Janet Jackson # 1′s

Last month we did an interesting project for Janet Jackson’s 2011 tour.  Most of the time, we either make a theatrical drape or a scenic backdrop (often digitally printed).  In this case, however, we combined the two, with great results, and I wanted to share.

We started out by making a pair of Bi-Parting Traveler Curtains, each 30′ h x 30′ w, from sewn flat in Black 22oz Encore.  This achieved a traditional drapery look with deep blacks and full opacity.  We then added digitally printed elements by appliqueing one half of the digital design to the onstage edge of each of the drapes.  

With the drapes closed, the design is front and center, with the white of the digital design really “popping” against the deep black of the Encore drapes.  Want to see more?  There is a great photo of these drapes – check it out on Flickr.

“Industrial Textures” Drapery Collection

So far, I’ve told you about several of the drapery collections available at Rent What?  These include “Rockin’ Red,” “Timeless and Traditional,” “Silver Satin,” and “Delightfully White.”  Today I thought I’d tell you about what may be our most edgy – the “Industrial Textures” drapery collection.

Rental Drapery Profile – Industrial Textures

Material:

• Aluminum Metal Mesh
• IFR Texturelite / Silver
• IFR Texturelite / Pewter
• FR Camo Net / Brown-Beige

A La Carte Elements:

Select the perfect pieces to compliment your stage and satisfy your budget.

• Backdrops
• Banners
• Truss Wraps
• Legs
• Borders

Why we love it:

Curvaceous and cutting edge. This series focuses on mixed media pieces and textiles that will please artists and lighting designers alike.

Key People:

Disturbed, Nickelback and Casting Crowns.

Supporters:

Compliment these stand alone pieces with masking drapes from the traditional BLACKout series.

Accolades:

Client recently raved “Me Likey Rentals”. We don’t think it gets much better than that. Do you?

Ambition:

Mixed Media meets textile mania. These kids have personality.

More Scenic Backdrops for Little Big Town

Last year, I posted about some beautiful digitally printed backdrops that we made for Little Big Town’s 2010 tour.  Well, this year we were excited to be asked to provided additional scenic backdrops for their 2011 tour – and this time the project included not only two digital backdrops, but a gorgeous handpainted backdrop as well, all 24′ h x 40′ w.  Of course, the artwork was created by, you guessed it, John Rios of GrafixJam.

Each of the two digitally printed backdrops had a unique image – one in black and white depicting a country church, and the other a graphic image of a black bird silhouette over a red, yellow and black geometric pattern.

Photo Courtesy of Bobby Simmons

Gorgeous, isn’t it?  Even more impressive is the handpainted backdrop.  Painted on NFR Muslin and then treated for flame retardancy afterwards, this drop features an image of a hand-stitched American flag.

Photo Courtesy of Bobby Simmons

It’s beautiful as is – but there is a surprise waiting when the lighting changes!  You’d never realize it looking at the photo above, but there is a hidden message painted on it in invisible UV paint.

Photo Courtesy of Bobby Simmons

Pretty cool effect, don’t you think!  I remember when we first hung this in our production shop, after the painting was complete, and everyone was amazed at how beautiful it was.  It is so exciting to see it on stage, with all the lighting effects.  Wow!

Happy Clients – What We Like to Hear

There are so many ways to measure business success, but the one that we find the best is hearing from our clients that they are love our custom stage drapes.  What better way is there for a prospective new client to judge the quality of our work than by hearing from our current clients?  Here are just a few client testimonials that we have received recently at our sister company, Rent What?

The pop up dressing room is great. I love the ease of the buttons and not the old school buttons that hurt your finger tips trying to get it opened, etc

- Conan O’Brian Tour

The Carrie Underwood rentals with the velcro worked great- kept our turn around time short to just rip them down. I was very pleased with both products. That you had pre-assembled the swag and drape- everything was just fantastic, perfectly customized to be highly functional onstage and for that I am truly grateful. In this regard you guys are very uniquely service oriented.

– Carrie Underwood @ the ACMA’s

Twas a thing of beauty. Perfect as always!

– Nickelback Tour

Thanks for hooking us up with the awesome curtain.

– Hanson Tour

Thank you for the great gear you provided and the shop support you afforded us early on in pre production. Everything went great. We had a 100% success rate with our Kabuki drops.

You run a wonderful company and I look forward to working with you once again in the near future.

- Alice in Chains Tour

It worked out beautifully. The curtain was the perfect finishing touch to our children’s musical. It pulled everything together. My experience with Rent What? was pleasant from start to finish. I found everyone to be very helpful and professional. I will definitely rent from you again. Thank you!

– Daren Bachman

I appreciate how much time and care you guys put into your business. Your growth has been impressive, phenomenal, and well conceived. Thank you for everything.

– Local High Profile Staging Client

Seriously–that grey drop as the kabuki was absolutely perfect –I need to add kabuki effects to my every day life somehow, it’s such a thrill!!! ….rig one up in front of the dinner table, the candles flickering behind it and then woooosh! or surprise parties! or Christmastime! or blind dates! And the truss borders, holy moley, they really add a lot to the set, they were a huge hit. Muchas Gracias!

– The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s at the Greek

After years of interacting with you on the phone, it was great to finally be able to meet you! Thank you for your beautiful drapes and I’m happy to work with you every time I get the chance.

- Mary J Blige Tour

Installing Traveler Track

Traveler track is the most common way in which the custom stage curtains that we make are hung, and we are proud to be an authorized distributor for Automatic Devices Company (ADC), one of the major U.S. manufacturers of curtain track.

In many cases, the track is purchased by major theatre companies or music tours who are experienced in the installation of traveler track.  In other cases, however, the track is purchased by a school or other organization that has never installed curtain track and is, naturally, somewhat apprehensive about the prospect.

The reality is that, in most cases, installation of traveler track is a fairly simple, straight-forward situation, and there are several resources available to help.  ADC publishes a variety of schematics and installation instructions, which are available on our website. 

At Rent What? they have a new set of instructions available for installing bi-parting traveler track. They spent some time looking at the various resources available to help with the install process and felt that this was an area where clients might have questions. They have tried their new instruction set with a variety of clients and feel it is “right on” for helping cut to the chase in terms of the rope threading and the carrier and end pulley placement. It’s great because it is written for the “layperson” amd even includes pictures. You can view it here.

Performance that Rocks!

Performance that Rocks! Here are just a few reasons why you will want to consider Rent What? Inc for your next concert backdrop drapery rental.

At Rent What?, we’ve got the curtains and masking drapes for just about any kind of show, massive or minor. But just as important, we’ve got the creds. Our team has performed for many of the biggest names in entertainment, so we know the realities of dressing up a major venue and dancing around all the surprises that can pop up at the last second. It’s not just about having the right products, but having the experience and putting in the blood and sweat our customers remember when it comes to booking each new tour.

Really Big Drapes for a Really Big Show.

Masking drapes, Kabukis and backdrops – we’ve got them in heights up to 60 feet! With our extensive selection of quality, IFR drapery in various dimensions, the choices are endless. Travel hampers are always provided FREE when you rent your drapes with us.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.

Flame certificates – check! Burn samples – check! 24 hour service – check! Our well maintained inventory is ready for your show, from LA to New York and Boston.

Simple, Competitive Pricing & No Bill Backs.

Square foot pricing makes budgeting a breeze. And our optional damage waiver insurance offers coverage for road wear and tear, and means you don’t get billed back for damages.

An Inventory on Your Screen.

With our newly redesigned website, it’s never been easier to find exactly the drapes and answers you’re looking for. Our rental drape details and sizes are all viewable at the click of your mouse

Congratulations to John Rios of Grafix Jam

For those of you who are regular followers of this blog, you know how much we love the artwork of John Rios of Grafix Jam.  Not only has he created the artwork for our annual Sew What? shirts for the last two years, but we have happily recommended him to a number of our music tour clients.

Today, I want to congratulate John on the achievement of a dream.  For years, John dreamed of having his artwork published in Rolling Stone magazine.  Despite his best (and worst!) attempts, that dream wan’t realized, and eventually that dream was put aside.   

Well, in January, his dream finally came true, albeit in a roundabout way.  Late last year, John was selected to produce the artwork for Kid Rock’s 40th Birthday Bash at Ford Field in Detriot as well as his Born Free Tour.  This was a great honor for John, and of course his artwork (as always) is terrific.  But John never imagined that this project would finally get his artwork into Rolling Stone, which included photos of Kid Rock at his 40th Birthday Bash, with a backdrop featuring John’s artwork prominently seen in several photos.   Incredible work, John, and congratulations on having that long-forgotten dream come true.

Read more about it on John’s blog at http://www.grafixjam.com/wordpress/, and make sure to check out the link to the photos on Rolling Stone online.

Flame Retardancy throughout the World

Sew What? certifies its custom stage curtains and digitally printed backdrops as flame retardant according to specific standards and regulations.  All flame retardant fabrics are certified to NFPA 701, the national standard, and most are also certified according to California’s Title 19 regulation as well as New York City requirements.

However, as we work so frequently with the music touring industry, we are frequently asked whether our fabrics meet flame retardancy standards in other countries.  This question is, understandably, quite difficult to answer.  The first question is, what countries will the tour visit?  Just as there are a variety of flame retardancy standards in the United States, there are a variety of standards worldwide.  In Europe alone, I can think of three different flame retardancy standards – British, German, and French. 

For Europe, we can make informed suggestions on a few fabrics, based on testing performed by U.S. laboratories according to U.K., German or French standards.  However, very few fabrics have been tested in the U.S. for European standards (such testing can be cost prohibitive).  And even with the fabrics that have been tested, those test results typically are not accepted by European venues, as the venues typically want to see that a fabric has been tested by a laboratory in the specific country.  The U.K. wants to see test results from a U.K. laboratory, Germany wants to see German lab tests, and so on.

And that is just one region.  Think of the many international locations that a music tour might visit – Asia, Australia, Africa – the list is endless.  It is, for all intents and purposes, impossible for Sew What? (or any other U.S. drapery provider) to know if a fabric will meet flame retardancy standards in every international concert location.  So, in many cases, the solution is to provide fabric samples to the tour in advance.  This allows the tour’s production team to work with local companies in all the countries to which it will visit, to facilitate FR testing and certification for each country in advance.  Unfortunately, this can be a time-consuming (and, I imagine, a costly) process.  Still, I suppose it beats purchasing a whole new set of custom stage curtains in eah country on the tour!

January Anniversaries

Yes, I admit this is a little late, but I wanted to make sure to acknowledge the anniversaries of those employees who started at Sew What? in January.  Interestingly enough, we have several employees with January anniversaries, but none in February. 

Congratulations – between you, you have 15 years at Sew What?  We are so glad to have you!

Veronica, Sewing Machine Operator – 5 years

Shane Nelsen, Creative Director / Senior Sales – 6 years

Vicente, Assistant Cutter – 4 years