Drums have been a part of my life since way back in high school and are, I believe, the instrument with which I am most proficient. Drumming took a back seat to the solo gig for many years, but last year the bug bit me pretty hard and I bought a new drum set. I have been doing sub gigs and fill-ins for many local acts including ‘The Bootleggers’, ‘Shiftin Gears’, ‘Highway 44’, ‘Bad Kitty’, ‘Whisky Chaser’, ‘The Nightshakers’, ‘Shawline’, and an impromptu set with ‘Strutt’ at a Bad Kitty gig.
The new kit is a Yamaha DTX6K3-X. I have used Roland V-drums for years in the studio (MIDI’d to PC and using Superior Drummer for samples) but would never dream of gigging using the sounds in the module. These new Yamahas sound way better and I have used the stock sounds for many gigs, but recently I loaded SD3 on a laptop and went back to their incredible library. Initially, I plugged a bunch of extra pads into the Yammy brain but that was cumbersome so I ditched them and added a little Kat multipad to handle extra toms and percussion. Many interesting things to hit in a compact package that fits nicely in small jeeps as well as crowded ‘stages’. I also bring a little 2.1 system with a 12-inch sub for monitors. I find that the stage sound of the drums coming from the position of the drums is comforting to musicians not used to working with an E kit. Fold a little of the drums into your wedges or IE’s and you’re good to go; juicy. The new configuration is pictured at left.
Okay, so the drums sound good, what about the drummer? I cut my teeth playing classic rock and country covers in bar bands back in the early 90’s. I fronted two original projects in the mid 90’s (‘Funkamongus’ and ‘Head’) and played for a third. I did a stint with the house band at ‘The Gypsies Den’ (a staple of Citrus County classic rock in the 2000’s) and have done a handful of sessions for local projects in various studios. Well-versed in Pop, Rock, Country, Funk, and Fusion, and am currently working on my Reggae chops. Lead and backing vocals. The solo gig is my bread and butter and keeps me pretty busy, but if my calendar is open, I enjoy playing with new musicians. So if your drummer needs to miss a gig, give me a call.