Drummers; summer is the fun time to be playing out door gigs. Out door festivals, State and County fairs, etc. There are all kinds of great events to play for during the summer. You only need to know who to talk with to book these kinds of events. Any booking agent or manager worth his salt should be able to line you up with all kinds of fun things, that is if you have a band with a good sound and the drive to make it happen.

Parades are always fun events, but they can be a little nerve wracking and somewhat unpredictable at times. I've done my share of parades, but I have to admit, never as a marching band drummer. I think that takes a certain kind of drummer to be willing to put yourself thru that rigorous kind of drill and discipline, not to mention hopping over an occassional road apple that seems so prominant when ever horses are in a parade. I did march with my Cub Scout Den, put that was along time ago, and that's a different story. One time my band and I decided it would be great to be in the parade. We were a young rock band at the time with dreams of fortune and fame, and a very large dose of ambition. We convinced my step-dad, Bill -- who happened to be a county roads maintainance person -- to borrow a big flat bed truck from the local building supply store and drive us in the parade. We set the drums up near the cab on this big truck, and all the amps were tied down and anchored in place. Starting and stopping as much as a parade does can be quite unsettling and makes it really hard to concentrate and keep playing the music. I almost fell off the drum kit several times. Any time the truck would start rolling again, the truck would lunge forward and the drums almost fell off of the truck.

Another challenge for the band playing in a parade is bringing along you own electricity. That means you have to have a gas powered generator, and those things make a lot of noise. Another good excuse to crank up the volume.

Another time, when I was working with Johnny Golden, we had just released a new single, that was when they still made singles on vinyl 45's. We borrowed a friends gold 280Z car, a sporty little number with open roof. Johnny Golden sat on the roof and I drove the Z. We were playing the new record on the tape deck of the car as loud as we could get it. Johnny Golden was wearing this great shiny gold suit handing out records to kids so it gathered alot of attention. At one point it became a little frightening when so many kids kept running up to the car to get a record. They were running right up in front of the car and I was driving. I was afraid I was going to run over some one. Like I said -- "nerve wracking." But all things considered, it was a great experience, and we were able to give away alot of records that day.

I digress a bit from drumming here, but my point is that drumming can open the door to all kinds of interesting and fun experiences.

With a little effort, your drumming can take you anywhere you want to go. Work hard, treat your fellow musicians with the respect they deserve and above all -- Keep The Beat.

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