Client: “What is the turnaround time on your five business day package?”
Me: “Five business days.”
Client: “Great thanks.”
Author: admin
Got a nice note from the client who I did some drum tracks for last week.
“I was thinking I’d leave my Groove Agent drums, but your accents of stuff really increased the vibe, great job! I appreciate your talent.”
Until last night I hadn’t picked up a drum stick for at least eight months. Truly sad, but the lame gig situation in this town and my personal and business life have gotten in the way of bashing the skins.
Last night we had one opening band and they sucked. They really sucked. By the time they finished their overly long set, they’d chased half of the mediocre crowd away.
I was worried about my chops so I played pretty straight for the first few tunes. I still have some speed and abilities, but I definitely ran into situations where my brain would send commands to my limbs to do certain complex licks and my limbs would simply misfire or just plain gag and not do anything at all.
I ran into an endurance problem toward the end of the set as well. It was a good thing we only played one set, because in the last song my forearms started feeling like they were Popeye-ing. They were seizing up!
Despite being a fairly lame crowd I still had a really great time bashing the shit out of the drums.
No Smoking!
Perhaps the best thing about last night’s gig was the fact that I didn’t have to take a shower and discard my clothes in the laundry room when I got home. For years of playing in smoky bars I’ve gotten home completely covered with a smoky stench. Now that laws have changed and no smoking is allowed in clubs, I don’t have that disgusting smoke film on my body after the gig. I wish that law would have been enacted 25 years ago.
Studio Drumming Today
I’m off to the studio to play drums for some guitar player’s solo album, then another gig tonight.
No gigs for months, then two in 48 hours
I haven’t played the drums since last year. I’d sort of retired from my rock band since my bass player and very good friend moved to Portland. It just hasn’t been worth playing since he left. He’s back this weekend, and I’m playing TWO shows.
My hands will be hamburger and my body clock is in for a shock. I’ve gotten used to going to be early, like 11pm. This weekend it will be back to the 3am bed time.
Studio drums
Just after I confirmed my availability for the 2nd gig this Saturday night, I got an email from a studio who needs me to do drum tracks during the day Saturday. I’m gigging Friday night, studio drums Saturday afternoon, and gigging Saturday night.
Am I having a nightmare? Somebody wake me up.
A couple of posts back I said I’d be reflecting on the hell project of 2008, since it was done.
It isn’t.
Unfortunately my new vendor who was doing the replication (two of my old ones went out of business in this economy) screwed the pooch. I’m now waiting for the client to supply me with some samples of the screwed up discs to verify what happened so I can get it fixed.
I can’t write the closing chapter on “Hell Project ’08” since “Hell Project ’08” is now alive and well in ’09.