The Songwriter's Orchestra
/I got to try our my new cajon with the Songwriter's Orchestra this weekend. Really well-curated program with a political bend.
Join my mailing list to receive blog updates straight to your inbox! I rarely write more than once per week, so emails will be kept to a minimum.
I got to try our my new cajon with the Songwriter's Orchestra this weekend. Really well-curated program with a political bend.
Last night, as part of the @lancasterrootsandblues festival.
A post shared by A. Baier (@ay_bear) on
All loaded into the pit. Great crew here that makes me life easy!
The view from above of my setup for How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
A photo posted by A. Baier (@ay_bear) on
Rehearsals for the national tour of How The Grinch Stole Christmas started today in Midland, MI. Here is a picture of everything neatly in its case and everything neatly assembled. Special thanks to Russ Nyberg who fulfilled the rental at Carroll Music. Russ is also playing the Nashville version of the show this season!
Had a nice time playing Fiddler for the Dwight School. Sting's son ran lights and apparently the bass man himself was in the house for the last show! Here's a pic of my set up. Due to space and budget restrictions, I programmed all of the mallet and timpani parts on my Roland SPD-SX. That machine never ceases to amaze me!
or, "This is why you should've played the flute."
As expected, playing Brooklyn Bowl was a total blast. The staff do a great job to ensure everything runs like a well-oiled machine. We played well and the Bowl made sure we ate and drank well, too. A fed musician is a happy musician!
Last night, my Roland SPD-SX got a lot of use. I used a kit for almost every song (often just to run a click) and it ran so smoothly because of the kit chain function. At soundcheck, I was able to load some WAVs via USB and edit them and assign them internally. I really can't recommend an electronic device more highly. The possibilities are endless!
Here is my set up for this year's MMNY. I didn't realize how challenging it would be to balance on one foot while playing bass drum for 40 minutes! I ended up flipping the splash for most of it, which provided a nice rhythmic effect that helped drive the band.
I'm really in love with my new Roland SPD-SX. In addition to being great for my live performance needs with PitchBlak, it is great to use as a midi device. I used it with Sibelius to transcribe some drums parts for a client and found it really cut down on time. Can't wait to explore it further!
Ashley Baier is a NYC-based drummer and percussionist.