Category Archives: music

¡¡¡RAMONES!!!

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Let me tell you something… If someone tells you that Ramones music is easy to play, they are lying. The simplest-appearing things are the most deceiving. All those downstrokes (though easier on bass than guitar) are hard on the wrist, and the constant fast 16th notes on the drums are an arm workout. i was pretty much just doing power chords too (i didn’t focus on the barre chords, so don’t beat me up too much!)

i got into a whole bunch of bands at the same time. i saw no problem being into both (the) Ramones and Metallica, and also groups like De La Soul. The first person to introduce me to (the) Ramones was the dude named Anthony. While my sister hung out with the popular kids in high school, i hung out with mostly the misfits, punks and metalheads. Anthony was the biggest Ramones fan i knew at the time. He was absolutely obsessed with them. i think he played drums and went to band class.

i ended up getting their albums on cassette and bringing them to school, when people asked me if Howard Stern was in a band (If you don’t know what Howard Stern OR Joey Ramone look like, go look them up now, then come back to this). Interestingly (or not) (the) Ramones were a massive staple on Stern’s show throughout the 80s and 90s. So yeah, while i KNEW of them, saw them on the tv and movies and even heard their music over the years, i never was FAMILIAR with them until i met Anthony.

So thanks guy, wherever you are.

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(The) Ramones are a strange one. They absolutely (very publicly) hated each other. They were famous, on major labels and sold out stadiums, yet remained underground at the same time. They were on total opposite ends of the political spectrum.

22 years may not seem like a long time in comparison to other bands celebrating their 30th and 40th years together… But that’s a long time for a band like (the) Ramones.

(i’ve met two out of four of the OG Ramones- Joey and Dee Dee. Interesting times…)

My favorite Ramones song of all time is ‘I Don’t Want You’. i know people tend to gravitate towards the faster, classic, ‘edgier’ songs, but the Joey-leaning (and penned) songs are among my favorites. The bridge always breaks my heart: “I want you, I want you to stay/But I guess it just can’t be that way…”

i am doing everything here: guitar, bass, drums and ‘attempted vocals’ (shout out to a Mr. Kirk Hammett).

My other favorite song of theirs is ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’. This version posted here was recorded either 2014 or 2015. i think when i recorded it, i think i remember the mics being hot, and i totally forgot to check.

‘Chasing The Night’ is another Joey penned song (along with Dee Dee and funk/rock bassist Busta Jones). This is another one of those ‘deep cuts’ that tends to get skipped over. There’s a version floating around where drummer Richie sings; however, i’m drumming to the album version.

One of my favorite things about (the) Ramones is that the bass tends to be higher in the mix- especially in the earlier recordings. You started hearing less of that, from Road To Ruin (perhaps my favorite Ramones album, and also the inspiration for my favorite punk/hardcore band, Bad Brains) on. In many guitar-centered bands, the bass is usually buried. Whenever i record i do my best to mix things as evenly as possible, so nothing is prominent over another thing. That said, ‘Go Mental’ has a bass line that needs to stand out. So it is a little higher in the mix here, than it is on the album. Their lyrics are much darker than a cursory listen lets on.

i’m just playing bass here.

Leave Home is probably my second favorite Ramones album, and i wanted to open the final song with a little ‘easter egg’ before we got into the actual song, ‘Chain Saw’! i DID NOT attempt vocals in this one, so you got the original here. i did however, play drums, guitar and bass.

i am no Joey, Tommy, Dee Dee, Marky, Richie, CJ, Johnny (or Clem Burke). But i hope you enjoy!

(This one’s dedicated to Derek, the biggest Ramones fan i currently know.)

Going Back, Yet Moving Forward…

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Despite being half a century in a few years (which is weird to say) and experiencing massive things as an adult, i’ve done my best to live life as simply as possible. i’ve never really been that interested in all those things you’re expected to be into at my age- the long career where you begin to identify with your job, ‘investing’ in a house, the so-called ‘2.5 kids and a dog’… i actually quite like being an adult, and have no desire to relive my youth. i just don’t support the societal expectation and limitation that adulthood entails.

There are definitely things from my childhood that make me smile when i think about them though.

i saw Rainbow Brite And The Star Stealer in the theater when it came out. It was released just after i turned 9. i honestly don’t remember anything about the plotline; i do, however, remember the song that played during the end credits. i do remember the film credits being similar to the end credits of the tv show- Rainbow Brite riding the horse (Starlite), with a rainbow palette constantly moving in the background. i guess i remembered wrong, because while the credits DO have a rainbow palette constantly moving, it’s the credits themselves that are rainbow.

i absolutely looooooove ‘Rainbow Brite And Me’. Yeah it’s sappy and the synth drums are bad, but i don’t even care what anyone says. i’m absolutely sure the machines behind the Rainbow Brite franchise are horrible (the Hallmarks, the Mattels, the DIC enterprise, etc.) but that song makes me cry of happiness.

And rainbows themselves are some of the most beautiful things on earth. There should be more songs about rainbows. Kermit is wrong- there’s not enough of them.

Still in the ‘land of synth drums,’ i decided to play around with another memory of my youth- The Facts Of Life. The theme was one of many co-written by Gloria Loring, Alan Thicke and Al Burton, and was sung by Loring. Like many theme songs, there’s a longer version (which i am playing to here). Again, though i watched the show a lot as a kid i don’t remember a lot of what happened. One thing i do remember was the introduction of Geri as a primary character for a while. It was really cool to see someone with cerebral palsy living their life on a popular tv program, because as i mentioned in another post, you don’t see to many folks in the disabled community as primary characters in popular culture in a way that’s not pathologized.

And heeeeeeere’s where we get out of childhood and more into teenager-ism, with Wire. Pink Flag is one of my favorite ‘post punk’ albums, and ‘It’s so obvious’ is a pretty great deep cut. i was thinking of playing it on drums, but i decided to just play it on the (still unnamed) bass.

Metallica Fridays (no. 8): ‘Take Hold Of The Chance…’

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As i keep saying, Metallica for me is a very different experience as a ‘middle aged’ person who has experienced… what i guess you can call life; versus a teenage kid trying to figure it all out. Obviously, teenagers experience life as well (some more involved than others), just as there are older people who haven’t lived much at all.

i think back on my life though, and i think about the places i’ve been and the people i’ve met- realizing how much i’ve actually done in my life. Despite being heavily introverted i’ve had a desire to always see, do and learn new things, that require interacting with others. i would always go on adventures, going on long, random bicycle rides or walks to wherever the universe took me. Though it’s a scary thing to do, i mustered up the courage to talk to strangers at shows or on the train.

i’ve been called weird my whole life, up to this day. i have never let that stop me.

There are so many things i aimed to do; my plan has been to enter a triathlon (either full or half) by the age of 50 (i have 4 1/2 years to go currently). Before the accident i was training in jiu jitsu and getting better at pullups. These are still goals i have, but perhaps i’ll do that triathlon at 52 instead of 50; or i’ll get a black belt in jiu jitsu in 15 or 20 years instead of 10. For sure, i am a disabled person and i recognize my limitations; that doesn’t mean i’m incapable of living life as full as i can.

And heeeeeeere is where we have music…

Everything is dialectical. As i keep saying, one positive in regards to everything regarding this accident is that it rekindled my relationship with playing instruments. And it shifted my relationship to the meaning and experience of Metallica.

i mean… i never in my life played a Metallica song in my life on any instruments until i became an amputee, and their music is not particularly easy to play, for someone like me. i had to fight through that fear of ‘not being as good as others’ who not only are far superior musicians, but also who have played their music far more often. The first step in getting better is just doing it. If people laugh, that’s expected. But they must remember that they also started in the same position, before they got better.

Exhibit A (for me anyway): ‘My Apocalypse’. i’m a person that picks the smallest thing apart sometimes, and there were sooooooooo many imperfections here. My hands were also sweaty (more than usual), but i decided to post this anyway.

Exhibit A (and 1/2- to my primary point): ‘Motorbreath’.

i’ve heard this song countless times, but it wasn’t until i decided to do it for this post where it actually hit me.

On the surface, it’s most likely a love letter (one out of many) to Motörhead. The premise is… fast living. But an astute (young) person once wrote this lyric that truly resonated with me- ‘Those people who tell you not to take chances/They are all missing on what life’s about/You only live once so take hold of the chance/Don’t end up like others, same song and dance’.

i decided to take a major chance and put myself out there, despite not being the greatest of a musician. If i’m forever going to stay worried about all the mistakes i make in this journey, i’m never going to live.

Thanks Mr. Hetfield. And Mr. Tanner.

The One-Bumblebee Band…

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It feels really good to be reunited with the drums… The thing is though, not having the drums gave me more space to give love to the other instruments. So of course i became inspired, and said, ‘Lemme just do some full songs.’ i am just a punk kid, and am not at the point of virtuosity (which you can see if you’ve been paying attention to these posts- HA!)

i felt inspired, and got the guitar, bass AND drums out to do some D.C. hardcore (or harDCore). i wore out the Flex Your Head compilation (blurry cover vinyl edition), and there were a couple of songs i felt would be really fun to play. i don’t have the crunch of the early D.C. bands (interestingly, i sound like i’m playing Cali skate punk, with an east coast accent- the best of both punk worlds, i guess).

i don’t drink alcohol or do any type of drugs- i don’t even take so much as an asprin, nor do i do caffeine…. except for the time i laid there in the hospital for two months in an immense amount of pain, and i had to take a gang of painkillers and muscle relaxants. i don’t wish the feeling of morphine, dilaudid (or any narcotics) on anybody. i was so out of it, and had intense nightmares a few times. Also, i couldn’t go to the bathroom.

As i said, i wish that on no one. i was extremely fortunate to not have developed a dependency or addiction. i ran out of the prescription, and never reordered, because i didn’t need to. i am saying all of this to say that for all intents and purposes, i would be considered ‘straight edge’, save the time in the hospital (and i’m sure some reactionaries out there would call me a traitor for even using drugs in the hospital. Whoever thinks that way, good luck with having survived a massive traumatic accident and a limb amputation with no meds). i don’t call myself straight edge, and despite being drug and alcohol free i don’t judge others for partaking.

i love me some straight edge punk though. i mean, ‘Master Of Puppets’ is one of the greatest straight edge-themed metal songs of all time (despite it being written and performed by a band who were alternately called Alcoholica). i was once in a band in the 90s where we were all ‘straight edge’. And of course, even though there were prior songs and artists which eschewed the drug-addled life, there was the (reluctant) foreparent of straight edge hardcore, Minor Threat. Flex Your Head featured other straight edge bands like Government issue and SOA.

One of those songs is ‘Waste Of Time’ by Youth Brigade. As i said, i don’t judge people for partaking, but yo, i love this song. Always have. It definitely was not a waste to do this song. All the instruments got some love- Jerome (the guitar) and his bass and drum siblings.

Help me to name them.

Another song from the compilation i did was ‘Nic Fit’ by The Untouchables. i love the song but i honestly have little idea what Alec MacKaye is singing (save a few words)- so i took what (i guess) were some lyrics from the Sonic Youth cover, and made up a few of my own. Also, i think on the OG Danny Ingram is playing on an open high hat, but i’m playing it on closed.

i actually started this one out on drums, then played everything else around it. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…

Crass is one of my most favoritest punk bands of all time (Bad Brains is, to this day, number one for me). They are easily in the top five. The foreparents of the anarcho-punk movement (which is some of my favoritest type of punk), they were a collective that fused art and music, challenging the capitalist ideology/ethos (and all which fall under the umbrella of it, such as patriarchy, imperialism, neoliberalism, commercial media and consumerism).

i love that (being a staunch anticapitalist myself) i don’t even necessarily agree with all of Crass’ viewpoints- they’re Anarchist and i’m a Nkrumahist-Tureist. i mean, there have been a number of Anarchist individuals and organizations who have definitely struggled with Crass on particular positions. There are many shades of particular objectives and ideologies. That said, i have no qualms with paying respects to a band who contributed to my burgeoning ideological development as a teenager. The first person i need to thank is actually Ronald Reagan. i saw him at 10 years old and he inspired me to begin developing even then, an intense hatred for capitalism. i just didn’t have the words for it.

On the music front, one of my favorite things about Crass is Pete Wright. i absolutely love his bass playing, and sadly i don’t really hear anyone talk about him. i honestly can’t even pick a favorite, but ‘Do They Owe Us A Living’ (both versions) and ‘Darling’ (which i do here, but only the bass) are a couple off the dome.

An even bigger thing i love about Crass is that even though they were tagged with the ‘punk’ label they heavily critiqued ‘punk culture’ as being conformist and nihilistic. As someone who identifies as a punk kid (because it was punk that shaped the person i am today), i actually can’t be mad at their sentiment. Also, their primary influences were blues, jazz and various aspects of ‘counterculture’ visual art.

i hope i do his playing at least a modicum of justice. Especially since the bass kept trying to fall!

The final contribution to today’s post is another Crass song, ‘Shaved Women’. This song is interesting because it really does ask us to look dialectically and question our position on particular things. The song does refer to women in France who were seen as ‘collaborators’ to the nazis during the war. After the allied forces won, those women had their heads shaved as a form of public humiliation. Due to the band’s consistent antipatriarchy/antimisogyny messaging, it does force the listener to ask if the women were willing collaborators (for sleeping with nazis), or were they forced to do so in order to survive? Were they assaulted (or worse)? People do things every day of their lives in order to survive (such as have their labor exploited); so we are forced to ask ourselves, how ‘low’ is one willing to go just to feed our ‘screaming babies’ and ourselves? Sexual violence has historically been a major factor in war (which Crass actually did songs about). So would this situation be any different?

The other widely held interpretation is calling to question women who shave their bodies (and adhere to other patriarchal beauty standards). Are these women collaborating with the enemy? The desire to fulfill unrealistic standards (and the consumerism it entails) contributes to the “decadence” that occurs, while “people die.” The more we consume, the quicker it leads to our death.

But! If that’s all we know, do we understand the role of being a collaborator?

Questions, questions…

Crass were pretty open in stating their contradictions. They called for the listener to make up their minds about how something was interpreted. That’s not always necessarily the best thing, considering there are too many people who don’t actually listen to messages, and react to something based on a surface-level reading. However, i do understand what the band means when they say that, especially since they were pretty open about where they stood, when they were a solidly functioning collective.

i am playing Jerome, along with the yet to be named bass and drums…. along with vocals, and a couple of train samples. i’m certainly no Eve Libertine, but… i don’t have to be.

i’m just a bumblebee.

So there you have it… el uno abejorro banda musical, lejos de la colmena por el día. i hope it’s not too bad.

(This post is dedicated to Cicely, Eli and Shamole)

Metallica Fridays (no. 7): This Time… On Bass!

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Look, before we even start i am going to get this out of the way. i’m sure you can tell i am NOT Clifford Lee Burton, Jason Curtis Newsted or Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz.

THERE! Next post…

(But seriously though)

How do i even attempt to reach such heights as those three? Well, by not trying to BE them, and knowing my limitations, just do what i do. It’s better than feeling sad that i’m not there (yet), and not doing anything at all. i can play tiny portions of a couple of Metallica songs on guitar- and if i’m not at the level of the bassists, do you really think i’m even at a modicum of the level of Hammett or Hetfield??!!

Interestingly, a lot of people started out learning guitar to their songs. But like with the drums, that wasn’t my experience. i have begun to get over my fear that this type of thing is impossible. As i keep saying, i am a basic player. However, that doesn’t mean i can’t navigate my way around a song. i looked at it in two ways: (a. what songs would be really fun to play, and (b. what songs would be possible to do at my skill level.

If you’ve been following these posts regularly i’m sure you’re aware of one of the songs.

‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’.

i definitely didn’t play the bass line note for note. i can’t read music (and i haven’t really watched any tutorials on it) so i played it how i heard the notes in my head, so listening to it over again i am chuckling a bit at how a few of the notes sound kind of off, despite actually tuning it before i played. i’m sure i’m also playing it in a much more difficult way than it could/should be played.

All you pro bassists out there, don’t be mad at me! Y’all could give me some tips though (wink). i hope Cliff won’t be too mad with me…

i don’t know about you, but watching me play the bass with a straight face for a whole four or five minute song is kinda boring. So i asked myself, ‘How can i make this fun?’

i jumped in the fire and made a little music video.

Metallica has no shortage of dope riffs, but this song has some of my favorite in their whole catalog. Every single riff in this song is so good. The solo is excellent (i know that Kirk has publicly stated dissatisfaction with the album’s solos as a whole), and i am a major fan of the 16th note ‘disco’ beat in metal and punk. The song also has one of my favorite bass lines on the album. Y’all already know i am a Load/St. Anger fanboi (and yes, Justice and Puppets are my 2nd and 3rd favorite of theirs), but you cannot deny the impact a bunch of dudes not yet 21 made on the thrash scene with Kill ‘Em All, and how far advanced they became by the time of Ride The Lightning‘s release.

Lars has claimed that the song was their attempt at ‘Run To The Hills’ (of which the intro riff is my favorite metal riff of all time)- and i only see it a little bit. They messed around a bit with the song on Garage Days, and even played live with drummer Nicko McBrain. But if that song inspired them to make them dope riffs, well okay then. i’m definitely not a fan of the original lyrics (sorrynotsorry), and the reworked lyrics are silly; the song is fun to play though, and working out a ‘music video’ was fun as well.

ima punk ima punk ima punkpunkpunk (bass edition)

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It might be a few days before i get back on the drums (as i am waiting for some materials to do some further soundproofing)… i miss playing- a lot, but playing other things, that’s fun too!

i don’t have a lot of space (or a lot of money), so i feel like i accomplished something with building a mini studio (with the help of Casey, who is much more tech oriented than i am. i have been extremely grateful for his knowledge, and his assistance). i’m using a Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD audio interface (for the drums and keys), and a Spark 40 amp (which is technically a practice amp, but again, i don’t have money like that to get both a bass and guitar amp. The Spark works for both). For vocals, i have a Shure SM7b.

Now that you know the equipment, you can now hear what it does (HA)! Today, i’m playing some punk rock on the Ibanez GSR105EX 5-string bass. The interesting thing about the bass is that i kind of play it like a guitar, and i play the guitar kind of like the bass. i cannot tell you why. i know i also don’t play songs like how they’re ‘supposed’ to be played; my guess is because i’m just playing by ear, as opposed to reading the tabs… but then again, from what i hear a whole gang of tab books are wrong.

Recording all of this was an interesting process. Usually when i film drum stuff it’s recorded directly from the phone (until i get a better/more dedicated camera some day). i realize that filming piano stuff isn’t that easy, because there’s no good place to put the camera. In terms of guitar or bass, the Spark app is on the phone, so i have to record the song, then film myself playing to what i played. It’s not ideal, but if i’m gonna be on film then that’s what i gotta do for now. (i may opt for just audio later, who knows?). i know there is a way to film through the Spark app, but i haven’t explored that yet.

One thing that’s a bit different about this post is that you also see my legs… well the one and a half of them. Say hi… i see my legs all the time, but i don’t look in the mirror much, so i don’t see ALL of me. So seeing this is kinda interesting and strange. i have to prop the right leg (her name is Mbuya) on a pillow, so the guitar or bass won’t fall.

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i was doing some writing and cleaning, and i was listening to Agnostic Front’s United Blood EP (which to me is one of the greatest hardcore records of all time) and i said to myself, i’m gonna play some AF. i remember being 15 years old and seeing them for the first time at CBGBs- someone gave me their wristband, and the rest is history. i had a few of their albums at that point, but Victim In Pain was the one i wore out.

So the title track it is.

This next song is definitely one of my favorite hardcore songs of all time, from another record i wore out. i had Out Of Step on vinyl, and the Minor Threat compilation on cassette. The folks i was in my first band with, we actually met at a Fugazi show. We covered the song ‘Minor Threat’ in that band (where i played guitar).

And now, i play ‘I Don’t Wanna Hear It’ on bass. It comes full circle.

And finally… we actually have a repeat here- but not really. A number of posts ago i played drums to the final live performance of (the) Ramones’ ‘Pinhead’. Here, i’m playing bass to the album version. In between, there are posters of the film Freaks, which the song is based off of. i haven’t seen it in almost 20 years, but i remember that it was a big deal, because it’s one of the few movies that have folks in the disabled community as clear protagonists. That of course was a big deal at the time it was made. Does the film (and its promotion) have contradictions? Of course. Still, the film industry hasn’t greenlit many films with disabled actors as primary characters to this day; and when they do, the stories tend to be tragic.

Yes, i know i play it more like Johnny than Dee Dee… i have met Dee Dee though. He was quite nice.

Metallica Fridays (no. 6): Piano Time

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i actually was planning to post something earlier this week; however, what with moving everything around (plus using some new equipment) there were a few mishaps. i wasn’t able to play drums as much this week, but i still wanted to post something charting this journey. Since i’m on a journey in rekindling my relationships with other instruments as well, i didn’t want them to feel like i was neglecting them.

For today’s ‘Metallica Fridays’ post, i am highlighting the piano.

i know you saw a couple of posts ago, where i’m playing the keys (and of course, it’s absolutely okay if you laugh at that). Like with any other instrument i’ve played in life, i was self-taught, and always played by ear. Admittedly, my technique is trash, i cannot read music, and i am not good at reading tabs. Listening to music i always hear harmonies in my head, and this is exactly how i play.

Even when they were doing straight thrash, Metallica had a great sense of harmony. For someone who is not traditionally skilled on the drums (in comparison to others) and can barely play any other instruments, Lars has a keen sense of where a melody should go, and is an excellent arranger. Despite James initially not wanting to do vocals, he’s one of the greatest vocalists in metal/rock. Kirk’s affinity for the blues helps to slow things down and bring feeling into a genre known for its aggressiveness. Cliff, Jason and Rob have all been anchors, bringing out the best in the rest of the band.

The two songs for today’s post are not only in my top 10 list of Metallica songs; they also got the S&M treatment. Obviously that gave me a bit of inspiration to do whatever interpretation i did. Without the assistance of a conductor (and an orchestra), it was just me and the keys.

The album version of ‘Hero Of The Day’ is already, again, one of my favorites in all of their catalog; the S&M version moves me to tears. The pitch is raised a bit in this version. i am posting two versions here- one without drums, and one with (it’s clearly not me playing). Despite the music being the same, they sound like two different songs.

Hetfield fought to keep ‘The Unforgiven 3’ on Death Magnetic, and i’m glad he did. It’s actually my favorite in the Unforgiven trilogy, and i love all three. It’s one of those songs that didn’t hit me until i was a bit older.

Similar to the previous song, this one is just me (with some faint background vocals), and a Yamaha PSR-E373.

Metallica Fridays (no. 5): i Make A Ton Of Mistakes (Just Like Metallica)

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i should start calling this ‘Metallica Saturdays’, if i keep this up!

Well, not really. Once again, there were a ton of technical mishaps, like the camera being in the incorrect configuration, computer freezes/crashes/battery death, totally losing parts of a recording, and so on. All of these things happened , and interestingly enough i began to think about Metallica. One of the reasons i appreciate them is because of how open they are in their imperfections. They stay making mistakes, and make fun of themselves about them. While they certainly don’t shy away from the occasional post-production fixxxing (see what i did there?), there’s plenty of evidence of ‘happy accidents’. And let’s keep it real: as celebrated as they were for the output in their ‘younger days’, a lot of those live shows were pretty sloppy… which is why it’s interesting to me that people attack them for any mistakes they’ve made in later years. They absolutely do make mistakes, but as a whole how they play now is far more refined, and less sloppy.

i also thought about this, because when you watch drumming videos people tend to not show mistakes. There are people who are excellent and barely make mistakes (if at all), but that can’t be EVERY person who produces content. The interesting thing for me in posting this content is not only watching my growth, but also recognizing common mistakes i may make, and figuring out how to make them better. One of my hopes is that someone who watches this (and is a drummer/bassist/etc.) could point out things i could do better.

So of course in the following posts i made some mistakes.

Of course.

Today is a shorter post.

Of course.

The first major mistake was erasing half the drum track. The camera (when filming) was in the correct position, but when i went to go edit it ended up being flipped sideways. i erased everything up to the bridge of ‘Master Of Puppets’. Master Of Puppets was actually my favorite Metallica album from the age of 14 up until this year, where Load knocked it out of the #1 spot. ‘Master Of Puppets’ was my second favorite song of theirs (after ‘Blackened’), until ‘One’ knocked it to number three. That said, ‘Puppets’ is by far, the greatest Metallica song to exist. It is the one song i would choose if asked what the one song by them someone should listen to. It’s absolutely got excellent lyrical content, but even without lyrics, the song takes you through an emotional journey. ‘Puppets’ is up there with ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is’ in the pantheon of songs describing the journey of addiction.

The song also has my favorite James Hetfield solo…

For this one, the first portion of the video is me playing along with Lars, and the other portion (from the bridge on) is where i am playing. It was also the first time i drummed through the whole song in full (but alas, i erased the first half).

The next song is pretty appropriate, because i was struggling hard all day. i made a couple of mistakes here too, but you already know!

i’m trying to get my ‘Lars face’ right.

‘The Struggle Within’ is one of my absolute favorite songs on The Black Album (aka Metallica). It’s also one of the most fun to drum to.

i Do What i Can Do, So i Do It

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i continue to try an seek out other amputee drummers, and so far, i’m so amazed at all of the things i see. i am literally a baby in this experience (well, technically a toddler), and i have a ways to go before i can get to the level of a Caleb Graves, Jack Thomas, Jason Barnes and most famously, Rick Allen. It’s mostly dudes i have seen highlighted in the community- no surprise there.

i’m here representing those of us who are less known or acknowledged- or not known at all (raises hand here).

i thought about all of this because figuring out different things amid the limitations has been interesting. For instance, in a traditional set people who use double kick obviously use the left foot. i have never used my left leg for the kick before, so i was surprised at how fast i adapted. There are other things i have to sort out while playing, such as playing a particular pattern in place of the alternate open/closed high hat- such as the following song.

‘Is It My Body’ is probably my favorite Alice Cooper song. Frank Zappa found them interesting (and strange) enough to put them on. Their first few albums (of which Love It To Death (where the above song is on) is among them) were more straight ahead rock, as opposed to the metal of the proceeding years. Neal Smith seemed to be a pretty big fan of the open high hat.

But alas, i did what i could do.

Soooooooooo… i finally got a keyboard again, after years of not having one. i used to play piano all the time (and even wrote whole songs), but i was never proficient at it. i kind of forgot how to play; i hope it’s like what they say about bicycles- when you know how to do it you don’t forget.

i hope that’s true though, because i intend to ride again.

i can still play some notes, but the technique is TERRIBLE. i wouldn’t even call it a technique. i have never seen anyone play this bad- HA! But i wanted to show it anyway. Because you have to start from somewhere.

Go ahead. Make fun of me. i know i look like a little kid playing on a small Casio.

It’s okay though. i have Touré the octopus by my side.

‘Every Little Step’ at a time counts.

Speaking of… i got a request to play to some ’90s R&B. i did play to the one SWV song a few posts ago, but i couldn’t think about what else to do. Then i thought about the severely underrated Bobby album, by of course, Bobby Brown. My favorite BB song is the one i played above on piano), but Bobby is a much more mature work.

‘Get Away’ is the jam, but of course i had to punk it up (shoutout to Infectious Grooves). And of course, Lars was (subconsciously) all over this. i have to laugh about it at this point.

Drums are definitely a way to get away…

And finally, we have Toto.

My first exposure to ‘Hold The Line’ was actually Millie Jackson’s version (If you haven’t heard it go check it out). i have the album now, but the only Toto songs i remember knowing as a kid (besides the Thriller association) were ‘Georgy Porgy’ and ‘Rosanna’. Toto was one of those bands (like The Police, Hall & Oates, Wham!, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins, Ambrosia, etc.) that crossed over into the hood.

Jeff Porcaro was one of those drummers who prominently put the swing in rock music. i hope i did him justice here.

ima punk, ima punk, ima punkpunkpunk

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i was watching a Mike Portnoy video, where he was demonstrating unconventional time signatures. While i have done a few odd ones myself during playing (and being in the midst of writing music right now), there were only a couple i could do with him, especially not having double kick. i’m also not as good as him. That’s not a good or bad thing. He’s been at it way longer than me, in all the years i’ve been drumming combined.

i guess i mentioned this because i am finally at the point where i am getting more comfortable with playing (after 20-odd years of not), to the point where i can write some basic (not yet Portnoy level) odd signatures. That’s a huge step from the first time i sat in front of the drums.

The next step: Practicing and getting decent at blast beats. Old school ones of course, since i am only using one foot for now. An even larger drumming goal: Blast beats with a prosthetic.

Until then, i’m just gonna continue to work on building the confidence, and having the fun.

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A band i have seen live a couple of times and have always been a lot of fun is Rocket From The Crypt. There’s not too many rock bands that have a horn and organ section. i was listening to them one day and said, ‘they would probably be fun to drum to.’ Out of the many i could do, i narrowed it down to two.

At least for now. And i just realized that rhymed.

The State Of Art Is On Fire and Hot Charity are two favorites of mine in their catalog, and i decided to do one song from those- ‘Cloud Over Branson’. The other song is from Scream, Dracula, Scream (another great album), ‘Ball Lightning’.

Maybe i’ll drum to some Drive Like Jehu next…

My favorite part about ‘Lithium’ is Novoselic’s playing. He’s a solid player, but doesn’t seem to get a lot of credit. The bass is a bit more prominent in the version here (which was at the Reading Festival). i was really into Chad Channing and Dale Crover’s playing (they seem to be forgotten about as well); however, Dave Grohl goes hard on them drums. The dude is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing all the instruments on more than one Foo Fighters album himself.

i am bigger on Bleach and In Utero; but ‘Lithium’ is my jam.

i was just having a little fun here; nothing too serious.

When i was a young punk kid (and not a middle aged one like i am now), i played guitar in a band that covered The Misfits. i don’t remember the exact moment i heard them, but the first Misfits tape i bought was Walk Among Us. ’20 Eyes’ set the stage for the rest of the album.

One of my other favorites is, i would say, a favorite of many others as well- ‘Green Hell’.

i couldn’t round out this (halfway) punk set, without playing to my second favorite punk/hardcore band (after the Bad Brains), The Dead Kennedys. The lyrics will always be timeless, despite the very prominent past (and present) actions of band members (outside of Jello Biafra, who’s been pretty consistent since day one).

‘Police Truck’ speaks for itself. The band (the version i acknowledge anyway) only had a 6-year run, but it was a very impactful six years.