FREE eBook

Head on over to my sister blog The Naked Historian and download a free copy of my eBook on the Civil War Drummer Boy titled “The Long Roll.” GO HERE

Off the Field

Thomas performing in his high school band

Today is the day after the Super Bowl. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at a professional football player who is also an accomplished drummer:

Andrew Thomas started 41 games in three seasons at The University of Georgia, missing just the Sugar Bowl in 2019 after declaring for the NFL Draft. Thomas spoke with SI.com’s Connor Orr in February of 2020 how an obsession for the classic movie Drumline ultimately helped him read and react to defenses. Some may not know, but Andrew Thomas fancies himself a musician. The 6’5, 320-pound, first-round tackle is actually a first-class drummer as well. And it’s something that he accredits to the movie Drumline: 

“Funny story, when I was in daycare my favorite movie was Drumline but it was rated PG-13 so I would have to have the daycare call my parents so they could let them know it was okay for me to watch it. That was my favorite movie growing up so I picked the drums.”

His ability to play the drums and read and react to musical notes is something that Thomas told Connor Orr, translates to football: 

“It definitely does. When it comes to instruments it takes repetition and that’s the same thing with football and offensive line. It’s the same techniques over and over and drilling them into your head. Reading music is the same thing as recognizing plays. And one of the things we’d do in high school band was called a site read we would go to a concert and then we’d have to site read a piece of music we’d never seen before and react to it. It’s kind of like when you’re on the field and you see a play called but something happens that you’ve never seen before. You just gotta react to it.”

Thomas was drafted by the New York Giants in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.

New Sampling Package from NSC

Our good friend Garrett Goodwin’s venture Nashvillesamplingco.com has a new package coming out. Nashville Sampling is excited to announce a collection of bombastic drum loops, fills and samples from Manchester Orchestra’s Tim Very. This massive sound pack includes over 250 loops, 200 fills, and thousands of samples all captured in multiple microphone arrangements. NSC aimed to create an exciting and inspiring drum writing experience with Tim, easy enough for beginning producers to work with while offering advanced tools to satisfy the most technically-demanding drum productions. Built for Kontakt 6, Slate Trigger 2, Logic Sampler, Maschine, and WAV files. The collection will be officially releasing February 1, but people can pre order now. Go to https://nashvillesampling.com/pages/tim-very-drums. Garrett is the drummer for Carrie Underwood. Read our interview with Garrett for Drumhead magazine.

Happy Holidays

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here’s looking forward to a great 2023! Lots of great posts and guest posts planned.

RIP DH Peligro

Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Dead Kennedys’ drummer DH Peligro has died at the age of 63. The musician, real name Darren Henley, suffered a head trauma after hitting his head in a fall at his home in Los Angeles and died shortly after on Friday, October 28th.

The drummer enjoyed a brief stint with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers in 1988, but was best known for being a member of The Dead Kennedys. Peligro replaced the original drummer of The Dead Kennedys in 1981 and stayed with the group until their break up in 1986. He then joined the rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers in 1988 – taking over from drummer Jack Irons.

Due to his ongoing drug and alcohol issues, the band decided to fire Peligro in November of 1988. Chad Smith replaced him a few weeks later and has been with the band ever since.  Anthony Kiedis said firing Peligro was one of the toughest things the band ever had to do, although he became a major part of Peligro’s road to sobriety.

A sober Peligro was the frontman for his own band called Peligro (Spanish for “Danger”) and released three albums: Peligro, Welcome to America and Sum of Our Surroundings, which won Rock Album of the Year from the American Independent Music Awards. 

Never Quit

It can be easy sometimes to get frustrated with your instrument. We all want to be able to play what we want to play – when we want to play it. Unfortunately, this is sometimes not the case. Practice is essential. It takes time to learn things. Sometimes it takes a long time. Patience is required and not always available. I’ve spent plenty of time in the practice room cussing up a storm and throwing my sticks in the air. The key is to keep going.

Take a break, for both your mind and your body. If you find yourself getting frustrated, and you’re beginning to pound out notes, it’s time to move on. You can get a sip of water, close your eyes, stretch, just breathe.

Take a lesson. Find yourself an instructor and take a lesson or two. This will help you avoid developing poor habits. A good drum teacher should be able to clearly explain techniques and give you some pointers which will help you develop your skill and ability.

Set realistic and progressive goals for yourself. Set an obtainable goal and work towards that goal. Don’t move on until you’ve achieved it to your satisfaction. This will give you a sense of gratification and improve your attitude toward practicing.

Enjoy yourself and have fun. Never forget why you took up the instrument in the first place. If you’re not having fun you’ve lost your true motivation. Try taking a break from exercises and play along to songs you like. Make up your own exercises. You’re in charge of you.

New blog

I’ve finally started a blog for my work as a historian. If you’re interested in that kind of stuff visit www.michaelaubrecht.wordpress.com.

Veteran Drummer

It’s been a while since I’ve posted any history on the blog. Today I’ll share the story of one of the oldest veterans ever to survive the Revolutionary War, Alexander Milliner. Too young at the time of his enlistment for service in the ranks, he was enlisted as drummer boy; and in this capacity he served four years, in George Washington’s Life Guard. He was a great favorite of the General who used to frequently, after the beating of the reveille, come along and pat him on the head, and call him “his boy.”

Milliner was at the battles of White Plains, Brandywine, Saratoga, Monmouth, Yorktown, and some others. The first of these he describes as “a nasty battle.” At Monmouth he received a flesh wound in his thigh. One of the officers came along, and, looking at the young drummer, said, “What’s the matter with, you, boy?” “Nothing,” he answered. “Poor fellow,” exclaimed the officer, “you are bleeding to death.” Milliner survived the wound and continued to serve, suffering with his comrades at Valley Forge.

After the war Milliner maintained his affections for his Commander-in-Chief. In an interview published in 1864 he recalled:

“One day the General sent for me to come up to headquarters. ‘Tell him,’ he sent word, ‘that he needn’t fetch his drum with  him.’ I was glad of that. The Life Guard came out and paraded, and the roll was called. There was one Englishman, Bill Dorchester; the General said to him, ‘Come, Bill, play up this ‘ere Yorkshire tune.’ When he got through, the General told me to play. So I  took the drum, braced her up, and played a tune. The General put his hand in his pocket and gave me three dollars; then one and another gave me more – so I made out well; in all, I got fifteen dollars. I was glad of it: my mother wanted some  tea, and I got the poor old woman some.” (His mother accompanied the army as washerwoman, for the sake of being near her boy.)

In all, Milliner served six years and a half in the army. The following is a copy of his pension certificate:
UNITED STATES of AMERICA – WAR DEPARTMENT [Pension Claims.]
This is to certify that Alexander Milliner, late a drummer in the Army of the Revolution, is inscribed on the Pension List Roll of the New York Agency, at the rate of eight dollars per month; to commence on the 19th day of September, 1819.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the War Department.- JOHN C. CALHOUN.

Milliner lived to be 104 and died in 1865. A drum belonging to him is on permanent display in Rochester, New York at the Hervey Eli Chapter House, which is maintained by the Irondequoit Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

For more on Drummer Boys, see The Long Roll. This exclusive 50-page eBook presents the history of the Civil War Drummer Boy. DOWNLOAD HERE (PDF, must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view)

Lefty/Righty

Ringo Starr was born a lefty, but—as with many left-handed children born in a certain era—he was taught that a dominant left hand was incorrect. His grandmother “converted” him to write righty, though he still preferred his left hand for most other tasks. Having to adapt to right-handed equipment and instruments is a part of what made his drumming style so unique.  The reason his drum fills usually include a pause between high hat and toms is because he needed time to get his left hand in position. It’s hard to listen to Beatles songs like “Come Together” or “Tomorrow Never Knows” and not be astounded by Ringo’s drumming. In both cases, the beats make the songs instantly recognizable.

So why didn’t Ringo ever adjust his kit, especially after the Beatles made it big? It might have been because, after years of playing drums with a righty set-up, he became proficient leading with his left hand despite the challenges. The backward playing also helped give him a signature sound. That different sound and feel contributed to some signature drum riffs, such as his mini-solo early in the Abbey Road song “The End.” Ringo’s “backwards” playing style emphasized feel over technical virtuosity. This influenced many drummers to reconsider their playing from a compositional perspective.

In an interview on Conan O’Brien’s show:

“I was born left-handed, and my grandmother thought that was not a good sign, and so she turned me right-handed. So, I write right-handed, but anything else I do left-handed; golf and whatever. So, I have a right-handed kit, but I lead with my left. It makes it weird because I need time to do a fill … [Conan’s drummer] can roll from the snare to the tom-tom to the floor tom, where I can’t do that because I’ve got to come under [my right hand] all the time. I can go this way [to my left] really good.”

Ringo had that old school backbeat. Consistent and deep sounding, it anchored the Beatle’s biggest hits. With the signature left-handed fills and licks, you know he was the right man for the job.