Radio Check - Life In The Concert Touring Industry

Send us Fan Mail Joe Sanchez first launched his career in the late 80’s as a personal assistant for UK rockers The Cult. He went on to spend the next 25 years touring the global arena circuit production managing high-profile acts like The Pet Shop Boys, Rihanna and Queen w/ Adam Lambert before forming his own production company 1826 in 2014. Joe explains how he came to start 1826, it’s ethos and w...

Send us Fan Mail Lee Charteris is a multi-award-winning production manager who flourished in our industry in the 1990s early 2000s. Like a lot of his peers from that era, he started by humping gear in and out of vans around London. In his case with The Clash. The start of his rise in the industry really started when he got a call from Gerry Stickells to go on tour with Queen as a backline tech. Le...

Send us Fan Mail As far back as the early 90s when guitarist Marty Friedman was a member of the classic Megadeth line-up, he’s had a fascination with Japanese music and culture. On this episode we explore Marty’s 20 plus years living in Japan, his time with Megadeth, 18 solo records and his 2024 revealing autobiography “Dreaming Japanese”. We also get into what it was like reuniting with Dave Must...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the current Nine Inch Nails “Peel it Back” tour. We have with us longtime lighting designer Paul “Arlo” Guthrie and longtime front of house sound mixer Jamie Pollock. Together we take an in-depth look at the creative and technical aspects of the show design from the conception of the idea through each segment of the 4-act performance. It’s fascinating h...

Send us Fan Mail Greg Price knows how to push air. He has made his reputation by mixing the most powerful bands our industry has ever produced. Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Rage Against the Machine, Tool and now Metallica amongst many, many more. Greg shares stories, philosophies, and techniques that have defined his career. It was great catching up with my old friend. 

Send us Fan Mail Radio Check recognizes the farewell performance of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath with a special episode celebrating the “Back to the Beginning” concert that took place at Villa Park in Birmingham. We welcome back Jake Berry, the show’s production director, and welcome for the first time Patrick Woodroffe, creative director and Greg Price, the shows audio designer. These three in...

Send us Fan Mail Dallas Schoo is one of the last bastions of original guitar techs who paved the way for how things are done today. He launched his career by chance while at college in Boulder Colorado in 1971. He tells us how he got started and guides us along his incredible journey that led him to working with U2’s Edge for the past 38 years. Dallas is a gifted storyteller with volumes of histor...

Send us Fan Mail Nigel Buchan has been the head of production in the Southwest for over 30 years producing shows for Evening Star and then Live Nation. Before moving to Phoenix in the early 90’s, Nigel who hails from England was a successful touring sound engineer mixing seminal bands like the original Motorhead, Judas Priest during their British Steel era and Van Halen’s legendary 1984 tour. Nige...

Send us Fan Mail Sooner Routhier is one of the most versatile creative designers in our industry having the unique ability to cross over into any musical genre producing visually striking shows at the highest level. From working as a lighting tech regionally in New England, to programming shows for other LDs, all the way to designing tours for some of the biggest artists in the world, winning seve...

Send us Fan Mail Sideman is the title multi-instrumentalist Andy Fairweather Low prefers. Eric Clapton, Roger Waters and George Harrison have all called him their right-hand sideman. AFL, who has an incredible memory for detail, generously walks Matt and I thru his illustrious career playing with several legends of the last 50 years. He even humorously shares the story of being called out by Jimi...

Send us Fan Mail Eric Piontkowski is on the leading end of the next generation of great production managers. “Ski” as he prefers to be called, is a strong example of how hard work and determination lead to amazing things. He tells us his story of travelling in vans playing with club bands, attending Full Sail University and eventually getting on the road with Clair Brothers as an audio tech. Ski i...

Send us Fan Mail Tim Lougee, aka “Gooch” has been tour managing at the highest level for 35 years. His learned, effective outlook and approach to his work is refreshing and makes for great story telling. We visit tales over his entire career from his early days doing security at the Metro in Chicago, meeting and growing up with the Smashing Pumpkins, having to remove sweaty stage armor off of Gene...

Send us Fan Mail Mark Spring pulls no punches. He says what’s on his mind unapologetically. Springo, a Parnelli Lifetime Achievement recipient, shares sensational stories with Matt and I spanning his 40 plus year career. From his early days working for Show Lights touring huge productions with the likes of Def Leppard all the way through his 22 years as production manager for Paul McCartney. This...

Send us Fan Mail Britannia Row came into being as a rental house for Pink Floyd to hire out their touring equipment as a way to support their crew between tours. Bryan Grant joined Britannia Row in 1979 eventually going on to purchase the company from Pink Floyd in 1984. For the last 45 years Brit Row have been at the vanguard of touring audio systems around the globe. Bryan guides Matt and I thro...

Send us Fan Mail Chris Adamson is one of the true legends we have in our industry. He started his career in the late 60’s carting band equipment around Britain for several London bands eventually hooking up with Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. Chris went on to work with several prominent bands like Emerson Lake & Palmer, Roxy Music and Steely Dan but is most known for his time with Pink Floyd. He...

Send us Fan Mail Matt and I return after an 8 month break to catch up on things. We discuss the state of the industry, touch on tour safety, sustainability and mental health. We also get into our continued love of music and the dangers of going down You Tube rabbit holes. It is good to be back at it again.

Send us Fan Mail Chris Chaney has been in more bands and has played bass guitar on more records and soundtracks than he can remember. He tells Matt and I great stories from both the road and studio. Chris also gets into how exciting and touching it was to play at his best friend Taylor Hawkins tribute shows in London and Los Angeles. He shares some tribute highlights of the music played and how ex...

Send us Fan Mail Danny Carey and I have spent countless hours talking about music while on the road together. In this episode we welcome the Tool drummer to continue the conversation. We explore our favorite drummers, our deep love of prog rock and our genuine passion for all things music.  We also talk about the song writing process and how beat and riffing ideas evolve organically into a new Too...

Send us Fan Mail To celebrate Radio Check’s 50th episode, we welcome none other than Mr. Show Biz himself, Jake Berry.  We discuss his early days in Devon driving feed trucks where his chance meeting with Rick Wakeman gave him his first opportunity in the music business all the way thru his touring days with AC/DC, Metallica, the Rolling Stones, U2 and so much more. What an honor it was for him to...

Send us Fan Mail Matt and I reconvene after a 3-month hiatus with drum tech and all-around great guy Joe Paul Slaby. We get into our long touring history together as well as some of the great drummers he has worked with over the years like Danny Carey, Josh Freeze and Stephen Perkins. What an incredible trip down memory lane. This is a can’t miss episode.  Please also check-out Joe's funny an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we chat with monitor mixer, inventor, and entrepreneur Jerry Harvey. Listen as he shares stories of finding his way into the concert touring industry, and how he developed the dual driver in ear monitor out of necessity while working for Van Halen. Jerry goes on to explain how his first company “Ultimate Ears” started, and what his current company “JH Audio” are up...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we “check-it” with Kurt “Slap Daddy” Wagner. Those of you who are familiar with Kurt know him as the stage manager to mega acts like the Rolling Stones, Guns n Roses, Cher, Prince, Billy Joel, Roger Waters and so many others. We chat about how he got his start at the Royal Oak Theater in Detroit and how the comedian Gallagher convinced him to move to Los Angeles wh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Matt and I discuss the importance of health & wellness while on the road. Matt’s experience as a registered dietitian, health coach and former touring carpenter gives him a unique perspective on the challenges we face on tour.  We discuss the importance of restorative sleep, good eating habits and a path forward to healthy touring. Matt’s wealth of knowledge i...

Send us Fan Mail Mark Fisher was Ray Winkler’s external architecture examiner at University College in London before hiring him on at Mark Fisher Studios, with his indoctrination to the company, U2’s “Popmart” and the Rolling “Stones Bridges to Babylon”. We discuss his years working with Mark on Cirque du Soleil’s “KA”, the Beijing Olympics, U2’s “360” all the way up until Mark's passing in 2...

Send us Fan Mail John “Bugzee” Hougdahl got into the music industry by dumping a beer down a guitar player’s chest soaking the guitar. He went on to cut his teeth with 70s rock bands Nazareth, Uriah Heep and the Pat Travers Band before getting his first production manager gig with Blue Öyster Cult in 1981. From there it was off to the big time with Mötley Crüe, Kiss and 25 years of arenas and stad...