Wisconsin Music Man

What Do Drummers Need To Make Their Set Complete? | My List of Drum Accessories

2015-02-04T10:44:00.000-06:00

I play a pretty large drum set. Yes, I see that the trend is going the other direction. So many drummers are carting around one floor tom, one rack tom, and a bass drum. Add two cymbals and a hi-hat, and you have what seems to be the norm these days. I suppose that it's easier to carry such a light load. The music doesn't seem to suffer that much when all you hear are those two toms and

Cat Shelter Benefit Turns Into Long Night | Prog Rock Band Crawls Out Of The Basement

2014-10-30T13:53:00.000-05:00

If it weren’t a benefit for a cat shelter, we would have walked away without performing that night. “I’m doing it for the kitties.” my bass player told me. It was 1:40am when we took the stage, and within twenty minutes, the sound engineer would give us the “one more song” sign and that was honestly a relief for all of us. For the past two years, our guitar player had been hoping to get our

Do You Lend Out Drum Gear? | Do You Risk The Breakage?

2014-06-03T12:22:00.002-05:00

I had a drummer watch me play my entire set the other night. This was at a rehearsal, and I have known this drummer for over 30 years. Still, it can be a bit unnerving to have a colleague watch you work, staring at your every move. We were kids when we met, and he didn’t play drums at the time. Soon after, he started playing music, and that meant we would most likely

Eating Good Food While On The Road | Digging Deeper To Avoid Junk Food

2013-10-28T16:35:00.002-05:00

Our van pulled into the parking lot of the bar we were scheduled to play in. We had just arrived in the teeming metropolis of Rockford Illinois. It was another band road trip, and it started with a show in northern Illinois. Actually the suburban Rockford outskirts were more "teeming" than the downtown club we just rolled up to. It was warm for a mid October evening. We had the

Yes Without Jon Anderson On The Road In 2013

2013-08-07T12:29:00.000-05:00

I was excited to see that Yes was coming to the Wisconsin State Fair this summer. Would this be the time that I finally see them perform live? After all, they aren't getting any younger. Most of the band was born in the 1940's. In fact, Jon Anderson will be 70 years old next year. But wait, Jon Anderson isn't in the current lineup. How could that be? The voice of Yes is

Vintage Ludwig Snare Drums | Painted Interiors And Dating The Drum

2013-07-11T14:31:00.003-05:00

For a few years, I got caught up in the vintage drum craze. Acquiring old Ludwig snare drums was my thing. It took me some time to learn about them, mostly through trial and error. I should have gone right to this vintage drums book for starters. The book gives the reader a solid base of information on most of the larger or more popular drum companies of the 20th century. It was

Gogol Bordello With Bombino At The Pabst Theater | A Bit Of World and Gypsy Punk Music At Its Finest

2013-06-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

What can I say about Gogol Bordello that hasn't already been said. Are they a Gypsy, punk, reggae-dub band? Yes, the band is a mix of all three. One thing that they certainly convey is pure musical energy. Just when you think that you have the band pegged, they riff in a direction that you just didn't expect. Last Saturday was my first time seeing the band, and I was not

David Bowie Top Ten Singles And A Bit Of History

2013-05-14T10:47:00.003-05:00

David Bowie surprised his fans with the release of The Next Day. It had been ten years since they had seen any new material and the recording process for this disk was done quietly over three years time. What I found to be unusual was that the song he released early was the mellowest on the disk. Still, it is a great song, and I can’t think that anyone would have been put off enough by the

Bikini Kill Had Something To Say Back In 1990 | It Still Rings True In 2013

2013-04-30T10:15:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon an old Bikini Kill video the other day. They were performing live outside some state capitol building. If they weren’t dressed in 1990’s clothing, I would have guessed by the musical style that it was a recording from 1979. Was this a band that had been playing these songs for a dozen years? No, they were too young to have played back when so many other bands

Drumming For Profit | Being A Hired Hand In A Band

2013-04-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

My last band was led by one person. She named the band after herself. She did all the promotion, the booking, and the hard work that it takes to get people in the bar. Sure, the other members of the band had to play well enough to keep people from leaving, but she had no problem with replacing you if you couldn’t make a show. As I recall, she went through some 19 bass players over

Road Trips For The Somewhat Aged Musician In Me

2013-03-20T11:57:00.003-05:00

Looks A Lot Like Our Tour Van Band road trips are getting harder and harder for me. I hate to admit it, but I just can’t bounce back like I used to. I have long stopped sleeping on floors. My days of rolling out a camping mat are also behind me. Does that mean that I should retire from playing out of town shows? I don’t think so, but there are some changes that I have

Which Drums Make The Best Sound? | Drum Heads Play A Part Too

2013-03-07T14:57:00.000-06:00

I'm still playing my poplar Sonor Force 2000 drums. These are the drums from Germany, not the newer Chinese drums that Sonor makes now. At the time that I bought them, they sounded great. I knew little about woods at the time, and had a limited budget. Poplar isn't the hardest of woods, but with the right drum heads, they sound great. It took me a long time to figure out

The Residents Come To Turner Hall Milwaukee

2013-02-20T15:14:00.001-06:00

The Residents came to Milwaukee last Sunday night. This was my first time seeing the group live. As I felt that it might be the last tour for the original members, I thought that I better get on it. After all, the Residents have been around since the 1960’s. For those of you who are not familiar with the art collective, I suggest that you check out this Residents link. When did I get the

Weekend Road Trip Tips For Drummers | Be Prepared For Anything

2013-02-06T11:15:00.002-06:00

We played two nights in a row last month. One show was in Milwaukee, while the other was in Oshkosh. Both shows were in venues that I have never been in before. That meant that I had no idea what to expect as far as the stage set up, sound, lights, or vibe of the bar staff. What makes your life easier when you have to play a show in a new club? How should you prepare for

Cigar Box Guitars | Much More Than A Toy

2013-01-22T11:52:00.003-06:00

I’m a drummer who owns a cigar box guitar. I use it for therapy. What do I mean by therapy? If you ever picked up a cigar box guitar, you would understand. Their simplicity encourages you to interact with them. You can’t help but play with it, pluck it, strum it. The open tuning helps me find a sound, as I just can’t jam my fingers into any discernible chord structure. When I get a

David Bowie's New Album | The Next Day

2013-01-09T09:25:00.001-06:00

David Bowie turned 66 yesterday. He released a song from his new album, as sort of a gift to everyone. It's darn good. His voice does show signs of those 66 years, but once you settle into it, you will find it quite pleasing. He went back to Tony Visconti for support on this one. It shows, in a good way. Visconti is credited on a dozen of Bowie's albums, including what is

What's The Best Music Venue In Milwaukee

2012-12-27T16:08:00.001-06:00

What is your favorite music venue in Milwaukee? That's one thing that people ask me from time to time. When they do, I have to answer with "that depends." Are we talking about shows at the BMO Harris Bradley Center? Are we talking about smaller venues like bars and clubs? Can I expand out to southeastern Wisconsin before I answer the question? There are so many great places to

Ravi Shankar Has Two Famous Musical Daughters

2012-12-12T12:46:00.001-06:00

Ravi Shankar was already famous before the Concert for Bangladesh, but one must admit that the event helped make him more popular in the western world. That night, he took the stage and proceeded to spend roughly three minutes tuning up his sitar. When he was finished tuning, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. That was how little (some western) people knew of that style of music.

Jason Aldean Summerfest Show | What's So Special About Aldean?

2012-12-04T15:51:00.001-06:00

Why is Jason Aldean headlining during Summerfest 2013? Who is this guy? I decided to start my research by watching the video of his first top ten song titled “Hicktown.” The video has all the elements that make up the vast majority of successful country hits. It’s got women wearing short shorts, “mud bogging” trucks, beer, American flags, and bon fires in the woods. All of

Milwaukee Punk Rock Reunion Show Shank Hall

2012-11-27T13:22:00.002-06:00

I'm preparing for another reunion show. It's for my old Milwaukee punk band. I will also be filling in on the drums for another great band named Sacred Order. This time, I'm not doing any of the promotion, as the event is a fundraiser for an aspiring author. The even is at Shank Hall this weekend. All I have to do is try to play drums like

Bob Dylan Top Charting Albums Prior To 1970

2012-11-09T14:49:00.000-06:00