By Pat Stinson
Sun contributor
Maple City area resident Jan Waling (pronounced “Yon Whaling”) is used to being incognito. His job has been to make others shine at what they do.
For more than 30 years, Waling has sweetened the sound of performers’ music and voices at concert venues near and far, helping with the setup, running the mixing board and, eventually, recording performances — live and in the studio.
“This is a thankless job,” Waling said matter-of-factly, without a trace of self-pity. “The public knows nothing about what we’re doing.”
He vividly recalls one time he was thanked, after a challenging couple of nights of concerts at two of Los Angeles’ largest venues. B.B. King came up to him and shook his hand, and later waved to him as both were driving away after a final performance.
“I never expected any recognition,” Waling said, smiling at the memory.
He remembers touring churches in the South in the mid 1970s with the Hawkins Family, a gospel ministry group, and seeing people faint and thinking, “Man, I must be doing my job.” (He smiles mischievously.)
His business associate, Mike McKinney, a “retired” bass player and former owner of the Traverse City pawnshop “Cash In,” said he and Waling both prefer being “in the background.”
Waling’s contributions today still go mostly unnoticed, but the wide range of musical artists he’s helped are some of the industry’s most recognizable — B.B. King, The Doobie Brothers, Millie Jackson, musicians from the Tower of Power, Shirley Jones, John Gorka, Chris Smither, Harry Manx, Garnet Rogers — along with local talent Song of The Lakes, New Third Coast and Judy Harrison and Swingshift. The list of familiar names goes on.
From L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium to Montreaux, Switzerland, the man behind the music — called a “sound wizard” by Upper Peninsula singer-songwriter Daniel Truckey — keeps the mix true to the artists’ intentions while finding a listenable level for audiences.
“He is the ‘sound of music,’” said long-time area music promoter Seamus Shinners of Connemara Concerts. “He has worked with me over the years in a whole range of venues … big and small … and has always made them seem like the show is in Carnegie Hall.”
Some of those venues include the Elk Rapids Town Hall, The Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay, the former Rhonda’s Wharfside in Frankfort, Kejara’s Bridge in Lake Leelanau and Traverse City haunts like Sleder’s Tavern and Union Street Station. He has also worked the sound for performances at the Opera House and NMC’s Milliken Auditorium.
“There is a reason Don Swan & The Mob NEVER performs without Mr. Jan Waling,” explained the local band in its MySpace page profile. “His ability to mix sound is a talent that is hard to match.”
Waling has also been the sound magician for a Dune Climb concert hosted by the Manitou Music Festival, for concerts at Lake Street Studios arranged by Harry Fried, for the Maritime Festival in Alpena, and for special events such as the Governors’ Convention, the Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) and Glen Lake’s high school graduation ceremonies.
A decade of local sound
When running sound for graduation got to be too much for Patrick Niemisto, a Glen Lake music teacher, he suggested to school administrators that they needed to hire a professional sound guy. Waling was “the guy,” Niemisto opined, with his considerable know-how, equipment and reasonable fees.
“He’s so supportive and helpful, and he really loves being around the music.”
The two have known each other for 10 years, when Waling left the San Francisco Bay area to be closer to family members living in northern Michigan. Niemisto and Waling met when the latter began attending and providing sound for the “Songwriter in the Round” series in the basement of Horizon Books. One of the performing groups — now known as New Third Coast — included Niemisto, a multi-instrumental musician and owner of the Holy Wah! Recording Studio and Brewery.
“He’s easy to work with and has a good ear for the venues and musicians,” Niemisto said of Waling. “He’s always been one of the most esteemed sound men around — a real local treasure. It’s the behind-the-scenes people who should be receiving accolades, not just the people who sit and play. He makes (artists) feel comfortable, which has a lot to do with how well they perform.”
Mike Sullivan, a songwriter and musician with Benzie County-based Song of the Lakes, echoed Niemisto’s sentiments.
“Jan’s one of these remarkable people, diligent and thorough, with wonderful attention to detail,” Sullivan remarked. “He’s the sort of fellow, he’ll be in contact with a promoter or venue and go a week in advance to survey, and be the first (at the site) to set up and the last to leave.”
Sullivan said Waling is his band’s regular soundman. The two have also worked together on recording projects.
“The thing about Jan is, he has a sensitivity to both the mix for the band and volume level for an audience. Sound people have a tendency to overamplify. He augments rather than replaces the performers. A great sound man goes unnoticed … so with Jan, it’s like the performance of the musician is featured. He keeps things in a wonderful balance … you can count on him.”
Into the studio
Waling records live performances, (Alejandro Escovedo’s 1993 concert ”13 Years” at Milliken Auditorium and the last live album by New Third Coast, “What It Is”). In fact, McKinney said that the ability to be on the road and edit, mix and master has given them an angle or edge in the business.
Tired of hauling heavy equipment, Waling said his future focus will be studio recording and some electronics repair.
“I just have this passion to do recording, to try my own ideas instead of someone else’s,” he explained.
He has a list of people in mind he would like to record, and he and McKinney plan to work with musicians by invitation — with those they feel comfortable communicating with, as artists.
Producing music videos has also become part of Waling’s vision.
“We want to work with styles of music we know we like, and can do a good job on,” he said. For McKinney, that means Rhythm and Blues, Rap, Jazz and Rock. For Waling, acoustic music is one preference. What might be his favorite?
“Top 40 songs,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do the mix, like with B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone.”
Are you listening, B.B?