The drumming world lost its Global Ambassador today, the one and only Dom Famularo. He shared his love for drumming for over 40 years, becoming one of the world's most influential and beloved drummers, teachers, and motivators.
His was only the second drum clinic I had ever been to.. the first being Liberty DeVitto at the local college. I had seen Dom's name in issues of Modern Drummer and decided to take a chance and drive the two hours to Houston and see him at The Drum Keyboard Guitar Shop. It was held in a smaller room in the back of the store, and there may have been 25-30 people in attendance. He was a great player, but my takeaway from that afternoon wasn't what he played but was from what he said. His remarkable enthusiasm for drumming, music, and the industry was so infectious that it was the first time I thought I could be a part of the drum world that I only read about. I didn't have any plan at that point, but his words got the ball rolling... and I got to thank him much later at a NAMM Show in the '00s. Thanks for your perseverance and dedication, Dom... you really made a difference. I watched a bio feature on controversial filmmaker John Milius and it opened with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, who provides the perfect response to the comment of "Ringo Sucks!". (You can substitute Ringo's name with anyone you believe doesn't deserve their fame or credentials...)
In other words, be constructive in your public criticism and if you can do better... then do it. Sweaty performances are expected with outside gigs but this one was a drencher! A river of sweat dumped in both eyes during the delicate outro aaaaaarrrrggghhhh!!! Used the production company's house kit for the show in IA... very nice of them to put my initials on the bass drum head😁 I usually have a left 14" and right side 16" but this kit was a left 18" and a right side 16"... a REALLY liked having the 18" so that could change things. I'm not even sure what to say except he (like Norm McDonald) had no fear when it came to comedy and defended the craft no matter the consequences. I highly recommend watching his 2017 documentary entitled, Gilbert, to see the man behind the voice. What a loss... Happy 36th Anniversary to Frank Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS... the book that changed Batman and comics forever. Here's the picture previously used for my Bio page... an homage to the original DKR cover.
Paulie Carrizzo was one of the absolute best in the industry and I mean as a person and drum tech for Todd Sucherman (and many others) throughout his long career.
I was shocked to hear about his passing today and immediately thought about the absolute immense loss that his friends, family, and the Styx camp must be feeling... Paulie had a larger than life presence. |
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