We are thrilled to inform you that we have entered into agreement with Seven Drumworks to start selling their stellar custom drums. Check out our official Seven page at our store and you can soon start to build custom kits online.
Seven is an amazing custom drum company and we encourage you to check out their stuff at www.sevendrumworks.com
We at Humdrum are very sorry to report that Shine Custom Drums has closed its doors and ceased all operation (check out the Drum Magazine announcement). We have been a dealer for Shine for the last two years and have very much enjoyed working with them…they will be missed! Shine’s custom line of drums were truly spectacular.
Stay tuned to Humdrum for upcoming new partnerships…we will be dealing in custom made drums again soon! In the meantime, continue to get great deals on cases and microphones at our store.
We are currently trying to unload all in-stock items in preparation for a move. If you have a need for SKB drum cases or want a stellar, stylish T-shirt, check out our sale page here. The SKB cases you will find on there are brand new, still in unopened boxes. Same as you would get if you spent full price, but these are price cut deep. Don’t miss out…there are only a few! We will ship anywhere in the USA.
We are happy to announce that we now offer gift certificates to be used on any products that Humdrum sells. Check them out here. With Christmas fast approaching, we see this as the perfect way to give the drumming enthusiast custom drums or cases without actually knowing the specs for what he really needs. Besides, if you were to actually order custom drums now, they would not be ready to give at Christmas. So let them build their dream kit for themselves. Check out the gift certificates!
Remember that in the USA you can always get free shipping on any order of a custom Shine drum. That includes individual drums or complete kits. It does not include the Shine Definition Series drums as those are not custom made, but we have reduced the shipping costs from what Shine charges us…so take advantage!
We are working on opening up our purchasing and shipping so we can take international orders and have the kits sent to you. That should happen soon. In the meantime please call us or contact us trough our form if you are interested in an interational shipment.
Order at www.humdrumonline.com
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….
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
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.
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!
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!