Greetings friends near & far.  I hope this finds you healthy, doing well, and gearing up (in the most optimistic way possible) for winter.

My fellow New Englanders know how l-o-n-g this season is…

Thanks for tuning in to this installment of whatever it is that Steve does with those drums & whatnot…

(…whatnot IS indeed a word.  Grandmother White used it ALL the time).

Before I get going, I just want to thank the universe for my friend, colleague/fellow drummer John Sands. (Please click that link for a glimpse of John’s incredible musical contributions.) John had a major heart attack on Monday morning the 15th of November.  After quick action by Jess Tardy, and the truly superhuman efforts by the team at Mass’ General Hospital, they brought John back – albeit with a grave prognosis.  The cardiac team even thought early on that his heart was not likely save-able.  After surgery and extraordinary care at MGH, along with the deluge of collective prayers/good vibes/love/well-wishes sent from tons of friends & loved ones, he is now expected to make a full recovery and will not need a heart transplant! The Dr.’s at MGH have said that this is “nothing short of a miracle”. Regarding donations for John’s ongoing medical care – yes we can help – - Please make checks out to John Sands, & send to: “Sands Gates” P.O. Box 301554, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.

This update from me is likely to be the last for a little while, as my son is due to enter the world sometime in December.  Being 1^st time parents, I imagine we’ll be tied up for a bit, as we get into the rhythm of this electrifying new adventure!

Reflecting back for a bit on the summer, I’m thankful to have been blessed with a healthy amount of freelance gigs with diverse mix of gifted artists – - Bobby Keyes,  Alizon Lissance,  Michelle Willson,  Jared Sims,  The Chicken Slacks,  Willie ‘Loco’ Alexander,  Justin Quinn,  Toni Lynn Washington,  Mike Benjamin,  Greg Luttrell, Orville Giddings, The Love Dogs, and Chris Stovall Brown, to name a few.

The Tough Love Trio had a blast once again at the venerable Acton Jazz Café on October 30^th.  That was the last public show for us at the AJC until after I get into the new-fangled fatherhood groove.  Here’s a video clip from that night. We’ll be back there on March 26^th for our spring show.

I was very pleased that our new original composition Equally More made it’s debut that evening.  This tune was co-written by TLT guitarist Mike Mele and myself.  It was something that I started and Mike finished. After spending far too much time at the piano trying to sort out what I was hearing (I’m crap on piano), I finally got what became the 1st half down on paper.  I then sent it off to Mr. Mele, who composed the 2^nd half (and adeptly applied his voluminous harmonic expertise to the whole of it).  Eventually Mike & I got together, sorted through what we had and finished it off.  The three of us settled on the final arrangement during the rehearsal before the AJC show.  I’m grateful to Mike for his virtuosity, and for being a patient coach.  I would’ve walked away from this idea if it weren’t for him, and this tune would never have seen the light of day.  As well, I’m indebted to both Blake & Mike for how the finished song feels in all of our hands.  That collaboration gives me confidence to do more of the same!

Update on Jody Blackwell’s forthcoming album: Brian Charles @ Zippah has completed all of the mixes, and Jonathan Wyner @ M Works has completed the mastering!  Lucky for my ears – I got to hear Brian’s final mixes pre-mastering, and was absolutely astounded with the fidelity.  Brian did a truly stellar job engineering this album.   As well, I’ve heard Jonathan’s final master, and he once again has demonstrated precisely why he’s the preeminent mastering engineer in these parts.  Musically and sonically, this is a most exceptional recording.  This album is a fantastic blend of  Jody’s masterful songwriting, and many of Boston’s A-list musicians – including guitarists Mike Mele & Duke Levine; bassist Joe McMahon, & organist Ken Clark.  I’m very proud to be a part of this!   It’s not easy for me to make clear just how massively rewarding it was (& still is) to have been involved in an album like this.  Having done all kinds of gigs, with all kinds of people, for all kinds of reasons, it’s really wonderful to be on a recording of this caliber.  As soon as a release date is set – for both the CD and the concert/event, I will post it here.  I believe Jody is targeting a March ’11 release.

Jonathan Wyner, 12-Nov-10. Photo by Jody Blackwell.

**Fellow drummers (and/or anybody interested in ‘musical gear geek-speak’), the following section is for you.  Others beware…it’s bizarre down there… proceed with caution.**

~  A couple of recent tales from the diverse world of snare drums ~

As told on my gear page, the kit that gets the most mileage under my sticks is one I affectionately refer to as ‘The Workhorse’ – an Eames set finished in Cherry Wine.  With the Tough Love Trio, I use this very kit, but swap out the 20” bass drum in favour of an 18”.

While my numero uno snare drum has been my 7″ x 14″ black Eames Master Model Monster, I’ve been clandestinely daydreaming about Eames Drum Company’s new line – the Vintage-E series (a.k.a. 6+6).  The Vintage-E is comprised of a 6-ply birch shell, but both bearing edges are 12-ply (hence, “6+6″).  Vintage-E employs sound reinforcing rings on the top & bottom of the shell’s interior.  Like all lines offered by Eames, the Vintage-E is entirely handcrafted by master drum maker Joe MacSweeney.  The end result (in my view) is a drum shell that blends the warmth & classic rebound of an older (Vintage) drum, but with the strength & character that is so patently Eames.  This drum measures 7.5″ x 14″ – a 1/2 inch deeper than my Master Model.  As I wanted Joe to outfit this drum with Ludwig’s Colosseum lugs (to match the lugs on my Workhorse kit), it was determined that the drum would need to be 1/2″ deeper in order for the re-rings to clear the lug screws.  Fine by me!  This drum is simply gorgeous, both in sound and sight, and will likely become my 1st choice for use with the Tough Love Trio.

2010 Eames 'Vintage E' / 7.5"x14" / Cherry Wine Satin

Thanks to Derek Cooper up at the Drum Barn [Ipswich MA], I was able to acquire a vintage (1980) Ludwig Supraphonic model # 402 – which is the same snare drum as their famous model # 400, but measures deeper – at 6.5” x 14” (instead of 5” x 14”).   The 402 is the snare drum that John Bonham used & made famous with a band you might’ve heard about called Led Zeppelin.

As many drummers familiar with older Ludwig 400 & 402 models know, chrome plating never stuck very well to those “Ludalloy” (aluminum) shells.   As these drums age – and depending on how they’ve been cared for – the chrome plating tends to flake off.  I’d mentioned to Derek that I was looking around for an older 402, but wasn’t interested in paying top dollar for an especially clean one via eBay (or elsewhere).  So long as the shell was dent-free, I was willing to take a rather shabby drum and put some TLC into it.  Derek came through, and an apt drum was tendered from his collection.  A visit to South Shore Plating [Quincy, MA] was next, to have them completely remove the flaky chrome plating.  I thought that perhaps the naked shell might look good after buffing (like the Ludwig Acrolite model) but as this 402 is 30+ years old, there were far too many little pits, nooks & crannies on it’s exterior – not atypical of elder ludalloy shells.   I wasn’t keen on having the shell re-plated – only to eventually deal with the same side-effect again.  In the past, ‘powder-coating’ a ludalloy shell had proven to be a decent alternative.  I opted to have this drum powder-coated in “appliance white” – nicely done by Light Metal Platers [Waltham, MA].  As you’ll notice from the photo below, the shell came out so well that I decided to dress it in black tube lugs with matching black hoops.  Magnifique!

'80 Ludwig Supraphonic #402 /Blk Tube lugs & white powder-coat, 11/2010

The vintage purists probably wouldn’t like what I’ve done to this drum, as I believe they’d have preferred that I left well enough alone.  At the very least, they’d think that I devalued the drum by messing with it – – and from an Antiques Roadshow point of view, they’re right.  In my defense, I’m not a drum collector or curator.  I don’t own anything that doesn’t get played.  If the drum had been in pristine shape, then sure, I’d have left it alone.  But as the shell was as tatty as a feral cat, I had no problem with revitalizing and customizing it.  Translation: this drum is a ‘player’, not a ‘collector’.  I’d much rather own a drum I can play, than a drum that sits on display on a glass turntable.  In my view, I improved it, and it sounds just as wonderful–if not more so–than it did prior to tweaking with it.

…and speaking of turntables… here’s my fav’…

Technics 1200 MK2, Direct-Drive Turntable

Mike Mele, Jody Blackwell, Steve Chaggaris, Joe McMahon

Eames drum set in Cherry Wine, w/matching snare drum.