September 2005
Welcome to September's Drum of the Month - and this month I have something very
special indeed! THis marks the first time in the history of the DCD web site
that a drum made by another company is being featured. Strange but true. This
month I am very proud and indeed, honoured to present this very rare and special
drum which is to be raffled off at the 2005 Hollywood Custom & Vintage Drum
Show on October 1 & 2. (www.vintagedrumshow.com). Over the past 4 years
Mr William F. Lueng of the SunLuck drum company has graciosuly donated pieces
of his personal SunLuck collection to the Hollywood Drum Show as a gesture of
support. In the past years the show has raffled off such SunLuck greats as the
"Cat-O-Nine Lugs, the Hand Hammered Maple and of course, the SunLuck Yellow
Rubber drum. This year Mr. Leung has given up one of his most cherished possessions:
the SunLuck genuine "balone" drum. This unique and totally original
drum is the first and only drum to feature a finish finely crafted from animal
tissue - San Delmar Prosciutto to be exact. The beautiful marbling of fat and
flesh is brought to life between the dual-wall acrylic shell.Subtle pink hues
intricatley woven into the antique bone hues make for one of the most stunning
snare drums ever created. The drum is all original with the exception of the
plastic strainer which is broken (as they all seem to do). It has a very meaty
tone, dripping with a big fat sound.This snare drum is the Holy Grail for SunLuck
collectors. My advice to all SunLuck enthusiasts is to make your way to LA and
attend the Hollywood Custom & Vintage Drum Show on Saturday and buy LOTS
of raffle tickets - this is a once in a lifetimne opportunity to own a rare
piece of drum history.
The 9th Annual Hollywood Custom & Vintage Drum Show
What can I
say about the Hollywood Drum Show? Kerry Crutchfield runs the best Custom &
Vintage Drum Show this side of Chicago. Beyond the fantastic gear to be had,
there is a fantastic line up of clinicians this year: Danny Seraphine (Chicago),
brushmaster Clayton Cameron, trios by Jeff Hamilton and Jeff Porcaro and of
course everyone's favourite: the Buddy Rich - Gene Krupa tribute performed by
Jimmy Ford & Randy Caputo. Check out the web site for details - www.vintagedrumshow.com
and I'll see you there.
The Dunnett Classic R Class Upgrade Program
I know a great many of you have been waiting for this. I thank you for your
patience. Due to what has been absolutley overwhelming demand, and in the interest
of keeping things simple, here are the details:
-Upgrades are offered EXCLUSIVELY to CURRENT Dunnett Classic snare drum owners.
-The cost per upgrade is $25.00+$5.00 S/H.
-Multiple upgrades (2 or more) $10.00 S/H.
-Send a cheque or Money Order to:
Dunnett Classic Drums
R Class Upgrade Program
4587 57th Street
Delta, BC, Canada
V4K-3E4
-You MUST include the the following information:
-Serial name (if applicable)
-Date of manufacture (if applicable)
-Drum size-Shell material / finish
If you do not include this information your check / MO will be returned.
-You may either keep or return your plastic throw off or you may return it with
your payment. If you include your old strainer(s) you do not need to include
the S/H charge. If you decide to keep your plastic strainer, I suggest you do
the world a favour and recycle it or safely dispose of it.
Upgrades will be shipped within 48 hours.
Summer of the Drummers: Hot shows, cool players.
Summer and touring go hand in hand and there was no shortage
of quality shows and talent this year. Here's just a little bit about what I
did on my coast-to-coast working holiday...
Todd Sucherman - Styx
It wasn't planned-while in Montreal I opened a trade paper and
saw that my friend and Styx drummer Todd Sucherman was performing while I was
in town. I rarely do drop-ins but I had always wanted to see Todd play and this
was a perfect opportunity. Being the master gate crasher that I am I finally
hooked up with Todd at the venue and I gotta tell ya - I was really given the
VIP treatment. It was a great hang and some interesting shop talk over a catered
dinner. The highlight was getting to see Todd play - and from very close proximity.
Make no mistake - Styx may have been around for a long time, but the only thing
that even remotely approached "medieval" was was manner in which Todd
got down on his kit. Apart from his power playing (incredible on Larry Gowan's
"Criminal Mind")and diligently rehearsed chops, Todd has worked very
hard at making a postive and artistic contribution to the band. His medley of
Styx fan favourites stands out as one of the highlights of the show. Many humble
thanks Todd! (Nice pass too!)
In August I made my annual pilgrimage to the Gorge, Washington
to hook up with my good friend and Carter's #1 tech Henry Luniewski and of course
to check on the man himself. Again I was given the VIP treatment which included
an amazing dinner of Mahi Mahi (the ONLY fish I eat!). It was a really good
hang and there was some discussion of a potential project drum - got my fingers
crossed! The show itself was as good as any I have seen at the Gorge and both
the band and crew seemed revitalized this time around and that came through
in the performance. Carter has been using his 5.5" x 14" Titanium
on this tour and used it on the new album. He mentioned that he likes it because
he feels he doesn't have to invest as much physical energy into the drum to
get the sound out of it - a handy feature when you are doing 2.5+ hour shows
on a long, hot summer tour. Humble thanks for yor kindness, patience and hospitality
my friends!
Stanton Moore -Garage a Trois / Galactic
I made 2 trips to Seattle within 1 week to see Stanton. There's
a reason for that - you never see the same incredible show twice. It was also
my great pleasure to photograph Stanton during both the sound check and the
show. I understand the images will be used on the cover of his new companion
book to the 2 set DVD - something every drummer needs! He's an easy target to
photograph and it was hard to get a bad shot.It was also quite inspiring to
be in such close proximity while all that funk is happening! Whiole there I
did a little tech work - replacing the rather unsightly aluminum strainer of
Stanton's custom Craviotto with a nickel plated version of the new R Class throw
off.
I didn't take any pictures at this show as it was a rather short
notice thing for me. Todd Sucherman's wife Taylor sings with the Brian Wilson
band and Todd asked me if I would be interested in seeing the show and I accepted.
Todd thought it might be cool to introduce me to Jim Hines who has been touring
with Brian on the SMILE tour. I'm glad I made that connection. I went into the
whole show having only a cursory understanding of just who Brian Wilson REALLY
is. What an eye opener. Jim was kind enough to introduce me to Brian and I was
completely oblivious to the fact that I was in the presence of greatness - fortunate
perhaps because I might have choked on thanking him for making such fantastic
music. I'm really quite proud to say that Jim used 2 Dunnett snares during the
performance in Vancouver - and what a great performance! Another great moment.
Apart from being introduced to the real Brian Wilson, I was treated to a fantastic
experience - that of witnessing the live performance of SMILE. After the show
Jim presented me with copies of the CD and DVD - signed by Brian Wilson. After
watching these the following night I realize that these are 2 of the most valuable
gifts I will ever own. My most sincere and humble thanks to Jim, Taylor and
Todd - I owe you BIG.
Night with Conan O'Brian Show
Kurt Dahle and The New Pornographers wil be appearing on Late
Night on Spetember 16th. Kurt will be playing an early - and very rare Dunnett
Classic kit.The shells of this kit were purchased from Slingerland as NOS overstock.The
sizes are 14 x 24, 8 x 12 and 14 x 14 (with 16 x 16 and a woofer) The shells
are 3 pl - maple inside and out with a Poplar core - very thin and very resonant.
The hardware is nickel plated and the finish is a matte walnut lacquer. Why
am I telling you this? Because the kit will be up for auction on eBay starting
September 12th. Now, how cool is that to say you just bought the kit out from
under the guy who is playing it on Conan? Make sure you check out TNP on the
16th - it'll be worth it!
FORE!
I'll be in LA for this great charity event sponsored by my pals at West
Coast Drum Center. Should be a blast...look for pictures in next month's news!
Contact Darren if you are interested.
Kurt Dahle and The New Pornographers wil be appearing on Late Night on Spetember
16th. Kurt will be playing an early - and very rare Dunnett Classic kit.The
shells of this kit were purchased from Slingerland as NOS overstock.The sizes
are 14 x 24, 8 x 12 and 14 x 14 (with 16 x 16 and a woofer) The shells are
3 pl - maple inside and out with a Poplar core - very thin and very resonant.
The hardware is nickel plated and the finish is a matte walnut lacquer. Why
am I telling you this? Becasue the kit will be up for auction on eBay starting
the night of the show. Now, how cool is that to say you just bought the kit
out from under the guy who is playing it on Conan? Make sure you check out
TNP on the 16th - it'll be worth it!
In my ipod
Brian Wilson - SMILE
This is a piece of music history. 35 years in the making.I suggest you go to
your nearest record store and buy both the CD and the DVD. An amazing story
and an amazing piece of work from a truly inspired (and inspiring) musician.
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