I've never had the pleasure of meeting Larnell Lewis but I've been a fan of his for quite some time. His latest Drumeo video features him hearing and playing Metallica's "Enter Sandman" having never done either before. Hats off to Drumeo for showing something that is rarely seen in a video... the drummer listening and absorbing an entire track right before having to play it. It's a situation that most musicians have found themselves in whether listening down to a demo in the studio or having someone adding a song before going on stage... it can be scary if you haven't worked on those muscles. 

There is no doubt ab0ut Larnell's listening ability and his technical level behind the kit is extremely high. But... notice how open and curious he is while listening down to the track... to me, this is the real lesson. I believe a lot of drummers worry too much about 'the sanctity of drumming and music' that they're opposed to things outside their comfort zone or what they perceive is 'the community acceptable way of drumming'... like a jazz drummer playing hard rock or using a high tuned piccolo snare as your main. This narrow mindset even carries over into kit configurations too but that's another conversation all together. 

I'm not saying you have to be a fan of <insert whatever genre you never listen to> but you should at least know the mechanics of what makes it tick. Music is music is music... whether it is jazz, zydeco, orchestral, electronica, etc... and then EVERYTHING can become a source of inspiration. As an example, how different would Rush have been if Neil Peart had not been open to orchestral, world percussion, and electronics? 

I'm guessing that a lot of people's take away will be either a comparison of Larnell and Lars' technique, berating one of the two drummers, being surprised that he didn't rip on Lar's drum part, or complimenting a 'non-hard rock drummer' for being able to quiet his 'fusion sensibilities' for the sake of the song... and all of these absolutely miss the point.

YouTube is full of 'out of their element' style videos like "Teenagers React To Old People Music" or "Grandparents Play Minecraft" but thanks to Drumeo and Larnell for making something that can help a lot of drummers... if they're paying attention.

The other MVP of the Super Bowl is the crowd noise controlled by Head Sound Mixer at NFL Films, Vince Caputo. With less than capacity crowds, it was determined that there should be some audio sweetening while the game is being played. #DJfootball

The sound machine system consists of a laptop, audio interface, and controller that can replay different levels of crowd reactions... cheers, disappointment, and even boos.
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Pre-COVID, the sound team had been building a sound library of crowd noises by recording in different stadiums. Now the crowd noise can be specific to the stadium that it was originally recorded in.

Excellent! 👍😁

After all of these years, the band is still so strong... 

If a fan film like Rafael Segnini's can produce results like this, why hasn't someone turned Shogun Warriors into a film franchise yet?

The short is a fan-film for the 1985-1986 Japanese tokusatsu series Space Wolf Juspion. The title of the video in English, “Juspion 3D: Transformation of Daileon/Mad Gallant – Definitive Preview,” also refers to Daileon, the massive ship that turns into a robot, and Mad Gallant, the evil metal man whom Juspion fights later in the short.

​And if it seems like Juspion’s look is familiar to you, it’s because it’s part of Toei’s larger series Metal Heroes, some of which Saban adapted into VR Troopers and Big Bad Beetleborgs. He even uses the Daileon song, as sung by Akira Kushida.

Will probably take a few years for everyone to forget the Pacific Rim movies anyway! ​😁

I've told this story to a few people over the years but I don't believe ever in public and definitely not online. Prepare to be chilled to the bone as I reveal to you a real life example of how impulsive actions could have dire consequences. 

 Today marks my 25th year working for the leader in drums and percussion, Pearl Corporation. A LOT has happened during that time and I couldn't begin to cover it all in a single post (it would make a great book though) but here are a few thoughts. Growing up in TX, I would listen to albums while pouring over drum catalogs and listing out my massive imaginary kit. It was a thrill to see the latest models, finishes, configurations, hardware, technology, and which artists would be featured. Because of my affiliation with Pearl, I'm part of the team that brings the latest and greatest gear to drummers all over the world and I've had the privilege of working closely with some of the drummers I grew up listening to... and meeting a ton of new incredible players along the way. Thanks to the long list of people who are and have been a part of the Pearl crew over the years... you guys are the best!
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In celebration, I got a wrap job on one of my kits in preparation for when live performances are a regular thing again. It's a 2012 prototype kit so there are no badges but it is essentially the current MCT thin 6-ply maple shell spec but now in Blue Abalone wrap.
24x18 / 22x18 / 10x8 / 12x9 / 13x10 / 14x14 / 16x16 / and I'm working on a very special component to go with it.

This was stitched together from 3 separate Polariod pics in order to show the entire drumline. I believe this is from a '86 or '87 lot rehearsal for our out of town performance for State Football Championships. Because drumlines are mostly made up of right handers, I had to lead with my right (or find double stroke cheats) so that we have the same sticking visuals... a good lesson to learn early on.

My POV while in the sound booth with Dennis Chambers at NAMM 2005... 🐐🥁

I setup kits for the scheduled artists and teched while they played just in case something went wrong or a microphone fell. While doing this, I had a camera in my right hand that broadcasted the feed to a giant screen on top of the booth... for those who couldn't get close... and sound was blasted through a large PA system. In my left hand, I had my old Olympus point-&-shoot camera taking stills throughout the performances and that's where this pic is from. I'd get a few good shots out of the 50 I blasted out but that's the way it is even in the best of scenarios. 

I've been a lot of performances with Dennis over the years and it is ALWAYS a complete thrill to see him in action... living history right in front of your face!

Working on something for next month...