RE: [Harp-L] Super Loud Bands

["Billy James" <billyjames@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Rick Dempster... what a buzz opening for Led Zep! 
Those were the days amigo.Bet you had fun. 
I had Ross Wilson [Daddy Cool] sitting in my music room a few years back, playing a guitar boogie for me to lay it out on.
 For the Americans, Ross Wilson not only is an iconic Australian songwriter, singer, guitarist and great record producer, he is a very good harmonica player as well.
We had just been to see [the new so called ACDC]...'AIRBORNE'. Sometime later,
the surf garage rock outfit I now 'occasionally' play with [The Stiffies] actually toured with them. They had more stage crew and amps than 'Ben Hur'. It was quite funny and very 'Spinal Tap'.For that tour I needed a 'great loud amp'  so I imported a 'much hyped' model...haa..hmm; which cut the mustard in the mix when miked to P.A. (but had a flaw in the tone pots). 
In that band there is always going to be an issue with the frequencies between harmonica and guitar. That's that. I've even used the SJ2 with 6x8 and it can't get over the guitar if not miked to P.A. The fact is however 'live' the band is awesome and I love the music and the focus of playing harp in it. 
The younger crowd literally go 'wild' as we just hit them with a unfettered attack from what is essentially a three piece. It works and those connections in a rock band are 'rare'.
 Many times however, when playing with that 'punk' band, I've literally felt like killing the [so called]sound engineer. 
Quite often, these guys seem to have a really arrogant attitude and seem to think they are some kind of rock stars themselves. 
I've literally nearly 'decked' a couple of characters whilst playing the show [it seems the audience love to see a little violence from the 'old' harp dude]. I personally hate, playing harp in a over the top volume band.It's just plain ridiculous and won't work most times. Some 'rock guitarists' are simply dumb- ass narcissistic idiots [possibly in love with themselves or 'the dream' of rock stardom']. It ain't what it's all about. At the end of the day I think it's about 'connecting with the audience', entertaining, not blowing their eardrums. I like to build a show gradually with volume as the crowd relaxes, loosens up and enjoys themselves. Obviously playing blues is something else for a start, as you say, the originators just didn't have the 'loud' equipment nor necessity to play 'loud'. Bars and clubs we played in the 70's were usually small affairs anyway.
As you mentioned some of the 'loudest' rock bands we've played with actually have moderate on stage volumes. When I see old clips of bands like Led Zeppelin often I notice no monitors just amps and column P.A. James T. out of Canned heat played great rockin' boogie dance shows with just an unmiked Fender Bassman [re biased? by Harvey Mandel]. He used it for both great tongue blocked bullet harp [just an older Hohner Blue Bullet] and twin necked guitar. 
He wouldn't dream of miking it to P.A. unless they played open air festivals. Most times they set up and mixed their own show.