You may (or may not have) noticed that my business name goes by the subtitle "arts & photography." As we sit on the eve of an event that I'm a part of that is not photo-centric, I figured it might be a good time to delve into one of the subsets of those "arts" I reference.
Specifically in this case, it is playing the drums. I've been playing drums off and on since I was in middle school with a focus on the drum kit. While the kit is the main area where I'd been taught, I've also had some experience in percussion sections for small youth orchestras and a percussion group back in secondary (high school). For the most part I've played for youth groups and churches but there have been a few detours into other venues. Tomorrow evening I'm getting to play with Paul Emerson of
The Stillpoint Band as well as 9 other bands including
Todd Agnew and
Courrier at the
Nutty Brown Cafe & Amphitheatre. The concert is to benefit WaterNow which works to provide clean water to people who desperately need it in developing countries. As this is for charity, I'm not getting paid but I still roll that into business because I have had paying gigs before but this should be the biggest secular venue I'll have played and should be a ton of fun. I know we have a rockin' set and others will jam out a bit too to different degrees. In any case, it's all for a great cause and at $10 (pre-sale) or $12 at the door, it's a great deal!
Beyond this event and the drum kit, I also own and play the djembe (a single hand drum pictured on the left) which I love jamming out on. The
cajon (a wooden box drum often fitted with a snare) is another fun instrument I dig. You sit on it while playing and can get a great drum & bass sound for such an ultra-portable piece of percussion. Playing with acoustic or just more mellow sets adds a good deal of diversity and flexibility to mesh with just about any accompaniment. Perhaps I'll be able to venture more into that as opportunities arise but for now it's just great to be able to play Sunday mornings!
I've also dabbled in writing but as of yet, none of that has seen the light of day. It turns out that it's tough to write and put something out there. If it was just music it might be different but when you put out lyrics it always seems almost too personal. With that said, why not right? Don't anticipate any albums out anytime soon though, the photography side of things is taking up enough of my time! That and non-business activities...
Well, I need to wrap this up and get moving as we have one more practice session tonight before the fun really kicks in tomorrow. If you're in the Austin area, I'd love to see you at the Nutty Brown!
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