Sound Profiles: On The Path To Continuing Growth
Transition from local rock hero to sound reinforcement

By Linda Seid Frembes

Hy-Phy Productions is currently gearing up to go out on tour with Iron Maiden for the second consecutive time. Not bad, considering David Phy began his company just six years ago, doing local events and club gigs.

We recently talked with David about his growing Cookeville, Tennessee operation, while Live Sound Editor Keith Clark went to hear an Iron Maiden show in Chicago, also taking the photos that accompany this discussion.

The tour marked the unveiling of a new rig, requiring a notable investment.

Live Sound: Everyone in this business has a story as to how they came to be doing this for a living. What’s yours?


David Phy (center) talking it over with EAW's Paul Carelli (right) and a crew member at an Iron Maiden tour stop in Chicago.

David Phy: It started in high school, back in the early ‘80s, when I was in a rock band called Rogue. We were the hottest local band and got to jam with some pretty big groups that came through town. I was playing bass and doing live sound for the band. Our first real set-up was a Sun console and PA purchased in 1986 by the guitar player’s mom.

By 1994, I found I enjoyed the sound side of things, and mixing gigs. I’d like to think it wasn’t just me, since my wife had to put up with it too, a lot of club gigs.

I bought my first real rig - an eight-box Bag End loudspeaker system with Carver amplifiers. Talk about fancy!

It was mostly weekend gigs at that time, while I worked full-time as a project engineer at FleetGuard. That, and the usual assortment of small fairs, festivals and local events. I got a “big break” working a local cook-off festival for about 5,000 people.

L.S.: How did you know when it was time to make the leap into doing audio full-time?

D.P.: Well, number one, my wife never saw me anymore. And number two, after the cook-off gig, some bigger clients starting calling me. So I officially started Hy-Phy Productions while trying to work at FleetGuard part-time. That only lasted about three months.


No advertising needed, but some nifty labeling on the gear never hurts.

Growth was happening mostly by word-of-mouth, and I knew it was time to jump off when business was exploding. We also opened a music retail store as part of this process. If I didn’t have the gear, then I’d rent it. I also did the majority of the work myself.

The company’s first priority was to focus on one-off major acts that were coming through town. We did Cheap Trick in 1997. Up until about 2000, we did one-offs like Joe Diffy, Kenny Chesney, Molly Hatchett, Ty Herndon and corporate acts for Budweiser, Nissan, NASCAR and Coke. We also did a Little Texas show on New Year’s Eve that proved the last gig they played together as a band.

L.S.: That sounds like a lot to handle. Are you still obsessed with trying to do everything yourself?

D.P.: No, no. Well, yes and no. Hy-Phy now has several full-time staff members and a pool of freelancers. It depends on how many tours are out at one time. For Iron Maiden, I handled it, with two other employees and a few freelancers.

We also have an install side of the business - I do the sales, design and consulting. My biggest job these days, overall, is handling the marketing, which can take up an incredible amount of time. There are also a few times a month when I am needed on the road for incoming tours or events.

L.S.: So it sounds like you’ve been thriving in what’s not been a very good economy the past few years.


"The key is to invest in equipment that you can offer to various clients."

D.P.: We’ve done about 150 bands or events in the past four months, including some of the major Christian music festivals like LifeFest in Wisconsin, as well as SoulFest in New Hampshire. We also did the Inside Out Festival in Canada and sound reinforcement for the NHL draft over the summer in Nashville.

We’d done some work previously at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, where the draft was held. Gaylord recommended us to the NHL, and we just learned that we’ll be handling the 2004 draft in North Carolina, so it looks like they were happy with our work.

Oh, and we did Iron Maiden this summer too, and we’re getting ready to go out with them again.

L.S.: So in the midst of all of this activity, how do you go about the process of deciding what new gear in which to invest?


"When looking at a rig, I want one that’s tried and true."

D.P.: It comes down to money and clients - the key is to invest in equipment that you can offer to various clients. When looking at a new rig, I want one that’s tried and true, and I do additional research and find what is most appealing, most right, for our client base.

Many purchases are - and should be - client-driven. My personal opinion doesn’t pay the bills. The customer is usually right. I listen to them.

When I started out, my inventory was small enough that I stored it in my garage. Now we have a 15,000 square foot warehouse space that’s filled with gear we’ve added to keep up with the demands of our clients. Big tours like Iron Maiden tend to be expensive!

In the early days, we used our own loudspeaker line that was manufactured in Missouri. Now, we’re mostly working with bigger companies, like JBL and EAW.

For the needs of Iron Maiden, we went with an EAW KF760 line array system, one of the biggest KF760 rigs in the U.S. But again, the bottom line is that if the client wants it, do everything you can to get it.

L.S.: With the growth you’ve enjoyed in this business, what “sage advice” would you give to someone seeking to do the same?


A nice custom name-plate touch on the amplifiers, courtesy of Crown.

D.P.: No advertising needed - just go out and do a good job, treat every gig with the respect it deserves. My biggest suggestion is to not skimp on gear and labor. Every step is important, and try to make decisions based on what you have to work with.

As an example, I just took a trip to Panama for a show, arriving with a tractor-trailer full of rental gear, and there were just two guys instead of the promised 12 for load-in. Now, I don’t do this for pure enjoyment, and pushed it until we had enough crew to do the job right. I felt screwed because corners were cut just to put more money in someone’s pocket. And the client was mad too, since he was paying for more labor than was initially provided.

But as a business person, you have to put all of that aside and work your hardest to make it right.

 

Linda Seid Frembes is a veteran pro audio journalist and can be reached at seidfrembes@yahoo.com

December 2003 Live Sound International

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