DrummBlog.com

The Big Beat Rocks St. Louis

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:19:11 -0600

This past Sunday, I had an opportunity to take part is a truly cool experience. The Big Beat, a charity event I detailed in a post a few weeks ago, rumbled into the Family Arena in St. Charles, MO today. Fifty-five drummers pounded their kits and smacked their hand drums with hundreds of fellow drummers around the US, all to benefit the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

Because of my recent motorcycle accident, I was not able to play for the event, but I was there representing DrummBlog.com and handling the technical aspects of the day, which culminated it monitoring a UStream feed from Seattle where the local conductor there kicked off the country-wide event at 4:45 PM CST from Donn Bennett Drum Studio in Bellvue, WA.

The sound inside the Family Arena was amazing, the sound of all those percussive instruments reverberating off the high ceilings. It’s really hard to describe after the fact. It’s really something that you needed to be there for to experience.

And speaking of which, I put this video together to commemorate the event. It has the audio of the entire five minutes of The Big Beat with some additional video and photos I took from the floor of the arena.

I don’t have the final numbers as to the amount of money that was raised for the Mr. Holland’s Opus Fund, but I’ll be sure to post on it when I do.

This was a phenomenal event. Besides doing it for a good cause, it was a great excuse to hang out with fellow drummers and jam inside a great venue. I’d like to extend a personal thanks to Jim Uding and Drum Headquarters and the St. Louis Post Dispatch for leading the way in making this event happen. Also, thanks to all the industry and local sponsors who contributed their time and money they are all listed in my announcement post for this event).

We’ll see you next year in St. Louis for The Big Beat 2010!

Technorati Tags: The Big Beat,St. Louis,Drumming,Drums,Drum Headquarters,St. Louis Post-Dispatch

It’s Back! Friday Drum Launch – Chad Smith

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:20:57 -0600

So, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a Friday Drum launch. Hell, it’s been awhile since I posted regularly! The reason for this is pretty simple: A few weeks ago, I was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident and it’s taken me a little time to get back into the swing of things again. In short, I’m back!

Today’s Friday Drum Launch features a guy I’ve long tried to emulate: Chad Smith. While certainly not the flashiest drummer to ever grace the stage, Chad’s sense of groove, time and unadulterated energy make him one of my favorite. Man, if I had a dollar for every hour I spent playing along to Red Hot Chili Peppers tracks in my studio, I wouldn’t need a day job any more.

While the RHCP’s sound has changed a great deal over the years, Chad’s drumming has remained incredibly consistent and nuanced. While I listened to albums like One Hot Minute and By The Way to check out Chad’s drumming, I didn’t really dig the albums. At all.

That is until Stadium Arcadium was released in 2006. I finally heard some of the magic of their earlier albums coalescing well with a mature approach to the songwriting. And, of course, Chad had some unbelievable tracks on it as well.

Which brings me to today’s Friday Drum Launch. This video looks to be from a clinic Chad did for Sabian in 2007 where he jams along to Readymade from Stadium Arcadium. Sure, there are some standard clinic embellishments in his playing, but the groove is just so slick, it doesn’t matter. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Friday Drum Launch,Chad Smith,Readymade,Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Big Beat Rumbles Into St. Louis!

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:56:00 -0600

For those of you who frequent this little percussive corner of the interwebs, you might recall a post I put up last year about a charity event called The Big Beat. This event gathers drummers in several cities throughout the country to play the same groove at the same time. It’s a simple concept, but very cool and extremely fun. And most importantly the event raises money for a cause that should be near and dear to every musician’s heart: The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates musical instruments to underserved schools, community music programs and individual students nationwide.

The biggest difference from last year is that The Big Beat is rumbling into St. Louis this year! Our local Five-Star drum shop, Drum Headquarters, along with ten other shops around the country, will coordinate The Big Beat on Sunday, November 1st. The event will take place at the Family Arena is St. Charles, MO.

The festivities will kick off at 11:00 AM and there will be a ton of fun activities in which to participate throughout the day, including live music, opportunities for all participants to play along with a band at the same time, plus raffles and giveaways of more that $12,000.00 worth of percussion gear from some of the industry’s best-known manufacturers. Also, one lucky attendee in one of the eleven cities will win a kick drum head with the Rush “Snakes & Arrows” artwork and autographed by Neil Peart. Nice!

The day will reach its summit at 4:45 PM CDT when all the drummers in each of the eleven participating cities begin playing the same beat in unison at exactly the same time. This will be coordinated via streaming Internet video with each local conductor following the primary conductor who will be in Seattle. This will be the largest collection of drummers ever assembled to play in unison like this, so you’ll want to be there!

What’s more, the event is open to everyone: Experienced, novice and non-players alike. Even if you’ve never played drums before, you can register for the Big Beat, bring a hand drum and participate in the event from the seats of the Family Arena.

Here is the complete schedule for the day:

11:00am: Drum Set check-in / load-in opens at the loading dock entrance at the rear of the Family Arena. Raffle table opens.
12:00pm: Take part in the Big Beat Band sound check. The first raffle drawing follows the sound check. World’s Fastest Drummer competition opens.
12:30pm: Play along with the Big Beat Band, followed by raffle drawings.
1:30pm: Play along with the Big Beat Band, Drum Set Big Beat rehearsal, followed by raffle drawings.
2:00pm: Hand Percussion check-in opens in the front lobby of the Family Arena.
2:30pm: Play along with the Big Beat Band, followed by raffle drawings and fundraising awards presentation.
3:00pm: Hand Percussion Big Beat rehearsal.
3:30pm: Drum Set / Hand Percussion Big Beat rehearsal. World’s Fastest Drummer competition closes.
4:00pm: Final raffle drawings and World’s Fastest Drummer awards presentation.
4:45pm: Perform the Big Beat with over 1200 drummers in 11 cities in the world’s largest multi-city drum set event via an internet video connection.
5:00pm: The Big Beat STL 2009 comes to a close. Tear down and load out.
The schedule of events can change without notice. Watch DrumHeadquarters.com and your email inbox for updates

How do you register? It’s easy. You can register online today by visiting the Drum Headquarters online store or download the registration form and drop it off with your $10 registration fee at Drum Headquarters in Maplewood, MO.

If you’re not interested in attending The Big Beat but would like to make a donation to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, you can make it via a FirstGiving web site setup for this event.

The Big Beat St. Louis is presented by Drum Headquarters, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Five-Star Drum Shops. Other sponsors include DW Drums, Sabian, Mapex, Pro-Mark, Istanbul Cymbals, Regal Tip, Direct Sound Extreme Isolation Headphones, Dream Cymbals and Gongs, Computer Solutions, Shirts Anytime and Whitney Design Works.

If you have any questions about the event, be sure to check out these great FAQs, or you can contact me or Jim Uding and the crew at Drum Headquarters.

As far as drumming events go, it doesn’t get more fun or more impactful than The Big Beat. Rather than spending a Sunday afternoon lying around watching football, why not spend $10 and come hang out with your fellow drummers, do some playing, win some cool gear and make a difference for young musicians all over the country.

Technorati Tags: Big Beat St. Louis,Drum Headquarters,Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation,Rush,Neil Peart,Family Arena

Friday Drum Launch – Steve Jordan

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:39:22 -0600

Steve Jordan is one of those guys you’ve probably heard play on a hundred recordings, but just didn’t know it. You just knew you liked it.

The first recording of Jordan I ever heard goes back a few decades. My parents purchased Briefcase Full of Blues by the Blues Brothers. (This is, by the way, a terrific live blues album if you’re ever looking for one.) I remember, even way back then, thinking “Who is that guy on the drums. That groove is so sweet!”

Jordan’s had an illustrious career to be sure, joining Stevie Wonder’s band when he was just a teenager, playing with Paul Shaffer in both the Saturday Night Live band as well as the original incarnation of The World’s Most Dangerous Band in the early days of Late Night With David Letterman. He’s also performed and recorded with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, Sonny Rollins, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Neil Young and the John Meyer Trio.

It is from this last project that I’m pleased to present you with this week’s Friday Drum Launch. This live recording from the John Meyer Trio is a giant grooving pile of guitar and drumming deliciousness. Notice how Jordan’s actually got two kits merged into one so he can completely change his sound depending on the needs of the song.

Featured in this video are two of my favorites from this group, Who Did You Think I Was and their cover of Hendrix’s Wait Until Tomorrow, and the subject of a tutorial I wrote last year on Jordan’s playing with JMT. Check this out and then tell me you don’t want to go and jam on your kit for a few hours.

Technorati Tags: Friday Drum Launch,Steve Jordan,John Meyer Trio

Credited Musician on an Album – Check!

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:59:00 -0600

I found out this week that a band I performed and recorded with a couple years ago, the Meteor Pilots, finished their debut CD last week and I finally got my hands on a few copies today. Even though I don’t play with that band anymore, it did cause me to pause and think on the accomplishment.

Many of you reading this have probably recorded and seen your name on the inside sleeve of a CD before, so this is old news for you. But this is the first time its happened to me, and even though it’s with a small indie band, it’s something that I’ve wanted to accomplish since I was eight years old. Seeing as it took me thirty years to get here, it feels good to check that one off the list of things I wanted to accomplish before I die:

Fall in love and start a family. Check.
Visit the Taj Mahal. Check.
Work in the software business and end up at Microsoft. Check.
Record and wind up a credited musician on an album. Check!

And I’m hoping it doesn’t take another thirty years to do it again! Trust me, I’m working hard to make sure it doesn’t take that long again.

The name of the album is Kiss My Asteroid and you can order a copy from the Meteor Pilots’ web site or, in a few weeks, on cdbaby.com. Have a look at their web site and you can stream some of the tunes to your computer.

I’m all with Lake 32 right now, but I really had a lot of fun playing for the Pilots and wish those guys the best of luck in selling their album and getting their music out there live for audiences to hear and enjoy.

Technorati Tags: Meteor Pilots,Kiss My Asteroid,Lake 32,Recording

Lake 32 Shows In July 2009

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:23:00 -0600

July is shaping up to be a busy month for Lake 32 with three performances scheduled over the next three weeks in the St. Louis area. Here’s a quick rundown on the dates, places and times:

Frankster’s Birthday Bash: We’re playing a birthday party in Warrenton for a good friend of the band and everybody’s welcome to come. Bullshed will be joining us in the celebration. Here are the details:

When:	Saturday, July 18th, 8:00 PM
Where:	American Legion Post 122 28855 Legion Trail Lane Warrenton, MO 63383 Map
Cost:	Free!

Backstreet Blues and Jazz Club: In a new foray into original music, Backstreet has invited us to play on a Thursday night in Westport plaza. This is a big opportunity as there are very few clubs in St. Louis country that offer original bands a place to play, so we would love to see a big turnout in the hopes that we can do this again at Backstreet in the future. Update: Well be playing with Red Card Royale, also out of St. Louis:

When:	Thursday, July 23, 8:00 PM
Where:	Backstreet Blues and Jazz Club 610 Westport Plaza St. Louis, MO 63146 Map
Cost:	$5 at the door or pre-order

Cicero’s: Our debut at St. Louis’ Central West End premier original music club. We’ll be sharing the stage with Morgan Nusbaum. Yeah, it’s another Thursday night show, but it’s the Central West End. Come out and have some fun:

When:	Thursday, July 30th, 8:30 PM
Where:	Cicero’s 6691 Delmar Blvd. St. Louis, Missouri 63130 Map
Cost:	$8

Help keep live, original music in St. Louis alive and kicking. Come check out one of these shows. We appreciate your support!

Technorati Tags: Lake 32,Warrenton,Cicero's Backstreet Blues and Jazz Club,Bullshed,Morgan Nusbaum,Central West End

MiGGS to Appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on July 13th

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:53:12 -0600

I hadn’t really heard of MiGGS until my band, Lake 32, opened for them on their tour stop in St. Louis a few months back. They played right after us in the evening’s line-up, so I was able to sit back with a cold beer and listen to their set. As I did, I found myself wondering why the hell more people haven’t heard of these guys.

Put simply, MiGGS, made up of front man and guitarist Don Miggs, Bassist Michael Lombardo and drummer Ryan Scarbrough, is a fantastic band with some extremely solid songs. And what’s more, they’re three of the nicest guys you’ll ever want to meet and I’m glad we’ve been able to stay in touch with them as they’ve toured the country. In fact, Ryan and I had a great, in-depth conversation about drumming after their set that night and I hope to get the chance to talk with him again sometime.

If you want to checkout MiGGS, you’ll have your chance tomorrow morning on ABC’s Good Morning America when they perform “I Believe” from their new album, Unraveled. This will be a pre-recorded clip as the guy were supposed to be on live last Tuesday, but got bumped because of the seemingly ubiquitous MJ coverage. GMA will broadcast their performance tomorrow morning at around 8:00 AM. If you’d like a sneak peak, ABC has already posted the performance on their website—you can check it out here.

Unraveled is available on iTunes and Zune Marketplace. I highly recommend the whole album and encourage you to go pick it up and give it a listen. You won’t be disappointed.

Technorati Tags: MiGGS,Don Miggs,Michael Lombardo,Ryan Scarbrough,Good Morning America,ABC News,I Believe,Unraveled

Friday Drum Launch – Danny Carey

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:27:23 -0600

The bass player in my band Lake 32, Jeff Laird, introduced me to Tool about twelve years ago. At the time, I’d heard Sober plenty of times, but hadn’t really kept up with what the band had done after their breakthrough album, Undertow. Jeff lent me AEnema and that was it, I was a Danny Carey fan boy.

I’ve spent countless hours studying Carey’s playing and believe him to be one of the most skilled musicians working today. He is truly one of the most musical drummers I’ve ever had the privilege to listen to. Let’s face it, drummers tend to be relegated to carbon-based metronomes, keeping the time of a song for the guitar player and lead singer. Carey is able to fulfill that role and simultaneously add significantly to the music. There isn’t a single song that Tool has ever recorded that would sound the same with another drummer at the helm. This is because there are few drummers who could think as musically as Carey does behind his kit and deliver on in the playing department.

And thus, I offer you Danny Carey to kick-off your drumming weekend. This is one of my favorite clips of Carey playing the conclusion of the title track of Tool’s 2001 release, Lateralis. Two things to watch for in this sadly short clip: The double crash cymbal hit on the right side of the kit and the gong hit right in the middle without missing a beat. Carey is one of the best. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Friday Drum Launch,Danney Carey,Tool,Lateralis,Lake 32

DrummBlog Turns One

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:55:18 -0600

Wow, where does the time go?

One weekend last summer, while sitting around banging away on my practice pad, I discovered something about playing about which I thought it would be cool to write an article and share with my drumming brethren. But alas, I’m not a writer for Modern Drummer, nor had I received any invitations from other popular online drumming forums to contribute.

So I decided to start DrummBlog.com, and today it turns one.

I’d like to thank all of you who faithfully read my posts here and for all the great feedback you’ve given me over the past three hundred sixty-five days. I’ve enjoyed our conversations and the new contacts I’ve made along the way. It has been fantastic trading information and ideas about playing with you and I’m looking forward to another year of the same.

To celebrate, I’m happy to present, for the first time anywhere, the new DrummBlog logo. It will adorn the site from this day forward.

As I’ve said all along, I consider this an interactive forum, so please feel free to send ideas and suggestions along via the comments section or the email link above. I’m always glad to hear from you and will incorporate your ideas into the site whenever possible.

Again, thanks for reading.

Technorati Tags: DrummBlog,Drumming,One Year Anniversary

Friday Drum Launch – Stewart Copeland

denny.nospam@nospam.boyntons.com (dboynton) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:45:00 -0600

Arguably one of my most important drumming influences, Stewart Copeland has had a huge influence on my playing over the years. Like just about everybody else in the US, the first time I heard him play was on the Roxanne single. Copeland’s style was so unique and powerful, I went immediately to my tiny Ludwig kit in my basement and tried to learn the song, playing the 45 on my parents’ record player over and over until I could do it.

The thing that has always amazed me about Copeland is his backbeat. Few drummers in the history of rock hit like he does and that backbeat is undeniable the minute you hear it. That particular characteristics has been a part my own style for years and shows no signs of going away. Of course, it helps that I play a Stewart Copeland signature snare from Tama on my all Gretsch kit!

So, to honor one of my drumming idols, I picked this video from what none of us at the time knew would be The Police’s farewell tour: The Synchronicity tour of 1983-1984. There aren’t a lot of great videos of Copeland playing with The Police online (most of them focus on Sting and, this one in particular, has some annoying shots of audience members dancing around), but I think this one has enough cuts that demonstrate the raw, earthy power of his playing to make it worth watching.

Enjoy watching this remarkable drummer hit some drums really, really hard. Happy Friday!

Technorati Tags: Stewart Copeland,The Police,Friday Drum Launch,Tama,Gretsch,Ludwig