classicdrummer.com

Hi Drumheads,
First of all, I hope you all have a good summer. If you’re like me, with the price of gas, a summer getaway may be a little closer to home than you’d like, but it does give one to visit local or regional areas that always seem to get overlooked. Or if you decide just to stay put, nothing wrong with taking the time and a few bucks to update your kit, change heads, add a cymbal, etc. How about making a regular trip to a local clubs to listen to what’s going on with the local talent… I know they can use the support! And there’s always cd’s with new artists that would love to have you add them to your collection.

There are many a ways to expand your music experience without even getting out of the house. While myspace is a great way to hear new music and keep up with bands and friends, I’d also suggest dropping in on several of the online drum forums that are available. These are excellent places to learn about drum shows, vintage drums, custom and independent drum makers, as well as just making new friends. There are a number of well known drummers who participate on most of the forums as well, so maybe one of your drum heroes may turn up!

A few of the forums (no particular order):
www.drumsmith.com
www.drumforum.org
www.drummerworld.com/forums
www.vintagedrumforum.com
www.thedrumcity.com/

There are many forums available, some sponsored by drum manufactures, magazines, teachers, etc. so I’d suggest to do a search as well and though some may not be to your liking, you should be able to find a few that fit your needs and personality.

Have a safe 4th of July weekend. I’ll be following up shortly with a magazine update.

Play hard and stay CLASSIC!
Bruce

In the current issue of CLASSIC DRUMMER, we have an article on drum tech Rick Faucher. We have also posted the entire article online (the print article has been edited for space restrictions) for all to enjoy. This is a bit outside the norm for us, usually any print articles wait a while before we put them online. But I feel Rick deserves as much print we can give him, both online and print.

For those who are not familiar with Rick Faucher, Rick has drum tech’d for some of the most famous drummers ever… Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Jim Keltner, Frank Capp, and Joe Pollard, among others. In addition, he has customized many of the kits that these stars and others have used on performances and recording sessions. To be honest, I was not familiar with Rick and his work until one of our contributing writers, Mike Megaffin, brought Rick and his work to our attention. This was about two years ago and for various scheduling conflicts it was only until this issue that we were able to get it to print. I do hope you take the time to read the article, not only in the mag, but the entire online article as well. It really details the work Rick did in order for many drummers to not only perform their best, but sound their best. It’s not all in the bells and whistles of the studio to get a great sound. It starts with a great sounding instrument!

Rick is still customizing and “tricking out” drum kits, Ludwig drums to be specific. The good thing is that you don’t have to be a “star” drummer to have him work on your drums. If you would like info on Rick “tricking out” your kit, you can contact the author, Mike Megaffin, at shindig@eastlink.ca for more info.

Link: Rick Faucher Online Article

Hal Blaine presenting Rick with the “Lifetime Achievement Award”

Thanks for reading,

play hard and stay CLASSIC,
Bruce

I’ve been a Sirius satellite subscriber for 6 years or so. Music is constantly on all day and even though there are hundreds of stations, I tend to listen to the same 10 or so. Now and then, I’ll flip it to something off the wall to break up the routine, but after a day or so, it usually goes back to the regulars… The 60’s, The 70’s, Vinyl, The Vault, The Blues channel, Springsteens channel, The Coffee House, and a few other pop/rock stations. Now and then, Big Band music will find it’s way in as well as early Jazz.

I began hearing a song last summer on one of the rock stations that perked my ears, kind of mellow for awhile but then kicks in full force. Very nice voice on the mellow side and a solid rocker on the harder side of the song. I soon found out that it was a singer/songwriter named Brandi Carlile, an artist I hadn’t heard of to that point. The song I kept hearing is called ‘The Story”. I still hear it now and then, but I wanted more of that song so off to the big box music store I went. I picked up a copy and stuck it in the car player before I left the parking lot. Comes to be, I’ve heard about 6 more songs that are on the record that I didn’t even realize that it was Brandi. Best of all, they were excellent songs. I’ve listened to the CD a dozen times in the last month. Harmonies are just great, I love good vocals. The Indigo Girls are featured on the song ‘Cannon Ball’ and it really stands out.

I always read the record credits, many times finding musicians I am familiar with. This was the case with Brandi’s cd. The producer is T Bone Burnett. T Bone has been around quite a while, and though not a house hold name, he has done music that everyone has heard at one point or another. He produced the soundtrack for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, taking home 4 Grammies for the record. He produced the first Counting Crows CD… in my opinion one of the Top 10 records ever release by a new band, and recently produced the new Robert Plant/Allison Krause record (and currently on tour with them). A nice track record no doubt.

I moved on toward the musician credits, the only one I knew of was drummer Matt Chamberlain. Matt has recorded 100’s of records and is one of the most in demand drummers today. He also toured with Pearl Jam and Tori Amos, and was the house drummer for the Sat. Night Live band for one season. He just happened to play on another favorite of mine, Jon McLaughlin’s debut “Indiana”. Matt’s playing on the Brandi record is great, a most solid groove that reminds me of the late Al Jackson. A bit behind the beat and FAT. He pushes it where needed, but always returns to that big back beat. A hired hand, but he sounds like he’s part of the band and has a money stake on his performance. 2 Kudos for him! For more info on Matt, his website is www.mattchamberlain.com.

Summer’s about here, with lots of bands on the road. Ticket cost are high (as well as gas and food), but there are bands out there that fit any budget. Short on cash… many restaurants have solo acts for the evenings entertainment. A few dollars in the tip bucket won’t break you and if you’re like most working musicians, it’s much appreciated. Many medium size acts can be had for as little as $20. I went to the Cracker show last week and that’s what the tickets were. An 800 seat theater meant a good view from anywhere, good sound, and a very enjoyable night of rock and roll. If you’re budget is within the means, by George, go to The Eagles show. Whether you are of a small budget or large, there’s live music that needs our support. More on this soon…

play hard and stay CLASSIC!
Bruce

Hi Drumheads,
The new issue of CLASSIC DRUMMER magazine has been mailed. Please allow a couple of weeks for subscribers to receive their issue as they are mailed bulk from our printer. The music stores as well as Barnes and Noble and Borders Bookstores should be receiving their copies within the next two weeks as well.

This issue features the great Carl Palmer. Palmer is currently touring with the supergroup, Asia, with all the original members of the band. Look for them in your town and be sure to catch a great concert with some of the best musicians ever. Also in this issue of the magazine is Corky Laing from the rock band Mountain. Laing recorded one of the most recognizable drum intro songs of the ’70s… Mississippi Queen. Myself, as I’m sure many of you, have played this song many a times. Still one of the great cowbell songs out there. As we dig deeper into the mag, we also feature Rick Faucher, one of the hardest working drum techs ever. Faucher has worked with such great drummers as Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer, as well as modifying and building drums for Ringo Starr, Karen Carpenter, Jim Keltner, and Joe Pollard. A CLASSIC DRUMMER exclusive! More articles include Nashville’s Terry Lee Bolton, Backtracks with Pete Thompson, and Tour Tales with Jason Bonham.

Don’t forget, the Chicago Vintage Drum Show is fast approaching. Hope to see many of you there, do stop by the booth to say hi as well as pick up the new (and old) issues of the mag. Visit www.rebeats.com for more show info. Visit us also at www.myspace.com/classicdrummermagazine. We update it daily with birthdays and music history events. For all your drum book needs, don’t forget the CLASSIC DRUMMER BOOKSTORE, all titles are 10% off list price… everyday!

Play hard and stay CLASSIC,
Bruce