The Other Side of the Stage

A while back, I had the opportunity to audition for Rockharbor's worship team. Every year around September, the church begins a new cycle of using a new rotation of people for their volunteer positions. Mostly every commitment lasts for a full year before the cycle begins again. I was privileged enough to make onto Rockharbor's worship ministry as the bass player for one of their three Sunday night teams, and yesterday was my first week up.

The band doesn't begin sound check till around 5:30, so I still had a few hours beforehand to do my normal internship responsibilities (i.e. podcast, DVD and CD archives, etc.). I moved away from my work when the band and sound man started arriving. 5:30 came, and we began the process of our sound check. It was a very different experience going through this process while being the musician on stage. I had been so familiar with this process from standing behind the sound booth, but now I was the one being mixed into the house speakers.

The strangest part of the night was definitely how my perception of the mix sounded from stage. All of the house speakers (including the eight giant sub-woofers) are positioned so that they are in front of the stage. So from where I was standing, I could hear barely any of the house mix. I had to completely rely on what I was hearing in my monitor - and in this case monitor mixes are not EQ'd like the house. I could only hope that the sound man was putting together a good mix. Now, knowing how the sound men at Rockharbor mix, I knew that they were doing a good job; but this experience made me realize how much faith the musicians on stage put into the sound man. I just had to trust that he knew what he was doing and agree that any suggestions he might make were to the benefit of the overall mix. On the other side, when I'm mixing, I really need to know what I am doing and be able to ensure the musicians that I can be trusted as a mixer.

Aside from my sound-related observations and experiences, this night held a lot of meaning for me. I remember visiting Rockharbor for the first time three years ago and being blown away by their music. This church has been blessed with many gifted people in many different ways, but there is no doubt that one of the most prominent gifts is in worship through music. Rockharbor has recognized and joyfully utilized this gift, having music play a major role in every service. As a Christian and musician, I am always grateful to be able to offer the fruits of this God-given talent for the sake of His glory; and I specifically try to make an effort to implement that at wherever I consider to be my home church at the time. Rockharbor holds a slew of gifted musicians, and the worship ministry is one of the most sought-after volunteer positions in the church. Still, whether by God's favor or simply by His blessing, I became one of the two new bass players this year (out of around 70 auditions, 6 of them bass); and I am extremely thankful for that.