The Master
Happy birthday, Roy Haynes! Born: March 13, 1925 in Boston. 88 years old today and still kickin much ass!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpsLcWoTi7w]
Snare Crazy!
It's true, I can't help myself sometimes and my collection of snares has now grown to a whopping eleven, with number twelve in the mail right now, on it's way to my house. Oh, what to do? Maybe I'm a bad person for buying all of these drums and filling up my apartment...I must have a problem. But I keep telling myself it's okay cause they're tools of my trade and I need them. Right? I mean, it's OK for a guitarist to own a couple dozen guitars, so I should be able to have a few snares in my arsenal. Different sizes, a variety of woods & metals and each with it's own unique voice. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Wait a minute...what's this...someone who's got it worse than me?
This is a wonderful book written by a cat named Michael Curotto, detailing his collection of rare, vintage snare drums with an estimated value of over a million bucks. That's pretty funny and what a relief! Here I am thinking I've got a problem owning eleven, no... twelve snare drums, when come to find out that this dude has more than 450. Whew, I think I'm gonna be fine. Thank you Mike, even though I haven't yet had the pleasure of shaking your hand, I truly applaud you. This is quite a fantastic book folks and features gorgeous digital photography by Steve Haag. If you're like me and you have an insatiable thirst for finding the perfect snare drum, then please give it a go...I think you'll really dig it. I'm sure Mike (and his wife) will appreciate it, too!The Curotto Collection 
I've already shown this to y'all in the last post, but it won't hurt to feature it more than once. Yes, indeed...I'm happy as a clam to show off my latest...picked up from my beautiful friends at Revival Drum Shop in Portland...a 1940's Slingerland 7 x 14 "Radio King" in white marine pearl.
Thank you, Jose'...it's a killer!
Back Into The Fold
We all do stupid things. It's in our nature as humans and once in a while I'll do something really stupid that makes no sense whatsoever and makes me feel terrible inside. I'm talking about selling-off a nice drum (or two!) during a lean month because I needed the bread. Yes, I've done this before but it's never good and I hope to never see days (or months) like that ever again. I am definitely guilty of this crime, no doubt and could tell you stories of tossing in my bed over how bad it made me feel. Anyway, for some reason that I haven't yet figured out, a few of these pieces I let go of not too long ago, have made their way back to me and I couldn't be happier about it. Two of them came last month...The first: a Bleifuss Handcrafted 8 x 14 orchestral snare, nicknamed Big Brown
This drum is so bitchin, I can't even begin to describe the lush tone it has. It was originally built for a snare drummer with the San Diego Symphony and has 8 ply's of Maple with a layer of fiberglass on the inside to give it extra projection. It's incredibly throaty, rich & sensitive. A work of art and I was a complete fool to ever let it go and I'm sorry about it. But as I mentioned, times were tough and I was totally broke. A friend of mine bought it from me several years ago and fell in love with it immediately, which made the transaction even worse, as I knew in my heart I'd probably never see or hear the drum again. Low & behold...a few weeks ago, I received an email from my old friend asking if by chance I'd like to have Big Brown back because he said he wasn't playing drums much anymore and the drum was collecting dust. Can you believe my luck? Wow, I said and quickly got the money out to him to buy it back and now that it's here with me again and sounding so amazing, I will keep it forever!The second drum, also a Bleifuss Handcrafted, is a 6 x 14 aluminum snare known as, The Bluminator.
Similar story...I let it go to a friend who had it for a while, then asked if I wanted it back. I didn't hesitate and hope it stays with me till I'm gone. Nearly a quarter of an inch of billet aluminum, there is no sonic space where 'ol Blu can't go. To put it simply, this drum kicks major ass and I've used it on several recordings and many live shows that I'm most proud of. Like this one, for example...The City Champs -- The Set UpWhen I'm awarded the gift of receiving back an old piece of gear, the feeling is immense and I'm instantly filled with a warm feeling of gratitude and joy. My only hope is that the kind folks who've allowed me the opportunity to reclaim my old gear are also feeling some form of happiness, perhaps just in the act of performing such a good deed. I thank you and am very lucky, especially since my good friend Paul Bleifuss, who created these pieces is no longer with us and would probably be very pissed if he knew I'd sold-off the drums he built for me!The world keeps on turning...
Has it really been two years?
Well, almost anyway and the time seems to have flown by. The CRB has played 215 shows across the U.S. since March 28th of last year and we've got one last time to perform together in 2012...New Year's Eve at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, CO. It's gonna be a blast being out there again and I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends. Then we have about two weeks in the studio for record #3 before we say goodbye to one another for a little while, as the Black Crowes reconvene in 2013 for a European tour. Man, it's been one amazing ride for everyone, especially me and I couldn't be more grateful. I've made so many new friends and had the opportunity to play with one of the best bands of my career. The future looks very bright!Open roads...moving forward...light on my feet...
Stay tuned...
My Uncle is a Rock Star
Do bands like, Fugazi, Minor Threat or Bad Brains, ring any bells? Ok, cool. And what about folks like, Ian MacKaye, Dave Grohl or Henry Rollins? Any D.C. underground punks out there? I thought so...and if that's the case, then perhaps you've heard of Inner Ear Recording Studios, or better yet, Don Zientara? Well, he's my uncle and in some circles, he's known as the king of D.C. hardcore. Producer, engineer, owner, operator and president of one of the east coast's most prominent studios...Don has seen and done it all and with every one of those names and more. For more than 25 years he's sat at the helm of the mixing console making it happen...from humble beginnings in the basement of his own home to the current location of the studio, in south Arlington, VA. It's been an amazing ride and he's showing no signs of slowing down, as the studio is busier than ever.
And he's one of the nicest guys on the planet. So is his wife, my aunt Juanita!
End of the Year Blues
Yes, that's right. 2012 is nearly done and it's been one helluva nice ride for me and the CRB. Two records out, five tours and many miles around the country. What a time. This week we wrap it all up with a five-night run at one of my all-time favorite venues, the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
Stay tuned...more to come...
Alone Up There
Just watched a cool documentary about stand-up comedians called, Alone Up There, and I was amazed at the similarities between their lives and the lives of musicians. We have a lot in common. The fears, the anguish, the joys, the rewards (both big and small) the amazing shows and the total bombs, the lifetime of study honing your skills and the complete love & total devotion to the craft. I encourage my friends to see it...only costs $7.00 and download's fast.http://aloneupthere.thestandupcomedians.com/Major shout-out to my good friend, Chris Porter, who recommended I see the film. I now have a better understanding of what you experience night after night as a professional comedian, traveling the globe in-search of laughter.May you always find it.
Fuck You, Cancer!
One of the sweetest folks on the planet. Happy to have known him but incredibly angry and sad that he died so young. I will miss my friend.
Agop's a Lott!
My good friend, amazing drummer and studio guru, Sinclair Lott (or Sinc, as I like to refer to him) embarked on a journey with me this week, videotaping cymbals for Istanbul Agop's current catalog and we're having a blast working in his fantastic home studio. The cymbal company has been in the process of building a cool new website that will be launched sometime very soon and the videos we're shooting will be a big part of it, so it's quite an honor to work with them on this project. Having been an endorsee of their cymbals since 2000, I've personally gone through a good bit of metamorphosis as a drummer, changing the way I play, how I listen and even what I hear in the music. Yes, they really ARE that good and worth every penny if you decide to go down that road, but I should warn you...the sound of these cymbals can be very addicting. Just ask this guy right here...
A couple of weeks ago, I found another Rogers kit on craigslist and couldn't pass them up, as well as a gorgeous 1920's Ludwig brass snare from my friend Barry, so we're getting to use them all for these videos and the sound is amazing. Sinclair has a deal with Aquarian drum heads and when he contacted them to see if they were interested in getting involved, they didn't miss a beat, quickly sending us a box and outfitting my entire kit with new heads. Nice folks.
Tomorrow will be my last day of videotaping then Sinc has the wonderful task of editing them all down before they can go up on the new site. I'm super jazzed that he wanted to be involved in this endeavor and grateful for his time, effort and beautiful, laid-back disposition. It's been a pleasure working with him.
He's also a lover of coffee, just like me and every morning has some ready for us.
Stay tuned...
One Helluva Week
A good one, that is and I couldn't be happier. This recent CRB tour began last Tuesday and so far I've played four shows in three cities, had a new record come out, saw some family that I'd not seen in years, was awarded an amazing gift and got the chance to hang with two of my mentors. I'm still pinching myself and we've still got three more weeks to go on this run. How lucky I am.Here's the tale of my week, along with some back story...Two years ago in March of 2010, I was approached after a performance in Nashville by a young man named Jake who said he'd been following my career for several years and was looking to take some drum lessons with me. I was flattered to say the least and although I've never been much of a teacher, seeing as how this kid seemed sincere, eager and humble, I agreed to teach him and so we set up a time to get together in the coming weeks. At that point, I was living in Memphis and he was in Murfreesboro, TN, which isn't a short drive by any means and it took him several hours to make the drive east on the day of the lesson. But he made it and we sat at my friends' rehearsal studio for more than two hours, working on touch, technique and going over the finer points of developing and laying down a solid foundation behind the drum set. I turned him onto Idris Muhammad, Clyde Stubblefield, Levon Helm. It was a good lesson, for me too.He seemed elated afterward and wanted to know when I would be free for more lessons in the future, so I decided that since he'd driven such a long way to study with me, I'd treat him to a burger at Huey's in Midtown, where singer Di Anne Price just happened to be performing that day, along with the great reed-man, Jim Spake, bassist Tim Goodwin and fellow beat maker, Tom Lonardo. My reasoning was to give him an opportunity to see and hear some of what I'd just shown him in our lesson, even though I would never pretend to be in the same league as an elder statesman like Tom Lonardo.But Jake got the idea and was more than grateful we'd gone there. Not only was the band swingin' its tail off, but Jake also knew Tom's son, who lives in Nashville. Jake had been on a session where Tom's son was the bassist and so they both had stories to tell one another. Small world. Anyhow, it was a great day but I was exhausted and needed to get home to my own Sunday chores and things, so I shook Jake's hand and agreed to meet with him again very soon. "Before I go" he said, "I need to show you something". We walk out to his station wagon in the parking lot, he opens the trunk and pulls out a bass drum case. When he opens it up, I cannot believe what is inside...a mid-60's mint condition 20" Rogers bass drum in the identical finish as my own, blue onyx. I am completely floored as he relates the story of how and why he ended up owning the same drum set as me..."I wanted to be just like you", he says!How sweet is that?So, a few days go by and after much deliberation back and forth, Jake convinces me to trade him a series of drum lessons, offering the Rogers as payment. How could I say No? We made the deal and lessons began. I actually think I still owe him a couple, but more on that later. Here's a photo of the set, taken by the dealer in Chicago who Jake got them from...
Jake had always said that there was a crazy story behind these drums and I wanted to know it but he seemed a little unclear as to all the details, so I just put it out of my mind for the time being and considered myself lucky to be the proud owner of not one, but TWO identical Rogers blue onyx drum sets. Here's a pic of Jake and me, taken in Nashville not long after we made this deal...
Alright. Let's fast-forward to last year and me landing this gig. When I got to California, I quickly realized that I needed to have another drum kit at my disposal because the one I was going to be touring with, my other Rogers set, was going to be locked up in a storage unit when we weren't on the road. And since I left Jake's Rogers back in my rehearsal space in Memphis (to use for my trips home), I had to get on the ball finding a practice set to keep at home in my apartment in LA. Scouring the internet, I quickly found a dealer in Chicago selling a gorgeous 4-piece Rogers "Mercury" kit in blue/grey duco...I've already talked about this kit, but here's the photo of them just to remind you...
The set didn't come with a floor tom because, at the time they were being marketed to children and beginners, so Rogers had to make them affordable to folks just starting out. Pretty cool idea. Of course, I needed my floor tom and through the brilliant detective work of my good buddy Bill Maley at classicvintagedrums.com, I got one and here they are altogether...
Lemme backup real quick. I mentioned they came from a dealer in Chicago. Well, Jake's Rogers also came from a dealer in Chicago and it struck me one day that it was the same exact person, Brian Drugan of Drugan's Drums in Niles, Illinois. I couldn't believe that I owned two kits from the same person and it took me a while to figure it out. Anyhow, Brian and his brother Johnny have been buying, selling, repairing and collecting vintage drums for many years and are very soon opening up a large drum store near O'Hare, so anything you need, give them a shout. They are the best folks to deal with and extremely fair.I started this week off in Chicago and immediately had the great fortune of hanging with and meeting the Drugan brothers for the first time in person. Love these cats...
Then I remembered there being a story about Jake's Rogers and immediately asked Brian for the details of how he acquired that kit. Basically, he said that several years ago, he saw an ad in the Chicago newspaper...a lady selling a Rogers drum set, so he called her and made an appointment to go see it. When he got there, an older lady answered the door and took him into the room where the kit was sitting, all set up and with a blanket covering it. She took the blanket off and there was a gorgeous blue onyx kit that's in the above photo but (she said) there was just one thing wrong with them. One of the drum sticks was broken and she seemed very sorry about it, apologizing to Brian. Wow. That was it. A broken drumstick, sitting on top of a mint condition set of drums. Of course, he told her that it was okay, not a big deal and didn't hesitate buying them from her then bringing them with him to the Chicago Vintage Drum Show, where he set them up in his booth to be sold with the rest of his inventory.That same afternoon, Brian and Johnny met Jake, who before he became my friend and student, had been living in Chicago and working at a music store that was going out of business. One day he found an old snare drum while cleaning up and asked his boss if he could have it. His boss asked for twenty dollars and Jake took the drum home. Later, he decided to bring it with him to the vintage drum show but when he walked in with the drum under his arm, he was immediately accosted by several dealers offering thousands of dollars for it. Sensing he might be in possession of a rare drum, he waited to sell, keeping the hounds at bay, while he perused the rest of the booths at the show. Then he met the Brothers Drugan. I love this story.As luck would have it, the drum was a 60's Cleveland-era Rogers 6.5" x 14", wood Dyna-sonic in silver sparkle. One of the rarest snares on the planet and worth a good bit more than the twenty dollars Jake had spent on it, as the company only made a few wood Dyna's in 5" x 14" and even fewer in 6.5". Also a fierce negotiator, Jake wasn't going to let such a hot item go for cheap and knowing its value, the Drugan's made him a generous offer of any kit that was in their booth as trade. Well, low and behold...Jake's dream kit was staring him right in the face. Rogers blue onyx. The deal was made and that was that. Once he got them home and played a few gigs on them, he realized they had a sound he wasn't quite used to and ended up going back to using his Slingerland and Gretsch drum sets. Lucky me!While visiting the Drugans' shop, I came across that same snare and took a photo of it...
Brian and Johnny came out to see our show at Lincoln Hall this past Thursday and afterward, Brian came up and offered me and amazing gift...the broken sticks that came with my kit. Funny thing is though, they're not really broken!
I've just realized that I'm prattling on, so I'll be quick about the rest of my week. In short, the great Bun E. Carlos came to see us in Madison, WI and he's a super sweet cat. Showed me a photo of his immense collection that literally takes up an entire barn wall. I dug talking with him and he seemed to enjoy the band. On Tuesday, our second record came out, The Magic Door and so far the reviews have been more than favorable. That night, in addition to some very close Missouri family paying me a visit, one of my all-time drumming mentors and teachers also made it out to our show, Mike Cherry. The man who not only taught me how to play with brushes, but showed me how to play a proper double shuffle and is the reason I am able to do what I do today. He's been drumming in a group from Columbia, MO called The Bel Airs for many years now and I could not have been more elated to see him again. We'd met in San Diego when we were both living out there in the early 90's and I took to his style right away and he was always gracious with his time and knowledge, spending hours on end showing me how it's done. Everything from shuffles, to swing, funk and jazz.
It's really been one of the best weeks I've had in a long time.
Heartwarming
The CRB had an amazing night at the New Daisy Theater on Beale Street in Memphis the other night and I was overwhelmed that so many members of my family made it out to see the show. It was the first time in probably 30 years that we'd all been together in the same place, since many of us live in other states. I was moved, to put it lightly.
This was only half of my family who were in attendance and I dubbed them, The Hardcore Crew because they made it to the very end of our long, three-hour night of music. Totally amazing. My mother, who suffers from Parkinson's, gets tired very easily and usually goes to bed around 8 o'clock every night, so for her to stay up through all of that was wonderful to see. She was very excited, as it was the first time she'd been able to see me play in many years and having the rest of the Sluppick clan there kept the energy level really high. I too, was elated that she made it downtown. In addition to that, 10 or 15 of my closest friends from high school were there. Wow. I'm a lucky dude. Earlier in the day, my good buddy Craig scooped up the meat lovers of our group and drove us over to my favorite food spot in the country, Payne's BBQ. It's the one and only time since I started this crazy diet that I've made an exception to the rules. Here's why...[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKK11qUlzFs]Get the picture? Well, needless to say we got the day started off right and after the meal of amazing chopped pork and delicious beans, a very happy Chris Robinson looked at me and said that in all of his years of traveling, it was the best sandwich he'd ever had. Smiling widely, I told him that we know a little bit about BBQ in Memphis!The photos in this story are all courtesy of this gentleman right here...
Paul Pollmann, and he's from Amsterdam. He's a really great drummer, film maker and graphic designer and we met through this very blog a couple of years ago and keep in touch via email. We discuss vintage drums, our favorite drummers, etc. He even mentioned that his soul band at home in Amsterdam plays a couple of The City Champs' tunes, which was flattering to hear. It was a real joy to finally get to meet him in person. He was in Memphis, visiting the city and doing some work on an upcoming documentary film he's helping produce on dearly departed soul singer, Sir Lattimore Brown. What a cool dude.
Thank you, Paul! And much love to all of my family, friends and loved ones. My heart is full. So is my stomach. Now its back to the diet. Yeow!
So Far, So Good
Improved diet can lead to an improved state of mind, at least for me and I'm feeling better as the days go by. Not only have I introduced my body to the gluten-free lifestyle, I've also had no sugar, no bread, no alcohol, no red meat, no dairy and no caffeine for three weeks, which has been tough to maintain seeing as how there are always plenty of each on the tour bus, but it's proven to be beneficial for my overall health, so I have to keep it up. The color of my skin has changed, my eyes are clearer, I've lost weight and my teeth look whiter. How crazy is that? I've been eating salads, fresh organic vegetables (when available), avocados, olives, fish, chicken, rice, seeds, nuts and drinking nearly a gallon of water every day. I even broke down and swam a few laps in a couple of the hotel pools this week and I haven't done anything like that in years, as ridiculous as that sounds. But it's true, I am generally very lazy by nature and only an act of God will get me off the couch or away from the computer long enough to burn some calories. Of course, people comment all the time about how I must be staying in great shape because I'm a drummer and I guess it's partly true but to be honest, if I had to run a quarter of a mile to escape a hungry lion, there's a pretty good chance it would be my last race.So for now, I'm sticking with it.I'm away from my apartment for the next two months and can't stop thinking about the Rogers kit that's sitting in my room in LA (which I've posted about before) waiting for my return. Recently, I found a floor tom that matched the set, as that was the one missing piece and I had to get it but I only got to play on it for a few days before having to leave for this tour. Check 'em out...
The CRB will be in Memphis in a couple of days and many family members and close friends will be in attendance, which always makes for a good time. And at the end of this run, I'll be making it back home to Memphis for eight days and we'll see how well I stick to my diet. I've got another gorgeous set of Rogers there as well, so at least I'll have that to fall back on in case I happen to cave in when my mom offers me chocolate cake. HA!
Yes, I'm Going To Brag
And so would you!I've met a great many famous drummers who have things like this happen to them every day but for a guy like me, today was an extremely gratifying day.
Many thanks to Paul Wells for the great interview and wonderful writing and to Modern Drummer for believing in me enough to put me in their magazine. I am completely floored and totally honored!
5 Weeks and An Aching Back
It was a long tour for the CRB this time around and although our break is short before the next run, I welcome this time-off with open arms. Several weeks ago, I injured my back (still don't know exactly how) and have been in a constant state of pain ever since. That is, until I got back home a few days ago and a good friend turned me onto a doctor here in LA who has a reputation of having a healing touch. After only one visit to his office, I can already tell that when I get on the other side of this situation, I'm going to come out of it a better, stronger and (hopefully) more conscious person. Meet Taisuke Jo (aka, Doctor Jo). I'll let you do your own research on him, but here's one small, powerful quote from his site..."Firmly believing in “心身一如” (pronounced Shin shin itchy nyo which translates to “Integration of Mind and Body”), Taisuke’s passion is to help his patient understand the signs and symptoms conveyed by their body, thereby allowing the innate healing ability possessed by all living being to engage and to work in harmony with the conscious mind."His Functional Medicine program revolves around a holistic treatment, balancing the mental, physical and chemical. I'm going to get a lot out of this.More to come...
illyB & the Great Revival
Many years as a touring drummer has offered me the great fortune of meeting a lot of wonderful people in all corners of this beautiful globe and for the moment, I'm in no short supply of close comrades. Recently, on a road trip to Portland, I had the pleasure of hanging with one such individual, who's become somewhat of an inspiration to me lately and his name is Jose Medeles. In addition to being the drummer for The Breeders, he's also part owner and operator of one of the best (and my hands-down favorite) drum shops in America, Revival Drum Shop.Picked up this '70s beauty last time I was there...
When I arrived, after our initial greetings and hugs, Jose asked if I wanted to join him for some espresso then treated me to a double cappuccino from the coffee house next door. Now that's what I call, treatment. So, we get back to the shop and while looking at all of the gorgeous drums everywhere, I notice they've got some flyers posted for a Billy Martin clinic that was happening the following day but I was on my way up to Canada, so Jose offers up a copy of Billy's new instructional DVD entitled, Life On Drums and the inspiration continues on. I should mention that after watching this amazing piece of work at home a few days later, I sat down at my drum set and something flowed out of me that can best be described as, spiritual. Luckily for me, Billy came through Los Angeles the very next week along with my friend Wil Blades and they performed together as Billy Martin & Wil Blades Duo at the Mint, which was outstanding. They have a new record, too and I highly recommend getting it. Having seen MMW numerous times in the past, that night was only the second time I've had the chance to meet and talk with him in person and he was gracious and wise to say the least. What a tremendous player. Thank you, illyB!For any artist, musician or otherwise, this DVD is incredible so go and buy it and if you're in the Portland area, please visit Revival and see if you don't come away with something of value, even if you don't make a purchase. My man Jose or a member of his fine staff will meet you with a smile, no doubt about it.[vimeo http://vimeo.com/17011814]
Rosalee
My mother called the other day to congratulate me on the recent appearance on the Tonight Show and mentioned her overwhelming love for the tune we played. Her name is Rosa and her middle name is Lee, but my dad always referred to her by both, so when you say them together, it sounds like Rosalee or Rosalie. Anyhow, she was incredibly moved by the tune, so I'm sending this one out in respect and love for my mother, Rosa Lee Parmen. Here's the groove for Rosalee.For this video, I'm playing my 1960's Rogers "Mercury" Drum Set...14 x 20 Bass Drum8 x 12 Rack Tom5 x 14 "Luxor" Snare w bandana over the top14" Istanbul Agop "Traditional" HiHats21" Istanbul Agop "Mel Lewis" Ride w two rivetsRosalee GrooveIt's a simple 8th note funk feel for the verse sections, with accented downbeats on the hi hats. The second section is a pre-chorus where I switch to 16th notes on the hats before going to my ride cymbal for the main chorus and the beat becomes more syncopated. If you listen to Funky Drummer by James Brown, you will hear Clyde Stubblefield playing the funkiest 16th note beat you've ever heard and this was my inspiration for this groove. And I believe that youtube took down the original video for our performance, most likely due to a licensing issue, so here it is from a different site.CRB -- LenoThanks, y'all!xoxo
Good Day
Yesterday marked a turning point for the CRB......our debut album titled, Big Moon Ritual, was released along with a brand new website ...AND, we appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
It was a really good day. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pxbpy6b7q48]