Mixing Belushi 

Actor, comedian, and musician Jim Belushi is a powerhouse of fun, and his band, the Sacred Hearts, is a high voltage, versatile band that knows how to party!

I had the great pleasure of mixing their set, working as A1 for Garon Lee Sound, at Edenvale Winery in Medford, Oregon on August 29, 2015 for a fundraiser to benefit the Holly Theatre Restoration.

The Sacred Hearts are pro session players from L.A and I could tell from the moment they walked on stage for the sound check. Their confidence and focus was obvious as they checked their instruments and marched quickly through the procedure. The tour manager told me beforehand, “These guys won’t stay on stage long so catch it while you can.”

And I did, spending the most time on drums, as he was gracious to go back and hit the toms a few more times for me to do some eq tweaking and reverb adjustment. Their TM miked the drums and I discovered that his under the cymbal placement of the overhead mics on crash cymbals, which were six feet high, was not catching the ride cymbal. So I placed another mic under the ride and dialed in a great kit. Having Wes on stage monitors made the sound check smooth as he was able to give the band what they wanted, and I could focus on sound out front. Guitars were quick and easy, bass was clean and punchy, horns checked fast, and it was the four singers who spent the most time on their monitor mixes, giving me lots of vocal to play with. Jim Belushi was not at the sound check so his backup singers, who all sang lead on select songs in the show, checked his wireless mic and monitor on his behalf. I was bummed as I was hoping to meet Jim at sound check, because I knew I would not see him at FOH during the show. But hey, I got to tweak his voice and mix his band, and that was enough!

Belushi’s belly (Photo: Marsha Carrino)

Belushi was raucous on stage, flashing his belly and prancing around like the irreverent entertainer we expect from his bloodline. Joking around with his band and inviting throngs of females in the audience up on the stage, the scene soon became a dance party! The backup singers each took lead on a song and created a variety show experience.

Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts (Photo: Marsha Carrino)

The mix was relatively simple. No special effects were requested but I was asked to keep the bass and drums lower in the mix than would be called for at a rock concert. This was Blues after all, and we didn’t want the mix to blow people’s heads off.

Jim Belushi had a party on stage!

In the end, the band and audience loved the sound, the lighting provided by Oregon Stage and Lighting and designed by Nicholas Walsch, and we all had a good time and raised money for the Holly Theatre restoration!