Actor, author, director, comedian, musician, political satirist, and radio personality Harry Shearer is set to host the 18th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards slated for Monday, October 7, at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. The annual charity event, presented by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio, honors the audio professionals and technology companies behind the sound of hit records, concert tours and visual media.
Best known as a co-creator and co-star of the mock-rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, Shearer's other credits include the films The Truman Show, Godzilla, My Best Friend's Wedding and the upcoming A Mighty Wind with Spinal Tap co-stars Christopher Guest and Michael McKean. He is also entering his 13th season on The Simpsons as the voice of Mr. Burns, Smithers, and Ned Flanders.
Doing the musical honors will be the 2Cold Chile Bone TEC Band, directed by vocalist and keyboardist Larry Batiste. Sound will come from an EAW KF750 system provided by 140 dB Sound and mixed by veteran engineer Dino Ruggiero. Lighting for the event will be provided by ELS (Entertainment Lighting Systems), under the direction of lighting designer Lenny Cowles. Live video will be shot in DV format by Chris Dugan and his camera crew from Ex'pression Center for New Media, with audio to be mixed through a Midas XL250 and multitracked to Tascam DA98s.
"We're adding some new elements to this year's production, to improve both the audio and visual experience," says show producer Rick Miller, "and are expecting one of the best TEC Awards shows ever."
Highlights of the 18th Annual TEC Awards will include presentation of the Les Paul Award to musician/composer Robbie Robertson, and the induction of Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick into the Hall of Fame, as well as presentation of 24 awards for outstanding technical and creative achievement.
Proceeds from the awards ceremony go to hearing conservation programs of the House Ear Institute of Los Angeles and Hearing Education Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) of San Francisco, as well as numerous audio scholarship programs.
For ticket and sponsorship information call Karen Dunn at (925) 939-6149, e-mail Karen@tecawards.org or visit the website at www.tecawards.org.
The Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA, and partially supported by Mix magazine, a sister publication of Entertainment Design. Both are published by PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media.