This past year Jordan Auge has been on buses and planes more than he's been at home.  Traveling as a Lighting Designer Programmer/Tour Operator for LIT Lighting, a lighting event production company based in Phoenix, AZ, has him racking up the frequent flyer miles.  This year Jordan has toured with Memphis May Fire and The Maine.  He'll soon be on the road again with Mayday Parade on the AP Tour.  Kill the Music caught up with Jordan just after he'd returned home from the Brazilian leg of The Maine's American Candy Tour.

A former member of Never Let This Go, Auge is no stranger to the stage.  Instead of being in the spotlight, now he's creating it.

KTM:  Tell me a little about your background.

JA:  I got into lighting about 6 or 7 years ago.  I actually got started by playing drums with a DJ.  There was lighting involved and it seemed really cool.  I just really liked it and ever since then I wanted to see what I could do with lighting.

KTM:  What drove you to your career path?

JA:  It was either that or college and it sounded cooler.  I have always been into that kind of stuff.  I started out doing sound but I felt like lighting was more artistic and its fun to do.  I really enjoy doing it.

KTM:  How did you go about getting your current job?

JA:  I started by working at The Nile, not for The Nile but bringing lights in for touring bands that needed lights for shows.  I worked with bands like The Wonder Years, Yellowcard,  and Memphis May Fire.  I met the Tour Manager from Memphis May Fire and he was really pumped about the lighting.  We exchanged information and he said that he wanted to bring me out on tour.  I didn't really think that he was serious but one day I got an email that said, "Let's go on the road."  I was like, "Alright!"

KTM:  What kind of education or training did you need for your job?

JA:  I am mostly self-taught but my good friend Chris has definitely shown me everything I know about lighting.  I work for LIT and all my work goes through them.  I try to get bands to rent their lights from them.  Like, The Maine, they use LIT.

KTM:  What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?

JA:  I don't know if I should answer that (laughing).  Just kidding.  No, there is actually a lot of down time.  You spend about an hour and half or two hours loading in and setting up, one hour tearing down and the show is about an hour.   Out of the 16 hours that I am awake, I work about 5-6 hours.  We try to stay productive by fixing anything that might be broken, work out, or cleaning the bus.  Really, we just try to stay busy.  

 KTM:  What are the misconceptions about your job?

JA:  I feel like a lot of people think that the lights just kind of turn on and off and change color but it takes a lot of time to program them to the music and to make it look good.  We do rehearse prior to tour, like we'll have 5 days of rehearsal before the next tour.  It will take about 1-2 hours per song to program depending on how intricate I get.  On the next tour we have 2 set lists with about 25 songs.  It's going to take some time.

KTM:  Do you have to make modifications at the venue or do you know what to expect ahead of time?

JA:  There is always a curve ball no matter what.  Even if you have a venue's spec sheet, there is always something that isn't on it.  They are just sending what they have and it may be 3-4 years old and things have changed.  

KTM:  What tricks or tips have made your job easier?

JA:  Utilizing stagehands because we get them at every venue but I used to be like I'd do everything myself and ask if I needed help lifting anything but you get really tired doing everything by yourself every day.  So now I try to utilize the stagehands to do the simple things that are hard to mess up.  

KTM:  What do you think you do differently from your peers or co-workers?

JA:  I am really laid back.  I try not to stress about the little things.  I stay calm and work through it.  Whereas, some people I know think that if one thing isn't working the show isn't going to go on.

KTM:  What is the worst part of the job and how do you work through it?

JA:  Electricity.  I hate electricity.  We have to use these things called distros and they tie in to a service.  The service has 100-400 amps of power and there are 3 positive plug ins, a neutral, and a ground.  If you do it right, you aren't going to be shocked but there is always a fear or something being broken or not working right.  If you get shocked by that it's going to hurt.  I don't like getting shocked.

KTM:  What is the best part of your job?

JA:  The people I work with.  Hands down.

KTM:  How do  you move up in your field?

JA:  I don't know. I guess keep working hard and doing what I do.  I got lucky where I entered the field.  I met Memphis and through them The Maine.  I don't know if I've figured that out yet.

KTM:  Is there one band that you really want to tour with and do lighting for?

JA:  Justin Beiber

KTM:  What advice would you give for someone wanting to get into the field?

JA:  Read the manual.  It sounds simple but my friend Chris told me to read the manual instead of asking him questions all the time.  I read it and at the next show I really understood more about the console and what to do.  It was so much easier.  It really is an effective tool. 

KTM:  What is next for you?

JA:  In a few days, I leave for tour again with The Maine, a band from Arizona.  They are playing free shows along with a few underplayed shows.  They are going to play their new songs and some favorite older ones.  [Previously announced by KTM]  A few days after that ends, I fly to Florida to rehearse and head out on the AP Tour with Mayday Parade.  That should be a good one.  Then I have a few things in the works for next year.  I'll be taking November and December off before hitting the road pretty hard again.