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Crazy Dave’s Music Experience at the Welcome to Rockville Festival

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Crazy Dave’s Music Experience was a huge success at this year’s Welcome to Rockville Festival. The sold-out festival, which took place in Jacksonville, featured performances by artists including Buckcherry, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Limp Bizkit and Alice In Chains. During the event, Crazy Dave’s Music created an interactive exhibit featuring all the elements needed to create music in a professional band setting. The exhibit included 12 CHAUVET® DJ fixtures, 20 CHAUVET® Professional lights and one TRUSST® Goal Post Kit, as well as guitars, bass, amps, drums, keyboards, electronic gear and lighting used by today’s most popular bands.

Within the 30-by-30 foot tent, people took turns playing guitars, drums and keyboards, singing into different microphones and trying their hand at the latest DJ equipment. They also got the chance to meet some of their favorite rock stars and take part in the “30 Seconds to Shred” guitar contest. Scroll on for some photos from the festival.

CHAUVET® DJ Gear List:
2 x Geyser™ RGB 
2 x Intimidator™ Beam LED 350
1 x Scorpion™ GBC 2.0
2 x Intimidator™ Scan LED 300
1 x PixPar™ 24
1 x SlimPAR™ Quad 12 IRC
1 x COLORrail™ IRC
2 x Intimidator™ Spot LED 350

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Xavier Muriel of Buckcherry

Xavier Muriel of Buckcherry

 

Lights Up Loud Illuminates Guitar Guru

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Photos by Henry Hughes
Jason Goers, uses 10 Intimidator™ Spot 250 LED to light the Alberta Rose Theatre during a live performance by guitar guru, Trace Bundy. Goers is a lighting designer who works more than 140 shows per year and owns Lights Up Loud — a concert lighting design company that specializes in bringing stage performances to life by adding energetic and soulful elements. He recently upgraded his lighting system and replaced his 10 Q-Spot™ 160-LED moving heads with 10 Intimidator™ Spot LED 250 — read on for his seven favorite features. *Photo Credit: Henry Hughes

1. Quicker set up and tear down with power linking capability
2. Easily fly the fixture using a single bracket
3. Upgraded step motors for smooth and controlled pan and tilt functions
4. Blinking red light indicates DMX signal which is great for emergency troubleshooting 5. Improved optics with faster manual focus
6. Easy access for maintenance and cleaning once the chassis is stripped off
7. Brighter and more compact than the Q-Spot™ 160-LED

Photos by Henry HughesPhotos by Henry Hughes

CHAUVET® DJ and TRUSST® Prove to Be a Saving Grace for S.H.E.A.R., Inc.

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CHAUVET® DJ and TRUSST® are teaming together to support S.H.E.A.R., Inc., Sharing Hope Empowerment and Reaction, in their effort to help at-risk youth in Miami. The dynamic duo is lending a hand by sponsoring the Holy Ghost -N- Da Hood gospel concert held on June 15 at the Miami Rescue Mission. To enhance live performances by renowned gospel artists, including Malcolm Hawkins, Mark Samuel and Scum of the Earth, the stage is set to feature 26 CHAUVET® DJ fixtures and a 24-piece TRUSST® trussing system.

Anthony Durden, quality control technician for Chauvet and president of S.H.E.A.R., Inc., partnered with Raglan Jones, product coordinator for Chauvet, to create a design that complemented the event. For a prominent focal point on stage, Jones designed a TRUSST®-built cross illuminated with four SlimPAR™ Quad 6 IRC wash lights and crafted from one 2.5-meter and three 1-meter sticks of truss, one 6-way corner block and one 30-inch base plate. To add dimension, he incorporated six Intimidator™ Spot LED 350 moving heads mounted atop two 1-meter, two 1.5-meter and two 2-meter sticks of TRUSST® warmed with six SlimPAR™ Quad 6 IRC wash lights into the design. Additionally, two 4BAR™ Tri wash lights will add front lighting to performers, while two Geyser™ RGB fixtures, two Impulse™ 648 strobe lights and a Nimbus™ dry-ice machine emit impressive, eye-catching effects. To enhance beams and tie the light show together, two Hurricane™ Haze 2D haze machines will be placed at the rear of the stage. For more information about this event, please click here.

Take a sneak peek of the design and stay tuned for post-event photos!
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Chauvet Shows off at Solotech

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Erikson Pro, the Canadian distributor for Chauvet, showcased CHAUVET® DJ, CHAUVET® Professional and TRUSST® gear during the Solotech en coulisse Trade Show held in Montreal. Attendees crowded the booth to see the latest in LED technology and must-have truss systems. Geyser™ RGB proved to be an instant hit. The dual effect fixture emits thick, white bursts of fog while simultaneously illuminating it with colorful LEDs. Additionally, the TRUSST® Goal Post and Arch Kits gained popularity for their ease of set up, ability to perfectly mount MotionDrape™ LED and overall professional appearance. Check out some photos from the show.

Chauvet Goes to the Prom

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The seniors at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma celebrated their final days of school in style. The school hosted a lavish prom at the historic Cain’s Ballroom, complete with 37 Chauvet fixtures. Randy Lundy, owner of Party Allstars, created a lively atmosphere using one Scorpion™ 3D RGB and two Eclipse™ RGB lasers, one Cubix™ effect light, 20 SlimPAR™ 38 and four COLORrail™ wash lights, and four Q-Spot™ 260-LED and four Q-Spot™ 160-LED moving heads. He also used ShowXpress™ software to program and control the entire system. Lundy, aka DJ Ran-D, DJ RO’ and DJ Vixen kept the dance floor packed and the students had the time of their life. Party AllStars specializes in proms, Bat/Bar Mitzvahs, Sweet 16′s and a variety of school events ranging from elementary to university level.

“Lighting played a huge part in enhancing the event,” Lundy said. “ShowXpress™ allows us to match the music and set the mood. The director of the venue said our light show was more impressive than most of the bands and DJs who perform there.”

 

CHAUVET® DJ Colors the Grove

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AVM Productions used 20 CHAUVET® DJ fixtures to light the stage during the Color the Grove 5K & Music Fest held at Darton State College in Albany, Georgia. The team included four members: Jodie Kretzer, production manager; Mark Davis, sound technician; Dan Reeves, lighting technician; and Dustin Tilley, stage hand. Throughout the event, Abigail Rose, Relapse and The Cole Taylor Band entertained attendees as they performed on a stage illuminated with eight SlimPAR™ 56 and two SlimPAR™ 64 RGBA par-style wash lights, eight COLORrail™ IRC linear wash lights and two SlimBANK™ Tri-18 wide-area wash lights.

“My favorite fixture by far is the new CHAUVET® DJ SlimBANK™ Tri-18,” Kretzer said.  “I can see myself using these fixtures in just about any application, whether they are used as an effect or wash light.  For this event, I used them as audience blinders and the built-in programs looked great through haze — these lights can really throw out some light. They have a great beam and even lit our pecan grove.”

COLORband™ PiX Mini Gains Momentum

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Photo Credit: Anthony P. Nguyen Photo + Video
Wes Sullivan, lighting designer and owner of WsLighting, made a switch and added four COLORband™ PiX Mini pixel mapping wash lights to a performance of Momentum by MarioCo. Dance held at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix. The fixtures were mounted to the stage right booms and provided mid side light to the performance.

“I will always spec the COLORband™ PiX Mini as my mid side light,” Sullivan said. “With its brightness and the benefit of tri-color LEDs, it saves time between dance pieces by eliminating the extra time spent changing the boom color.”

Take a Virtual Tour of the Chauvet Stand at Prolight+Sound

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Chauvet’s stand at Prolight+Sound stood out and attracted numerous guests with an assortment of fixtures representing all four brands. All types of CHAUVET® DJ gear, from moving heads to dry-ice machines, were showcased, as well as fixtures designed for the production and touring market from CHAUVET® Professional. The stand was built using the TRUSST® line of trussing backed by Chauvet, and also featured ILUMINARC® luminaires for architainment and architectural applications. Tune in for a virtual tour.

The Butterfly Effect

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Butterfly

Youth may be wasted on the young, but fortunately the desire to be a great DJ isn’t.

As I’ve been settling in to my new position at CHAUVET DJ®, people from around the world have taken the time to send good wishes. That’s been really great, but it was the 14 year old from Canada who saw one of my videos that stuck out for me. He wrote that he’s been the DJ at his local ski spot for the past year and owns a Mini 4Bar™ and a 6 Spot™ that he controls using his Obey™ 10 controller. Now he wants to expand his lighting rig. I didn’t even know what a lighting rig was when I was 14. Okay, I’ll admit it, electricity hadn’t been invented yet. But this kid has the right idea and knows exactly what he wants. At 14!!!!

He was interested in the Chauvet Intimidator Spot Duo™, wanting to mount them on a portable trussing unit like the Chauvet CH-31™ (although I encourage everyone to also check out the Blurred Matt TweetsTRUSST™ Arch and Goalpost Kits). He knows what he wants and he’s not afraid to ask for it because he ended his email with, “Anyways, I was wondering if you could hook me up with a deal on one of them.” I couldn’t have been happier at this kid’s request.  Not because I can hook him up on a deal on anything (for any you wondering out there, I can’t), but the big picture was clear to me:

This kid is the future of DJs.

Or at least young DJs like him are. He speaks the language. He wants to get better at his craft. He’s studying videos and reaching out to other DJs. If we care about the future of mobile entertainment at all, it’s critical that we nurture, educate and help kids like this. We can’t let our forums, teeming with cannibalistic snarkiness in our fervor to prove we know more than the next guy, discourage fresh and idealistic DJs. It doesn’t take much to encourage a young entertainer like this. When I let him know that I couldn’t hook him up with gear, his next request made that clear:

Matt Tweets 2

 

 

 

I think I could handle that.

The butterfly effect theory says when a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world it can cause a hurricane in another part of the world. I believe that, a small, seemingly insignificant change here can create a ripple effect, leading to big changes there. I’m hoping that the envelope of stickers I sent to Canada last week is a tiny little flap of wings that might add a little something to the hurricane of what surely will be this young DJ’s future success.

Because youth isn’t wasted on the young. It’s the future of our profession.

Yo DJ…That’s My DJ

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Yo DJ Entertainment
Corey Young, owner of Yo DJ Entertainment in Wisconsin, uses an eye-catching setup complete with 18 CHAUVET® DJ fixtures to set himself apart from the competition. His current setup includes: eight SlimPAR™ 56 wash lights, two Intimidator™ Spot LED 250 moving heads, two COLORrail™ linear wash lights, one MotionDrape™ LED, two BOB™ LED simulated flame effect lights and two MiN™ lasers.

“Most local DJs use simple setups created from T-Bar stands and par-style wash lights — my setup is completely different,” Young said. “Guests walk in and instantly know the DJ means business. Parents constantly lift their kids up to touch the “fire” created by BOB™ LED, while Intimidator™ Spot LED 250 projects a water effect on the dance floor. Once the event starts, music bumps and the lights go into full effect — most guests have never experienced a local wedding with this much high energy.”
Yo DJ Entertainment
Yo DJ Entertainment