Syrus Peters

Credit: Syrus Peters

Production Manager / Stage Manager

Slightly Stoopid / Black Label Society

CHANGEOVER: Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.

Syrus Peters: I am a touring production manager for Slightly Stoopid. They pretty much keep me busy when the world is normal. I’m also the stage manager for Black Label Society. I’ve worked with a bunch of people in the past but this is what I’m currently doing. 

How did you get into the music industry? 

Credit: Syrus Peters

I started off as a touring drummer in the early 90s all the way through to 2006. I was actually just a drummer for hire. I was in a bunch of different bands and did a bunch of different stuff. Nothing really panned out. Several bands got signed and did some records but nothing ever really manifested into anything that was sustainable. Through that, and meeting a bunch of people in the industry, I went from drummer to stage manager to production manager and so on. It was kind of a seamless segue from career to career.

Where were you when COVID-19 hit and how has that affected your career?

I was working for Black Label Society. It was March 13th and we were in Michigan. We had been hearing things for the last ten days about tours getting canceled and places shutting down and whatnot. Unfortunately, we got the call that day that our tour was postponed, or canceled, whichever way you want to look at it. We all went home and, since then, life has taken on a different reality. It’s not touring and doing what you normally do to make money and support yourself and your family. Everyone in the touring world has had to find other things to not only keep busy but supplement their income as well. It’s definitely been a very different year, different in the last 20 years of my life for sure.

What have you been doing since everything shut down?

I’ve been doing a bunch of different things. I run two different online businesses: an eBay business, as well as a buying and selling business not on eBay, with both being mostly music gear. I also started day trading actually. I opened up with a buddy of mine who owns an investment firm and teamed up with him. From around 9:30 to 3:30 pretty much all I do is geek out on the computer and buy and trade stocks, cryptocurrency and stuff like that. I’ve also been playing in a cover band. I started playing drums again and have been playing in a cover band two to three times a week. Between those three things, I’m doing pretty good monetarily. It’s all fun stuff. It’s not your typical 9-5 because that’s one thing I can never do and probably will never be able to do. I was willing to do a bunch of little stuff to equate to one big job.

What sound do you miss the most from tour, for example, the bus door closing or the chirp of a radio?

That is an interesting question. I’ve got to be kind of a purist. I miss the crowds. I miss hearing the crowd after a band finishes a song and just the pure joy of people enjoying live music. That’s why we do what we do. It’s for entertainment and we are in the entertainment business. To entertain people is what we get paid to do. When people erupt in applause and whistle and clap that’s pretty much what I miss the most.

What are you looking forward to once tours actually get back on track again?

Honestly, the travel. I really miss traveling. I’ve always loved traveling, whether by bus or plane or boat or train. I’ve always had a taste for travel and I miss it. I haven’t been at home for an entire year in like twenty years. I've never spent this much time at home. It has been nice. I’ve got to spend a lot more time with some friends and family, and that has been nice, but I really just miss getting on a bus and waking up in a new town or having a fly day. I live in Florida so catching a flight and being in California in four or five hours, or being in a whole different part of the world, is what I miss the most.