Service Learning: November 13th 2011

Band: GWAR
Genre: Heavy Metal
From: Richmond, Virginia

Today I worked with a crazy band that's been coming to The Glass House for many years. They're very theatrical and bring all of their own props and stuff. I spoke with lead singer Dave Brockie (middle) and he said "All the props are made of furniture stuffing. Like the stuff that's inside couches and pillows. You just cut it into whatever shape you want and then put liquid rubber over it and then paint it."We loaded in at 12 p.m.  since it was such a high profile show.

Aside from their insane props, one thing GWAR is famous for is spraying the audience with "blood", a mixture of water and powder food coloring. The audience members wear white shirts in preparation for that, but the stage and floor must be covered in carpeting.

Next, we worked on setup. Since this band had so many inputs in the system, the supporting bands had to work with them and share lines and cables. Due to their intricate set design, I had to climb on top and around a lot of stuff to be able to plug things in. 

After we finished setting up, we went home for a break before the show started. GWAR went on at 10 and they were a huge success! The show was very close to being sold out and it was a bloody mess afterwards :) 

I've been going to GWAR shows for a few years now and they're definitely one of my favorite bands to work with. I had some great conversations with Dave. They've been going through a rough time because one of their band members, guitarist Flattus Maximus, passed away while they were on their way to Canada during this tour. They had to cancel 2 shows, but they couldn't stop the tour. That just goes to show some of the things that can go wrong during concert production, but the show must go on! 

R.I.P. Cory Smoot a.k.a. Flattus Maximus

Self Reflection

1. How do you think you are doing so far in your senior project and why?
I think I deserve a P or an AE so far. I've done everything that has been asked and I've also done extra research. I have more than half of my service learning completed as well.

2. What is one thing you have done well on and why?
I would say service learning. I've learned a lot while working with the guys at the Glass House and I'm excited to continue that. I've also been working on updating my blog with photos and information about it.

3. What is one thing you would like to improve on and why?
The quality of my interviews. I think I should ask more follow-up questions since I'm going to have to get used to making up my own questions for the next couple interviews coming up.

Service Learning: November 5th 2011

Today I worked at The Glass House with a band called The Aquabats!
They were going to be filming for their new TV show, The Aquabats! Super Show, so when we got there at 3 p.m., they already had everything set up. Their television crew had been there since 11 a.m. setting up. They had some awesome lighting going on.

Since everything was already set up and they had their own audio engineer, there wasn't much for us to do. My dad usually just "babysits" when the band has their own engineer. He just makes sure they're familiarized with the system and then lets them do their own thing. We watched them do their soundcheck.

After soundcheck, there really wasn't anything for me to do with my dad, so I worked with Cameron Corp. He's the manager and also the guy I interviewed for my second interview. We looked at all the stuff we would need to go out and buy. He doesn't only buy snacks, but also all the cleaning supplies for the venue. We went to Smart & Final and bought 8 cases of water, some candy, soap for the bathrooms, floor cleaner, nacho chips, monster, gatorade, and ketchup :) When we got back, I made the pretzels and the corn dogs that would be sold. It's 8 p.m. and it's SHOW TIME!

The show went really well. It went about half an hour longer than normal since they were recording for their t.v. show. It was a lot of fun! I didn't get home until almost 1 a.m., but it was worth it!

*Fun Fact* :)
The top selling candy bars at The Glass House are:
-Snickers
-Twix
-Peanut M&M's

Science Fair Proposal

1. What is your hypothesis?
If material form and sound absorption are related, then the thickest and most texturized materials will absorb the most sound

2. Identify the dependent, independent, and control variables.
dependent=sound, independent=soundproofing materials, control=alarm clock

3. What is the connection between your science project and your senior project EQ?
One of my answers to my EQ is going to be "having good acoustics in the venue". This connects with soundproofing, which is exactly what my experiment is.

4. How will you perform the experience?
I will build a small room by using wood and plexiglass for the front so you can see through. I will put and alarm clock (or other loud noise-maker that can be set off) inside and use it as the sound source. I will line the inside of the room with various materials. I will then measure the amount of sound that is emitted by the alarm by using a dB (decibel) meter.
various materials will include: cloth, sponges, acoustic panels, and egg cartons.

5. Which category will your project be listed under?
Engineering Research & Applications