Lee's Summit Blues & Jazz Fest farewell to summer concerts
08-15-08 Kathy Smith/Tribune Society Editor
August 7th was the last in the marvelous concert series that is put on by our great Parks and Rec Department. I was a little late because I was at the Lee’s Summit Historical Society meeting but I could feel the great vibes of the music up in the Arnold Hall parking lot. It was a balmy evening with the best breeze ever which helped take the steam off of the day’s heat. Making my way through the dense crowd I was thinking of the importance of making sure that the sounds of all of the bands are at just the right pitch and that all of the instruments hooked up are working properly. I wondered up to the performance stage and started watching the sound guy. He was working switches and writing down sequences of I am not sure what. It was intense watching his fast paced hand movements. I took a while but I got his attention long enough to snap a picture. His name is Ben Wachter and he works for Professional Sound Service. Without his talents the bands would be out of luck. No sound. No music. Musicians are very picky about who their sound man is with good reason. I stood by the stage for a little while and watched the performers and found myself finding a groove. All the bands that were booked were great. I loved Trampled Under Foot. It turns out that one band member Nick Schnebelen was named the 2008 Albert King Award winner. The collective band won the 2008 International Blues Challenge. Their strong vocals and amazing guitar playing were out of this world. The concert was the last chance for kids to rock out with their parents before school started. What a great wrap up of another excellent concert series put on by the Parks and Rec.
