TV!

What a week!

I was content enough to know that CPZ was playing this week (Saturday @ Somewhere There 8pm) because it’s a great band that I am lucky enough to be in. So, see you there!

But this week has exploded in an entirely different direction too. On Saturday a friend who works at a Toronto drum store recommended me to a casting agent for a commercial shooting this week that needed a drummer. On a whim I submitted my info, and was subsequently selected to audition on Monday (along with at least 30 other drummers). The audition lasted for all of two minutes: myself and another drummer were brought into a room where two somewhat haphazardly setup TAMA drumkits were waiting for us. The seat was too low on mine and the drums were angled in the Slayer-position. All weird for me, but whatever, this was totally unknown territory for me. They then asked myself and the other drummer to play “the sound of a Nascar race car revving up”. I thought, wow, I’ve been improvising for years doing stuff just like this, no problem. So, myself and the other drummer commenced to do this simultaneously and it was just an aural blur of tomtoms. They also asked us to look into the camera every once in a while. I managed to do that about 3 times in 30 seconds.

After that, they waved us to stop playing, said thanks, and I left. That was it.

Or so I thought.

Tuesday morning I received a call from the casting company to tell me that I had been selected in the Top4, but I was in the bottom two positions. They said to hold tight as anything could happen. Sure enough, by 5pm, I was #1 and the gig was mine! I am now known as “the talent”.

I have a wardrobe fitting tonight and the shoot is on either Thursday or Friday, still TBA. I have no idea what to expect but I’m excited to say the least.

As far as I know, the commercial is for a company called Fathead (www.fathead.com).

Stay tuned for a post-shoot report, and see you at CPZ!

cc 0 facebook 1

I finally relented and created a Facebook profile. No one gets their emails anymore, their “Junk” filters do. So, I’m hoping to reach outr and let people know about gigs, etc. through Facebook.

What I didn’t do is list my high school, my dental records, etc. I’m fascinated by most folks’ compulsion to publicize everything, and sell the info for free to the media companies that own social-network websites.

Anyway, I’m not down on Facebook (how cliche’d would that be?); I’ve already gone through people’s photos and tagged the wrong names (if you’re listed as a cast member of Magnum PI, that was me) just ’cause I can.

catching up…

welcome back!

Sorry for the sparse nature of the posts lately. There’s been a wealth of change (no, I didn’t crack open a parking meter), some good, some not so.

#1 cc3’s weekly hits at the Canyon Creek restaurants are on hiatus. It is my sincere hope that we’ll be returning for a holiday-season stint and then for the entire summer season ‘08. I can’t speak as to why they decided to suspend the music, the guests that I spoke to directly were all quite upset about it, as our gigs had been something of a “thing” for many people. I’m happy to say that Canyon Creek will still be engaging my services for special events and such, please watch the gig calendar at chriscawthray.com for updates.

#2 this is cool:

Thanks to Andrew Shreve @ PAISTE for getting my profile up and running. It’s humbling and exciting to be up there with some HEAVY cats.

#3 I recently returned from an overnight to trip to NYC to see Paul Motian at the Vanguard with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell. 3 sets of genius. He is a master drummer in the purest sense. He breaks every rule of drumming and fresh mountains of music crack through the earth and scrape the sky. Some say that his playing belies his advanced age (77, I think). I think that ONLY a 77 year old master can play this way.

People will be praising these gigs and this band 20 years from now, and most of them will be lying, because there was only 17 people there for the third set.

#4 Upcoming coolness : CPZ @ Somewhere There Oct 2o! This is a great new venue that I have donated a house drumkit to (my SONOR Phonics are there on long-term loan), please get out and support the music being offered up. I’m excited to be playing with Rob and Ed. We haven’t played since the internal-organ-melting sweatfest of June 2 in NYC.

#5 I’ve decided to offer up my drum and percussion collection for rentals. Frankly, I can’t use it all at once. The list as posted is still incomplete, and I haven’t even begun to put prices up, but I’ve got great gear available to rent for sessions or gigs and I’m available to deliver and tech too. Check it out here.