We, Scarbra.

This week my collective improv trio, Scarborough Streisand, plays two shows and releases a self-titled CD-R. Here’s the cover of the CD:

We (myself, Michael Keith and Glen Hall) play at 11pm on Thursday November 19 at the Tranzac as part of the 416 Improvisers Festival and the following night at 10pm at the Tapestry Bistro in Hamilton.

Our music is a mix of blues, middle eastern, tropicalia, deep grooves, and the outerspaceways. Music for lovers (of love), people (who need people), and James (Brolin).

Join us, won’t you?

PASIC 2

I spent 6 hours at the Convention Centre on Saturday. I hit the trade show first, looking for some little instruments to bring home as presents, and for the elusive REMO kanjira. I ended up buying some wood shakers from Black Swan, two very nice guys from Texas who make a most unusual instrument (worth a Google…),and searched high and low buy could find no REMO kanjiras save for the one at the REMO display. I wandered over to the PAISTE booth for a little comfort sounds (I’m in love with the Signature Dry Ride, I wish I was playing an amplified pop gig with 3 cymbals, I’d use it for sure. I generally only use two cymbals these days, so they both have to be crash-able.) and ran into Rich Mangicaro, whom I had wanted to talk to about drumming for movement/dance, which Rich is into in a big way. Good, quick conversation, and a plan to discuss things further. All good.

From there I went to see Dean Butterworth’s clinic, (Dean is an uber-session drummer, and also a member of Good Charlotte, where I think they dress him up to look 10 years younger and a lot dumber than he actually is, lol.) which focused on Dean playing to tracks and discussing studio concepts. VERY informative and focused on the current studio scene and style. The thing I took away most from his clinic (beyond his obvious command of the instrument and his eloquence) was that having good relationships with producers are KEY to working consistently in the studio, and getting good drum sounds FAST make you desirable.

I left Dean’s clinic and headed back across the Centre to Skip Hadden’s fusion drumming seminar. Skip showed some great classic video clips, and performed some live examples on a nice small Yamaha kit. Skip drew a connection to the early fusion timefeel with Brazilian music that I had never considered, but made TOTAL sense. Skip’s presentation style was full of dry humour, and I really enjoyed it. Berklee students are lucky to have him there every day.

From there, I joined the herd filing in for Jack Dejohnette’s clinic. I decided to scrap the idea of getting a good seat and took a standing spot on the far-right aisle upfront. A perfect view that Benny Greb quickly joined me at. Jack was introduced by the great Vic Firth and came out and made a brief speech holding a wireless SM57 mic. Jack proceeded to tell the audience he would be improvising, taking the “cosmos and the Universe as a whole” as his inspiration. Oh, JUST that, eh?! Lots of folks say that stuff, but Jack walks it and talks it, and you’d better listen. He then grabbed a mallet at started playing his cymbals, while still holding the wireless mic. He then proceeded to use the mic to amplify the lower pitches present in the cymbals. It sounded like alien spacecraft docking, and Jack’s mallet was one of those orange cone-things that the landing strip traffic-guards use. He gradually moved to the kit and proceeded to play about 25 minutes of classic Jack freeflow. Seemingly out of nowhere he wraps it all up into a beautifully sloppy four-on-the-floor Motown groove. The audience went wild. He then stopped dead and picked up the mic to tell the audience he was paying tribute to the drummers of Motown. Not sure if he meant Detroit or Motown, Mars but he was slamming, super funky and taking fills that stretched way beyond the barlines. His takes on the classic “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” fill were awesome too. The solo then turned left back into freeflow and Jack treated us to some of his unique bass drum/right hand unison work and then a classic Jack D bass-drum “stutter step” solo. Magic. By now, he’s 40minutes in, and he spent about 5 minutes bringing it to a close, restating some of the discovered themes and generally closing the portal to the Unknown Beyond he had just opened. Thunderous ovation, then he (unfortunately) took a few questions. WHAT could you ask after that? We got the standard “who are your influences” “what’s it like with Keith” questions. His playing has all the answers people, just listen.

Glowing from Jack’s performance I left the hall intending to find a seminar on teaching and new media, but I couldn’t find the room so I hit the trade show for one last look. As I was leaving the clinic hall I ran into Toronto percussionist Jamie Drake and we traded CDs of my stuff and his quartet TORQ’s new CD. I also ran into an online colleague Nick Costa, it’s always great to put faces to emails.

At the trade show I looked one last time for a REMO kanjira. I must have missed out on an off-sale at the REMO booth of the display model because it was gone from their display. I tried the Cooperman kanjiras again, loved ‘em but couldn’t bring myself to spend the $140USD. One more visit to PAISTE and then a stop at the Hudson DVD booth to pick up the Carlock DVD set. They were only offering 20% of the sticker price so I passed on it. I can order it from Amazon anytime for close to the same price. I’ll likely order it in the next few weeks.

I was back in my room around 5pm, thinking about dinner. I had planned to pass on the Tommy Igoe/Birdland Big Band gig, so my evening was wide open until the Bisquera Brothers gig at 10pm. I found a Japanese restaurant on the map, and planned to go there. Jerome called, he was in for that so we went. The dinner was good and Jerome and I hit the Steak and Shake for the latter and walked back to catch some Bisquera soundcheck and we talked about our love of Tommy Ardolino and NRBQ. After that I went back to my room for a bit before the show.

Pre-show, I went to the hotel bar with Evan Ritchie and met some new folks, including some product reps who I’d been wanting to connect with regarding equipment for Drop-In & Drum!. The Bisquera show was fun, the band was OUTSTANDING (Zappa alumnus Albert Wing on tenor sax was a highlight) and played everything super-clean and tight. Almost too-tight, because their perfection, matched with the sterile hotel ballroom venue made the gig a bit low on the vibe factor. They played a much shorter than expected set, and it was all over. Back to the bar for more schmooze and booze and more great conversation with the guys from Black Swan drums which led to another demo of the Black Swan in the hotel driveway with myself, Evan, Dave DiCenso and some product reps and random drunks.

It was 2am by this point and I was done. I hit the hay and woke up today about 8:30am. A quick swim and then down to the lobby for Starbucks. Evan and I then made our way over the Vic Firth teacher’s seminar to have some quick face-time with Dom Famularo (Mr. Drum Events), regarding an upcoming project we’d like his involvement in. Dom is know very affectionately as the “Tony Robbins” of the drum industry. He is intense and in control (a “master of his domain”) but very genuine, positive and decent. I’d never met him before last night; I like him.

After that (and a swiped sunflower seed bagel from the hospitality cart at the Firth event) I went back to the hotel and packed and checked out. I’m filing this report from the hotel Starbucks and will hitch a ride to the airport in a hour. A bit too early for my flight, but Indy’s downtown is going to be football-crazy very soon and I’d just as soon hang at the aiport (I rented my first iTunes movie, the Woody Allen/Larry David flick, so I’m anxious to see it and try the digital rental technology…), and enjoy the food court and Google-sponsored wifi.

All in all, a great two days at PASIC. I made a few connections that will hopefully bear fruit in 2010, and feel re-energized for my own work and projects.

PASIC 1.5

The day continued after my first post…

Thanks to my friend Jerome Deupree (drummer from Morphine, Either/Orchestra, Jeremy Lyons… yeah, just a little bit of hip credits list, eh?) I scored a ticket to the Hall of Fame dinner, which turned out to be a 2-item buffet, and more of a “mixer” than a dinner. A sign of the times, I would think. Many of the exhibitor booths at the trade-show are downsized too. At any rate, I met Atlanta drummer Kent Aberle at the dinner, who, it turns out, shares a mutual friend with me in the formidable form of Atlanta drummer Sean O’Rourke. Much fun ensued; at our table we shared stories of the worst backline/drums-du-jour kits we’ve ever experienced.

The Hall of Fame was inducting French orchestral percussionist Jacques DeLecleuse and Mickey Hart. The former was not in attendance, but Mickey was there and he gave a brief but passionate speech about what we do and why and how we do it. It was inspiring and comforting to know that many of share the same fundamental motivation for why we do this; that every day we go to the drums to find THAT rhythm or THAT sound. Mickey said he’d been drumming for 63 of his 66 years and he still drums every day. It’s beyond the GIG or the CAREER, it’s a way of life. There are so many different paths a drummer can take (as evidenced by the variety of folks in attendance at PASIC) but we all started from the same inspiration, I think.

There was no shortage of starpower at the dinner, yours truly stood 2 people behind Jack Dejohnette at the mashed potato bar. Now you’d think that this would be an informal enough (and almost ridiculous enough) situation where one could make chitchat with one of the most magical, hip and downright slamming drummers in the history of humanity, but I chickened out. Jack was certainly not the only “famous” drummer in the room (to name a few: Vic Firth, Emil Richards, Chester Thompson, John Riley, Mickey Hart, Akira Jimbo, more I’m forgetting right now), but there’s something about him that raises him above the fray. Jack even makes sprinkling chives and bacon bits on a potato martini SWING!

Anyway, none of this stopped Jerome from engaging Jack. Jack acknowledged him but drifted away. Jerome told me that he’s been running into Jack for 25 years+, with varying degrees of success. This is not meant as any disrespect towards Jack; one can only imagine what it’s like to be him at an event like PASIC or at a gig: he must feel like he’s in a shark-cage made out of sardines.

After the dinner I passed on the evening concerts. The travel day had started at 4am, and I think I only slept about 2 hrs the previous night anyway. I attempted to find some food (after the potato martini, I passed on the prime rib which Jerome had affectionately called “the Steamship of Beef”, LOL) hoping for a grocery store or bodega or minimart (common in Toronto, NYC, etc.) but it would seem that downtown Indy has an ordinance against self-serve food. I can see why in a city famous for hosting conventions, they’d want to keep visitors feeding at their various troughs. Unfortunate, how many BLTs can I eat? Anyway, I think there’s a “Market” a few blocks away. This might just be an upscale food court (many of them are), but it might actually have unprepared food items for purchase so I could have a snack in the hotel room. After finding some food, I went back to the room and checked out the BRAIN instructional DVD I got yesterday; it’s wonderful, he always plays so great, and the movie itself is irreverent without being ineffectual. Nice work.

Sleep came quick, and I forced myself to keep sleeping (at home I’m used to 5-6 hours tops so after the 6 hour mark my body is ready to get up), and now I’m ready for day2 of PASIC. I’m going to hit the trade show again to grab a few more items and clinics by Skip Hadden Dean Butterworth, JACK, and more…

I’ll report back later, in the meantime follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CoaguatedInt

Flickr page of PASIC photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44088471@N04/sets/72157622797476372/

PASIC report

PASIC report:

An uneventful flight put me in Indianapolis just before 9am. The weather is great here, sunny and warm(er) than Toronto. The airport was pretty sleepy when I arrived and I had no particular deadlines, as I was sure my hotel room wouldn’t be ready till the afternoon.

I had heard about an express bus from the airport to downtown for $7, sounded good. I went to the bus stop, got on and it was only $1.75!

Turned out I was on the wrong bus. So, I took the scenic/local route through the outskirts of Indy, and was dropped off a few blocks from my hotel. The bus ride introduced me to some local flavour, if you will. I had a similar experience to what I have in most American cities: the edges of the cities are crumbling and decaying, but the people I meet are genuine, positive, and friendly despite their surroundings.. There’s a certain nobility in it, and it’s inspiring.

I got to the Westin (and I’m pretty sure I saw LA percussion legend Emil Richards holding court with 3 or 4 other veteran drummers around some leather club chairs… too cool!), and while my room wasn’t ready, they did take my bags and there was free WiFi in the lobby. I sat down to check my emails when I noticed another gentleman having trouble getting signal on his shiny Macbook (I “noticed” because he was saying to the front desk “I can’t get any signal… lol). I offered him my laptop, as it was clear he was here for PASIC (he had a PASIC nametag on, etc.). Turns out the gentleman was Garrison, the Artist Relations rep from Drum Workshop in California. Our mutual frustrations over technology had made us fast friends, and business cards were exchanged. Nice guy, not surprisingly (the drum industry has few a**holes, in my experience).

I obtained my second Starbucks of the day and an apple and headed over the Convention Centre. My actual convention pass wasn’t valid until tomorrow, but I thought I would take my chances. I got over there and security was MUCH tighter than when I attended in 2007 in Columbus, so I had to go the registration booth and see how I could get in today. They sold me a “Marching Festival” wristband for $15, and gave me my credentials for tomorrow (which had been a cost $80). The wristband was valid for the trade show and the Marching stuff. I was only planning on hitting the trade show today, so the extra $15 was a great deal.

I entered the trade show and began to gawk. As you walk around everyone does this weird neck move, where they slyly look at the name tag hanging on your chest to see “who you are”. We’re all doing it, so it doesn’t seem rude.

I saw the new Keith Carlock DVD which was on my shopping list for PASIC, but it wasn’t on sale so I figured I could wait until tomorrow to decided. At another booth, they had 50% off all DVDs, and I picked up two Terry Bozzio solo performance DVDs (I think he is a true artist of the drumset, a solo performer of great originality and integrity, and relies much less on “chops” than people think, lotsa soul), the second Brain instructional DVD (his first “Shredding Repis”, is a fave of mine), and the Steve Gadd Master Series for $50 tax in. Killer deal.

I began checking out gear and taking some photos which I will post in another blog entry. Saw some nice woodblocks, tongue drums, etc., the exquisite hand drums made by Cooperman (out of my price range right now, but I want them all), the unique Hammerax bronze instruments, Pearl tympani with calf heads, and the REMO kanjira, which is also on my must-buy list. I had a good long chat with Chris Hart of REMO, and gave him a quick Indian drumming lesson too. He recommended a dealer to talk to at the show who might be able to set me up with a drum. I also filled out a few raffle tickets, you never know.

While on the show floor I ran into Tim Shahady from my beloved PAISTE, and we agreed to meet up in the PAISTE booth later. Soon after that I ran into Jerome Deupree (drummer extraordinaire from Morphine, and others…), who hooked me up with a CD and a free ticket to the PAS Hall of Fame Dinner! Too cool! They’re inducting Mickey Hart, so that’ll be much fun tonight. I went to the Pearl booth hoping to play lots of their excellent percussion instruments, but they, like many others, have downsized their displays this year. Disappointed I went to PAISTE, where my mood was immediately lifted. Ed Clift was there, and we re-connected after meeting many many years ago at another similar event. I grabbed a stick and played most everything they had set up. It all sounded AWESOME and I wanted to take it all home. I’m going back tomorrow to play some more.

After that I went over to see PAISTE artist Tobias Ralph’s clinic. Turns out my pass didn’t let me in, so I played dumb and the security decided to let me in anyway. Tobias (who I always thought was European, turns out he’s NYC all the way) came out and played a (to be blunt) a fusiony chopsfest solo to a backing track that I thought was pretty boring and lacked dynamics. THEN, he proceeded to give a FANTASTIC brief clinic on variations within the kick/snare/hat parameter. Really good and all his examples were very musical. WHY didn’t he play like that for his solo? As I was leaving the clinic I ran into Garrison again, and he introduced to none other than Kelly Paiste herself!

Anyway, thumbs up on the clinic.

After that I went back to the hotel to check in to my room. I’m up here now, starving but writing this post. I’ll take the laptop downstairs in a minute to upload this and then find some food. Then, a quick swim, and then the HoF dinner. I’ll probably crash after that, as I’m running on less than 4hrs sleep.

OK, thanks for reading this far, Pics to come!

CC

PASIC bound

This morning I am writing from Terminal 1 in Toronto, heading to Indianapolis for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

This trip is strictly gawk-and-greet, checking out all the latest instruments and equipment, seeing clinics and workshops, and generally hanging out with others of my kind.

If you’re going, let’s meet up!

looking ahead…

The 2009 gig calendar is reaching its conclusion; there are no more cc3 shows for the year, Scarborough Streisand plays two more times (Nov19,20), one more SeeWhySound date (Dec4) and the rest of my drumming time will be spent cranking out the hits at various parties and bars with Hot Buttered Soul right through New Year’s Eve. It’s busy right until 2010, and then my family and I will be taking a long, tropical break for the month of January.

That’s not to suggest I will be off your radar (unless you choose so); “improvised roots” is still aching to be purchased by you fine listeners, and Scarborough Streisand will release a limited-edition CD this month too. I have some great video of cc3 to edit, and will hopefully be posting it in the usual places for your review.

Some things “in the hopper” (as they say) for 2010, which I really hope you’ll want to be a part of:

> less gigs, more events: I know I am not the only musician playing creative, improv-based music who plays to sometimes less-than-full houses, but I saw my fair share of empty seats this year. In the 500-channel universe, audiences need to be compelled to get out and see music, it’s just too easy to stay home in the 21st century. (Perhaps naming my latest opera “The Swine Flute” kept audiences away… hahaha) So, I’m looking next year at presenting shows with more promotional lead-time and more of an “event” atmosphere around them to make their very existence pop up above the fray. Perhaps that will mean importing some guest artists from afar, jamming with a sushi chef, or doing a drum solo with the ShamWow! I don’t know exactly, but I do know that I want to see more of your faces at my gigs, and I’ll work hard to get them there.

>embrace the stream: maybe I’m late arriving at the video podcast, but I’d like to put an effort into creating some videos to offer up on the YouTube, Myspace, etc. streams to better acquaint you with what I’m doing. My current plan is to produce three videos next year: a cc3 “get-to-know-us” video combining performance and interview clips; a solo drum performance; and an improvised collaboration with a guest artist. These will be higher-quality than the usual gig/surveillance videos, under 8 minutes, and made available free for your viewing and downloading.

As always, I am grateful for your support, please keep the emails and comments coming.

Sincerely,
CC

new Scarbra track @ Myspace

Hi Folks

Head on over to Scarborough Streisand’s Myspace page for a sneak-peek at our new recording.

Two gigs for Scarbra in November: