Dear Luka's,I heart you. You were one of the first new night spots in this mini-renaissance Oakland's got going on, and if you take away that apostrophe, we have the same name. More importantly, you have welcomed hip-hop inside your doors, when most venues have shied away. The Fresh Steps concert series is a great example. Fresh Steps is designed to highlight up-and-coming local artists by giving them a stage to rock, and thank ______ because that is oh so necessary!
Here's the problem. The sound system and lighting are horrible!!! I showed up last night to see the show and I couldn't see or properly hear any of the performers. Viveka Hawkins (also known as the Kev Choice Ensemble's vocalist) is a pretty girl with a pretty voice, but was shadowed in darkness and drowned in distorted backing tracks. League510, the headliners, brought a great energy to the stage, but even an audience familiar with their songs had trouble identifying which ones they were listening to.
The main culprit were stand alone speakers that you might use at a coffee shop open mic. Why, I ask, would a venue use these speakers when they have a fully functional house system? You're DJs spin over the main system when you have dancing, so why can't you offer your guest performers the same privelege?
I don't know the politics or arrangements that lead to this set-up, and I am no venue manager, sound man or electrician, but it seems to me that these problems are easity fixable. The point of affording local artists a space to show and prove is to help put them on. If we can't see them through the dark, or hear them through reverb fuzz, then it lightweight defeats the purpose.
Again Luka's, I love you, but step up on Fresh Steps!
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2 comments:
I don't know if this is the case in this instance, but having run sound before, many times visiting groups want to use all their own gear. They know how to set it up, how it sounds, etc. The problem is that may not be the right system for a given space.
But let Luka's know the sound was bad. The "powers that be" there may not know about it.
I can imagine Luka's is a little on edge about bringing in Hip Hop performers from Oakland, not knowing what kind of crowd they will attract. This could have led to the change in sound system. As an Oaklander who enjoys Hip Hop, I find that unfortunate for the performers as well as the audience. The issue should be raised with Luka's and possibly the event promoters.
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