Professional Sound - February 2017 | Page 18

PROFILE

CHRIS KAPLINSKI

By Andrew King

From playing elite-level hockey to landing a record deal with his band to owning a construction business , Chris Kaplinski has had a few more twists and turns on his path to a career in pro audio than most ; however , virtually every one of them has been valuable to his current work as one of Canada ’ s busiest live sound engineers and production managers .

Kaplinski was born , raised , and still lives in Barrie , ON . He recalls that while his parents weren ’ t really into music , his extended family and close friends put some influential records into his hands over the years , like The Who ’ s Tommy , Alice Cooper ’ s Killers , and Meat Loaf ’ s Bat out of Hell .
After high school and his stint as a AAA hockey goaltender , his band signed a record deal and cut their album in a professional studio , though the end result left something to be desired . “ So I took on the role of recording our next album in our rehearsal space ,” he recalls of his first formal introduction to professional sound .
When it came time for mixing , he teamed up with James Cavalluzzo of the band Malhavoc – another key moment of his career . “ He turned me onto a whole new world of music ,” Kaplinski enthuses , “ but specifically , he showed me how to dub mix , and how to use the console as an instrument . Without that skill , I probably wouldn ’ t be doing FOH at all .”
Years later , Kaplinski veered away from music and started a construction business in his hometown ; however , an on-the-job injury gave him pause as to where his life was headed – “ Like , ‘ I used to make art and now I ’ m injured doing something I don ’ t even really enjoy ,’” he admits .
One of his closest childhood friends , Shane Heath , owned a studio in Barrie and Kaplinski would often go in to “ poke around and help out on some sessions .” One night , Heath ’ s band was playing a local club and Kaplinski volunteered to mix the show – his first time at FOH . “ That was the day I decided I was going to mix bands as my career ,” he says , and sure enough , he ’ s been doing it ever since .
Initially , his ambitions were too grand for his surroundings . “ My goal was to mix in arenas and that wasn ’ t going to happen working in a club in Barrie ,” he says , unapologetic . “ I could mix bands from my experience in the studio , but had no idea how anything worked – how to fly a PA or really tune a room .”
His next major turning point was meeting Mike Kerwin of Frontier Sound and Light in Newmarket , ON . “ With his generosity , patience , and just being one of the best people on the planet , he showed me how the pieces of the puzzle were to be assembled ,” Kaplinski says of his friend and mentor . He started working for Frontier fulltime and kept plenty busy .
Working a major festival with Frontier , Kaplinski got to step in for the system tech and mix one of the early bands – Bedouin Soundclash . “ I was like , ‘ This is exactly the band I want to mix ,’” he recalls . “ I actively pursued that FOH position by showing up to their shows and asking to mix them .”
That began a relationship that would eventually lead to Kaplinski joining their first Canadian headlining tour . They did over 300 shows that year and kept that pace for the next few . “ At that point , I was doing what I ’ d set out to do ,” he says proudly . “ I was mixing full time .”
One successful stint would lead to another , and Kaplinski went from Bedouin to mixing Gypsy punks Gogol Bordello around the world . “ I remember having to get new passports from filling them up within a year ,” he says of his years with the band and crew he calls his “ lifelong familia .”
On one of those tours , he met the members of Dub Trio – one of his all-time favourite groups . That relationship blossomed into an opportunity to mix rapper Matisyahu , whom the Trio often back up , leading to over four years of world tours , performances on the major late-night talk shows , and more .
Now , his active stable of clients includes Dub Trio , The Trews , I Mother Earth , and the mighty Monster Truck , with whom he ’ s currently on the road supporting Billy Talent ’ s 2017 Canadian run before heading to Europe for their own . “ These guys , like all the bands I ’ ve worked closely with , have given me the opportunity to cross some huge things off my bucket list ,” he shares – including the chance to mix in two of the most iconic venues in the world , London ’ s O2 and Wembley Arena .
One of his favourite aspects of the industry is the camaraderie that exists among his peers in this latest generation of full-time live sound engineers . “ It ’ s inspiring for me to be able to ask almost any engineer these days how they ’ re getting a certain sound , and having them take some time to show you ,” he says – something he believes wasn ’ t as common even a decade ago . “ As a result , we all get better and that makes the shows better .”
When he ’ s not on the road with a myriad of musicians , Kaplinski and his girlfriend of 17 years , Sandra Roberts , enjoy their quaint shared home on Barrie ’ s Kempenfelt Bay . “ She ’ s somehow mustered up the patience to be with someone who spends most of their time in airports and on tour buses ,” Kaplinski says , praising his partner . “ I wouldn ’ t be able to do what I do without her constant support .”
He also collects vinyl , enjoys eating out , and is amidst the process of building a home studio – yet another outlet to feed his creative passions .
“ My enthusiasm is exactly the same now as it was when I decided to do this as a career ,” Kaplinski says after reminiscing about his journey to this point . “ I love the art of mixing a band and how volatile it is . I love that the technology is advancing to where you have fewer limitations , and I just want to continue staying focused on being a better mixer .”
It may have taken him some time to discover that was his true calling , but now , he ’ s not wasting any opportunity to push forward on his professional path .
Andrew King is the Editor of Professional Sound .
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