One night Max Crawford came out to join Tributosaurus as we became Elvis Costello. Max transcribed the hauntingly ethereal Chet Baker flugelhorn solos on “Shipbuilding,” and it was a highlight of the night to do that with him. Afterwards, we reveled and discussed; the soundman had used some reverb and echo on the 2nd solo, as a nod to a similar effective production moment on the recording. But…then later when talking with soundman Sergio, I complimented him on the reverb. He said “yeah…it just kind of seemed to fit what he was doing. Glad you didn’t mind.” Sergio had never heard the song Shipbuilding, ever. He was just nudged and inspired somehow to do EXACTLY what producer Clive Langer had done on the record.
So, what to glean from this beautiful moment?
1) A good soundman is a band member, listening and aesthetically reacting along with us.
2) Somewhere, Chet Baker appreciated Max’s playing, transcription, and the night’s vibe in general, so he pushed Sergio’s hand towards the reverb.
3) Live music continues to offer cosmic, emotional, powerful connections across dimensions.
4) I’m an eternal hippie.
Matt is the son of an opera singer/music teacher and a sportswriter/small business owner. He is the youngest of 5, and had to fight for airtime at the kitchen table. Of his two older brothers, one was a musician and one an athlete/sports fan. Matt became both. He has always been both, among other sthings.
Matt hosts sports radio on 670 The Score in Chicago, writes Baseball columns in various places, sings with the band he founded, Tributosaurus, and writes about everything from his favorite sandwich to his only child.
He is curious, and works hard to remain open and optimistic. Happiness is a choice.