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Despite some gnarly weather, the PitchBlak masterclass at my old high school went off without a hitch. We had some very enthusiastic young musicians come through. Everyone participated! Here I am above with brothers Jacob and Lucas Matthews of the bluegrass band Grand Ole' Ditch. We critiqued a few of their tunes and boy did they sound great. I wish them best of luck at the Telluride Bluegress Festival Band Competition this summer.
Looking forward to coaching a masterclass in my old stomping grounds! I hope the Faygo machine still exists.
I've known Christina aka Trumpet Grrrl since our time together at the University of Maryland. She is one of the most unique, sincere, and FUN individuals I've ever met! Though she often plays solo, I've been fortunate to work with her a good bit over the last year since she's moved to NYC. I'm really happy with how her recording of "Rainboots" turned out. It was really a fun track to play on. Pick it up today and stay tuned for the rest of her EP to drop!
From ASCAP's website. Ha!
I had a great time at Niketown yesterday for the launch of the FuelBand SE. I played three sets on the street throughout the day with PitchBlak which delighted many and annoyed some I'm sure. Check out this video shot from above. I also thoroughly enjoyed playing on the above Yamaha Oak Custom. Great sound!
Trey Anastasio apparently came up with an "unplayble" drum groove. Not a challenge for Jon Fishman, who took polyrhythms typically played by several people and incorporated it on the drum set. Check it out here.
Tracking Rain Boots at Eusonia Studios
Pre-production rehearsal at Converse Rubber Track's for Trumpet Grrrl's new single, Rain Boots.
Today marks the day of the release of my band's debut album, You See Us . We are very excited to get this out to your ears. You can stream the album exclusively at ARTISTdirect. If you like what you hear, please pick it up digitally on iTunes or grab a hard copy here.
Above is a comp of some of my favorite drummy moments of the album. I hope you enjoy!
Ashley Baier is a NYC-based drummer and percussionist.
