great mix of returning favorites along with some great new acts. The full schedule that begins the fist Sunday in June, along with maps to all of the locations, can be found on their official web site www.MUSEP.info. CareySound is proud to once again be chosen to provide the audio production for the series and sponsor the MUSEP website.

"It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time;you can even fool some of the people all of the time;but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time."

President Abraham Lincoln

I was browsing the web the other day and came across this photo of Hillary taken at a NC campaign stop. I had a flashback of another campaign some 16 years ago at another campaign stop right here in Greensboro. The Clinton proclivity to give speeches from the back of a truck is no coincidence, it's pure planed political theater.

Travel back 16 years...
We received a call from the advance team of then Governor Clinton in the early stages of his campaign for President. North Carolina had become a battleground state early in the contest and this was to be one of the first of many stops in our state. Bill Clinton, after having spent the day glad-handing around the area, was scheduled to have a rally out at the airport at the end of the day as he left the state. His chartered jet was to depart from the old terminal so they could accommodate the large crowd that was expected to attend the event. We were asked to provide a large elaborate stage and sound for an expected crowd of around 6,000 to 10,000 and direct broadcast feeds for the assembled press.

Less than a week before the event they called again and canceled all of the elaborate arrangements. It was a well publicized event locally and had not been canceled, but, gone were the staging, large sound system and press feeds. In their place was a request to rent our Entertainer System delivered with an enginer. Now anybody that is the least bit familiar with CareySound knows that our most popular rental package is perfect for two to three hundred people. But 6,000 to 10,000? I don't think so. They were insistent that they knew what they were renting and that it was all they were going to need.

Being professionals we felt that it was our duty to point out that their new plan had a few problems. There were going to be a whole bunch of people show up expecting to see Bill and hear him speak. They were bound to be a might ticked off when after having braved the crowds and the long hours of waiting (Bill was pretty famous for never showing up on time) and only the first couple of hundred would be able to hear or see him. That's when we got our first leason in Clinton political theater.

It was explained to us that it would make for a better show if they pretended that they had no idea that anybody would show up. After all, Bill was just as little ol' governor from a little ol' southern state and it would look great if it appeared that it was a spontaneous outpouring of support for a humble candidate that brought in the teaming masses instead of the planed event that it really was. So the game was afoot.

Showtime
Our chief engineer, Rick Earl, showed up with the Entertainer System. The campaign staff came up with a truck to use as a totally authentic looking impromptu stage. Several thousand people started showing up. The press arrived to fight for he best camera position and look for the press audio feed (that didn't exist). I stood by at the shop with a van full extra speakers and amps. The campaign staff placed a desperate call to us for more sound to accommodate all of the "unexpected crowd". I drive through the ever tightening gauntlet of law enforcement officers with sound reinforcements. Rick and I scramble to set up more gear. Bill finally arrives and mounts his soap box and then shakes EVERYBODY'S hand on the rope line. What a guy. Just like one of us. The puppet master from his staff with a suitcase full of cash shows up to pay us. Ah - now that's showbiz.

Electro-Voice is boosting the fundraising success of its “Musicians for Minneapolis: 57 Songs for the I-35W Bridge Disaster Relief Effort” CD release with a celebrity guitar auction on Ebay, running April 29th – May 9th. Guitars from legendary artists including Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, and Dick Dale are available.

This auction is being held to raise money for the families of those who were either wounded or lost their lives on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 1st, 2007. Listing details below. All proceeds from the sale of these instruments will be donated to Minnesota Helps: Bridge Disaster Fund™.




ABOUT THE PROJECT

Shortly after 6 p.m. on August 1st, 2007—during the height of rush hour—the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed. Media coverage was almost instantaneous and Minneapolis became the nation’s focus.

Help was immediate and came in many forms: the selflessness of victims helping victims; the courageous police, fire, and rescue teams; emergency blood donors; and funds from private citizens and corporations around the world.

Like countless others, Electro-Voice also wanted to help in hands-on way. As a Minnesota-based professional audio equipment manufacturer with a large global parent company (Bosch) that has made social responsibility one of its core values for over 120 years, EV sought to help its neighbors by doing more than just writing a check.

The very next morning EV began receiving e-mails and phone calls from various partners and friends in the music industry. They wanted to know how they could help. A benefit album, a celebrity memorabilia auction, and a benefit concert were planned, whereby all proceeds would be donated to Minnesota Helps: Bridge Disaster Fund™. Autographed guitars began showing up at EV’s door from the likes of Megadeth, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Dick Dale, and others. Likewise, some of the most recognized names in the music industry began sending songs for use on the benefit album. Fast forward two months and EV had amassed enough material to fill 3 CDs—a total of 57 songs—nearly 4 hours of music!

Sales of the CD continue to grow, and now the celebrity guitar auction—including instruments from artists on the benefit CD—is set to add more valuable funds to this worthy cause. Please check out the Ebay auctions and good luck bidding!

AUCTION ITEMS

Click here to go to auction site.

(2) Autographed Les Paul guitars from Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society guitar phenom ZAKK WYLDE

(1) Dean bass signed by all members of MEGADETH

(1) Custom Minarik DICK DALE flame guitar, autographed by the Guitar Legend himself, serial #45

(1) Ibanez RE350DX guitar signed by guitar virtuoso STEVE VAI

(1) Schecter guitar signed by the members of MINISTRY

(1) Les Paul guitar autographed by the members of Twisted Sister

(1) Washburn guitar signed by Nick Catanese of Black Label Society/SPEED X

(1) EV Raven microphone autographed by the members of FISHBONE

(1) EV N/D967 microphone autographed by the members of STATIC-X

(1) EV N/D767a microphone autographed by the members of STATIC-X

(1) EV N/D767a microphone autographed by Herman Li of DRAGONFORCE

For information go to www.electrovoice.com/musiciansforminneapolis .

Greensboro is celebrating it's bicentennial with a summers long series of events and CareySound is to play a pivotal role providing audio for it's biggest events. The opening ceremonies started last friday with a kick-off event at the home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, NewBridge Bank Ball Park. John was on hand with CareySound's new digital Cobra system.

Please join CareySound as we continue the celebration at the kick-off the Heritage Day Festival festivities on April 11th at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center with "Dance Thought he Decades" and then again in downtown Greensboro on the 12th and 13th on Stage One in Center City Park and Stage Six at the corner of Bellemeade & Elm Streets. For a complete listing of all of the official 200 Greensboro events and times click here.

April first and its time to celebrate. Not only is CareySound officially 30 years old this next week but both Tommy and Ken have wedding anniversaries to celebrated. So Ken and his beautiful wife are headed to Disney Word and Tommy and his beautiful wife are headed to Los Vegas this next week. Although the sales department will be shut down next week John, David, and Mike will be holding down the fort at CareySound.

In case you haven't noticed CareySound is not named after nor is it located in Cary, NC. It's from our proud Irish heritage as part of the Carey clan. And it just wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day for CareySound without participating in Greensboro's largest Saint Patty's Day Party downtown at M'Coul's Public House with our good friend and proprietor Simone. We snapped a few pictures of the event that we thought you might enjoy. Click on an image for a bigger picture.




Our event production division debuted the new RSS Digital V-System and an upgraded version of their famous Dynacord Cobra System as well. Stay tuned for more details on both of these new additions. Nobody can touch the performance of our gear and the speed that it sets up in.

Our friends over at Harrison Audio in Chapel Hill host the web site goodbuyguys.com and have posted the wonderful blog entry that follows:

These Guys Really Get It

One of the unexpected benefits of running a web based business is the ability to find out a lot about your customers in a hurry. Most of our customers have web sites and we always take a look at how they present their businesses on the web as part of processing their orders.

A large number of our customers are entertainment production and audiovisual presentation companies. I rarely see anything of real interest at these sites and I remain surprised that industries with such a high level of technical knowledge miss the opportunity to put their best foot forward. These sites are usually “black box” pictures-pictures of the equipment the company owns- and lists of technical specifications that may impress their competition but rarely mean anything to a potential customer.

That brings me to the point of this posting. When we were in the “hands on” sound and lighting business one of our good friends and competitors was Carey Sound in Greensboro, NC. I have been friends with the company owner, Ken Carey, for over 25 years and he generously sub-contracted shows to us more than once. I guess the term “competitor” doesn’t really fit here.

The web site he has put together for his company is breathtaking in its depth and quality. Any production company seeking to create a real presence on the web would be hard pressed to put together anything better than what Ken has created.

The type of information he so carefully presents is a lesson in how to use the web to gain new customers and hang onto the ones you already have. His “how to” videos are great information and a powerful sales tool. No doubt, they have deflected lots of last minute panic calls from his rental customers.

Ken’s extensive News section is well laid out and makes for lots of good reading if you are in the sound business.

Carey’s Rental section answers lots of the questions that a potential rental customer might have in a good humored and honest manner that lets the renter know exactly what to expect.

The photography is beautiful (lots of smiling faces), the layout is logical and easy to navigate, and details regarding the services and equipment Carey offers are presented with the clients point of view considered on every page.

I’ve spent a well over an hour browsing this site in the last week, and still have not seen it all.
If you are ready to move your company’s web presence into the big leagues, don’t miss this site.

p.s. Congrats to Carey Sound on their new building and their 30 year anniversary.

I'll let you all in on a not so secret, secret.

If you have bought tape or batteries from use in the last twenty years it's come form Jeff at Harrison Brothers. His web site GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and “value added” customer service. Sure, we will still will have it on hand for you if you get in a pinch but don't hesitate to buy from them directly.
    

   

We have ben keeping you up-to-date with the latest news in wireless microphone usage and here is a another discussion courtesy of Sound & Communications on the "white Space" topic that impacts al wireless microphone users. We first broached this subject last year in our news item titled "Industry News Flash" that can be found by clicking here.



Current Broadcast is on “White Spaces” Issues - Part 1, March 13, 2008

Mark E. Fritz, C-EST, systems engineer with ESCO Communications, Inc., interacts with Microphone Industry Coalition spokesman Christopher P. Lyons, of Shure Inc. The guests define the “White Spaces” issue and address how it might affect integrators’ businesses. They also examine short- and long-term consequences of the issue and related technologies.

"Ok - So enough about the move already. We get it . You've moved" This is my last last update on our move to Pomona Drive. Although the dust hasn't settled yet and we are still finding a place for everything, we are now functional in our new building. We are cleaning out the last remnants of our stay on Church street the rest of this week. All business, sales and rentals are happening in the new location. You can find an interactive map to the new location by clicking here.

In the FINAL day of the Sale we have made our final markdowns. One Item is marked down so low it's FREE. Check out the final list by clicking here.

We are in the final 14 days of our biggest end of year SALE ever and we have marked down most of the items to an amazing 50% off of the already low prices we started with. You can see all of the latest price slashes by clicking here. When we move to the new store it is al over so act TODAY.

Just a little taste of what 1,500 dancing party goers experienced at the hottest new nightspot in Greensboro at Rumba DCache. CareySounds own John Carey was the guest SoundMan for the evenings festivities driving the clubs 20,000 watt EV Manifold system.