Beth Gets Posted

The version of Beth that I played drums on for Moor Cowbell has been posted to the website for the tribute material. I listened to some of the other songs and they are pretty good. They are pretty deep cuts though, so if you aren't a big KISS fan, you might not recognize them at all. I don't belong to the board who runs this, another guy set up the website to host it, but here are the comments so far that Moor Cowbell has collected from the site:

"Who ever thought Beth could be turned into a shuffle? I think almost anything can be done with a classic song as long as it's done with heart and conviction and Moor Cowbell shows the truth of that here."

"I get scared when I know I'm just about to endure a rocked-up version of Beth, but all my fears were allayed when Moor Cowbells boogie version jumped out of my speakers - I couldn't help nodding my head along with it. Well done."

"this is the most original Beth cover ive ever heard! And the heaviest one too! very cool cover and an interesting answer to the question how beth would sound as a heavy rock track"

Still A Cowbell, add more to comments as they come in.....if they are good.

Godsmack's Singer vs Drummer

Awesome!

Gorilla Marketing

Boys Night

The girls traveled back to western PA this weekend for my mother-in-law's surprise birthday party. They got to hang out with Still A Dad on Friday night and then spent the rest of the weekend with her family. I couldn't make it due to work complications - see some previous posts where I complain about this! Anyhoooo, when I realized the house would be relatively empty on Saturday night - I shouted out to Moor Cowbell and a guy I met at my new office to come over and jam. We grilled some fish, had some beers and then tried to find some songs that all three of us know. New Guy is 10 years younger than Cowbell and myself so he knows more 90's music - although he is a classic rock guy as well. We played some AC/DC, Van Halen, Floyd, Rush, The Cure, J Geils, Bush, Pearl Jam, U2, Priest.....and too many others to remember. My arms hurt! I went from playing 3 songs every month to playing for 4+ hours. I recorded a song that we actually all knew the beginning, middle and ending to...which was rare! It's "Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms. The sound isn't that good due to the fact that it's recorded on a digital still camera with a weak mic.....but hey, it worked. It sounds much better if you actually know the song I guess so you can hear it playing in your head as well.

I'm Never Playing Drums Again

This kid is sooooooooooooooo good it's scary. I couldn't do half of this stuff if I played 12 hours a day. Now I know how Ringo Star must feel.

RoboDrummer

This is too cool if you play drums...maybe even if you don't!

The Master, Buddy Rich

Every once in a while I like to take a spin on YouTube and look for old clips of Buddy Rich and Mr. Krupa. I'm never disappointed as their old solos on 4-pc kits use far more skill than today's players on enormous sets. I'm going to start to post more of them, but this is one of my favorites as he just destroys his snare. Goodness he was incredible.

Exhibit 1 - Why I Would Never Drum On YouTube

Holy Crap! Ok, I don't think I'm a slouch on drums, but this kid is young and he kicks ass! It would be like watching Neil Peart followed up by Ringo. I bet this kid is recording in the near future.

10 Minutes of Reckless Endangerment

I got to take in some local music last week while in St. Louis on business. On a tip from famous blues historian Allen "Double A" Anthony, I programmed the digits from The Broadway Oyster Bar into the GPS system and headed out on Tuesday night. It was a decent drive into the city at night and the Arch looked incredible all lit up as I got closer to it. The bar was only several blocks away. When I first showed up I thought I must have the wrong place. It was old and a tad run down - but it had plenty of character. When I found out it was 150 years old, it all made sense! The walls were so covered with old band postings that you couldn't even see them. One of the first ones that caught my eye was an old autographed photo of Elvis Presley. It was from when Elvis was still a badass, not from the joker wearing the studded jumpsuit in Vegas while holding a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich in one hand and 20 pills in the other. Elvis had played there along with countless other famous blues musicians. I had the alligator appetizer while I waited for the band to start and tried Fat Tire beer for the first time. Both were outstanding. To read their own description of the cuisine and atmosphere, click here as they've won many awards. The band was Big Bamou and consisted of guys that are in other bands but play here as a group every Tuesday. Their drummer, Benet Shaeffer, told me they've been playing there for 9 years. The band was tight. Benet kicked ass. The lead singer played the best live trumpet I've ever heard. His name is Brian Casserly and you can read about him here. They did a song about marshmellows and the crowd pelted him and the band members with them. Some locals brought their own, but the bartender supplied us with ours. I had a superb time hanging out with 2 locals who are opening their own club in 3 months down the street. Mark, thanks for the fun. On Wednesday night, I got in on the act myself. I went to an open jam night at the Backstreet Jazz and Blues Club after being slightly disappointed with the band at The Trainwreck Saloon. They were called Gargoyle Lounge and I won't post the link as they don't deserve the promo! They had no drummer and used a drum machine.....and they were bad in my humble opinion. I see from their website that they do employ a drummer, so he must have been out for some reason. Anyway, I left there and went to the open jam. Local kickass band Reckless Endangerment was tearing up Slow Ride when I walked in. I talked to the MC and told him I wanted to play Crazy Train on drums. No problem. He hooked me up with Mark, the drummer from RE and I started talking to the band. We waited for some other guys to finish up and then we went up and hammered out stuff like Crazy Train and You Shook Me All Night Long. Mark was kidding around with me and said they didn't think I was going to be able to play. I guess the fact that I left on my argyle sweater from the bank meeting didn't help anything out! All the guys in their band are really super cool and I had a great time. Mark is a solid beat keeper ala Phil Rudd. The dueling guitarists Danny and Vince were both outstanding and the wall of bass being supplied by Rich was a driving force. The fact that their lead singer Ritchie could bounce between AC/DC and Led Zeppelin was very impressive. When I return to St. Louis - I'm definitely going back there or looking them up on their website. Mark promised me a tee shirt and I emailed him today. Anyone from Reckless Endangerment - if you got my link and read this, leave some comments so my boys will know I can still kick it!