It’s great to be back! This summer has been a non-stop barrage of playing amazing shows, travel, and gearing up for a massive regional music festival.
The Eddie 2 Music Festival
The Eddie Music Fest is always a highlight of my summer, and this year’s fest was no different. Booking talent for an event of this size and scope always presents certain challenges and the occasional freak-out, stressed-out moment. Running the logistics pales in comparison to the feeling you get day-of-show when thousands of people descend on our little park in Upstate NY for a 12+ hour day packed with amazing musicians and high emotion.
I really, really enjoyed this year’s event. The entire team set the bar very high last year, and we all came back fired up and ready to make it even bigger and better this year. I think we achieved that.
Of course, the best part of the day is the music: 16 acts across 2 stages, over the course of 12 hours. Intense. What’s great for me, as a working musician, is being able to see all of my friends play a show together in one day. Normally we’re all gigging, and it’s rare that we can ever catch each other live. From a production standpoint, I couldn’t have been happier. The live sound on both stages was top notch. The lighting system brought in by Rob Breuer at Starving Artist Lighting was absolutely phenomenal.
I want to personally thank every musician for showing up ready to rock & roll. Your professionalism, talent and positive attitude are what make this festival so much fun for me, and all of us, ever year. Rock on! And, If you missed this year’s event, don’t make the same mistake next year! There isn’t a better festival atmosphere anywhere.
Yamaha Drums
A few months back, I picked up a new 5-piece Yamaha Stage Custom Birch kit in the Raven Black lacquer finish. I went for the 20″ kick drum option, with 10″, 12″ & 14″ toms and the stock 5.5″ x 14″ snare. I’ve been a Yamaha fan for years but had never owned a proper Yammie kit until now. Most of my drumming heroes play Yamaha, so back in May, I said “It’s time.” I couldn’t be happier with the tone or finish of this kit. What surprised me the most was the quality of hardware included on a kit at this price point. The new YESS tom mounting system is solid as a rock, and the Absolute-style lugs all around are a nice touch. And, of course, you can’t beat a gorgeous lacquer finish.
At some point I hope to post a full review of the kit here. Until then, here are some pics:
Robin Williams
“You’ll have bad times, but it’ll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren’t paying attention to.”
The loss of Robin Williams affected me deeply. It’s been on my mind constantly in the days since his passing. Aside from being one of my favorite performers, I also always felt that he was a genuine, caring, giving human being. The world will miss his presence.
There are many opinions circulating the web regarding the circumstances of Robin’s death. Regardless of how you may feel, I think the takeaway here is simple: Talk to the people you care about. Talk to strangers. Listen to what these people have to say, and pay close attention to their words and actions. There are opportunities in every interaction to reach out to someone who may be asking for help in their own subtle ways. Put the phone down and be real with someone. If you feel that someone needs help, and you’re not sure what to do, ask a professional. The biggest disservice we can do to our friends and loved ones is to ignore them.
Enjoy the last weeks of summer and make some amazing memories!
Until next time…Cheers!