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At first glance Loud: A Life in rock’n’roll by the world’s first female roadie by Tana Douglas is a scintillating look behind the scenes of some of the biggest rock bands.
There’s sex and drugs to go with the rock’n’roll as Douglas unloads juicy moments with every load out. From a well-stocked trailer parked on the lawn at Windsor Gardens to a dog getting into a stash at an Australian after-party, there’s something for everyone. Douglas also rubs shoulders with the likes of Paul McCartney, Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne, and Neil Diamond. But behind the star-studded cast is the history of the modern road crew from the 1970s to the 1990s.
After starting out in behind-the-times Australia, Douglas jumps from one mega show to the next where the cutting edge of stage shows dazzle audiences around the world.
Sound, lighting, and rigging mature as industries and require teams and trucks. Douglas includes the grittiness and pain of long nights and safety playing catch up to daring feats. The drugs, and recklessness take their toll, but still, the show goes on.
How much could be packed in 350 pages? One might be forgiven for thinking this book glorifies the roadie life from a summary. However, Tana Douglas never forgets she is a woman in a “man’s world.” Where Douglas bares her vulnerabilities is where this book really shines. Her isolation, her difficulties as a child, a partner, and as a parent hits hard. I found myself wishing happy endings for Douglas, but knowing that her truth is more common. Loud is the perfect snapshot of the life of the roadie with all the highs and all the lows. I recommend reading about the rock’n’roll life of Tana Douglas to anyone interested in touring shows. Bring your earplugs.
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The mission of SoundGirls.org is to inspire and empower the next generation of women in audio. Our mission is to create a supportive community for women in audio and music production, providing the tools, knowledge, and support to further their careers. SoundGirls.Org was formed in 2013 by veteran live sound engineers Karrie Keyes and Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato and operates under the Fiscal Sponsorship of The California Women’s Music Festival, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. In 2012, Karrie and Michelle participated in the “Women of Professional Concert Sound” panel at the AES Conference in San Francisco. The panel was hosted by the Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) and moderated by WAM founder Terri Winston. Terri brought together five women working in live and broadcast audio. The groundbreaking panel (which also included Jeri Palumbo, Claudia Engelhart and Deanne Franklin), provided young women and men a glimpse into life on the road, tips and advice, and a Q & A with the panelists. More importantly though, was how incredibly powerful the experience was for the panelists. We had all been in the business for 20 years or more, yet most of us had never met before that day and within minutes we bonded like long-lost sisters. We were struck by how similar our experiences, work ethics, and passions were and wondered why our paths had never crossed and how our careers would have been different had we been there to support each other through the years. Each of us are strong on our own, but together we were even stronger and a powerful force. We were empowered. Each of us had been asked hundreds of times in our careers: Are there other women doing sound? How did you get into sound? How would a young woman go about getting into sound? Through creating SoundGirls.Org, we hope to establish a place for women working in professional audio to come for support and advice, to share our success and failures, our joys and frustrations, and for empowerment and inspiration.
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