Drummer Droppings

Kismet, July 25th

Todd — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:47:14 GMT

I'm playing Reda Darwish's Ciftitelli piece for Farasha, tomorrow night at Kismet. We're first up so don't be late!

In edame dare. This will be continued.

Todd — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:41:01 GMT

This made me cry. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1906740,00.html?xid=rss-topstories-cnnpartner Didn't help to be listening to Jennifer ne of E Museki playing the violin on "Vern's Lament" and "Praylaya". My dreams are still haunted by Neda.

Now, the Ayatollah has insubordination to deal with.

Todd — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:48:22 GMT

Rebel clerics in Iran defy their leader... His High Holiness must be going--HOLY CRAP! http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/23/iran.protest.faces/index.html

And, lest we forget what's at stake....

Todd — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:15:33 GMT

This is graphic. It made me think of my daughter and son. So far away, but so close in spirit. There are no secrets anymore. A billion people will never, ever forget. Neda http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/21/iran.woman.twitter/index.html#cnnSTCVideo To Maddy and Max and Kaitlyn and Maya, and all the rest that Neda sacrificed for...

Brilliant Analysis on Iran

Todd — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:10:40 GMT

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/22/dabashi.iran.myths/index.html It's a completely different revolution there, and one that requires a completely different perception.

GRRR!

Todd — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:17:32 GMT

Roma families attacked by thugs in Belfast, North Ireland. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D98SI4HG0&show_article=1 This is no different than the brutality taking place in Iran, that happened in Abu Graibh, or in Taliban dominated Pakistan. It's not a secret anymore. Careless if not tyrannical governments and their stupid employees cannot get away with this. The cel camera and the internet insure that a billion people will know about it within 24 hours.

Being a well rounded drummer...

Todd — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:10:32 GMT

...is fun! I kicked ass on the cajon this weekend in Houston at the Tourquoise Grill. I was playing with a flamenco and Puerto Rican guitar player named Ricardo. I'm so glad I've taught myself rhumba, bolero, cha cha and other rhythms, as well as being able to play 12312312 in my sleep. You never know what the music will call for, and having fewer rhythmic limits means more fun!

My Rates for Restaurants and Paying Shows; group lessons, private lessons

Todd — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:41:37 GMT

Restaurants--$50-75 per 20 minute set (three songs) Shows--$175, plus gas and tolls if the trip is over 30 miles. 50 cents a mile. Overnight stays will include lodging, sometimes, and $24 per diem, from the day before my first appearance through the day after my last appearance. I generally drive to and fro, because of my drums and equipment. Longer trips of course will require airline flights which will replace the gas mileage. Group lessons--$15 walkin, $65 for one 1-hour class, five weeks Private lessons--$65 for an hour and a half, $50 an hour minimum Group lessons at a workshop or festival--70/30-me/promoter Haflas--If I am a member of the organization throwing the hafla, generally speaking it's my party too, so I don't charge. If however, I've been invited to perform at a hafla, and anyone else is getting paid, I do as well. Tips with dancer--2/3rd to the dancer, 1/3 to me. Playing for a troop is negotiable on a case by case basis, depending on the size of the troop and the venue. My philosophy is that all entertainers get paid by management. If the dancer gets paid, I gets paid. I will not split the dancer's fee with her. She needs the money as much as I do. I'm one of the few drummers or performersI know that publishes this on his blog. Why, you may ask. Because, it's come to my attention that in my neighborhood, management tends to think musicians play free. So the dancers in my neighborhood can better negotiate their rates for performing by themselves or with a musician, they can direct management here. Management in my neighborhood has had this attitude since the 1950's. Change can be good. This is also my principle web site for now. When I have my own page in the near future, there will be a section for this.

Kismet--Dallas--July

Todd — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:16:59 GMT

Thank you in advance to Farasha for the invitation to play for her. I'm looking forward to being on the Kismet Stage again.

Art as Reflection of Who We are in Time

Todd — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:27:40 GMT

ELIAS: Within your societies, throughout your globe and throughout your history, your arts in all forms mirror the movement and activity which is occurring within consciousness. All of your arts are very connected within consciousness to that which you objectively manifest within political alignments and belief systems. As you move through consciousness and adopt new belief systems or are merely within the throes of established belief systems, you reflect this objectively through your arts. All of these arts in all forms reflect or mirror subjective activity. Therefore, individuals that are expressive through the objective element of creating within any of your art forms within this particular dimension are expressing not only their own subjective movement, but also in alignment with the masses within consciousness. You may view within any of your time periods all of your different art expressions and you shall view the correlation between all of the forms, for they move in waves. They are quite reflective of the collective within consciousness, and express themselves outwardly as a symbol of the collective consciousness. Therefore you shall view, and are already viewing within many of your arts, expressions that are indicative of this shift. You shall notice that your stories, your motion pictures, move in the direction of futuristic elements, for this is the area that you concentrate your attention in relation to the shift. You shall also view within your art, your literature, your motion pictures, your dance even, expressiveness alluding to subjective consciousness; inner senses, psychic abilities – unofficial information. These are mirror images expressed objectively as the undercurrent of your societies, expressed through your artists. http://www.eliasforum.org/transcripts/E178_053197.html

We've been had.

Todd — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:47:10 GMT

I knew it. I listened to them last year when they said they were socialists, and that they'd soak us, every single one. The majority of voters in this country didn't listen, didn't care, didn't understand, or simply didn't want the responsibilty to provide for themselves, but are willing to let the government steal from others for the sake of justice and "bread and circuses" bribery. I told you so. I just read on CNN where the Dems are proposing to remove the tax exemption that employees and employers have enjoyed since the Second World War on employee benefits. Oh! They'll make it palatable by only doing it for people who make more than X$. Like that makes it right?! First, make them available so that employers can get around wage controls in WW11 and give them an income tax exemption. Then, make them available to the unemployed. Then, make them mandatory for some businesses to provide. Then, make them available to anyone. Then, make them mandatory for all citizens to purchase or to be provided. Then, remove the tax exemption. Do all this over a 70 year span so noone gets on to the scheme.

Kismets in June and July

Todd — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:17:35 GMT

Well, it looks like I won't be helping out Iliana and Deede in June and July after all. Seems Iliana's transition to horse lady is accelerating. That's great! I'm not jealous of horses. LOL! So, if any of you ladies need a drummer, you know where to reach me. :-)

2009

Todd — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:35:43 GMT

Things I've planned to do this year...CHECK LIST; DOING: focus on learning and to persue a band for playing with melody. DONE: I am sitting in with Wine & Alchemy during Scarborough Ren Fest, in Waxahachie, Tejas. FUN! PAID FOR: Four hours with Issam, and 8 with Tobias. IN THE WORKS: I plan to take classes at Tribal Alchemy in October from Dave Hall. DONE: I'm planning privates with Kevin Hartnell and Timo Lozano (Flamenco cajon). DOING: I'm teaching basic drumming classes once a week on Tuesday evenings. EXTRAS: Two sets with L@TUS at the Flamenco Festival Two drum solos with L@TUS and Farasha at the Zaara Summer Bellydance Hafla, AND, a zills solo. SWEET! Played at a restaurant in Houston with the first chair violinist of the Houston symphony, and the leading accordian player in the community. ICING There's so much more to do....Ft. Worth Kismet with Iliana, Dallas Kismet with Iliana and Deede. Maybe Middle Faire in September? Working on forming a band in Houston to play at TRF with Sunyata. Practicing the Indian Tabla with hopes of sitting in again with Wine & Alchemy at TRF on Gypsy Road. 3rd Coast 2010. Way fun! Wanna play?

Drum Jams

Todd — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:20:26 GMT

X-POST from Middle Eastern Percussion Tribe: I think that if a few of the best drummers would get together and nominate a facillitator for structured drum jams, they wouldn't suck so bad. But most people would rather bitch and moan than take the responsibility and do something. And when someone steps up into the vacuum, maybe the other drummers would show up and support her or him, instead of "hammering down the nail that sticks up", or just ignoring them. Maybe it could start in the drum classes where dynamics, etiquette, orchestration and musicality would be taught, instead of how best to express the ego.

Cajon Workshop with Timo Lozano

Todd — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:56:26 GMT

We had seven students and the Master. In and off itself, the cajon, or "box drum", is not a difficult instrument to play. There is no scholarly technique that has been in practice for hundreds of years. There are lots of tones in the box, so to speak, that only experience will bring out. There are no technique masters as there are in darbuka, djembe, Indian tabla, and or riqq. That being said, there is a classical time signature in flamenco music, the 12/4 or 12/8. The grouping is called a "compas", which corresponds to the English word "measure". There are 3 basic 12/4 compas, called "palos", and they all are divided up as follows 1,2,3/4,5,6/7,8/9,10/11,12 .. The MOST important beat in a 12/4 is TWELVE. Not ONE. The first two palos, soleares and allegrias, are accented on 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Bulearis is accented on 3, 7, 8, 10, and 12. That's the left brain, counting part. Simple enough. It's not a left brain thing, though. You have to play it and play it, dance it and dance it, over and over. When you hear it in your sleep, and while you wash your armpits, brush your teeth, cook, balance your check book, and all your other things, then maybe you can count it while you are playing or dancing it. Flamenco is not taught via musical scores, arpeggios or in writing of any kind. It's taught and learned the old fashion way. You go to a teacher and he/she teaches you some movements. You go home, practice a lot. Then you come back and they tell you some more, if you've learned the first stuff. The cajon class was just this way, six or seven variations of the basic beat. You watched and copied the maestro's hand movements, accents, and sounds. He was friendly, clear and funny. He lead by example and by oral information. By the end of the hour and 15 minutes, when each of us had given ourselves over to the process, we started sounding pretty good. The cajon is not just a box. *smiles*

Shared the Music at the Dallas Flamenco Festival

Todd — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:21:46 GMT

First drum solos I ever planned and performed: At the Ochre House, across from Fair Park; and at the Project X, in the Dallas Design District. The featured dancer was L@TUS, a/k/a Georgia, my best friend, and always the most beautiful dancer in the room. Thanks, Sweety! She danced to Reda Darwish--Ciftitelli, which I played on frame drum one night and djembe on the Saturday. Then she danced to a composition that I wrote. After I damn near gave myself pneumonia worrying and practicing, I think I did well. L@TUS makes it easy.

Upcoming Performances

Todd — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:50:04 GMT

Dallas Flamenco Festival, www.dallasflamencofestival.com After 9pm, Friday, May 29, playing a drum solo for L@TUS, The Ochre House Theatre, 825 Exposition Ave. Please come by and enjoy some fantasitic dance, and some Emmy and Grammy awarded musicians (not me). At 1pm, Saturday, May 30, playing a drum solo for L@TUS, also come see Brazen Bellies and Just Fabulous bellydance troupes. Project X Theatre, The Green Zone, 161 Riveredge Dr, Dalla, 214-421-2400, www.projectxtheatre.com Saturday, June 6. I will be performing at a hafla at the Women Only Workout (WOW) in Irving, located at 2700 N. O'Connor at Rochelle in the University Hills Plaza behind the CVS. The hafla will begin at 4 PM. Event is open to all. And, yes Elissa, men are allowed, too. :-) For Farasha a Reda Darwish piece, a drum solo for L@TUS, and an improvised zill piece with Chris Browne. Drum jam after the hafla. PM me for my phone number for questions or directions.

Because....

Todd — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:04:11 GMT

It seemed fun, or not: 1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No. 2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks. And believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming as nothing is exactly as it seems. Kissed any one of your Facebook friends? --- Yes Been arrested? --- No Kissed someone you didn't like? --- Yes Slept in until 5 PM? --- Yes Fallen asleep at work/school? --- Yes Held a snake? --- Yes Ran a red light? --- Yes Been suspended from school? --- No Experienced love at first sight? --- Yes Totaled your car in an accident? --- No Been fired from a job? --- No Fired somebody? --- No Sang karaoke? -- Yes Pointed a gun at someone? --- No Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? --- Yes Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? --- No Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- Yes Kissed in the rain? --- Yes Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- Yes Seen someone die? --- Yes Played spin-the-bottle? --- Yes Sang in the shower? --- Yes Smoked a cigar? --- Yes Sat on a rooftop? --- Yes Taken pictures of yourself naked? --- No Smuggled something into another country? --- No Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? -- Yes Broken a bone? --- Yes Skipped school? --- Yes Eaten a bug? --- Yes Sleepwalked? --- Yes Walked a moonlit beach? --- Yes Rode a motorcycle? --- Yes Dumped someone? --- Yes Let somebody take the blame for something you did? --- Yes Lied to avoid a ticket? --- No Ridden in a helicopter? --- Yes Shaved your head? --- No Blacked out from drinking? ---Yes Played a prank on someone? --- Yes Hit a home run? -- Yes Felt like killing someone? --- Yes Cross-dressed? --- No Been falling-down drunk? --- Yes Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? --- Yes Eaten snake? ---No Marched/Protested? --- No Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? --- Yes Puked on someone? --- No Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- Yes Been in a band? --- Yes Knitted? --- Yes Been on TV? --- Yes Shot a gun? --- Yes Skinny-dipped? --- Yes Gave someone stitches? --- Yes Stayed up all night to watch the sunrise? --- Yes Ridden a surfboard? --- Yes Drank straight from a liquor bottle? --- Yes Had surgery? --- Yes Streaked? ---No Taken by ambulance to hospital? ---Yes Tripped on mushrooms? --- No Passed out when not drinking? --- Yes Peed on a bush? --- Yes Donated Blood? --- No Stolen something? --- Yes Eaten alligator meat? ---Yes Contacted your member of Congress on an issue? --- Yes Eaten your kids' Halloween candy? --- Yes Killed an animal when not hunting? --- Yes Peed your pants in public? --- No Snuck into a movie without paying? --- Yes Written graffiti? --- Yes Loved someone you shouldn't? --- Yes Think about the future? --- Yes Been in handcuffs? --- No Believe in love? --- Yes Ever had a one night stand? --- Yes

Performing June 6th

Todd — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:46:29 GMT

I will be performing at a hafla at the Women Only Workout (WOW) in Irving, located at 2700 N. O'Connor at Rochelle in the University Hills Plaza behind the CVS. One will be for Farasha, the other will be an improvised zill piece. Drum jam after the performances. PM me for my phone number for questions or directions. It will be on Saturday, June 6. The hafla will begin at 4 PM. Event is open to all.

$5 a day

Todd — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:09:52 GMT

That's how much I spend on nicotine. Starting today, that $5 goes into a jar. In 100 days, a little over 3 months, and the month of my birthday, I can afford a tat of this amulet on my left shoulder/arm, and maybe brighten up the old one on my other shoulder. Motivation and changing my mind about what's important.

Update On the Filial Nose Piercing

Todd — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:52:21 GMT

I found out she wants the side pierced, not the septum. Dad's tend to assume the worst. Second, I have my way of getting my daughter her way with her mother, but these things must be done delicately or it ruins the spell. *grins* I did two things. One, I mentioned as a happenstance that daughter goes to a charter school where 60% of the students are from India, and in their culture, many girls have their noses pierced by 1st grade, and by the time they are in high school half of them do. That'll counter act the "weird" contamination from "White Picket Fence Mom". Second, I kindly suggested that Daughter find something to do for her mother that she wants done very badly but never asks. *smiles* That's the spice that no one can identify, but makes the soup irresistably satisfying. Now, put the lid on the pot, set it on low heat, and let it stew. Oh, and did I mention that my girlfriend L@TUS has a nose piercing and used to work for the President of UTMB Hospital? Perhaps I did. *winks*

My Gothy Daughter

Todd — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:27:03 GMT

She asked me if she could get her nose pierced. MUAHAHAHAHA! I said it's okay with me. Of course, I knew she was playing me off her white picket fence mother, and I told her so. My rule with things like that is that both parents have to consent. So, I told her not to play me off her mom. A--that's not cool. I don't like being played like that. B--It will be counter productive with her mom. Anything weird like that that I even remotely like means her mom will say no just out of spite. Other than being played, it matters not to me, but it won't work for her. She said she'll try another way. She says she's really wanted to do it for years (I doubt that). I told her she has to "wear the mask appropriate for the game she's in--work, school, friends, family, etc." It matters not to me. Except, I'm very proud of her that she is insisting on expressing her individuality. It'll freak out her friends to the max, which I dearly love. :-)

Just In Time Thinking

Todd — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:17:21 GMT

For this to appear on CNN's web-site from a well known business author and life coach, "just in time", is almost miraculous, too. http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/04/21/o.when.to.say.enough/index.html

A Response....

Todd — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:16:52 GMT

I wrote this in response to another person's blog that seems to be commonly proposed as a solution to the mess we are in. I've seen in European collectivism, Romantic depictions of the American Indian societies, Neo-Victorianism, and various forms of Utopianism. I've seen in various religious interpretations. It is now seen as an alternative to Capitalism. But, in my view, it jeopardizes the very freedoms that this philosophy of collectivism seeks to restore and protect. I wrote in response to http://houston.tribe.net/template/pub%2Coc%2CDetail.vm?plugin=blog&inst=16813887&topicid=d77b7467-cb8c-44c5-9193-0eb3930d60d7&commentid=6ee2803a-01ad-4b3c-93a7-a5deb2ca638f#6ee2803a-01ad-4b3c-93a7-a5deb2ca638f Here it is. Pardon some of the typos: "I'd love to discuss this with you. I'm just leery of arguments. The Bill of Right in the US Constitution specifically protected the powers of the individual, their RIGHTS from encroachment by the Federal Government, and the State via the Fourteenth Amendment. None of those recognized rights have anything to do with what you are talking about, ie., freedoms of speech, association and assembly, the right to bear arms, the security of a person's home from quartering Federal Soldiers, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, right to an indictment and presentment of charges, freedom from double jeopardy, being a compelled to witness against oneself, right to legal due process and just compensation for government takings of property, a right to a speedy and fair trial, the right to a trial by jury and res judicata, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, see encarta.msn.com/encycloped...Rights.html It is established in the history books and in the debates of the First Continental Congress that the philosophy of the Bill of Rights was largely drawn from many sources, one very large source was the laws of the Iroquois Confederation, with which many of the members of that First Congress were very familiar. The form of the ideas you track in your blog are not the ideals of the American Indiginous peoples but are re-written versions of European collectivism from the last 1500 years. For reference, refer to the Iraquois Confederation, Llewellyn's Cherokee Law, "Before 1492" the author of which I'll supplement later. Contra the sadistic and equally collectivist polity and societies of the Maya, Aztec and Inca. They and the Conquistadors deserved each other, in my opinion. A free society requires for its existence that the individual take responsibility for him or her self--which assumes the individual creates his or her own reality and is therefore responsible for doing so. A free society requires that the individual be protected from the encroachments of the group/state/government, acknowledging that the group is dependent on the individual for its existence, and exists at the individuals discretion and delegation of powers. (See the 9th and 10th Amendments in the Bill of Rights.) Alexis de Toqueville said in the 1820's that the American experiment is good because the people are good, and as long as they are, the experiment will succeed. It is currently in jeopardy because individuals are not taking responsibility for their own actions, are looking to saviors and things "bigger than self" to save them, and are giving up their rights to act for some meager promise of security from a "nanny state". As Alan Greenspan said last fall, "I am personally amazed at the appalling lack of self-responsibility exhibited by all actors in the financial system, from the borrower to the Federal Reserve itself. I take responsibility for my naivete in assuming that people will act in their own best interests." I share his assessment. I am no longer amazed, but I continue to be appalled. When we no longer take responsibility for ourselves, we forget the Golden Rule. Do unto others as we would have them do unto us. The energetic premise upon which this depends is the law of attraction, the Rule of 3, and stated in various other metaphors. That which energetically vibrates attracts similar energetic vibrations. We use deception, theft, corruption, and force, to get what we want. We thus intend to deny other people the free excercise of their choices. That intention is energy, and is reflected right back at us, similarly. The Greeks dating back to Pythagorus, at least, knew this. Confuscius knew this. The Druids and Romans knew this. Animist religions know this. It's stated in every edition of the religions of The Book. Hell would stay away if we'd just listen to our mothers who tell us this from the cradle. "You want nice, be nice," as I've told my own children. I'm often amused by stories of the Nobility of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. The are portrayed as either subhuman, or saintly children, or both in the derogatory (in my view) term Noble Savage. What I propose is vastly different from your solution, the romantic view of the American Indian, the European collectivist ideal that you track, or the phony ideas of crony, fascist and mercantile capitalism. That is: Self Awareness of the vastness of the human consciousness, self responsibility, and acceptance of others without judgment. I'll leave the details of that for future discussion. Thanks for providing the inspiration for my words. "

Jackals

Todd — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:17:41 GMT

Did you read on the front page of the Wall Street Journal today where Weil Gotshal, bankruptcy counsel for Lehman Brothers wants $55 million in legal fees?