A New Kind of Sound



Photo by Dr. Chris Rathford

 The sound booth at the Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff, Ariz. is often filled with in house professionals, roadies, reporters, and the occasional intern. But last Wednesday, Connor Thompson, 19 was in the booth with the road crew of Xavier Rudd. As a part of a brand new program that gets audio engineering students in the field, Thompson got to record and mix Rudd’s live show and was given complete creative freedom for the night. All that would be impressive for any college freshmen, but considering that less than a year ago Thompson was flunking out of high school and had no plans for the future, for many his story has gone from impressive, to inspirational.

Opportunities

Starting last month The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences began a joint project with several live music venues around Arizona that allows students to set up their own projects with high tech equipment at big name shows like Metallica, Lady Gaga, and Xavier Rudd. Though this privilege is mostly reserved for seniors with vast experience, anyone with advanced skills may participate. So Connor was one of the first to take advantage of this program, even though this is his first year at The Conservatory.

Though music was always a passion of his, Thompson’s admits he had no idea he would be doing any of this a year ago. “I was pretty burnt out man,” he said. “I wasn’t going anywhere and I just didn’t care.”

The Not-So-Good Ol' Days

Thompson went to school at Red Canyon High School, an “alternative expeditionary learning environment,” after being expelled from Battle Mountain High for vandalism and destructive behavior. He spent his latter school years selling marijuana and playing video games. Tipping the scales at over 300-pounds, Thompson stopped leaving his house all together for the last month of his senior year.

“I remember it all changed, or started to at least, when the principal came to my house,” Thompson recalled. Wade Hill, the principal of Red Canyon, made a rare house call to ask Thompson what he really wanted in life and to offer him a second chance. “That didn’t really feel like a defining moment or anything,” Thompson said. “My life didn’t change in that instant, I was still lazy, but I did decide to at least finish school.”

Turning Over A New Leaf

The following summer, Connor took part time classes at Red Canyon to earn his diploma and took up skateboarding. He took a heavy concentration of music technology and science courses that he found a real talent and drive for. “I’ve never seen him so motivated or invested in anything like this before,” said Virginia Thompson, Connor’s mother.

While completing high school, Thompson applied and was accepted to the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Arizona utilizing his teachers’ help and the tools and materials at Red Canyon while also losing over 70 pounds. “I was getting really good with (music programming software) and one of my teachers suggested the Conservatory. I had never heard of the place before,” Thompson said. “But two months later I was moving to Mesa.”

And Connor found an ideal environment to take advantage of his full potential as a sound engineer. Many of his professors were quite impressed with his initial knowledge of the equipment and computer programs and even more-so with his ability to learn and adapt quickly. “A lot of students who come through here have great potential for this craft, but Connor truly has the natural gift of it,” Arthur Burnle, Connor’s Music Programming and Mixing teacher said. “He’s going to go far if he keeps at it.”

Moving Forward

Dr. Chris Rathford, the director of the new live venue experience and Sound Engineering professor also saw Thompson’s promising aptitude. “I wanted to keep this opportunity exclusive to those with experience: students who have put their time in at this school,” Rathford said. “But I also wanted to challenge the up-and-comers and weed out some new stars.”

And Rathford found his star when Thompson decided to stay after class in one of the computer labs and work on a remix he had started outside of his school work. Rathford noticed his advanced skill level and asked him a few questions about how he would deal with a live recording session. After a Thompson and Dr. Rathford had an extensive conversation about music theory, “the doc offered me the chance of a lifetime.”

Thompson was privileged to break in the new hands-on learning program at the Orpheum Theater. “I thought it was going to be some open-mic or local show to start with,” Thompson said of his first assignment, “but I got to sit in on Xavier Rudd, one of the greatest musicians ever and I was in the sound booth. It was unreal.”

As the school year draws to a close, Thompson plans on moving back to Colorado to further his craft and continue moving forward. “I’ve seen too much amazing stuff (that came) from my dedication to go back to how I was. This is the best time of my life” After several years of unproductive high school, Connor Thompson and quickly and drastically changed his life for the better. He has several more gigs lined up to sit in on this summer, including Lotus, MTHDS, and anyone who is willing to jam with him. As long as he keeps doing what he’s doing and never looks back, Connor will be the kind of success story we hear about in the future, and the kind we should certainly take note of now.