Dayton Ohio Drummer

John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom

Here’s a recent video where I’m playing a live cover of John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom with Sticky Reed & Last Fair Deal. This is a good example of how great that Gretsch Catalina Club kit sounds. You can see more videos of the band here.

Acoustic Blues Band in Dayton

When I returned to playing drums again after 20+ years of writing and producing, I decided that what I really wanted to do was play in a blues band. Well, I’m happy to report five years later (and several Classic Rock bands later) that I’m finally playing in a Dayton Blues Band – Sticky Reed and the Last Fair Deal.

Sticky Reed & the Last Fair Deal at Cadillac Jacks (with a smokin' guest sax player)

The core of the band has been together for years, consisting of Carl Moel on Harmonica, Tim Underwood on Acoustic Guitar and Dobro, Scott Stevens on Acoustic Guitar and Dobro, and my very good friend Greg McMullen on Bass. Greg and I played in Relic together, and that’s how I came to play in the band. We play interesting versions of early blues from legends like Muddy Waters and JellyRoll Morton to recent blues from folks like Chuck Berry and William Clark and more. This band is great to play in, for three reasons: 1) it’s GREAT music, 2) it’s acoustic, so I don’t have to wear ear-plugs (and neither does the audience!), 3) the band can really groove.

We actually did some recording in the late winter/early spring of 2011 so we could get a demo into the hands of some club owners. Take a listen to Sticky Reed and the Last Fair Deal.

Everything in it’s place…

So the classic rock band I play in just did two weekends of outdoor shows, and it really drove home how important getting the drums in the perfect (comfortable) position is.

The first gig was relatively easy. We had 15 or 20 minutes to get setup after the previous band, but we were the last act. And to make things even easier, we did a mid afternoon sound check, so I had plenty of time to get the big Gretsch Rock kit setup. Once sound check was over, We just moved them out of the way and staged them for later in the show. The gig went off without a hitch, because when it was go time, I moved everything into position, and was perfectly comfortable for the hour and a half gig.

Last gig was a bit more difficult. We were one of eight bands, and our placement was 3rd from the last. We had 15 minutes to get our gear in place, get mic’d up, and go. About half way through the previous bands set (Stranglehold – a Ted Nugent tribute band who was really tight!), I started staging my gear off-platform, and was ready to go. Cymbal stands are always packed at the correct height, so getting that right was the least of my worries. I just needed to get the kick drum, double-bass pedal, snare and hi-hat placed first, and everything else just falls into place from there – or is supposed to.

In order to help the transitions between bands, there were some very good stage hands who were extremely helpful. Once the previous set was down off the riser, I headed up with the bass drum. Once I got it set in place and turned around, here were all these stagehands hauling up gear, in all the wrong order. “Where does this go?” “How about this?” Before I knew it, I had the monster 26″ bass drum, ride tom, and 2 huge floor toms all on the riser in all the wrong places, cymbal stand positioned all around, and nowhere to move them to I could get things setup correctly. In fact, they were starting to mic-up the drums before I was even close to setup!

As you might imagine, I did finally get everything positioned close enough to get though the gig, but I was mostly uncomfortable thoughout the gig. You can watch the highlight video below. The only really bad thing was that my hi-hat tripod wasn’t set level, so every time I’d start to pump the hi-hats, the stand would tilt in toward me like it was going to fall over. Never did, and after a couple of songs I realized I was just going to have to deal with it, because we typically try to keep the music flowing with out dead-time between songs. All in all I had a great time playing, but I’m really considering a rack setup to make things a little easier (maybe).

Recent Dayton Recording Project with Mark Lieberman

As you know, I’ve spent my share of time in recording studios, usually behind the console. But recently I’ve had the opportunity to work on the other side of the glass playing drums, and I’ve got to tell you, it was a blast!

Guitarist, writer, and engineer Mark Lieberman contacted me a few months ago and asked me if I would be interested in doing some drum tracks for him in his home studio. Mark is an amazing guitarist, and a monitor engineer with the Three Dog Night crew. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity! Mark and I are both Mac guys – use Digital Performer as our software of choice  - we both love to rock – and we both love the recording process –  so it was a great fit.

We did two different sessions using my 3 piece Pearl Masters kit with a cheap PDP maple snare, and tracked maybe 5 or six songs. The other day Mark sent me a track titled “Rain Down” which he had recently completed, and after one listen, I was blown away. Amazing guitar work, and an amazing mix made this one a track that I just had to share. The drumming isn’t bad either! Enjoy:

Rain Down

Doing a Audition with a Local Dayton Band

This is part two of a series of articles I am writing on finding and auditioning Dayton musicians. This week, I’m focusing on the audition.

So you found a local Dayton area band, and they’ve asked you to audition. Congratulations! Now, keep in mind that cold auditions can either be a great experience, or can be a grueling experience. The good news is that can control most of that experience. Let’s go over some tips to help ensure that it’s a great experience:

1. Ask for a list of tunes you’ll be expected to know
   The worst thing you can do is show up for an audition unprepared. You’ll look bad, and nobody like to do that. So, ask for a list of tunes to focus on. You can also negotiate how many songs you’ll need to know for this first meeting.
2. Do your homework
   OK. So now you got a list of songs to focus on. Get those songs and learn em! Try YouTube. Search the web. Go to iTunes and download the songs (They are only 99 cent each). This is important. I can’t tell you how may musicians I’ve auditioned who show up and say “Oh, I couldn’t find that song so we’ll have to skip it.” This is a RED FLAG! It says you really don’t care if you get the job or not. Spend the 10 dollars or so and be prepared.
3. Be positive
   Nobody like to hang out with people who bring everybody down. And being in a band mean countless hours of hanging out together. So get a positive attitude and keep it. If you make a mistake during your audition, don’t get all down in the dumps, and sulk. Laugh it off, and keep moving.
4. Consider the audition as a chance to meet some new friends
   You may or may not pass the audition, but you probably will find a new friend or two. And your new friend may refer you to someone else, who could hire you. You just never know what might happen!

Granted, none of these tips will ensure you pass the audition, but they will ensure you look like a pro candidate. So get a list of songs. Do your homework. Get a positive attitude, and make some new friends. It will pay-off.

Good Luck!