Drummer Cafe Community Forum

I'm sitting on a bus in Seattle at 7:30am. We are due to leave for Portland in about one hour, so I might grab a coffee and a bite shortly.
There is a typically funky (and nice) Seattle coffee shop near where we are parked, outside Neumos - the club we played last night.
The first 24 hours of the tour were gruelling, but they could have been much worse.
We left London with the usual palaver of security checks at Heathrow Airport. Our flight was quite routine and 9 hours later we arrived in seattle. The next day we were shocked to hear about the latest terror plot and the resulting chaos at airports in the UK. We were very lucky to miss out on that.
Anyway, we arrived in Seattle early evening. there was a delay of a couple of hours while we located the bus, our home for the next five weeks and loaded up our flight cases, which had arrived on an earlier cargo flight. We then set off for Canada. By the time we crossed the border (fairly routine) it was after midnight and we got to our Vancouver hotel about 1am. Most of us had a fitfull sleep, a combination of jetlag and over active minds, thinking about everything we had to do that day and the first time playing in front of an audience.
After a late breakfast, I headed out to the Pacific Drum Centre, a store that had been recommended to me.
I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a drumstore owned and run by two ladies. Quite unusual I think.
We chatted for a while and I tried an Odery snare they pointed out to me, also (under protest) an OCDP  ;D and finally a couple of wood shell Dunnett's. The Dunnett's were both nice sounding. I wouldn't say they blew me away, but I find it very difficult to accurately evaluate equipment unless I'm using it for a job. I was very impressed with the R Class snare mechanism however. Also, the drums were undoubtedly beautifully made. I guess I would have been interested to try a Ti.
By about 2:45pm I was at the venue, Richards On Richard St, and eager to see my new gear.
Everything was carefully packaged in boxes and a veritable rainforest's worth of protective packaging. A couple of my band mates helped out by unwrapping everything while I set about building the kit from scratch.
First thing I looked at was the Craviotto snare (7x14" maple). On tapping it I realised it sounded really good, so I left it at that for the moment. To cut a long story short, it took me around 2 1/2 hours to set up the hardware for the first time and tune the kit. The single headed toms were not that easy to tune. The lack of bottom heads seems to make the precise tuning of the top one's more critical to the sound. I found any uneveness resulted in nasty harmonics, so it took longer than usual to find a pleasing sound, especially across four toms. I hardly altered the bass drum and Crav snare.
All the band was in the same boat. All suffering a degree of brain phase due to jetlag and all grappling with a new environment and unruly gear. There were lots of guitars that wouldn't tune, amps that suddenly switched themselves off and feedback that seemed to come from nowhere. It's all part and parcel of a normal soundcheck, if not moreso on the first day of a tour.
After a lengthy soundcheck (sorry supportband  :-[ ), I only had time to grab a bowl of rice and beans at a nearby Mexican cafe.
Happily, when I returned, Karl had been sensible enough to write out a setlist containing all the songs we knew best. I think that resulted in a set that was not as diverse and interesting as we could have performed, but for the most part we weren't capable of playing the diverse and interesting songs without more rehearsal.  ;)
I don't get nervous very often these days and the Richard's show was no exception, despite it being my first public performance since two shows in Spain in 1996 and before that, the last show on the 1991 Dire Straits tour.....also in Spain.  ;)
Well I made my first major cock-up in the second chorus of the first song, 'Message In The Box'. I stopped playing 8 bars too early for a scheduled bars rest.  ::). No one seemed to mind or really notice, but I was annoyed with myself, as this was probably the song I knew best. Also, it didn't bode well for the songs I was more shakey on, later on in the set. I made a mental note to up my concentration from 100% to 110% and luckily the rest of the gig passed off without any further incidents. In fact everybody played pretty well.
My drums and cymbals sounded great. I guess I've decided that double headed toms are my first love, but the N&C toms still sound good. They are punchy and even more retro sounding that I expected. I wasn't really after a super-retro sound, so I suppose on that level my plan has failed. Having said that, I haven't heard the drums from out-front yet. They've turned out to be fun to play too. Lot's of 70's Hal Blaine style pop fills seem to be flowing from my limbs.  ;D
The real killer (as in 'killer application') is the Craviotto snare. It just sounds completely awesome. I don't know what the guy does, but everything he does just seems to work for me.
More later....

Awesome stuff! Take some photos of your new gear if you can!

Really interesting, thanks!

Yes, pix would be fantastic, if possible.

A snare you unwrap, tap once, and know it's right? Wow. That's the stuff we mortals can only dream about.

Part two......
The show finished around 12:30am and after a very brief pause for breath I headed up to the stage to help pack down the drums.
We only have two crew, plus two helpers, for a seven piece band. My number one aim was to make sure my new drums got packed safely, especially as it took me over two hours to set them up as we have no drum tech. It became immediately obvious our four guys were struggling with the mountain of guitars, amps and the two keyboard rigs. So I guess I'm now the drum tech too.  :'(
It took about two hours to load out onto the bus and trailer. Then a few of us decided another shower was needed, so we ran back to the hotel. After all that, we set off in the early hours back to the USA and Seattle.
So we had a second, middle of the night, border crossing in consecutive days. We got to the US building around 4am.
The night crew didn't seem to be in a very good mood. We were all immediately ordered off the bus and told to report, with all our bags, inside the priocessing area. We later realised this was only a few hours after the UK had gone on to a major alert status, and US airports seem to have followed suit.
By the time we got all our bags together and trooped into the building, the officer had changed his mind about the bags, so we turned right around and loaded them back into the bus bays. After we returned to the building, we were each questioned by a stern officer, but as we were all legal and above board, there was not much more he could do but grant us entry to the US of A once more.
For the next few hours we slept on the bus, part of it during the drive into Seattle.
I woke at 9am, after about 5 hours sleep, and headed out for a well earned coffee and squash bread.  :)
I had no particular agenda for day two of the tour. The weirdness of jetlag means you can't often catch up on your zzzz's when it's most convenient to do so. In the end, by the time the show came around (10:40pm), I'd been up a long time and was feeling pretty pole axed.
Earlier, at 3pm, I'd set up my own drums again (quicker this time). We were also joined by Elvis Perkins, our new support band.
Apparently, Elvis is son of Anthony Perkins, of Psycho fame. His drummer, who I must catch the name of (another product of jetlag and brain phase), set up a nice looking old Rogers kit.
By showtime, I was looking to grind my way through the gig and aim for a first flawless performance.
This time, 'Message In A Box' passed without incident. However, as the show progressed, I found myself increasingly uncertain as to how each song ended. This resulted in a few messy finale's, but by and large I was happy with my contribution. We managed to push the envelope a few notches and a few solos and outros started to have a life of their own.  :D
Our second night crowd enjoyed the show as much as the Canadian contingent.
The kit sounded great again. I have a few blisters coming along nicely.
And I'm reluctantly getting used to my dual role as drummer and roadie. I know I wont get any sympathy from most of you guys who deal with this regularly.
Sorry  :-\
The driver has just fired up the bus and we're heading down to Portland, Oregon.
 8)

Yeah, that's partly due to buying from a dealer who prides themself on stuff leaving the premises in premium condition - Maxwell Drums, Chicago. But, I must say these Craviotto snares just really agree with me. The maple edition, although coming with a high price tag, isn't one of his most celebrated drums. I'm blown away by just how good it sounds though. I can't think what Johhny could do, that hasn't been done before by Sonor, DW, Dunnett, N&C or Slingerland, but his snares seem to work even better for me than most drums by the previously mentioned manufacturers.

Yeah no problem. Perhaps once we hit our stride. At the moment, any time we are allowed in the venues is precious.
General jetlag logistical issues....
Last night I ran onstage and immediately realised I'd forgotten to put my -20db earplugs in. I'd left them in a suitcase on the bus too, so sending one of our crew to find them was not an option. All I could do was hope I didn't end the night with a loud ringing in my ears.
I ride (as in thrash) a 20" K crash/ride on several songs. Sometimes Karl decides to extend a solo unexpectedly, once I'm already playing full bore, so it calls for an extra heavy hand. Luckily, I don't seem to have suffered too badly. At least I got to hear my drums in the nude, so to speak, as they sound slightly 'produced' after processing by the Etymotic filters. That's not a bad thing by the way. Although I'm not finding it easy to judge my dynamics with the earplugs in, at least the onstage sound is clear and bright, albeit 20db down.
Finally, keeping track of all my belongings whilst constantly on the move is proving challenging. Without a drum tech, I'm ultimately responsible for all the drums. I also have three bags; my suitcase containing all my needs for a two month trip, plus a small wheelie bag containing my day to day needs and a third shoulder bag, usually containing backstage pass, money, iPod, camera and (hopefully) musicians earplugs. Last time I toured, I probably had an army of people looking after me, rather than me looking after an army of bags.  :P

That stinks you went all the way to Vancouver and didn't have time (or energy) to go see Ronn and his Dunnett factory. I will warn you against trying the Titanium. It's crack for drummers. You'll be handing Ronn your wallet before you've had a chance to think twice about it.

I think the fact you know how to recover from mistakes and don't get totally taken out of your game is one of the reasons why you're working an international tour and most of us are on this board talking about what it would be like to land a gig like that. ;)

Two things about mistakes....
1) 25 years has taught me most audience members don't notice them. *
Your bandmates might make a comment after the show, but all will be forgotten in the morning.
2) I grew up (professionally) in fusion bands. Most 'mistakes' I make are born out of pushing myself to the limit of my capabilities.
Obviously when recording, you aim for a safe and confident performance. In concert, I think the best moments are those when you push yourself and the performance pushes on a notch or two. If something doesn't quite work out, no one will blame you for going for it.
I mean, I'm not talking about playing a two bar fill and rejoining the band half a bar too late.  ;D

* Last night, Karl couldn't remember the first line of a song. We played through the intro and the scheduled first verse became an instrumental. As we swung around, as if to start the first verse again, no singing was yet forthcoming. This went on for about 4 cycles, a veritable extended intro.
Rather than feeling uncomfortable, our audience started to scream approval. Some hardcore fans who really knew the songs were laughing, others were doing the 'we're not worthy' routine (surprisingly).
I think people must see these moments as something special to them, an out of the ordinary moment, only they will witness.
I don't confess to understand it, but it's lucky for us most audiences look on with approval if a train wreck looks imminent.  ;)

Steve Maxwell's shop in Chicago is the greatest drum shop I've ever been to.  Chris - When you're in Chicago, please go over there.  It's in a beautiful, old building on South Michigan Ave.  Inside, you'll find the finest collection of vintage drumsets, vintage cymbals, various turkish style cymbals, Craviottos, and an amazingly nice and helpful staff.  Seriously worth the trip. 

I hope to see you at Park West if I'm in town - still don't know unfortunately.

A GREAT piece of info for beginners, intermedes and pros. It's a skill just like  grooves, fills or solid time keeping.

Our (read: my) gut reaction after a mistake is to grimace and shake the head. I've managed to purge most of these moments from my system and, for lack of a better term, *get my head back into the game.

*No comments from parents with kids who are addicted to 'High School Musical'  ;D

Aside from getting the 'visuals' under control is the skill of trying to make the most musical of choices while in the 'mistake' - either your own or other bandmates (Which, BTW: happened last night at a recital I was supporting on drumset. The high school senior recitalist recovered nicely after he almost switched to the wrong section in a song). These skills although not always obvious, are prized professionally.

Our modest and forthcoming DC brother Chris W. gives an example of musical grace under fire.

IMHO, FWIW, etc.

Jim

ya, know- in all my years peeping on these stupid drum boards this is the best gd thread I've ever read.

Kudos to you Chrisso- you are really a special soul.  Kick some major ass on your tour man!

Yeah, living vicariously through Chris's tour has made my playing life much more exciting!

VERY interesting first hand stuff. 

Just excellent!

Living vicariously?
You guys are welcome to the 5 hours sleep on a bus.  :-[  ;D

Thanks so much for all the positive comments fellow members!  :)

I'll try to answer questions, if any come up by the way.

One final thing, I'm really enjoying starting up in the north west. It's a a laid back part of the world.
Our venues so far have been located in cool neighborhoods. Lot's of really nice cafe's, restaurants, bars and clothing stores.
It's handy to have so many nice places to look at within 5 minutes walk of our base for each day.
Just arrived in Portland!

Chris, how much of America have you seen before this tour? Northwestern U.S. is some of the most scenic real estate inside the contiguous 48, and western Canada is downright breathtaking. It will be difficult to top the view as the tour moves on.

Yeah, well, I'll be there aren't a bunch of people in your audience yelling for Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'll take the 5 hours on a bus, just for a change.  ;D

Hmm... is it like:

Scraggly long hair, bearded dude, late 40's, works at an auto parts store, wearing t-shirt w/ rebel flag on it, holding a Bud (his 5th of the night plus some shots of 'Jack'), red-eyed, not standing particularly upright...sorta like the Empire State building on a windy day..., muttering..."Ya'll gonna play sum 'Skinnerd ?"

Never seen it.  :P

However, I vote for the World Party bus option*.

*Those words just look cool being written even though it's probably not an accurate mental image (thankfully).  ;D


Jim "Dandy" Martin

Quite a lot. The last time I toured America was in 1991 though, so I imagine a lot has changed.
Since 1991 I've made short trips to cities like NY, LA and SF, but this is the first time I've revisited Seattle and Portland for 15 years.
There are places I've never been. Most rock tours, especially by the European based bands, don't bother with North and South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming etc....
In fact, as mentioned before, this tour will see me travel to Colorado for the first time.
First time I came to America was in 1979 and I toured at least once a year between 1984 and '91.

Chris, Thanks again for sharing all of this.  It really is priceless stuff to pass on. 

If you can get into Phoenix, Gaddabout and I will volunteer to tech for you!  Plus, we'll make sure we get your belly filled with some awesome mexican food!

I love Mexican food. Unfortunately though, no shows are scheduled for Arizona.  :-\

So is the kit getting dialed in yet? Still running the G2's?
Single headed toms on a horizon kits... jeez that takes balls.  That's like, ordering a horizon kit with single headed toms.  That's one of the most over the top custom kit statements I've ever heard of.  I'm not blowing smoke up your skirt- it's just the way I see it.  Ya rock star you.  It wasn't a stupid move either.  It's just so original it's hard to wrap my head around it. 

Chris, thanks for the updates--it's really interesting reading! If you are liking the NW you will like Colorado too. The Fox Theatre is a dive-y little place on the west side of Boulder, which is right up against the mountains to the west, so you'll really have 'em in yer face! You'll be right next to Colorado University, blocks from where the venerated Lawless Percussion recorded their CD. Boulder is a really hip town, and very pretty--enjoy a sunset if you can!
 My SO and I would love to "roadie" for you, if there's anything we can help with post-show--altho neither of us really know beans about it.. :P  Grunt-work, we can do, tho...
 Enjoy it all! Sounds like a great time!

robyn

Los Dos Molinos. Definitely. We could even try to find something that didn't have jabaneros in it.

Yes to both.
If I didn't have the kit dialled in on day one I'd be angry with myself.
I've had to dampen down the bass drum more and more each show though. Any ringing at all has been causing some low end feedback in the PA.
We aren't gating any thing on the kit.


To be fair, I think the quality of the Horizon toms justify double heads. I feel a bit sheepish about that, but I already own an original era Horizon set with normal toms.
We're just crossing the Bay Bridge into San Francisco after a 12 hour drive from Portland.
Soundcheck is scheduled to start in 10 minutes.
I haven't a moment to stop and think yet.  :P

I'm enjoying these threads of yours, Chris. Cruise ship life is at least as absurd, but because of its relative tameness compared to road-touring. Anyway, as someone who's done a lot of timezone changes both by sea and by air, I can attest to the troubles of jet-lag and sleep cycle interruptions. I've always been apprehensive about artificially inducing sleep and have tried to avoid using sleeping pills to try to right my circadian rhythms (essentially your body's relationship to the rise and set of the sun and the biochemical patterns of hormone/neurotransmitter release that govern our sleeping/waking...) However, I have found one over-the-counter remedy to be helpful: Melotonin. Artificial Melotonin is designed to mimic the melotonin that your body releases as you become fatigued and to set of a chain reaction helping you sleep and achieve REM cycles, etc. There is a lot of evidence that using Melotonin can help get your body back on track by artificially inducing your sleep cycle to fit your new time zone. Use sparingly - even though it is not physically addictive - and you might find you can get over the lag a little quicker...

[/end nerdiness]  ;D

Just got off stage after our biggest gig so far, a packed Great American Music Hall, San Francisco.
Day off tomorrow! Unfortunately, largely spent driving from SF to LA.  :-[
Anyway, I felt good tonight. Finally getting a feel for this drumming thing.  ::)
I think I have to change all the tom heads though before the Roxy, LA show.
The last tour I did, I just asked my drum tech to do it. This time it looks like it's down to me.
The crowd were great tonight. there was a long queue outside the venue when we emerged from our soundcheck. They were mostly long time World Party fans. I've always liked San Fran.  :)
It's 1am and our proper crew are still loading the gear onto our trailer.
I can't see us getting any shut eye before 3am.

CW -- awesome thread man!!  ;D

Sounds like the tour is going well. They are advertising your Belly Up (Solana Beach) gig in the local Entertainment Newspapers and on the Belly Up web site. The artist for BU created a cool poster as well.

(http://www.bellyup.com/audiocal/cache/Event/images/00000000000000000345.jpg)

I will see you this Thursday the 17th. As mentioned, you will love the BU. Way cool place and fun crowd. I will bring my camera and snag some great photos of the band and you (look pretty  8) ). Just look for the guy in the DC T-shirt yelling "FREEEE BIRDDD". ;D

Hey, let me know if you need any drum supplies and I will run out and snag them for ya -- like heads or sticks and stuff. (pillows?) ;)

Get some sleep bud...Hope yer having fun.

btw--my audition went well for that originals band today...I'm in. :D

Great looking poster!
That's very kind of you.  :)
I'm good to go........and not getting through sticks or heads as quickly as I feared.
OK, you can drop the pillow thing now.  ;)
Congrats.
See you at Solana Beach.  ;D

Hey Chrisso,

It's amazing what you've done over the past six weeks or so....

Traveled three continents; learned an entire songbook; building new relationships with some great musicians; ordered and put-together a new, custom kit; already played shows that many -- including me -- would consider "career highlights"; visits with manufacturers and drum shops; interviews with the press....

And kudos for doing a tour at this level without a drum tech! I hope the bus is comfortable, and you're able to get the rest you need.

Much thanks for your posts!

ECHO: Excellent thread!

I'm so bummed! :'( Just read the post Friday a.m. that you played in Seattle Thurs, and were playing in Portland Fri., (I reside in between those 2 cities) couldn't swing a trip to Portland that evening. Let that be a lesson (especially to me): check into the DrummerCafe more often!

Congrats on the tour.

I'm that way and its good to hear.  It says to me that people still care about live bands.   Often when bands do things 100% like the cd, I enjoy the show less.   It feels like listening to the cd really loud surrounded by chatting folks.   But if things are mixed up a bit, it becomes a singular event, what you're hearing is it, you won't hear it like that again, and thats cool.

Thanks again to all of you for your kind feedback.
Well I admit I was a tad nervous last night - LA Roxy Theater, West Hollywood.
Probably the most important show of the tour for Karl (aka World Party), plus my old friend Gregg Bissonette was coming down.
I felt OK until I got onstage - we were behind a curtain, so I sat behind my kit just before the show started, as opposed to running on as the lights go down. Unfortunately it gave me some time to contemplate Gregg, his mystery friend and the many record industry people Karl's manager had invited to the show.
Karl is a bit erratic with his count-ins, not to mention introverted.
He often starts...." 1....2...." and just as you are keyed up for 1,2,3,4, he stops to check something on his guitar and the whole process has to start again. He doesn't shout a count in positively either, as I would. The last thing I said to him before we hit the stage last night was; please give me a two bar count into the opening song, as I have a half bar intro fill to lead into the song. So what does he do? No "1....2....", just the single bar 1,2,3,4 and everyone else comes in, leaving me stranded.  ???
This is life with The World Party.  ::)
I should be counting the songs in, but that's another story.
So all that set me off feeling nervous about what was to come.
To cut a long story short, the first four songs are probably the one's the band plays best. It gave me a chance to regroup and I soon put nervous thoughts to the back of my mind.
The show turned out to be one of our best.  :)
Gregg was so supportive afterwards.
He loved the concert toms.
I was a bit anxious, as our soundman has been insisting on micing four toms with two small condensers only. He combines that with a single overhead (for cymbals etc) and creates what must be an ambient drum sound (ala jazz or acoustic music). I thought it wouldn't work, but as regular Cafe members will know, I usually trust the man listening to the drum sound from the audiences' perspective, rather than dictating my own pre-conceived approach to live sound on him.
Anyway, Gregg said the drums sounded like a CD, and the concert toms were full and punchy.
His friend turned out to be a 'hot' guitarist called Doug. A very nice guy too.
I'm off shopping now. It's our first true day off.  8)

I don't mean to hijack this very cool thread, but I can relate. I was called in at the last minute to support an artist for a convention (they were desperate). There were 2,500 people there and all the songs were off a new CD, which I had heard a few times but never actually played.

Every single song is in 4/4, but one of them has a triplet-feel on the verse. The artist counts off 1 ... 2 ... | 1-2-3, 4-5-6 ... Dumb animal instict gave me enough resolve to come in on the downbeat, but I shot nasty looks at the singer for at least two verses and two choruses.

Chris, good to hear the LA show went well.  I enjoy reading your updates.  By the way, while you're out shopping, can you pick up a newspaper and coffee for me?  Thanks buddy!  ;)

Hey Chris -

Sounds like things are settling into place.  Glad its going well.  I had hoped to make the Park West show (great venue!) but I'll be out of town all next week.  :(

Chrisso sent me a couple of photos he shot of his touring kit:

(http://www.keithcronin.com/drumstuff/chrisso_kit_01.jpg)

Click HERE  (http://www.keithcronin.com/drumstuff/chrisso_kit_01.jpg)to see full-sized version of the photo above.


(http://www.keithcronin.com/drumstuff/chrisso_kit_02.jpg)

Click HERE  (http://www.keithcronin.com/drumstuff/chrisso_kit_02.jpg)to see full-sized version of the photo above.

Sweet looking kit!    8)

Thanks Keith!!!!!
10",12",14" and 16" toms.
Craviotto 7 x 14" snare.

Well, I did a bit of moaning at the beginning of this topic.
So the upside........
This evening I'm sitting by the pool at Le Parc hotel in Hollywood.
Belly full of Quesadilla and Margarita's.  :P :)
The rock star life.
Of course I paid for it myself. LOL  ;)
Karl and the band had to leave LA early so Karl could appear at a promo gig in San Diego. No way, I thought.
So I'm driving myself down to SD tomorrow.
A great day off and a really great hotel.
Money well spent.
It occured to me, in the rush, I didn't acknowledge my equipment all arrived in Vancouver exactly as I ordered it and virtually ready to play.
Thanks to DW (hardware), D'Addario (Evans heads), Noble & Cooley and Steve Maxwell (Craviotto snare).
As I write this, two guys my age are sitting in the jacuzzi talking about their chemical imbalances and past thoughts of suicide.
Only in LA!  ;D

Ooo..  :o

What's that snare in the bottom right of the bottom picture?

An SS perhaps?

Cool you're out and about, and sharing it.

Rock on.  ;D

Did i miss the la show, i think i did, dang.

1999 posts yay, sorry lol.

That's 'cause they LIKE you guys.

Totally interesting thread. At times I feel like I'm there.

 ;D I will be at the San Diego gig (Solana Beach) with my Canon and Mega-lens ;) tomorrow.

Stay tuned. Photos coming  :)

Say cheese-ie CW

Nice drums Chris!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Ive just been through a streak of bandleaders/guitarist who do this.  Some mumble the count and others just start a song expecting me and everyone else to recognize the riff and jump in.  Ive had no luck trying to explain that the drums often come in before the down beat.  I just do my best and try to make it sound as if I heard the whole count off.  Ive wanted to rant on the forum about this for a while but I thought it was just the guys I was working with.  I just signed on as drummer/music director for a Tina Turner Legends type show and one of the reasons I took the gig was so Ill finally be back in control of the count and the tempos.  
Keep the updates comming.

Too busy posting to stop by the Roxy?  :'(

 ;)

Scott,
You'll be my first Cafe victim.  ;D

Some places we've played have been negative about photography (pardon the pun). I know the World Party team don't mind.
I hope you don't have a problem getting your camera equipment in.
If so, try and get a message to me.
CW

YEAH BABY! ;D

I just got in from the World Party show at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, California with our man, Chris Whitten on drums.

WOW! What a great show. I met Chris before the show and we chatted a bit and he grabs a 10" Evans G2 Coated, signs it and sticks it in my paw. Shhhwwinnng. (Funny thing, I play Evans Coated G2s and my 10" got a big scratch on it, so I really needed one – Is it cool to play autographed-by-stars drum heads?) :o I also met his stunning better-half. Both were some of the nicest and charming folks Ive ever met. :)

There was a good crowd and the band seemed to be having a blast. I had heard that the LA show had some media big-wigs so the boys were more "behaved". But they seemed to all cut lose in funky-town San Diego and put on an awesome show. That energy enlivened the crowd. It was amazing.

Chris is a killer drummer. That man is a human metronome with feel. Many of his beats were simple but ohhhhh so tasty. He played about every groove out there – disco, funk, country, rock, and blues and just nailed it all. (And it was good to see even pros drop sticks – twice). 8)

His fills were open and airy and you felt the ONE all the way through. Yadda yadda…what did you expect from a pro? But what was really cool... here is a guy at the top of his game after playing with the likes of Paul McCartney and Dire Straits and touring the world. One might think that a drummer could become jaded or burned out. Not CW. He looked like an ecstatic high-school-er in a battle-of-the-bands. Mr. Whitten was having blast.

It was a great night watching, listening and learning from THE master at work. If you have a chance to see World Party, do it!

Thanks for the great evening CW. Rock on, bud. ;D

Aka
Scott

See more photos:
http://www.bowmanarchery.us/cw/

(http://www.bowmanarchery.us/cw/1.jpg)

Great photos, Scott!

Very nice kit Chris.  I love it.

Hope to say hi next friday at the H.O.B. you might be pretty jammed up for time and all.  No biggie.

I think we are going to be trying to party in the "foundations" room- which is the she she bar where the corporate wanna-be's buy in to take their customers.  My friend has a membership there (and I wish I did myself).  I'll have my DC shirt on  :-\ (maybe)  ;D But we have only general admission to see the show. 

Hope to see you then! 
W.H.

Great write-up and killer photos - thanks for posting that!

lovin' it

yeah, totally great photos.

Scott, fantastic write-up and photos, THANKS!

Those N&C drums look gorgeous! I'll bet they sound great from out front.

CW, how's set-up and tear-down going? It's gotta be tiresome, but I hope it's going smoothly.

How's it going on the bus... how are you passing the long hours on the highway?

Chris,
Are you taking the bus accross country or do you get to fly?  (To Chicago after tonights show). I look forward to the show in Columbus next Saturday. My 14 year old daughter asked me (out of the blue) if I would take her to the show. I hope it's not too adult oriented.

Chris was concerned about how the drums sounded in the audience and asked me to check it out. SO here goes.

I hung out at various spots in the audience to get a good listen to the drums. The snare sounded great – full bodied and cutting. The kick was booming with some attack and mixed well. The cymbals and HH were fine, clean and clear.

But the toms? Well…they did not sound good to me. I am not sure if it was the micing or the lack of resonant heads but they were dead from all points in the room (except one). I would describe it as "barkie" or "croaking". There was a lot of attack (mostly) and a thud (and not a very deep thud). What was more concerning is that on single-stroke tom runs (yep, he did a few)  8) I could not discern much note variation between the sizes. Chris could have just stayed on any tom and got the job done for that matter.

However, when I crawled up by the mixing board at the side of the stage (pushy photographer that I am) I could THEN hear a very nice tone (albeit a short one) from the toms. I was about 15 feet from the kit and below them so the bottoms were well exposed to me. At this point I was out of the PA Blast and Monitor push.

There was a ton of sounds generated on that stage from a variety of instruments and there is only so much sonic space. Try as they did, those toms got their little butts kicked in that maelstrom in their current config.  :o


Personally, I think the toms could use resonant heads to give them a nice (longer) fundamental tone and "ooooommmmmmhhhhh" after the attack and perhaps better focused micing on EACH tom to gather that individual sonic magic. This would give them at least a fighting chance.

There ya have it. :)

sb

Hey Scott, another interesting post, thanks.

That's a real shame that the toms aren't sounding great. I'd try micing from the bottom, rather than from the top. It might not work, but I think micing from below -- after the shells had a chance to shape and focus the sound waves -- would result in a good, powerful push of air. Just like we mic the bassdrum from the front, rather than at the beater.

Might not work-out, but it'd be worth a try wouldn't it?

Hey Chris

Thanks for the great thread.  Like felix said, this is one of the best threads I've read.  Thanks for bringing it all home to everyone. 

Your drums look absolutely gorgeous. 

I look forward to your future reports :) 

Yeah, first off, nice photos!!!!
Love it.
Well, I'm red faced and blushing from Scott's description.  ;)
Thanks for all the very kind words there dude.  8)
Here's the real story.
It was a bit of a disaster gig.
I broke a stick on the first song.
I dropped two sticks later in the show.....first time in ages.
The bass amp packed up three times during the show, plus Karl's guitar packed up a couple of times and he broke a string in the middle of a song.
We tried to rise above it. At one point, out of frustration Karl started thrashing his electric. I started a kind of heavy metal shuffle and everyone joined in.  ;D Karl sang his song 'Private Revolution' over the top of the jam. Nathan, our newbie bass player, didn't know where he was or what was happening.
In the end it all turned out great.
Sorry to say, it was the smallest crowd we've played to as yet.
On the other hand they were incredibly enthusiastic.
We did about four encores.
After the third, I removed my earplugs, our guitar tech started breaking down the amps and the house music went on.
But that only met with even louder chanting for more.
Incredible.
So we ran on and did another couple of songs.
Good for Solano Beach.  :)
It was great meeting Scott. What a guy and thanks for taking such amazing photographs.
I'll show the other guys once we have tonight's show out of the way.
After tonight we have the 1,000 mile bus ride to Boulder.  :-\
Aaaargh!
And my 'better half' is heading home to Sydney too.  :'(

All I can say is I'm doing two jobs and pretty knackered all the time.

I'm not really going for a long tone on these toms.
I think they would benefit from close micing though. We're playing 'rock' clubs and the kit is receiving a jazz treatment from our sound guy. You wont hear the detail in the toms, when they are unmiced (to a degree) and competing with miced kick and snare.
We have a new soundman coming aboard in Chicago, so perhaps they'll get a better crack of the whip from then on.

I'll loan you my sound guy Chris. He was M.E. for INXS on their final tour!  ;) I love the way he mixes my kit.

Chris --

Since you are showing the photos to the band, I added a few more. I have HIGH RESOLUTIONS version of all of them and a ton more (I took over 200). If  your PR folks want any, I will send them to them.

I survived the 1,000 mile trip from San Juan Capistrano, CA to Boulder, CO.
Menu for today? More of the same.
Appetiser = Fox Theater show
Swiftly followed by
Entree = 1,000 mile drive from Boulder to Chicago (via Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois).
Phew!

But he liked Boulder--he told me so! So here's my review, starting w/ a few random thoughts:

I am so deaf now. Even w/ my hearos. Definitely take earplugs.

Everyone in the band except Chris is really short.

If you go (which you should) DON'T make the mistake of blowing off the opening band (Elvis Perkins)! They have a great sound, and the drummer is something else! He played 3 tunes (all rather eclectic ones) on a marching bass drum--very good, very fun!! But--this is the Chris Whitten show, so...

+1 w/ what Scott had to say about Chris's talented playing! I watched a lot, learned a lot from watching. Perfect tempo, everything that he played fit each song. And he did look like he was having a great time, as did the rest of the band! However--

a very large -1 on Scott's opinion of the toms, b/c I thought they sounded great! 'Course I was standing 8 feet from the stage, and about 30 feet from the kit. I did not feel that they sounded "dead" or "all the same." 

If you live w/in a reasonable drive of one of the upcoming venues and you choose not to go, you are making a very big mistake! (I was gonna say "then you're a complete moron" but I didn't think that sounded very nice.) This was the most fun show I've ever been to! There were very few people in the under-40 age group, which was really weird, seeing all these balding, paunchy, greying people jumping up and down and rocking out. What fun!! That's my age group too! ;D I really gotta get out more.  The venue held about 675; there were about 450-500 there. So it was cool to have so much interaction w/ the bands, very personal--we were all sharing a great time! And that made it really fun.

Now I gotta get girly here:  >squeeeeeel<!!! I got to meet a real rockstar!! Chris is just sooooo cute!! And that adorable accent!  EEEEEEEEE!!!  ;D  I not only got a pair of signed drumsticks, but I scored a hug too!! ;D  And I got to help pack up the N&C set! :o  I was invited to "play" the snare to hear the sound...I gave it a few weak little taps ::)...sorry, too shy to try to actually play anything. Chris has it muffled w/ a ring--it does sound good that way!
 Sadly the only camera we had was one of those little peewee digital ones, no flash allowed, so all my photo attempts were pretty bad. Scott has me beat on that one. But my dear husband did take a really nice photo of Chris and me at the N&C--wow! I'd like to send that to someone to post if someone will volunteer.

Thanks again, Chris--what a treat to be able to visit for a few minutes w/ a pro, and to hear such amazing talent in action! Hopefully this tour will be so much fun for you that you'll want to get into it again! ;) Safe travels--

robyn

EDIT: Robyn got in before me after all, but I'll post this anyway.
More later....
1am.
Departing the Fox Theater in Boulder.
Well I thought I might make a pre-emptive strike on Robyn.
What a nice bunch of people we have at The cafe.....and Robyn is no exception.
She was so generous with her comments. She packed my toms for me too.  :)
From her post gig comments I think the concert tom controversy might continue.  ;D
Anyway, it was one of our best shows. We all enjoyed it.
The Fox Theater is a great venue and Boulder is a very nice town.
Thanks for your help and kind words Robyn.  :D
Onwards to Chicago.........

My partner, Belinda, was at the same show as Scott. She said the sound was pretty bad. I think my toms got lost in the debacle while our soundman was wrestling with some unruly bass frequencies and over powering guitars etc... ::)
I don't even know what the concert toms sound like myself. We don't have anyone who could play them while I stand out front. We also haven't had any time to do that kind of thing.
So everyone's comments, including Scott's and Robyn's are interesting to me. Obviously I'm hoping for more positive comments though.
Anyway, thanks again Robyn for your positive review of me and the band.  :)

I was thinking how nice it'd be if you could get one of the nice drummers from the cafe to play the kit while you listened out front.  Of course, this is assuming you had the time to do that.  May you have continued success!

Hi Chris,
To clarify a little further regarding the toms; they actually sound good: meaning during that one song at the end of the set where the band cuts out and you play some funk beat for about 8 measures alone…they sounded nice for the one or two fills where you visited them. The problem was when the band kicked in and that Hoffner fired up, your toms got elbowed to the back of the bus. The only audio waves of your toms that could penetrate the sonic blast of the band was some stick-attack and some high-end "croak".

Im not a sound guy but I would have your tech stick some microphones IN the toms and bleed those suckers to the MAX. Then fire up the band and have HIM play "Whipout" on those toms while you have a beer out by the bar.

Kawabunga.

"scott"

ok, a few pics from the vancouver show.. more/better ones to come soon..
thanks for inviting me down chris, it was great to meet you finally and see you kick off your tour!

(http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/cml/pics/IMG_3885.JPG)

(http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/cml/pics/IMG_3972.JPG)

(http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/cml/pics/IMG_3992.JPG)

(http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/cml/pics/IMG_3876.JPG)

(http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/cml/pics/IMG_3905.JPG)

I WANT THAT KEYBOARD!

Just had to say "playing whipout" will get you arrested in most USA venues. It happened to Jim Morrisson.  ;D

WIPE OUT is another matter.

Boomerweps

Very droll.  ;)

OOPs typo...actually I was at the concert in Miami. Jim never whipped anything out ;) it was the crappiest concert I'd ever been to. Jim was too drunk to do anything except cuss and mess with the police  ::)

The Vancouver stage is slightly bigger than my first apartment. It wasn't big enough for me and a friend, and it certainly wasn't meant for a 7-piece band -- including an accordionist.

I bet those concert toms would've sounded good in my first apartment, though. ;)

More pics:
http://www.worldparty.net/forum/index.php?topic=476.0

Park West in Chicago tonight.
Felix is looming large in Cleveland.  ;)

Nice pic of the bottomless tubs--hope it went well tonight! :)

robyn

Thanks Robyn.
Can you hear again yet?

Yeah, I'm good now. ;D When I went to practice last evening, my husband said, "Play like Chris!" and I did--at least, that is, I hit the drums harder than I usually do. I was very inspired by the condition of your drumsticks! ;)  The rest of the band noticed too--"geez, Robyn, you've really bumped it up a notch!"  We played "Louie Louie"--how can you play a song like that and not hit the drums hard?!

robyn

Felix are you looming again?

Just working my fuzzy tail off.

We are looking forward to seeing Chrisso's band Friday... should be fun- I need to blow off some steam.  I really like the H.O.B.  I am kinda bummed at how beat I am- I really don't have the spunk to take pics.  I'm going to induct C.W. into the Cleveland R&R hall of fame though. 8)

Felix,
Did you see that Asia is going to be at the H.O.B. on 9/15

Chris,
I know this goes back a page or two in this post. The guy you met is Doug Bossi - a good friend of mine here in LA. He is an excellent guitarist (I've worked with him before), great guy and used to play with Greg with his brother Matt in a band called "The Mustard Seeds" back in the '80's/'90's (I think). I just saw him today and asked him if he saw you in the show.

For the record he said the show was great and that you were killer. 8)
I really regret that I could not make it down that night.


Jim

Thanks for that Jim.  :)
Felix, do you know our HOB show is now at a normal time?
World Party onstage around 9:45pm

Chris...I see you're playing Toronto Sept 3rd...I'll try and make it...

Hi Gang,
Lot's of news (good and bad).
Bad........
Our internet connection crashed for two days, so I haven't been able to update you.
Our tour manager/soundman was fired in Chicago.
We now have a new tour manager and are using in-house soundmen from now on. That could be interesting.  :-\
Also, our lead guitarist left the band, a scheduled departure as he is touring with his own band in the UK. It's bad news for me though, as I think he was the glue that held the rhythm section together with our front line.
The morning after out Chicago show, I woke with a sharp pain in my right wrist.  ???
We had a day off, so I tried to take it easy, but by late evening it was just as painful as when I first experienced it.
I bought Ibuprofen.
Yesterday we had a show in Newport, Kentucky. It's across the river from Cincinnatti.
It's a nice place, lot's of old buildings, nice restaurants and a great view of Cinci.
My wrist was hurting, so you've guessed it, Karl wanted to do a lengthy soundcheck to practice his new role as guitarist.
After that our promoter drove me to a Walgreens and I picked up an ice pack and a wrist brace.
I played the show with the wrist brace on. I held back on some of the louder sections and cut out some of my faster, flamboyant fills.
My wrist was more painful by the end of the show, but I got through it without too much compromise.
Of course, we have two more shows without a day off.  :P
Better news.......
I slept with my wrist brace on last night and this morning my wrist feels a little better. I'm sure after another soundcheck and the House Of Blues show, I'll be back at square one though. I really need a week off. No chance of that.
I've no idea if drumming is to blame. I haven't properly played for 15 years.
I was hand washing some t-shirts after the Chicago gig and may have strained a muscle wringing them out. I felt fine after the Chicago show. I always warm myself up at least a half hour before each show and I am concious not to tense up while playing the shows.
However, one of the reasons I was annoyed at Karl's lack of interest in rehearsing (as described in an earlier diary) was because I knew I needed maximum playing time before we hit the road proper.
Good news......
Our new tour manager knows his job and is super efficient.
On our day off in Chicago I visited Steve Maxwell at his drum store.
It was located in a magnificent old building downtown.
Steve stocks premium gear. I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I got to play a lot of stuff I'd heard about, but never seen before.
Some old K's and A's. Some Spizzichino cymbals. More Craviotto snares and one of the first Craviotto (solid shell) drum kits.
Everything sounded great. Luckily for my wallet, none of the cymbals exactly suited my playing style. The Crav kit was awesome, but $6,200. So I wont be hurrying into that purchase.  ;)
Cleveland Rocks, seeing Felix tonight (hopefully)!

Great Andy B.  :)
Hopefully see you there.

Hi Chris, sorry to hear of the difficulties, esp. your wrist. Keep using the brace, esp. when you are online too!

At the risk of being photoshopped again, here is a link (provided by Louis, another DC cutie-pie! :-*) w/ a photo of Chris and me AND (most of) the N&C at the Boulder show.

robyn

http://www.louisrussell.com/chris_whitten_small.jpg

Ouch, I look a bit hot (as in perspiring).

wow, what a whirlwind! i'm digging your gig journal. always cool getting the inside scoop.

looking forward to checking out the irving plaza gig here. i'm trying to drag my gaggle of galfriends, though ya never know with them. they're starting to act like little 'ole bitties. as if we all had something important to do the following day. pfft.

good luck with this wave of the tour, and hope your wrist is doing okay. have you looked into one of those magnet bracelets? i've heard lots of folks say nifty things about them.

On the subject of in-house sound persons..........
We've been using in-house monitor people since day one.
We've only had a couple of disappointments so far.
One guy slapped 80's gated reverb on my snare, in my monitors, half way through the show. Even though I'd asked for no snare in my monitors, let alone snare plus verb!
The best people we've had, set the monitors at soundcheck and don't play with them during the show.  ::)
The outfront guy in Chicago was apprently very good. We had a nice Dutch lady doing monitors and they were also excellenty controlled.
Last night, the soundman mic'ed my toms individually for the first time on the tour.
However, in doing so, he seemed to have lost interest in micing my hi-hat or cymbals. In the end, with much persuasion, we managed to get a single overhead above the kit.
Our new tour manager said the drums sounded great.
Tonight I have high hopes for the House Of Blues. Fellow bandmates who play HOB venues regularly say the in-house staff are usually very good.

Chris - So sorry I had to miss the Chicago show.  I'm very glad you made it over to Maxwell's shop.  That place is heaven, no? 

Revised HOB showtime = 9pm.

Yes! I love Steve's place downtown.  The thing that used to freak me out, (beyond the gear of course), is the elevator.  It's a manual, lever based, elevator that has a human operator that takes you from floor to floor of the fine arts building.   The acoustics in Steve's place are excellent, and every piece of equipment in there sounds like a dream. I walk there every Saturday just to look around, and it takes a serious amount of will power not to break the bank in there. Sorry I missed you!

Chris,

I've had some similar wrist problems in the past. My wrists always respond to ice a couple of hours before I warm up and directly after a show. I usually take a few ibuprofen before a gig anyway, because I have chronic headaches, and it definitely relaxes the muscles if I get on top of it an hour before a show.

My knees, however, don't respond to any treatment. Based on your high praise, I think I'll ask Noble & Cooley if they custom fit knee caps. ;)

I'm curious what it's like playing with a wrist brace. I think I'd be afraid of it in case the limited motion forced me to play in a way that would make me hurt somewhere else in my hands or wrist. Were you able to get through all your motions without limitations? If you endorse it, I may try that myself!

hey Chrisso, got your message.  thanks.  We will be up in the foundations room around 7:30'ish

Peace, and have a great gig.  Hope to bump into you, if not, that's cool... I know you are busy.

I'll try and wander around beforehand.
If not, you'll see me packing up the kit afterwards, although that usually means I'm busy.

This is more of a support. Not the kind of brace with a hard strip of metal down the centre.
It's flexible and made by Futuro Sport.
I had few mobility issues with it in the show last night. My wrist feels OK after our soundcheck today.
Perhaps it's on the mend.  8)

Sorry, it isn't the best camera. And you were working hard! And I was jumping up and down for 3 hours! Shiny happy people... ::) ;D

robyn

In the tradition of his outspoken Cafe persona, Felix had a misadventure with the HOB security and two of them threw him out.  ???
 ;D
I managed to sneak him back in though.  :P

Whoa Felix!  You got some 'splainin' to do! 

I'm glad you snuck him back in though!

Yes. One of the one's from the McCartney tour.
Sorry I forgot to reply to this earlier.

It's funny cause I get in trouble every darn time I go to that concentration camp.  Punk kids.  Throw me out for lifting up a curtain for 3 seconds- could they give a fan a hand (like there was NO ONE rushing the stage)  Seriously, it's a nice place but it's too corporate for me.  Most concerts are like that now.  It's a different world we live in.  You think you have some rights?  They are being taking away from you just as fast as they can.  Rock N Roll- yeah right.

Well, after the melodrama... Chrisso invited me and Mrs. felix backstage.

He's such a cool dude.  He showed me his beautiful drumset and we made some small talk.   He is very easy to talk to and is wealth of knowledge and experience.

I guess I have to give my opinion about the show right?

Well for what it's worth:

That Karl guy is a hell of a song writer with a fantastic voice.  Tons of talent there.  The backing musicians were very fresh sounding and looking with excellent complimenting vocals.

The sound overall was very good and even getting better as the night progressed.

Chrisso's drumset sounded excellent.  I've seen several shows there and I would say that was the best kit I've heard in that joint.

The kick- awesome sounding.

The snare- very thick and creamy with an overall big crunchy bite.  Chrisso plays backbeat from the hip which delivers a fat and consistent groove.

The concert toms had a very pronounced "timbre" type tone- prounounced shell sound I thought.  They kinda bark,gulp and snap with a controlled woody decay.  Basically my favorite type of tom sound- they really work perfectly out front in larger venues.  Chrisso let me check one out backstage and just tapping the thing goes right thru you. 

Man, I would really enjoy playing that drumset on an extended basis  :) ;D

So on that note- have a safe journey and I hope we can meet again next time.

Here's my retort........
Felix and the missus are sweet people.
I was astonished to see the F man being pushed towards the door by (obviously bored) security gorilla's.
It was great to finally meet Felix.
We had a nice chat, even though I was stressed about packing up my drums, and I was sorry to have to show them the door so I could get showered up and ready to leave Cleveland.
Apart from Felix's positive comments on the kit, one of our guests, a busy drum tech who works with international acts, commented specifically on the concert toms. I asked him what he thought of my drums and he replied it was so nice to see single headed toms making a comeback and he was slightly surprised by just how good they sounded.
At our soundcheck earlier in the day, the HOB house guy spent about 5 minutes dialling in the kit. He then rushed up to the stage and shouted it was one of the best @$%# kits he'd ever heard.
I took that as a major compliment.  :)

Felix, I'm really glad you got past security. That would have totally sucked if they had tossed you! With some of the wack-jobs that are out there, it's good they take security seriously, but they should have treated you courteously while they were being careful.

That's terrific that Felix, the drum tech, and the HOB house guy all thought the drums sounded fantastic! I'm sure the N&C's are sweet drums, but I'm also pretty certain that The Drummer had a lot to do with them sounding great. You can bet that if CW brought in a DW kit with reso-heads, they'd sound great also. I've heard great players make even crap drums sound amazing, and vice-versa -- I've personally made superb drums sound like crap! Lol! ;)

It's also interesting that the HOB sound guy got the kit dialed-in in just a few minutes. CW has mentioned in another thread that one of the best sound guys he's come across just placed the mics, fiddled at the board for a few minutes, and, voila! Amazing sound!

I think it's a good reminder, especially for those who haven't played live too much, that getting a good sound is an art, and there's much more to it than simply purchasing a cool brand of drum, whether the shells are birch or maple, using Remo or Evans heads, etc.... The room, the mics, the sound system, the sound-tech are all crucial. Also, how The Drummer adjusts the tunings and dampenings of the drums will make a huge difference. Finally, HOW he/she plays the drums, and adjusts his/her playing to best suit the conditions of the venue, will ultimately make-or-break the sound. For example, if one is playing outdoors on a windy day, we need to adjust our technique, as opposed to playing in a 100-seat club with low ceilings....

This is old news to veteran players, but I know some young guys who've never played live, and they didn't know this, so I just thought I'd mention it.

Anyway CW, continued thanks for the superb notes from the tour!

Chris, I wanted to ask you about your cymbals (esp. since I didn't get a good look at them in Boulder). I looked thru all the other WP threads (which was actually rather fun to review them :)) and couldn't find anything about which cymbals you're using, besides that they're Zildjians. But which ones are you using, and how do you like them?

Ah Charlottesville! I went to school there, and then stayed on working at the hospital there for 2 more years--neurosurgery floor, very interesting place. Christopher Reeve was there after he had his injury.

Hope your wrist is doing better.

robyn

No prob. Byron.  My wife said the same thing.  I still thought they could of at least lifted the curtain and relayed the message.

Boy am I up crapola creek without a paddle with my cover band.  I blew off friday and was supposed to play tonight  :-\ but something got lost in the translation  :P  *it was worth it to see C.W.*

Nice drum...

And that's your "hot spare"?

That Crav must sound pretty amazing to take the lead over an SS.

The 7 x 14" Crav snare is the best!
Robyn,
I'm using 14" K Hi hats.
A 19" K Thin Crash, a 20" K Crash/Ride, an 18" K Con Crash and a 20" K Custom Ride.
I'm not totally sold on the K Custom, but I haven't found anything better as yet.

Felix ole buddy  Click Here (http://louisrussell.com/PaddlesStore.jpg), I am sure this will help!   ;D

HA! funny, Louis!

Thanks Chris. Is the K Custom ride the same as a K custom dark ride? I've seen alot of people on DC mention that one as one that they liked.

robyn

Those are different rides. 

Yesterday we played an alternative music festival in Columbus Ohio.
It was interesting to watch the younger bands and the fairly young, enthusiastic crowd.
Most of the drummers were high energy. They were all centre-head hitting on the snare and there was a lot of heavy damping on toms and snare batter. Those two aspects seemed to run counter to the effect the drummers wanted to achieve.
I guess I'm older and of a different generation, but I don't hear a powerful, alternative rock drum sound coming from hitting a heavily damped snare in the middle of the head.  ???
Anyway, it started to rain during the band just before us and most of the younger audience members decided to go home at that point.
It's a shame they didn't give us a chance. I probably wouldn't have either at that age, but you never know.
None of my previous drumming compadre's stuck around to see what I was up to.
I guess I used to watch other drummers I was on the same bill with. You can always learn something, even if it's just what not to do.  ;)
My wrist is improving quickly, which says to me I should be more careful when wringing out my washing, rather than worry about my hard hitting drumming.

I do hope that there's a hefty layer of epoxy on those wooden paddles...

Thanks Louis.

Great thread.

Chrisso has a very unique and individualistic style.  I was checking out his sticks today (he gave me an autographed pair, a little too whipped to really use though  :-\ ;D)- thanks again btw.  The left stick was just about ready to break in the middle with maybe just a few marks from cymbals and the right stick was all marked up from hitting his crashes.  I don't think he changed hands with them the whole gig.

Ahh, the minutia of drumming, and how we discuss it here at D.C. 8)

It's probably more from playing a half-open hi-hat with the shaft of the stick.  ;)
BTW, Robyn was right, it's a K Custom Dark Ride.

The Columbus Show-
I convinced my daughter to stay for World Party in the rain. Chris you sounded great! My daughter thought the band souned like Oasis. Go figure!

My CW sticks are pretty beat to sh*t too! Very inspiring! ;D

Re: the K Dark--you're not sold on it? What is it that you don't like about it?

robyn

Re: the K Dark--you're not sold on it? What is it that you don't like about it?

I have all K Darks and I'd love to hear your complaints, too, Chris. I would think it'd be a pretty heavy cymbal for that gig, but much better in the studio.

'Complaints' would be too harsh a term.
I most often use K Dark everything too.
This ride is a little mainstream for my current tastes.
There weren't many rides for me to choose from on the day I visited Zildjian.
Some kind of K Con might have been more to my taste. A lot of the Constantinople series are just too jazzy for my rock playing however.
The K Custom 'Dark' is OK, but a little too pingy and high pitched.

Maybe where you are but when I heard them I thought they were lovely.  Much brighter thru the PA.  I was closing my eyes and really soaked it in a few times.  Very big with "the zildjian" sound... seemed like they responded faster than say an A Zildjian... which surprised me.  I knew you were playing zildjians but I had not a clue what they were and would not have guessed they were K's.  Very modern sound- to my ears you got all of the trademark zildjian decay with a faster attack than an A.  Big and explosive too.  Pretty cool.  Maybe I would have a different pick for a ride in your situation, but the crashes are what really stuck out.

I thought they sounded great.  But what do I know  :-\ ;) ;D

Yeah, I love these crashes.
In fact I'm drawn to ride on the 20" K Crash/Ride more than the Custom 'Dark'.
I would have liked to have found a nicer ride to contrast the crash/ride.

I have all Custom K Darks -- 20" ride, 16" and 18" crashes, 13" hats. I love these cymbals, but they are on the dry side.

Chris, have you had a chance to check out the Hybrids yet? They have a 20" ride that might be more to your liking.

Have a great time at the Birchmere tonight!  You'll enjoy it there.  I lived in Northern Virginia for over 35 years.  Just make sure you can make it thru the traffic.

I notice that you're in Charlottesville in 2 days!  I hadn't kept up on the schedule, I'll have to see if I can make it.

All the best.

Chris,
Awesome thread! Thanks for sharing your experiences. It makes guys and gals like me feel good to know that even the very best need to learn to overcome adversity when playing live. No New York stops?  ???
MP Ben

I'm bummed I was out of town and unable to make the Park West show or the Tower Records meet & greet in Chicago.  How was your stay here? 

I recall the Park West was to be your first show with a new sound guy.  Smooth transition?

Sept 7 2006 doors 7 pm
Stephen Talkhouse  Amagansett, New York
tickets on sale at
http://www.thestephentalkhouse.musictoday.com/StephenTalkhouse/calendar.aspx
Sept 9th 2006
Irving Plaza
New York, New York
http://www.irvingplaza.com/tickets/

here are all my decent photos from the Vancouver show...

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/cml/pics/WPGallery/

enjoy, everyone.

Nicely done!

Wow! Beautiful photography!

Nicely done!  Some of the angles made me wonder if you were hanging from the rafters.  ;D

Nice pics, Luvmyleedy!

Hey Chris, are any of the tunes changing, or morphing as you and the band progr