Lindsay Baker
Photo Credit: Jim Trocchio
Road Manager / Production Coordinator
Rob Thomas / Matchbox 20
CHANGEOVER: Tell us about yourself, what you do and where you're from.
Lindsay Baker: I'm from Binghamton, New York. I am a production coordinator, or production assistant, or just whatever anybody wants to call it. Most recently I got hired to be a band road manager.
Talk about your history in the music industry.
I have officially been touring for three years. I started about five years ago by jumping in wherever I could to get my foot in the door. I think that's pretty much the gist of it really.
I was just very persistent in wanting to pursue a career within the industry. Some people took notice of me really just making the effort. I got an opportunity in 2017 for my first official touring gig and I was the band assistant. From there I was able to work my way up. I worked alongside this one particular production manager for the last three years and so he basically would get hired onto other tours - we worked together so well and had a really great relationship. He would just take me with him basically on his tours. I worked really hard and other people took notice of that. I was on another tour, with another band that I wasn't working with, and that tour manager really took notice of my work ethic as well.
Most recently I got hired to go work with that tour manager with another band. So that was my first, I guess I would call it, branching out. I worked with a whole other set of people, a whole different crew. I’ve just been working really hard and trying to make a name for myself.
Photo Credit: Eddie Gowan
How has COVID-19 affected your current industry plans?
I was supposed to spend a month in Australia. Then I was going to be home for about a month. Then I was going to spend a month in Europe and go directly to another tour after that in the U.S. for four months. I'd say I officially lost out on six months worth of work.
What have you been doing in the meantime now that you have all this downtime?
I have a 14 year old son and this is the first time in three years that I've had a summer that has not been spent working. I've been trying to spend as much time outdoors as I can. I've been working a lot on house projects that I've been putting off that I no longer have an excuse to put off. I like to sit on my front porch a lot, so I made that real nice. I’m just trying to make the most of the time that I have and just sit back and enjoy the summer that I'm not used to experiencing.
Photo Credit: Jim Trocchio
What do you feel is the future of the music industry?
I'm trying to be optimistic. I do have a start date in February of 2021 but I'm not trying to hold my breath. I'm probably going to look for a job back home in the meantime just because I really don't know. I know a lot of people are talking about doing these drive-in concerts, but I'm really not even sure of the need for certain jobs on tour, if that's what happens. It's really tough to tell. I just feel like the last thing anybody's going to want to do is put 2,000 to 12,000 people in the same place at the same time. It's just such a liability. It's kind of up in the air. I'd like to think that I'm going to get back to work next year, so everybody just wear a mask.
What’s the best piece of advice you've ever received?
It's not necessarily a quote, but I have been told that all you have is your reputation. Whether it be work or your personal life, I just try to apply it to everyday life.