Josh Penner at work — “a few years ago somewhere in Arkansas on a Demon hunter tour” (Image courtesy Josh Penner)

As CHS looks at the culture and economy of Capitol Hill’s live music artists and businesses, we tend to focus on some of the smaller, finer points of it all. Twiddling the knobs, so to speak, of an important part of the Hill. This week we talk with Neumos sound crew members Josh Penner and Alice Wilder, two diligent soldiers of audio who, unlike the rock stars they work with, are rarely in the spotlight. These engineers provide a vital component of what makes a Capitol Hill show great. Here’s their take on what they see (and hear) from the back of the club and what it’s like to work the boards at one of Capitol Hill’s premier music venues. 

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CHS: Introduction roll call: what’s your job title, how long have you worked at Neumos, and how’d you get the job?

Josh Penner: I have been working at Neumos as lead audio tech for about six months. Rachel [Willner, production manager] and I have been working together going on nine years. She was my boss at Graceland/El Corazon. We also worked together when I would come through town on tour. We work well together and she felt confident in my ability to be a systems tech, to organize the venue, and to run a tight ship.

Alice Wilder: Audio engineer. I got the job by interning at Neumos for about six months beginning in the summer of 2007. I’ve been there ever since.

CHS: Have either of you worked at other venues here in the city, or elsewhere? What do you like about working at Neumos?

JP: I still currently work at El Corazon and the Showbox, as well as tour. I really enjoy working at Neumos because of how well the venue is run. We have a great production staff: Rachel and Kate; audio: Alice, Evan, Kirsten, Ian, Robin; security, etc. Everyone really takes pride in what they are doing. We really like to make Neumos “our home.” Also the PA system sounds awesome. We get a lot of good toys to play with.

AW:Chop Suey and the Showbox. I like Neumos because it’s super dog friendly, which is amazing, the staff is pretty sweet and professional, and I generally like the genres of music that come through.

CHS: How does the room at Neumos stack up next to other Seattle venues in terms of sound?

AW: The PA is fantastic: sounds good with a flat EQ [equalizer], which is rare. Very easy to wrangle in. 

JP: We have a great PA system. I have been all over the world touring and I have to say Seattle has some of the best sounding rooms and PAs, but it really comes down to the room. You can put a million dollar sound system in a shitty room and it’s still gonna sound like garbage. We have a great acoustic environment, high ceilings, and balcony. There’s  not a lot of places for the sound to bounce around in the room. Plus I always loved standing on the balcony and seeing the side of stage. It makes you feel that much closer to the band, getting to watch every move.

CHS: Where did you pick up the trade and what interests you about sound engineering?

JP: My dad bought me a 4-track recorder for my birthday one year and I started recording my own bands in middle school and high school. When CD burners first came out I was using a recording software to edit and put my stuff on to CD. When it came to college I already knew that recording was what I wanted to do. During my 2nd year of college I started Interning at Studio 7 and after a year I was working shifts and doing live sound full-time. That was a very exciting point in my life–I got to quit my day job and make a living doing what I love. What interests me about sound engineering is it’s all about variables and creativity. So many factors make things sound good or bad. Doing sound is a process of “cleaning up,” of taking things out of the mix to make an instrument “stick out.” It’s very satisfying to take a bunch of instruments, put them in their individual places in a mix, and listen to the end result. 

AW: I’ve been interested in sound since high school. Nothing else, job wise, seems as fun, especially not accounting, which was my major in college–fun fact!

CHS: How about a band that made your life hell and why?

AW: [Capitol Hill group who at one point were banned from six Capitol Hill clubs] Mad Rad. I’m guessing I wouldn’t have to go into too much detail on that one. Not to mention the fact that they would probably be into it if they read this. 

JP:Danzig loves to throw his microphone at the monitor engineer.

CHS: And one that made your job easy?

JP: Any band or crew that is pro and that walks in at the beginning of the day with a smile on their face. People forget that it is a privilege to make a living doing what we do whether it is a stage tech or a song writer. We are all in this game for the same reason, so let’s make this about the music not your ego. Every band should have to read “Get In The Van” by Henry Rollins before they play their first gig.

AW:The Handsome Furs. They are nicest, coolest people I’ve ever met. 

CHS: Favorite Capitol Hill/Seattle bands to work with?

JP: Hmm, well I got my start in the touring world working for [Seattle metal band] Himsa. I really like [Seattle hardcore group] Black Breath. I’ve got to mix He Whose Ox is Gored a few times and that has always been a great time. I will be mixing [Seattle “Psychodelick” group] Master Musicians of Bukkake in a week or so and that is pretty rad. 

AW: I’m gonna play the “safe” card here and say too many to name! But I’m also not afraid to cheese out and say that I do have a special thang for Grand Archives.

CHS:Doug Krebs, the sound engineer at the Tractor, recently alleged he’d been “violently attacked” by the frontman for Seattle Sub Pop band The Head and the Heart, claiming the attack was “without any provocation and specifically directed at sound technicians.” Ever been hassled by aggressive and/or drunk bands and if so, how did you deal with it?

JP: I read an article about it. There are always two sides to any story. I

With Seattle’s Decibel Fest now in full swing, electronic music lovers all over the city are gearing up for a weekend of drum and bass, house, and techno DJ shows. It’s Seattle’s multi-venue celebration of dance music, one that shines a light on an evolving genre traditionally known for its “underground sound.” Capitol Hill has an underground music scene of its own — the enormous subterranean practice space known as CryBaby Studios. It’s a throwback for people who need honest to goodness practice space now that one person in their bedroom can produce a hit.

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CryBaby’s world of sound is hidden beneath the stretch of asphalt sandwiched between Pike and Pine on 11th. It’s a labyrinth of dimly lit halls and tiny rooms decorated with string lights and sound proofing foam, usually exploding with noise: crashing cymbals, wailing guitars, drunk people.

For Leigh Stone, who owns and operates the 14,000 square foot basement space, it’s a place for “noisy bands that cannot rehearse in their Capitol Hill apartments.” A practical observation, but one with an important function here on the Hill. What better way to preserve a ‘hood’s abiding love for music of all genres than to funnel rowdy wannabe rock stars underground, far from shared walls and the frayed nerves of neighbors?

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The space is open 24 hours, making it convenient and desirable for bands who work odd jobs or have opposing schedules to put in time whenever they can.

With the door nearly always open, spaces are still hard to come by. 50 rooms large, “Some bands have rented from me for over eight years. Maybe one comes open per month,” says Stone.

Most bands who’ve nabbed a space do everything they can to stay. “We’ve been at CryBaby for years now, and we love it,” says Astra, of psycho-surf rock band Atomic Bride.

“It’s a bit cramped with two bands, but you can play as loud as you want down there 24/7 so it’s totally worth it,” says Joel Katzenberger, who practices in Atomic Bride’s space with his own band.

More CryBaby images on Facebook

“It only costs us $55 a month per person,” Katzenberger said, who splits the rent between nine other musicians who share the unit. Despite tough economic times, struggling bands are coughing up rent for the chance to practice on their own terms, have a place to store their gear, and even record — if they can afford it.

Stone recently added a new 1,500 square foot recording studio in the space, “isolated away from the practice spaces. The recording studio is dialed in and available for musicians and vocalists of any kind to track at $25 an hour,” says Stone, adding, “We have the board that Terminator 2 was mixed on.”

Capitol Hill resident and musician Alicia Amiri is recording a new solo record in the studio.

“I’ve lived and worked on Capitol Hill for years now.” Amiri says. “I also play in a few bands and many of my friends practice or have had spaces in CryBaby. It’s definitely a Capitol Hill staple: the loud rooms, pinball machines, smoking lounge, and recording studio. It’s a clubhouse. I like it.”

It’s hard to beat a good clubhouse vibe. “Some bands have become my friends, and [I meet] new bands in the halls that I’ve seen play at festivals,” Stone says.

There’s no doubt the evolution of music involves a lot the digital, synth-oriented dance sounds heard throughout the Decibel Fest – renowned DJs Moby, Green Velvet, and Amon Tobin, to mention a few, are flying in for the occasion. Seattle needs the Decibel Fest to push these sounds from the underground to the surface, and venues like the Baltic Room and Neumos do excellent work hosting DJs and artists blazing trails in electronica’s evolving world.

But whether you’re a chart-topping DJ or a brand new band, you need two things – a love of music and a place to practice.

On Capitol Hill, that’s CryBaby. “It makes available a creative space for people to get drunk, and be creative.” Stone says. “It’s an ever-changing community but we all like the same thing – music.”

You can learn more at crybabystudios.com.

See Me River’s Zettel lets it fly at Bimbos (Image: Ashley Black/Courtesy Kerry Zettel)

It’s a story as old as rock-n-roll itself: the struggling musician working in a bar or cafe to finance their dreams of rock stardom, or at least, to make enough of a living to keep on playing. The cliche certainly isn’t unique to Seattle, but on Capitol Hill, it does provide an engaging  look into what makes our neighborhood such a vibrant and music-positive culture. Members of bands like Mad Rad, Champagne Champagne, Sad Face, and See Me River all hold down jobs at restaurants and bars on the Hill. To me, the connection is compelling: I’m a Capitol Hill resident myself, freelance music journalist by day, server by night, and I find the correlation linking rock with the restaurant industry endlessly intriguing.

When I stopped into Via Tribunali on Pike on a recent Sunday afternoon, Thomas Gray of Seattle hip-hop trio Champagne Champagne was just putting on his apron. I was running uncharacteristically late, but Gray seemed relieved. “I’m glad you’re here now,” he said, “I was actually running a little late today, too.” Such is the life of the rock star rapper these days — after he drew himself a double shot of espresso, Gray went on to tell me about his typical work week: 40-60 hours clocked, regular overtime pay, and multiple double shifts (two shifts back-to-back). And that’s just the day job.

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“Everything else is Champagne, and family,” Gray explained, who lives on the Hill with his girlfriend Laura, and their dog, Linus. During our interview on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, the artist was regularly high-fived and greeted personally by people going by. Gray has a distinctive style you don’t easily forget -– fat, nappy dreads, warm smile, infectious, easy laugh –- so I asked him, “How often are you recognized by people in your bar?”

“Every night,” he said flatly. His band has played huge music festivals like South by Southwest, Bumbershoot, Sasquatch!, and the Capitol Hill Block Party, and toured with internationally recognized artists like Ke$ha and indie rockers STRFKR, but through it all have maintained a highly visible, down-to-earth presence at home. “When it comes to the reason why these cats [fans on Capitol Hill] feel us, it’s because they see us all the time. We’re all over the Hill.”

And Capitol Hill loves music. Any resident music lover who’s ever strolled through the sprawling chaos that is Capitol Hill’s annual Block Party will tell you that there’s nothing like squeezing into Neumos to watch Champagne Champagne rap on a stage in clear view of the pizza joint MC Gray works at night.

It’s no surprise part of what makes it easy for musicians to connect with each other –- and their fans –- in the bar industry is the booze. But on Capitol Hill, there is more at work. The Cha Cha Lounge, for example, has been a magnet and oasis for Seattle musicians for years, and its roster of employees current and past reads like a unofficial guide to the Seattle sound. Kerry Zettel, frontman for folk-garage-rock group See Me River, tends bar and heads up promotions at the venue.

“Most everyone who has ever worked at the Cha Cha or Bimbos is a musician or is somehow involved in the music community,” he said. “It’s employed members of Murder City Devils, The Fastbacks, Fleet Foxes, Carissa’s Weird, Band of Horses, Love as Laughter, and 764-Hero, to name a few. The bar also has been home to tons of other musicians from Modest Mouse to Marilyn Manson. Touring bands are always coming through. It is a great place to network.”

“Not only do they [the management] allow for an incredibly flexible schedule, they are really cool about letting you take time off to tour. Some of the kitchen staff are gone six to eight months out of the year. Bimbos and the Cha Cha lounge have always been run by musicians,” said Zettel. Bimbos, by the way, is a CHS advertiser.

Nate Quiroga, aka Buffalo Madonna, of party rap group Mad Rad, said his bartending job at Liberty on 15th is also flexible. “Any time I need time off, they’re cool with it. The management here believes in us, and wants us to succeed. They know firsthand how difficult it is to start your own business.”

Of course, rockers aren’t the only ones wiping counters and working for their big break — or at least a smoke break. Capitol Hill is a cultural wellspring for creative types who work day jobs to live out “the dream.” Artists and entrepreneurs of all genres live and work and work some more here. But musicians are among the rare members of the Hill who can find their job and their passion in the neighborhood.

Tim Mendonsa of Capitol Hill rock band Sad Face works at Dilettante on Broadway and says the bar scene in Capitol Hill offers a unique support for musicians because people he works with are involved in the arts. “All my co-workers are artists, dancers, musicians, actors, film makers, photographers, etc. One of my ex-coworkers at Dilettante did our album artwork, others have drawn posters, taken pictures at shows, done incredible film work. I actually met our bass player through working at Dilettante. There are so many bands and musicians around here, it’s pretty hard not to meet someone that doesn’t play music. It breeds a close, supportive community in the neighborhood.”

Notwithstanding all the hard working, rocking female bartenders on the Hill — women like Stacy Peck of band Pony Time holds things down at Redwood, and Emily Denton of Stickers works at Linda’s — generally speaking, bartending has been dominated by men, and — excluding all other restaurant jobs like waitressing, bussing, etc. — it appears that is also the case here.

As much flexibility and networking opportunities these Capitol Hill businesses offer their rocker bartenders, the employees can reciprocate just as much in manpower, and can appreciate the connection between bartending and playing music. When I stopped in at Liberty for a chat with Quiroga, it was 11pm on a Tuesday and the place was hopping, fully staffed with three bartenders. I waited a good 10 minutes for a few words with Quiroga, and even then, the MC hopped back behind the bar a few times to keep things flowing smoothly. “You have to be aware, to be ‘on it’ in an environment like this. To me, it’s all about rhythm and awareness, and that helps me a lot on stage, to be fully engaged with the crowd.”

Quiroga’s hard work can help make a Capitol Hill bar like Liberty a lively neighborhood spot, and the support from his employer in finances and flexibility helps Mad Rad keep the creative energy it needs to thrive.

Back at Tribunali, Gray tells me that he never raps at work. But as I head out, I hear him approaching his first guests of the evening with a lilting, uptempo beat.

“What up, what up, my name is Thomas and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.”

Gwendolyn Elliott is a Seattle-based freelance music journalist living on Capitol Hill. She writes a monthly country music column, “Country, Etc.” for Seattle Weekly and blogs about music at Reverb. This is her first post for CHS.