Bugged" off the stage

Marc Friedland · Post by **Marc Friedland** » 12 Jun 2005 1:00 pm

Last night I performed with The Dave Russell Band at The Colusa County Fair in N. CA. When we came back to do our final set at about 9:30 it was next to impossible to even get on the stage because of so many flying bugs. They were all over EVERYTHING! There must have been countless millions of them. Fortunately I had a powerful fan with me that helped a little bit. They turned off all the lights on or near the stage and that enabled us to play without getting bugged to death, but of course we had to play relatively in the dark. They didn't seem to bite, just some kind of gnat or something. By the time we were through with the set, almost all the bugs had left, but there were MANY dead bugs still there on the ground and on our equipment. Even with all the distractions, we did a good job and even landed some nice future gigs. -- Marc
www.marcfriedland.com
www.daverussell.com

Jeff Hyman · Post by **Jeff Hyman** » 12 Jun 2005 1:17 pm

Marc,

On the right hand side of your website is a photo. Is that a picture of Barry Sless?

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Jeff Hyman
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Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 12 Jun 2005 3:04 pm

Pity the poor gnats, just trying to get in a dance of love to some good country music.

They are attracted to the carbon dioxide when you exhale. Just don't breathe during the set and you'll be fine.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 12 Jun 2005 5:45 pm

Dude!

I just got back from playing a festival in northern Michigan and it was GNAT CITY! In my eyes and mouth. Ack!

Drew

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Drew Howard - website - Fessenden D-10 8/8, Fessenden SD-12 5/5 (Ext E9), Magnatone S-8, N400's, BOSS RV-3

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 12 Jun 2005 8:10 pm

You guys forgot to go see your AVON Lady for "Skin So Soft."

They say it really works.??

Roger

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 12 Jun 2005 8:30 pm

Not to be alarmist, but I have a big can of "dense jungle" Off™ with DEET, and I cover myself with it on outdoor gigs. I even have one gig this year I'm not gonna do because of the Skeeters.

West Nile is in most states, and now in Oregon.

I've met a couple people that have had it, and it's no fun from what they've told me.

I remember working in Winnemucca in 84, and youd get bit by so many gnats or "noseeums" that when you'd scratch yourself you'd cause big blotchy scrapes from all the anticoag they'd shoot in ya.

EJL

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 12 Jun 2005 8:46 pm

I played at the Aspen Ridge Resort a couple of times on the way to Winnemucca with Joni Harms & Co. - outside on the deck with a stunning view of the pasture and hills and more mosquitoes than I ever saw in one place south of the Yukon. They seem to have a particular affinity for steel player juice, too.

Remind me not to take that gig again....

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 12 Jun 2005 9:57 pm

You want them by the billions such as "no seeums, black flies, mosquitoes horse flies and the whole nine yards at a rate you wouldn't believe, try Northern Canada or the interior of Alaska. Believe me, would wouldn't bleieve it unless you have been there.

Smoking smudge pots are about the only way to enable someone to play outdoors: especially after it cools down in the evening. Deep Woods Off is by far the most used repellent used up here; however, it will take the finish off your insruments so northern musicians rarely use it while playing.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

Marc Friedland · Post by **Marc Friedland** » 12 Jun 2005 10:52 pm

Thanks everyone for adding your replies to this post, keep them coming if you wish.
Jeff, that's not Barry Sless in the picture on my website. I'll send you an email.
-- Marc[This message was edited by Marc Friedland on 13 June 2005 at 12:45 AM.]

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 13 Jun 2005 5:33 am

after readin' yer post Marc, i figured yer Musik killed dem bugs
Thanx Ken fer settin' me straight

here in France, we splash on lavender - it's a bug repellent

George Plemons · Post by **George Plemons** » 13 Jun 2005 1:29 pm

I had that to happen to me at a lakeside gig on a trailer. Here was my solution, so try this next time: Put a bright light right behind the front singers head (they always like the attention you know), when I did it, everytime the singer tried to sing he swallowed a bug, probably my greatest on stage practical joke ever. I still laugh everytime I think about it. OH, and there was the night I set our blind drummers drums up facing the opposite direction from the rest of the band, he would have killed me, but he couldn't see me???

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 13 Jun 2005 1:57 pm

Skin so Soft does in fact work. I've put this stuff on and on my hat when I go fishing in the boat and have seen the skeeters hovering around my head about 8 inches away but never making contact. It's smelly but it works!

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 13 Jun 2005 2:34 pm

I did a gig in the mountains last summer where the only thing more distracting than the millions of bugs flying around me was the hundreds of bats barely missing my head!

Gaylon Mathews · Post by **Gaylon Mathews** » 13 Jun 2005 4:56 pm

We played an outdoor thing at Konocti Harbor (northern California)last year with Brooks & Dunn. There were so many bugs that we could hardly breath. They were all in my changer, on the fret board to where I could hardly tell where I was.

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Barbara Hennerman · Post by **Barbara Hennerman** » 14 Jun 2005 5:41 am

[This message was edited by Barbara Hennerman on 15 June 2005 at 06:12 AM.]

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 14 Jun 2005 6:51 am

I learned a long time ago to carry a small tube of sunscreen and some bug spray in the seat during the summer festival months...

George Redmon · Post by **George Redmon** » 14 Jun 2005 8:47 am

MAN.....becareful what you are spraying around....a few years ago, i was at an outdoor show..the guitar player of the band that was about to play, sprayed everyone down with something in a can, the singer went ahead and sprayed the lead player..it just peeled the finish off the front of that big Gretsch! Also if any of you guitar players are going to be doing an out door gig, stay to hell out of aluminium lawn chairs while you are playing your 6 string...Zaaap, fry, sizzle.....
Drew..i agree about those gnats and skeeters..i think we here in Michigan should adopt skeeters as the new state bird or something..my god the size of those things..

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Whitney Single 12 8FL & 5 KN,keyless, dual changers Extended C6th, Webb Amp, Line6 PodXT, Goodrich Curly Chalker Volume Pedal, Match Bro, BJS Bar..I was keyless....when keyless wasn't cool....

RON PRESTON · Post by **RON PRESTON** » 14 Jun 2005 9:55 am

You Guys Ever seen them CREATURES that fly around down here in LOUISIANA? All I can say is.....RUN!!! Good Lord, Man, I only weigh about 120 LBS a SOAKING, and, I swear, when they "Get together" to "Have a little Fun" with HELPLESS Humans like me, it AIN'T FUNNY, and, AFTER they are DONE with me, they look at the many ways of HOW to ELIMINATE 'Ol Ron, and several THOUSAND will "Link up" "Leg to Leg" so they can CARRY ME OFF, WITH my STEEL, to DESPOSE of me as they see "FIT," especially if I play "Outa Tune," and let me tell ya, They don't LIKE it if you play "Outa tune." :eek"
But, on the other hand, Ya GOTTA see the FROGS who "ZAP" the Bugs. I've hired a "Platoon" of 'em who "Work" just for ME when I'm playing an "Outsider." Now, THAT'S another story in ITSELF.

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Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 14 Jun 2005 10:54 am

I played an outdoor gig in Orlando one time and the skeeters down there are big enough to.... er..."make love" to a turkey. And then there's them gators crawlin around on stage......

Lawrence Lupkin · Post by **Lawrence Lupkin** » 14 Jun 2005 11:29 am

Bingo!
www.vtarmynavy.com/insect-net-jacket.htm

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 14 Jun 2005 12:11 pm

Michael, you brough back a hilarious memory of an outdoor stage performance we did in Florida with Peggy Lee and Pearl Bailey during the early seventies. They had built the outdoor stage set almost a week prior to the show and, low and low behold, a pair of aligators decided to make it their home.

I think it was during Peggy Lee's third song that these things decided they didn't like the noise coming from above and made their exit via the front of the stage. No one, and I mean no one would believe how fast a crowd of four thousand people can separate and clear a path by climbing over chairs for these reptiles.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

Larry Strawn · Post by **Larry Strawn** » 14 Jun 2005 5:53 pm

Ron P.

I know all about those La. "skeeters",,I worked a lot in S. La. and out in the Gulf on the rigs.

Day time was bad enough,, but when we turned our rig lights on LOOK OUT!!! You could hear them 40 ft. above, sounded like a flight of F-16's.

If you've never tried making a pipe weld at night in La. with Skeeters' hitting you in the back, and bouncing off your welding hood like 22 cal. bullets, Well,, you just don't know what Skeeters' are!! LOL...

Larry

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RON PRESTON · Post by **RON PRESTON** » 15 Jun 2005 8:37 am

Larry,
I suppose that is why you now reside in "Apache" country? You gotta watch out for them "Gila Monsters" down there.
I guess NOWHERE is "Safe" when it comes to Living with "Gods Creatures"......On THEIR TERMS. Hee,Hee

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Emmons S-10 4 & 5
Evans FET 500, Session 400 LTD, ProFex 11 [This message was edited by RON PRESTON on 15 June 2005 at 09:38 AM.]

Jim Florence · Post by **Jim Florence** » 15 Jun 2005 11:41 am

I guess being a southern country boy has it's advantages, A lot of people have made fun of us with our underwear having a "Trap Door" in the back. but that serves two purposes. One is that it's cooler, and the other is that it keeps the knats out of our face,

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 15 Jun 2005 12:29 pm

I was always disappointed when the trap door in those long johns (which was buttoned to close it) was replaced by the vertical split in the material with only a one button closure. The split was a lot more convenient....but not near as classy as the buttoned style! ..and worse, they even changed the color from red to gray

It didn't seem to make much difference to the bugs as they could find their way in regardless of the style.

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