BIO
Q&A
- Hometown:
Largo, FL
- What is your primary role on tour?
Designing and Programming stage lighting rigs
- How did you get into the touring/music industry?
I was asked to cover for the LD at the Webster Theater in Hartford, Ct back in 2003, and it sort of took off from there. I haven’t looked back since.
- Gear/Tools of choice:
I primarily use Avolites consoles, mostly because that’s what I started on and it’s the software I’m most comfortable with.
- Notable Bands/Artists worked with:
I’ve worked with/for Cradle of Filth, Arch Enemy, Kill Hannah, and most recently, I’ve been with Scott Stapp for the last 3 years, and Dying Fetus for the last 2 years.
- Social Media Handles/Website:
FB: Steve Mutch
1. What is one thing you NEVER leave for tour without?
Two pairs of comfortable shoes and a good book. Switch out shoes everyday, and those long travel days can get boring really quickly.
2. Tour is marching down the road, you see a sign for your favorite fast food spot and we HAVE to stop...where are we going and what's your order?
Has to be Waffle House for biscuits and gravy. Fine dining is all well and good, but after weeks on tour, a taste of home is always welcome!
3. What's your go-to gas station snack order?
I may be boring, but a cold Mountain Dew and a jar of honey roasted peanuts.
4. What do you love to do when you aren't touring?
This may seem odd, but I love spending time leather working/crafting. Since we bought our place in March though, I haven’t had a chance to set up my shop yet and it’s killing me!
5. Mental health is so important. What is something you need to do on tour to keep yourself sane?
I take walks every morning before load in. Just me and my thoughts, usually an hour or two. Helps clear my mind. On non-show days, I like to either sit outside (if good weather) and read a book under a nice shady tree for hours at a time. If the weather isn’t so nice, I retreat to my hotel room and place myself in a corner and dive headfirst into a good book. I typically isolate myself for the majority of time on non-show days. It helps me to re-center myself and be ready for any upcoming challenges.
6. Biggest green flag in a tourmate? Biggest red flag?
Greenflag would be just a simple smile. Doesn’t have to be a big one either. Red flag would be always being in a negative mood. None of us are in an ideal situation on tour, but we make the best of it.
7. Podcasts or music? Give a top 3 of things you're currently jamming
I love music, so I’m always listening to something. My tastes are a bit varied, so my playlist will go from Dying Fetus, to Creed, to Gordon Lightfoot, to Scott Joplin, to Buddy Holly, and almost everything in between. My current top three songs (changes almost daily) are
1. Rapid Roy - Jim Croce
2. Space Age Love Song - A Flock of Seagulls
3. Into the Cesspool - Dying Fetus
8. Best and Worst parts of touring?
Best parts of touring are, the travel, meeting new people, and the ultimate for me, the crowds reaction when the house lights go out. The worst part would be the time away from family and missing once in a lifetime events. (I missed my sons first steps while I was on tour)
9. Favorite city to visit on tour?
I don’t think I have a favorite city. I do what I can to experience every city in one way or another, and usually find something really enjoyable in each one.
10. Favorite venue you've worked?
The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee. Great local crew, historic building (I’m an amateur history buff), and very well designed green rooms.
11. What's a place you haven't visited that you would love to go to?
Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It’s where my father’s side of my family is from.
12. How long does it take you to get back to "normal" life when you get home from tour?
I’m not sure I can ever really “get back to” a so called normal life. Usually, within a day or two of getting home, I’m back on a stage working locally. I enjoy stage work in any capacity and can’t imagine myself doing any other type of work.
13. What is a personality trait that you admire in other people?
I admire honesty, and a willingness to learn more about things they don’t know. I like to think of myself as an honest person, and I try not to let a day go by where I don’t learn something new, and I enjoy seeing that in other people as well.
14. What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
My former Fire Chief told me years ago “Take care of number one, and remember that you’re number one”. Basically, take care of yourself in every way first, because if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t help others to the best of your ability. Another one is, if you don’t know something, ask someone who does. It’s better to learn from someone who knows than to learn the wrong way on your own, if possible.
15. What is something small that instantly makes your day better?
Just a simple “thank you” from someone can turn a less than good day into a great one. It’s funny how two simple words can really impact someone.