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>>People Melody maker >>
Sound engineer finds rock ’n’ roll better than the Finnish
army by CHRIS BARRY
Salary:
Between zero and $100 an hour
Bio: This
enigmatic Finnish national and Outremont resident began his career in
the music business as a guitarist but quickly “graduated”
to the position of roadie for local sensations Me Mom & Morgentaler.
Recognizing that the truly big bucks were in sound engineering, in 1993
Klaus opted to spend a small fortune in tuition fees to attend the Ontario
Institute of Audio Recording Technology and learn his modest trade.
Returning to Montreal one year later, and getting his first big break
working on Moist’s Creature album, this former anti-aircraft gunner
in the Finnish military has since become one of the most sought-after
engineers in town.
Do most of the
people who pay a lot of money to go to school and learn sound engineering
ever find jobs in the field? “Good God no! For one thing there
isn’t nearly enough work for all of the people who graduate from
these courses. And it’s not exactly one of those fields where you
graduate and somebody offers you a job. You have to really work hard
on your own to make it happen.”
Is it safe to
say that sound men usually walk away from a tour wealthier than the
musicians? “Yes, I suppose—but it also depends on who
you’re working for. Celine Dion brings home a lot more money than
her sound engineer.”
When he is behind
the mixing board does he ever like to pretend he’s an airplane
pilot flying in towards the twin towers? No.
Is it absolute
torture to be a house engineer and be forced to record lame-ass know-it-all
bands whose music you totally hate? “No, it’s not all
that painful. You just have to do it and focus on other elements and
not worry about how bad the song is. If you really want to know, the
toughest thing is when people book the studio for a weekend and suddenly
tell you that they want to record and mix an entire album by Monday.”
Does he ever
get bogus bands coming into the studio who conveniently try to pretend
that it’s all his fault as to why they sound so lame? “I
suspect I probably do, but no-body ever tells you this stuff to your
face.”
One act he is
currently producing that really fries his burger: The Moonshine
Orchestra.
Has Moist ever
written a song for him? Yes, and it’s called Klaus.
Does he ever
fantasize about giving it all up to go back and live the good life in
the Finnish armed forces? Not very often.
Is there a big
demand for sound engineers in the Finnish armed forces?
Klaus suspects that there isn’t.
Where he hangs
out: Blizzarts, Nantha’s.
Cologne:
Chrome by Azzaro.
Last Book Read:
In the Name of the Father, by Kjell Westo.
Musical preferences:
The Clash, Cake, Toots and the Maytals.
Favorite film
of all time: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Television preference:
The Simpsons.
Words of Wisdom:
“Have a good time, all the time.” :
Comments?
dimwit@openface.ca |
Name:
Claus Frostell