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It seems like there are new threads every day about something negative or things we don’t like about music. Isn’t drumming and music supposed to be something that we all love here? I figured I’d post this thread to do my part to bring some positivity. I’m sure it’ll derail within a few posts...

Hopefully this little ramble will bring a bit of humor to someone today. My cymbalholism is very real, albeit at a much slower pace and through a much narrower scope these days. This particular cymbal acquisition story, though, is a real dandy. :ROFLMAO: Mrs. RVC and I are gonna make things...

I’ve noticed over the last several months that my usage of the ride cymbal as a time keeper has decreased to almost zero. The last several gigs I’ve played, all three hour/three sets, saw me use a ride cymbal pattern exactly twice. My main thing is playing older country, pop and R&B music...

Can’t speak for anyone else here, but my experience over the decades has been that singers and cymbals usually don’t get along very well, especially in louder rock music at the local gig level. I had to learn the hard way - I’ve had more than a couple singers glare at me over their shoulders or...

I’ve had my home practice rig set up for all of two days now, and it’s already reaping benefits. Not to say I haven’t been practicing, I just have a full drum kit set up now at home after having various pads and or “almost” drum kits set up before. Those were always a compromise to me, which...

I think I’ve mentioned before that my duo guy frequently drops songs in my lap at gigs that I’ve never played before. In many cases, I’ve never even heard the original song before. He seems to get a real kick out of watching me fumble around trying to come up with something appropriate. 🤪:oops...

I was browsing through the RVC archives (pics on my phone) and was amused by how many weirdo setups I’ve actually pressed into gig action. Suitcase rigs, pizza boxes, flapjack kits and quite a few other oddballs have made it to the bandstand over the years. The initial blame -ahem- inspiration...

From Saturday night at our favorite venue in Bakersfield. Old school gangster vibes in this place. I can imagine well-dressed mafia bosses gathering for a drink before or after a hit. 🤪 On the playing side, I think it’s safe to say that the great latin percussionists who mix drum set and...

From a gig in Fresno a couple of nights ago. This one makes my heart happy, as it combines my two professional loves in one video. I was a special education teacher for many years, got medically retired over a decade ago, and now play drums full time. In this vid, you’ll hear some interesting...

Here’s a bit of backstory: Many years ago I did a west coast tour, from SoCal up to Vancouver, WA, with several stops in between. One stop was in Portland, where I of course had to visit Revival Drum Shop. I got a stick bag there as a souvenir of the tour and because I’d always wanted a high...

I’ve posted the progress of a couple of tracks from a relatively recent session. We’ve finished two so far, out of four songs recorded. This is the third one we’ve been working on. *Edited to reflect the final version of this track in the post below*

After setting up for gig 2 of my doubleheader today, I was fartin’ around and caught a nice pic of my 20” 602 Medium. I love the dichotomy here - the complexity of the visual compared to its pure vanilla extract sound. Cymbals are truly amazing and beautiful instruments.

In another thread, I documented the recording process and the evolution of one of my tracks from start to finish. Here’s the next finished tune from that same session. I won’t go through all the different versions again - just this final draft that’s due for release as soon as my guy gets it up...

Thought this might make a fun little series and also a way for me to document the ongoing process of this recording. This is an original track that I'm working on with my duo guy. He’s already posted several videos on his social media of us playing the song live, so no worries about posting...

Just got my 602 20” Heavy in today. Daddy’s real happy. :love: Sounds just like I had hoped. Stronger stick and bell than my 20” Medium (2207 grams). A bonus is the condition. This thing is in incredible shape - it shows far less mileage than my 3 year old reissue 602s (which are admittedly...

From the NYE gig. Hopefully Stan would approve. 🙏

I never get tired of seeing cymbals (mine or others) in their natural habitat - out on the job and under venue lights. These hats are wonderfully vanilla and could fit in just about any musical situation. They are a perfect extra mellow complement to my 602 15” Sound Edge hats. These are my only...

Pretty cymbal! It reminds me of fine quarter sawn lumber, with the lathing looking like growth rings and the hammering pattern looking like medullary rays. Sounds even prettier than it looks. :love:

I’ve posted about them before, but a few months ago I acquired a righteous pair of 70’s Gon Bops congas. My deep dive back to my earliest musical influences (70’s R&B, lite rock and country music) over the last several years has been eye-opening in many ways, not least of which is the extensive...

I was skimming through an old hard drive the other day and came across this old recording and pic from the session. I can’t recall exactly when it was, but I’m pretty sure it’s at least 10 years old. I don’t think I could play this way now even if I wanted to. I remember the big picture...