And again.....a working band....

..The Tragically Hip is an especially good example. They had a massive following here (nine #1 albums, just for starters) but never made it in the US, even after their 1995 appearance on Saturday Night Live..


Here in The Netherlands, ever since their debut, they always have been very popular in the 'alternative' scene and each time they played here they would easily sell out 1500 people venues for 3 evenings in a row..

Is very sad that Gord Downie died much too young, really a very nice band they always were..

And btw, no one ever said that the US is always known for having taste..?
 
Awesome read. I'm no pro by any means either but I do gig anywhere from 1-4 times a month, rehearse with a full band 1 time a week, and own a home in a neighborhood where I can play my drums at my house pretty much whenever I want. I'd love to be in a pro touring band filling 100,000+ seat stadiums... But I'd hate to not have what I do now even more.
 
Here in The Netherlands, ever since their debut, they always have been very popular in the 'alternative' scene and each time they played here they would easily sell out 1500 people venues for 3 evenings in a row..

Is very sad that Gord Downie died much too young, really a very nice band they always were..

Aw, that's cool. I'm glad that the Hip experienced some success outside Canada after all. Still can't believe that Gord Downie is gone.

We're lucky here. Every popular US act easily becomes a household name in Canada PLUS we get a whole whack of ridiculously good homegrown talent to pick from. I guess it's much the same in Europe too.

There are advantages and disadvantages to living anywhere, I suppose... :unsure:
 
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Awesome read. I'm no pro by any means either but I do gig anywhere from 1-4 times a month, rehearse with a full band 1 time a week, and own a home in a neighborhood where I can play my drums at my house pretty much whenever I want. I'd love to be in a pro touring band filling 100,000+ seat stadiums... But I'd hate to not have what I do now even more.
To be honest, being on the road is what I've dreamed about since I was a kid, and now at this age, I don't think that's my goal anymore. It's a tough life. I'm too used to the amenities I've built into my life. Going out on the road means I wouldn't have those things, so I'm like you. I'd love it, but I'm not ready for a culture shock now.
 
And a new development, the band says they do quite a few "acoustic" gigs too. The leader asked if I owned my own cajon. And years ago I swore I'd never play one (of course, I've seen some amazing cajon players, it just doesn't appeal to me for some reason). So now I'm shopping for a cocktail kit to literally fit into a 3x3 square. At least the band's open-minded. I found a guy selling his cocktail kit for $175, but I need to try it to see if I actually fit. I might be too short for it (sigh).
 
And a new development, the band says they do quite a few "acoustic" gigs too. The leader asked if I owned my own cajon. And years ago I swore I'd never play one (of course, I've seen some amazing cajon players, it just doesn't appeal to me for some reason). So now I'm shopping for a cocktail kit to literally fit into a 3x3 square. At least the band's open-minded. I found a guy selling his cocktail kit for $175, but I need to try it to see if I actually fit. I might be too short for it (sigh).

I've played more small and unusual set ups over the years then I can even count, including a stint with a few different cocktail set ups, percussion, etc. In the end my absolute favorite "low volume" set up is just my snare and brush, add the bass drum if you need a subtle "boom" to compliment your "baps" and "swooshes". Most of the time I would play this standing like a cocktail set. If your bass drum tom mount fits a snare stand you can throw it right there and have a single piece to haul. If you really need the toms on your set-up another one I had fun with for years was playing a 16" floor tom in the usual seated position with an inverted kick pedal on the bottom and a regular snare. Set up basically like a 3 or 4 piece kit but sans bass drum. Dixon just dropped the "little roomer" or if you are even remotely handy you can do this same thing with a cheap Craigslist floor tom and pedal.

If you really go the route of a true cocktail drum I HIGHLY suggest you look into building a baffle for the middle to help isolate your "bass drum" from your top drum. And on that note, I'm a purist in that I like the old school single drum cocktails (bass on bottom, snare fan on top) but if you want a more authoritative and traditional snare sound you will have to mount a proper snare.

The last decade or so I've gigged with a 2 piece (kick + snare), very occasionally adding a floor tom, and never more the hats + ride, usually just the ride.
 
I've played more small and unusual set ups over the years then I can even count, including a stint with a few different cocktail set ups, percussion, etc. In the end my absolute favorite "low volume" set up is just my snare and brush, add the bass drum if you need a subtle "boom" to compliment your "baps" and "swooshes". Most of the time I would play this standing like a cocktail set. If your bass drum tom mount fits a snare stand you can throw it right there and have a single piece to haul. If you really need the toms on your set-up another one I had fun with for years was playing a 16" floor tom in the usual seated position with an inverted kick pedal on the bottom and a regular snare. Set up basically like a 3 or 4 piece kit but sans bass drum. Dixon just dropped the "little roomer" or if you are even remotely handy you can do this same thing with a cheap Craigslist floor tom and pedal.

If you really go the route of a true cocktail drum I HIGHLY suggest you look into building a baffle for the middle to help isolate your "bass drum" from your top drum. And on that note, I'm a purist in that I like the old school single drum cocktails (bass on bottom, snare fan on top) but if you want a more authoritative and traditional snare sound you will have to mount a proper snare.

The last decade or so I've gigged with a 2 piece (kick + snare), very occasionally adding a floor tom, and never more the hats + ride, usually just the ride.
That may work too. I saw the Tama kit with 18x7 bass drum and 12x5 snare and that seems like a cool compromise since it’s an actual bass drum and I’m not striking a vertical drum. For that matter maybe I can cut one of my Vision bass drums to a narrow width and do that. I have until January to get this together.

Cajon just seems so uncomfortable.
 
That may work too. I saw the Tama kit with 18x7 bass drum and 12x5 snare and that seems like a cool compromise since it’s an actual bass drum and I’m not striking a vertical drum. For that matter maybe I can cut one of my Vision bass drums to a narrow width and do that. I have until January to get this together.

Cajon just seems so uncomfortable.

Agreed, I got a used Pearl Rhythm Traveler and I love it. I play a few low-volume (just above acoustic) gigs where I want to SOUND like a drum kit without overpowering the band or the venue. I put an Evans EMAD head on the bass drum (20x8, so a little bigger than the Tama you described), and a small pillow inside - it sounds great! It booms but doesn't drown out the singer.

The original snare didn't come with the kit when I bought it, so I grabbed a 13" Pearl piccolo snare that someone was selling online. Put some hydraulic heads on the tiny toms to give them a bit of bottom, and all together, it's a really cool sounding little kit! I actually used it to play a boutique a few months ago (don't ask), and it was more than tolerable for that tiny, window-

And it plays like a kit, not a conglomeration of percussion pieces. I find that kind of setup irritating.
 
That may work too. I saw the Tama kit with 18x7 bass drum and 12x5 snare and that seems like a cool compromise since it’s an actual bass drum and I’m not striking a vertical drum. For that matter maybe I can cut one of my Vision bass drums to a narrow width and do that. I have until January to get this together.

Cajon just seems so uncomfortable.

I don't want to get hemorrhoids while simultaneously pulling my lower back and squashing my bag for an hour or more so no thanks, I won't be hunched over slapping a box any time soon.
 
I recently got my Pearl Rhythm traveler POD back after loaning it out for a few years. A perfect choice for small venue-I can carry the whole kit with two hands-hats in one and rest of kit in other. I had planned on selling it. It had the mesh heads on it for silent play when my daughter's boyfriend was using it. Still had the original Protone heads for toms so put those on and I put a hydraulic head on 16X13 kick and nothing in it. I. held my iPhone and recorded it because the little kick just blew me away and I was surprised the toms sounded as good as they did too. I'd forgotten all about this kit. So I'm keeping it-it's so much fun to play, and small venues is perfect.
 
I know it's SoCal and the freeways and all that, but, your first gig with this band was 98 miles away. You're gonna travel 200 miles or more roundtrip for gigs? That seems like a major hassle. It's LA and I think you're west valley maybe - - aren't there a ton of bands that play in the valley and closer to home? And where do they practice?
 
At the risk of hijacking the thread, it's nice to hear the original Tom Cochrane song getting some recognition.

Here in Canada, we've had some VERY good bands have big careers at home and overseas while hardly making a dent in the US market. It's sad to say but when it comes to Canadian bands (other than Rush, Bryan Adams and a few others) I just assume that my friends in the US have never heard of them. The Tragically Hip is an especially good example. They had a massive following here (nine #1 albums, just for starters) but never made it in the US, even after their 1995 appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Anyway, it's just nice to see Tom Cochrane get a little recognition. The Tragically Hip were 10x as popular here at home. Go figure!
I heard the Hip didn't catch on in the States because they sounded a bit similar to REM at the time.. I don't get that at all. They had their own sound - and they certainly put together a much better sound catalog than REM. Lot's of great tunes!
I'm a huge Rush fan - but also there are a lot of bands from here that have made it bigtime in the US.. not my 'cup of tea' some of them but.. Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Celine Dionne, Shania Twain, Drake (cough), Alanis, Michel Buble, Bare Naked Ladies, etc.. and who can forget the Guess Who, to name a few?
 
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I know it's SoCal and the freeways and all that, but, your first gig with this band was 98 miles away. You're gonna travel 200 miles or more roundtrip for gigs? That seems like a major hassle. It's LA and I think you're west valley maybe - - aren't there a ton of bands that play in the valley and closer to home? And where do they practice?
There is no practice. Just work.
 
I know it's SoCal and the freeways and all that, but, your first gig with this band was 98 miles away. You're gonna travel 200 miles or more roundtrip for gigs?

Wow, it wasn't unusual for me to travel that far to get to the gig, Midwest, death metal and all...

I guess genre plays a part.
 
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