Stewart Copeland’s recent book contains the phrase “A life with The Police” in the title but it is far more than anecdotal tales of life as a rock star at the height of his game. Sure, it has some of the behind the scenes stuff that we all enjoy reading but you also get a true sense of Stewart’s personality, his background and what music(and of course playing drums) means to him not only intellectually but also spiritually. In the following passage he describes his experience playing drums in a Christmas service in an English church as a teenager:
“ The tom-tom reverberates with a sonorous boom. Up until now drums have been about assertion and empowerment but this is new. Into my young quavering hand has been placed the rudder of this sacred ship. I can only be a servant of the powerful emotional force that has been created in this ancient stone shrine. All of us are joined at this moment by the momentum of our shared ritual, and I am the beating heart. I am nothing, no one. Just the beating heart of a larger body, enveloped by the soul of the faithful. A synapse closes in the mind of the enraptured protoshaman.
Next morning, when my head clears, it seems obvious that music isn’t just a tool or a weapon, it’s what my life is for. It’s powerful juju, and I want to own it as much as it owns me.”
I realize that that was probably a long and pretty heavy excerpt and believe me, a lot of the book is very light hearted but I really love that passage. Stewart here and in other parts of the book analyzes that interesting dichotomy that propels a musician to attain the level he has achieved. Utter respect and love of music and the arrogance it takes to attempt to master it.
But wait, there’s more! You also get other aspects of Stewarts life which includes film and tv scoring, opera composing, polo, hanging out and sometimes jamming with a younger set of musicians, making films…..you get the idea. He certainly likes to keep himself busy.
Stewart Copeland has been a huge influence and source of inspiration to me and I suspect many drummers of my generation. There is no mistaking that sound for anyone else. The highly pitched snare, the sparkling cymbals, that infectious groove. His exuberant personality oozing out of the kit. Totally unique. The man loves playing his drums. I love that in a drummer. Strange Things Happen shows that he also seems to love life. Hmmm…there could be a connection there somewhere….
Mike Flaherty
If you haven’t been there for a while, there are some great new interviews, including with Joey Bumpus, the drummer for Lady Gaga. Check it out!
You can find the interviews here: http://www.humdrumonline.com/interviews.html
Humdrum Admin
Prior to this post, the only way to order a Shine custom kit was to build each drum individually and add each to your cart until you had created your ideal kit. That is all fine and you can still do it that way, but now we have made it a little bit easier for you to create your dream kit and get checked out quicker.
If you go the Shine custom kits section of the site, you will have the opportunity to customize a 3 or 4-piece kit. All your customization choices get applied to each drum in the kit, so you only have to make your selections once.
To make the whole process easier for you, we asked the folks over at Shine what the most common drum sizes are for 3 and 4-piece kits…and those are the sizes we make available when you create your kit. You get to choose all other options and upgrades that Shine has available. We did this just for your convenience, since size can sometimes be the hardest thing to decide on. But if you want to customize the sizes of your drums, just give us a call…or you can do it the original way - build one drum at a time, which lets you choose diameter and depth.
So check it out…and don’t forget - you save on sales tax when you order from us (except on shipments to New York State) and right now we are offering free shipping!
Also check out Shine’s home page for info on the drums and customizations they offer.
Humdrum Admin
If you haven’t had a chance yet to check out our new interviews page, go for it. You can find it here. Our own Mike Flaherty had the privilege of interviewing Darren King and Paul Meany of Mute Math, which was a great way to kick off this new area of our site. They were amazing interviews! Make sure to enjoy and pass it along to any friends who love drums and drumming (or Mute Math).
We plan to add more interviews in the near future so be sure to check back!
Humdrum Admin
On Tuesday July 28th the Humdrum crew visited The Spotted Gum Experience hosted by Brady drums at SIR studios in Manhattan. You may be unfamiliar with the name Brady, but I can guarantee that you are familiar with the sound. They are a family run custom drum maker from Australia with a very impressive list of drummers who play their instruments. Check out their artist roster and discography on their site. www.bradydrums.com
Chris Brady’s latest innovation uses extremely thin non-reinforced shells of Spotted Gum (a native Australian wood) to provide a unique mix of attack, depth, warmth and projection. The concept for this new range was to introduce a totally different sound and a considerably lower note (roughly 1/3 of an octave lower than Jarrah) than any of their “traditional” timbers have provided. Spotted Gum is a very strong Eucalypt timber species with an interlocked grain.
Hosted by Kelly Brady, daughter of company founder Chris Brady, New York drummers were invited to come and try out their newest creation. Will Calhoun of Living Colour and was on the kit as we walked in, setting the tone for a fun evening of drum talk and swapping polyrhythms. I also got to meet a very nice gentleman and killer drummer named Michael Faulkner who has played with Public Enemy among others.
It’s interesting getting behind the kit when there are so many heavy players in the room. The word nervous doesn’t really describe it. While I’m sure nobody is really judging you, still…strange thoughts do cross your mind. Eventually, as in any live situation, you have to shut down those thoughts and the people around you and get down to business. Here the business was listening to the drum kit while playing something reasonably competent. I think I somehow managed to achieve both. As advertised they did project a low tone, very solid. Definitely built for heavier music styles but still retained quite a bit of refinement. The rack toms and floor toms, which were tuned beautifully and had no dampening, were very musical, much fun to play. The kick, which also appeared to have no dampening also, projected extremely well throughout the room. Brady also provided a selection of about six snares ranging in sizes including a 16” monster. On top of a great sound, the wood grain finishes on these drums look amazing. I would definitely recommend looking further into this company if you’re in the market for some high end instruments.
Thanks to Brady drums for a really fun and educational evening!
Mike Flaherty
So if you hadn’t noticed, we now carry Gator and SKB drum cases at our store. On the Gator side we are focusing on the Protechtor series of cases that came from XL Specialty Percussion, Inc. (XL Spec). They are now a subdivision of Gator. Check them out here. And check out the selection of amazing SKB cases here. For both Gator and SKB, you will only find drum, cymbal and drum hardware cases/bags on our site. But if you want to get a great deal on any of the rest of their products, give us a call.
Meanwhile, we have also added some Audio-Technica microphones. Check them out here. We are just featuring their products that are great for micing pecussion, but again…give us a call for anything else they carry…we can get it for you.
Humdrum Admin
So today we are announcing free shipping on any Shine custom drum orders. This is a savings of $45 for snare drums and $199 for kits! Take advantage of this savings…also, keep in mind that we only charge sales tax on orders being shipped to New York state. That is also a huge savings that you should be taking advantage of!
If you haven’t tried to build custom drums on our site yet, check out Shine’s selection here.
Humdrum Admin
There’s a new song by the band 311 called “Hey You” which literally thanks music for always being their friend. The concept being that music is something that has always been there for them. I’d like to take that a step further and thank music for giving me lifelong friends. I’ve garnered many a friendship over the years mostly due to playing and hanging out with other musicians. I know my life would be far less full without these relationships and music was the conduit through which they were formed.
Friendships are usually made through some basis of commonality. Whether it be work, school or sports, there has to be something that throws you together to get the ball rolling. For me since my teen-age years a large part of my friendships have come through playing in bands. I think that music having a spiritual aspect to it adds a little extra to the mix. When you experience the high of performing well together as a group as well as personally whether technically or just nailing that perfect groove, I think a special bond develops. That’s why I think when bands break up it can be a bit messy at times. Emotions are heavily tied to music. In order to play well together you have surrender somewhat, let your guard down and truly listen to the people you’re with. Always with the thought, “ What can I add (or not add) to what we’re doing here that will make it better?” That exact concept is mirrored in strong friendships.
Perhaps one of the closest friendships in my life came through a musical connection. We met in high school. I had just started playing drums seriously and I came across this guy playing tunes on a guitar of a band I was heavily into while we were waiting to board a bus to go on a retreat (we went to a Jesuit Catholic Prep School). Although we ended up hanging out in the same group for the rest of our time there it wasn’t until after we had graduated that we became close friends. We started playing in bands together and the friendship grew and we became like brothers. Karl passed on from this world about eleven years ago. He was the most talented musician/artist I’ve ever seen. Definitely the most unusual person I’ve ever met. The effects and impact he made on my life I still feel everyday. Through being his friend I met his sister who I also played with in a band. She is a dear friend and I became a godfather to one of her sons last year. Just a couple of examples really…there are so many more.
All brothers and sisters through this gift from God known as music. It’s a powerful medium. So music, I thank you not only for being my friend but for the wonderful, amazing people you’ve put in my life.
Mike Flaherty
We are now selling the Shine Definition Birch series kit and snare drums at 25% and 30% off! Check them out here.
These drums are Shine’s new production line. All the great features and quality that they have become famous for has been put into these amazing birch drums. You can pick from five different colors and for the snare drum, you can choose from several sizes. These really are beautiful and extremely affordable!
Humdrum Admin
I’ve always loved the melodic aspect of music as well as the rhythmic. I started playing guitar roughly around the same time I began playing drums although with guitar it was mostly for my own amusement in privacy of my room. I would figure out songs I liked or maybe work on something original. Later, when I started playing drums in bands I would pick up little bits of information here and there like scales and technique from the guitarists I played with. I really believe playing this “other” instrument helped me to be what’s known as a “musical” drummer. It’s pretty logical to assume that if you have a fair idea what other instrumentalists are doing it makes it easier to groove with them. Your ear becomes more fine-tuned. It’s simpler to listen for things you might want to accent like for example during a guitar or keyboard solo. Now you’re not just keeping time on the drums, you’re adding interest and excitement to the music while supporting the band. In short, playing a different instrument changes your approach to the drum set in a very positive way.
In recent years I’ve had the opportunity to step out from behind the kit and play guitar and bass in a band situation. At first it was a little scary leaving my security blanket, my nice little wall of drums and cymbals between me and the audience. Now I really enjoy it. It’s also been an eye opener on certain practical aspects of live performance that as a drummer I hadn’t really considered. Usually, when playing drums you can always hear yourself. Drums are naturally loud. It’s hearing the other instruments/vocalists that’s the problem. Not so much while playing guitar or bass. Here I find being able to monitor yourself more of a challenge. Now I know why these people I’ve been playing with all these years would continually turn their amps up all the time. It’s very difficult to play well when you can’t hear yourself. Yes, I know shocking but like I said something that unless you experience it firsthand it’s not easy to understand.
I will always consider myself a drummer first before any other instrument. Quite honestly it brings me the most joy to play. I feel closest to God playing drums especially when things are really flowing whether it be a really good personal practice or band performance. I don’t get that from guitar. I do see guitar as a great supporting part in my lifelong development as a musician and a drummer
Mike Flaherty