~ Interview with Ken Barr ~
This time I had the chance to talk with a gentleman, who worked as a guitar technician for Stone Temple Pilots starting from the Purple to the Tiny Music tour and a variety of other big-name music acts - Ken Barr. Check out the things that he had to say about his STP days in our nice little conversation below.
- Can you tell us about yourself and how you became who you are today? How did you first get into the business?
I started working in bars when I was a kid, doing shows with local bands. Eventually things progressed, and I was able to start getting on tours.
- What kind of work did you do for the band? Were you involved in any activities besides being their guitar technician at concerts?
On the first tour I was guitar tech, and also doubled as stage security. They didn't have their own person at that time, so I took care of it during the show. The audiences were crazy back then, and they were always coming up on stage.
- How many people were working for them at the time?
I think any tour will have a crew of around 25 to 30, plus local stage hands
- Tell us about this experience. In the interview you did with Guitar.com you mention that it was unpleasant at times because of Scott's addiction. Was it that way from the very beginning?
Scott had good times and bad. The bad times made it difficult, because we weren't sure if we were going to do a show some nights, and if we did, we didn't always know what would happen.
- How long did you work with them? For what reasons did you leave their crew?
I did the 1994 tour, and the 1996-1997 tour. I also toured with their side project, "Talk Show" I left because I was committed to another tour when they needed me to come back. That is common in the industry.
- Were there any serious incidents during the shows? What was the worst thing to happen during a show?
I had Deans guitar rig go out one night, took about 5 minutes to get it going again, that wasn't fun.
A lot of nights on the 1994 tour more people would come over the barricade trying to get on stage, sometimes big guys looking for a fight. There were nights I was so busy with that, I wasn't able to make guitar changes. But the bands safety was more important.
- What is your coolest memory from that time? What was the most memorable gig?
There were so many stand out nights, but I would have to say the Madison Square Garden gig.
- As far as I know, the 1994 Worcester show (you posted the video from this show on your blog) was supposed to be released as a live DVD, but it never happened for some reason. Do you know anything about this?
I'm not sure, I would be willing to bet the band didn't like how it came out.
- I’ve also heard that you were the part of the crew during the filming of the “Lady Picture Show” video. Tell us about the day of the shoot.
That was just a long day of standing around. The band were using some very rare and vintage guitars, we had to make them ready for the video without altering them.
- Did the Talk Show gigs always go well?
From my aspect, equipment wise yes. I think the band just never gelled.
- Any ideas why Dave Coutts left the band? It looks like Rob, Dean and Eric’s commitments to STP weren’t the one and only reason.
I think Rob Dean and Eric were so used to working with Scott Weiland that Dave Coutts had some very big shoes to fill, in a very short time. Dave was a good singer, but Scott Weiland was in a league of his own. I think that's why the band just never gelled.
- Have you met with the guys since you parted ways?
I've seen them at a couple of shows here and there, but my schedule is pretty hectic, it's hard to have time to hang out.
- Also, you probably don’t have the answer for this question, but I think it is worth a shot: Some guy claims that he has heard the cover of School House Rock's "Conjunction Junction" by STP on the radio back in 1995, but none of the other fans have ever heard of its existence. Did they really cover this song?
I have never heard about that before.
- Tell us about Dean's equipment at the time, the effects he used, the amount of strings you had to change during the tour...
Dean used a single rack mounted effects unit, I don't remember which one, it's pedalboard had 5 settings, but the clean tone came from the Vox. He also used a Wah pedal.I changed the strings on Deans guitars depending on how much he used it, his main guitars would get changed every day and the others maybe every other day. The interesting thing about Deans gear is that he used so little. The sound you hear is somehow him, and that is what was interesting about his playing, his unique sound and style. He was a pleasure to work for.
- What are you up to these days?
My book, "We Are The Road Crew" which is available on Amazon now. I'm writing more books, making short films and still doing shows here and there.
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For more interesting info and stories about STP and other bands, check out Ken's book:
Starting in 1978 and ending in 2000, I worked in the music indusrty as a technician. My journey started in the bars and rock clubs on Long Island, New york, and eventually took me to arenas and stadiums around the world working for KISS, Alice Cooper, Stone Temple Pilots, and many other groups. This is my story. From club gigs after school as a teenager, to concerts on every continent on the planet. I've been there and back, and survived to tell the story. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed living it.
Buy: http://tinyurl.com/7rpbfs7