Finally getting to this gig review!
So on July 3rd, my band Confusatron got to open for Jonathan Scales Fourchestra and Animals As Leaders at Aura in Portland, ME. It was a blast!
First of all, Aura is a fantastic venue to play at. The setup and crew were all amazing. Gear moving was very easy and seamless thanks to the freight elevator with basement/street/stage access. We were able to load in, setup in the basement area, then shuttle everything up to the stage for quick setup. After our set, we were clear of the stage in about five minutes with all of our gear back in the basement area while JS4 was getting on stage. The basement also houses the green rooms and VIP area. Being the local opener, no green room for us but the access to the backstage and VIP areas was very nice.
JS4 and Animals As Leaders' gear was backlined. The second band, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, set up in a line across the stage with the drums on the right. This worked out perfect as we set up the exact opposite of that, which our drummer on the left. I got to set my tiny 1x15/1x12 stack in front of Tosin's four cab array. I was so busy that I forgot to grab a rig pic. At least, not a close up one. I did grab an stage shot from the balcony after sound check.
The only real gear shot that I grabbed was of my basses. I usually only bring a single instrument to a show, but by the inverse principle of Murphy's Law, being prepared for something to go wrong will make it less likely to happen, I brought a backup bass. My main is the Tune TWB-63 on the left. The backup is my late 90's Yamaha TRB-6II. And of course, I didn't need the backup.
In case you've never heard of Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, you definitely should check them out. They're a trio centered around Jonathan Scales steel drum compositions. He's backed up by Maison Guidry on drums and E'Lon JD on bass, both phenominal players and super nice guys. Was able to catch their sound check right before we did ours.
The show packed up earlier than most and we got to play to the full room. It was a great crowd as well! During Animals As Leaders' encore, Tosin gave us a shout out and mispronounced our name, only to have the crowd correct him en masse. Not a terrible moment.
I would've gone to this show anyways, but getting to share the stage with and watch these two amazing bands from the sidelines made it all so much better!
*Bonus: Tosin's guitar rack*
So on July 3rd, my band Confusatron got to open for Jonathan Scales Fourchestra and Animals As Leaders at Aura in Portland, ME. It was a blast!
First of all, Aura is a fantastic venue to play at. The setup and crew were all amazing. Gear moving was very easy and seamless thanks to the freight elevator with basement/street/stage access. We were able to load in, setup in the basement area, then shuttle everything up to the stage for quick setup. After our set, we were clear of the stage in about five minutes with all of our gear back in the basement area while JS4 was getting on stage. The basement also houses the green rooms and VIP area. Being the local opener, no green room for us but the access to the backstage and VIP areas was very nice.
JS4 and Animals As Leaders' gear was backlined. The second band, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, set up in a line across the stage with the drums on the right. This worked out perfect as we set up the exact opposite of that, which our drummer on the left. I got to set my tiny 1x15/1x12 stack in front of Tosin's four cab array. I was so busy that I forgot to grab a rig pic. At least, not a close up one. I did grab an stage shot from the balcony after sound check.
The only real gear shot that I grabbed was of my basses. I usually only bring a single instrument to a show, but by the inverse principle of Murphy's Law, being prepared for something to go wrong will make it less likely to happen, I brought a backup bass. My main is the Tune TWB-63 on the left. The backup is my late 90's Yamaha TRB-6II. And of course, I didn't need the backup.
In case you've never heard of Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, you definitely should check them out. They're a trio centered around Jonathan Scales steel drum compositions. He's backed up by Maison Guidry on drums and E'Lon JD on bass, both phenominal players and super nice guys. Was able to catch their sound check right before we did ours.
The show packed up earlier than most and we got to play to the full room. It was a great crowd as well! During Animals As Leaders' encore, Tosin gave us a shout out and mispronounced our name, only to have the crowd correct him en masse. Not a terrible moment.
I would've gone to this show anyways, but getting to share the stage with and watch these two amazing bands from the sidelines made it all so much better!
*Bonus: Tosin's guitar rack*
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