The Sonor Kit we now have at the store! Linked to ticket info!

BIG BIG NEWS!

 

What do Danny Carey of Tool, Drum Legend Terry Bozzio, and Tabla Master Aloke Dutta all have in common?

THEY ARE PLAYING AT OUR 25th ANNIVERSARY EVENT THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th!

Explorers Percussions 25th anniversary Event!

So this week has been insane.  The shop I work for is hosting our 25th year in business!  To celebrate this rare, but pride-filled event, we are having a drum clinic / extravaganza of epic proportion.

This Saturday the 19th at 2pm we will be having Kansas City native Danny Carey ( the drummer from Tool ), Terry Bozzio ( Drumchannel.com, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, UK, and countless others ), and Aloke Dutta ( Tabla Master ) live in clinic performance to celebrate our 25th anniversary.  If you have ever seen one of these masters in motion, you will know how intense these shows can be.  Try putting on three at the same time. 

The drumset Danny used on Aenima, and Lateralus by Tool arrived early last week! It is pictured with Danny above.  (Pic taken from Sonor’s website)  This is the exact kit. Sonor Designer series.  The kit is on both albums and was played on both tours.  We’ve been cleaning and polishing it to the tilt all week.  It is not ready to go.  In further news, Wes…the owner of the store bought the kit from Danny!  It is now a permanent fixture at our shop!  That’s right!  Rock history!  In my store!  Chillllllls…

Pat Adams and I have been put in charge of moving equipment and teching the event.  But…things get more interesting.  Two weeks ago we got a call in the shop from Jeff Ocheltree.  Famous drum tech for John Bonham (Led Zepplin), Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band), Danny Carey (Tool), and many many more.  Jeff wants to come up to our clinic as a spectator!  He dug the clinic line up and has worked with both Terry and Danny.  Not to mention he is a friend of our owners.  Jeff volunteered to help tech the event so basically Pat and I not only get to work with Danny, Terry and Aloke all day, but also get to hang out with Ocheltree in hopes some of his mastery will rub off on us.  Pat and I have become avid techs, gear junkies, and intonation / drum sound geeks, but working along side Jeff will only help to hone our already finely tuned skills.

The clinic is at a local high school auditorium holding about 1200 seats.  A rather intimate venue in comparison to the 60,000 + seat venues these celebrity drummers are used to playing, like I am used to playing on a practice pad in my home studio.  (I don’t call it jealousy, I call it hopeful)  We have fans coming as far as the Europe.  People flying in from all over the US including our friend and former colleague Jon Lane, now working in the flagship Guitar Source store in NYC!  Jon you can’t get here fast enough!

On top of that, we recently mailed out tens of thousands of catalogues to our customers across the USA.  So…for the 8 of us who work there…Wes, Lorene, Adam, Todd, Rob, Phil, Pat, and myself, it has been a rather eventful two weeks.  With only three days left until the clinic now…we are feeling the pressure.  The heat is definitely on!

Wish us luck!  Hope to see you there!

Earlier today I posted this comment on my facebook.  Little did I know it would get so much attention.   More than my own political opinion, I love hearing the opinions of other people.  Not for argument or battles over who is right or wrong, but in trying to learn from my peers, their feelings, and experiences. 

“Is it me, or is our current political climate becoming more and more polarized? I have my views as each of us is entitled to. But don’t things get dangerous when its person A vs. B?  Isn’t there a middle ground?  Shouldn’t we strive …to make strides forward, instead of fighting about whom is right or wrong? Are we becoming a threat to ourselves and if so…how do we fix it?”

I had some very influential responses from people I highly respect.  I want to share two of them.  Both from people who I trust, and both have a similar but interesting view.  the first is from a friend in the Southern part of the US.  We engaged in some very good political debating during the 2008 election.  His points are well thought out, and he presents them well. 

“A combination of the two. what people continue to fail to see is that every issue is most effectively addressed through a combination of forward thinking and compromise. too much emphasis is placed on liberalism and conservativism by our culture, with individuals often allowing the pressures and expectations of their interpersonal relationships to color their thinking. what this country needs to do is stimulate growth through establishing a clear goal, much in the same way Kennedy was able to with the space program. creation of jobs and a unifying objective could stimulate friendly dialogue between parties and get them accustomed to working with another, while at the same te setting the example for voters of different parties.“

Bravo DH!  Well said and good job punching through the Bologna!

The second is from a well educated and rather articulate person I attended college with.  He needs not much introduction except to say he has a fast whit and thinks well on his feet!

many moderates in each party are stuck in lower levels of government because they won’t follow hard party lines on every issue. personally, i’ve never understood what gun-control and abortion have to do with welfare and economic policy, but i’ll give you a dollar for every senator you can find me in washington who is socially conservative and fiscally liberal, or the other way around. and god help you if you want to actually think through different issues individually and lean left on healthcare and right on gun control. the big two won’t stand for that!!”  

PN is correct in some ways here.  I like that he mentions the two parties won’t mix and the polarization of topics is only enhanced by our two party democratic system.  However third party movements have been around for ages and rarely seem to do more than make themselves and their plights known.  Agreed the third party plays a large role in our political society, but if they were more present and voted into office, would it make a difference on the issues at hand? Or would a third party system bring an entirely new set of problems to the table?

Me?  I just wish people would stop wasting time arguing and come up with solutions.  One of my pet-peeves at work, school, or afar, are people who drone on and on about a problem rather than fixing it!  Especially if that person is capable of dissolving said problem.  Should we take their example and stand around arguing who should clean the bathroom and who should unload the freight truck?  NO!  All business would stop and everyone would be fired.  It’d be a nation wide lay-off of all workers!!!  Scarry thought.

Thusly I propose the following. 

“National Act Like a Government Official Day”

 How many people would actually get stuff done and how long would it take?  Who would get things done the quickest, and who would stand by the water cooler and point fingers?  I don’t know? 

Please Comment!  I’d love to learn from them.

He only moves to scratch and eat.

2009 HHR Panel

This being my first post, I don’t want to get too far into my beliefs or goals.  I feel a strong need to share certain experiences with people.  Realizing I will likely never meet anyone who has actually reads the words I write, let us try to get along.  I’m an educated musician in my mid-twenties.  For the last 2 and a half years I have worked for what is one of the largest percussion/drum stores in the United States (as voted by modern drummer magazine)  If you’ve never worked in retail… I assure you it is lesson in humility and frustration that is only countered by the perks that come with the job.  The biggest perk for me is getting to work in an environment surrounded by the things I am most passionate, and my co-workers which though are not related I refer to as family.  The drum shop I work in wasn’t my ideal employment opportunity coming out of college, but I have had the chance to spend time with some amazingly interesting people and love working my days away with the art that is percussion.  Playing drums is hard enough as it is.  Being creative and playing drums is nearly impossible unless you surround yourself with people whom are more skilled, more experienced, and have more talent than one could dream of.  That is exactly what I’ve done.  

Everyday I work with and talk to musicians.  They range in ability from touring and recording professionals, to little Jane/Joe who just yesterday picked up a pair of sticks for the first time.  Which ever atmosphere my customers operate in, it is my job to help them select the best / most appropriate gear, sounds, or tools to succeed in a harshly competitive climate.  15 years of studying, performing, and searching for “my” sound has allowed me to earn the knowledge to help these people who come for advice.  In the last 2 and a half years I have learned more from the various people I assist, than in nearly 12 years of study with various teachers.  My teachers molded me into the professional I am today.  But my experiences at the store have literally turned me into a walking encyclopedia of percussive knowledge and sounds.  Though this wasn’t a goal in my life, I find it useful at times, and at others…I find it is depressingly all I have.  Leaving me to wonder what I am to do with all this…stuff!?  With my life!?

Me?  I am married.  We own a puggle we adopted from a local shelter last Christmas.  I Live nearly 30 minutes from work so the commute gives me time to listen to some wonderful music, or NPR, which ever mood I’m in.  I find the drive to be a wonderful time of decompression benefitting my stress level.

Besides working at the Store, I teach a small private studio, have some compositions published through drop6 media, play gigs around the Kansas City area, and am the percussion instructor at a nearby High School.

Things I like?  Music, drums, percussion, fishing, cheese, Italian food, BBQ, relaxing on my patio or porch while smoking a cigar or pipe and drinking a glass of something… practicing, driving, and debating (not arguing) political views with anyone willing to listen.    

Things I dislike? Humidity, carrots, single minded people who don’t take other peoples lives into consideration, hypocrites, and leaders who don’t practice what they preach.

Things I believe in? The unwavering need to educate anyone willing to learn.  People should follow their dreams and fail miserably before settling for another life. I believe in a god, an afterlife, and both spiritual and scientific origins but do not categorize myself in one religion or another.  I believe in being kind to thyself, and others.  I believe in Karma and hope mine is good.  I believe that rain is the most euphoric presence on earth, and that it is the thought…in a gift…that counts.

That’s me in a nut shell (insert Mike Meyers moment)