Sebastian Bach is going to play Skid Row's 1989 Debut Album In Full and the tour includes a stop in Dubuque, IA, at the Q Casino on Saturday, September 21, 2019. One thing to note is who Bach has touring with him:
The tour will run from August 30 to November 2 and will feature a backing band of Sebastian Bach guitarist and vocalist Brent Woods, Fates Warning drummer Bobby Jarzombek, and UFO bassist Rob DeLuca.
And here are the tour dates in the Midwest:
Sep. 13 – Harrison, OH – The Blue Note
Sep. 14 – Flint, MI – The Machine Shop
Sep. 15 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
Sep. 18 – Kansasville, WI – 1175
Sep. 19 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
Sep. 20 – Lombard, IL – Brauer House Sep. 21 – Dubuque, IA – Q Casino - this is on a UNI football game Saturday
Sep. 22 – Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
Bobby Jarzombek is a MONSTER drummer! I will definitely start looking for videos after the tour begins for videos to confirm that he is still slaying on the drums. I know of him from his days in Riot. It was Scott Golden, who was the lead singer in my first band Assume (later renamed to Azalea) who introduced them to me. I listened to Thundersteel many times 'back in the day' and then, in 1990, I purchased The Privilege of Power on cassette - I embedded both albums below.
In summary, if I end up seeing Sebastian Bach, I will be very happy because I will see Jarzombek as well.
I also saw this video the other day. It says to serve the Music, not Me about how a drummer can serve himself, not the music. I admit this is something I face when I play drums at Saint Thomas More. I tend to embellish the rhythms I play so that I don't get bored playing straight 4/4 time with snare on 2 and 4 or, in 3/4, with snare on 2 and 3, or, in 6/8, with snare on 3 and 6. My interest in balancing 'overplaying' with 'boring drumming' is why I watched this video:
After I did a little more digging, I found this video by Brandon Khoo.
I like his style.
For my own growth as a drummer, I listen to my self playing drums. Nowadays, I use my cell phone to record Mass so I can listen to what I sounded like whenever I want to do so. This is not a new practice / method for me. I've always done this - recording myself playing drums - dating back to before I was even in a band in my parent's basement. When I would practice drums, I'd use a boom box and cassettes, which I still have in the sump pump storage room. I also recorded rehearsals and performances with Assume, various practice sessions in that basement, Old Stew, and Free Beer / Corporate Prisoner on cassettes. Later, when I played in Lou's Classic Ride, I used a micro recorder that I borrowed from a former co-worker. Eventually, I transitioned to using my cell phone instead of cassette tapes to create recordings of Uncle Rico the Band and auditions with other Ideal Bands.
Why? Am I obsessed with my own drumming?
No.
I do this because I do want to be able to serve the Music, not Me, when I play drums.
It doesn't really matter when I've played drums - from playing alone or with other musicians. I want to grow as a drummer. I don't want to play the same beat that every other drummer in the world plays. I felt that way the other night when I was practicing on the Yamaha electronic drums. As I played along with the pre-programmed tunes in the brain of the Yamaha set, I focused on the patterns that repeat - think verse, chorus, verse, chorus - in an endless loop. I intentionally tried to play "insane" patterns - that served Me, not the Music - during some of the cycles. I did that to foster creativity. After a cycle of playing an "insane" pattern, I would revert to playing a beat that served the Music, not Me. I actually found that being able to dial back the "insane" pattern to be a challenge during the "sane" pattern cycles. I plan to explore that challenge in future practice sessions. Of all the videos on the "All Videos of Me Playing Drums" page, I think this one - where I achieve the balance I crave. I play soft during the verse so that the drums are felt, not overbearing. I then have a hint at flashy during the "I've been waiting..." part of the song. During Brian's solo, I'm intentionally playing soft again.
Damn, I love the way we played that tune. Brian's guitar playing is spot-on, Matthew's bass locks in with my pattern, and Joe? Well, he belts out the lyrics with emotion.
Editor's Note: For videos, see https://prhmusic.blogspot.com/p/videos-of-me-playing-drums.html