May – Ever since my recital was over, I’ve had the chance to take the foot of the gas slightly and enjoy summer. So far, its been absolutely great. I started off the summer in late March by traveling to Wisconsin and Minneapolis to go to Infrasound Music and Arts festival to play a White Robot set which included some live percussion. The festival was ranked one of the top bass music festivals in the country this summer and it was an honor to get to play there. After the festival I got to spend a little bit of time in the twin cities, Minneapolis and Saint Paul, in Minnesota. I had a really great time up there and got some top notch cheese curds and ice cream.
June – In June, Spectacle had our try out for Arise Music and Arts festival Boulder, CO. We just found out last week that we got a spot at Arise, which I’m extremely excited about! This festival is growing quick and has a great reputation in the Denver area. I simply cannot wait. We play Friday from 5:15 till 6 on the StarWater stage for anyone who is going 🙂
I also did a White Robot set with Timbales and Bongo about halfway through the month at Cervantes OtherSide in Denver, CO. I really enjoy playing live with that project because I can take everything I’ve learned as a percussionist and use the electronic music I have created as a backdrop for my percussive playing.
Sitting In – I’ve also had the opportunity throughout the summer to sit in with a few bands around town. Fancy Sauce and Intuit were very welcoming with open arms when it came to me playing with them. I sat in with Intuit in June at the 1up on Colfax for two tunes. There was a drum section at the end of one of the tunes and it was nice to be able to of known what was going on in that setting and able to jump right in on the jam. I have an old friend in that band so it was special to be playing with them. Fancy Sauce kicked off their tour here in Denver, CO last weekend and I was lucky enough to be able to sit in with these guys for their whole set! These guys are a funk cover band and absolutely kill it. They take funk classics and aren’t afraid to put their own spin on it.Good luck on tour guys! I also was called to play some cajon (box drum) on a classmates recording at Augminished studios here in Denver, CO. It was a singer songwriter piece and the recording went smoothly. All these experiences were great and I got a lot of compliments how my percussion really helped tie the group together. It truly is the cherry on top of your hetty ass sundae.
July – Since then, Ive settled into a pretty solid practice routine in which I work with Spectacle once a week for four hours, and once with my percussion teacher, for four hours as well. I’m ok with not playing shows all the time, as I know that is coming soon in my career, time off and time to relax is always nice.
My percussion teacher, along with a few other students, has guided us more so into the African traditions that are part of the Afro-cuban traditions. I’ve been wanting to learn about this branch of this genre of music for a long time. The picture below are three checkeres, which are essentially plastic gourds with netting and beads on them. This style of music started when people took gourds and hollowed them out and wove beads around them in order to create a rhythmic instrument. These ones pictured below are just easier to get a hold of and harder to break than a real gourd. Each gourd produces a different tone and has a different basic pattern; each player uses these patterns and improvises in certain spots, in order to converse with the other gourds. I know that I am going to be playing a lot of checkere this upcoming semester in preparation for my recital in which I will be singing and playing at the same time.
August – Coming up – Looking ahead, the rest of the summer should be good. I’m still going to be meeting with my teacher and fellow students each week and practicing with Spectacle as well. Work of course consumes a lot of my time unfortunately but hopefully that will soon change. I’m playing Arise Music Festival with Spectacle AND Intuit the first weekend, going to Massachusetts to spend time with the family for a week and then I’m right back in the thick of school taking 21 credits and two Afro-cuban related ensembles. Its going to be a busy one but I can’t wait.
To make it all even better – I just got my first teaching job, with 5-10 year olds in an after school drumming program. This is something I’ve been trying to get into for a long time and I honestly can’t wait. Knowing me I’ll fit right in with those little tricksters. My playing this summer and following my career path has also been accompanied by some awesome outdoor time with my sweet sweet girlfriend, and seeing some awesome shows in the area as well. Life is good – Its been a good summer – so far.
robbrandonpercussion.com 