It’s been a very long time since I’ve blogged in any capacity. For a very long time I was an incredibly active blogger always promoting my books, speaking engagements and other related topics. You could say that I was a bit of a narcissist and reveled in the attention that I received. Then I burned out and stopped blogging all together preferring to use Facebook as a platform for the FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids program (www.facebook.com/FUNdamentalsOfDrumming) and a low-maintenance webpage (http://www.pinstripepress.net/) to promote my drumming escapades.
Over the last few years I have been incredibly lucky to have co-written an instructional drum book that won Best in Show at NAMM and is an Amazon Best-Seller in multiple countries; contributed features for two of the biggest drum publications on the shelf (Drumhead and Modern Drummer); acquired six endorsements including a signature stick; had a YouTube video top 100,000 views; and played on two amazing tracks that many of you have never heard of. I also posted a ton of drum videos, some good, some bad and some downright ugly. I’ve also fostered relationships with dozens of drummers at every level.
This acknowledgement of accomplishments is not meant to be egotistical self-serving bullshit but an explanation of why I feel that I may still have something to share. One of my favorite authors is the brilliantly unapologetic Anthony Bourdain. In his New York Times Bestseller “Kitchen Confidential” a recurring theme takes place: be yourself and don’t give a shit about what other people think. I apply this doctrine to my drumming: how I set-up, how I play, what I study, what I do and don’t do. I consider myself to be a little eccentric and avant-garde while you’ll probably think I’m a miscreant who has no clue what he’s doing.
That’s OK. In fact it’s to be expected. It’s also the basis of this blog which will contain a variety of entries that will appeal to the unique drummer in all of us. Unlike traditional drum blogs, this blog will (hopefully) challenge you to think about drumming from a variety of perspectives. My blog will present what can be done by the open-minded, how to take risks and how to challenge yourself to approach the drums with an Anthony Bourdian attitude. The first few posts that I share will follow and more will come as time permits. My goal is to post something worth your reading every two weeks. I’m all about quality not quantity (hence my hero worship of Phil Rudd). Of course like all bloggers some weeks I will have nothing to say.
The bottom line is that I am a writer and writers need to write. Drums are my passion and I hope that my lifelong adoration of the instrument comes through in my posts. If you feel so inclined to comment or even mock me please email me at ma@pinstripepress.net and I will reply accordingly.
That’s all for my longwinded introduction, let’s talk about drums…
Off Beat with Michael Aubrecht 