LA Times Article on Session Drummers

I guess the moral of the story is, if you've got enough coin to buy Rolls-Royces and yachts, you'd best put some $$ away for a rainy day, eh?

Myron Grombacher runs a car dealership in LA, right?

Who's the guy working at a car dealership? Mike baird? Denny Fongheiser?

Thanks LADanny for posting the link.

Interesting contrast between that article and the other posting of Vinnie's discography!

So, was it that the machine couldn't replicate Vinnie or the other session monsters that has kept these guys working?

Where has Mike Baird gone? He blew up like a puffer fish when I saw him at NAMM a few years ago. I have a deeply felt nostalgic sense when I read about Blaine. It is his old buddy who owns the Baked Potato as an ex part of the Wrecking Crew--Don Randi who plays with his band, Quest.

Like seeing the lake here in LA where Andy Griffith and little Ronny Howard strolled along during the opening credits of The Andy Griffith Show, those pioneer drumming cats hit me deep. Sure, the outer record sleeve is always more shiny than the inner, but it is still like visiting Universal Studios for the first time until you realize all them buildings are just facades.

Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Shelly Mann...the "good vibrations" ol' days!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 18, 2003 04:41 AM: Message edited by: PocketPlayer ]</font>

Hello guys!

I've been reading many posts and topics over the last year as there are several people in this community that I am friends with here in Los Angeles. Hey Danny, Nick, and James! (ps: I got my screen name idea from you Danny. hehehehe.)

My fellow peer at LAMA actually cut out this article and showed me the downfall of session musicians, especially drummers. I knew that machines would replace humans in productivity, accuracy, efficiency, and cost. However, I am weary that drum machines with a bunch of 1's and 0's coded by programmers enable the average Joe to click, quantize, paste, and copy to produce more than decent albums without a heartbeat or blood running through any veins. I'll be out of school next March and am feeling hopeful, but at the same time jaded as to what jobs will await me when I get out.

Is there any way that we can stir consumers to start enjoying more live music and have musicians financed aptly?

This drum machine vs. drummer theme has been around since the 80's. The more people are exposed to the real thing the greater the tendancy to reject the fake, manufactured, synthesized, over-processed, nutritionally void drum machines. Unfortunately, there is a market for the machine.

It drives me (temporarily) mildly insane to listen to a great tune, great vocals and really cheesy I-just-bought-this-yesterday-and-I-making-up-these-lame-drum-parts-as-I-go-along drum machines.

The machines are a great TOOL, and can be used as a great PRACTICE AID, and to create demos that should be placed in the very capable hands of a real live drummer.

BUT THEY SHOULD NEVER BE CONFUSED AS AN ADEQUATE REPLACEMENT FOR SOMEONE WITH A PULSE!!!!!!!

Hey Andy!

Thanks for the assuring responses on your thoughts about the 'drum machines' (Terminator voice like Arnold).

I've asked Ralph Humphrey and Joe Porcaro about the use of digital equipment in sessions as PIT have even implemented the use of Roland V drums in their curriculum. They told us not to sweat it and just focus on the pocket, dynamics, technique, chart forms, sight-reading, and competence in all the styles. Haha. That was a mouthful right there.

In any case, I'd like to at least expose myself and familiarize myself with how to manipulate these toys so that in the case I get a call for a session that requires both acoustic and electronic, I'll be more confident to say that I know how to do both, but with more emphasis on the former.

btw: Chuck was my inspiration while growing up as he used to bedazzle me each time he was behind the left-handed drumset. He spoke very highly of you and dropped off your URL as I have it in my website. We hung out together this past Tuesday to watch a clinic at the Pasadena Guitar Center to watch Russ Miller. He's quite a player that is human and actually makes some mistakes during the clinic unlike the machine-like nature of DW and VD.

Hey Latim..

I weant/go to PIT myself.. the Vdrums are only implemented on the basis that, in some classes having full up acoustic sets is a bit much for what is needed, these are classes that are not drumming emphizied.

The other thing we have V-drums, Pro-tools and a smathering of other programmable drum thing-a-ma-bobs is for classes ON programming drumparts and working with "digitial drumming" in the real world.
Basically, the old addage, if you can't beat em join kinda applies.. if i can't get hired to play the drums, but they'll hire me to program them, i'm still getting paid. So PIT teaches classes on the programming/digital side of drumming in order to cope with the unfortuante rise in such endevors.

Edit:
I must add however, in a reason recording session i was asked to program some drum parts. I used a few different programs, including Sonar, Sound Forge and Acid.. but I must say, with the programs today, like Sonar. You can really achieve humaness factors and make drums sound entirelly real, to the point of not knowing the difference, if you spend the time to do it right.
The software now-a-days can do some incredible things, such as "noise" filters that cause slight differences in notes, being able to swing notes to the 256th note degree, making them just ever so humanly off.. it's quite amazing.

Though nothing beats smackin the skins...

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 21, 2003 03:12 PM: Message edited by: JosiahM ]</font>

Thank God for live concerts/road gigs, huh? [Even tho most of their drummers are playing along with a machine, click, or trax, AW]... I mean, when was the last time a major touring group/act went on the road with just a drum machine instead of a real live drummer? NOT A 1 that I've seen. Know why? BECAUSE IT WOULD SUCK, BIGTIME POSTERIOR, THAT'S WHY.

NOTHING - AND I DO MEAN NOTHING - could EVER replace a good, live, interacting & reacting drummer... visually OR aurally...

What?! - a machine replace the likes of a VC, DW, DC, VD, or GN?!!! Hey, you producers [& those guys/cheezewhiz's w/ lotsa dough who THINK they're a contender] - NO F'N WAY [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img] [& pardon my "French" [img]wink.gif[/img] ] ....

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 22, 2003 02:18 AM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>