Post by Heather on Aug 22, 2010 16:17:56 GMT -5
Kenny has worked with Sum41 as security and tour manager along with many other artists and acts. Check out his view of the industry....
What is the best and worst aspects of the music industry?
The best part is being in a different city every day, new venues, new people. The worst part is the financial part of the music business now, there's no job security anymore. It's not like it use to be where people were buying CDs, and the bands would make money. If there's a cut to be made on the budget usually the first they cut is security.
What makes Sum41 different from other clients?
I love the boys, all four of them are great. All for are so different from each other. They're a lot of fun to hang around. They're always joking around on the bus. I know where I stand with them, I know that when its business time, I'm always on point, watching and looking out for them at all times and I'm able to have fun with them at night when we're on the bus and hanging out when we're traveling from city to city. They're the four most different guys when it comes to their personalities. As long as they have the specific things that they like then their great guys. They love to do their thing on the bus, they have their routines because they've been doing it for 10 years, so if you don't get in the way of that routine, that's it, then their easy going, it makes it fun.
What skills would be most useful in the music industry?
Use your ears and not your mouth. Listen, use your eyes to watch and use your ears to listen. And keep your opinions to yourself and be careful what you say to everybody, that's the best thing, the less of that the better.
Since you've traveled all over the world, what's your favorite cultural experience?
You don't get to see a lot of culture, you in your hotel, venue, you know, travel from city to city in that country. I loved Russia, I think the boys would express pretty much the same opinion as I did. I think if they have fun, I have fun. If everything is going well at that time, cause if its going well then there's no stress on me, if it's not going well then it's a stress on me. So I think Russia and Japan. The fans in Japan were amazing, the fans in Russia because they had never seen them before, I think in the future the fans in South America and Mexico are going to be the same, because they've never been there. So I think they're really going to love that culture.
How does security promo tour differ from a normal tour?
Well promo tour, you're doing a lot of interviews and stuff, so it becomes a patient game. I try not to sit inside during the interviews, it's the boys personal experience. They're talking to different magazines and television people so they get asked the questions over and over, usually the same questions. So it's a patient game, you get them from the room down to the interview room, they do the interviews, you stay outside. So promo tour is usually like that, and maybe there is a one-off for them to perform or do a TV show while you're doing that. You get in a rhythm when you're out on tour doing a full on tour day after day. Your body starts to wake up at the same time every morning, get off the bus and get ready, those things are a little bit different in promo than touring.
What lead you to choose the music industry over other industries?
Well I'm an event specialist also. I run some of the biggest events in LA you can run and supervise red carpets all the time, so I have 5 or 6 aspects of security that I've done. I've worked with different dignitaries, I've been on advance teams when presidents come in, I do a lot of movie people, I've been on movie sets with talents, been with athletes and traveled on their schedules, on baseball schedules, on basketball schedules. Probably my number one love is the music scene. Sometimes it's not as much money, but then again you wake up in a new city every morning, different aspects of the security, new buildings, new people, so its fun.
What is the best and worst aspects of the music industry?
The best part is being in a different city every day, new venues, new people. The worst part is the financial part of the music business now, there's no job security anymore. It's not like it use to be where people were buying CDs, and the bands would make money. If there's a cut to be made on the budget usually the first they cut is security.
What makes Sum41 different from other clients?
I love the boys, all four of them are great. All for are so different from each other. They're a lot of fun to hang around. They're always joking around on the bus. I know where I stand with them, I know that when its business time, I'm always on point, watching and looking out for them at all times and I'm able to have fun with them at night when we're on the bus and hanging out when we're traveling from city to city. They're the four most different guys when it comes to their personalities. As long as they have the specific things that they like then their great guys. They love to do their thing on the bus, they have their routines because they've been doing it for 10 years, so if you don't get in the way of that routine, that's it, then their easy going, it makes it fun.
What skills would be most useful in the music industry?
Use your ears and not your mouth. Listen, use your eyes to watch and use your ears to listen. And keep your opinions to yourself and be careful what you say to everybody, that's the best thing, the less of that the better.
Since you've traveled all over the world, what's your favorite cultural experience?
You don't get to see a lot of culture, you in your hotel, venue, you know, travel from city to city in that country. I loved Russia, I think the boys would express pretty much the same opinion as I did. I think if they have fun, I have fun. If everything is going well at that time, cause if its going well then there's no stress on me, if it's not going well then it's a stress on me. So I think Russia and Japan. The fans in Japan were amazing, the fans in Russia because they had never seen them before, I think in the future the fans in South America and Mexico are going to be the same, because they've never been there. So I think they're really going to love that culture.
How does security promo tour differ from a normal tour?
Well promo tour, you're doing a lot of interviews and stuff, so it becomes a patient game. I try not to sit inside during the interviews, it's the boys personal experience. They're talking to different magazines and television people so they get asked the questions over and over, usually the same questions. So it's a patient game, you get them from the room down to the interview room, they do the interviews, you stay outside. So promo tour is usually like that, and maybe there is a one-off for them to perform or do a TV show while you're doing that. You get in a rhythm when you're out on tour doing a full on tour day after day. Your body starts to wake up at the same time every morning, get off the bus and get ready, those things are a little bit different in promo than touring.
What lead you to choose the music industry over other industries?
Well I'm an event specialist also. I run some of the biggest events in LA you can run and supervise red carpets all the time, so I have 5 or 6 aspects of security that I've done. I've worked with different dignitaries, I've been on advance teams when presidents come in, I do a lot of movie people, I've been on movie sets with talents, been with athletes and traveled on their schedules, on baseball schedules, on basketball schedules. Probably my number one love is the music scene. Sometimes it's not as much money, but then again you wake up in a new city every morning, different aspects of the security, new buildings, new people, so its fun.