Hi Everyone,

I just thought I’d introduce myself briefly. They call me Lou Doom. Well, they did ever since Eddie Lights called me that over 25 years ago; it just sorta stuck I guess. Some of you may know me as being Dream Theater’s sound-man before they hit it big and went to Japan. Some of you may even remember me as being the sound-man at The Red Spot. I won’t bore you all with my resume; you see it’s pretty long considering I’ve made my career in the music industry. Let’s skip all the local tour support, one-offs, and countless studios… I would however, like to hi-light some of the house gig’s I’ve held, here in the NY/NJ area.

I was the Stage Manager at The Limelight, which led to my doing sound at The Palladium, The Tunnel, Tramps, and Irving Plaza. I then went on to doing sound at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), and then Jazz @ Lincoln Center. I also started doing sound for major corporate events and concerts at the Broadway Ballroom in the Marriott Marquis Times Square. The IATSE Local 1 Broadway Strike a few years back, had us all watching Stage-Hands picketing in front of Broadway Theaters on the news. That, along with the struggling economy, meant a lot of us lost our jobs. I then started supplementing my income by doing computer graphics. I got myself a software suite called Photoshop, and taught myself to make posters and event invitations for local promoters, bands, and venues. I got lucky when I found out that my old friend Donnie was booking the bands at L’Amours.

The rest is history, as they say… until Donnie asked me to help him spear-head this online project; Rock Show Magazine. I hope you guys enjoy it. We have tons of ideas we want to throw at you, one issue at a time, so keep coming back. If you’d like to contact me, if you have any questions, or ideas, or if you remember me from way back when… Please feel free to contact me here:

loudoom@rockshowmagazine.com

In these trying times of hardship and uncertainty, there are plenty of those who talk the talk. But fail miserably when it comes time to walk the walk. Instead of waiting on the powers that be to start giving out a helping hand, knowing that in the real world, nobody looks out for the little guy, it’s time we take matters into our own hands.

This is the worst economic disaster in our nation’s history. Let’s not dwell on who should be held accountable, because chances are we’ll never receive that kind of justice.

The only way out of this mess, is if we ourselves start helping each other out. Money is tight for everyone. But our history also proves: that we were never afraid of rolling up our sleeves and putting in an honest day’s work. That we take pride in everything we do, and want to make it a better world for our children, and our grandchildren. And when others around us are in need, or are in trouble, we are always the first to answer the call for help. That is our legacy.

So please remember:

We’ve all gotten to where we are, because we’ve received a heck of a lot of support along the way. We ought to happily offer our thanks. If you get a chance to help someone, or to offer them an opportunity, take it. Not only will you and those around you be happier, you’ll all be more productive too. Don’t fixate on those that stand in your way; to give them any of your precious creative energy, is a waste.

~Lou Doom

RockShowMagazine.com