Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz here!

Just read this whole thread. Wow!
Thank you Bermuda.

Thank you to all the posters with the excellent questions.
 
G'day Bermuda!,
How did you get the gig with "Weird Al",
& what's he like off-stage? ,
Can't wait&look forward to the Oz tour later this year! :),
Are ya gonna do some clinics?.
 
In a nutshell, I met Al on the Dr. Demento radio show here in L.A.. He was already a regular 'cast member' with a number of popular songs, and I was being interviewed because some recordings my friends and I made were among the first home-made tapes to be played on the show in the early '70s. It just went from there!

Off stage, Al is pretty normal with little hint that he's an entertainer.

Nobody's asked about clinics, but it depends completely on our schedule, which usually doesn't allow much free time. :(

Bermuda
 
Is our Bermuda is getting into heavy metal?
Does he even have a double bass pedal?



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Is our Bermuda is getting into heavy metal?
Does he even have a double bass pedal?


Hey, you made a rhyme

A double bass pedal for heavy metal
A double bass pedal for heavy metal
A double bass pedal for heavy metal
 
I remember that guy, he was very nice!

Bermuda
 
Check out the youtube link in that article. Great stuff.
 
G'day from North Warrandyte, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 'Bermuda"!.
Did you enjoy Al's current&recent Australian tour?, any particular capital cities you enjoyed playing to the most?.Did you have some leisure time/time off to 'see the sights"?.
 
This was our 4th time downunder since 2003, and the first time during the summer! It wasn't ridiculously hot, but certainly warmer than on previous spring/fall trips. We played the usual venues in Melbs, Adelaide & Sydney, and festivals in S Victoria and Gold Coast. In fact we spent New Year's eve in Surfer's Paradise, finished the gig early and were back at the hotel by 9:30 (I fell asleep at 11 and missed the fireworks.) Festivals are always a little tricky, since the audience is 99% not there to see us. But they seemed to dig it, we do put on a great show that even the non-fans cannot deny!

As always, the people were fantastic, and thanks to a few shows cancelling, we managed some extra time off. The last gig near Perth - a festival - was also cancelled due to wildfires, so we left a few days early. :(

We also finally played Christchurch after having our gig there cancelled due to the earthquake 5 years ago. Very odd there, the city is still undergoing reconstruction and the vibe is very austere. But I found a cool record store, and a pawn shop with some cheap cymbals, so it was a good visit.

I really love Australia, especially Melbourne and Sydney. My wife was along on our first trip, and we could absolutely see ourselves living there, if immigration was a little easier. :)

Bermuda
 
Glad you enjoyed the tour &had some time off to "see the sights"!,
You'd be more than welcome with open arms &typical "aussie" freindliness&warmth if you ever did choose to migrate here!.Of course i'm biased &would highly recommend Melbourne &bayside so as you're close/near the beaches!.Btw could i trouble you for a autographed Ludwig drum poster for my Nephew? he's both Al's&yours biggest fans&learning drums&you his hero&inspiration!,
Kind regards,
Adrian Robertshaw.
 
Forget Melbourne ! Shocking weather, come to Adelaide, one of the most liveable cities in the world. Best beaches going around. We also have the best the 3 best wine districts within an hours drive of the city. Less traffic problems than any of the other major cities.
 
Have been to Adelaide and love it there as well, both downtown and the beach. We had a few days in Glenelg on a previous trip. :) We play the Thebarton Theatre, and there are some pawn shops, a music store and good restaurants down the street. I always look forward to that gig!

Bermuda
 
Great! I live 5 mins up the road from the Thebarton Theatre. Often drive past seeing the queue waiting to get in for a show. Been there a few times myself, great old theatre. Glad you enjoyed Adelaide, hope you can get back here some time.
Cheers
 
Caught your show in Lowell, MA with my eight and ten year old "Al crazed" daughters. Great show, super solid playing, and a great sounding kit. My first time seeing you guys live, won't be the last. Worth the ticket price and then some.

My girls were all ready to scream-out some deep cut requests, but man you guys keep it moving! I guess they'll have to wait for next time for the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota.

Thanks, Bermuda. I bring my kids to lots of shows, but it's pretty rare they are upright until the very end screaming their hearts out.
 
Thank you, glad the family dug it! Twine Ball is slated for the next tour. :)

Bermuda
 
Greetings...I see you are not a fan at all of Sonor drums, when you refer to them as the "worst". As a Sonor player, I would be interested to know what went wrong, and what series are you referring to?
Don't hear much these days about them other than being bulky and a tad heavy?. Sorry your experience was not a positive one.
 
Greetings...I see you are not a fan at all of Sonor drums, when you refer to them as the "worst".

The brand is not the worst, but without any doubt the worst kit I ever owned was a Sonor.

The year was 1985, and I bought a brand new Sonor kit, stands and all. It was the Phonic or Phonic Plus series, something like that. Heavy, hardware-laden, and the most choked drums I've ever owned (or played, now that the memory of that kit has been stirred.) Even the steel snare was atrocious. I took it on a short tour, with major regrets. I put it in storage, and the kit was gone within a few years. I recall trading it to the manager at Duraline for their last Syndrum Quad unit, which I still have!

I liked the old '60-70s Sonor product, but they were always the expensive drums then. When I bought the kit in '85, it was because I could finally easily afford it. Probably my biggest gear purchase regret in over 40 years of playing professionally.

Bermuda
 
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