drummer in a band | The Musicians blog

Open mic gigs and being to loud…

Just finished talking with a tavern owner and supporter of live and live open mics… as a matter of fact if it wasn’t for this venue owner, musicians of this particular local town would need to drive another hour to reach another open mic scene.

Bottom line and a wake up call for us musicians and an insight that marketers have known for many decades… “You do not know what patrons want until you ask them what they want, and then support them with what ‘they’ want!”

Meaning… Don’t think that the venue patrons are attending just to hear your amps cranked, pointing at their ears loud enough to make their conversations turn into a shouting match.

This owner opened up to me ‘big time’! She goes…
“Look, I’m happy to open my establishment up to open mic musicians (and of course pay the house band for its backline) for sure, but, when I see over 50% of my potential buyers of food and drink turn immediately around and leave because they can’t hear themselves think, let alone try to talk over the jammers that are trying to prove how bitch-en they are on stage then, unless they come up with a way to turn it down’ or maybe turn their amps toward themselves and ‘not forward’ and stop thinking they are the center of attention, well maybe it’s time to just shut er’ down!”

side bar: Musicians don’t buy enough drinks or food on their own to pay for the doors to be open.

So the question gets turned on its ear… ?- Maybe some new reasoning needs to be created, busting down the old paradigm. Maybe the new is… ‘listen to the patrons’ and stop trying to be the main attraction and become background to their ‘wants’ (and play as your own gig)!… Unless of course, you ‘are’ the center of attention as a big touring act and they’re paying you the big bucks to see you play… and (sorry) that ain’t a cover band btw!

The old saying… “we ain’t done it that way before” needs to be ‘busted’!

It’s a tough one for us prima-donna musicians, thinking we’re the center of attention.

Let’s find some new ways to jam but make the jam to and within ourselves and let the natural bleed of the freqs hit the audience so that they can both, enjoy their conversations during the music and appreciate our delivery.

Jam On!
Ron

Extend Your Life Being A Musician

This article is a great example of how being a musician is a wonderful reason for getting up in the morning.

Now we all know that eating right and getting a decent amount of exercise can extend our lives, yet, being a musician seems to be another contributing factor of life extension. (albeit, that’s if you don’t get hooked on the alchy and drug spin).

Steve Hideg is a good example of not only extending ones life being a musician, he does so living of the very edge of pure poverty. Now, we understand the poverty scene being a musician, yet, here’s a great example of enhancing ones spiritual drive with music. And to do it in such a classy way!

Jam On!
-Ron

(credit given: By Steve lopez | Photography by Francine Orr – via Los Angeles Times)

His rent is roughly $1,000 a month, and his Social Security income is about $900 a month.

“It’s a total miracle how he exists,” says one friend.

The secret is disciplined austerity, occasional help from buddies, and a once-weekly job as a jazz drummer — a job that feeds Hideg’s soul.

Hideg studied the moves of drummers Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, got a job in an electronics factory and joined all three of the company bands. He later became a full-time musician and worked with a circus band for a while, but the songbook wasn’t to his liking and the government deemed Western music the enemy of the people…

Learn more about Steve here…
https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-senior-drummer-20170805-htmlstory.html

History of the Double Bass Drum and Louie Bellson

Many think that the double bass drum set-up was started by the Hair or Metal bands of the eighties, however…

It actually started with ‘jazz’ legend Louie Bellson, a gifted musical school kid @ 15 in ‘1939 !’ who sketched out a double bass drum kit for his art class. That drawing earned him a high grade and served as a vision of what he would become… the most famous and arguably the very first double bass drummer.

So, the history of the double kicker goes way back further than one might expect. Now of course, you can use double kicker foot peddles to achieve the same affect (but not the same look) on a single bass trap.

Jam On!
-Ron

Here with his Rogers set-up…

Frosty, drummer for Lee Michaels passes…

71 seems to be a popular number this 2017 year for departed musicians…

Now, another powerful musician, drummer… Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost, aka: Frosty has moved on to the next musical dimension on April 12, 2017.

Ever since the day my face was melting after hearing Lee Michaels and Frosty play a small venue in Southern California in the late 60s, my appreciation for Frosty had never faded.

Be sure to treat yourself to some of the earlier work of Frosty and Lee (videos)… and of course, many of Frosty’s Austin bands.

Jam On!
-Ron

Frosty with Lee Michaels

(credit given Peter Blackstock via Austin 360 .com)

Born March 20, 1946, in Bellingham, Wash., Smith was raised in the Bay Area and also worked extensively in Los Angeles before relocating to Austin. He played on many of Austin’s biggest rock, country and blues records of the 1980s and ’90s, for artists including Alejandro Escovedo, Junior Brown, Roky Erickson, Butch Hancock, Marcia Ball, Tex Thomas, Doug Sahm & the Texas Mavericks, Toni Price, Guy Forsyth and Omar & the Howlers, among dozens of others…

Cleaning Chrome and Scratches on Drums…

So, the question continues to come up amongst the drummer environment… ? “How do you clean chrome on your drums?”

Well, after some deep and exhaustive research I’ve discovered some very interesting and powerful conclusions from the professionals out there… Here are some specific ‘bullet point’ details regarding this subject matter…

You do not want any ‘spider webbing’ what-so-ever… learn how to prevent this and read on!

Jam On!
– Ron

How to Clean Chrome Drums

Only let your drum take a comfortable ‘bath’ and do not allow it to experience a rough treatment… for example…

* Never Steel Wool to clean chrome drums.
* Never Ever. Never dry wipe a dirty drum.
* Never attempt to clean a dirty drum without a full, and careful disassembly.
* Never follow a famous persons recommendation to use steel wool. (if you wait long enough, there WILL be one.)
* Never use a power operated tool for disassembly or assembly.
* Get the right tools for the job, in good condition, and don’t cheat.
* Dawn (or equivalent) liquid dish soap is safe on chrome.
* Stay away from rough fabric and use only soft cotton cloths.
* After disassembly soak parts in a solution of Dawn (or any soft water suds maker) and water for several hours.
* If the [your] shell has no paper tag or other badge that would be damaged by immersion, soak that also. If it does use damp cloths to saturate the grime on the shell, and then, once saturated, clean it.
* Always ‘SAVE’ any provenance tags / originality!
* Rinse to remove all residue, and dry.
* For your parts… clean, rinse and dry. Then use your polish of choice… Meguire”s, Mother’s, Blue Magic, Flitz, and Never-Dull, are just a few brand names of products that are safe for chrome with no abrasive qualities!
* Be sure your fastener threads are clean with any spall (look it up) – especially with thread cutting fasteners removed from the threads, and any residual removed from the lug bosses and other parts. Carefully start the screws so that no cross-threading occurs.
* Do not over tighten anything!

And if the job is beyond one’s individual skill, please consider hiring a professional.

Remember Mott The Hoople?…

In the late 60s and early 70s Mott The Hoople was (of course) an English rock (with some glam slants) band that had R&B chops as their roots. They provided some very interesting and strong original sounds for sure.

Unfortunately for these old time rockers some of its original members have passed on…

Drummer Dale “Buffin” Griffin died January 2016 after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s… And in January 2017 Mott the Hoople Bassist, Peter Overend Watts Died due to throat cancer.

Their radio cut, “All the Young Dudes” (written by David Bowie) will continue on as a mainstay of their cult rock music.

Here’s a video from one of their last concerts (via 2013) – and below you can read further about their career in a special blog released by By Nick DeRiso for Ultimate Classic Rock .com.

Jam On!
-Ron

“Watts helped start the Buddies with Mick Ralphs, a band that evolved into Mott the Hoople after periods in which it was known as the Doc Thomas Group, the Shakedown Sound, then Silence. They became Mott the Hoople after Hunter joined in 1969.”…

Ringo Starr Against Digital, For Supporting Opening Acts…

In this article, Ringo Starr brings up some interesting facts. His first fact is really relative to his up-bringing in the ‘pre-digital’ music world. I can see his point to some degree, yet, this is the latest age we are living in and one must adjust.

Ringo’s second point was covered in one of our earlier blog post… It deals with the issue of ‘Pay to Play’. Now, you may already know that many venues these days, especially in highly competitive locals’, require bands to actually pay to gig live. Now, Ringo brings home to roost his take and complaint on how opening acts are treated these days… you might find it an interesting read…

Jam On!
-Ron

Photo credit: www.mirror.co.uk / via:https://societyofrock.com

When asked about the conditions that new bands face when opening for certain artists such as Ringo Starr himself. “I go crazy, because if you want to open for a well-known band you have to pay; management makes you pay. Who is giving back? I did a Ringo tour once and had a local band at every gig open for us just to give them exposure. Nobody is helping anybody.”…

Read more about Ringo Star’s disposition here:

https://societyofrock.com/ringo-starr-expresses-outrage-in-regards-to-the-bands-that-open-for-him/

The Day The Music Died Is Being Resurrected…

It appears that they just can’t keep this rock ‘n roll airplane crash story grounded. When Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens fell from the sky in 1959, it was termed… “the day the music died.” After closing and re-opening the examination of this unfortunate event many times, it looks as though the governmental arm, National Transportation Safety Board, is about to once again investigate the surroundings that contributed to this case.
This article describes the circumstances regarding such.
Jam On!
-Ron

(by Elaine Kauh for AvWeb.com)

The case of the storied 1959 Beech Bonanza crash that killed Buddy Holly, two fellow singers and the pilot could reopen at the request of a New England man who has his own theories about what happened on that February night. L. J. Coon, who describes himself as a retired pilot and aircraft dispatcher, has petitioned the NTSB to reopen the case based on his research indicating that something other than pilot inexperience and disorientation in IMC caused the crash…

Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love”… remix

As of this post Jimmy Page is just a tad over 70 years young and a master at ‘Re-Mastering’! Jimmy is doing (and had done) a marvelous job of taking their past sounds and re-packaging them into extreme dynamics… Be sure to dawn your headphones for this adventure!
Jam On!
-Ron

(credit given to Led Zeppelin YouTube Channel)

From Led Zeppelin II (Deluxe Edition) – Led Zeppelin’s remastered second album will include additional companion audio with unreleased studio outtakes.

Forming Your Band…

So, I found this thread (below) that has a wonderful discussion… ‘How long does it take to form a band?’ What I enjoyed about it was the fact that some of the essential elements of forming a band are detailed. eg., the biggest factor is if the forming band-member has a gig or more in the bag… as this does indeed contribute to experienced players paying attention to answering ads and to practice time…
Jam On!
-Ron

(via:TalkBass.com/forum)

I am currently in the process of recruiting 6 musicians for a new funk cover band. In two weeks, I have filled 2 of the 6 positions using my current contacts. Not a bad start, I suppose…
… read more here:
https://www.talkbass.com/forum/f67/how-long-does-take-form-band-1067847/