We were lucky to catch up with Cale Conrad recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cale, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
In the Live Event industry there are a litany of variables that are at hand. Most people look at the lights, sound, and instruments and think “wow, I can’t imagine how many technical difficulties you run into.”. Which is absolutely the case, it is a constant onslaught of problem solving. This makes my job a lot of fun, albeit stressful at times. There are a lot of high pressure situations. Something that is rarely spoken about though is the “identity crisis” that comes with a job like mine. When you have invested so much time and energy on your craft along side the praise of being re-hired, you begin to believe it’s the only thing you are valued for. To be honest, it makes sense because we usually looked at by our resume to see if we are “good enough”. Resume’s don’t always come with a personality check along side it. Even though, most people try to vet you through other professionals in your field. I personally dealt with this exact issue. Our life on the road sometimes feels as though it’s a feature film. We travel the world with our friends putting on shows that change peoples perspective along side music that has potentially changed peoples lives. These people all get together in the same room singing the same words no matter where they come from, the feeling of being a part of creating a moment as important as that can be “euphoric”. Then I have to come home and sit in traffic, eat at home, and try to keep my self “busy”. The “identity crisis” problem is one that can be debilitating to say the least, especially for those with families. People have lost families, jobs, and worst of all themselves. It is the first thing I tell any young gun touring person that wants to step into this field about first. It happens fast, and it happens hard. If you aren’t careful it will sneak up on you.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello! my Name is Cale and live in Nashville, TN. I am a Live Audio Engineer for artists like Quinn XCII, Judah & The Lion, Chelsea Cutler, and a few others. in short I get to work with some amazing bands and artists to represent their music to the fans the best way I know how from a “sound” standpoint. There is a lot that comes with this job and industry, hopefully I can help fill in the gaps. For me, I have been a musician most of my life. I am a drummer by trade if you will, but have picked up some skills over the years. In 2012 I had a friend who was headed off to college and his church needed someone to learn what he knew and take over. I was interested and he took me under his wing to show me everything he could in a matter of a couple months. From that moment I went to work. I spent COUNTLESS hours on YouTube, audio forums, asking new audio friends questions, and time in front of any soundboard I could get my hands on.
Over the last decade I put in more time in my craft than I had ever done with anything else in my life. I was purely dedicated because of how fun it was to create moments that no one would ever get back, and work with music in a creative and problem solving way. After getting a full time Production Manager job at a Church in Jackson, TN for 4.5 years, I decided to try my hand at touring full time. Thankfully my older brother, who taught me how to play drums, had toured most of my life so I had a bit of a pulse on that side of the industry. So, I moved to Memphis, TN fully expecting about 6 to 10 months of local gigs before I even hopped on a van tour in small clubs. To my surprise, 2 months into my move I was pushing my resume, which had zero touring qualifications, to a site called BOBNET. This is a website of “classifieds” for the touring industry. I received an email from a Production Manager with a band that was looking for a monitor engineer (someone who does sound for the band on stage with the headphones you see them wearing so they can hear themselves in loud environments). He said “if this reference on your resume vets you then you are in!”. Instantly I was freaking out. I had never heard of this band, and outside of an interview with the Tour Manager I was basically locking in my first gig of my career. What I came to find out was this was a LARGE gig for someone who has no experience in touring but only audio. I was stepping on a tour bus, being flown everywhere, and doing shows in some of the bigger arena venues in the country. Although that sounds like a movie scene, and trust me it is, I knew that when I got to this gig I had so much work cut out for me. I was drinking from a fire hydrant, and if I am honest, I DID NOT deserve this opportunity. BUT I was sure going to earn it.
The life style is mainly split in two ways. There is what they call “weekend warrior” which means you are gone from home roughly Thursday-Sunday and home Monday-Wednesday. The other is considered “pop touring” which means you are gone for an entire 6-10 weeks at a time depending on the size of the tour. I believe that’s the crux of most things you set your mind to. Since that gig my career has taken an upward swing that I could have never imagined. I have gained skill as a Production Manager, and Front of House engineer that would never have come otherwise. I am grateful to the people who took a chance on me and continue to do so, if you ever read this you know who you are.
I have been able to work for artists that I truly am a fan of.
I’m proud to say that no matter how “great” these accomplishments are the thing that will ALWAYS be the most important is people. People are the life blood of this industry from behind the scenes to the fans that make this possible. My love for people and their stories continues to push me forward. I get to be in the room and hear from fans, security guards, attendants, and local crews about how my teams and artists have impacted their day or changed their life for the better. 2024 should be a fun year for everyone it seems, I’m always open for a chat about this career path for anyone interested and available to help out with an upcoming show or tour.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being a creative has always been the impact on people. Being able to see people come alive in the settings I create in are magical. It goes so far beyond fun. It’s a moment in time that will never happen again with these people, at this time in their lives, in this venue, with these songs. change the way they see things, and create a strong sense of togetherness and community, especially in live concerts or performances. When I’m at a soundboard, mixing the music for a live show, it’s like putting together a special journey through sound. It’s not just about adjusting the technical stuff; it’s about capturing the heart of each song, creating an atmosphere that goes beyond just hearing music. In a live performance, the goal is to entertain, but also to make a lasting impact, to give the audience an experience that sticks with them and connects us all in a special way.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
it’s often a misunderstood place for creatives in the live music industry. Mostly because we get to travel the world with our best friends and do something we love to do. Not everyone has it that good on the road though. It also is a tumultuous and arduous place to put your self into your art. Late nights, a lot of fans and other people fighting for your attention, artists still needing to work while on the road, missing family, shows not going well, physical health problems. The list can get large. It can be a lonely place to be even with thousands of people surrounding you, and tons of other co-workers around. It’s hard to take time to yourself also, to work on yourself, and be alone with your thoughts in a healthy way. You are always ON. If fans and other people attending concerts, and when they do often are surprised by this. We are a guarded bunch to be honest, mostly because we put so much of ourselves into our art that for better or worse we don’t have a whole lot left for ourself and others.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @cale_conrad
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Y11c2l5mhZLv4-akBAzfw