If being able to drum without drums is helpful for
submitting #everyonedrum videos, E-MUTE would be in good shape. Perhaps his
"Concerto for drumsticks, bin, kitchen & metal barrier thingy" is
a little short, but he also roams London looking for random
things to drum, posting videos of drumming on escalators, elevators, and whatever
seems like it will work.
The caption on the videos refers to finding the
right balance between stick and surface. I'm sure that is a factor, but it
would be reasonable to do it for pure joy. I like that sound. This works. He
seems to be enjoying himself.
(But I think he already has a drum kit.)
Those videos have been fun to watch, and Theo posts
a lot of good content in general. However, when I first reviewed E-MUTE I
thought of him specifically as more of a keyboard/piano player and singer.
Someone else was playing the drums in the videos. Reading more, he drummed for
others before starting this project, and the "mute" comes from
feeling silenced when he was playing for others.
There are plenty of stereotypes out there about
dumb, animalistic drummers. It may be harder to dispel those stereotypes when
their instrument is the least portable. Singers and guitarists can roam the
stage and jump on to and off of equipment, but the drummers are often capable
of more than you think.
Sometimes your drummer is Dave Grohl, whom Kurt Cobain
acknowledged as a better guitarist than him. Sometimes it's James Dewees, who
does drum in Coalesce, but if you knew him from My Chemical Romance or The Get
Up Kids or Reggie and the Full Effect, you don't think of as a drummer.
That leads to my next link, and interview with Bill
Cardwell of C & C Custom Drums:
This was posted by Cory White, whom I know as a
guitar player (for Coalesce and Reggie), but he has also worked with this
company and is proud of this work. Reading it makes me realize how much I don't
know about drums, and how much there is to know, but also that we don't
generally know drum makers. People can name lots of names in guitars; Fender
and Les Paul sound familiar even to people who know nothing about guitar. That
doesn't happen with drums. It made me more aware, and pleasantly surprised to
see that there is such a shop near where I live, Truth Custom Drums in Beaverton:
Speaking of things that I have not known, I was
reading something about the importance of the relationship between the bass and
the drum. It makes sense - they both relate to the rhythm - but it was
something I'd never thought about. That's something I hope to understand better
as I learn more.
Today's post is pretty random, but the overall point
is there's a lot of cool stuff out there. If everything you learn shows you
more things you don't know, well, that means more opportunities to learn cool
stuff.
But the moral of this week is that drums are cool.
So are drummers and drum makers.
Thursday and Friday: reviews of bands whose drums I
like and I haven't reviewed yet.
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