I was really impressed by Kevin from The Hypnotic IV when I was in Sacramento 2 years ago. There is nothing like seeing a good drummer live.

That was a good night for drummers: Jeremy from Pollo, Nao from the Surf Coasters, and Kevin. The guitar players weren't bad either. :oops2:

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

Kevin from H4 was the MAN. I absolutely loved seeing him play (not to mention that he's one of the nicest guys I've ever met). He came from a strong jazz background, but was also one of the most well-rounded drummers I've met.
My personal favorite surf drum moment was when he and Taylor both set up their kits together at the SF Yacht Club show - each band had them step up for dueling drum solos. I was absolutely blown away at both of them, not to mention the fact that on various times both Taylor and Kevin did identical fills - WITHOUT really knowing the parts!!! That moment was only topped when I grabbed Jay's jag and played the last part of Parasite Beach with the rest of the H4. Thing is, I'm 6'1 and about 240, while Jay is about 5'6 and maaaaybe 130 - that strap kept the guitar just below my armpits!!

Damn do I miss the H4 playing out.

~B~

Tony,
Have your parents come, it's all ages if chaparoned by a parent or gaurdian.
I'd tell you to tell them that Bill is your gaurdian, but he'd probably start buyin' ya beers.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

21+ ?

sadly i'm only 19....
but i do have a fake ID that works some places.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

thanks for the help guys!

sadly i'll be out of town this weekend. but is this a weekly thing?

i'd like to meet some of you guys from the forum. it'll happen soon i'm sure.

Science friction burns my fingers.

ah, confused the dates of my trip this weekend. I'll be in SF! so i'll attemp tto make it into the show this sunday.

Science friction burns my fingers.

SurfBandBill
Awesome! Maybe you can be our "drum tech", so we can sneak you in too (of course your door charge then goes to us ).

But seriously... it would be cool to see you there.

AND ANYONE ELSE!!!

~Bill~

sounds like plan, just give me some briefing in the next couple days.

Science friction burns my fingers.

Wait, this thread was about surf drumming at one point, right?

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

to bring it back on topic check out this video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jWC1ENR7bI8

i don't want to start the whole "are the ventures a surf band?" argument. but IMHO this is excellent surf drums.

ps: i'll be wearing my MOAM shirt at the show tommorow.

Science friction burns my fingers.

Last edited: Apr 01, 2006 21:44:55

...it was Mel playin 'Wipeout'...

(I am on lame-ass dial up right now...so I won't be watching it right now)

Mel...man, he rules!

-dp

I think the style of a particular band should influence the drum sound used, and/or in some cases vice versa. For an instro band rooted more or less in the traditional vein, I think the ride cymbal is typically more appropriate than the hi-hat & I know in my case, I usually shy away from the rock and roll formula of hihat for the verse/ride cymbal for the chorus. I generally prefer the ride cymbal (or cymbals) over the hi-hat and that is largely due to my frustration of having the friggin' hihat come through so loud in the mix (louder than the lead guitar) that the whole drum track has to get buried just to make the guitar cut through - and this is all with the hi-hat not being miked.

Before I studied "surf" drumming, I came from a hi-hat oriented drumming background (think Stewart Copeland), so it was a conscious effort for me to get away from that for a while. Looking and listening to the 1st wave artists (particularly Mel Taylor - Live in 65), it was almost all ride cymbal with occasional "crashes" on the hihat and or ride cymbal.

Over the course of our 3 studio albums, I've gradually brought the hi-hat back into picture a little bit, always wary of it being too loud, but trying to achieve some variety in the ride source. I think Ted (SP), Doug Hoekstra of the Cossacks, Birdstuff (MOAM) & Jimmy Lester (LS) used the hi-hat effectively without it being overpowering in the mix so listening to those guys certainly influenced me a bit. On Nebula One, i don't think I rode on the hihat at all - used it sparingly on IGT, and used it a little more on the latest one, although on the last two CDs, I also used two ride cymbals trying to get some variety. One thing I don't care for is a "ping-y" ride sound - I prefer a little wash because I also like to crash on it too - especially after I retired my 2nd crash cymbal. Again, its all personal preference. I'm also in the 8th note camp, but listening to my recordings, it usually sounds like quarter notes (which pisses me off, 'cause I am playing 8th notes, dammit). Another reason I don't frequent the hi-hat is the "why are you chopping steak like Tommy Lee?" looks I sometimes get from the other guys. Of course if I had a 10" * and earned income from a video of myself *ing some hot bizatch, I would play whatevah I want.

I think Dusty is a different animal altogether - I think he's a rock drummer that knows the ins and outs of surf music like no other and can dominate the hihat and still make it sound surfy. Jeremy and Dane both play in decidedly non-trad sounding bands where the hihat is most welcome - both can of course play the surf beat with the best of them, but I think their respective bands' compositions allow them to expand way beyond that. When the Nebulas start playing stuff in "5" or "3," I'll let you know - we're still working on 4/4.

Snare: the foundation of most music, but especially surf, so I good snare sound is essential - and there are so many sounds you can get out of it (rimshots, backbeat, etc.), so it should be employed to its fullest potential. All personal preference of course and I like how my snare sounds from where I sit, but as I mentioned elsewhere, after hearing Ted play my snare last week, I like it even more.

Drum volume in the mix: drums have their place in the mix which can differ with a 3-piece vs a 4 or 5 piece band. There is only so much room in each frequency, so drums too loud in a given mix might drown out certain frequencies of the bass or other guitar & I don't think you want the drums covering up or overshadowing the guitar...or maybe you do, depending on the band. That being said, most bands are a democracy, so when mixing a CD with limited time and monetary constraints, compromises have to be made. Its always nice to have an outside ear there to inject some objective input, but that's not always possible. I certainly don't get off on hearing myself play, but do have some opinions about how loud certain things should be in a mix, but I am only one vote. it also depends on how the drums were recorded as well - if everything was isolated, one can boost or cut various elements of the drum kit, but if using fewer mics, you are somewhat limited in what can be adjusted during mixdown. For example, in our first two albums, we utilized more tracks & had a lot more freedom to adjust the snare vs toms vs whole kit, whereas on the latest CD, I think it was just snare on one track and "rest of the kit" on two other tracks (left and right). We miked everything, but directed everything to a finite number of tracks, so we were somewhat limited in that regard. I certainly would have done some things differently, but its all in the history books now - all we can do is learn from what was done and try to improve on it the next time. I think overall, we achieved a better guitar sound at the slight expense of the drum sound. And then there are the mistakes I made, but that's another story.