A Guitar Tech’s Life with Five Finger Death Punch

My buddy, Darren Keddy, is a guitar tech for Five Finger Death Punch.

He always has the coolest stories.

So, I told him, "You should write for our website."

And, he said: "Hell, why not!"

That said, here is his first entry. Get to know Darren because he has some cool stories for us to come!

Hi. My name is Darren Keddy. Most of you don't know me. I'm a professional touring guitar technician for the band Five Finger Death Punch. I tour the world maintaining guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers, effects units, etc. I work directly with Jason Hook and Chris Kael of 5FDP. Our side of the stage is stage right aka "stage tight". (So if you are in the crowd looking at the stage, it's your left.) We keep it tight on stage right. Ain't got time to mess around! Working for two musicians keeps me on my toes. Bass amps blow, and wireless guitar systems fail. Loading out the show can be a bitch and the following morning’s load in at the next venue always seems to come way to early.

There is a whole team of us crew guys behind every band you go see live and the tour schedule we maintain leaves us beaten down and feeling like hell at times. I frequently seem to be asking myself these questions: how much tour provided free alcohol did I drink last night? How long has it been since I’ve talked to my 8 year old little girl? What kind of argument did I get into with the girlfriend on the phone this morning? Oh shit, did I make my car payment on time this month? And where the hell is catering?! Oh wait, relax, this is a glamorous lifestyle, right?! Well, that last statement and the truth behind it is definitely a coin toss.

I just finished a 6-week tour through Europe and Russia with the ever so dominating Five Finger Death Punch. We started in Finland, worked our way through Scandinavia, mainland Europe, down to Portugal, back up to the UK and Ireland before wrapping it up in Russia. There were endless good times where the hard work paid off and countless miles traveled of changing currency types and language barriers to hurdle. 5FDP is gaining a huge legion of European fans so I won’t be surprised if we make it back to that part of the world soon for round 2 of Death Punching.

Now you know a bit about me. I have a TON of touring ahead of me with the 5FDP guys. I hope to be writing some cool bits for you guys on a frequent basis as the interesting moments happen! Until then, keep supporting your favorite music and you will hear from me soon!