Monday, July 6, 2009

Drummers

As a musician, I count my blessings on a regular basis. One of the great perks is getting to interact with other musicians - feeding off their skills, personalities and individual musical ideas. The musicians in my 'circle' are among some of the best in the country - NAY - the world. They are all very high calibre, aware, intuitive, creative, sensitive and very giving. Permit me to tell you about a week in my life and introduce you to some of my drummer friends.

June 27 - Chris Meister - I first met Chris when I started playing for the Rick Tippe band in the mid '90's. He was a quiet unassuming fellow with an excellent sense of humor. We became fast friends and have been playing gigs ever since. Any gig - from a big concert event to a quiet casual (as was the case on this date) is always a pleasure. He has a great sense of groove and is effortless to play with.

June 29 - Pat Steward - A fellow Vancouver Islander, I met Pat while I was still in college. He had just finished up his tenure with Bryan Adams and had moved on to play with some of Canada's (and elsewhere) elite - Colin James, Jimmy Barnes, Matthew Good and his own band The Odds (among others). This particular night was the debut live performance of The Rothschilds: a band that Pat and I belong to along with Wide Mouth Mason guitarist Shaun Verreault and Pat's fellow Oddsman bassist Doug Elliot. We played The Yale as part of Vancouver's Jazz Fest. The results were a great night of jam rock / blues. Pat's boundless energy and creativity were a huge driving force.

July 1 - Gary Craig - Canada's biggest acts can't be wrong: Blackie And The Rodeo Kings, The Wilkinsons, Anne Murray, Tom Cochrane, Bruce Cockburn, Jann Arden, et al enlist Mr. Craig whenever necessary and with good reason. With minimal rehearsal, On this day Gary played the Canada Day Jam in Toronto with One More Girl and NAILED the gig. Tremendous ability, feel and experience make him one of Canada's first call timekeepers. An amazing guy.

July 3 - 5 - Chuck Fields / Marshall Richardson - Two of Memphis' finest. Johnny Reid's regular drummer - the remarkable Mr. Fields - could not attend three dates (festivals in Grande Prairie, AB, Rabbit Lake, SK and Dauphin, MB). In his place, Marshall Richardson (whom I just met) steps in. COLD - no rehearsal - he NAILS the show. His remarkable work ethic and attention to detail solidified his place in the Reid band. He recognized the need for the artist to be as comfortable as possible and rose to the occasion. Needless to say the gigs rocked.

These are a few of the many - Chris Aiken, Jerry Adolphe, Phil Robertson, Randall Stoll, Chris Nordquist etc etc - I could go on and on about my drummer friends. On the odd occasion I play a gig that is - let's say less than stellar - I know that I can always count on the musical calibre to be high. No more drummer jokes.