About
Owner, Gary Kiehl, caught the show business bug back in 1968 while still in junior high. All the cool guys that attracted the girls had guitars. Gar came from a musical family. Mom played and taught piano and organ. There was a piano and a Hammond in his home, and he played both. Dad was an electronics engineer, and had a strong influence peaking Gary's interest in the field helping build various Heathkit products for the home. Combine those three interests, (girls, music, and electronics), and you've got the classic formula for show biz.
It wasn't long after that first guitar that Gar realized he was a better technical critic than a guitar player, so he took his place on the other side of the monitors... at the mixing console.
Mixing console is a bit of an imaginary stretch in describing the available gear in that era. More an assembly of radio, ham, and TV parts, but it served the purpose. He played the local skate rink, the YWCA, and surrounding church youth events through high school, but there was a war going on at the time. Concerned that he'd be drafted into the infantry, he enlisted in the USAF, where his knowledge of electronics claimed him an assignment in avionics. He received a formal electronics education there, and distinguished himself in bench repair of RADAR and closed circuit high res video through deployment to Thailand, and North Carolina.
After his enlistment, Gar sought education, and used his GI benefit to attend college and obtain a degree in ElectroMech Technology, all the while, building a electronics repair business near the front gate of the airbase. Degree in hand, he relocated to Maryland and got an engineering job in the electronic gaming industry. For 31 years he traveled the globe supporting design and installation of horse and dog wagering computer systems until retirement. But throughout all those years, Gar was also building a reputation as a Baltimore region soundman. Supported by his proper, corporate employer, he worked nights and weekends in the clubs, and used vacation for mini-tours because they loved the adventure and road stories at work. During this part of his life, Gar bought or designed components to provide himself a sound system an engineer would love.
Now with modern digital additions, time tested components, and a lifetime of experience, you and your event can benefit.
You'll find a very caring and interested concern for the success of your festival using Showpeople Sound. References are plentiful, and because of Gary's personality, he is well regarded and in contact with the other related service providers in the region. Showpeople Sound can help you find staging, power, lighting, back-line equipment, and talent to make you look and sound good.