The Show Can’t Go On Without Her

demetrios · March 2017

http://www.mtv.com/news/2990889/the-show-cant-go-on-without-her/

Introductions! What do you do for a living?

Five key behind-the-scenes music industry players talk about their jobs on A Day Without A Woman
Hilary Hughes

On an average workday, Karrie Keyes makes sure that Eddie Vedder can hear himself over the roar of the arena. Nina Flowers might wind up at a sold-out D’Angelo concert after she finalizes an opera premiere at the Apollo Theater. Traci Thomas confirms Jason Isbell’s next album release before dashing off to the venue to see him perform. Abbey Simmons knows how many records Sleater-Kinney sold at their gigs from New York to Los Angeles — and Megan Jasper could tell you how many records Sleater-Kinney has sold, period, as they’re signed to her label.

Tomorrow always brings new sounds and fresh challenges, and these women — whom some of your favorite artists likely rely on to play crucial roles across the music industry — know that this is the only constant. Keyes, Flowers, Thomas, Simmons, and Jasper may not be in the spotlight, but they’re the ones behind it.

13 Musicians On How They’re Spending The Women’s Strike

For A Day Without a Woman, we asked these industry players about how they make it easier for you to see, hear, and discover the music you love. (Their answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.) Whether they’re driving the band to the venue or making sure their music gets heard outside its walls, it wouldn’t be possible for musicians to do their jobs if these women didn’t show up for theirs. If they were to strike today, the silence would be deafening.

Karrie Keyes (monitor engineer for Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder; executive director of SoundGirls.org): I started working in live sound 30 years ago, and with Pearl Jam in 1992. I work as part of the band’s crew — a 40-plus-person team — to make sure the shows are the best they possibly can be. I started SoundGirls.org four years ago. I oversee the day-to-day operations and work toward giving women and girls the tools they need to be successful working in professional audio.

Do you face different expectations at work that are informed by your gender?

Keyes: We have many women on our crew, and this has not been an issue with this organization. But many women have a harder time getting their foot in the door — and some people still, in 2017, state that women can’t pull their weight, or that they want to hire women but can’t find any. Those are both false [assumptions]. Women can pull their weight, as crew people come in all shapes and sizes. No one expects the men on the crew to just lift things by themselves.

How has your own work experience shaped your broader understanding of the music industry?

Keyes: It is a small industry, in general. Many crew people spend their entire careers working together with different acts. You never know who will be your next employer, so it’s best to always put your best foot forward. We are a service industry. We should never forget that. Egos do not have a place [here].

Is the industry inclusive of women and non-binary/gender-nonconforming people?

Keyes: This industry is the same as many that are male-dominated. When it is being run by males, it is only one half of the story. I believe that they do not think about women or nonconforming people for the most part. That needs to change. Women are no longer waiting for it to change, and have instead created their own spaces. There are many women-led organizations — She Shreds, Women’s International Music Network, Camp Reel Stories, and SoundGirls.org, to name a few — that make sure women and nonconforming people are heard.

What would happen to your workplace if you and the women you work with didn't show up for a day?

Keyes: If the women on the Pearl Jam crew decided to strike — which I don’t think we would, since the show must go on, rain or shine — the band would be missing their monitor engineer. My tech would probably take over, but he would miss the cues I have. Our lighting designer would not be there, and the light show would probably be generic. We would be down another member on the lighting crew. Our production manager and assistant would not be running the ship. Fan-club ticketing would go to hell, and p.r. and band issues would not be addressed in a timely manner.