Live Recording w/ the much-anitcipated 40 lb. STEEL SNARE!

[KCDrummer]

Hey all, this is a recording from a concert I played a couple months ago. It was called "Hymns in the Key of Jazz". Basically these two guys put together some jazzy R & B type arrangements of some Catholic hymns for a benefit concert. I don't subscribe to Catholicism (or R & B, really), but it was a lot of fun and I think it came out sounding great. Besides, it was the perfect oppurtunity to unleash the steel beast!

This is an unmixed track, so the balance is a little vocal-heavy, but the overall sound impressed me.

If you skip to about halfway through the track, there's a little break-down with me and the conga player, then a drum solo. Enjoy!

http://www.upwardhill.com/rong/12HereIAmLord.mp3

[Drummer Karl]

What a song...makes me feel warm inside.
About the snare drum: I thought I missed it a bit most of the song...how were the drums recorded? Is it just calm in the mix for now?

Overall very impressive man, groovy Zack and nice soloing!!

Karl

[Maytridy]

Fantastic playing. The solo was great - my only criticism would be to expand your vocabulary a little bit more with some practiced licks. The rhythms that you played were great, but it seemed like it lacked a "melody" if you know what I mean.

Although I hate churchy music, your playing was professional along with the other musicians in the band. Nice work!

[aydee]

KC, that some nice "pro" playing!!! Your self assurance on the kit comes through in the depth of your playing.. Don't know about the song, ( ; ) but you absolutely killed!!!

[KCDrummer]

Don't know about the song


Yeah, I know. I wasn't real enthusiastic going into the gig, but everyone on it was so good and the audience was so into it that it ended up being a good time.

I've always said I'd rather play good country music than bad jazz, so I guess that goes for R & B (or Gospel, or whatever this was) too.

Thanks for the comments guys!

[hawk9290]

that snare sounds fantastic, and surpisingly its not overly dominant like i thought it would be. what size is your bass though, it sounds really big (in a good way).

you'd have an amazing jazz/fusion band if you took out the vocals; even so its definitley the best church music i've heard in a while.

[foursticks]

Fantastic playing. The solo was great - my only criticism would be to expand your vocabulary a little bit more with some practiced licks. The rhythms that you played were great, but it seemed like it lacked a "melody" if you know what I mean.

Although I hate churchy music, your playing was professional along with the other musicians in the band. Nice work!

NO! LICKS RESTRICT PLAYING, NOT OPEN IT UP! Seriously, with licks you'll just find yourself relying on them and not really adding anything to the music, just the same little patterns over and over again.

Zack - Great, solid drumming, that sax player was killer and the piano player grooved hard. I can only hope to reach your level of playing one day myself. I personally thought the solo was great, really made the climax of the song and the crowd seemed to love it. Was that your own hand made kit you were using? Sounded great. What heads did you use on your snare?

[tomgrosset]

Zack, execellent stuff man! You continue to please us all.

The rhythms that you played were great, but it seemed like it lacked a "melody" if you know what I mean.


I didn't think the solo lacked melody.

[fourstringdrums]

Ok who else here actually knows this song? Although I'm only familiar with the catholic church rendition.

Honestly, I didn't care for the snare sound. It was really hard to hear, being overtaken by the claps. What I did hear, it did sound good actually, but I guess I just was expecting something more given its legend :)

[KCDrummer]

NO! LICKS RESTRICT PLAYING, NOT OPEN IT UP! Seriously, with licks you'll just find yourself relying on them and not really adding anything to the music, just the same little patterns over and over again.

Zack - Great, solid drumming, that sax player was killer and the piano player grooved hard. I can only hope to reach your level of playing one day myself. I personally thought the solo was great, really made the climax of the song and the crowd seemed to love it. Was that your own hand made kit you were using? Sounded great. What heads did you use on your snare?

Thanks, I agree. I did throw in a few licks that I knew I could nail, but I didn't just want to string a bunch of them together. That was the kit I built, I had an Evan Reverse Power Dot on the snare.

Hawk9290, my bass is 22 X 18 with an Aquarian Superkick II, the only non-Evans head I use. I tried the EMAD for awhile, but it simply can't hang with the Superkick for tone, projection, articulation and general cajones.

Fourstring, I know what you mean, the snare got buried, I'm hoping that's one of the things that will get fixed in the mixing. It came out pretty well during the solo though, I thought. Like I said, this is completely unmixed, this was just what came off the board, so considering that, I think the sound guy was a bloody genius to get the sound this good without mixing anything.

Thanks again guys!

[AllTheCoolNamesAreTaken]

The snare rocks. The song for some reason makes me think of the "Love Boat" theme :-P