Me 'N" Tony

There's me and Tony Chadwick, owner of Po' Boy Drums, at the "Drummin' For Lou" fundraiser for the ALS Foundation.

Back Stage

Here's a shot from back stage at The Toad Tavern (well, side stage really, because they don't actually have a back stage per se', but anyway, you get the idea) from the "Drummin' For Lou" benefit show. That's a lot of drums. Even more drums on the other side of the stage.

Toad Stage

Here's a lovely view of the stage at The Toad Tavern in Littleton, Colorado. Of course it had a lot of drums on it when I was there last weekend. There was also a big monitor next to my head which managed to thump my brain pretty good. There were people there as well, so this photo is misleading. After my performance, I stood at the end of that bar you see in the foreground and drank a beer. Hooray for me. Hooray for beer. Hooray for The Toad Tavern.

Cymbals!

Here's a cool thing. Last Saturday I went to The Toad Tavern to practice a bit before my clinic. I got the drums all set and Tony told me to grab my pick of the cymbals he'd brought down. So I set up a nice array: 20" dark ride, 17" thin crash, 16" dark crash, 14" hats, and a 10" splash. OMG! These cymbals were amazing. The ride has a heavy, dark ring to it. The crashes have a short sustain, but they cut through bright and edgy. The splash has a weird trashy tone that I like. Actually I think the thing that stands out the most to me are the cymbal bells. They have a really unique timber. Even on the crashes, I can ride the bells and the tone is bright, clear, and clarion. Bottom line? I love this gear. So anyway, I played the clinic and when I was done I asked Tony what he wants me to do with the cymbals to set up for the Dave Nezat clinic and he tells me to just keep them! I gotta be careful, I could really get comfortable with this kind of treatment.

Home Again

Well, I am home again after a thoroughly amazing weekend. I got to premier the new Po' Boy line. I got to teach. I got to meet wonderful people, and I had some of the most amazing moments of my career. Special props to Dave Nezat. It's awesome when someone who plays a totally different style from you, digs what you do and teaches you something new at the same time. Dave is a New Orleans, second line, zydeco, funk, groove monster! I am honored to have shared a stage with this master. When someone like that compliments your playing, it's hard to not be humbled. Tony and the whole Po' Boy gang really know how to treat you right! I had an absolute blast and that drum kit is just phenomenal, not to mention the cymbals! OMG this gear is really the s***! I will definitely frame that poster and hang it in my studio. Tony and I have been discussing future endeavors so check back, I believe there are some interesting projects in the works! You know what else?... Special thanks to The Toad Tavern. What an awesome club. Those guys did us right. And most importantly we raised over $5000 for the Denver ALS Foundation! What a time.

Hotel Room Post

It's 12:41 a.m. here in Littleton, Colorado and I have just finished rehearsing the material that I will be presenting at the clinic tomorrow at noon. Hotel rooms are interesting places to practice drumming! You have to use a practice pad and try to play very quietly. I was at Tony Chadwick's house earlier this evening checking out the new Po' Boy line and I must say it was a lot easier to practice there. I am excited to show these things off tomorrow. The Venus is excited too because she knows I'm going to play her favorite song: TVOWA (that homage to art history and anthropology that everyone loves so much). I wonder if it's obvious that I'm wound up and may have trouble getting to sleep? I sure hope I hear that wake up call I scheduled!

I Couldn't Resist

I just couldn't help it. I had to post another picture. A little bit closer in and you can see the grain better. Mmmmm.... grain...

Oh My!

I just got this picture from Tony at Po' Boy. The eight inch tom hasn't arrived yet so this is still just a progress report. But wow! I so can't wait to play this kit. I love the look of the 20" bass with no tom stand. I've always wanted that look. I'll have a pic of the full setup soon.

Countdown

Wow wow wow. Crazy but true, we're almost there. Just 10 days. I can't begin to tell you how stoked I am about this thing. I think this will be the first time I've taken the stage by myself for a set. It's kind of daunting but, you know what? I love the stuff I'm going to talk about. I think the material I'm going to present is fascinating. I think the instruments I get to play are fantastic. I'm going to get to hang with a bunch of drummers and hear some great music. I am completely amped about the Dave Nezat clinic. I've been listening to some stuff on line and I think it's gonna be great. I love the cajun, zydeco, jazz drumming and I'm hoping to pick up some slick tricks from this guy. I just know this is going to be one great weekend.

You know, in a way this is going to be a great relief for me. I live down here in Arizona and it was 110 degrees yesterday. Colorado cool sounds real nice. Also, I'm going to take a final in Ed Psych just before I leave and I'll be done with that class, so this trip will be a nice little vacation for me.

Done Deal

Well, here we are. Matt from Po' Boy drums just sent me this poster and it looks like I'm up first. Hey, no pressure. This is a benefit and all proceeds go to the Rocky Mountain ALS Association. Saturday, May 31st at The Toad Tavern. I'm all set. As I said before, the format of my clinic will be Canon and Fugue as applied to the drumset (with a two-part fugue), some discussion of polyrhythms and ostinti, and finally a composition featuring all of the above.

Mind Map

I'm posting this because I know some of you enjoy following the process. This is a mind map that I made to outline the topics for my clinic. I'm just writing notes on there as I think of things. Bach is there because he's the godfather of fugue. FZ is there because he's the king of polyrhythm. The Venus of Willendorf is there because it's a paleolithic fertility fetish and Bach had twenty children. I think Frank would have liked it too. TVOWA stands for "The Venus of Willendorf's Atlatl", that's the last piece I'm planning to play. I have this map hanging up in my studio so all my students can be exposed to J.S. , FZ, and The Venus.

Another Round (video)

Okay, so I know I've already posted this on you tube, but whatever. I've been blabbing so much about canon and fugue on the blog that I thought I should post here too. This is happening, of course, because I'm preparing to teach a clinic on canon and fugue for the drumset and I want people to have an idea of what that is. So, if you don't know, this is a round (the simplest form of canon). In this video each voice (hand or foot) is playing exactly the same rhythm, displaced from the previous voice by one quarter note.

Clinic So Far

Well it looks like this is where I'll be playing next. The Toad Tavern in Littleton Colorado. It'll be sometime in the late afternoon on May 31st, 2008. This is a promo for Po' Boy Drums (very good drums by the way). At this point, I will be teaching a clinic on Canon and Fugue for the Drumset, Polyrhythms, and Ostinati. I'm very stoked about this. Sadly, my band won't be coming along, they just couldn't commit. What the heck, I'll be there reflecting the love of my inner Christ, promoting world peace and connecting with the youth of America, supporting the Dalai Lama, fighting global warming, and drinking a few beers. Maybe those other bums can come next time!

A Script for a Clinic

So I wrote myself a script. Since I've never really taught a clinic before, I thought it would be wise to map out what I'm going to talk about, where I'm going to play an example, where I'll ask the audience to try something, etc. I'll run through it tomorrow and see how long it takes.

By the way, I'm also planning to invite a number of musician friends over in the next couple of weeks and run the whole clinic for them so I can get some feedback on what they think works and what don't. Should be interesting. If you know me and you're interested in attending let me know. I would really appreciate your input. You don't even have to be a drummer!

The Drum God's Clinic

When I think of drum clinics I typically think of a setting where some drum god comes to a local music store sponsored by a really expensive drum company. The drum god then wows the audience with an amazing solo. The drum god then talks about what it was like to play with so-and-so, how he constructed the drum part for such-and-such a song, and how much he likes his new expensive 27 ply birch/maple/zebra wood snare. Then the drum god leaves having imparted almost nothing more substantive than anecdotal apocrypha and advertising copy. To be quite honest, I am very weary of the drum god's clinic. As I mentioned in the last post, I have been invited to teach a clinic. I desperately do not want to be the drum god. More than anything else, I want to actually teach something.

Possible Clinic

I have been invited to teach a clinic on drumset counterpoint, polyrhythms, and ostinati. I'm rather excited about that. Also, the sponsers have invited my band to come along and play a show as well. How cool is that!? I will let you know what's happening as the saga unfolds. For now, let's just say it's all in the planning and logistics phase. I don't know about the band yet, but I have sent the sponsers a note saying that I am committed to teaching the clinic. I sure hope more than three people will come.