When Bonnie Raitt’s road manager agreed to hire Silverfish Audio, Joel Silverman and Ross Ritto had not finished building the PA.

Joel takes us from his first “Silverfish Presents” concerts at Clarkson to a basement in Rochester, where he and Ross built the four-way system that went on the road with Raitt in 1975. He shares how they worked with Bill Thompson on custom Ashly consoles, designed gear a small crew could set up and repair, and grew Silverfish into the company that would become Sound Image.

Joel also talks about his later work at MXR, dbx, Lexicon, and Millennia. The same problems he faced on tour shaped how he approached product support, live presets, controls, and reliability.

It is a firsthand account of the people and decisions behind a major live sound company, told by someone who was there at the beginning. Visit the episode page for a deeper look at Joel’s story and the equipment behind it.

www.HowWeGotLoud.com

Lee Brenkman’s career connects the early psychedelic ballroom era with nearly five decades of sound at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall.

In 1968, Lee was working at the Denver Family Dog when he supplemented the touring vocal system for a Jimi Hendrix performance at Regis College with two Altec A7 cabinets. After the Denver venue closed, he arrived in San Francisco on July 4 and began working at the Avalon Ballroom the following weekend. He later worked for Bob Cohen’s Lumiere Productions and witnessed Cohen and Charlie Butten drawing an early Clear-Com intercom concept on butcher paper.

Lee also toured with Lamb under Fillmore Management before accepting a Monday-night job at the Great American Music Hall in 1973 for $7.50 and a beer. That small job became an approximately forty-six-year relationship with the venue.

In this episode, Lee shares the progression from vocal-only PA systems and Altec tube mixers to Soundcraft, Yamaha, Tycobrahe, and digital systems. He also recalls Duke Ellington, Robin Williams, Tom Waits, a neighboring CB transmitter invading the house mixer, and the practical lessons learned from a lifetime behind the mixer.

When asked about his legacy, Lee does not point to the famous artists, memorable shows, or equipment he worked with. He talks about the look of comfort and relief on a performer’s face when they recognize him and know they are in good hands.

That trust may be the clearest measure of a great house engineer. The equipment changes, but the engineer’s knowledge of the room, the performers, and what the music needs becomes part of the system itself.

Check out the full Episode page for more pictures and stories on www.HowWeGotLoud.com

Steve Nider entered the live sound business at sixteen, driving an equipment truck for Black Sheep, the Rochester band fronted by Lou Gramm before Foreigner.

He later joined Silverfish Audio, helping build and tour the company’s early systems for artists including Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Buffett, Jesse Colin Young, Warren Zevon, Emmylou Harris, and Pablo Cruise. Steve shares the story of Silverfish’s rare Ashly consoles, custom-built speaker systems, small touring crews, and the company’s move from Rochester to California before becoming Sound Image.

He also looks back on decades of touring with Foreigner, Jackson Browne, Aerosmith, the B-52s, the Eagles, Joe Walsh, and others.

This episode is a firsthand account of the resourcefulness, relationships, long hours, and unforgettable moments that helped build the modern live sound industry.

check out the episode page for more pictures and details www.HowWeGotLoud.com