Pragmatic Thoughts From The Townedger-March Edition ..

In the course of this blog I have this as a reference on how to better myself playing drums and mentioning what goes on during those jam sessions.  I had a sobering conversation the past couple days pending to the now deleted post called Changes and had one of my good jam buddies gave me the comment that made me take a deeper look into things.  But he still managed to like my music page after all. Thank you Terry for being a good friend.

While Terry was a bit more kinder, my co hort Geoff Redding was a bit more blunt, saying that I'm much better than that for making a very misguided blog and that when you go to jams, you're there to have fun, not complain about what songs to play.  His words:  "If you're not having fun, go elsewhere or stay home, it might have been funny the first time while complaining about Wonderful Tonight, after the fifth time it makes you look petty and "you're much  better that that".  Usually a man of few words Geoff did say in uncertain terms that I crossed the line and became sounding like a pampered diva.  He also leveled a few choice words at Martin Daniels too about professionalism.  "Don't  go around social media saying that owning certain songs on the music circuit or the other musicians got served. They won't notice till you keep harping and then they will take notice and they come back and serve you in a different way.  He said a few other things along the way but by then the point was taken. It should be put to rest effective now.

While Terry did become another supporter of the music page, a certain bass player that shall be nameless unliked the site. It was easy to tell since only 8 people like it and I hardly ever mentioned the site.  Of course I bookmarked the page just in case he needed to get a hold of me when we were getting that band going last year and I couldn't remember his name. I'm still friends with him on other social media outlets.  His work ethic is lax, but he can play the bass with the best of them.  When he wants to.

I gotta hand it to Mr. McDowell, he's back helping out another reunion of Justin Case, one of the better bands of the 90s and early 2000s.  Terry will be doing the beats for that band.  Hardest rocking dude out there, other bands he's in are FLEX, Toxic Blonde, Thereshold, The Mutts and probably a couple more I don't know about. The man's living a dream.  I probably could draft him for a band project if I ask him.

It was a year ago The Wiley Kats dissolved, probably around the same day that certain bass player unliked our music site.  To honor his wishes, his pictures were taken off the music site.  I don't mind jamming with Wiley Kat Tim, but he's free to find replacements for his band.

As much as it was fun going over some new songs with Russ for the first time in many many years, I still hold reservations if this is going to work.  I can point out the arrangements and show him how I do songs and would love to see him surprise us all by showing up at jams  but since this is not a paying job and done for fun, and it all comes down to if we traded stage anxieties.  He was certainly more out in front during the Paraphernalia Tyrus years.  I hope our time together hasn't passed us by.

At the end of the month I always put something together when people ask me questions on the Townedgers' Face Book Site and other observations, but it has gotten to the point of being obsessive.  And since I do keep busy with jams and writing about the results and highlights perhaps the EOM thoughts are pointless as they come.  Even my A and R man hardly reads them.  But I get asked about ex band members and who my favorite musicians in town are and I am happy to post them.  But I tend to look back in the past and looking for something worthy to remember by.  In the future I will continue to post lyrics and comment about the albums that you the reader ask about.

Even if they don't sell.

On the subject of Jon Wilson, he does endorse Sabian Cymbals.

In the past I have played Paiste cymbals (2007-2014) and still have them in storage somewhere. My ideal lineup are Zildjian K dark crashes.  They blend into the music and not overpower the songs.  I hardly use power crashes anymore.   The story goes that in 1980 when I was buying off the wall brands (Zym and Camber) I was looking to compile a Paiste cymbal lineup and couldn't think of the name, I told Dick Dott at West Music they were a funny sounding name and he thought it was Zildjian, I did find a Paiste 404 but in 1981 all the Cambers and garbage can lids were jettisen for Zildjians . Mostly old medium thin crashes and crash rides.  The lineup was a 16 inch Thin Crash, a 16 inch medium thin crash, two 18 inch crashes, a 20 inch Pang and a 21 inch rock ride.  That lineup was used during the Paraphernalia era.

Later on after somebody ripped off about four cymbals I used the basics, but in 1985 purchased a Z Power Crash and some Impulse Cymbals, which were the answer to Paiste Rudes but in theory were a cheaper line of cymbals.  The 16 inch was great to crash and the 18 inch was better to ride but was a poor crash.  The Impulse High hats were awful and I just gave mine away.  Over time, I would add the Oriental Crash Of Doom for a china and then gradually moved to dark crashes.  And replaced my Impulse ride for a 19 inch Armand Ride which works as a crash cymbal too.

The high hats of note were K Quick Beats, 14 inch side.  In 1988 after giving up playing drums and basically leaving my old Zickos out for the garbage man to pick up, I purchased a K/Z hat set and used that from 1988 to 2015 till I found a a used pair of Quick Beats for 95 dollars and snapped them up.  For the most part the cymbal line up is my old 16 inch Rock Crash to go with the Medium Thin A Crash and 18 inch K Dark Crash  to go with the Armand Ride and Oriental Crash Of Doom.   I still have plenty of cymbals laying around for jams or putting them to use on various projects.

Does having a FB site to promote my concerts and jams do much to bring in more people in?

Answer: No.  I think it makes the 9 people who like my site know that something is going on, but in all honesty it has very little effect.  It gets the word out but that's about all it does.

I think I need to quit blogging more often.  I am making too many mistakes and forget to put words in where they're needed.

That pretty much concludes this month of more misguided thoughts and comments.  To which one more question was thrown at me.