EP009: Joel Reiff

Joel Reiff is nothing short of a legend. He’s been working in the live music industry since 1986, and his CV includes act such as Godsmack, Jason Mraz, 50 Cent, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Korn, Audioslave, Beck, Bob Dylan, Live, and many other. In this episode of The Light Side Podcast, he and Luke sit down for a retrospective of Joel’s vast and diverse career. Topics include war stories, lighting for music videos, and Baby Yoda.

The Light Side and host Luke Stratton return with an interview with Sachem Arvidson. The two crossed paths while Arvidson was running video and LED content for The Flaming Lips at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. Topics including Resolume, Magic Music Visualizer, Arvidson’s history with The Flaming Lips, and a video crash corse for lighting designers.

In this retrospective episode, legendary Grateful Dead lighting designer Candace Brightman discusses her 40+ year career lighting live music and explains her design process through four decades of technological evolution. She also reflects on being a woman in a male dominated industry and the role psychedelics played in her career. Her and host Luke Stratton discuss how she accidentally started working in the music industry, and what it was like working for such icons artists including the Dead, Santana, Bette Midler, Widespread Panic, and the GD50 Fare Thee Well shows. This episode also includes a brief phone interview with GD50 promoter and Capital Theater owner Peter Shapiro, who recalls the impact Brightman’s work had on both the band and other designers… and he settles the “Santa Clara Rainbow Rumor” once and for all.

In the 2nd half of their two part interview, Lighting Designer/Director Christopher Kuroda, Associate Designer and Programmer Andrew Giffin, and Lighting Crew Chief Terry Smith dig deep into the inner workings of Phish’s light rig. Recorded at Front-of-House and back stage inside Madison Square Garden during the band’s historic 13 night “Baker’s Dozen” run, Chris, Gif, Terry, and Luke discuss Gif and Terry’s origin backstories, the inner workings of programming the lighting and automation systems, and Kuroda’s secret tricks for lighting the vocal jam in You Enjoy Myself.

Lighting Designer/Director Christopher Kuroda and Associate Designer and Programmer Andrew Giffin tell all in this exclusive two part episode on Phish‘s new light rig. Recorded at Front-of-House inside Madison Square Garden during the band’s historic 13 night “Baker’s Dozen” run, Chris, Gif, and Luke discuss the new truss automation system, the history of Phish light rigs over the years, working with Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, and this season of Game of Thrones.

In this three hour marathon episode, Luke delves into the mind Michael Smalley of Twin Designs. From his storied history lighting EDM DJ/producer Bassnectar to his culturally rich experiences working with rapper Pitbull, Smalley tells all from his creative design process to the interworking of his lighting console. Topics also include a crash course in “timecoding” and the balance of ego versus art.

Luke talks with Paul Hoffman, owner of Pulse Lighting and lighting designer/director for Widespread Panic. Paul has worked for numerous projects involving members of the Grateful Dead including The Dead, Furthur, and Fare Thee Well. Luke and Paul discuss his design process, console workflow, and working with “the grand master herself” Candace Brightman.

In the 2nd episode of the Light Side, host Luke Stratton sits down with lighting design/production designer Greg “The Lazer Shark” Ellis of Pretty Lights. Topics include how Greg got into lighting, his transition from lighting a small local band to working for one of the largest EDM artists in the country, and the technical specifics behind his rig.

In the premier episode of the Light Side, host Luke Stratton sits down with lighting design/director Jefferson Waful of Umphrey’s McGee. Topics include how Waful became an LD, his influences, how he lays out his console, and his experience working with Phish and Chris Kuroda last winter in Mexico.