This marks the debut of my electronic percussion setup (not to be confused with the electronic drum kit in the video), which I’ve been nurturing over the past couple months.  It appears in the breakdown section @ 1:58.   For those curious, I’m using built-in sounds on the Roland Octapad SPD-30, modified by the onboard editing parameters and FX processor.  Only a small amount of delay and compression were added later in Logic, so the sound you hear is very close to what you actually get directly from the machine.  The Octapad is a great little device with a lot of bang for the buck and a lot of flexibility as far as editing built-in sounds and eliminating the need to bring a laptop or bulky electronic kit to the gig to incorporate electronic drum sounds.

For the regular drum parts, I’m triggering DrumCore sounds via Logic from my electronic kit in this video.

For the polyrhythmically-inclined, I snuck in a fun sticking move in the chorus between the right hand and left foot, making a 3-note sticking with the ride cymbal and hihat.  This outlines the 4:3 dotted rhythm in the melody and 16th-note guitar strumming part that cycles over the barline, while keeping the 4-on-the-floor dance groove going in the remaining limbs.  This is an example of a fun way to apply some ‘out there’ coordination moves in a simple pop setting while (hopefully) elevating the drum part to a higher musical level.  There’s a better camera angle in the second chorus (@ 1:42).

Also check out the ring on Adam (bass player)’s thumb.  It’s called a Hot Hand and it’s super sweet!

For 2012: A number of albums that I played on will be released this year and I’m excited about the live shows that are in the works right now. We’ll be hitting the stage later this year, and I’ll keep the ‘Shows’ page updated with the details.

This album documents a major evolution in the band’s sound since the last recordings were done.  I can’t wait for you to hear the new songs.  More details about the upcoming release will follow.

For now, here are some pics of my recording setup, also details about the gear below:

Pearl Masters MCX, maple shells.  20″ kick / 10″, 12″, 14″ toms / 14″ MCX snare

I played the matching Masters MCX snare on all of these recordings.  (In the past, I used a 14″ Pearl UltraCast for nearly everything–it has great clarity at low dynamic levels and a thunderous “crack”.  But, I’ve been toying around with this Masters snare for the past several months and I’ve become a huge fan of the fat sound I’m getting with it, using a lower tuning on it than I’ve ever used on my snare drums.  I brought both drums to the session but ended up using the Masters snare for everything.)

The cymbals, left to right (drummer’s perspective):

18″ Sabian HHX Ozone Crash

14″ Zildjian K Custom Dark Hi-Hats

18″ Zildjian K Med Thin Dark Crash

19″ Sabian AAX-Plosion Crash

22″ Zildjian K Ride (or 20″ Zildjian Pre-Aged Light Ride)

16″ Paiste Twenty China

I switched between different rides depending on the song.  The 20″ Pre-Aged is washier, great for crash-riding, while the 22″ K Ride is more “pingy”.  The Pre-Aged ride has a big crack in the bell now after years of playing.  Fortunately, it hasn’t affected the sound yet.  Hoping to “ride” it out as long as possible with that one–it’s been my favorite for 5-6+ years.  Both crashes above and the hats are new to my setup.  I am lovin’ them all–been great for both hard-hitting rock and soft acoustic music, so I no longer need to use different sets of cymbals for each setting.

All Pearl hardware.  Pearl Demon Drive double pedal.  Zildjian Heavy Jazz sticks.

Also, any/every brand of coffee–very important to the sound!

Follow The Bloodline on Facebook / Twitter

We have a show coming up 6/18 in Buffalo at Club Diablo. Tix are available now on the venue’s site.

We’ll also be recording the follow-up record soon, so stay tuned for details. Until then, keep in touch with The Bloodline on Facebook and Twitter.

Even if I’m not posting often here, I still keep the shows page up to date and am active on Twitter.

Now to fill in some gaps: I spent the fall interning at The Orchard in NYC. I learned a lot there about online marketing strategies for artists and got a great insight into many aspects of this industry. This fulfilled my final remaining credits for Berklee, which makes me an official graduate of the college. Simultaneously, I joined a few bands and started gigging in New York. Things picked up quickly and there is a lot going on in the near future.

First up, a Bloodline spring break tour! We’ll be hitting the following cities:

The Bloodline “Are You Alive?” Tour 2011:

3/17 – New York, NY – Arlene’s Grocery
3/18 – Philadelphia, PA – Lickety Split w/ 7envy
3/19 – New York, NY – The National Underground
3/20 – Plaistow, NH – The Sad Cafe w/ Bent Knee
3/22 – Boston, MA – TT The Bear’s Place w/ Bent Knee

We recently recorded 2 new songs in Boston, so keep an eye out for those.

Connect with The Bloodline on Facebook and Twitter.

A few more exciting shows coming up in March:

3/15 – Trash Bar (Brooklyn) w/Joey Primero, 11pm

3/17 – Arlene’s Grocery (Manhattan) w/Emily Earle, 7pm

St. Patty’s Day extravaganza at Arlene’s! Emily Earle at 7pm, then we kick off the first date of The Bloodline tour at midnight.

Here’s a fun video we recently put together for this year’s Folger’s jingle contest:

3/17-3/22 – The Bloodline “Are You Alive?” Tour

3/25 – Berklee College of Music (Boston) w/Mike Ball - After the Bloodline tour I’ll be playing drums for Mike Ball’s senior recital and we are playing some absolutely insane music. See the video below of a performance we did last month:

3/30 – Bar East (NYC) w/Christine & The Bad News

One interesting thing I’ve discovered as a drummer in NYC, especially in the singer-songwriter scene, is the necessity to play acoustic percussion instruments in addition to full drum kit.  Although most venues in the city have a drum set, many do not, and many venues lend themselves well only to acoustic performances.  I’ve played various hand drums in the past, but I picked up the cajon in the fall and have been using it frequently for low-key gigs.  It’s extremely convenient, easy to transport, and sounds just like a drum set.  It’s been fun finding ways to incorporate other instruments into the mix.  My current setup typically consists of either cajon or djembe with a few shakers and a tambourine with the foot, often plus vocal harmonies.  For multi-tasking’s sake, maybe a harmonica is next, who knows!  Also, I still have one free foot if anyone has any ideas…?

Here’s a clip of a recent acoustic performance with touring artist Nelly’s Echo at Manhattanville College:

Enjoy!  Talk to y’all next time.  Until then, keep in touch on Twitter and YouTube (I did a little spring cleaning and deleted my Myspace account.  Things are so dead over there it just didn’t make sense to keep it updated.  Sorry for any inconvenience–fortunately, you can still find all the info you need here!).

http://bit.ly/hSlLk3

[Audio: view full post to listen]

For those who couldn’t make it to our show at Le Poisson Rouge in New York, here’s some footage from the crowd of one of our new songs, “You’re Still Alive”.

Ticket proceeds go to fighting cancer and are $15 advance, $20 day of show. More info and buy tickets here.

Here’s a new video from a performance at Berklee Guitar Night in March: