Alice in Chains Video

You may remember that I posted last week about the Alice in Chains project.  Although I included linkes to several videos in that post, I just found out about another great video from their current tour, so I thought I’d post a brief update.  The video is a great compilation of scenes from the show.

And while I’m at it, here is another great photo!

Design: Mike Baldassari @ Mike-O-Matic Industries www.mike-o-matic.com;  Photo By: “Iron” Mike - SavoiaPhotography.com

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

2010 Pollstar Awards

On Wednesday, February 17, the 21st Annual Pollstar Awards were held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.  If you aren’t familiar with Pollstar, it is a leading trade publication for the concert industry, publishing both in print and online (I use their website almost daily - it is a great resource for information on music tours / concerts). 

Each year, Pollstar invites a group of industry professionals to provide nominations in a number of award categories, including venues, production, promotion, staging, lighting, and much more.  Once the nominations are finalized, Pollstar subscribers are invited to vote online, and the winners are announced at the ceremony.

This year, our sister company, Rent What?, was honored to be selected as the provider of rental draperies to the event.  Selected as the main drapes for the ceremony were the Moulin Rouge drapes that I have posted about before (part of Rent What’s “Timeless and Traditional” series).  These gorgeous crimson and gold pieces really are dramatic, aren’t they? 

Rent What? Inc. also provided all of the black masking drapes used for the event.  Although masking drapes are most known for onstage masking, they also are quite effective for masking sections of the seating area in larger spaces.  By masking off sections of seating, the space was transformed into an intimate setting that was especially fitting for this event.

I think the rental drapes provided a fittingly opulent and intimate setting for the presentation of these prestigious awards.  Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Alice in Chains Project

In late January, we worked on an interesting project for the 2010 tour of Alice in Chains.  The primary pieces that we made were a series of Single and Double Kabukis. 

The Double Kabuki, at 25′ h x 45′ w, was made out of Silver Poly Silk, and then the 5 Upstage Single Kabukis (all at 22′ h and ranging in width from 10′ w to 44′ w) were of a silver textured satin.  We also made a number of pieces for the stage (drum riser, amp panels and floor light coverlets) out of Black 16oz Commando Cloth lined with Aluminum Mesh, as well as some black masking drapes. 

Design: Mike Baldassari @ Mike-O-Matic Industries www.mike-o-matic.com;  Photo By: “Iron” Mike - SavoiaPhotography.com

Rent What? also provided some pieces, including a Classic Theatre Header (Red) from their Timeless and Traditional Series, along with a number of Borders in Black 15oz Encore, and furnished the 44 piece Solenoid System with controllers (used with the Kabuki Drapes).  Check out the Classic Theatre Header in this photo:

Design: Mike Baldassari @ Mike-O-Matic Industries www.mike-o-matic.com;  Photo By: “Iron” Mike - SavoiaPhotography.com

We were all really proud of how the pieces turned out, but you never know how the client will react.  Well, I am happy to report that the client loved them!  Yesterday, Megan received a thank you letter from Mike Baldassari, Production Designer for Alice in Chains, and it is such a great letter that I have to share a little bit of it: 

Dear Megan,

I’m writing to again say thank you for all of your help, hard work, expertise and most especially your “do whatever it takes” attitude in support of Alice in Chains’ current tour…. I was also impressed with the quality, workmanship and organization of the delivery of the goods that Sew What built.  You have my sincere gratitude for a job very well done, and I look forward to working with you and Sew What on other projects as well in the near future.

Best Regards,

Mike Baldassari

It is so rewarding to get such positive feedback from our clients, and to be able to share it with our employees, especially those who worked so hard on this project.

By the way, if you’d like to see Alice in Chains in action, with some of our drapery providing the backdrop, I found several videos on YouTube.  I think this one highlights (yet again) how perfect silver / gray fabric is for projection, whereas this one shows the drapery in its actual silver color at the start of the video and then shows how it can become almost any color with the proper lighting (you can also see some of the mesh pieces on stage in this video).

Note: Want to see a Kabuki Drape in action?  Check out this video.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Rent What? does the “Mark and Brian Christmas Show”

Yes, I will admit it…I am a classic rock fan, and my radio station of choice (here in the Los Angeles area) is 95.5 KLOS.  Every weekday morning on my way to work, I listen to the Mark and Brian Show (based here in L.A. on KLOS, but syndicated throughout the country).

So, after listening to M & B talk for weeks about the Christmas Show being held on December 16th at the Nokia Theatre (and wishing I could go), you can imagine how excited I was to hear that Rent What? was renting drapery to the show.

And not just any drapery…this was drapery from the Silver Satin Series.  If you are a regular reader, you know that I absolutely love the Silver Satin drapery pieces that Sew What? made for Rent What?  Most recently, I posted in November on the Silver Satin Austrian and Swags that Rent What? provided to the Maxwell tour.  Well, here they are again, looking as spectacular as ever!

Under minimal lighting, there is only a slight variation in the color (the drapes appear more of an opalescent white than a silver).

Change the lighting, and suddenly they appear red…

…or green…

Pretty amazing, don’t you think? 

I was also excited to learn about a YouTube video of the drapes.  Most of the videos that we find on YouTube that feature our drapes are shot during the show - which is great for seeing the artist, but doesn’t always give the best shots of the drapery!  That is why I was so excited to learn about this video - since it was shot during sound check for the Mark and Brian “Super Group”, there are lots of angles and closeups of the drapery.

So, here I am - the show is over and I am regretting that I didn’t buy tickets and go.  Not only would I have had the fun of attending the M & B Christmas Show in person, but I would have also gotten to enjoy the drapes in person.  Oh, well, maybe next year…

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Transformation by Lighting

It is always fun to see how the drapery we make is transformed on stage.  I have mentioned before how impressive it is to see how the lighting designers can transform the look of the set (including the drapery) through the use of lighting effects. 

Take, for example, the burgundy contour curtain that we made for Rent What?, as part of their Vintage Burgundy collection (which also includes the fabulous Moulin Rouge drapes that I told you about recently).  Just on its own, this curtain is gorgeous, the lift lines creating dramatic yet romantic swags, and the burgundy color adding elegance and sophistication.

With the addition of specialized lighting, however, the curtain takes on an entirely new look.  Monsters of Folk are using this contour curtain in their current tour, and Rent What? got some great photos of their show at the Greek Theare in Los Angeles.  In looking at these photos, it is hard to believe that the curtain is actually burgundy - in some of the photos, it appears red.  In others, you would swear that it is purple.  In all of the photos, the curtain looks amazing.

It just goes to show you that choosing a colored curtain doesn’t have to limit the look of a show.  With a talented lighting designer, one curtain can have several different looks.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Stage Curtains in Action

Since I started this blog, one of my goals has been to educate those readers who are new to the world of stage curtains and rigging.  Based on that, I have written various blog posts and included photos and links.  Today I thought I’d point you to some short videos that will show you stage curtains in action.  I hope you will find the videos both educational and entertaining.

Sew What? Inc. has posted several videos on You Tube.  This video shows an Austrian Drape being raised and lowered.  Make sure you turn the sound on your computer when playing the video - I think you’ll like the soundtrack!

We have also included an LED Star Drop that we made for the rental inventory of our sister company, Rent What?  I love the way the lights twinkle and flash - it is really a dramatic sight in a dark theatre or concert venue (again, try it with sound).

Our website has a large number of videos on it as well, showing a variety of custom stage curtains, custom band backdrops, and much more being used by artists as diverse as Lady Gaga, Rod Stewart, and James Taylor (and many more).  Check them out - I think you’ll enjoy them.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Cool Drape!

Our sister company, Rent What? Inc., is now offering a great selection of specialty drapes. 

I love this Mesh Drape that Sew What? made for Rent What?, part of their Industrial Textures Series.  It is actually made of Aluminum Mesh (think window screen), which gives it a great “crinkly” look and allows the light to catch it at different angles.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Love those specialty drapes from Rent What?

Last month I posted about how beautiful Silver Satin is for lighting, and I mentioned in that post that we made a number of drapes in this fabric for our sister company, Rent What?  Well, Rent What? has recently upgraded their website, and there is some fantastic info there on the specialty drapes available for rent, including the Silver Satin Series.

The information that has been added to the website is terrific.  One upgrade that I particularly like is the addition of the Specialty Drapery Series page.  Not only are pictures included for each of the four specialty drapery series (Silver Satin, Rockin Red, Ivory Scene, and Industrial Textures - all manufactured by Sew What?), but there are even links to printable versions of the “Profiles” of each series.  These are great – not only informative, but well-designed and clever. 

They have also added a number of other products to their website, including LED drapes, Kabukis, traveller track, portable dressing rooms and much more.  Congrats to Megan and Marce (owners of Rent What?) for this impressive upgrade to their website.

If you are looking for stage or special event rentals, make sure you check out Rent What?  You won’t be disappointed. 

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Need a rental? Call Rent What?

In the last few years, we started hearing from a lot of our customers that they wished we offered soft goods for rent.  That way, they could maximize their budget - buy a few custom stage curtains and then also rent some of the pieces.  In July 2008, in answer to those requests, Rent What? Inc. was born.

Rent What? is a sister company to Sew What? (separate but equal I guess you could say ), owned & operated by Megan Duckett (Sew What? founder) and Marce Forrester.  Sew What? makes the drapes and then Rent What? rents them out.  It’s the best of both worlds.  Customers get the same high quality products as those bought directly from Sew What? but as a rental for the length of time needed - a week, a month, whatever.  When Rent What? first started out, the focus was on black masking drapes, but now they have built a stock of some absolutely gorgeous specialty drapes (pictures in a future post) as well as LED drapes.

So if you find yourself in need of a rental, give Rent What? a call - Marce & Megan would be glad to help you.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!