Carla Harvey of The Violent Hour, Lords of Acid, and formerly of the Butcher Babies told us about her love for her Sennheiser wireless handheld mic paired with the EW IEM G4 wireless in-ear monitoring system.
Carla Harvey: I give 100 percent on stage; every fiber of my being goes into my performance. From the moment the lights hit, I’m running, headbanging, and jumping into the crowd. But here’s a secret: I’m a total klutz. Back in the day with wired mics, I would literally lasso myself, get hopelessly tangled, or rip the cord out of the socket mid-song. A nightmare.
That’s why my absolute must-have gear on tour is my Sennheiser wireless handheld mic paired with the EW IEM G4 wireless in-ear monitoring system. I’ve always gravitated toward Sennheiser—my 945 captures the low end of my voice and every tone in between. With The Violent Hour, I’m often pushing my voice to the very top of my range and then dropping it all the way back down, and these mics handle it beautifully. I pair my custom Ultimate Ears in-ears with the G4 system, and together they give me complete freedom to roam, go wild, and fully lose myself in the music.
Well… not too wild. Here’s a story from my last tour with Lords of Acid: I was using a wireless pack borrowed from our tech. Mid-show, I went crowd surfing—living my best life, screaming my lungs out—only to climb back on stage and realize I couldn’t hear a thing. I looked at our tech in a panic; he just shook his head. His pack had flown off somewhere into a sold-out crowd. Oops. Luckily, it was recovered (a little worse for wear), but lesson learned: the pack comes off before I dive in again.
Finally, my other essential on the road is my Vocal Mist nebulizer. I’m sensitive to allergens, dry air, and the not-so-great sleep you get on tour buses. Using the nebulizer twice a day has been a total game changer. It keeps my voice clear and strong even through grueling stretches. I’ll never tour without it again.
The Violent Hour's debut EP is out now.
Pictured: The Violent Hour with Harvey, center. Photo by Travis Shinn.
