Reunion-Mike Spina Retirement Party

Songs

If You Could Read My Mind

Taxi

Two Hangman

Grandpa Was A Carpenter

Paradise 

Your Cheatin' Heart.

Dave Bonham-Lead vocal and guitar 1-3

Carl Meiners-Lead vocal and guitar 4-6

Mike Frederick-Banjo 4-6

Cathy Hart-"Oh Carl" on 6

R. Smith-Drums

Drums provided by Rich Toomsen

With:

Jess Toomsen, Rick Gallo, Rick Wengle, Luther Parker, Kathy Parker, Donna Jo and Bill Eisner, Barb and Bob Francisco, Mike Williams, Bonnie Harrison, Jeff Gage and others.

It was a loose jam featuring the Country Biscuits (Lorie, Bonnie and Mike Williams), Dan Hartman, Dave Bonham and Carl Meiners.  I provided some backing percussion, nothing fancy, nothing to work up a sweat about. 

This is  Mike Spina, who retired from his job.  Lorie Parker took this photo of Mike and Cathy.  Now, he'll be working for the new boss! ;) 

Whisky Jo's-Ending Things On A Up Note

Songs:

Ain't Living Long Like This

Long Black Veil

The Same (A Billy Bourbon Original)

Honky Tonk Woman

Billy Bourbon-Lead Vocal and guitar

Tommy Bruner-Lead Guitar

Dave Bonham-Bass

R.Smith-Drums

Terry McDowell-Host

Last week, I bailed early for a the baseball playoffs.   There were no other drummers.  This week, Bob Miller played and Ronnie Boles from the Route 66 Band came up from Marshalltown to play drums and sing.    This was my last showing to play on a weeknight before heading back to evenings and dealing with fall processing.   I never knew the title of Billy's original and thought it was All Along The Watchtower, which had the same sound.

With Ronnie appearing, it made my set very short.  Dave Bonham played lead earlier with Sir Bob on drums, then switched to bass later on.  

Afterwards, Terry mentioned that the Wed. night jam will continue.  I hope to take a long lunch to make a few of them before the year is out.

Tammie Unash, Dee Vieman, DJ Maus, Greg Nost, Tom Berdo (who took the photos), Joe Mullinex, Garry Markley, Jeff Brown, Bill Whalen, Donna Jo and Bill Elsner and Freddy Jones were part of the crowd.

Sir Bob and Ronnie Boles really crashed the Rudes tonight.  I'm sure Tommy went home with a earache.  Even with earplugs I could hear the crashes pretty clear.  I could tell Tommy had a good time with me behind the drums, we shook and said great job to each other and to Billy too.   If anybody dented the splash, that would have been Ronnie.

Sir Bob Miller is filling in on drums for Full Circle.   Which is cool.

Thoughts From The Townedger-September 2021

Here tis.  The last week of doing open mics and jams before going back to evenings to work.  Certainly Terry McDowell is giving thanks for continuing to host these jams and keeping me brushed up on my drumming skills.   Most of the week went to watching baseball by the Mississippi River with the exception of the Friday Night gig with Julie and Guitar Dave at Checkers, who were last minute replacements for Blues Rox, when our main attraction got sick with the flu, not Covid.  It was better just to cancel and let somebody else do that.  To which Julie and Dave did.  

I basically used a snare and cajole for percussion but should have brought the bass drum.  It's hard to keep a beat tapping on the stage floor.   It's not easy to be part of a duo that you're a special guest, even tho you are dating the girl singer for the past three years.  I don't plan to have any projects with Julie in the future. But as long as she and Dave are getting out to play, she'll be fine.

Avey Grouws band is playing at the Olympic this week and next will be part of the Checkers' Thirsty Thursday jam with Terry McDowell and the Mandela Effect.  I don't know If I'll be there, October is when I go back fulltime to evenings so it will be pick and choose.  Same with Artisan Tuesday Open Mic, which I didn't play due to the baseball playoffs.  Only happening for this week is Whisky Jo's, which will be my last time to participate.  

With Blues Rox not playing last week, we have been regressing.  With Avery Grouws Band, we missed out playing and opening for them last year.  I'm not sure about if we can get back to opening up to the likes of them or even others.  With October rolling around and back to work again, we won't have many chances to play for the rest of the year.  

 

I haven't had a haircut in the past two years due to Covid issues so usually Julie cuts my hair.  My hair drives me crazy and I didn't want to deal with the Joe Dirt look, so I actually gave myself a haircut.  I tried to Van Gogh myself and cut my ear twice, but it actually looks quite good, not bad for a  chop cut.

I do wish I could have gotten back into playing sooner than I did when I came back on in 2015.  Part of the problem was that I couldn't get over stage fright and a nagging doubt about my playing ability but it turned out that I had it in me, but lack the confidence to override the self doubt.  The music that The Townedgers did in the 1990s proved that the music was quite good and Greg Nutter was right about me, I could play with the best.  30 years ago, I still had the road ahead of me to make it, nowadays, I look back and wonder what could have been but at the same time continue to play along with the best in town.  Talent is in the mind of the beholder.  Certainly I wish I could front a band with Julie and Dave but I think they have their own vision of their music. I tend to be a chameleon, and not fitting with any sort of music alignment.   I think at this point, I have done what I set out to do as part of the Townedgers and the music that I created these past three decades.  Nobody will get to hear it but I still have it here in the archives, just waiting for the right sort of software to get it out to the open.   

(The Whisky Jos gang: Bill Whalen, DJ Maus, Greg Nost, Me, Greg Mullenix, Tom Berdo, Tom Berdo)

With schools back in session, my vacation days will be done.  And will have to wait another 9 months to once again to do the summer tours, but time keeps slipping away.  I haven't felt much like doing the acoustic jams and playing guitar of late.  There will be a handful of Blues Rox gigs but I don't trust the North Port barowner giving us a gig anytime soon, he didn't when he owned aces and eights.   Looking at what and where we played at, the high was Jones County Fair despite competing with Kane Brown's soundcheck break beats and helping out Kimberly with the Homestead Gig with No Limits.  The Wasserbaum gig was the most disappointing with nobody showing up and that was our one and only showing there.  At this point in my life, I go with it.  There'll may not be a next time.  But at least, Whisky Jo's have signed on to keep the Wed Night jam going. 

That's it for now. See you at the ball game. (next time)

Checkers-What Makes You Sing The Blues?

Songs:

Willin'

Never Been To Spain

Behind Blue Eyes

It's My Time

Help Me

Spoonful

Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Julie Gordon: Harmonica, Guitar and lead vocal on Stop Dragging  My Heart Around

Rick Wingel-  Percussion on Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Dave Bonham, Q. Duarte and Brett Johnson were there.

A sub par night.  I wasn't feeling it, plus our band got canceled for Friday Night due to Kris being ill.  Brian couldn't keep the thing together and there's no lead guitar player outside of Kris.   If the kid can't play, we don't play.

Quentin Duarte was the only other jammer outside of me that played.  And basically, I didn't care much for my song selection.   Julie helped out on harmonica and did great on the last song, but I wasn't pleased she decided to talk about other jammers to come up and play when I was finishing up Spoonful.   I thought that was a bit rude.   We had a bunch of dudes playing darts and whooping it up, which threw me off the beat on another song.  I didn't see Carl Meiners nor Bill Shattler tonight.  With the lack of crowd from both Whisky Jo's and then Checkers' I really doubt these jams will continue.  You can blame the road construction all you want but nobody seems to be interested in playing.  I think this is even worse than the 2020 Covid outbreak   

We don't have the Whittier Jam anymore.

Nor Parlor City Blues Jam

Nor Waubeek

Nor Kitty's

And the Artisan isn't even drawing flies to the open mic.

And Stone City and Rumors' numbers are down.   I can't explain it.  Everybody is afraid of getting Covid.  I will probably die of a heart attack before too long before covid hits me.

I'm not sure if things will ever get back to normal.  Oh, there'll be future jams from future bars, we always had that in the 6 years I've been back.  But I have noticed the jammers are my age or older. 

Needless to say, I caught second hand wind about Blues Rox being canceled, (why didn't PJ tell me right there?) so I wasn't thrilled with him.  Nor was I was thrilled with another Musician friend sent this note:

"Which made me think, why don't you ever make an effort to come out and see me play? I don't understand. You know where I'm at but you never show! I don't get it..."

Which made me wanna reply "why haven't you made the effort to see me?"  The problem is, he had gigs on nights that I had gigs or was committed to Stone City or Rumors?  If we are going to support one another, we must support our gigs when they come up.  He was playing Solon Beef Days when we were playing The Artisan   Am I the bad guy for doing these paying gigs, whereas I know I have to drop a five in the tip jar.  I do know I owe him a visit or two, we just need to have an open date to go see him if I had  no gigs.  And when I'm feeling better.

If anybody cares, the photo is from Al's Birthday Bash.  There were no photos taken of the Checker's jam.   Which is just as fine with me. 

Whisky Jo's-Baseball and Jams

Songs;

Willin'

Rockin In The Free World

I Shot The Sheriff

Magic Bus 

Solitary Man

Little Red Riding Hood

Billy Bourbon-Lead vocal, Bass

Tommy Bruner-Vocal on Rockin, Magic Bus and Solitary Man and guitar

Terry McDowell-Host

R. Smith Drums

The Whisky Jo Wednesday Wings and more have been going on for six months.  The lack of performers has been noted to the point that Whisky Jo's may discontinue this past September.  Wasn't much of a crowd outside of the dedicated  Joe, DJ, Greg Nost, Tammie Unash, Jeff Brown and Nick Lnenicka, tho Matt Panek probably played later and perhaps Kimberly and Donna Jo showed up later.

This week, it's been the baseball Championship between Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities, to which CR won the first game 2-1 and tonight the Bandits shut CR out 6-0.  Something had to give, so I passed on the Artisan Open Mic last night, tho the game got over and I went to the Artisan at 9 15 only to find that everybody went home.  I might have played five songs in the early set, including a reggae version of Rockin In The Free World.  Solitary Man, I confused with the Sidewinders' version rather than Neil Diamond's but Tommy did walk me through the rhythm part.  When I play Solitary Man, it's basically the Sidewinders version.  

In the meantime, Dave n Julie played CRL in front of a decent crowd for a change.  Rick Wingle played congas. Brook Hoover came out to take this photo. 

Rumors-Al's 84th Birthday Bash

Terry McDowell-Host

First set:

I Got My Mojo Working

Hit The Road, Jack

Love Me Like A Man

Gold Dust Woman

Further Up The Road

Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Drift Away

Kat Blue-Vocals

Billy Bourbon-Co Lead Vocal on Hit the Road Jack, Guitar

Tommy Bruner-Lead Guitar and counter vocal on Stop Draggin my heart Around

Maurice Morris-Guitar

Tim Canfield-Bass

R. Smith-Drums

Second Set:

Unchain My Heart

My Babe

Daddy's Home

Snatch And Grab

Rip It Up

Al Hendrix-Vocals and Guitar

Frank Gasler-Vocal and Guitar

Maurice Morris-Guitar 

Tim Canfield-Bass

R. Smith-Drums

Randy Faulkner and Skeeter Louis-Backing vocals on Daddy's Home

A special day to celebrate our favorite legend Al Hendricks.  So I didn't do the Stone City open mic (Lane Gaffney may have returned today).  So I got to play two extended sets.  One with Kimberly singing and the other with Al and his guitar playing buddy from the Good, Bad And Ugly days, (his name escapes me).  It was also Donna Jo's birthday today.  A lovely 62 years old.  Tami Mennick took this shot of Frank and Al doing that song everybody talks about.  Snatch And Grab, but I'm sure it's under a different title. 

It was a surprise to see Randy Faulkner come up there and a bigger surprise not to see him play drums. But he did sing backup to Daddy's Home when Al sang it.  He hasn't played drums since the breakup of the band he was in a couple years ago and ended up marrying Jean Gilmore.  If it's true, it's a shame that he isn't playing drums.  He had such a light touch to play the drums.

DJ Hovenstot was the other drummer that showed up.  But it was true that Terry had to play through last week's jam due to no drummers there.  Which is the first time I have heard that ever happened at Rumors.

With the Cedar Rapids Kernels clinching the playoff spot, I'm going to have to cancel playing a jam this week.  Probably will be the Artisan Open Mic Jam since game 1 is Tuesday in the best of five series.  I may have to truck it back to Davenport on Saturday.

The Molly Nova/Turk E Krause band is coming into shape.  Corey Baker has been tapped as the guitar player joining Molly and Turk and Floyd Latta.  You'll be hearing more from them in 2022. 

Checkers' Long Lunch With Kat Blue and Billy Bourbon.

Songs:

Ring Of Fire

Fox On The Run  

Going Down That Road

I Fought The Law   

Help Me

For What Its Worth

My Baby Loves Me

Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Billy Bourbon-Electric drum beats

Kat Blue-Lead Vocal on My Baby Loves Me and Stop Dragging My Heart Around

With:

Carl Meiners, Freddy Jones, David Kirzan, Pam Harrington, Murray and Brett Johnson. 

I find it hard to believe Billy Bourbon never heard me play guitar and sing but he might have forgotten the Urban Pie jam of a few years ago.

This was the part of the month that Kimberly hosted the jam with No Limits Band, a collective of all stars helping her cause.  She did need to have the support, the road construction has kept a few people away from the jams.  Since I couldn't get the night off, Billy stepped in to co host.  He did the John Lee Hooker toe tap as bass drum.

For the songs themselves, the usual safe ones tho Going Down The Road was improvised and thought up on the spot.  I couldn't find a song that I could play the melody.    Kimberly did Gold Dust with Billy, so I chose Stop Draggin My Heart Around for the finale and had to get back to work.  Even Pam said that I sounded great tonight.

Sounds good to me. 

Ring Of Fire had some technical difficulties, Billy thought the guitar amp battery was dead.  It wasn't. The sound system they have sucked.  I went home and tried the guitar out on my regular amp.  It played through okay. I Fought The Law was slowed down, Jet Airliner sped up and messed up.  And I don't have a problem having Kimberly sing.  The more she sings, the less that I do.  

Whisky Jo's-With Tanya and Ed English And The Mandela Effect

Songs:

Shake Your Moneymaker

Spoonful

Fever

In The Midnight Hour

Up On Cripple Creek 

You Don't Know How It Feels

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Creep

Messin' With The Kid

Tanya English-Lead Vocals 1-3

Billy Bourbon-Lead Vocals and Guitar the rest of the way

Tommy Bruner-Guitar

Dakota McWhortor-Guitar

Ed English-Bass

Terry McDowell-Host

Freddy Jones-Harmonica

R.Smith-Took a long lunch break.

Donna Jo-Percussion and backing vocals 

(Tommy don't care what you think) ;) 

Back to work and back to a long lunch break, I had to pass being co host for Kimberly on the Checker's Jam on Thursday, I did come in to finish up a blues set featuring Tanya and Ed English, who are playing the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival this week, they're known as the Tanya English Band.  

I have my share of favorite vocals and for blues, Belinda James and Julie Gordon are up there, but Tanya English really knows the blues songs as we were figuring out how to play Shake Your Moneymaker.   She and Ed do have a lot of breaks into those songs, I have to go see them play to see how they actually do the songs.  I  wasn't in best playing mood, being at work and being pissed at everything going wrong, I play too fast, even You Don't Know How It Feels, felt like I was speeding up the tempo, tho nobody complained (a first0.  

A couple of surprises, Billy decided to brush off Radiohead's insufferable Creep and we did it mid tempo. But I was going reggae with Knockin' On Heaven's Door.   I think Ed went along with it.  He's the most fun bass player I ever jammed with since returning.  He reminded me of the days when Russ would ham it up during the Paraphernalia years, but doesn't do that any more. I don't know why.  I don't foresee myself in the future but if Ed n Tanya needs a new drummer for their project, I'll be happy to sign on. 

ZZ Top was in town, so Terry basically held down the drummer's throne, till I got there on my lunch break.  Then played the rest of the way.  We really don't know the future of the Whisky Jo's Wednesday jams, however, I should be there to support the cause the rest of the month.    But there was a decent crowd there tho, Tami Merrick was there as well as the usual crew.

Stone City-This is far as I go for today.

Songs:

Fox On The Run

Good Time Charlie

Jet Airliner

When Will I Be Loved

Ring Of Fire

Summertime Blues

Help Me

Logic And Lies 

For What Its Worth

Cinnamon Girl

Rick Wingle-Percussion

From what I heard there was a shortage of drummers at the Rumors jam.

Who was at Stone City?  Semi Retired Trucker from Dubuque, Bill Sclatter, Phil Bo King, Carl Meiners, Mike Fredicks, Freddy Jones, Ed Butler and Dave Bonham hosting.

Kat Blue and hubby Bill, to which they left for Rumors soon after and told me no other drummer was there but Terry.  The way it looks, Rumors didn't have much of a crowd there on Sunday.  Bear Clair, Mark Awad, Terry McDowell, Tommy Bruner and Jeff Taylor back the Kat up.

Julie Gordon showed up later with Franklin in tow but then had to leave due to darkness and she didn't want to deal with the one lane road back into town.  I didn't think she was going to be there.  

Bella, Phil's doggie was there too.

Crankshaft took over for the Boy Scout Hippies at FB company Saturday Night.  Word has it that the FB Jam is now history.  It's a shame.  I had some wonderful times playing out there. 

Tyler/Downing: A Date With The Blues

Songs.

Behind Blue Eyes (For Dave Bonham)

Help Me

It's Hurts Me Too

Let's Work Together

Cinnamon Girl

For What Its Worth

You Ain't Going Nowhere

Jim Myers-Drums

Phil Koening-Lead Guitar

Dakota McWhortor-Guitar on the last three songs

Bill Schettler-Host and Lead vocal on You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Bill the harmonica player-Harmonica on You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Jan Hoag-Backing vocals on You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Dave Bonham, Bill the harmonica player, Diana Koening, Mike Murphy, Randy Jensen. Chuck Savage, Lenny Drake were in attendance. With the exception of Diana, all the before mentioned played earlier.

Mike and Randy came down from Waterloo to play in our little acoustic showcase.  This was Jim Myers last performance on drums before he goes back to California.  So I drafted him to play on my songs, tho he was gracious in saying I could play drums.  And, bless his heart, he bought supper again. I gotta love the guy for that.

This was a full band with Phil Bo and Jim doing the work, Dakota came up later to play on Work Together and Cinnamon Girl.  Dave Bonham (Bless his heart) wanted to hear Behind Blue Eyes so I managed to sing that and remembered 99 percent of the words.

Bill Schettler hosts this second Wednesday of the month open mic and Randy mentioned that Jameson's has theirs on the same night we have to get there early to play.  He took over the T and D open mic from Ron LaFleur and told me about it still being on.  Therefore, since I was in town earlier in the day, it was decided that Whisky Jo's would be a pass, unless the kids from the Sunday Patio Jam were going to be there or Kristopher.  Nobody mentioned anything tho.

Bill (the harmonica player)  and the woman singer (forgot her name, maybe Diana will remember her name when she posts the pictures so she can get credit for being there) loved the blues segment, tho I did have the songbook with me, but I left it out in the car and improvised on the blues numbers of Help Me and It Hurts Me Too.  I think Bill and her were part of Switchback, but my memory is getting less and less these days. 

As for Cinnamon Girl, Dakota played the tag ending perfectly. 

The final song was Bill singing You Ain't Going Nowhere with those still around.  I think in the end, I'll do my best to help Bill keep this going.  Tho, fall processing will be forthcoming and my time will have to pick and choose the next time.  

For a guitar only performance, it was great to have Jim sit in, just like having Bob sit in yesterday.  They are the reason why jams are fun. 

Artisan-With Sir Bob Miler And Real Drums Too

Songs:

Logic And Lies

Let It Go

Cheating Songs

Gold Dust Woman

Help Me

For What Its Worth

Cinnamon Girl

Bob Miller-Percussion

Plus Free Form Jam Noise

Jeff Allen-Guitar

Virginia Harlow-No Clue Guitar

D. Harris-Bass

Me-drums

For my set, Bob Miller sat in on percussion on all songs, including the two originals that let off the set. It's fun having a percussion player, that was I can have Bob extend the jam as much as I can.   I have no clue on what to sing or do outside the originals.  I worked up All Along The Watchtower as a jam song toward the end.  But we had some kind of free form noise that Ms. Harlow had her GD amp turned up full blast and gave me a headache.  Eventually, D. and Jeff Allen finally found the beat I was playing. Later on, so did Virginia.  Pat Tecklenburg showed up for a while but didn't play due to an hand injury.   Jeff brown came in for a few before leaving, he had to get up early to get to his daytime job.

Mike McManus did bring his real drums for later on.  Special thanks to him for doing that.  I love the trashy sound of the snare. Take a bow! 

As part of my musical journey I try my best to give each and every person their due and acknowledge them for being part of my musical excursion.  Without them, I may as well go back to the music room and hang out there pretending to be a rock star.  

Artisan Jam

Songs
All Along The Watchtower

Summertime Blues

Help Me

Rock Me Baby/

Big Boss Man/

Smokestack Lightning 

Cinnamon Girl

For What It's Worth

With:

Dave Bonham-Lead Guitar

Pat Ticklenberg-Harmonica, Drums, Keyboard 

D. Harris-Bass 

Virginia Harlow-Guitar

Freddy Jones-Harmonica

Mike Rolen-Bass 

Michael McMeins-Drums

An jam of learn as you go I guess.  Some fun songs, nothing of the ordinary. 

This was supposed to be date night with Julie, but then she mentioned she wasn't feeling all that great, so we did a movie and she made Chinese.   Dave didn't know about the Artisan Jam till I told him and so he went up there before I did.   I did six songs with various members of the Artisan band, and I don't know who the bass player was. Drums were split up between Pat and Dave.  Lee Kohl came up after and then I had to follow Dave home since his PT cruiser wasn't exactly running well.  But he didn't need me anyway. He made it home okay.

Haven't seem much of Kimberly lately at the jams. Haven't seen much of her since The Homestead gig, where I sat in and played drums.  The 2021 Blues finals at Des Moines was announced and she didn't make the cut.  On another note, Country Biscuits are made up for former No Limit Band members it seems.   No word if Checker's is doing the Thursday jams this month.   Nobody has said anything about that.

The Four Day Creep gang: Ian, Amanda, Jon, Rick, Troy

Sunday, was Blues Rox hosting the Patio Jam from Norway, and Kris had a couple of his friends come up and play guitar.  Not a actual gig but just having fun with the future rock stars of tomorrow.  Then caught Four Day Creep and Flex play the Under The Covers thingy at Chrome Horse.   I didn't make it to the Rumors jam since I got back into town late, Herm bought his own drums since Terry was using his for the Chrome Horse gig.  

Technical BS:  Cymbals used for the Patio Jam

17 inch A Crash

17 inch K Dark Crash

20 inch Sizzle Ride

For high hats, I used the 14 inch K Dark Crash as top to the bottom of the quick beat hat and it has a more trashy sound to it  I may continue to have this combination going for the next gig. I was asked why I didn't have the 24 inch ride.  Basically it's upstairs being used for the other drum set.  I am certain it will be back in the lineup shortly.  I don't have a cymbal storage case big enough to cover it. 

I was telling Russ that 40 years ago when we played I was basher on drums and all of the sudden my way of playing has changed in the past two years, going from the all over the place drummer, to a more economical sort of playing.  I was watching Terry McDowell with his playing for FLEX and how he attacks them in a more driving way.  Perfect for grunge and modern 90s rock.  I simply cannot play that way without getting a heart attack.  Troy is just as animated, and he is great on the cymbal accents.  I enjoy watching them do their work.  I know in 2015, I was still in bash mode but upon interacting with other musicians and taking their cue (slow down, slow down, lay off the fancy paddlediddles) I have become a more accessible sort of drummer.   I do not understand my ways and means of bashing the fuck out of the drums but rather consider that to be taking my anger out on the poor drums of yesterday. The poor cymbals never stood a fighting chance and even the good one that Scott Waters gave me finally got destroyed a few years after having it. I've never cracked a cymbal by bashing it hard but rather not catching it when the cymbal stand tumbled down. The K Medium Thin rubbed against the impulse and shaved a small bit off, and the K 17 Dark Crash got a nice sizable dent from not catching that one in Norway last year.    In my younger and brutal youth, I made attempts to destroy drum sticks and even Graphite sticks got shattered.  I did dent a 10 inch splash from a Graphite stick but didn't crack it.  

Given that, Terry n Troy are the two quintessential hard rock drummers still around.  I find it strange that i'm 10 years older than both of them.  Jon Wilson is also damn good at he does.  And I have learned a lot from these guys and try to incorporate them into how I play which seems to be better for me now, than back of the days of the basher years.  Back in the days that baseball bats were part of the drum set and a lot of the 80s and 90s recordings cymbals were tortured and bashed for the sake of art and nose.  The version of The End from 2013 showed more restraint playing tho it still sounded like the cymbals were being mutilated.   Which wasn't the case, the 20 inch Paiste Thin Crash didn't have the big glancing blows of the forgotten 1976 version.  You'll never hear that one, but suability and a lighter touch still made it sound very rude.