Monday, August 15, 2011

Ok, I guess this drumming bit has been my life.

 A few weeks ago  I had been making mental lists of all the awesome, creative things I was going to do with my free time this summer after I get laid off, and then it all turned on me-- free time presented itself as frightening and intimidating and too fast-moving; and my plans, seemingly delusional. I was hearing murmurs about my 20th high school reunion, and thinking about meeting people at my upcoming wedding,  and felt at a loss to think of one worthwhile (to the average stranger) thing I've done with my life.
Oh, crap on a cross--not a good mindset.

Then Steely Dan's "Black Cow" came on the iPod. Yay short attention span!
And I couldn't wait for when the drummer goes to the ride cymbal during the solo. Holy stromboli do I love that ride cymbal. In fact, when I was in the market for a ride a couple years back, that was what I wanted.
For some reason I had it in my head that Bernard Purdie played on that track. WRONG. It's Paul Humphrey.
You know that guy? I wasn't so sure myself, until I checked his credentials.... He played with Frank Zappa, Marvin Gaye, Jerry Garcia and Lawrence Welk.
Like you do.
Such subtlety on that track. Actually, Steely Dan's AJA album features, I think, a different drummer on every track, and thus is a must have for all drummers (even if Becker and Fagan wrote out the parts)
Humans aren't machines (and drummers are neither one or the other), so drum notation will not result in carbon copy performances from drummer to drummer.
Or maybe it's supposed to, and I'm just super neurotically defensive about my weaknesses because drumming is what I like the most and I wish I was better at it. Anyway, back to sunnier thoughts. 

So this was a crack of daylight. That's right! I like drumming. And people (some people) like my drumming.
AND, I was going to be spending a couple days recording drums for one of the best bands in the land, School For The Dead, of which I've had the privilege of being a member for nine years.

As much as I would have liked to trade places with someone like Paul Humphrey, or Ronnie Tutt or Hal Blaine, when I sat and listed all the recordings I've been on, it's time well spent. I've kept busy. I just forget to take the time to feel proud about stuff. It's always "on to the next thing". And it will hopefully keep going and going. Maybe the law of averages will kick in and something I've played on will be serenading JC Penny shoppers 20 years from now. Yes, that's all I want. We all want immortality. My one saving grace is that I know that sound waves will survive longer than physical structures.

In lieu of having made a real resume of dayjobs, as unemployed people should do, I made this: a drumming resume. Wanky, I know, but, like I says, it's been a good chunk o' me life.
And I owe so, so much to so many talented people. Too many to mention. Life is strange. One thing leads to another.

Note: the years may be a bit off. I'll correct them once I really need to. 

  1. 1989--Matt and Brian--Quasimodo (home 4-track, North Andover, MA)
  2. 1990--Matt and Brian--Mail Me a Mutiny (home 4-track)
  3. 1990--The Mean Wyoming--Corn (Dan Isaacs, Andover, MA)
  4. 1991--The Mean Wyoming--Mail Me a Mutiny (was never sure why Matt and I were ok with recycling that title) (Dan Isaacs, Andover, MA)
  5. 1991--That Cat-- Debut E.P. (Dan Isaacs, Andover, MA)
  6. 1992--That Cat--full length 1992 collection (home 4-track)
  7. 1993--That Cat--Final E.P.(home 4-track)
  8. 1993--Sweetspot--5 song EP (Rob Christiansen, Wash DC)
  9. 1994--Sourpuss--Rocket Day EP (vinyl only)--(Chris Flood, Northampton, MA)
  10. 1996--The Figments Won't Hurt You--(Thom Monahan, Dave Shuman, Hartford, CT)
  11. 1999--The Figments--Broken Time--(Dave Shuman, Thom Monahan, Hartford, CT, Northampton, MA)
  12. 1998--The Aloha Steamtrain--Girl Planet--(Lord Russ, Northampton, MA/Jim Fogerty, Westfield, MA)
  13. 1999--Humbert--Insomniacs' Almanac (unreleased but some tracks released subsequently on Ari Vais and Anthony Westcott releases)--Paul Olivera, NYC)
  14. 2000--The Aloha Steamtrain--Now You Know--(Mark Alan Miller/Thom Monahan--Hadley, MA)
  15. 2000--The Figments--All The Gone Days--(Frank Padellaro, Hadley, MA)
  16. 2000--Lo Fine--Nine (on 3 tracks)--(Thom Monahan, Northampton, MA)
  17. 2000--The Greenbergs--Pretty Little Numbers (unreleased)--(Frank Padellaro, Hadley, MA)
  18. 2001--The Gay Potatoes--(unfinished, unreleased)--(Frank Padellaro, Hadley, MA)
  19. 2002--The Aloha Steamtrain--The Aloha Steamtrain--(Frank Padellaro, Hadley, MA, Lord Russ, Northampton, MA)
  20. 2003--School For The Dead--Chain E.P.--(Henning Ohlenbusch, Northampton, MA)
  21. 2003--Sitting Next to Brian--A Cartoon, A Joke (Henning Ohlenbusch, Northampton, MA)
  22. 2003--Mark Schwaber--Two Years and Thirty Minutes (one track) (Karl Ourand, Westfield, MA)
  23. 2004--Lo Fine--Not For Us Two--(Mark Alan Miller, Hadley, MA)
  24. 2004--Thane Thomsen--Rehab, MA (Mark Alan Miller, Hadley, MA)
  25. 2004--School For The Dead--The New You--(Henning Ohlenbusch, Northampton, MA)
  26. 2005--The Figments--Blood On The Clouds (Dave Shuman, Somefarmhouse, CT)
  27. 2005--Scott Hall--Humor Me--(Frank Padellaro, Greenfield, MA)
  28. 2005--Slugbearers Band (Mark Mulcahy, Dave Dreiwitz, Chris Harford, Ken Maiuri, Brian Marchese) (unreleased)--(Adam Lasus, Brooklyn, NY)
  29. 2006--Sitting Next to Brian--Polite--(Henning Ohlenbusch, Northampton, MA)
  30. 2006--Mike Flood--The Future Is After You (unreleased)-(Norm DeMoura, Williamsburg, MA)
  31. 2007--The Fawns --A Nice Place to Be (Henning Ohlenbusch, Northampton, MA)
  32. 2007--Lo Fine--Migraine Errata (play on 4 songs)--(various places)
  33. 2008--Haunt--The Deep North--(Jose Ayerve, Woodstock, NY)
  34. 2008--The Figments--Twelve Belles--(Mark Alan Miller, Easthampton, MA)
  35. 2008--Matt Silberstein--B instead of V
  36. 2009--Sitting Next to Brian--The Wrong Tree EP (Henning Ohlenbusch,, Northampton, MA)
  37. 2010--Goldwater--I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.(Mark Alan Miller, Easthampton, MA)
  38. 2010--Paul Roche--Crayons (Danny Bernini, Northampton, MA)
  39. 2010--Peter Hanks--(Danny Bernini, Northampton, MA) http://www.peterhanksmusic.com/music/
  40. 2011--Henning Ohlenbusch--Henning Goes To The Movies (drums on "Amelie") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWMKshlOyzQ   or http://www.rubwrongways.com/henninggoestothemovies.html
  41. 2011 Sitting Next to Brian and Beth--5 Songs. http://various1.bandcamp.com/album/five-songs 
  42. 2011 Peter Hanks---(Danny Bernini, Northampton, MA) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-Hanks-Music/171080982927739?sk=app_2405167945
  43. 2011 (TBA) School For The Dead--(Frank Padellaro) ???? 
  44. 2011-2012 (TBA) Lo Fine--(play on 2 songs, or something of that nature...)
Plus some performances, random sessions and/or stand-in gigs with folks like Mark Mulcahy, Eric Olsson, The Lay Jains, Don Lennon, Zeke Fiddler, Bruce Mandaro, Winterpills, The Claudia Malibu, The Novels, Steve Sanderson, and more....(like an impromptu set with Robyn Hitchcock a few years ago)...







On the horizon...well, I won't say what's on the horizon, because often times, in music, the expected doesn't happen, and the unexpected tells you be somewhere in 10 minutes. Or you shoulda been there last week.  

Here's some visual crap I did during a similar "what have I done with my life" crisis last year....seems to happen in late summer. I think it's mold allergies. 

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