“Nashville’s Pro Audio Block Party,” which took place Saturday, September 26, 2015, brought together engineers, manufacturers, students and more from across the U.S. for a jam-packed day of
education, networking, gear demos and fun outdoors
LOS ANGELES, CA — Nashville, aka “Music City USA,” was recently the site of the third annual Gear Expo, which took place on Saturday, September 26, 2015, in the city’s charming Berry Hill neighborhood. Gear Expo 2015 (affectionately known as “Nashville’s Pro Audio Block Party”) was a creation of Pensado’s Place, the acclaimed weekly educational web series, in conjunction with Vintage King Audio, a leader in professional audio sales, studio consulting, and comprehensive gear servicing. A standing-room-only crowd consisting of over 700 attendees including engineers, students, sponsors, manufacturers, well-known artists and others, took part in a full day of audio education, gear demos, career networking, gourmet food trucks, prizes and interviews conducted by Herb Trawick and Dave Pensado, co-hosts of Pensado’s Place.
Gear Expo 2015 garnered tremendous interest on social media. “In a one-week period leading up to and after the date of the event, over 500 social posts using the #GearExpoNashville hashtag were published across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that had a combined online reach of over half a million people,” stated Will Thompson, Producer of Pensado’s Place/Habitual Social.
A highlight of the day was a special appearance by U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) who welcomed Herb and Dave to Nashville and talked about how important events like Gear Expo are to Music City, as well as the importance of artists’ rights. Blackburn has been a vocal proponent of performers’ rights, sponsoring the Fair Play, Fair Pay Act, which would see recording artists compensated for radio airplay.
Special guest attendees included producer/mixer/engineers Emily Wright (Dr. Luke, Katy Perry, Pitbull), Ryan Hewitt (The Avett Brothers, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Vance Powell (Jack White, Elle King), Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits) and Justin Niebank (Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts). Other guests included Nicki D (EMMY®-nominated Country Music Host), John Mason (counsel for Reba McEntire and others), Tony Brown (legendary producer and former chair of MCA Nashville), John McBride (Owner of Blackbird Studio and The Blackbird Academy), Sharon Corbitt-House (partner/manager, All Good Factory, and VP/Studio Operations, Grand Victor Sound) and Beverly Keel (Chair, Dept. of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University, noted journalist) and others, many of whom shared the stage with Pensado and Trawick for enlightening interview sessions throughout the day. Additionally, YouTube sensations The Beatbox Family (Edward Cage and daughter Nicole Paris) performed, fresh off appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Steve Harvey Show and the Pensado Awards.
“I must say, we hit it out of the park again at this year’s Gear Expo,” stated Herb Trawick. “I am always amazed at the turnout of attendees who come from near and far to watch our live interviews and panel discussions with some of the leading figures in the music industry. This year’s panels covered an even broader range of topics than last year and our panelists provided real-world information that attendees can use as part of developing their careers. Dave and I love coming to Nashville and we’ll be coming back more often in the future.”
“This year’s Gear Expo was a unanimous success,” stated Dave Pensado. “Being able to reach out to and interact with the audio community in Nashville, and around the world, is what Pensado’s Place is all about. We loved seeing old friends and making new ones, and we look forward to next year’s gathering. Thanks to all our participants and sponsors who made this event such a success!”
The list of sponsors has grown since the last Gear Expo, and this year’s event featured some of the most prominent names in professional audio, M.I. and audio education. Title sponsors are Vintage King, The Blackbird Academy, Audio-Technica, AfterMaster Audio Labs, The Recording Connection, iZotope, Studio202DC and AVID. Premium sponsors include Ableton, API, BOSS, Chandler Limited, Electric Thunder Studios, Empirical Labs Inc., Focusrite, Genelec, Jackson Ampworks, M1 Distribution, Magnatone, Moog, Neumann, ProMaster HD, Purple Audio, Roland, Rupert Neve Designs, Transaudio Group, Unity Audio and Universal Audio.
For more information, visit: http://gearexponashville.com/
Photo Caption: At Gear Expo 2015 throughout the day, attendees were treated to various panels and interviews covering a wide range of topics of interest for audio professionals. Shown L-R are panelists Jacquire King, Vance Powell, Dave Pensado, Herb Trawick, Ryan Hewitt, Emily Wright and Justin Niebank. Photo credit: Corey Walthall, Clyne Media. © 2015.
