Art is subjective, right? We’re not all going to like every band, every song, even every style of music we hear… And that’s a good thing! Our preferences are what determine our sound. Like it or not, we’re all the product of our combined influences – and in order to… Read More »Listening to Music You Don’t Like
Confidence is a strange beast. Some seem to possess it inherently, others seem to fight to find it their entire lives. Musicians are notorious for this dichotomy, many acting as their “own worst critics” or constantly chasing some sense of artistic achievement that’s always out of reach. The mighty Beethoven,… Read More »The Confidence/Knowledge Paradox
I recently had the pleasure of attending the first ever Midwest Rhythm Summit, hosted by Terra State Community College in Fremont, Ohio. After a late night playing with Flexadecibel, I got up at the crack of dawn, scooped my buddy Kameron in Lansing, and high-tailed it to Ohio to catch… Read More »Midwest Rhythm Summit: Grassroots and Beautiful
I’m not an expert, but I’m working on it. The business and blogging gurus of the world might tell me not to mention that, to present what I know with confidence, and avoid acknowledging gaps by way of intentional omission… But I’m not going to do that. The entire point… Read More »My Rough Approach to Gear Review (so far…)
Lovingly nicknamed “MVP,” this is something like DW’s take on a Black Beauty (kind of?) – at least in that it’s nickel-plated, thinly rolled brass. This beast of a drum has some serious output. It projects like crazy, and is mostly manageable in the overtone department (I tend to like… Read More »Gear Review: DW Collector’s Nickel Over Brass Snare – 14×6.5
I just had the distinct pleasure of seeing the Charlie Hunter Trio at Tip Top Deluxe in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Despite the title here, the music was by no means “simple” – and if you’re at all familiar with Charlie’s playing, you know just how technical and impressive it can… Read More »The Power of Simplicity
For all the stupid drummer jokes out there (literally jokes about drummers being stupid), we have an awful lot to deal with – and that takes brain power. Where we don’t have key signatures and modes to keep track of, we do have limb coordination, setting the feel and tempo,… Read More »The Meticulous Drummer
My baby… The first “good” ride I ever bought, and the one that taught me all about what ride cymbals could be. Somewhere between a dry ride and a big crash, the 20″ K Custom Dark Ride has crisp stick definition on top, and a big, washy sound if you… Read More »Gear Review: Zildjian 20″ K Custom Dark Ride
I hail from a small(ish) town called Muskegon, Michigan. We’ve got a few “claims to fame,” but for the drumming community, one of the proudest is being the hometown of Derico Watson. Derico is a powerhouse of a player with plenty of chops and super deep pocket, but even more… Read More »A Clinic With Derico Watson
I’ve been a little lost on what to write about lately. I’m not a pro drummer, I’m just working on it – so who the hell am I? Why does it matter what I have to say? …But oh so gradually, I’ve been starting to figure it out. From the… Read More »Authenticity: Social and Musical Currency