Mixing: KSB in El Dorado, AR
Every Thursday I mix "Refuge," which is a weekly OBU worship service. Occasionally, the band will get called to play at outside events.
Such as... Texarkana, AR
We loaded up Friday after we finished classes, hit Happy Hour at Sonic, hit the road for El Dorado. That's a lot of hitting, I'm not normally such a violent person, sorry.
About an hour and a half drive, not bad, when you're riding with Jake Sligh. Jake plays electric guitar for KSB, but knows his way around a Bass just as good. He's an OBU junior this year. He plays a Vox AC15, sits on a DL4 most of the time, and has never been known to miss a riff. Every song, I can't count on taking Jake's channel up to Unity at the right time. That electric line will be there, and it'll be strong. Jake is a fantastic player.
We were traveling to play a DNOW at our Bass player's home church, Wyatt Baptist Church.
Wes Hymer, as of right now, 11:35am on May 5, 2009, might be my favorite Bass players I've ever heard. He plays a Fender bass with an Ampeg amp rig. He's a magician, (which is probably an unfair advantage as to why he got bumped to my #1 slot). Wes is always in the pocket, he always nails the basics, but he is mega creative. If you watch him closely, you realize all the work he's putting in, and understand how the song is driven, every time, by his bass playing. A musician/magician.
KSB rotates out different parts to different players when availability is a problem, but Bass and Drums are locked. On drums is Justin Magness. Justin plays a dw Kit with Zildjian A Custom cymbals. A man after my own heart. Justin and I have a good relationship of mic placement. He lets me set it where it needs to be, I make sure that location is completely out of his way. I don't want the mics hit, after all. Justin gives me clean soundchecks, plays dynamically when I need it, and maintains a solid backbone without some of the garbage mess some drummers feel obligated to toss in. Justin knows how to play worship music, making sure the crowd isn't worshipping him. Some drummers get that backwards. He doesn't, I love it.
Lastly, (why do they always introduce the lead last?) is Klayton Seyler. The NAME of the band. Just to set that straight, he didn't just flat out name it after himself. Klayton Seyler is an extraordinary worship leader, with a keen sense of dynamics and response. He is an organized band leader, but not afraid to stray from the song to lead the audience in what they need to hear. I would hate to run PPT for him, but take every opportunity I can to run sound for him.
After the show, we got loaded up, grabbed some dinner at Applebee's, and drove back to Arkadelphia. Wyatt Baptist was one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen. They ran a Yamaha LS9 at FOH, Sennheiser 300 IEMs, and RF guitars. They had a beautiful wooden platform with rugs for every instrument, as well as the tightest cable runs I've ever seen. Thank you, Wyatt, for allowing us to take over your building for the night. Thank you, KSB guys, for allowing me to mix for you.