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Thread: What kind of music do you play?

  1. #1

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    Default What kind of music do you play?

    I've been a drummer a long time, I also play hand percussion and bass.

    I was thinking about the different bands that I've played in over the years and the different genres.

    I started out on rock in the 1970s. (Today it is "classic".)

    I also ended up with an old school country gig around the same time.

    I recorded a demo for a "New Wave" act in the late seventies.

    I moved to Florida in 1979 for family reasons. My first gig was in a lounge act in hotels and bars playing pop hits for tourists. Honestly, I hated it, but I learned a lot about professionalism and played a LOT of gigs and made money doing it.

    I hooked up with a country rock act about the same time, originally as a sub. Between those two gigs I was playing almost every night of the week at one point.

    The lounge gig lasted several years, in the mid eighties it had run it's course. I subbed for two months with a big band in a large hotel on the beach. It paid really well for the time and I really had to up my game to pull it off.

    My next gig was playing a mix of pop hits and Latin music, I was probably at my best as a musician by the end of the eighties. I felt like I could pull off anything.

    By 1990 I was a bit worn out after fifteen years straight of gigging, I ended up playing rock again and hauling around a large kit. Hair band music, and I still had hair!

    In the spring of 1991 I had a major motorcycle accident, my entire left side was crushed. I moved back to Pittsburgh and went through thirteen surgeries on my left foot and leg alone. This was followed by eighteen months of physical therapy. I figured that my music days were behind me, I was far from done. I incorporated rudiments and other exercises into my physical therapy from the beginning. The surgeries, hospital stays and physical therapy cost almost $650,000 total. (I joke that I am the .6 million dollar man.) Although insurance covered the bulk of it, I still sold off my assets including my music gear to cover the bills.

    In late 1991, early 1992 I bought another set of drums and started up again. Around the end of 1993 I was ready to try playing in a band again. The first band after the accident was band playing a mix of current country and pop, backing a female vocalist. We gigged for maybe two years before that band fell apart.

    Around the same time I started playing in an oldies band covering music from the 1950s through the early 1970s. That band really took off, I was busy with at least two gigs per week with that band until 2004.

    In January of 2004 I got a major promotion with my day job, I had to move to Maryland. The oldies band had to get a new drummer, I would travel to Pittsburgh on occasion to sub when they needed it.


    In my new day job I could not play all of the time, the job was very demanding. I did sub on occasion, but from 2004 until the beginning of 2008 it was only a few gigs per year. Most of those gigs were playing with a blues act. I wish that I could have played with them all of the time.

    The oldies band in Pittsburgh went through some changes and morphed into a country rock cover band. In January of 2008 I came up to Pittsburgh to sub for their drummer. At the end of the night I suffered a stroke. The whole story of that is for another time, but it was very scary. Again I used drumming as part of my rehab, I also started taking hand percussion lessons.

    I retired due to health issues in September of 2009. We spent some time in Richmond Virginia and eventually moved back to Pittsburgh.

    In 2010 I finally started gigging again, this time as a hand percussionist. We were doing rock covers as a duo and occasionally as a trio. It was along the lines of what you would hear on the show "Unplugged". This is when I started getting serious about my bass playing as well.

    I was bored and wanted to gig more. I ended up with another acoustic project, this time doing Americana music. I REALLY enjoyed this.

    I gigged for about six months with a blues band as a bassist in 2012 on top of the two acoustic projects. We had a couple of family tragedies and I wanted to keep as busy as possible.

    In December of 2013 I got a call to sub on drums with a Classic rock band. I ended up joining them full time. It has morphed into a rock and soul show band, it is a blast.


    So lets see...

    Rock

    Old school country

    New Wave

    Lounge pop music

    Country rock

    Big band

    Latin pop

    Hair band rock

    Country pop

    Oldies

    Americana

    Rock and soul


    That is a varied path over the past forty years, I wouldn't trade a minute of it.





    This came to mind as today the singer of the rock and soul band called me to say that he wants to play "Bring it on home". I was trying to remember all of the different bands that I've played it with.


    I also jokingly tell people that I've likely played some of these songs more times than the original artist.



    Share your varied music history with us.
    -Mike


    "We don't stop playing because we grow old.
    We grow old because we stop playing."

    "I wish that my playing reminded people of Steve Gadd. But they seem to confuse me with his little known cousin... E."

    "Snare drums happen."

  2. #2

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    Default Re: What kind of music do you play?

    I pretty much just play in bands where the singer sounds like he's screaming and barfing at the same time. I play the fastest double bass I can and beat my drums like I do my mother-in-law (in my dreams). I once subbed a small combo jazz gig but they didn't like my 32 piece, triple bass drum Portnoy kit.


  3. #3

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    Default Re: What kind of music do you play?

    Metal and rock, primarily. Some of the bands in my drumming playlist include System of a Down, Lamb of God, Katatonia, Gojira, Alice in Chains.
    - Zack

  4. #4

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    I'm self taught for the most part. I did take lessons for a few months way back in the beginning (70's) to learn odd time/off beat stuff. Growing up I played along with the radio a lot. I would just run down the dial and play to whatever type of music was on. I really used to enjoy the classical stations, I would create my own drum parts to that music. I was blessed with a good ear, if I can hear it I can usually play it.

    All that aside I define myself as a Rock Drummer , plain and simple.

  5. #5

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    I like playing in country bands. I like playing classic rock too.

  6. #6

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    Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock. Played in jazz band in high school, would love to get back to that stuff someday but only have time to be in one band, especially with 2x week rehearsals. I play along with some jazz classics on my prac kit at home sometimes

  7. #7

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    Mainly funk, soul, and gospel, but I love to try and play anything. I just love playing the drums.

  8. #8

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    I've played in a lot of different genres with working bands.

    Gospel/Praise Worship
    Reggae/Ska/Funk
    Classic Rock
    Christian Rock
    Top40
    Motown R&B
    Country. (I'm talking "Country Western" too....) Hated that gig but it paid well.
    Blues
    Big Band Swing/Jazz
    Current Top 40 (Usher, Bruno Marrs, Justin Timberlake, Etc..) Lots of tracks, but I prefer it.
    "The problem with information on the Internet is that you can not validate it's authenticity. " -Abraham Lincoln

    SILVERFOX DRUMSTICKS & SOULTONE CYMBALS Endorsing Artist.

  9. #9

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    Classic rock/blues, southern rock, current rock, indie rock.
    SONOR 6 pc Special Edition 3007's red maple, old Pearl Brass 14x6 FF snare, Yamaha Tour Custom maple 8 pc., Tama 4 pc., honey amber B/B, Ludwig Supralite chrome 14x6.5 steel snare, Paiste, Saluda & Zildjian
    Loaned out Slingerland upgraded 4 pc 1963 black, wrapped maple + 14" Pearl birch FT
    The Almighty Speed King pedal, Speed Cobra, Sonor Single

    http://www.screaminmelinas.com
    http://www.facebook.com/DerailedRockers/

  10. #10

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    Metal and rock exclusively at this point.

    I'm more of a groove-based power-beat guy for now, since that's all that really feels natural starting out, and since I don't have a double-bass pedal lol,,,,,,,,even though that shouldn't really limit blast-beating.(especially after seeing several George Kollias vids)

    I really just need to keep practicing daily and challenging myself.

  11. #11

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    Started with thrash/speed metal , R&B jazz hip hop, moved and took a break. Came back played punk, now alternative rock, hard rock, 80s, reggae/ska.

  12. #12

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    Started at 12 in a local snotty Punk Band "SH1T"
    Carried on with another local Punk Band "Interpol"
    Joined another Punk Band "The Varukers"
    Toyed with Thrash Metal "Metal Messiah"
    Toyed with Doom/Death Metal "Cerebral Fix"
    Toyed with Grunge "Drown"
    Played in a Hardcore Band "Helvis"
    Another Hard ore Band "Hard To Swallow"
    Back to a Punk Band "Nervous Tension"

    Break for 12 years.

    Joined a Punk Band "The Vile"
    Joined another Punk Band "Anti-System"

    Heart has & always will be with Punk

  13. #13

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    R&R because it paid me well.

    Jazz for the love of it, even though I never made a dime from it.

  14. #14

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    After playing drums for the past two years I am now in a punk rock band called the belligerent Buzzards. All of us are over 40. We were supposed to play at a back yard gig on Saturday, but the police shut the show down before our set. We're having fun, though.

  15. #15

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    #1 is prog rock. Then classic rock, hard rock, big band.
    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    There is intelligent life out there. The problem is that there isn't any here.

    -Mike

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