All About "The Kit"'!!!
Let's start by saying the one thing I get asked the most about my drum kit is "what do we call this "? I know it is definitely not the most normal looking drum kit, but one thing I do know is that I designed it. And I do try to make it come across more powerful then it looks, I guess I hope that the audience does also, lol! Somebody once said, 'so what do you call this contraption'? And I responded by saying, 'that's what it is called, the contraption'! It just seems to fit the kit, because in a way it was created like that!!!!
The Contraption
It was developed when Mike and I decided to do a small, quiet, sit on bar stools in a corner of a pub type of duet, to fill in some dates when our full band This End Up was looking for a new guitar player. I just couldn't get into playing bongos with my hands, so I wanted to get into using a stick of some sort but without being overpowering for an acoustic guitar. I tried different things from brushes, to mallets, to hot rods, when I came across Regal Tip Blastics. Basically the same idea as a hot rod, but with plastic dowels. I also have a regular drumstick handle that I hold, but the rest is all plastic, and they work like a charm. I still get the feeling of a real stick, but without that overpowering aspect. This just made the attack on the bongo less aggressive but still keeps the tone of a bongo.
While working on the stick and bongo process, I was also trying to incorporate different cymbals, tambourines, cowbells (more cowbell) and other types of percussive accessories to try to come up with the most appropriate and effective sounds to use without adding to much. After about 2 ½ years, the top half of the contraption was developed. All trial and error before I was totally happy. I reconstructed my playing of a traditional drum kit to playing standing up and using more of a latin percussion feel!
Once the top half was working, and I was feeling more in the zone with what I was 
working with, I then decided to add a customized mini kick drum. I spent about 6 months working with the kick, standing up and trying to feel comfortable, and also incorporating it with some of the new hand patterns I had been working on. Standing and playing a bass drum for 3 hours a show took more of a physical toll then I thought it would. But no pain no gain...at least that's what my back was telling me, lol! The bass drum really became the heart of the band now, as it adds so much more to our overall sound together. It helped open the doors to more genres of music, which then leads to more variety of venues to work with. My first kick was a 14" X 14" cannon, had a ton of punch for such a small drum. I now use a 16" X 13" kick. A little more attack with a shallower depth, but has a little more boom with the extra 2" diameter. I just didn't want to overpower with a traditional 22" or 24" bass drum, and I wanted something that had some uniqueness!
So about 2 ½ years in the creation, and about 3 years to actually learn and feel comfortable with my design, the contraption is complete. But with each and every show, I'm always thinking of new rhythms, patterns, and routines I could try on the kit to keep it interesting and intricate for myself and especially the listeners!
Thanks for reading, and if you have any comments or suggestions, please go to our contact us section of the website and send me an e-mail, that would be to JAM! Cheers!
Equipment and Mics
