Jamison Butcher (Halsey/Parachute’s Front of House Engineer) – TRICKS OF THE TRADE

In all of our other features, we highlight bands/artists; now we want to take you into the world of the people who work for a band on tour, their crew. For this feature, we teamed up with front of house mix engineer, Jamison Butcher. You can can find out more about Jamison and advice he has for people interested in hitting the road (his “Trick of the Trade”), after the break.

Name:
Jamison Butcher

Touring Resume:
Current – Halsey/Parachute/Old Crow Medicine Show
Previous – Brand New, Andy Grammer, Boys Like Girls, We Are The In Crowd

What positions have you held (i.e. Tour Manager, Front of House, etc.)?
Current – Front Of House Mix Engineer
Previous – Front Of House, Monitors, Production Manager, Tour Manager

Your first touring gig:
Who did you work for?
There For Tomorrow was my first touring FOH/Monitor/TM job.

How did you get the gig?
I was good friends with a couple of the guys. Ended up driving out to Chicago to mix their show at Metro and was offered a spot to mix them on their very next tour with We Are The In Crowd & Mayday Parade

What was (is your continued) motivation for wanting to start working for tour bands?
Since a very young age, I have loved music and have connected with its impact on people. When mixing a live show you’re in the center of thousands of people reacting and connecting to the artists performance. Mixing a band you like and seeing the reaction of those people around you is like magic.

While growing up were you involved in your local music scene? If so, how did you get involved?
Yeah, I played in bands around my local scene. We did some small touring and I ended up volunteering at a music venue near my house. A couple engineers (Gino Scarim and DJ Denoon) taught me how to mix and use the gear properly. I couldn’t have been luckier to have their influence in my life.

If you could recommend one piece of advice (“trick of the trade”) to current or aspiring crew members, what would it be?
Be organized and stay calm. Problems will come up and like life, its all in how you handle them. Living on a bus and traveling as much as we do can be crazy.

Keep up with Jamison on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Also, help us continue releasing great content, like this, by supporting us on Patreon!