That's a Wrap: City of Angels

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I just finished a 4-show run of City of Angels with St. Bart’s Players, the longest running community theater in New York! The book is almost entirely swing so I wanted to use some of my “jazz” cymbals that don’t get a whole lot of use these days. Unfortunately, the gig was in a boomy church so I had to play extremely quietly and those dark, dry cymbals just don’t get enough rebound at soft dynamics, so I swapped them out for some old faithful As. I did, however, get to use my vintage Rogers snare which sounded particularly good for brushwork. It was great to play with my Grinch fam, Joe Graziosi, as well as MD Jon Audric Nelson.

Ring of Keys' 2nd Birthday @ Joe's Pub

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I had a most excellent time playing with these ladies at the 2nd birthday for Ring of Keys at Joe’s Pub on Sunday night. Hearing Julianne Merrill on a grand piano was, frankly, mindblowing. And even though this was a cabaret, the bass was pumping and Meghan Rose was holding. it. down. Special thanks to Emily Erickson for all of her hard working prepping the music for us!

That's a Wrap: Broadway Across America Conference

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I had a fantastic 30-something hours in the Bahamas playing for presentations of the Karate Kid & Empire Records at the Broadway Across America conference. It was nice to see some old friends and make some new ones in a tropical climate in February! Congratulations to Drew Gasparini and Zoe Sarnak on their new shows! And shouts to the amazing Erica Rotstein who keeps one-upping herself on gig locations. I owe you, lady! 

On the Radar: More Selena!

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As you may recall, we had a helluva time doing a Selena tribute at Barbes a few months ago. Such a good time that we are doing it again! This time in Bushwick presented by Barrio Collection, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Selena’s last concert (it is a gift from God that footage from that event exists). We packed Barbes last time and hope to do it again at Gold Sounds (tickets available here). Hope to see you there!

Question of the Week: I'm I the only one who's never seen Wicked?

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I took a very unscientific poll on Instagram last night to gather some field evidence. So far, other than one reed player, the ONLY people who have said they haven’t seen Wicked are DRUMMERS! What does it mean??? Every musician working in theater has played a handful of these songs, so in many ways I feel like I already know the show. I suppose I should finally get my butt to the St. James!

In The Studio: Trumpet Wom'

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This weekend I traveled down to Philadelphia’s Milkboy to record drums for Trumpet Wom’s (née, Trumpet Grrrl) next album.

In a rare occurrence for me, it was just drums being tracked. That offered me the freedom to start, stop, and record as I like. In some ways, it was difficult to not record with others (though I was playing over pre-recorded scratch tracks), but overall it was a more relaxing recording experience, especially since I was feeling adequately prepared despite having no prior rehearsals.

I pieced together a kit from Milkboy’s in-house gear. I used a Gretsch BD and rack, a Ludwig floor tom that our engineer Mike swore by, and a maple Pearl snare. Cymbals were a mix of brands, and they all sounded great! It was truly liberating to travel with just a backpack after hauling a giant suitcase across the country for six weeks with Grinch.

Stay tuned for this album in the coming months!

Gear Pics: The Grinch 2019

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Ready to go in Detroit

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I had to get a picture of my setup for the Grinch this year before my “hut” (shield and baffles) was set up. I’m playing the same DW kit as last year. Big drums=big sound! I’m loving the Paiste crash cymbals as well. They’re really nice for suspended cymbal work. The Fox is such a beautiful theater and it is a true pleasure to get to play here for the second time!