That time of year...
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Apparently I wore my RGIII shirt during one of the You See Us sessions (out September 10). Here's to the start of football season and the inevitable cold weather that comes with it.
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Video: PitchBlak at the Kennedy Center
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Can't believe we had the audience dancing in the Kennedy Center. What a blast. Be sure to check out the official video of PitchBlak's Millennium Stage performance!
The Kennedy Center
/Looking forward to playing the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center this weekend. I'm happy that a lot of friends and family can make it to this one and am looking forward to the post-show hang! I just stumbled across this picture from my freshman year of college at the University of Maryland. Our student orchestra had the honor of performing alongside members of the NSO, including my teachers John Tafoya and Tony Ames (left). I remember playing Daphis and Chloe, but I'm not sure what else was on the program. I believe Emil de Cou conducted.
Drum Setup: PitchBlak at Brooklyn Bowl
/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!
Horseplay: The Musical
/I'm very excited for the first full staging of Mitch Kess's new musical, Horseplay, which opens Friday, Aug 9 as part of the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival. I first met Mitch playing on his show, The Deciders (which was a part of the Fringe in 2008), and we have been working out the music (which totally rocks) for Horseplay over the last two years. We start tech at La Mama tonight. You can get tickets here.
Make Music New York
/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.
NY4OK
/Here is a picture from the NY4OK benefit I played last night at LPR of me, Eric Day (bass) and Mike Rosengarten (guitar) accompanying Gabrielle Ruiz (In the Heights) on "Live High" by Jason Mraz.
Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors also performed and my 10 year old self was totally stoked. He played two songs - the first was one he wrote about 5 years ago and was great. Of course he played "Two Princes" also and I just had to Vine it!
Transcribing Parts
/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!
Asahi Compo Snare Head
/This snare head recently turned up at PitchBlak's rehearsal space. Based on my research, they stopped making them in the late 80's, which is too bad because I really love the sound - warm & thumpy. The only downside that I can see is that they're made of cloth and seems like they'd rip easily if you're a heavy hitter. Anyone know where to pick some up?