"Huh? What?" Save Your Hearing Now
by Tim Brennan

A chat with Dan McCoy who performs as singer/guitarist in the cover band Chubby and The Turnpikes, appears occasionally in solo acoustic and duo shows around town and recently was the singer/guitarist/songwriter for the now defunct original band Block. He recently let friends and family know he wasn't ignoring them, he just couldn’t hear them. Right, Dan.

How long have you been performing live and about how many shows have you done.
Ned (drummer) and I started Block with some other guys in Pittsburgh in '93. We released our first cassette that year (Turn Right At The Next Left) and started playing out in '94. We moved to Cleveland in '95 and reformed the band with new guys and released a couple CDs. I guess I've played a couple hundred shows over the years. But of course I consider playing guitar in a room with 5 people a show, so you figure it out.

That's not that many shows over that time span. You wouldn’t think you could suffer from any hearing loss until you started playing more shows.
You figure Townsend or Ozzy with all those loud shows would get hearing loss, but I didn't think that could happen to me. For me a lot of it probably came from playing the radio loud in my car and on headphones. That and many nights in loud bars listening to other bands.

When did you first start noticing some hearing problems?
Well, back in about '95 I started getting a ringing in my ears after listening to music in my car. Yeah, it was pretty loud. But then even with the radio off, the sound of the car on asphalt would trigger some ringing. That went on for a few years. I should have gone to a doctor then, but figured why go in and have someone tell me what I already know. Then last year I totally lost my hearing in one ear. That cleared up, but then the other ear went out and came back again. That's when I finally went to an ear doctor. And he told me what I already knew - that my hearing was damaged and that hearing never comes back. They don’t even know what causes tinnitus. They just tell you it's a ringing in our ears. No kidding.

OK. You started having problems in 1995 but waited until last year to see someone.
Yeah. I should have gone earlier, but I knew what they would say.

Did he tell you to do anything about it?
Well, I have to see him every 3-6 months now to see that my hearing doesn't get worse. But there is nothing that can be done to improve hearing. And I wear ear plugs anytime I'm around noise. I keep a pair a work, a pair in the car, a pair in my coat. It's a pain for others 'cause at a bar, when I have the plugs in, I sometimes can’t hear people talk. But it's better than losing more hearing.

What plugs do you use?
I used to use those foam ones, but I found these great Neight plugs - I'm not sure of the name - that block up to 29 decibels. They're great.

Would you recommend other musicians wear them?
Definitely. You never know how your ears will react. I mean the guys in Chubby have been playing 2-3 night a week in a cover band for years and they don't seem to have any damage, but I'm the one with the damage. Just wear them. It takes some time to get used to how things sound with them in. But once you get used to it, it's no problem. It actually makes me a better musician onstage 'cause I can hear the rest of the band clearer and can stay tighter with them. And for singers, earplugs are great. Because your voice resonates in your ehad, the earplugs act like another monitor and it really helps out. The only drawback is that sometimes I have to take one plug out if I'm talking to an audience member between songs. But usually I don’t want to talk with people during a show anyway.

It is recommended that musicians take a hearing test every couple of years. (Some soundmen may need it every couple of months!!) A good audiologist can track your hearing over time and provide you with methods and tools to keep your hearing. You can also ask about musicians' earplug - special plugs molded to the inside of your ears and fitted with a removable screen that filters out certain frequencies as well as volume to allow musicians to hear music better while blocking out the loudness. I've had a pair for 8 years and they are great on stage and make listening to other bands a lot more palatable.