BlackJade is a classic and alternative rock band with roots dating back to 1982. Based out of Rhode Island, the band caters to the tri-state area and their sound is influenced by Aerosmith, Nickelback, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, Led Zeppelin and Bon Jovi to name a few. Their lighting rig is comprised of CHAUVET DJ fixtures and is supplied by Digitrax. Read on and get to know more about them.

1. How did you come up with the name of your band?
BlackJade is named after one of the members in the band (Jack Blade). The band logo also includes a black diamond that we place in funny situations on social media sites.

2. How many members are there?
BlackJade is comprised of four members: Diane Longtin (lead vocals), Tim Sullivan (guitar and vocals), Jack Blade (bass and vocals) and Steve Pepper (drums and vocals). We’re searching for a keyboardist to join the band.

3. What type of music do you play?
We are one of the more well-known classic and alternative rock bands in Rhode Island. We have quite a following and typically play at clubs, private events, waterfront bars and restaurants six to eight nights per month.

4. What CHAUVET fixtures are included in your setup?
We use three 4BAR fixtures to create a mid-center stage wash and provide reflective lighting to the drum kit. We mount a 6SPOT to one of the 4BAR trees to fan out into the crowd as an attention getter, while two 4PLAY effect lights, also mounted to 4BAR trees, project onto the ceiling and dance floor. Six SlimPAR wash lights setup around the stage highlight the lead singer and uplight the drum kit and speakers. Two MiN Laser RGX 2.0 lasers and two Mini Moon LED 360 are triggered by DMX-4 LED and create movement on the ceiling above the band.

5. Are they permanently installed somewhere or do you set them up for each performance?
All of our shows are on location so we spend about one hour setting up the
gear and sound and another half-hour on the lighting.

 6. Complete this thought: A show without lights is like…
A band without a sound system.