I Couldn't Have Dreamed It Any Better

Los Angeles, California. The second largest city in the United States, but it's best known to McNally-Smith and the rest of the music industry as the music business mecca of the world. This metropolis has been the city where I've kicked back my weary head at the end of every night for the past 2 months to catch a couple hours of sleep before tearing into my next day of music madness. From nights behind the sound board of raucous rock shows of L.A.'s finest, or fulfilling all-day event plans on the Sunset Strip, "La-La Land" is where I've made my new abode.

I came out here after I received word from Debbie Sandridge(Director of Career Development at M.S.) that she was able to get me an internship at the Key Club, the famed club/venue in the heart of West Hollywood on the legendary Sunset Strip. This club's stage has been the performance pedestal for artists ranging from Hoobastank, Snoop Dogg, and Black Eyed Peas all the way to Sarah McLaughlin, John Mayer, and Tony Bennett. It's been my goal and dream to open a venue one day, and by the graces of Debbie Sandridge, I start my journey at one of the hottest venues in L.A.!

The first day I came in, the fantastic peeps of the Key Club offered me a job as concierge for the office. Within the first week I was able to intern in the club doing live sound. My first gig was doing monitors for the KottonMouth Kings--all of this on top of doing my internship in the club's offices everyday of booking, promoting, and special events coordinating.
One night I was hanging out after my internship, and the production manager, Brad, said "The sound girl didn't show up! Can you do F.O.H. in the VIP Lounge tonight??" At first I thought he was kidding but within 15 minutes I was in the club setting up mics for a hip hop show that was starting in a half hour!
Ok, so that stuff's all good and great, but one of the main highlights of my time out here happened on a day I wasn't expecting. I opened up the club at noon on a Sunday. Q-Tip, the legendary lyricist from A Tribe Called Quest--and one of my main influences--was playing that night. His production crew showed up early, and I was the only one at the club at that point so I let them in. Tip's production manager, Maynard, asked me if I did production at the club and if I could help him. "Yeh. What do you need?"
MAYNARD: "We have a huge surprise guest coming in tonight to play with Tip, and I need to know stuff about the stage."
ME: "Who's coming in? Are we talking Phife Dog... or Prince?"
MAYNARD: "Stevie Wonder. But that's top secret information that no one else can know except the appropriate people."
ME: "For sure. But I need to tell my production manager so we can get ready for it."
With that, I called Brad and asked him FIRST if I could intern at monitors that night, and SECOND that Stevie Wonder was going to casually stroll through and do a number. I had to go the whole day and night without saying a thing. Q-Tip came in for sound check, and it was an honor to meet him mostly because 'Beats, Rhymes, and Life' was the first hip-hop album I ever bought back in 7th grade. I watched him perform and helped run things backstage, and then he came out for the encore, and sure enough over the P.A. everyone started hearing the vocals to "Superstition"...but they weren't playing on a CD. Stevie himself came walking out on stage and went right up to the piano and started jammin the song right with Q-Tip and his band. What a sight, and I was standing about 4 feet behind them. After the show the club cleared out and I got to go up and have a couple words with Stevie, and by chance the other sound guy had my camera and snapped a quick picture of the moment. I'll post it soon, but I don't have it with me now.
Well that seems like a good place to end this blog. All the other stuff about running amuck with coworkers at the Sunset Strip Block Party catching the performances of Linkin Park and Common at the Key Club and the Roxy; Rod Stewart playing at the Key Club, and all the other crazy stories will be for another blog.

More later,
Conall Walsh