Mill Hill Music Festival - Dear Diary Day 2

First a quick note for those of you who haven't followed the blog over the weekend. This week is the BiAnnual Mill Hill Music Festival. My life this week is all about running sound systems at the festival, so for the week, this is my festival diary. I really want to focus on music this week and not get wrapped up in the other stuff I usually blog about. I hope you find it interesting. If you don't sorry - normal service will be resumed Monday week.

So day 2 is over, this was our most full on day. 4 events, all totally different at 4 different venues. First up, a trip to the Three Hammers for the Fathers day Jazz Lunch. My involvement, dole out a few leaflets and talk to a few punters. A good crowd. The Ian Bramald Dixieland Jazz Band are a fairly self contained outfit. The gig was free to enter and rather popular with the local OAP's. The crowd enjoyed a pleasant day in the sun, listening to some good music. As ever with this gig, we always get a few compliments, from people who can't get out as much as they'd like. Half way through, I crossed the road, to help get Maiko Mori's piano recital going at Belmont School. A very different crowd of music lovers. I only caught the first couple of numbers, but she is a truly inspiring player. I feel I must say something here about one of our team, Lesley Evans, who's husband Richard has been in the news of late. Lesley runs the bars (Richard has in past years helped out). It wouldn't be right for me to say anything about the case here, but I asked Lesley how Richard was and we had a brief chat about the situation he finds himself in. I just cannot believe that the way his case has been covered by the press is right or fair. I don't subscribe to Richards brand of politics, but even if he is completely exhonourated, his name has been dragged through the mud. We have a tradition of innocence until proven guilty. If your name is plastered all over the press, your reputation trashed and your family traumatised, how can that be fair, if you have been found guilty of nothing? When the case has been heard and the verdict given, we can make our judgement, based on the evidence, until then, we should leave him alone. The story should be that he's been suspended full stop. I just feel very sorry for him, his wife and his children and hope that he is treated with a modicum of decency pending the outcome of the investigations.

The third concert was the Choral Evenson & the London Single reed clarinet orchestra. I missed this, but Mrs T tells me it was a great success. I then went over to The Adam & Eve pub to set up the rig for the good old boys. I was there from 3pm till Midnight. The band were awesome, a mix of great classic rock tracks from the 50's 60's & 70's. There was a good crowd. When Nick Semper, a former member of the Classic Deep Purple line up compliments you for getting a great sound, it all seems worth while. The rest of the band were pretty tasty players as well. When you have great players, who understand the dynamics of a live gig, being a sound guy is the most rewarding job in the world. It is a strange job because you know you've done a good job when no one notices you. I guess it makes dull blogging to say they are all nice guys and it went well. There you go.

Mill Hill Music Festival Diary : Music brings people together

One of the things that you find when you do sound systems, especially at gigs such as the Mill Hill Music Festival, is that you have frantic periods of activity followed by long periods of boredom. The PA crew arrive first. They have the heaviest gear to set up. That all has to be in place before the band can start their setup. You work towards the soundcheck, which is probably (or should be) your most crucial time. When that's done, you don't have much to do (except possibly play a few CD's) until the band take the stage.

Professional soundguys don't get pissed on the job. Therefore you have plenty of time to contemplate life. Watching Elaine Delmar sing last night got me thinking about the way music has changed my life and the way I think. When you are in a band you develop a strong bond with the people you play with. You spend time in each others pockets so you can also develop an intense dislike (especially if you steal another band members partner!). One thing you quickly realise is that racial & religious intolerance is a completely ridiculous concept. If you are playing with a talented musician, you don't think she's Black or he's Jewish. You just feel honoured to share the moment with them. It is pretty much the same with sport. I remember one football team I played for recruited a fantastic black player, who transformed the team. One of the other team members privately told me that he "usually didn't like blacks, but ****** was ok". I asked him how many other black people he actually knew and perhaps unsurprisingly, he said none. Over the course of time, the two players became firm friends & developed a huge mutual respect. That is why sport and music are important. They unite us around our strengths. They break down barriers and we see people for their worth, not through our prejudice.

My company sponsors the Mill Hill Music Festival. I do it all for free, as does the rest of the committee. It takes a major chunk out of my life, for instance I'll hardly see my kids on fathers day. I see it as an investment in society. We had an excellent crowd last night. Many of the older customers tell us they love live music, but can't easily get up to town to see it. For some it is the highlight of the year. At the last festival, a couple of old ladies from the Drapers homes on Hammers Lane approached me at the Dixieland Jazz Lunch gig at the Three Hammers. This is a free event. They expressed their gratitude to us for organising it. They said that there wasn't much they could get to these days.

That's why we do it and that is the payback. Got to go, got a jazz lunch at the Hammers to help at, then it's down to the Adam and Eve for the Good Old Boys (featuring Alan Barratt, Nick Semper (ex Deep Purple), Pete Parks, Simon Bishop & Richard Hudson (the Strawbs), and a big PA to rig