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Heard it from a friend :: Lifestyles :: Daily Southtown
As REO Speedwagon, ZZ Top and the reunited rockabilly trio Stray Cats took the stage at Toyota Park in Bridgeview earlier this summer, another show was playing out on the sidelines.
Down on the field by the first row of the grandstand, two women took turns performing in front of a music stand.
They attempted to stifle laughter and keep up with Brian Setzer's "Bee bop a loo bops" and ZZ Top's "uh-huh huh huhs."
Not every lyric was as simple as "Rock This Town" or "Sharp Dressed Man" to relay in American sign language, their job as freelance interpreters. And they had their hands full conveying more than just the words to the songs.
There's the message behind those lyrics - the sentimentality of REO's "Keep On Loving You," the urgency of "Ridin' the Storm Out" - not to mention the rhythm to bring across. The banter between songs to decipher. And the applause.
Interpreting a concert for the hearing-impaired is about sign language and body language and facial expression. Without interpreters, hearing-impaired fans probably wouldn't know the difference between "Heard It From a Friend" and "Time for Me to Fly."
"You could say the interpreter helps me get my groove on at a show," REO fan Bryen Yunashko said in an e-mail interview.
A resident of Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood, Yunashko is deaf and goes to about 10 concerts a year. Whenever he does, he has freelance interpreter Robin Kelso on hand.
"I love to sign along with songs that I know, just like everyone else loves to sing along during a show," Yunashko, 38, said. "Without an interpreter, I'm usually lost and spending most of my time struggling to figure out what's happening."
Most of us are familiar with closed captioning on television, hearing aid-compatible headsets at movie theaters and sign language interpreters at plays. Some venues go a step further. Premiere Theatre & Performance in Chicago, for example, offers shadow interpretation for hearing-impaired patrons for its current production, "The Quiltmaker's Gift," at the Athenaeum Theatre.
Sign language interpretation is among the provisions that a place of public accommodation - a concert hall, stadium, theater, auditorium - must provide under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
While concert interpretation is one of the lesser-known provisions of the 1990 law, it is becoming more commonplace. Lollapalooza, the three-day rock festival held in Chicago's Grant Park in August, and other large events bring their own team of interpreters.
Specialized interpreters - such as video phones and instant messaging - have made communication and socialization easier for hearing-impaired folks. But arranging to have an interpreter at a concert generally remains a challenge.
Plus not every interpreter is qualified to work a concert or comfortable doing so. Unlike interpreting at a medical appointment or college class for a client, a good concert interpreter has to do plenty of legwork, from learning the lyrics to trying to get the golden ticket - a band's set list - from protective tour managers.
And then there's the underlying confusion, too: Why would a person who can't hear want to listen to live music?
I Can Feel It in the Air Tonight
"Music is about rhythm, not just about singing," Yunashko said. "We all have rhythm in us regardless of hearing ability."
Vibrations convey rhythm for hearing-impaired people, who tend to feel the heavy bass pound harder than those of us who can hear.
For an analogy, Yunashko points to the old TV commercial for Memorex where a guy's hair is blowing back furiously although he's sitting far from a stereo speaker.
"Sometimes that's just what it is like for us," he said. "Last year at a Def Leppard concert, they put us next to the speakers. My hearing aid needed to rest for days!"
Yunashko, who was born with Usher Syndrome Type 2, is considered hard of hearing when he uses a hearing aid, which also allows him to listen to an iPod with a special headset and audio loop switch that transmits a specific sound, rather than ambient or surrounding noise, electromagnetically.
"Even profoundly deaf people still have some residual hearing," he said, "so it's not like most deaf people hear only complete, utter silence."
But because hearing aids do not filter sounds, hearing-impaired people have difficulty in noisy situations.
"I hear everyone and everything, all jumbled together in a single sound," he said. "This is where an interpreter is very important at a concert."
When the first few notes are played, many fans can tell what song it is. A deaf person can't.
"With an interpreter, I can watch for the first few verses and figure out the rhythm and join in," said Yunashko, a networking consultant.
As a kid, Yunashko joined several song-signing groups, later formed his own in Los Angeles and belonged to an activists' circle that petitioned the music industry to caption MTV videos. When the latter became a standard in the early '90s, he said, "that's when deaf people could say, 'I want my MTV, too!'"
"Growing up, I remember hanging out in the (school) halls, listening and signing to music," said Yunashko, who attended Gallaudet University, the world's only liberal arts school for the deaf. "For those of us who can hear just enough to understand the lyrics, after reading them and memorizing them, that just opens up the world of music to others in the group who can't hear at all but love music just the same."
Kelso, 31, a full-time freelance interpreter who lives on Chicago's North Side, said hearing-impaired people are drawn to concerts for the experience as a whole.
"It's a cultural thing," she said. "They want to be involved just as much as everyone else. They can enjoy music on their own level."
The Rev. Donald Bester, of South Chicago Heights, has made a career of signing at concerts. He signs the lead and background lyrics as he sings second tenor with the Gospel Paraders at concert venues and churches. He also signs at nine churches, including most Sundays at Harvey Memorial Community Church, 8400 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago.
"Even when I preach, I sign," he said.
He has signed concerts by Albertina Walker, Yolanda Adams and Ethel Holloway, speeches by President Bill Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama and sets by comedians Bernie Mac and George Wilborn.
Bester, who grew up with a best friend who was deaf and had deaf parents, also teaches sign language. A boxer since age 12 and now the world regional light heavyweight champ, Bester is a boxing instructor with aspiring boxers who are deaf and also mentors two deaf gangs.
"My whole thing is to engage the deaf in everything hearing people do," he said. "They go to plays, concerts, church, movies."
More Than Words
Bester and Kelso agree that interpreting a concert is far more involved than most assignments.
As a freelancer, Kelso works with such agencies as the Chicago Area Referral Interpreter Service, the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission and Deaf Communication by Innovation. She has interpreted for clients at job interviews, doctor appointments, college classes and the like for five years. Since interpreting her first concert a year ago, she has done 16 more, including the Go-Go's and the Bangles at Chicago's House of Blues and India.Arie at the Taste of Chicago.
"You need a sense of rhythm, the ability to connect with music and to be comfortable enough to let loose a little and be expressive," Kelso said. "Some interpreters are comfortable doing music and some aren't."
There are sign language coaches who help interpreters develop skills for concerts and other events. But much of the ability has to come from within.
"I can teach body movement and facial expression, but I can't teach style," Bester said. "It's something you gotta have."
When lyrics include non-words, such as "ooh" and "la la la," Kelso said she will spell them out or move her hands up and down to convey the melody.
"It's a lot of work, but it's fun," she said. "I have people come up to me after concerts and say they enjoyed watching me, too."
There is a fine line, however, between a rhythmic, expressive interpreter and lunatic performance artist.
"Some interpreters start signing large and overly theatrical and dancing up and down," Yunashko said. "An interpreter has to remember it is not their show, it is the band's show, and I came to see the band."
Then there's the flipside. While Kelso downloads, prints and studies the lyrics, other interpreters try to wing it.
"Then I'm stuck watching an interpreter struggle to figure out the song," Yunashko said. "That's not fair to me, the band or the venue that's paying for the interpreter."
A good interpreter also will prepare for a concert by touching base with the venue. If it's a new place, Kelso said she may go there in advance and recommend ideal seating and lighting to be sure her client can see her and the band at the same time.
"Without proper lighting, we can't see the interpreter," said Yunashko, who is also legally blind and has fair central vision but trouble navigating in the dark. "Line of sight is important. If we're constantly turning our necks back and forth between the stage and the interpreter, it's not a fun experience. And, believe me, people do walk and stand between us and the interpreter, totally oblivious."
Start Me Up
The general ignorance of hearing-impaired people and their needs and rights under the ADA can be an obstacle when trying to arrange to have an interpreter at a concert.
"Hearing people just log onto Ticketmaster, click buy ticket, done!" Yunashko said. "We often have to spends weeks and many hours struggling to get it worked out. The process of getting an interpreter can be a huge, cumbersome labyrinth."
Hearing-impaired concertgoers may contact the venue via the Internet or telephone relay service to request an interpreter and accessible seating.
The venue then arranges for an interpreter and either pays for the service or bills the tour/artist. A concertgoer can provide contact information for a favorite interpreter, as Yunashko does with Kelso.
But it's often not as easy as it sounds.
For example, Live Nation - which books concerts locally at such venues as Allstate Arena and United Center - has a section on its Web site for "sight impaired, hearing impaired, wheelchair or mobility impaired seating," and lists a telephone number (800-431-3462). But that's just for seats, not an interpreter.
"Many venues do post on their Web site to contact them for interpreter requests," Yunashko said, "but generally when you do call them, they're totally confused and don't know what to do."
He said he usually ends up having to explain the ADA. And if he has to wait and wait for someone to respond to his repeated request, he risks losing out on the limited number of accessible seats.
"It is not unusual that I have to research a venue's corporate owner and chase down the appropriate person in offices halfway across the country before any action takes place," Yunashko said.
While smaller, independent venues may get fewer requests for interpreter services, they may be easier to contact. The Metro in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, for instance, will make arrangements when a concertgoer contacts them via e-mail (metro@metrochicago.com) or telephone (773-549-0203).
"Once a relationship has been set, usually the venue is very good for subsequent shows ... until that box office manager leaves," Yunashko said. "Then it's an education process all over again."
And there's another obstacle: How do hearing employees unfamiliar with sign language know whether they've hired a capable interpreter?
"Some venues will proactively engage in an exclusive contract with an interpreting agency," Yunashko said. "The drawback is these venues very rarely are able to determine which agency actually does send qualified interpreters over."
Vickie Snow may be contacted at (708) 633-5981 or vsnow@dailysouthtown.com.
Want to know more?
n Sign language interpreter Robin Kelso may be contacted at concertterp@hotmail.com.
n The Rev. Donald Bester may be contacted at (773) 687-4840 or Welcome to my Web site.
n To check out a sign language interpretation of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change," visit Deaf Performing Artists Network at D-PAN: The Deaf Performing Artists Network.
n The Americans with Disabilities Act hot line is (800) 514-0301 or go online at ADA Home Page - ada.gov - Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
n Chicago Hearing Society and its Interpreter Referral Service can be reached at (773) 248-9121, Ext. 321, Home or chsinterp@anixter.org. In addition to providing interpreters for concerts and other public events, it can assist in arranging interpreter services for private events, such as birthday parties and weddings, free of charge.
As REO Speedwagon, ZZ Top and the reunited rockabilly trio Stray Cats took the stage at Toyota Park in Bridgeview earlier this summer, another show was playing out on the sidelines.
Down on the field by the first row of the grandstand, two women took turns performing in front of a music stand.
They attempted to stifle laughter and keep up with Brian Setzer's "Bee bop a loo bops" and ZZ Top's "uh-huh huh huhs."
Not every lyric was as simple as "Rock This Town" or "Sharp Dressed Man" to relay in American sign language, their job as freelance interpreters. And they had their hands full conveying more than just the words to the songs.
There's the message behind those lyrics - the sentimentality of REO's "Keep On Loving You," the urgency of "Ridin' the Storm Out" - not to mention the rhythm to bring across. The banter between songs to decipher. And the applause.
Interpreting a concert for the hearing-impaired is about sign language and body language and facial expression. Without interpreters, hearing-impaired fans probably wouldn't know the difference between "Heard It From a Friend" and "Time for Me to Fly."
"You could say the interpreter helps me get my groove on at a show," REO fan Bryen Yunashko said in an e-mail interview.
A resident of Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood, Yunashko is deaf and goes to about 10 concerts a year. Whenever he does, he has freelance interpreter Robin Kelso on hand.
"I love to sign along with songs that I know, just like everyone else loves to sing along during a show," Yunashko, 38, said. "Without an interpreter, I'm usually lost and spending most of my time struggling to figure out what's happening."
Most of us are familiar with closed captioning on television, hearing aid-compatible headsets at movie theaters and sign language interpreters at plays. Some venues go a step further. Premiere Theatre & Performance in Chicago, for example, offers shadow interpretation for hearing-impaired patrons for its current production, "The Quiltmaker's Gift," at the Athenaeum Theatre.
Sign language interpretation is among the provisions that a place of public accommodation - a concert hall, stadium, theater, auditorium - must provide under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
While concert interpretation is one of the lesser-known provisions of the 1990 law, it is becoming more commonplace. Lollapalooza, the three-day rock festival held in Chicago's Grant Park in August, and other large events bring their own team of interpreters.
Specialized interpreters - such as video phones and instant messaging - have made communication and socialization easier for hearing-impaired folks. But arranging to have an interpreter at a concert generally remains a challenge.
Plus not every interpreter is qualified to work a concert or comfortable doing so. Unlike interpreting at a medical appointment or college class for a client, a good concert interpreter has to do plenty of legwork, from learning the lyrics to trying to get the golden ticket - a band's set list - from protective tour managers.
And then there's the underlying confusion, too: Why would a person who can't hear want to listen to live music?
I Can Feel It in the Air Tonight
"Music is about rhythm, not just about singing," Yunashko said. "We all have rhythm in us regardless of hearing ability."
Vibrations convey rhythm for hearing-impaired people, who tend to feel the heavy bass pound harder than those of us who can hear.
For an analogy, Yunashko points to the old TV commercial for Memorex where a guy's hair is blowing back furiously although he's sitting far from a stereo speaker.
"Sometimes that's just what it is like for us," he said. "Last year at a Def Leppard concert, they put us next to the speakers. My hearing aid needed to rest for days!"
Yunashko, who was born with Usher Syndrome Type 2, is considered hard of hearing when he uses a hearing aid, which also allows him to listen to an iPod with a special headset and audio loop switch that transmits a specific sound, rather than ambient or surrounding noise, electromagnetically.
"Even profoundly deaf people still have some residual hearing," he said, "so it's not like most deaf people hear only complete, utter silence."
But because hearing aids do not filter sounds, hearing-impaired people have difficulty in noisy situations.
"I hear everyone and everything, all jumbled together in a single sound," he said. "This is where an interpreter is very important at a concert."
When the first few notes are played, many fans can tell what song it is. A deaf person can't.
"With an interpreter, I can watch for the first few verses and figure out the rhythm and join in," said Yunashko, a networking consultant.
As a kid, Yunashko joined several song-signing groups, later formed his own in Los Angeles and belonged to an activists' circle that petitioned the music industry to caption MTV videos. When the latter became a standard in the early '90s, he said, "that's when deaf people could say, 'I want my MTV, too!'"
"Growing up, I remember hanging out in the (school) halls, listening and signing to music," said Yunashko, who attended Gallaudet University, the world's only liberal arts school for the deaf. "For those of us who can hear just enough to understand the lyrics, after reading them and memorizing them, that just opens up the world of music to others in the group who can't hear at all but love music just the same."
Kelso, 31, a full-time freelance interpreter who lives on Chicago's North Side, said hearing-impaired people are drawn to concerts for the experience as a whole.
"It's a cultural thing," she said. "They want to be involved just as much as everyone else. They can enjoy music on their own level."
The Rev. Donald Bester, of South Chicago Heights, has made a career of signing at concerts. He signs the lead and background lyrics as he sings second tenor with the Gospel Paraders at concert venues and churches. He also signs at nine churches, including most Sundays at Harvey Memorial Community Church, 8400 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago.
"Even when I preach, I sign," he said.
He has signed concerts by Albertina Walker, Yolanda Adams and Ethel Holloway, speeches by President Bill Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama and sets by comedians Bernie Mac and George Wilborn.
Bester, who grew up with a best friend who was deaf and had deaf parents, also teaches sign language. A boxer since age 12 and now the world regional light heavyweight champ, Bester is a boxing instructor with aspiring boxers who are deaf and also mentors two deaf gangs.
"My whole thing is to engage the deaf in everything hearing people do," he said. "They go to plays, concerts, church, movies."
More Than Words
Bester and Kelso agree that interpreting a concert is far more involved than most assignments.
As a freelancer, Kelso works with such agencies as the Chicago Area Referral Interpreter Service, the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission and Deaf Communication by Innovation. She has interpreted for clients at job interviews, doctor appointments, college classes and the like for five years. Since interpreting her first concert a year ago, she has done 16 more, including the Go-Go's and the Bangles at Chicago's House of Blues and India.Arie at the Taste of Chicago.
"You need a sense of rhythm, the ability to connect with music and to be comfortable enough to let loose a little and be expressive," Kelso said. "Some interpreters are comfortable doing music and some aren't."
There are sign language coaches who help interpreters develop skills for concerts and other events. But much of the ability has to come from within.
"I can teach body movement and facial expression, but I can't teach style," Bester said. "It's something you gotta have."
When lyrics include non-words, such as "ooh" and "la la la," Kelso said she will spell them out or move her hands up and down to convey the melody.
"It's a lot of work, but it's fun," she said. "I have people come up to me after concerts and say they enjoyed watching me, too."
There is a fine line, however, between a rhythmic, expressive interpreter and lunatic performance artist.
"Some interpreters start signing large and overly theatrical and dancing up and down," Yunashko said. "An interpreter has to remember it is not their show, it is the band's show, and I came to see the band."
Then there's the flipside. While Kelso downloads, prints and studies the lyrics, other interpreters try to wing it.
"Then I'm stuck watching an interpreter struggle to figure out the song," Yunashko said. "That's not fair to me, the band or the venue that's paying for the interpreter."
A good interpreter also will prepare for a concert by touching base with the venue. If it's a new place, Kelso said she may go there in advance and recommend ideal seating and lighting to be sure her client can see her and the band at the same time.
"Without proper lighting, we can't see the interpreter," said Yunashko, who is also legally blind and has fair central vision but trouble navigating in the dark. "Line of sight is important. If we're constantly turning our necks back and forth between the stage and the interpreter, it's not a fun experience. And, believe me, people do walk and stand between us and the interpreter, totally oblivious."
Start Me Up
The general ignorance of hearing-impaired people and their needs and rights under the ADA can be an obstacle when trying to arrange to have an interpreter at a concert.
"Hearing people just log onto Ticketmaster, click buy ticket, done!" Yunashko said. "We often have to spends weeks and many hours struggling to get it worked out. The process of getting an interpreter can be a huge, cumbersome labyrinth."
Hearing-impaired concertgoers may contact the venue via the Internet or telephone relay service to request an interpreter and accessible seating.
The venue then arranges for an interpreter and either pays for the service or bills the tour/artist. A concertgoer can provide contact information for a favorite interpreter, as Yunashko does with Kelso.
But it's often not as easy as it sounds.
For example, Live Nation - which books concerts locally at such venues as Allstate Arena and United Center - has a section on its Web site for "sight impaired, hearing impaired, wheelchair or mobility impaired seating," and lists a telephone number (800-431-3462). But that's just for seats, not an interpreter.
"Many venues do post on their Web site to contact them for interpreter requests," Yunashko said, "but generally when you do call them, they're totally confused and don't know what to do."
He said he usually ends up having to explain the ADA. And if he has to wait and wait for someone to respond to his repeated request, he risks losing out on the limited number of accessible seats.
"It is not unusual that I have to research a venue's corporate owner and chase down the appropriate person in offices halfway across the country before any action takes place," Yunashko said.
While smaller, independent venues may get fewer requests for interpreter services, they may be easier to contact. The Metro in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, for instance, will make arrangements when a concertgoer contacts them via e-mail (metro@metrochicago.com) or telephone (773-549-0203).
"Once a relationship has been set, usually the venue is very good for subsequent shows ... until that box office manager leaves," Yunashko said. "Then it's an education process all over again."
And there's another obstacle: How do hearing employees unfamiliar with sign language know whether they've hired a capable interpreter?
"Some venues will proactively engage in an exclusive contract with an interpreting agency," Yunashko said. "The drawback is these venues very rarely are able to determine which agency actually does send qualified interpreters over."
Vickie Snow may be contacted at (708) 633-5981 or vsnow@dailysouthtown.com.
Want to know more?
n Sign language interpreter Robin Kelso may be contacted at concertterp@hotmail.com.
n The Rev. Donald Bester may be contacted at (773) 687-4840 or Welcome to my Web site.
n To check out a sign language interpretation of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change," visit Deaf Performing Artists Network at D-PAN: The Deaf Performing Artists Network.
n The Americans with Disabilities Act hot line is (800) 514-0301 or go online at ADA Home Page - ada.gov - Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
n Chicago Hearing Society and its Interpreter Referral Service can be reached at (773) 248-9121, Ext. 321, Home or chsinterp@anixter.org. In addition to providing interpreters for concerts and other public events, it can assist in arranging interpreter services for private events, such as birthday parties and weddings, free of charge.
