Posts from — September 2008

Just found a cool article about 13 of Keith Moon’s “essential moments.” As a drummer for The Who, and one of the biggest names in classic rock, Keith Moon didn’t hold anything back. This article recollects some of his most noteworthy moments, everything from the recording of The Who’s famous record Live In Leeds to setting off firecrackers in his drum kit. Moon was known for his eccentricity due to things like driving a Rolls-Royce painted with lilac colored paint. At first thought that seems pretty idiotic, but The Who singer, Roger Daltrey, has mentioned that Moon liked to “take upper-class icons and make them working class.” How awesome is that? A huge rockstar trying to be normal instead of the other way around.

But fans of The Who and rock music in general know that there was more to Moon than just show. Though it is safe to say he was an attention whore, he backed up his antics with killer, innovative drumming. (what’s up with the goldfish?)

Props to someone who was crazy enough that Mike Meyers would portray him in a movie, and could beat the shit out of a drum set like no other.

Nick McBrain, the drummer of Iron Maiden, joined the stage with The Mystic Orchestra’s “Flashback-The Classic Rock Experience” in Florida on Sunday, August 31st. According to the official website, the band consists of 25 world-class musicians who perform a 3-hour show consisting of 30 of the best classic rock songs ever recorded. “Flashback” is a tour that “enhances the original songs by adding richer sounds, intelligent lighting, video animations and special effects.” Artists covered during the performances include Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Video of McBrain’s appearance for Deep Purple’s song “Smoke On the Water” can be seen here.

According to one fan, “It was like going to the ultimate reunion tour of all time…I encourage any rock fan to definitely check this tour out.” Tickets range from $20-$170 bucks a pop. Remaining tour dates for “Flashback-The Classic Rock Experience” can be found here. Get ready to break out the bong…

When I asked you to name your top 5 drummers, I’m pretty sure Rowan Atkinson was probably not on your list. However, the British actor most famously known for his character Mr. Bean, is actually a pretty amazing drummer. Well, considering his drum set is invisible.

Ok so maybe he still doesn’t make your top 5 list. But hey, at least I kept you entertained for 5 minutes.

This past Friday I received an e-mail from Jon Cohan of All Things Loud telling me to check out his blog. Jon Cohan is a professional drum tech who has worked with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dropkick Murphy’s, The Vines, Breaking Benjamin and many others. He has also written books, as well as pieces for magazines like DRUM!

Needless to say, his blog is great. He covers topics ranging from studio and tuning techniques to stories from the road. He even shows off some of the setups of the drummers he works with.

He has linked to my site and I thought I would do something in return and post about his blog here. It is something you should check out if you have any interest in drums at all.

Jon Cohan’s All Things Loud Blog.

*(Image courtesy of All Things Loud Blog)

Bumbershoot went down this past weekend in Seattle, WA and pitchforkmedia.com has some great photos and coverage up. They have some great shots of Stone Temple Pilots, T.I, Final Fantasy, Beck, Sons & Daughters and many more.

Also, I had planned on attending one of The Melvins shows at The Troubadour this past weekend, except the shows were canceled. No explanation has been given aside from the statement that the shows were canceled “due to illness.” I plan on going to one of the rescheduled dates and getting some video footage of Dale Crover and The Melvins awesome 2-in-1 kit up here.