Crazy Drummer Stuff

In the Practice Cave, 02-11-2026 Well, if you gonna write about open-handed drum playing, there is no better soundtrack than to listen to Simon Philips, the master of open-handed playing.  In addition to being a master player, having played with The Who, Toto and Hiromi Uehara to mention a few, at 68 years of age (Simon was born in 1957), he is still very much relevant.           So, it all started with the song “Don’t Stop Believin’” by the group Jurney, which I had played in bands since 2015 with varying success, and always playing the song “cross-stick”, using my dominant (left) hand to play the 8 th notes on the high-hat and bell cymbal.  However, in 2021 when I started playing with our work band “The Heartbeats”, I decided to figure out how to actually play the song, with all of its syncopated toms and bell work.  Well, being the YouTube junky that I am, I started looking for videos that explain how the song is actually played by Stev...

There you go! As is my habit when I’m writing my blog posts, I’m listening to some music on YouTube, and today I’m really enjoying Animal Logic’s first album.   Such a great band, and it’s too bad they didn’t get the recognition they deserved.   Anyway, so, back in early 2025, my former boss and I started to talk about a transition plan, and how my remote role would be eliminated, since the plan for the company was to have the key roles on-site in the Utah office.   No problem, I was turning 70 in August, so it seemed like a pretty good time to retire, and we made plans for my retirement at the end of 2025.   No hard feelings; everything was on the up-and-up, and it was a mutual understanding.   To make my retirement official, my boss arranged a combined retirement / Christmas party on the 8 th of December, 2025, and we had a great time.   The company flew me up from Orange County, CA to celebrate up in Utah, and as far as I’m concerned, the party was a gr...

From Left to Right:  Smack Dab is Kent Richards, bass and vocals; Marc Repaire, lead guitar and vocals; myself on drums (playing a right-handed kit that night); Allison Friedman, lead vocals and guitar and Lloyd Brown, lead vocals and guitar.   We can be reached at SmackDabGroup@gmail.com .    So, on January 13, 2026, we had decided to do an open mike night, to get some exposure.  As luck would have it, one of the local establishments does an open mike night every Tuesday: 24401 Ridge Route Drive Suite B-105, Laguna Hills, California 92653 https://neighborsbarandgrille.com/ From Neighbors’ website:  “Tuesday Tacos & Tunes, Open Jam Session.  Bring your axe of choice and sign up to Jam with the Steven Johnson Jam Band every Tuesday Night.”  So off we went, Kent and I carpooling from San Clemente, like we usually do.  By the way, since we started playing together back in the fall of 2023, Kent and I have become good friends, and since ...

Mission San Juan Capistrano:  Mission in Lights, December 23, 2025.   For those of you who are not familiar with Mission San Juan Capistrano, the Mission was founded on November 1, 1776, as the seventh of the 21 missions that were established by the Spanish in California.  By the way, the California Missions are a chain of 21 religious outposts established by the Spanish Franciscans between 1769 and 1823, stretching along El Camino Real from San Diego to Sonoma, to evangelize Native Americans and colonize Alta California.  The California Missions became significant cultural landmarks, and have had a lasting cultural impact on California.  The California Missions were built about 30 miles apart, so that if one was traveling on horseback, one could reach the next mission within a day’s ride.  The Mission system covers about 650 miles, from the south of California to the north.    Just for fun, I’ve included a list of all the missions below:...

You are all invited to the BlasMo December 2025 Christmas Party!  Smack Dab is Lloyd Brown, lead vocals and guitar; Allison Friedman, lead vocals and guitar; Marc Repaire, lead guitar and vocals; Kent Richards, bass and vocals and myself on drums.  You can reach us at SmackDabGroup@gmail.com.     So, we had the unmitigated pleasure of taking part of the BlasMo Christmas Party, which took place on Santa Lucia day (a Swedish pre-Christmas celebration, for all you non-Swedes), Saturday December 13, 2025.   We have been playing together now for more than two years, and it continues to be a bunch of fun.   Now, playing at the BlasMo has its benefits; they have a full backline and PA, and also a house drum kit, so we don’t need to schlep any instruments.   All I do is switch around the house kit from its normal right-handed setup to a lefty, something that usually takes me less than five minutes.   However, since the BlasMo is a club for musician...