Beat Your Little Drum

Reading Chris' post on his love of Jazz the other day made me realise a few things. I use this blog to propagate my views on you without ever really sharing a piece of myself. Between drug-addled festival memories and me getting angry at stuff there isn't much room for humanity in the blogosphere. Occasionally I show you something I like and expect you all to like it too, but this post is about me. You can stop reading here if you like, but it's a little pointless.

So how did I come to be here, as a part of this posse? I'm not all smoke and mirrors, I do have an advanced diploma in International Music Business studies. When I first came to this blog it was with this 'qualification' and, given that I attended festivals as well (more than the others) I was the live correspondent and Music business analyst. As you can tell alot of that has gone out the window over the years but thats why Pix and Chris originally THOUGHT it would be a good idea to get me on board. I'm not trying to be a wanker by stating my 'qualification', the fact that I work in a restaurant and am back at Uni doing something different are testament to the fact that it doesn't work out for everyone. But for the most part - I know my shit.

Apart from Dean I can also pretty confidently say I'm the only Musician on the team. I could include Pix and Chris' old band Touch N Go but they were... an echelon above. My 'career' really started in a band called Lucretia (who I cant find any remaining websites for). Essentially we were angry youth music. I was the 'frontman' I had long hair and a goatee that allowed me to buy smokes and drink down in Colyton without having to show ID (at the age of 16). The local scene was huge and we were relatively prominent and that all escalated after I did my course. We ended up gaining a semi-residency at the biggest venue in our region and supported the likes of The Butterfly Effect (wankers), Frankenbok and Tourettes. Kids seriously used to leave our gigs in ambulances now and then. I used to get recognised at fast-food joints in the late hours of the evening while baked off my chops. Then we parted ways. Our last gig was in fact the Whiteboydancefloor launch party. Its really unfortunate that I dont have any footage from those days, but our gigs were played back in the times when people still didn't really have video cameras on phones, the iPhone still nearly a decade away.

With our drummer moving to Ireland and in need of money, plus my desire for a kit - I purchased his drums. Ever since then I've been playing with fellow WBDF blogger Dean in a little band called XQuabed (look for us on Facebook and Myspace, if you're interested). If you really want to see me play drums, in rehearsal conditions, you can click here.

The point of this entry was to draw your attention to what are (in my opinion) some of the best drummers in the world. Where do they lie? Which generation is the best? I can tell you that they're everywhere and that each generation has brought its own style to the front. With the evolution of music and technical ability has come a whole new range of capabilities for the modern drummer. Here are some clips, i'll describe below:




1 & 2 - Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa - I only came into these guys relatively late in my drumming life. As is the way you always start off learning an instrument with the music you know, which for me was Metallica, Rammstein etc. Learning an instrument also helps you broaden your horizons and discovering these two took my perspective to another level. Buddy Rich is still, 23 years after his death, considered 'the greatest drummer of all time' and you can just see it in his technical ability and minimal setup. His stick control is absolutely phenomenal. The second clip is Gene Krupa leading his big band. The reason I selected this clip was because it shows the absolute charisma that he brings to the instrument. You don't just listen you watch, and you are entertained. That's definitely something I've tried to incorporate over the years.

3 - John Bonham - Moby Dick - Everyone that knows a bit about drums knows the name John Bonham. A pioneer and destructive force, he was forced to buy a kit after people stopped letting him use theirs, as he'd smash them so hard he would break them. Brilliant. Moby Dick actually goes for alot longer but this clip is good for your attention span. The main reason I love Bonham is because of his solid double kick technique with a single pedal, something I've also learnt to incorporate over the years.

4- Danny Carey - 46 & 2 - There are MANY metal drummers out there I could have selected, from Nick Barker to Mike Portnoy to Gene Hogland and so on but the reason Carey and Tool attract so many drummers is because of his range. Not just in terms of time signatures or technical ability, but dynamic range and much more. Regardless of how pretentious Tool may be in many ways, Carey is a phenomenal drummer.

I could keep going on but this entry would go for ages. I hope you've enjoyed a self-indulgent trip down memory lane. I can also recommend learning to play the drums. Its great for co-ordination, exercise, sex appeal and anger management. Even posting this has given me the generous desire to not punch someone in the face! Hopefully its done the same for you.. although I don't see how..