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| Modern Drummer Blogs |  |
Rymo of Slightly Stoopid
2009-11-19
Hello, Modern Drummies! My name is Rymo and I’m the drummer for Slightly Stoopid. I’m on tour at the moment, writing from backstage at Cleveland’s House Of Blues. We’ll be doing a few more U.S. shows and then heading to Amsterdam for a festival show at the Cannabis Cup.
We’ve had a great year co-headlining amphitheaters with Snoop Dogg, with Stephen Marley as main support. Over the summer we played shows around the U.S., including Red Rocks in Colorado, the Gorge in Washington, Shoreline in San Francisco, Penn’s Landing in Philly, Comcast Center in Boston, Cricket Amphitheatre in San Diego, and more. What an incredible feeling to be in front of crowds that size. The energy is amazing!
I feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to live the dream of being a full-time player in the game. Before and since the Blazed And Confused tour, we’ve been doing tons of club gigs around the U.S., and we did a run in Europe for three weeks, covering about seven countries. The band is focused, and the shows have reflected that.
Slightly Stoopid is proof that if a band works hard and performs consistently, audiences will continue to grow. Some of my favorite bands are ones that have stood the test of time. There are ups and downs in life that will test your strength, and ultimately the ones who are able to weather the storm will rise above the rest.
Three important keys to this are persistence, humility, and consistency. It takes persistence to get out of the local dive in your hometown. Humility is necessary in life, because you never know who is watching you. And finally, consistency in performance night after night, no matter what. We’re looking forward to enjoying a break for the holidaze and then getting into studio mode for the early part of 2010. I’m excited to get back into the studio after having toured so heavily. It’s a nice balance from hotels, buses, planes etc.
Lots of things are happening outside of Slightly Stoopid too. I have a new solo CD out now, called Structure and Flow, available on CD Baby (link below). It’s been in the works for several years around and between tours and shows, and it features tons of drums and percussion, with didgeridoo, berimbau, synths, Chapman Stick, and more. It’s an all-instrumental album in the world fusion vein.
Agent 22 will be working on a new album as well this winter. Tom Griesgraber is an amazing Chapman Stick player, and we’ve been working together since the late ’90s. The album will be instrumental progressive rock fusion world happiness. Check our Web site below.
I feel very fortunate to have been chosen to be featured in the new book called Sticks ’N’ Skins, which is available now at bookstores nationwide. It’s a coffee-table book with large pictures and short bios on each player. There are about 500 or so of a who’s who in the drumming world. Very cool.
Enjoy!
Rymo
For more on Rymo, including “random babbling,” visit www.rymotunes.com and www.myspace.com/rymo1. To check out his Structure And Flow CD, go to www.cdbaby.com/cd/rymo. For more on Agent 22, visit www.agent22.net.
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Hilary Duff and Benise’s Mike
Bennett
2009-11-17
What’s up, MD readers—long time, no blog! I am writing you from the road in Daytona Beach, FL, on tour with an awesome guitarist named Benise. It’s a big flamenco/world music show with a great band and cast of dancers. The cool part of this show for me is that it keeps me on my toes, running around the stage playing drums and percussion and also up front playing a lot of cajon. It’s a high-energy two-hour show, so I’m definitely getting my endurance back up.
The past few years have been really crazy and so much fun. I’ve been touring a lot with acts like Benise, Hilary Duff, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, and others. In addition, I have also written my first two drum books: Demystifying Drumming and Demystifying The Cajon. Both books will be available on my Web site soon, and you can also email me for more info.
Now, time for a few thoughts… Living in Los Angeles I am fortunate to be surrounded by so many amazing young musicians. The question I get a lot is: How do you get a big gig? Even though there’s a lot that goes into getting the gig, the challenge lies in keeping the gig. Getting a good job and doing a good job are two totally different things. Once you do get that gig, it comes down to your level of focus and your commitment to making good decisions on and off stage. You have to have a selfless respect for the entire production.
Though I love being creative and musical, I try to do it in a manner that makes the artist, the band, the dancers, and the audience all feel safe and have a great show. Sometimes this means sacrificing my best drumming show for what would be the best show overall. Great drummers have a lot of chops; working drummers have a lot of humility. Learn to play with respect for the music and the people around you, and your chances of getting on that BIG gig will become much greater. My advice is to practice hard to be a great drummer and focus hard on learning to be a smart one.
I hope this finds everyone well! Please keep up with me at the links below.
www.myspace.com/mikebennettmusic
www.facebook.com/mbondrums
www.twitter.com/mbondrums
www.mikebennettdrums.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sHZqBmTCu8
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Uncle Kracker’s Steve Stetson
2009-11-16
Hey, MD! This is Steve Stetson, drummer with Uncle Kracker. I am a longtime reader of the magazine, so I’m really excited that I’ve been asked to fill everyone in on what I’m up to. As of late, I’ve been touring the States promoting Uncle Kracker’s latest release, Happy Hour. The new single “Smile” has been generating serious buzz on the radio, so it’s getting a great response on the road. We’ve also had a couple of nationally televised performances already: the CBS Early Show in NYC (wow, that was an early call time—5:15 AM!) and The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien in L.A.
Our current tour has been with the band Train. The whole band and crew are great. Drum tech Charles “Knuckles” Nicholas is the man! In addition to touring with Uncle Kracker, I had the honor of playing on the track “Good To Be Me,” a feel-good song featured on Happy Hour that was produced by the one and only Kid Rock. It was great to work with him and listen to all the rhythmic ideas he has. Kid can definitely play some drums. Of course, Kracker delivered a killer vocal performance, and it was one of the most painless sessions I’ve been a part of.
What else? Oh, I should probably throw in the requisite gear list, because aren’t we all gearheads at heart? I play a four-piece “broken glass” DW kit with Zildjian A cymbals, a Ludwig Black Beauty snare, a DW 9000 single pedal, and Vic Firth Extreme 5B wood-tip sticks.
For more, visit www.unclekracker.com.
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