John Densmore: Elvin Jones Was My Idol

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Scott K Fish

One-On-One With Doors Drummer John Densmore (Part 2)
Jim Clash Contributor – 1/23/2015 @ 5:04PM

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JC: You weren’t a straight 4/4 drummer. There was a jazzy, bossa nova feel. Who were your early influences?

John Densmore: Elvin Jones was my idol…. And I saw all the great jazz drummers. Stewart Copeland…says, ‘Me, John [Densmore] and Mitch Mitchell, the Jimi Hendrix drummer, are jazz-rock drummers,’ and he’s right. He says John Bonham [Led Zeppelin] was more of a titanic rock drummer, a giant heavy sound with big emphasis on the bass drum. Me, Stewart and Mitch were more about the hands, and fills – not just doing a 2/4. Examples of those fills were in Light My Fire, The Music’s Over and The End.

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Remembering My Uncle Bob Fish

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Scott K Fish
L to R: Uncle Bob Fish, Cousin Gregg Fish, Scott K Fish
L to R: Uncle Bob Fish, Cousin Gregg Fish, Scott K Fish

Remembering My Uncle Bob Fish

Speaking of drums, this is a detail from a family gathering photo taken in 1955. L-R in that photo, I’m on the right, age four. My cousin Gregg Fish is next to me. To Gregg’s right is his father, my Uncle Bob. Bob Fish sparked my lifelong love of drums through his own drumming, his record collection, and the talks we had about drummers. Ten years after this photo was taken, Uncle Bob died. He lived in Massachusetts, and I lived on Long Island, NY. We saw each other on holidays and probably other family visits. But, on balance, and especially compared with today’s connectivity with social media and smart phones – our time together was very, very brief. It is worth us adults remembering what a powerful impact we can have on kids, for better or worse, even for a lifetime.

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Street Drummer: Stay in School; Dumb Won’t Impress Anyone

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Scott K Fish

Faces of Capitol Hill | Joe the street drummer
Posted on Friday, February 20, 2015 – 2:01 pm by Tim Durkan

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Photo Credit: Tim Durkan

“Do what you have to do to stay off or get off the streets, really. Stay in school and get a job because being dumb won’t impress me or anyone else. If it’s a good musician you want to become then just do it. Nobody starts off being great. You got to have the passion and drive and be willing to practice 10 hours every day. If your’e not any good after 6 months, it might be time to try something else. That’s what it took for me.”

“I wish that I had found art and music earlier in my life, that I had started drumming sooner,” Joe said. “I’d like this passion of mine to help get me off the streets and into my own (music) studio where I could record and help others do the same. Drumming supports me right now and helps my child — maybe not a lot but even being able to afford a pair of shoes for her is a good thing. Music is my reason to get up every morning and I enjoy doing it — entertaining people. It gives be a sense of pride even though I’m on the streets — it’s my everything.”

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How To Make Your Own Suitcase Drum Kit

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: This is the first time I’ve seen or heard of a suitcase drumset. I would love to hear it.

How To Make Your Own DIY Suitcase Drum Kit
By RFT Music Fri., Feb. 20 2015 at 4:36 AM
By Candace Hansen

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Photo credit: Nina Cervantes, Riverfront Times

Working in a drum shop…[o]ver the years I assisted many customers with a multitude of projects, but there is one that stuck out to me so much that I had to do it myself: the suitcase drum kit.

Legend has it…early low-budget touring drummers would use these…on the road so they could travel easier and faster. These drum kits are…practical and look and sound great. With stages getting smaller, smaller kits have become very practical. They are inexpensive to make, and almost everything will fit inside of the suitcase when it’s collapsed, making for easy transport.

There are many ways to make these kits…. [F]eel free to adapt to fit your own needs. To build one of these beauties you will need…

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Snowblower as Musical Instrument

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Scott K Fish

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