BASS
Kim Carson is the bass player for punk rock band Like A Motorcycle. Kim enjoys making collages and hanging out
with her dog Jimmy. www.likeamotorcycle.com.
By Kim Carson
How to Not Get
Electrocuted in a Dive Bar
Playing a show in a dive bar can be the best experience of your life. It’s hot and sweaty, there’s often no stage, and your eardrums may feel like
they’re bleeding. Gear, beer, and people will be all over the place and you will feel truly alive; however, this exhilarating moment in your life
can be hazardous due to the shoddy electricity in old buildings and decrepit basements.
As someone who has been electrocuted more than once in a dive bar, (I’ve singed my lips and once I couldn’t feel my arms after a shock
came from both my mic and my bass guitar), here are a few simple rules to follow*.
1. Keep 1 in. Between Lips & Mic at
All Times
If you have a hard time staying away
from the mic, bring a mudder (foam
mic cover), or if you’re wearing a
toque, take it off and place it over the
microphone.
2. If Water on Stage/Floor Exceeds
1 in., Abandon Ship!
Especially with no stage, liquid can collect
on the floor – beer, water, whisky,
and sweat – and your risk of electrocution
is greater when you’re standing in
a puddle. Wearing rubber-soled shoes
can help, but it’s not a failsafe!
3. Don’t Plug in Your Phone
Charge your phone at home. It’s impossible
to avoid all the outlets, but do
your best. Using outlets of any kind in
a dive bar can result in electrocution,
and you’re probably not going to get
any reception down there anyway so
don’t worry about it.
4. Avoid Bandmate Trying to Pour
Full Beer on You
My bandmates love spitting/pouring/
feeding me beer on stage. This adds
to the puddle underneath you and
again increases your risk of electrocution.
Maybe have a talk with your band
before the show about throwing some
thing else at each other.
5. Forego Using Pedals (No one
can tell anyway…)
Pedals are just one more thing that
need to be plugged into an outlet and
will be covered in beer, water, and
whisky very early into your set. Just
forget about them for this one.
*Following these steps does not
guarantee you will not be
electrocuted.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 27