2020 has been interesting. And BUSY!
Late to the blog party again. It’s been since Neil Peart passing that I have written last. His untimely death prompted me to write about his influence on me and the tribute show I played with Sun Dogs.
Since then, we were/are bitten by COVID-19. It’s a sensitive subject because I know so many people who have lost jobs, relocated, and are seriously struggling financially. I’ve received calls from people for gigs that I couldn’t help them with because all my freelancing gigs went down the drain. I’ve always been grateful as hell for my US Navy Band job, but I couldn’t describe how lucky I am to have it during this time. It’s given me the chance to accomplish some things I never had the time for. I even wrote a book that I never intended to write.
I’m not one to sit around and watch TV all day, so it was time to tackle this stuff head-on. Tackle what? Besides the numerous Navy Band virtual collab videos I had to do, there were maybe ten Nowhere Men videos we put together as well. Writing it down doesn’t come across as being much, but trying to put together a quality video takes a TON of time! Even though we kept the NM videos pretty loose, there’s a ton of editing that goes on and since I’m quite the novice (but enjoy it) and I don’t have the right computer, it takes some time.
The two biggest musical accomplishments for myself have been finally starting producing courses (that I’m listing for sale here on my site) and a book on The Rite of Spring.
It’s been a goal of mine for over a year to start an online business. It’s been taking shape as beginner-intermediate courses and the first one, the single stroke roll, is finally finished. Just a couple of finishing touches and it will be for sale here soon. I plan on doing more courses like this focusing on what I think are the most important rudiments in drumming and how they apply not just to the pad/snare drum, but the drum kit, and orchestral percussion. The amount of video time clocks in at around 75 minutes, but it really feels like 3 hours! I feel there’s a lot of good information and I hope people get the chance to check it out and offer some feedback. If you’re interested, just head to the Store and you’ll see it in there.
I HAVE A STORE!
LESSONS
CONSULTATIONS
RITE OF SPRING BOOK (SOON!)
For over 20 years, I’ve been meaning to get an article I wrote in grad school published about the percussion section in The Rite of Spring. I didn’t know if it still had legs or not, but while organizing photo albums (damn COVID!) I came across the article again. It seemed like there was some life still left (assuming some grammar editing…) so I approached the Percussive Arts Society on possibly publishing it. They were very interested, so I got to work on the editing process. While editing, I was not just correcting things, but starting to ADD information that seemed worthy and really ended up going down a serious rabbit hole. What started as seven typed out pages (on an old electric typewriter-I’M OLD!) turned into over 68 pages chock full of incredible information and musical examples. I had some help along the way, but for 3 months, this was all I could set my mind to every day. I never thought I’d see the light at the end of the tunnel, but as we speak it’s being formatted for ebook and paperback formats. I kind of can’t believe it!
Here it is!
A couple other projects coming up or recently finished:
Working on recording new music by Navid Rashid. Recorded 2 of 6 tracks so far and the songs are killer!
Recorded 4 songs for DJ Sparr’s upcoming album in October. These were a blast to record-lots of layering of instruments in different styles. Funk, hip hop, EDM, R+B. Gonna be a fun listen!
Double stroke roll lesson is being planned out and video to be shot soon.
Included Lessons and Consultations in the Store (besides the book and SSR lesson)
On the gig front, Herr Metal just did their first live stream in lieu of the usual Friday Night Live! series in Herndon, VA. This is usually one of the biggest shows of the year, but considering the circumstances, they went to a live stream format. I’m happy to say we received over 2.5 million views and turned ArtSpace Herndon into a Rock n’ Roll Hurricane!
The only other gig on the books is a drive-in style show with Herr Metal and The Darby Brothers. These guys know how to play and sing. We can’t wait to share the (big) stage with them. 9/5 at Middleburg Barn. This is also a benefit for SVERN Equine Rescue!
Here’s a link if you’re interested:
https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/4936908/tailgate-live-music-series-at-the-middleburg-barn-middleburg-the-middleburg-barn-at-fox-chase-farm?fbclid=IwAR27REDHoNRo2gdJUlX_Q6qml2cOhuUcCUfnaf9MVHBAtxaq1JhRv8zsthU
Stay safe and thanks for reading!
-Chris