10
Jun
2003
On practically any given day or night in the Quad Cities, there's bound to be a band playing, an open-mic jam, or some musicians cranking it out in some way, shape, or form. One of the most important aspects, if not the most important aspect, of making music is the sound, and if you're making it around here, chances are you know who Frank Holst is. Holst is the proprietor of River Cities Sound & Lights (RCS), a Quad Cities institution in live sound. I was able to catch up with Frank and find out more about the ins and outs of his business.
Holst got started the way most sound engineers do: in a band. "I'd say it was probably in high school. We'd pretty much plug in and go. I was a drummer. Usually the sound guy is, because he has to deal with so much equipment," he said, laughing. "After college I was doing sound for a local band, Enoch Smoking - they were kind of like a regional Cream - and in probably '73 or '74 I went to work for a company called Advanced Audio in Iowa City, which was really one of the only places in the area that had what was considered professional equipment at the time."
After a couple of years of learning the ropes, Frank decided to venture out on his own. "Eventually a couple of guys that I was working with and I started RCS in '76," he said. Few probably know that one of those guys was Mark Zimmerman of Zimmerman Pontiac Oldsmobile Cadillac Honda in Rock Island. "He still helps me out occasionally. He'll show up at the Blues Fest and help me tear down. I'll tell him, 'The only reason you do this is to remind yourself why you're not in this business,'" Holst joked.
A testament to River Cities Sound's success and reputation is its long-standing stint at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Frank and his crew have been doing the sound engineering at the Fest since its inception. "This will be my 19th year," he noted. Music obviously comes to mind when you think of live sound, but a large portion of RCS's business comes from corporate audio-visual setups. Holst and company spend a lot of time on the road - from California to Florida to Texas - servicing major accounts, and there is of course the sales and rental side of the business.
When I asked Holst about his preference between the two types of jobs, he shared that they each have challenges and rewards. "There are a couple of major differences between a concert and a corporate gig. A lot of it has to do with the look of a setup, or rather, the lack of look. At a corporate job, you don't want to see the gear." There can also be a lot of pressure to perform at the corporate setups, as Frank recalled a recent job for Rockwell that involved the CEO speaking to Wall Street analysts about the future of the company through his setup. "No pressure there!" he said with a laugh. "But on the other hand, the corporate jobs pay well."
With some definite challenges to his profession - odd hours, diverse and unpredictable working conditions, etc. - I asked what the appeal of being a sound engineer is. "I like the creativity of it," he explained. "Sometimes you get backed into a corner with different personalities - musicians with out-of-control egos, promoters with out-of-reality expectations - and you either put on your diplomatic hat or bulldoze through it. The gig has to happen. If you do nothing with it, it's noise. If you do something, it's music. Plus, I do get to set my own hours. They might be strange sometimes, but they're mine."
Holst explained that live sound is definitely a labor of love if you're going to do it in this area. "You're not going to make a lot of money in this business in the Midwest. A job with a crew that costs $6,000 in Cedar Rapids is $18,000 in California, and that's just for the gear." He added, "Anyone who's thinking about this for a profession has to realize that you're in the service business. Once you take on a wedding, you might have to play a polka - or mic a tap dancer. Leave your ego in your lunchbox."
Since River Cities Sound and Frank Holst have been involved in the area scene for so many years and have worked with a lot of bands and musicians, I asked what sorts of things they can do to make his job easier. "There's a phrase in the business, 'Oh by the ways.'" He explained, "'Oh, by the way, do you have a record player in there?' 'Oh by the way, you'll have to set up in the pool.' But that's just something you deal with. If you do this long enough, you'll learn to always be prepared. But usually, it's things that are solvable. Maybe they're playing too loud for a given situation or expecting miracles out of a stage monitor. I'll ask the drummer, 'What do you want to hear in your monitors?' and he'll say, 'Everything.' That's not production. What musicians need to understand is that what you need to hear through your PA is what you can't hear acoustically on stage."
I wanted to hear his take on the future of the local music scene. "There will always be bands. People are always going to be playing in a basement or garage, but it's nice to do it in front of an appreciative audience, and that's what makes a music scene. But the answer is, I don't really know. We just don't have those 500- or 600-seat venues like we used to. I think it has to do with a combination of building expenses, and the drinking age. The liability is ridiculous."
So what kind of advice does he offer up-and-coming musicians? His sentiments mirrored his views on his line of work. "If you're going to be a professional, the first choice you have to make is: Are you going to please yourself or create an audience? If you're just going to please yourself, it's a lot harder road to hoe. You can't ignore the business of it. It's nice to stay 100 percent true to yourself, but that doesn't pay the bills. Compromise is a part of life, and it's usually a sign of intelligence."
Holst got started the way most sound engineers do: in a band. "I'd say it was probably in high school. We'd pretty much plug in and go. I was a drummer. Usually the sound guy is, because he has to deal with so much equipment," he said, laughing. "After college I was doing sound for a local band, Enoch Smoking - they were kind of like a regional Cream - and in probably '73 or '74 I went to work for a company called Advanced Audio in Iowa City, which was really one of the only places in the area that had what was considered professional equipment at the time."
After a couple of years of learning the ropes, Frank decided to venture out on his own. "Eventually a couple of guys that I was working with and I started RCS in '76," he said. Few probably know that one of those guys was Mark Zimmerman of Zimmerman Pontiac Oldsmobile Cadillac Honda in Rock Island. "He still helps me out occasionally. He'll show up at the Blues Fest and help me tear down. I'll tell him, 'The only reason you do this is to remind yourself why you're not in this business,'" Holst joked.
A testament to River Cities Sound's success and reputation is its long-standing stint at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Frank and his crew have been doing the sound engineering at the Fest since its inception. "This will be my 19th year," he noted. Music obviously comes to mind when you think of live sound, but a large portion of RCS's business comes from corporate audio-visual setups. Holst and company spend a lot of time on the road - from California to Florida to Texas - servicing major accounts, and there is of course the sales and rental side of the business.
When I asked Holst about his preference between the two types of jobs, he shared that they each have challenges and rewards. "There are a couple of major differences between a concert and a corporate gig. A lot of it has to do with the look of a setup, or rather, the lack of look. At a corporate job, you don't want to see the gear." There can also be a lot of pressure to perform at the corporate setups, as Frank recalled a recent job for Rockwell that involved the CEO speaking to Wall Street analysts about the future of the company through his setup. "No pressure there!" he said with a laugh. "But on the other hand, the corporate jobs pay well."
With some definite challenges to his profession - odd hours, diverse and unpredictable working conditions, etc. - I asked what the appeal of being a sound engineer is. "I like the creativity of it," he explained. "Sometimes you get backed into a corner with different personalities - musicians with out-of-control egos, promoters with out-of-reality expectations - and you either put on your diplomatic hat or bulldoze through it. The gig has to happen. If you do nothing with it, it's noise. If you do something, it's music. Plus, I do get to set my own hours. They might be strange sometimes, but they're mine."
Holst explained that live sound is definitely a labor of love if you're going to do it in this area. "You're not going to make a lot of money in this business in the Midwest. A job with a crew that costs $6,000 in Cedar Rapids is $18,000 in California, and that's just for the gear." He added, "Anyone who's thinking about this for a profession has to realize that you're in the service business. Once you take on a wedding, you might have to play a polka - or mic a tap dancer. Leave your ego in your lunchbox."
Since River Cities Sound and Frank Holst have been involved in the area scene for so many years and have worked with a lot of bands and musicians, I asked what sorts of things they can do to make his job easier. "There's a phrase in the business, 'Oh by the ways.'" He explained, "'Oh, by the way, do you have a record player in there?' 'Oh by the way, you'll have to set up in the pool.' But that's just something you deal with. If you do this long enough, you'll learn to always be prepared. But usually, it's things that are solvable. Maybe they're playing too loud for a given situation or expecting miracles out of a stage monitor. I'll ask the drummer, 'What do you want to hear in your monitors?' and he'll say, 'Everything.' That's not production. What musicians need to understand is that what you need to hear through your PA is what you can't hear acoustically on stage."
I wanted to hear his take on the future of the local music scene. "There will always be bands. People are always going to be playing in a basement or garage, but it's nice to do it in front of an appreciative audience, and that's what makes a music scene. But the answer is, I don't really know. We just don't have those 500- or 600-seat venues like we used to. I think it has to do with a combination of building expenses, and the drinking age. The liability is ridiculous."
So what kind of advice does he offer up-and-coming musicians? His sentiments mirrored his views on his line of work. "If you're going to be a professional, the first choice you have to make is: Are you going to please yourself or create an audience? If you're just going to please yourself, it's a lot harder road to hoe. You can't ignore the business of it. It's nice to stay 100 percent true to yourself, but that doesn't pay the bills. Compromise is a part of life, and it's usually a sign of intelligence."
