Last Updated on 7 April 2023 by gerry
Before the recent developments in Mataró. we had an idea to head into Barcelona for the day today, but we were both of a mind to have a quieter day again closer to home. This change of plan gave me some time to head off to Mataró on a quest to find the audio cable I needed to perform at Molly Malone’s on Friday night and then if successful visit the pub again test out the technical side of things and firm up the gig.
The bar owner suggested I might find what I needed at a nearby music shop in Mataró, close to Plaça de les Tereses, which is a square we had visited on the Sunday we happened upon the Ball de Diables. To be honest, I have been finding the little conversations in shops conducted in Catalan to be extremely rewarding. After all I have been learning a bit of the language for about 5 years now so I should be able to put it to some use. The man in the music shop had a cable that was almost suitable, but too short at 3 metres. I needed at least 5 metres to give me enough slack to reach the stage in the pub. He was able to recommend an electronics shop (Milliwats), where I should find what I needed.
After a 10 minute walk I found Milliwatts and had to wait my turn at first. This is a great wee shop for electronics and audio equipment. Eventually, I got my chance to describe what I needed and the guy in the shop was able to put his hand on the perfect 5 metre cable right away.
Back at the pub, the bar owner and I took a bit of time figuring out how to get my guitar output through the audio mixer, but thankfully we got there in the end. I was just a bit unsure if I would need a microphone. The bar owner explained that he was actually not that keen on too much amplification, as he has to keep the noise level very low in this old and quite residential part of town. He reckoned the strength of my voice would be enough, even in a busy bar. We will see in Friday night, but he was happy to confirm the gig with me and I was happy that the guitar will have a boost and I can start working on my set list.