LEXINGTON, KY – Heil Sound Communications noted that its PR35 mics (on vocals) and drum mics on stage were used for the 1,000th-edition of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, a live show at the historic Lyric Theater in Lexington, KY that gets taped live for streaming as well as broadcast.
More details from Heil Sound (www.heilsound.com):
Every Monday night at the historic Lyric Theater in Lexington, KY, a live show takes place that celebrates grassroots music with some of the best singer/songwriters in the business. Taped live for streaming as well as broadcast, the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio is heard from Australia across America to Ireland on 537 public, community (available from PRX) and commercial radio stations worldwide including the legendary WSM in Nashville, the broadcast home of the Grand Ole Opry, the American Forces Radio Network, which broadcast the show on two channels in 177 nations which includes every military base and U.S. Naval ships in the world. Public television mainstay, PBS also offers the show on their channels.
Hosted by songwriter and touring performer Michael Johnathon, the show recently taped its 1000th episode with Heil Sound microphones – PR35s on vocals as well as an assortment of drum mics – on much of the stage. The milestone show, featuring long-time Woodsongs friends Riders in the Sky, was broadcast in mid-February.
For Heil Sound, the WoodSongs journey began ten years ago. Greg McVeigh handles artist relations and PR for Heil Sound and stated, “WoodSongs was the first official partnership that we put together for Heil. They were ground zero, in many ways, for artists who we ultimately worked closely with. Joan Baez, Jakob Dylan, Tommy Emmanuel and others performed with Heil Sound mics at WoodSongs.”
WoodSongs began in 1999 in a small studio – it held only 20 people – and was recorded on a cassette that had to be turned over halfway through the broadcast. Growth brought upgrades to their technical side as well as moves to larger venues with the Lyric now home. The WoodSongs audience is made up of partners who pay an annual subscription fee that covers their admission every week. All but a few shows are archived on the WoodSongs website and can be viewed for free.
Jerome Gallt is chief engineer at WoodSongs and, working alongside Brandon Eaves and Bryan Klausing, finds himself a wide variety of micing situations. “I love using Heil mics on instruments and voices because they are so accurate. I rarely need to apply EQ or engineering trickery to capture the essence of an acoustic instrument, which allows us to present groups in an honest way. They handle high and low sound pressures equally well without coloring the overall sound that comes through the console. From full drum kits, to banjos, to vocals, there’s a Heil mic for the job and we are extremely grateful to have those Heil mics in our locker!”
Founder Michael Johnathon, who describes himself as Folksinger, SongFarmer, and Heil Mic Believer stated, “Heil Sound mics have been part of the rich, dynamic sound of the WoodSongs broadcast for years, including our historic show #1000. We treat the live audience stage as though it was a recording studio, and the Heil mics are a major part of the rich ‘front porch’ sound of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour.”
