I play in a touring band that plays all over the world, and one thing i have learned is that you have to do more than just play well to be noticed. So some things i do is...

set my drums on fire... (including the 2004 tour kit rikki rockett gave me)
Stand ontop of the drums while playing
kicked them off stage
threw them into the pool
(see pictures on my myspace page)

and the amazing part is that it dosen't really hurt the construction or tone of the drums.

i was just wondering if anybody else pay's as much attention to the "show" aspect of drumming?

www.myspace.com/justinhdrums








_________________
Pearl Drums(Endorsed)
Remo Heads
Vic-Firth Drumsticks
Zildjian Cymbals

www.myspace.com/justinhdrums

www.Davidshelbymusic.com

I've never gone that far but I do have little regard for the purity of my drumkit
Apart from the heavy bashing, I will do things to my drums to make them fit a certain purpose
I don't hesistae for a second to drill some holes in something and stick some floor tom legs on it
Plus, if it isn't black (except my green hulk snare) I will usually rip the covering off and just spray paint it black
No one can easily tell from the stage anyways
Keep in mind that I do not buy "pure" kits
I do have respect for a really nice drumkit
I just use whatever interesting pieces happen to pop up
It's quite a liberating feeling to be able to make any drum do what you want regardless of permanance of your actions








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You say irritant, I say catalyst

you should be able to put on a good show without abusing your drums. how do you expect your drums to be in top playing condition everynight if you're destroying them. to me, sounding good is more important than looking cool. maybe thats just me. im not the greatest drummer out there, but i dont have to abuse my drums to get people into the music

showmanship is important, and it's another one of those things that is determined by the kind of music you're playing.

I've never been in a situation where 'percussal abuse' seemed appropriate.








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analog missionary
M=yspace

the only time ive ever abused my drums was when i practice and i cant get somehting. i get pretty angry. but personally, ive seen a bigger response when you dont beat up your drums and you just act like "yea m y shit dont stnk" but thats just me...








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save a drum; bang a drummer

Abusing or destroying your drums (or anyone else's) shows a complete and utter lack of class and a complete lack of respect for your instrument. If anyone even thinks about doing that to my equipment, it's a death sentence. To me, having to destroy or abuse your equipment means that you need to rely on tricks and showmanship, because you can't play worth a damn, and probably shouldn't be in a band in the first place.

Sorry, but drummers that do that seriously piss me off.








_________________
Me, My Story, and Pics Of My Drums:
http://www.saludacymbals.com/c/ksiegel.html
Proud to endorse Saluda Cymbals since 2006.
Howie is my homie. Word.

drummert2k wrote:

you should be able to put on a good show without abusing your drums. how do you expect your drums to be in top playing condition everynight if you're destroying them. to me, sounding good is more important than looking cool. maybe thats just me. im not the greatest drummer out there, but i dont have to abuse my drums to get people into the music

it's a little diffrent when your obligated to put on the most entertainig show possible due to your situation, like recordlable pressure and there is a point to make it to the next level in success you have to be set apart.

if you go to a concert and there is 2 bands and both drummers play very well and one drummer goes that extra mile by connecting with the audience and putting on a show. witch drummer are you going to remember? beleve me i know from expierence.

also i told you that the drums are not being harmed








_________________
Pearl Drums(Endorsed)
Remo Heads
Vic-Firth Drumsticks
Zildjian Cymbals

www.myspace.com/justinhdrums

www.Davidshelbymusic.com

Don't take anything I said personally, Justin. That's just the way I see things, and I am a man of very strong opinions. If it works for you, it works for you. I've done the touring thing and playing 250-300 shows a year and never abused my equipment, while entertaining large crowds. But that was me. Hell, Keith Moon blew the crap out of his drums on national TV. But on the flip side, Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, Steve Gadd, and Dave Garibaldi for example don't abuse their equipment, and I daresay that they audiences are somewhat entertained. But whatever works for you.








_________________
Me, My Story, and Pics Of My Drums:
http://www.saludacymbals.com/c/ksiegel.html
Proud to endorse Saluda Cymbals since 2006.
Howie is my homie. Word.

justin headley wrote:

if you go to a concert and there is 2 bands and both drummers play very well and one drummer goes that extra mile by connecting with the audience and putting on a show. witch drummer are you going to remember? beleve me i know from expierence.

Here's an example:
I left my previous band over 2 years ago
My friend took over the drumming position
This person has 35 years of jazz and rock experience and is a bad ass mofo on the drums (light years ahead of me)
People are still coming up to him and saying "Why can't you play like Rockula!?"
The usual reply is "I tried to play like Rockula but I dislocated my shoulder"
BTW
We are really good friends to this day

Most people who claim to be "music fans" are only fans of the music
They have no idea how good you really are nor could they really care
You can talk about your musical integrity all you like but just remember this
Other than musicians, how many people can name the guy who replaced Keith Moon?

No one cares if you're a good musician except other musicans
And they'll talk shit about you from the audience while you're playing








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You say irritant, I say catalyst

Rockula! wrote:

Other than musicians, how many people can name the guy who replaced Keith Moon?

Kenney Jones... He rocked! (and the WHO never sounded the same, with a much BETTER drummer... imagine that!)








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how is throwing your drums in a pool not harming them!?








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Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit #1
Tama Starclassic Birch kit #2
DW snare
DW 9000 double pedal
DW 9000 series hardware
Zildjian A and Z custom Cymbals

justin headley wrote:

set my drums on fire... (including the 2004 tour kit rikki rockett gave me)
Stand ontop of the drums while playing
kicked them off stage
threw them into the pool
(see pictures on my myspace page)

setting drums on fire. yeah, im sure thats great for wood shells. and the finish

standing on top of them. warped shells? you might not be able to see it with the naked eye but that kind of pressure has to go somewhere on the drum. not to mention small fractures or lossening of the plies

kicking them off stage. do i really need to explain why this will affect the quality of the drums resulting in the quality of the sound

throwing them in a pool. water soaking in the wood. great for drums. its not like absorbing water (especially with pool chemicals) will do anything to the glue of the plies or the plies or even the strength and duribilty of the wood.

i dont care how many shows a year you play. theres no reason you should have to do this stuff to your drums to get the crowd into you.

screamkevin wrote:

Abusing or destroying your drums (or anyone else's) shows a complete and utter lack of class and a complete lack of respect for your instrument. If anyone even thinks about doing that to my equipment, it's a death sentence. To me, having to destroy or abuse your equipment means that you need to rely on tricks and showmanship, because you can't play worth a damn, and probably shouldn't be in a band in the first place.

Sorry, but drummers that do that seriously piss me off.

It stands to reason that you would not appreciate someone harming your equipment
However
Why should you care in the slightest what other people do with their equipment?
Lack of respect?
For what?
It's an inanimate object
The only regret I have when a cymbal dies is that I 'm gonna have to fork over some cash for a new one
Something that has historical value or sentimental value etc... meaning that the particular item means something to a specific person is understandable
You have no legitimate reason for seeing "disrespect" other than your own lack of perspective

As for showmanship meaning lack of talent
I call bullshit on that
I can just as easily say that people who rely purely on technique show a lack of imagination
ANYONE can do the same thing over and over until muscle memory takes over
Hell, you could act a scene out exactly like friggin' Sir Laurence Olivier if you watched it every day

You cannot, however, fake entertaining
Being entertaining is an art in itself
It is painfully obvious when someone tries to be entertaining when they are not
Just like the fact that one drummer twirls a stick and it looks cool while another does it and they look like a dork

Lastly, the musicians that I see most protesting about "gimmicks" and "tricks" tend to be the ones that aren't too interesting themselves and really want you to take them seriously as musicians
So you don't notice how un-entertaining they are








_________________
You say irritant, I say catalyst

justin headley wrote:

I play in a touring band that plays all over the world, and one thing i have learned is that you have to do more than just play well to be noticed. So some things i do is...

set my drums on fire... (including the 2004 tour kit rikki rockett gave me)
Stand ontop of the drums while playing
kicked them off stage
threw them into the pool
(see pictures on my myspace page)

and the amazing part is that it dosen't really hurt the construction or tone of the drums.

i was just wondering if anybody else pay's as much attention to the "show" aspect of drumming?

www.myspace.com/justinhdrums

eek! well.. honestly.. if u did that to MY drums i'd send the weasels after u, make them steal all you sox and them have the squirrels steal ur drum sticks! but since ur doing it to ur own drums... ah well, HAVE FUN! rofl








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and thats how the cookie crumbles! forver emo.. xxxx

Rockula! wrote:

It stands to reason that you would not appreciate someone harming your equipment
However
Why should you care in the slightest what other people do with their equipment?
Lack of respect?
For what?
It's an inanimate object
The only regret I have when a cymbal dies is that I 'm gonna have to fork over some cash for a new one
Something that has historical value or sentimental value etc... meaning that the particular item means something to a specific person is understandable
You have no legitimate reason for seeing "disrespect" other than your own lack of perspective.

Drums to me are not mere inanimate objects. They are the conduit to the most powerful force in the universe, music. And if someone cannot or does not appreciate the gift that they've been blessed with, the ability to play drums, and by playing tap in to that force, then they disrespect that gift, and therefore their instrument, by abusing said instrument.

Rockula! wrote:

As for showmanship meaning lack of talent
I call bullshit on that
I can just as easily say that people who rely purely on technique show a lack of imagination
ANYONE can do the same thing over and over until muscle memory takes over
Hell, you could act a scene out exactly like friggin' Sir Laurence Olivier if you watched it every day

You cannot, however, fake entertaining
Being entertaining is an art in itself
It is painfully obvious when someone tries to be entertaining when they are not
Just like the fact that one drummer twirls a stick and it looks cool while another does it and they look like a dork.

You, sir, are entitled to your own opinion. And I have seen drummers that were more like robots, who had no heart or soul in their playing. Neil Peart, for example, while widely respected and revered, is also ridiculed for not smiling during shows and playing in a very robotic fashion. There are different interperetations of art and entertainment. Yours happens to differentiate from mine.

Rockula! wrote:

Lastly, the musicians that I see most protesting about "gimmicks" and "tricks" tend to be the ones that aren't too interesting themselves and really want you to take them seriously as musicians So you don't notice how un-entertaining they are

Nice try to get under my skin. I never said that I was the greatest, or most entertaining drummer in the world, and I never took any potshots at you, either. I do take my drumming seriously, but I also play in a cover/tribute band. Why the hell do I need to be taken seriously as a musician? I do it to make some extra money, and to express myself. But the day that I need to set my drums on fire, or piss on them, shit on a cymbal, take a circular saw to my kick drum, or toss them off a balcony for the sake of entertainment is the day that I quit playing forever.

If you can't entertain a crowd by playing your instrument well, don't play it for a crowd at all. And I will not post further on this topic. My opinions are my own, if you agree, fine, if you don't, fine. If you attack me because of my opionions, then fuck you, and the horse you rode in on. Have a nice day.








_________________
Me, My Story, and Pics Of My Drums:
http://www.saludacymbals.com/c/ksiegel.html
Proud to endorse Saluda Cymbals since 2006.
Howie is my homie. Word.