Sometimes all it takes is hearing the right message. The right collection of words at the right time can coalesce with existing experiences and unarticulated thoughts… This is the stuff real inspiration is made of. Totally new ideas take time to sink in, have to contend with existing worldview, hurdle… Read More »Giving The Gift – A Concept Worth Remembering At Each and Every Gig
If we’re Facebook friends, you may have seen my series of #Lunchbreak grooves. I’m up to like 42 of them now, and it has been a fun and interesting project… In the spirit of connecting my various paths of creativity, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about why… Read More »Lunch Break Groove Philosophy
Someone has to say it. I see it way too much – up close and at a distance – the incompatible combination of wanting to do something… AND NOT ACTUALLY PURSUING IT. Forgive me for ranting. This isn’t usually my style, and before I wander into too much lecturing, I’ll… Read More »GET OFF YOUR ASS!!!
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
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
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
I’m no music theater pro. Not even close… I’ve done a grand total of two (Hands on a Harbody and the Seussical), but they were both such massive learning opportunities, I almost feel obligated to share some of the experiences here – and encourage you to explore it yourself. It’s… Read More »Lessons From Drumming In Music Theater
People seem unhappy. There are things happening in the forefront of public discourse that spark a lot of disagreement. Anger and fear, even just mild disgust, seem all the more common. As usual, it’s that much more visible too (thanks internet), but it’s hard to ignore a pervasive sentiment of… Read More »Transform Your Anger to Art
I’ve got something of a mantra: BOREDOM IS A MYTH. This doesn’t necessarily mean that people can’t be bored… Rather that they shouldn’t be. This also doesn’t mean that there’s no value in downtime, just relaxing, idle chat with friends, or an aimless wander through nature. No, I’m aimed at the… Read More »The Death of Boredom