Drum set up: Quarantine Edition

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Do to New York state regulations, I’m not permitted to use my shared rehearsal space. I actually chose to stop going there a few days prior to the government directive because, frankly, it felt like a risk no matter how cautious I or my colleagues were.

I have NEVER practiced drum set in the apartment I’ve been living in (coming up for two years). I had some mesh heads I bought for my set up in my last apartment (Pearl Sound Off) so I threw them on my Yamaha kit. I had to pick up a head for my 20” BD (Remo Silentstroke) and grabbed another Pearl for a 12” tom.

Previously I had only used mutes for my cymbals, and let me tell ya — they’re god awful. Not only is the sound atrocious, but they feel absolutely miserable. After doing a little bit of research I ordered a 13/14/18 Zildjian L80 cymbal pack from Steve Weiss. I am blown away! The feel is great and they sound is pretty good considering. I especially love the open hats. I often play in small spaces around the city so I may try them out on a gig in the future, whenever that may be. The only thing I’m not crazy about is you hear a significant amount of stick contact. I’m not sure if nylon tips would make it better or worse but I’m going to do some troubleshooting here in the coming days.

Drum Cat

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Since I’m currently not allowed to use my studio space, I have my drums set up in my apartment for once. I have mesh heads around the kit and some Zildjian L80s just arrived. I’ve been practicing, but I haven’t felt particularly called to put out any content. Maybe sometime this week… I’m just trying to quarantine the best I can.

Lewis Flinn's Hood

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Yesterday I got to participate in a reading of Lewis Flinn’s Hood in advance of its upcoming production in Sarasota. Let me tell ya, it was particularly delightful to make some music in a room with other people in these especially uncertain times. The percussion list for this one was big, much of which was provided by Centanni Percussion (thanks Barry!). Special shouts to music director and joyous human Brad Simmons as well as co-orchestrator Justin Goldner who gave me the call.

Gear: Yamaha Hip Gig

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Thanks to the generosity of Jeremiah Fox, I got to play on a Yamaha Rick Marotta Hip Gig Kit for a show this weekend. We had one at Mannes so I was familiar with it, but I had never actually seen it all packed up. I didn’t use the rack tom because the arm mount was a bit stripped and I didn’t use the (very small) snare drum that mounts to the bass drum.

All of the drums fit into the bass drum and all of the hardware fits into the throne. The sound is great if you’re playing a small space and don’t need to produce a lot of acoustic volume. Convenient, yes but heavy as hell! I would still need to put them in a car to get to a gig comfortably. Might be a nice option as a small kit that stays set up in your home, however the price is on the higher end for sure.

That's a Wrap: City of Angels

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I just finished a 4-show run of City of Angels with St. Bart’s Players, the longest running community theater in New York! The book is almost entirely swing so I wanted to use some of my “jazz” cymbals that don’t get a whole lot of use these days. Unfortunately, the gig was in a boomy church so I had to play extremely quietly and those dark, dry cymbals just don’t get enough rebound at soft dynamics, so I swapped them out for some old faithful As. I did, however, get to use my vintage Rogers snare which sounded particularly good for brushwork. It was great to play with my Grinch fam, Joe Graziosi, as well as MD Jon Audric Nelson.

Ring of Keys' 2nd Birthday @ Joe's Pub

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I had a most excellent time playing with these ladies at the 2nd birthday for Ring of Keys at Joe’s Pub on Sunday night. Hearing Julianne Merrill on a grand piano was, frankly, mindblowing. And even though this was a cabaret, the bass was pumping and Meghan Rose was holding. it. down. Special thanks to Emily Erickson for all of her hard working prepping the music for us!

That's a Wrap: Broadway Across America Conference

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I had a fantastic 30-something hours in the Bahamas playing for presentations of the Karate Kid & Empire Records at the Broadway Across America conference. It was nice to see some old friends and make some new ones in a tropical climate in February! Congratulations to Drew Gasparini and Zoe Sarnak on their new shows! And shouts to the amazing Erica Rotstein who keeps one-upping herself on gig locations. I owe you, lady! 

On the Radar: More Selena!

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As you may recall, we had a helluva time doing a Selena tribute at Barbes a few months ago. Such a good time that we are doing it again! This time in Bushwick presented by Barrio Collection, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Selena’s last concert (it is a gift from God that footage from that event exists). We packed Barbes last time and hope to do it again at Gold Sounds (tickets available here). Hope to see you there!