So I updated my drumming resume and posted it on Facebook hoping I’d get some leads. Interestingly enough, at exactly (I mean literally exactly) the same moment, a friend of mine had lost her drummer and was sending me an email asking if I wanted to sit in with her and her band. Talk about perfect timing!

So now I’m learning songs for Amanda Duran and planning to sit in on some gigs she has lined up. I don’t know where it will go. It may just be a fill in type of situation until they find a permanent drummer, or it may become a permanent gig. Who knows? But the cool thing is, I’ve got a quality gig with quality people, and now my musical itch will be scratched… my drumming gears will be greased…. my musical belly will be rubbed… my… ok you get the picture.

God is good, man.

http://danapellerin.com/resume-drummer

South of Shaw was always a fun project though and while we had our ups and downs, overall it was a great experience and I think we wrote some very cool music within that genre. So when Bob and I started kicking around the idea of writing again, I got really excited about it.

So last weekend I drove down to L.A., Rich flew in from Las Vegas, and together we sat down in a tiny room with my new JamHub and banged out three new songs in 48 hours. Honestly, we were on fire with ideas and the songs just spilled out of us like water from a clogged toilet…. ok that’s an absolutely horrendous metaphor. But you get the idea. We were unstoppable!

Anyway, I went into my studio this week and tracked the drums for the songs and they sound HUGE! Bob is going to be tracking rhythm guitars in L.A. and then we’ll get together sometime during the next month to do leads and melody lines, and then vocals and bass at a later date.

What’s really cool about recording in today’s connected world though is that we can share ideas instantly. We use DropBox to share the scratch tracks and so everyone can drop them into GarageBand, rehearse and whatever, and then when we get together we’ve already got things down, so our time is very well spent. It’s really a cool way to work. No more twice a week band rehearsals and fighting with schedules and all that. Each of us can now work on his own schedule. The other great thing is that since our production cost is basically zero in today’s digital world, we can release singles as we finish recording them. No need to spend a year writing 12 songs and go press a physical CD. Now we can just upload to iTunes as we finish the songs. Very cool.

I’ll be posting audio snippets as we make progress. Stay tuned, 2012 is gonna be a rocking year for SOS!

Yesterday I went out and did some shopping in order to proceed with my resolutions. First I bought a new set of strings for my guitar. I came home and strung her up and she sounds mighty fat let me tell you. There’s still a slight buzz in the jack, but I’ll fix that later. I fired up the computer and laid down an idea that was floating around in my fat skull. Three guitar tracks and a drum track later, it was sounding pretty cool. It’s still just a riff, but it’s inspiring. I also downloaded the EverNote app and started making notes of riffs and stuff as they come into my head. I already have some more stuff to work on.

I bought some cool ink pens and a sketch book as well. I started sketching yesterday and finished one, and started a new one this morning. My goal is to sketch something every single day. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it’s just gotta be something. That way I can experiment with techniques and get my chops back up without stressing over the result. honestly, it felt good to do some drawing. A bit frustrating because I don’t like to suck at stuff and I definitely suck right now, but I can feel it coming back quickly. My ultimate goal is to come up with a dozen or so t-shirt designs and start my clothing company. We’ll see how I progress.

So I’m off to a good start. I’ll check in and post some songs and drawings once I feel comfortable enough with them.

And so today I told our worship pastor I was stepping down from the worship team. And honestly, I don’t really have a full grasp on why. All I know is that things have changed. I’ve changed, the band has changed, the music has changed. And it’s simply no longer fun to me.

When I first started playing music, I knew even back then, 25 years ago, that I would never be a professional musician. Sure, you kind of kick the idea around, but deep down I knew I would never walk away from all responsibility and rely on something as fickle and unreliable as music to support myself and my family. And so I told myself then, that music was going to be my outlet. My stress reliever. I was going to use it as a means to blow off steam. I mean really, I’m a drummer, i get to hit crap with wood sticks and get praised for it! So that was going to be the type of drummer I would become. Whoever would watch me play, would know that I was having nothing less than an blast. And so that’s why I had to step down. Because I just wasn’t having a blast anymore.

It’s a big decision for me because I’ve been playing at this church for 13 years. I’ve recorded two albums with them. I’ve played literally hundreds of services for unknown thousands of people over the years. But as time moves on, eventually the “old guard” must move on as well.

When I first started playing at Clovis HIlls I was 30 years old. Many of the guys in the band were in their 40′s. And one by one as younger people came in with new energy and new ideas, the older guys, already having spent years busting their butts on the scene, moved on. It’s not really a bad thing. It’s just the way it is.

And so I think that’s where I am. I’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t really care about analyzing music or obsessing over technique anymore. I just want to get behind the kit and do what I know how to do.

So it’s been a good run, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve his people for so long. Playing at Clovis Hills really saved me in many ways. I know they will continue to provide one of the best worship experiences around and I wish them the best.

So what’s next? That is the million dollar question. I just told an old friend of mine that I would never quit playing, and I don’t intend on letting my drums collect dust. I might do a little recording. I have a few gigs lined with with other friends so I’ll definitely do those. Or I might start looking for a new band to jam with. Maybe a rock band to play some outdoor festivals and stuff.

We’ll see.

First off, I found a site called Kickstarter which allows people to promote projects they are working on and let others pledge fund money so the creator can make it happen. Great idea.

On that site I came across this little project called The Funklet. It’s a book that details 20 of the greatest drum riffs, and does it in an artistic, cool way. I think this is a great idea and I’ve funded it.

Check it out here and help the guy out.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461914303/the-funklet

The book is a daily devotional that pairs bible verses with some life lessons learned by Head during his days with Korn and now as a clean and sober Christian. I just went through the first day and it’s pretty cool stuff.

To me it’s Amazing to hear stories of God’s redemptive power and forgiveness. Here’s a guy like Head who’s “living the dream” yet is fully chained by his addictions. He’s freed by the power of God in his life and completely forgiven of some pretty heinous behavior. That’s the power of our God. This book provides a daily reminder of just how powerful and good God is.

Check it out.