Here’s how I’m doing. This is 7 years into my drumming (started when I was 33). This is a short compilation from this weekend’s show, which is the first time I’ve played a full night (9-1) with a cover band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQ3e9v05lI
And for comparison, here’s what I sounded like about 5 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euAUSQISLzU
Interestingly enough, he guy on the far left in this video is the same guy who sings and plays bass in the first video (my current band).
I figured you were a 70ish year old man living in a far away land with all your running knowledge…
Sometimes it feels that way. =)
Nice! Thank you for sharing.
Dig the black hat, too.
Nice improvement that looks like a lot of fun! I didn’t see any women throwing their bras on stage though…
I like your song selection but you need to get a good set of Ludwig’s 
I have a set of Ludwig’s from 1967 sitting in my attic.
Is there only the three of you? Great sound for having a small space and only three guys if that is the case!
Yes, just a 3 piece, except for the very first song you see me up front. A friend of mine who was there plays drums, so he sat in for that one.
Thanks!
Every old MF’er in this town plays on Ludwigs! ; ^ )
Thanks for sharing. Looks like you are having fun out there!
Awesome! Love all the song choices!
How are you enjoying the classic rock band vs. the metal band you used to be in?
Hard to give a simple answer. There are pro’s and cons:
The drumming is more interesting in this band because rock music spanning 40 years covers a variety of styles (especially when we throw in some funk and blues tunes). I enjoy the music a bit more, we can play in more types of places, and the music tends to be very much more enjoyable to the average listener (for example, my wife has come to every single show this band has played. She came to about 1 out of every 3-4 metal shows, and didn’t really enjoy it very much).
In the metal band, we had a very loyal and consistent following of fans who absolutely LOVED us and were incredibly enthusiastic about our shows. The vibe also tended to be more interesting. A classic rock cover show is a very mundane experience. A metal show, on the other hand, is a step outside of the normal everyday happenings. It was more interesting whether for the love of the music, or the spectacle of it.
If I had to make a choice, though, I enjoy my current band much more. Already we’ve played 50 songs in the last two years and have 1,000s to choose from. Our next practice, in fact, we’ll be working on Personal Jesus from Depeche Mode, Gimme Shelter from The Rolling Stones, and a really cool mashup of School’s Out for Summer from Alice Cooper where we go into Another Brick in the Wall or the bridge…also working on Centerfold by Jay Giles band. Even thogh they all fit with what we are doing, I see them as four completely different genres.
With the metal band, we pretty much played the big four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax) and Pantera, and then really had to scrape around to find songs that everyone in the fan base would know. The genre got very spread out after the mid 90s.
From the beginning, what I’m doing now was always the ultimate goal. My last two bands were, more or less, necessary steps to get here. We started off, as I think most new bands/musicians do, playing covers because the writing is already taken care of. We weren’t any good at it, but that’s what we did. I learned quickly, though, that there’s a minimum level of competency expected for cover bands that play out. That level is much lower if you want to play original music in music bars, so we shifted our focus to original music and rode that out for about a year. The metal band was a nice in between step. There’s certain niche bands you can play in with medium levels of proficiency (my friends have a punk cover band doing this right now. They play pop tunes punk rock style) and that’s kind of what the metal band was. Now I’m finally good enough to play in a standard house cover band.
BTW, I have to ask, are yoru kids still playing? How are they doing with their music?
…also working on Centerfold by Jay Giles band…
J. ,Barry, it’s J. Giles.
Yeah, but isn’t J. just short for his real name “Jay?” = )
There was a Simpon’s episode where Homer J. Simpson went on a quest to find out what his middle name was. He found out it was Jay.
Well I peeked at Wikipedia. It’s John. Just plain, old John. While I’m in the red ink mode, I mark myself wrong for propagating “Giles”. It’s freekin’ “Geils”, and I realized that as I clambered around Akaka Falls (backdoor brag) this afternoon. It came to me with a Lions’ rush, pounding ceaselessly into the roaring mist. As if the stones below the spewing fount even mattered (nice imagery, eh?)
Anyways, it’s John freakin’ Geils. Get it right…and cover “Give it to Me”, it’s real music, not bubblegum, top, pop 40.