New Artist Announcement: Justin Peroff (Broken Social Scene)

We’d like to welcome Justin Peroff to the Los Cabos Drumsticks’ family.  He’s an extremely talented musician and DJ, most commonly known as a member of the Canadian super-group, Broken Social Scene.  Put your hands together for Justin!  Welcome aboard!!!

Artist update – Kenny Youngar

New Artist Announcement – Brittany Brooks (Cee Lo Green)

Los Cabos Drumsticks is pleased to welcome Brittany Brooks to their artist family. 

Over the past five years, Brittany has worked diligently with numerous up and coming Los Angeles artists as well as being a faithful member of the Hopes House Christian Ministries church band.  Most recently, Brittany has joined Cee-Lo Green also known as Gnarls Barkley’s all-star female band, Scarlet Fever.  Additionally, Brittany performed with Cee-Lo on numerous late night and day time shows both nationally and internationally such as Ellen, David Letterman, Saturday Night Live and Jools Holland just to name a few.  She is currently on a world tour in support of Cee Lo’s multi Grammy nominated album, The Lady Killer.

“I am very excited to be joining the Los Cabos Drumsticks family!  I have heard many great things about LCD in the past and I am super juiced to be finally teaming up with them!! Let’s go team!!!”– Brittany Brooks

New video featuring Darrin J. Thomas

Many of you know the drummer Darrin J. Thomas and some of you don’t know who he is. Darrin is the drummer for the Hip Hop/ Pop band Le VICE based out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Le Vice just did a date with Snoop Dogg and are in the studio working hard on their second CD and planning to tour again this summer (2011)

Darrin is not new to drumming and as a matter of fact at the age of 17 he was named the drummer for the Monterey Jazz Festival High School All Star Band and has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Paul Cantos, Bill Berry and many more.

After collage at UNR (University Reno Nevada) as a percussion major, Darrin moved to Los Angeles, California where he spent a year as the drummer for a solo R&B singer who’s contract was not extended bu the record label so Darrin moved up North to raise his three kids until he received a phone call from a good friend and bass player of Le VICE that the drummer was not working out and if Darrin could sub a few shows until they could find a drummer.

That was over 3 1/2 years ago and Le Vice has been touring the country for the past 2 years and the popularity is steadily growing.

Picture of the Day

UK endorser Ryan Martin sent this picture along to us earlier in the week.  It received a resounding “CUTE” cry from everyone in the office so with Ryan’s permission, we decided that we better share it with you.

“My daughter is called Molly,” said Ryan.  “She’s three years old and obsessed with pink.  The pink 5As were such a hit that she decided to keep them snug whilst having an afternoon nap.”

Ryan has been playing drums professionally for the past six years.  In that time he has amassed an impressive resume through his involvement on the London theatre scene.  He has worked on productions of Daddy Cool, Fame, Sister Act, Hair Spray, The Lion King and Mamma Mia to name a few.

Thanks for sharing this lovely pic Ryan!  You made our Friday.

Finding Balance

Teaching is an important part of many musicians’ livelihood.  It offers an additional means of income while still keeping music in picture.  But while most other student-based activities operate on a regular seasonal schedule, music lessons are often juggled between tours and performances. We recently asked a few of our artists to share their thoughts on how they have managed to find the perfect balance between teaching and touring; one that pleases the needs of the students yet allows enough room for the teacher’s schedule.

Allison Hovey is a New Brunswick-based drummer and teacher at Long & McQuade in Fredericton.  He believes simple motivation is the key to this balancing act.

“Keeping students motivated can be a challenge from time to time,” says Hovey.  “With younger students, I try to get the parents to be proactive with scheduling at home for the student to get uninterrupted practice time. I also try to keep the lessons focused on what the student is interested in regardless of age.  I try to stay current with the music my students are listening to and be familiar with the drummers they like regardless of the student’s age. A positive attitude during lessons is most important.  Be supportive, not negative.”

Karl Gans teaches at Tony’s Music Box Ltd in Fredericton and spends about 20 weeks a year on the road with his band Ross Neilsen and the Sufferin’ Bastards.  He agrees with Hovey and stresses the importance of motivating and encouraging students to learn as much as they can whenever they can.

“I try to instil a fairly strong work ethic when it comes to practicing and am fairly lucky that my students understand the need to practice regularly and consistently,” said Gans.  “I want and expect them to develop ideas on their own as well as be critical of their own playing and technique.  I also tell them to work on songs that they like and play along with CDs and mp3s to get them to understand basic musical structures and apply the techniques that they have been working on.”

“Our tours can be fairly extensive,” said Gans.  “The last one being ten weeks coast to coast across Canada, so I’ve started using the “block” method.  Block One would be January through May and Block Two being shorter and built around the fall tour.”

“I don’t use sub-in instructors,” he said, “but do encourage students to study with other teachers, get to clinics, etc. to get a different slant on things.  That being said, most of my students work on their stuff and wait for me to get back to make them suffer.”

Audio, video and even photographic technology is now playing an increasing role in changing the way many teachers approach lessons.  Carlos María operates a teaching school in downtown Tijuana, Mexico and has begun using these techniques as a means of providing his students with something they can take home and work on when he is on the road.

“I use a lot of multimedia now,” said María.  “For example, if the student’s lesson covers some Latin grooves, I’ll write out some variations or add some fills.  Then I’ll take a picture with my mobile phone and tell my students to record themselves at home with their mobile or pc and send me an mp3 recording of them working through the grooves.  I can then check with the photo I took of their assignment and can tell if they are OK with the notes,” he said.

“Also I do a play-along session with my students every three or four weeks, depending on the level they’re at and the areas we are studying,” said María.  “That helps to keep them motivated to improve because they get a chart and an mp3 of the play-along session.  The objective of this is to set them up with a date to record.  That keeps them busy working and it’s like a mini-recording session.  Groove, tempo, coherent fills, dynamics, and feel are all stressed.  I arrange their sessions at my school.  I have everything set up with mic’ed drums and one camera for video.  Afterwards I’ll do a little mix of the two.”

“I find this works well for both the students and their parents because they end up having something they can sit together and watch,” he said.  “It’s a great way for parents to see the improvements of their child and also something they can keep and watch years down the road.  This may seem to be a little involved but the satisfaction they get and the ability to see and hear areas where they need to improve goes a long way.  The students get exited to do these sessions as well.  And because I have everything set-up, I can edit the video, mix audio and render it all to a DVD in about 15 minutes.”

María also keeps copies of many of the grooves he teaches in pdf and mp3 formats, creating an impressive database he can share with interested students.

“I have a huge virtual library of PDF’s and Mp3s of examples that I send to my students on a regular basis, depending on what they want or what I think it may interest them,” said María.  “I also have a video and book library, so my students can borrow videos or books to use at home.  I prefer to have actual videos around instead of suggesting YouTube videos because with a physical video in their hands, they are focused the moment they see it but with YouTube, they may start watching a Steve Gadd video but end up watching Lady Gaga live in Dubai!”

Another option for teachers is to simply take their students on the road with them.  The advent of web-cam based communication tools like Skype offer a new dimension for teachers willing to devote some of their travel time to keeping up to date with their student’s progress.

Chip Thomas is a drummer with the New York-based group, PaperDoll and does his best to continue teaching while on the road.  But before he leaves, he makes one simple request.

“I tell all my students they need to devote minutes a day to drumming,” said Thomas.  “My teacher taught me that when I was in middle school.  He said, ‘do you have 10 minutes a day you can devote to drumming?’ I couldn’t argue with that.”

“When on tour, I make time for my students via email and video chat where we do work on practice pads. I find Skype is the best for this,” he said.

Contributors:

Karl Gans: www.rossneilsen.com

Allison Hovey: www.myspace.com/allisonhovey

Chip Thomas: www.myspace.com/paperdoll

Carlos María: www.carlosmaria.com

Matt Sobb – Drummer of the Year

Matt Sobb of Ottawa's Monkey Junk

A big congratulations go out to Matt Sobb for taking home the Drummer of the Year Award at last night’s 2011 Maple Blues Award Gala held in Toronto.  Matt and his band Monkey Junk also took home the award for Electric act of the Year while bandmate Steve Marriner took home the award for Harmonica Player of the Year.  This is the second year in a row Monkey Junk has been the award’s big winners.

Here they are in action:

Here is a link to today’s article in the Ottawa Citizen

Well done Matt!  We’re all very proud!

Artist Profile: Keith Banks

“Worship drumming is part of who I am and it represents my heart for God and drums,” says Texas musician, Keith Banks.  “I believe my best playing of the drums is done when I am playing with the intention of praising God.  My soul is able to express sounds that go beyond playing rhythms but rather speaking the deep things of my gratitude for God.”

Banks is a graduate of the Christ For The Nation Bible Institute where he now teaches drumming.  He also spends a few months a year as a touring musician.

Over the past five years, he has release a series of self-produced teaching materials geared toward drummers performing in a worship setting.

In 2009, he released Dynamic Drum Lessons, a series of DVDs geared towards drummers of all skill levels including a beginner & intermediate volume that focuses on achieving a solid understanding of the basic techniques used by drummers today.  But it was his first release, Defining a Worship Drummer that introduced a completely new concept to the world of drum instruction.  The disc does not include physical playing skills and technique lessons, but instead presents a detailed look at what it means to be a worship drummer.

“Defining A Worship Drummer was a reflection of my heart and how we can express worship to God on the drums,” said Banks.  “The wisdom spoken in this DVD shows that drummers must focus on developing the character of their heart as well as their ability as musicians.  These fundamentals have helped me be very successful in my drumming opportunities and personal life and I know it will help others to be successful in their lives.”

The response received from all corners of the drumming world has been overwhelming.

“I’ve gotten feedback from drummers that aren’t religious at all that were encouraged and inspired by the wisdom that anyone can relate too. I believe the DVD content gives life truths about building the character of the heart as well one’s ability,” he said.

Banks is one of several top drummers who attribute their success and ability as musicians directly to their faith and the guidance it has given them.  In 2006, he performed as part of the annual Drummers for Jesus weekend in Dallas Texas alongside side the likes of Zoro, John Blackwell Jr, and Greg Bissonette.

One of his main messages as an instructor has to do with understanding pride and ego and how these two elements can easily distract from an individual’s focus in music and in life.

“One of the biggest hindrances or struggles for musicians is pride,” said Banks.  “Pride has been the key reasons why many talented musicians lose great opportunities.  Musicians must come with a heart of humility that says ‘I am a servant to my fellow musicians’.  I believe musicians will gain greater respect from people if they use their talent to compliment and build the lives of people with the heart motive saying ‘It’s not all about me’.”

Banks’ is a superb drummer and the songs featured on all his DVDs are a testament to his abilities, but how he has chosen to approach the instrument mentally, physically, and spiritually is what make his teaching tools a unique and fresh concept.  For Banks, faith has been a driving force in his drumming pursuits since day one.

“Since my childhood I have always played drums in the church, however I didn’t understand worship drumming until I attended bible school,’ said Banks.  “Studying at Christ For The Nation developed my worship drumming passion.”

“I consider drumming a tool I use to express my joy and love for God,” he said.  “These life lessons on worship drumming have helped me to influence and become a mentor and role model to drummers all over the world.  I live my life to bring joy, hope and love to people. Many drummers admire me for being authentic with who I am as a person in reflecting good morals in musicianship, and I am thankful for every opportunity I have to help better the life of another with my worship drumming.”

“One thing I can say is that a man’s talent makes room for him and allows one to influence people. I use my drumming as a tool of light to influence people by being a good example of a drummer that has integrity with their instrument as well as in their personal life. It is my goal to make sure that I balance my drumming character and personal character. This is a challenge for most musicians but one we all must face.”

(This article was originally published in the June 2010 issue of Backbeat)

Weekend NAMM Pictures

Larry with Katsen Louis

The Crew from Dumpel SA.

Gill and Steph with Terry Lesperence

Gill meets Tom Burns from Music Inc.

The Summerfield Boys stop by to say hello.

More NAMM pictures….

Barney Ewell at the booth. Barney is our traveling salesman in the US and a great ambassador of our product.

Steph with CJ Baker

Larry with Jeff Perez

Jeff Towers, Steph, and Louis James Davis

Gill with Richard Balaeer from Poland's Balidrum.

Rodney Powell and Gill