Shedding during the tour???

[latim]

Hey fellas,

I've had the good fortune and blessing of being hired as the drummer for an original/cover variety band that is currently touring the U.S. as we ventured out of LA since early May.

The tour is going very well so far as we're getting tighter as a unit, but one thing I miss while I was back home was the time to shed and bang on my tubs alone in a room. I'm definitely building some road chops, but find it difficult to think of creative ideas to jump on the kit when it's already set up in clubs, resorts, and hotels with customers sitting there during the day.

The resources I do have now is my walmart software for this ghetto dialup internet access, my laptop, Even in The Odds by Ralph Humphrey, Art of Bop Drumming by John Riley, All American Drummer by Charles Wilcoxon, Bass Drum Technique by Mike Packer, and my real feel practice pad.

I'm tempted to grab my sticks in my room to monkey around and figure out some twirling tricks for bored regulars at the bars who need some visual stimulation.

Any tips from you road warriors would help!

[CLWarunki]

latim, I am just about to leave for Whitehorse (Yukon - right next to Alaska) for a one month top-40/originals house gig. I have thought of this too (what you are going through) - so my plan with all the downtime (though we are playing 5 nights a week) is to do these things:

-Practice (on a pad, getting back to the basics -rudiments, control, etc)

-Play guitar/compose (nice break from the kit.)

-Check out the city and perhaps nearby towns as well (touristy stuff).

-Check out the local music stores/pawn shops.

-Try to eat right and not drink too much [img]tongue.gif[/img]

-Meet people!

-Internet (what would we do without it?!) heheh.

-Listen to lots of music, and if you can't play chops all night, at least absorb them through tunes.

This might not really help you in your situation, but it's some things that I have been contemplating for when I get there!

Cheers, and have fun with it all!

[drumgod1]

Maybe look into getting a practice pad setup like Thomas Lang's, or you could make your own. When I was in a cover band traveling on the weekends, we'd have 2 days at the same place (Fri./Sat.). I would bring my BD pedal, my Pearl BD pedal practice pad, a large Real Feel pad on snare stand, and a smaller Real Feel pad mounted to a cymbal stand. I could do most of the things I wanted to practice on that, plus it was fairly quiet. It was a good way to pass a Saturday in the hotel without going out and spending money in the town. All of that stuff will fit in a small suitcase. Another idea is to get something like a Yamaha DTX brain, headphones, kick trigger, hi-hat trigger pedal, a couple of cymbal pads, a duel trigger pad (for a snare), and a small stand to mount the pads on. That way you can hear realistic sounding drums while you are practicing. It's a little bit more expensive than the 1st option I gave you, but you didn't say if you had a price range.

Also, don't spend all day in the hotel room! Get out and see the sites. Every little town has something cool to see, no matter how small of a place it is. You just gotta ask the right people.

Good luck!

Mike

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 05, 2004 11:22 AM: Message edited by: drumgod1 ]</font>

[FuseU1]

I invested in an E kit w phones for the rooms. One step further would be to cover it on a homeowner's policy; or look into road insurance.
I never had a problem w them in the rooms, whether it was a 5-star Hampton type or a Motel 6, but it sure made me a little nervous sometimes [Motel 6 type, that is]. ;c)

But if you're presently on a budget, the Lang/practa-pad set idea will suffice. Or possibly get something like the Octapad [do they still make that?!] or KitKat, an all-in-one surface type unit.

Or make your own practa-kit. Get an old cheaper kit & stuff the snot out of it & old cymbals w foam, blankets, or those felt/muffle pract pads. I even once knew a guy who cut out heavy cardboard for pract cymbs [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]redface.gif[/img] Put some triggers on there & ya gots a cheap E kit. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

There were points where I even had to lower my extra throne & sit in front of my bed & practice, imaging the placement of each item in my kit b4 me, & striking the side/upper-corner-edge of the bed before me to correspond. [img]redface.gif[/img]

I would also never get caught dead w/out my Jemm kneepad Practa-Pal, Reel-Feel octagon pad in a suitcase, or portable Remo "Putty Pad" [in a small plastic, pop-top container, BION!].

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 06, 2004 01:50 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>

[Vdrummer]

The Lang practice pad kit lists for over $1000.

[FuseU1]

Eee-friggin-Gaaaaaaadd... [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]confused.gif[/img] [img]frown.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img]
For that price, you can get a cheaper E kit!!
AND a MUCH cheaper pract kit.
Or make one yourself, like I said.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 05, 2004 02:21 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>

[latim]

clw:
-I definitely have the pad.

-I didn't bring a guitar on tour, and our lead guitarist has a 9-series Taylor that he's paranoid about loaning out.

-We have a 39-foot Bounder rv that gets 4.9 miles to a gallon at best with $180 in cost per fill up. Taking that to town by myself would be a drag. No pun intended.

-I'm being sent my pair of rollerblades from back home, so that should come in handy for burning the beer gut and getting around town much quicker than on foot.

-In these bum frickin' Egypt cities and towns, I'll be lucky if I can find a music store that is open unless you call the owner from a phone directory to come open up shop as he's eating lunch or watching tv at his place.

-Eating right. That is something I struggle with on a daily basis. A lot of it has to do with my current salary though. All the money I make goes back home to pay for stuff that I already bought from the past. That's my bad. Fortunately, I've had quite a few friends back in LA that sponsored me and sent me some love offerings. I was then able to go to the grocery store to stock up on healthy shmealthy but bad tasting non-fried food that is good for the body. I'll only drink if a patron or bartender at the club offers a drink to wind down after each night. Too much alcohol can't be good for anyone. It also prevents me from playing tight, greasy, and crispy like a bucket of chicken from Churches.

-I'm continuing to correspond with most of the people I meet during the tour through email. A lot of the reason I took this gig was to meet new faces, places, and cultural experience. Fortunately, we haven't encountered any psychotic groupies who are harassing or pestering us.

-Thank God for the internet!!!! Currently, I'm on the Walmart dialup internet software that connects me at a whopping 22kb. Somebody put me out of my misery.

-Prior to leaving for this trip, I invested in a laptop and ripped 400 of my cd's on my hard drive. My bass player had a phat collection of tunes also, so I have enough inspiration to last me until next year!

drumgod1:
Yes, I am definitely limited in my budget. The only thing I brought on tour is my debit card for depositing money. I purposely didn't bring my credit cards knowing that I can get impulsive with my lust for gear. With the gear I own now, I'll be paying it off for the next five years!

I brought a digital camera with me on tour so that I can document stage setups, scenery, and cool peeps that I meet on each town. I get energized by people, so meeting new people ain't no thang.


fuseu1:
Yes, my budget limits me. Who knows, if we get signed by Sony anytime soon, things may change. [img]redface.gif[/img] )

Places that we're housed in can range from sleeping in the rv, second or third floor of a hotel where there is probably a nagging and whiny customer right beneath where I sleep, and band house trailers where the floors are about ready to crumble if you step on the right spot. I have the Real Feel pad which keeps me busy with my rudiments and sight-reading exercises.


vdrummer:
Ouch!

[PocketPlayer]

Another Burbank drummer! We really need to have an LA HOD jam soon. Next major potato gig, let's do a BBQ. I have a place in NHollywood we could go to BBQ and then jam to the show.

[latim]

Sup Pocketplayer!

I'm stoked to hear that I have a fellow tub wacker in my hood. From the last I heard, we're booked pretty solid until next February. If we get a round of funding from management and investors, we will probably have the luxury of get a round-trip back home for a coupla weeks.

BBQ cookouts are my weakness. If anybody throws those, I cancel practically everything. Well, except for gigs. I'll definitely keep you posted as we should get together. If I remember correctly, you met shedder? We're good buds!

[shedder]

i've never met pocketplayer. only derek, t-bo, and da chuch is a good friend.