All Of It: Equalizers – Engineer and Activist Carrie Kai's

Podcast Information:

• Title: All Of It
• Host/Author: WNYC
• Description: ALL OF IT is a show about culture and its consumers, aiming to engage thinkers, doers, makers, and creators about the what and why of their work. The show celebrates the diverse perspectives that make New York City great.
• Episode: Equalizers: Engineer and Activist Carrie Kai's
• Release Date: March 21, 2025
• Host: Kusha Navadar (filling in for Alison Stewart)

Introduction

In the March 21, 2025 episode of All Of It, host Kusha Navadar sits down with Carrie Kai's, a pioneering monitor engineer and activist, to delve into her extensive career in the music industry and her efforts to empower women behind the scenes. This episode, part of the Women's History Month series titled Equalizers, offers an in-depth look at Carrie’s journey from humble beginnings to founding the organization Sound Girls.

Carrie Kai's Career Journey

Carrie Kai's began her career in audio engineering in an unconventional manner. Initially, her first job was [02:11] unloading trucks, a role that provided her entry into the music industry despite the lack of formal training programs at the time.

Kusha Navadar: "What was your first job in audio engineering?" [02:11]

Carrie Kai's: "Unloading trucks. There was back then there was very limited audio programs to trade schools or even through universities. And it pretty much focused all on recording and they would do a little six week crash course in live sound. So yeah, most people back then started by pushing gear around." [02:11]

At 19, Carrie landed her first major role touring with the California ska band The Untouchables, marking the beginning of a successful three-decade-long association with bands like Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Kusha Navadar: "You toured with the California ska band the Untouchables when you were only 19, is that right?" [02:37]

Carrie Kai's: "Yeah, it's probably, yeah." [02:48]

Her early work involved unloading and loading trucks, which evolved into a more significant role as she started working closely with sound engineers, eventually leading to her position as a monitor engineer.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Monitor Engineer

As a monitor engineer, Carrie is responsible for ensuring that band members can hear themselves and each other during live performances. This role is crucial for maintaining harmony and timing on stage, distinct from what the audience hears through the public address (PA) system.

Kusha Navadar: "Can you help me understand a little bit? And for, you know, I'm sure folks in listeners right now might not know what a live concert engineer is. Specifically a monitor engineer. What does a monitor engineer do?" [07:46]

Carrie Kai's: "So my job is to make sure that the band can hear, whatever they need on stage. So I'm not necessarily doing a left and right mix for them. Very rarely are they all listening to the same thing." [07:56]

She elaborates on the complexities of live sound mixing, especially in large venues where managing multiple inputs and outputs is a delicate task.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Carrie reflects on the challenges she faced early in her career and the critical lessons that have shaped her professional ethos.

Carrie Kai's: "Such Combat Audio back then. Just reacting on the fly for every possible thing that's being thrown at you." [05:30]

She emphasizes the importance of asking questions and being reliable:

Carrie Kai's: "I think the biggest thing is just to ask questions. And I think if you ask any veteran, they would rather people ask them questions than to have to go and fix what they did wrong." **[05:40]

Carrie Kai's: "Don't be flaky." [05:54]

These principles have guided her through the fast-paced, unpredictable environment of live music production.

Founding of Sound Girls and Supporting Women in Music

In 2013, Carrie took a significant step to address the gender disparity in the music production industry by founding Sound Girls. The organization is dedicated to spotlighting and providing grants to women working behind the scenes in the music industry.

Kusha Navadar: "Tell me how that started. Tell me what your mission is." [20:02]

Carrie Kai's: "Well, it started because we did a panel. There was five of us on a panel for an AES convention... we bonded and we just stayed in touch after. And we were like, you know, if we could have just hung out with each other 20 years ago, how much different our career might have been." [20:02]

Sound Girls offers a variety of resources including mentorship, job opportunities, and webinars, aiming to create a supportive network for women in the audio engineering field.

Carrie Kai's: "Mentorship, job opportunities, webinars. We have women that are writing articles for us... very much advocating in the industry for diversity and inclusion." [21:21]

Her efforts have significantly increased the visibility and accessibility of female engineers in the industry, fostering a more inclusive environment.

Current Work and Impact

Carrie continues to work with top-tier bands like Pearl Jam, where her role has become more specialized, focusing primarily on Eddie Vedder's monitoring needs.

Carrie Kai's: "On Pearl Jam, on stage left, we have wings on the side of the stage... Last tour, we switched, and right now I'm only doing Ed monitoring needs, and another person's mixing the rest of the band guys." [10:20]

Her work extends beyond technical expertise, involving a deep understanding of band dynamics and psychology to maintain smooth on-stage performances.

Carrie Kai's: "You have to balance all those pressures, and then there's band dynamics that you have to figure out and navigate around." [18:00]

Carrie's dedication to her craft and her advocacy for women in the industry underscores her impact both on and off the stage.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• [05:30] Carrie Kai's: "Such Combat Audio back then. Just reacting on the fly for every possible thing that's being thrown at you."
• [05:40] Carrie Kai's: "I think the biggest thing is just to ask questions. And I think if you ask any veteran, they would rather people ask them questions than to have to go and fix what they did wrong."
• [05:54] Carrie Kai's: "Don't be flaky."
• [07:56] Carrie Kai's: "So my job is to make sure that the band can hear, whatever they need on stage. So I'm not necessarily doing a left and right mix for them. Very rarely are they all listening to the same thing."
• [20:02] Carrie Kai's: "We bonded and we just stayed in touch after. And we were like, you know, if we could have just hung out with each other 20 years ago, how much different our career might have been."
• [21:21] Carrie Kai's: "Mentorship, job opportunities, webinars. We have women that are writing articles for us... very much advocating in the industry for diversity and inclusion."

Conclusion

In this episode of All Of It, Carrie Kai's shares her remarkable journey as a monitor engineer and her unwavering commitment to fostering a more inclusive music industry. From her early days unloading trucks to her pivotal role with iconic bands like Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers, Carrie illustrates the critical impact of live sound engineering. Her founding of Sound Girls not only highlights her role as an industry leader but also as an advocate for empowering women in a traditionally male-dominated field. Through her insights and experiences, Carrie embodies the essence of ALL OF IT—embracing every facet of culture and context to enrich the community.

Listen to the full episode of "Equalizers: Engineer and Activist Carrie Kai's" on All Of It, weekdays from 12:00 - 2:00 PM on WNYC. For more information, visit soundgirls.org.