Critters living in your drums?

Andy

Honorary Member
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a large spider had set up home in my floor tom. I didn't have time to extricate him before the gig, so he came along for the ride. I glanced at him at various times during the gig, & he was really rocking out. He didn't move from the centre of his web, & man, was he getting tossed around.

Next gig, he's still there, only this time he has a bigger mate with him (I'm assuming his female partner). Not only that, but the web had grown to huge proportions. So, we kick off gigging again, & they're both rocking out, seemingly undaunted by the experience. I noticed something about how the web responds to the sound pressure waves, so now I'm fascinated. You could clearly see the initial pulse through the centre of the web, then the reactions afterwards around the web periphery. This is getting cool :)

I checked on the couple earlier today, they're still there, & the web is even more impressive, so I guess they're likely to be at Saturday's show too. Not only am I amused by their ability to withstand a real pounding, they're giving me a valuable insight into how pressure waves migrate & distort inside a drum shell. They've certainly earned their right to live there.

Anyone else got interesting critter resident stories?
 
Weird that they're catching food in there. It doesn't seem like it'd be a high-traffic location. You're not running without a reso head I assume?

I've never noticed anything IN my drums. But I have had spiders descend onto me while practicing once or twice in the past two years (I practice in the unfinished back basement room of my house). Totally throws me off and makes me start wildly flailing about and hitting myself (intentionally).
 
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Weird that they're catching food in there. It doesn't seem like it'd be a high-traffic location. You're not running without a reso head I assume?

I've never noticed anything IN my drums. But I have had spiders descend onto me while practicing once or twice in the past two years (I practice in the unfinished back basement room of my house). Totally throughs me off and makes me start wildly flailing about and hitting myself (intentionally).
Maybe they're on a "crash" diet, badum-tsh :) :)

I had a wasp bug the crap out of me at a rally a couple of years ago. I kept playing, whilst multiple crashing in an attempt to swat the little ba*&*&%^tard, but to no avail. At one stage, the damn thing was perched on my nose, & audience members who noticed, were if stitches watching me contorting to blow the bloody thing of my beak!
 
And when their eggs hatch you will have a colony. End it now before you infest your abode.
 
A large and then a larger one????? I have a feeling there would be a hole about the size of my foot in that floor tom by now! I don't do spiders....
 
You should put some bugs in there. Name your spiders.
 
No critters but my cat. When I tuned my bass drum she went a sleep on the pillow (ye, I use muffling).
 
Wow..... you must really take a liking to spiders! Hahaha! Well my Dad is an exterminator and I guess it's in my blood to kill any spider I ever see Heheh. Once I was doing Ringo's "The End" drum solo and I felt a Silverfish crawl up my leg and I freaked out XD
 
We could go with either a Who reference or a "Rocky And Bullwinkle" one. If the male is named Boris you could name the female Natasha. That's the Rocky And Bullwinlke reference or just go with the Who one. That is one great song. When they have little spiders does that make you Uncle Guru? Spiders tend to have a lot of offspring. You're going to be buying a lot of presents. This sounds like a good time to put a little bit of screening over that vent hole.
 
Good naming suggestions guys :) Maybe a Bowie vibe option = from Mars?

"The rise and fall of Boris Spaundust and the Spiders from Herefordshire", a novel by Guru's Crosby Stardust or how to make babies spiders after being "Fired Up", soon to be published on the Web...
 
"The rise and fall of Boris Spaundust and the Spiders from Herefordshire", a novel by Guru's Crosby Stardust or how to make babies spiders after being "Fired Up", soon to be published on the Web...
Hahahaha = bloody perfect. "On the web" = love it :)


This sounds like a good time to put a little bit of screening over that vent hole.
Noooo, that's cruel. How could I possibly deny them the fun of serious SPL Saturday night :) I might even get the singer to introduce them in the breakdown. Hell, the lighting guys get a mention, & they're nowhere near as much fun :)
 
"The rise and fall of Boris Spaundust and the Spiders from Herefordshire", a novel by Guru's Crosby Stardust or how to make babies spiders after being "Fired Up", soon to be published on the Web...

Haha, ask Polly if she could make a short comic (if I remember correctly, she's into that stuff)... ;)
 
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