Notes_Norton Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 We were playing outdoors, under the canopy, to an almost full house yesterday (the tourist season is waning). There were only a couple of tables left. A group of bikers parked, came in, pushed two tables together, and about a dozen of them sat down. Then they started "talking" with sign language, and I realized they were all deaf. Hands flying everywhere, and ignoring the band. Other people were dancing, listening and applauding, but these folks were not paying attention at all. Imagine that. Actually, I was fascinated by their conversion. I could see the facial and physical expression with their hands, whether it was excitement, disagreement, joy, or whatever. Quite entertaining. They had their meal, and left. I hope they come back. Notes ♫ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 Kanye's music is best heard by deaf people... 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 Waay back in the day, one of my high school band's favorite gigs was a Midwest version of a psychedelic lounge - a downtown basement with black walls and ceiling , punctuated by blacklight posters, mirror balls and strobe lights. Oblivious to the obvious optometric health risks, we had black lights across the front of the stage and painted our eyelids with fluorescent paint so our eyes would flash every time we blinked. I'd have my Nehru jacket (that my mom sewed from a pattern from Sears) and beads, my hair as long as the school board would tolerate, feeling pretty hip. This club happened to be close to a school for the deaf. Deaf kids made up a significant percentage of our audience. And they danced. Danced and laughed and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, which mystified me. So one night I got up the nerve to approach a cute girl from that group and have an awkward chat via an interpreter. She said we were their favorite band, because we were the loudest of all the bands they had in there. In particular, they cited our bass player for being particularly thunderous. Loud enough that they could feel it in their chests. Today, I hate playing loud. My hearing has suffered from a lifetime of loud music. My eyesight sucks and I wonder how much of that was the result of looking into ultraviolet lamps for hours at a time. But I don't despair that the day may come when I just can't enjoy music anymore due to deadening senses. I think about those kids at the Peppermint Lounge and how humans can adapt and find joy despite sensory limitations. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted April 22, 2023 Author Share Posted April 22, 2023 I've read that deaf folks enjoy loud music with a lot of bass, because they can feel the vibrations. I don't think the deaf people that came into our outdoor restaurant had that experience. We max the volume out there to about 85dba at the closest table to the band. So many adults come to eat lunch, and we don't want to chase them away. Every dollar spent at the restaurant when we are playing is job security. The owner likes us a lot, but he wouldn't have us if we started chasing people away. After the lunch crowd leaves, we can crank it up a bit, but not too much. It's important to play at the appropriate volume for each venue. We have one yacht club we often play that during dinner we max out at about 65dba. When dinner is over and the dancing starts, we peak at a little over 100dba. We have another regular client that likes it loud, and we are about 115 near the speakers. I put in my musician's ear-plugs for that gig. The deaf folks might like us there. :D Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 5 hours ago, Notes_Norton said: I've read that deaf folks enjoy loud music with a lot of bass, because they can feel the vibrations. They do indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 I was playing at a huge motor coach park many years ago. The kind that look like buses. At that time I had a subwoofer which consisted of two 12" speakers in a 1/2" plywood case. While we were doing the sound check, the guy who booked us sat down on the woofer and said, "If I had one of these, I wouldn't need a wife!" Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 6 hours ago, Notes_Norton said: I was playing at a huge motor coach park many years ago. The kind that look like buses. At that time I had a subwoofer which consisted of two 12" speakers in a 1/2" plywood case. While we were doing the sound check, the guy who booked us sat down on the woofer and said, "If I had one of these, I wouldn't need a wife!" Notes ♫ Whoa! You had a subwoofer that could cook and clean??! Impressive!!! 😮 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno de Souza Lino Posted April 28, 2023 Share Posted April 28, 2023 On 4/25/2023 at 2:12 AM, craigb said: Whoa! You had a subwoofer that could cook and clean??! Impressive!!! 😮 Maybe Kali will come up with one of those soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted April 28, 2023 Author Share Posted April 28, 2023 On 4/25/2023 at 1:12 AM, craigb said: Whoa! You had a subwoofer that could cook and clean??! Impressive!!! 😮 Looked great in lingerie too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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