Activist rapper Boots Riley’s spoken word at the People’s Climate Rally Oakland, Rock The Bike’s biggest event ever.
Thanks to the 350.org Bay Area and System Change Not Climate Change organizers, volunteers, and attendeeds, and Rock The Bike crewmembers who came together for the People’s Climate Rally this past September 21 on the shores of Lake Merritt in Oakland. A major highlight of the event was Boots Riley’s spoken word and song during the peak of the event when at least 2500 people were in attendance. Skip ahead to 5:15 to hear the poem (warning, language!) Check out the awesome dance moves of the pedaler on the Tree during the song Ghetto Blaster (at 3:12). It’s inspiring to hear an activist talk about people power while using a people-powered PA system.
In this second video, Rock The Bike’s Fossil Fool induces an outage in order to reenforce the message of people power:
It was our largest audience size to date by more than double, the previous being the 2013 San Francisco Bicycle Music Festival in Golden Gate Park at about 1000.
The crowd size meant lots of new information to take in about live sound.
Read More“It’s just plain impressive” says Climate Cycle customer
“It’s just plain impressive that one person can produce that much sound with moderate effort. I hope you’re proud of your work.
When our photographer gets us the shots, we’ll be sure to float some good times your way!”
-Joey, Climate Cycle
Read MoreCan I use my own speakers / mixer and still benefit from your Pedal Power system?
What’s unique about the speaker is that it’s the only Pro Sound loudspeaker that can take DC power, i.e. bike power, as an input. Most Pro Sound loudspeakers require AC power. For the Pedal Power world this means you have to use an inverter to turn DC power into AC. But it only gets turned back into DC inside the speaker. Those two conversions aren’t needed with our system, so it runs considerably louder for the same amount of pedaling. Very impressive!
Read MoreSHAKE YOUR PEACE! Frontman Very Happy with Mod JBL PRXs
CelloJoe Enjoys High Fidelity Sound in Mod JBL PRX Loudspeakers
Hi. My name is Joey Chang aka CelloJoe and I have been using a Rock the Bike Modified JBL Pro PRX 612 for over a year. I have ridden many miles with this speaker strapped to my xtracycle bicycle and used it in many settings from the street in downtown SF to festivals all over the west coast. I have used it to busk at the How Weird Street Festival where there were extremely loud sound systems one block away.
-Joey
Basic questions to consider when crafting your Pedal Powered Stage
The technical needs of a Pedal Powered event vary greatly depending on audience size, venue, and power needs of musician’s devices. The questions in this post will help you to know what features are most important for you, and how much power you’ll really need. Please answer these questions and email us using the contact form. Also, please check out some of our recommended packages to see systems intended for different crowd sizes: https://oldsite.rockthebike.com/pedal-powered-stage-packages
Above: Shake Your Peace! performs during the Bay Rising Tour on their Pedal Powered Stage crafted by Rock the Bike.
- In your mind’s eye, how many people are taking in the music at your ideal event? Audience size is the most important factor in knowing how many loudspeakers, generators, and circuitry to get. Are you aiming for school assemblies? Street performing? A festival stage?
- Who is pedaling to generate power at your events? Is it competitive cyclists? fit adults? the general public? teenagers? kids? How family friendly are your events? Doing events with kids means you’ll need more bikes! The reason: Kids love to pedal but can’t generate much power. Also, they need to use bikes that are sized accordingly. If you want to do these events, you need to plan ahead so kids can participate.
- What style of music do you want to amplify? Or do you have a specific band your are planning to work with? Are you a bandleader? If so, what is the instrumentation in your band?
- Indoor vs. Outdoor? In your mind’s eye, where are your Pedal Powered events taking place?
- Do you want or need to be completely off the grid? Off The Grid means that you are completely independent and not relying on power from any other source. Some people just want to demonstrate Pedal Power, but are doing so in places where there ready access to wall power. Perhaps they don’t mind using some wall power and some bike power. This can be a way to decrease the number of bikes in your system, but still offer people the chance to create power with their bodies. For example, if you want a Bike Powered Cinema, you could power the loudspeakers with bikes and the projector with wall power. Other people want to make a statement by using NO power from the grid, or they are trying to bring a concert to a natural setting or park where there is no built-in power at all. They’ll need to be completely off the grid. What is right for you?
- Related. What is your main motivation for doing Pedal Powered events in your community? Examples: Have fun, get involved in music events, raise environmental consciousness/bike excitement, encourage healthy lifestyles, publicize a commercial offering. It helps us to know why our customers are interested in Pedal Power, and it may affect our gear recommendations.
- Are you planning to bike it there? Biking it there requires more crew, gear, and experience than loading a truck, but can be enormously gratifying. Check out these photos to see if this inspires you: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockthebike/sets/72157622547485971/
- Will you be doing nighttime events?
- Do you already have a crew? Are you interested in leading a crew? Doing larger events with the general public requires a crew, including specific roles like Sound Guy, Roadie, Coach, Tech, MC and more.
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