My Free Time...

So far it's been a busy day.  8 AM this morning we had a Men's Breakfast meeting at "The Egg Factory".  It was  mostly a chance to hang out with the guys, but also an opportunity to say goodbye to a good friend who's heading off to serve in his families ministry out in the Philippines.  The name of their ministry is "Mercy In Action", and they have been providing free birth centers for poor families in the Philippines since 1992.  It's a very specific, but very cool ministry.  (Here's a very cool story about them, at 37,000 ft)


Anyways, I had the Corned Beef hash Spudsation.  It was basically country style potatoes topped with corned beef hash (which has no corn in it), covered in melted Monterey jack cheese, then two eggs over medium.  It was very delicious.

So after breakfast, it's off to church for rehearsal.  At church we finally got a church drum set.  Since I'm playing all the time now, I needed to get my drums home.  So after a lot of research, we got a really good deal on this kit.  It still needs some tweaking to get it sounding good, but it's not too bad.  It'll take a few weeks to get it right.  At least I don't have to haul my drums back and forth anymore, though I think I'll probably be bringing my drum throne with me as the seat is really lacking in comfort.

Now that everyone is asleep, I have some time to myself, and I've been spending some free time as a beta tester for this cool (at least I think it is) game called "World of Tanks".  It's a relatively mindless game that involves three goals.  1.  Don't get shot.  2.  Shoot the other tanks  3.  Capture the enemy flag.  Depending on what kind of tank you have there are different strategies to use, but teamwork is definitely involved.  This is not a game you want to go rogue in.

My other free time, usually late at night, is what I call a truly love-hate type of thing.  I'm doing a marathon of LOST.  If for some reason you haven't seen lost and are planning on doing what I'm doing now, skip this paragraph.  All six seasons on Netflix.  I'm currently on episode 3 Season 4.  It's a great show, but each episode is like a cliff hanger, so I gotta watch the next one.  Before I know it it's 11:30pm and I'm tired.  I'll be happy when this is done.  I remember how stressful it was watching it the first time, when we had to wait to see what happens next.  Every commercial you get up off the couch and say, "WHAT?!?!? ______?!?!?!?   As I'm watching all these episodes back, they tell you everything that is going to happen, you just don't believe them. Clear as day, "No one survived Oceanic Flight 815"...don't believe the hype.  It's cheap entertainment so what else am I gonna do?  Oh yeah, did I mention, "I'm in a band!"

"The Retreads" has got to be one of the funnest things I've done to date, and we've only had two rehearsals.  Look at it like this.  Yes, I've been playing drums a long time, and I've played lots of different styles with lots of different people.  Just never this loud, and apparently I'm still not loud enough.  I have till May 6th to 'get my rock on' as that's our first show.  I have my drums at home now so I'm hoping to get out there as much as possible.   (There are a few riffs I'm having trouble with.)  Oh and speaking of practice, I think I got roped in to sing the chorus of "Living on a Prayer".  Should be interesting.



with that...good night and good luck.  Maybe it'll snow tomorrow?

What a week it's been!

So as you may or may not have heard, I've gone through some changes in the past 7 days.  Most significantly is becoming the full time drummer to a local rock band called "The Retreads".  If this sounds familiar it's because it is.  This is the band that was auditioning with before that opted to go with the other drummer.  (who ended up quitting due to scheduling conflicts)  But how you ask??? Well, this is how it went down....

On two weeks ago I met with a guy about auditioning with his band.  Since at this time, I wasn't part of 'The Retreads', I kept looking for another group.  Still new to the local scene, I emailed the guys from "The Retreads" to see if they new this other band.  I did this for two reasons

1. It good to keep communications open, especially when you get along so well with people.  No need to burn bridges.
2. I didn't want to get involved with less than desirable people, so it's good to check.

Turns out they never heard of them, so I went ahead and auditioned with them the following Monday.  It was good to play some music, definitely not as loud or as polished as 'The Retreads', but a good group.  I went home with some expectations, but nothing too far fetched as I wanted to keep myself in check.  The next morning I get an email from Pat (Bass/vocals of 'The Retreads') asking how things were and if I had gotten into a band yet.  Initially I thought it was cool that he was checking up on me, but then my wheels began to spin and I thought to myself..."how cool would it be if the other guy quit and they wanted me to join?!?"  Again, I reached too far.  The other guy quit, but they were not at a point to ask me to join, but interested.  An hour later I got an email from the band I auditioned with the night before offering me a spot in their band.  I didn't answer that email till the next day.

So last Wed, I was at home in the office and my phone rings.  It's Pat.  He's at a local pub with the other guys and wanted to know if I could come down for a little bit?  I walked into the bar about 8 minutes later.  No, I didn't speed, it's not that far from my house.  Within the hour, I became a member of one of the greatest Rock & Roll Cover Bands in the WORLD!  (ok, I might be exaggerating, a bit) 

Within the hour, I became a member of what I think is one of the best Rock & Roll Cover/Dance Bands in the area.  Each member brings a unique gift to the table, except for one, who brings a whole lot of gifts, he's got serious skills. 

So over the last 7 days, I've been integrated into this band.  I've taken over all "Social Media" aspects, mostly because I'm the one who uses it the most.  I've also worked to develop our own line of gear/swag.  Clothing for our fans who are known as "Tread Heads".  But tonight I finally get to play some music, which is good since our first show is in just under 2 months, and I have a TON of music to learn before then.
 
So in the mean time, you can follow the band in several ways.  I'd suggest visit the website first to get the most information about the band.  We're also on FaceBook, and MySpace, and even have a blog!

• The Retreads 
• The Retreads - Blog
• The Retreads - FaceBook 
• The Retreads - MySpace 

I hope to see you at one of our shows!

-Brian

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7