Hello (internet) world!

Retirement Day 224

Hello and welcome to my new website! I hesitated to post a blog before the entire site was “ready,” but if I waited to do things until I was “ready,” I don’t think I would get much done! With that in mind, this will not only serve as a blog with my musings on drums, music, and more, but also a diary and timeline of my website and its progress. Thank you for stopping by and please come along for the ride! My intention is for this to be a positive force in a world that seems to be obsessed with negativity. All thoughts, opinions, and views expressed are my own. I humbly ask you to follow the same guidelines on any comments. Constructive criticism is welcomed and strongly encouraged.

Why a website?

As some of you may know, I have recently retired from 35 years of service with the United States Post Office. Although the job provided security and stability in a volatile economy over the years, my initial dream was to be a “rock star.” Ten years of living in Los Angeles (and the awareness brought about by the story below) has tempered and honed that unrealistic teenage fantasy into a passionate drive to do things I enjoy with people that challenge and inspire me. One of the avenues that opened up when I let go of the “rock star” thing was writing. Through my own fanatical obsession with musicians (especially drummers) and the connective power of the internet, I sought out some of my heroes and made contact with them. I found that I wanted to share with others the inspiration they gave me by writing about them. The internet at the time made connecting with them fairly easy.

I know there are various social media platforms that exist, but something about having my own place on the internet where I could do whatever I envisioned seemed so freeing artistically. Also, you are here because you want to be. You’re not being forced to see something created by an algorithm. My goal is to bring attention to the things that inspire and motivate me and by doing that, create that same feeling in others that I felt. I think I can best illustrate that with an anecdote that really effected my thinking on drumming, music, art, or any creative passion.

Aloke Dutta and the tabla lesson

Several years ago while on vacation, my wife Liz and I were visiting my parents, who live near Atlanta, GA. I am a huge fan of the band Tool, and at that time, I was really enamored with their drummer, Danny Carey. Through reading various interviews with him, I learned he was an eternal student, constantly learning and exploring new things that he could use in the context of his band and their music. I discovered he was really into playing tabla and applying some of those complex rhythms to his drum set and in the music of Tool. His tabla teacher, Aloke Dutta was giving a clinic at a music store near Atlanta and I was able to attend.

Playing tabla is a lifelong endeavor. It is something that is woven into the fabric of the culture and not just a hobby or something you do for fun. To master it takes years. I knew I would not learn tabla in one night, but I came away with an awareness that completely changed how I looked at playing and teaching drums that I had not had before.

Aloke gave a simple talk to illustrate his point. This can apply to almost any endeavor, but I’ll use his example of music. When we discover music, we become fans of certain artists or bands and enjoy when they release new music. We excitedly share each new discovery with our friends and take great joy in sharing what means so much to us. To be a fan and feel the excitement of listening to your favorite band is the first step. As we grow more vested in the band, we seek out their live performances and attend their concerts. We buy the t-shirt. We may join their fan club. We pay attention to the instruments they use to get their sound. We may even look beyond the music and pay attention to their spiritual and social beliefs. This gives us an even deeper feeling of connection and inspiration. But this road can only take us so far. To continue experiencing these feelings even deeper, Aloke spoke about being inspired to pick up an instrument and make your own music. Pick up a brush and paint your own picture. Take pen and paper and write your own story. Take that feeling and translate it through something that you do to create that same feeling in others. The light bulb went on over my head and I realized why I do what I do. I want you to feel the way I do. I want you to experience the range of emotion that music, art, and literature pull out of me. I want you to learn to play the drums (or any instrument), write, paint, or do anything that can transfer that feeling to others.

Cheers and thanks again for stopping by!