New Jason Bittner DVD
October 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Aw yeah, Hudson Music is about to unleash a Jason Bittner DVD, What Drives the Beat. It’ll clock in at three hours and feature Bittner demonstrating enough concepts to fill a six-hour DVD:
- The basic beats and fills of metal drumming
- Applying rudiments
- Hand and foot technique
- Developing both feet evenly
- Two-handed ride patterns
- How to “metalfy” jazz, funk, shuffles, slow blues, and world beats
- Soloing
Check the link above for a sneak peek.
MD Fest 2008 Is a Wrap
September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Well, dammit. Another MD Fest has come and gone, and we still haven’t managed to swindle and scheme our way into one (next year we are totally getting all Mission Impossible about it). Thankfully, Hudson Music set up a preview site of the event and posted some frighteningly good teaser vids of each drummer’s performance. The complete DVD is scheduled to hit shelves sometime in 2009 (which is only around 10 million seconds from now).
Snakes & Arrows Live
September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Good news for all Neil Peart groupies (…yes, we do enthusiastically include ourselves in that category): a new Rush DVD, Snakes & Arrows Live, will be released on November 25. The three-disc set was filmed with 21 high-def cameras in a wide-screen format (!), and it clocks in at 221 minutes (!!). Here’s the awesome amount of content listed by disc:
Disc 1
“Limelight”
“Digital Man”
“Entre Nous”
“Mission”
“Freewill”
“The Main Monkey Business”
“The Larger Bowl”
“Secret Touch”
“Circumstances”
“Between The Wheels”
“Dreamline”
Disc 1 Extras
What’s That Smell
2007 tour outtakes
What’s That Smell outtakes
“Far Cry” (alternate cut featuring rear screen footage)
“The Way The Wind Blows” (alternate cut featuring rear screen footage)
“Red Sector A” from the R30 Tour
Disc 2
“Far Cry”
“Workin’ Them Angels”
“Armor And Sword”
“Spindrift”
“The Way The Wind Blows”
“Subdivisions”
“Natural Science”
“Witch Hunt”
“Malignant Narcissism — De Slagwerker”
“Hope”
“Distant Early Warning”
“The Spirit Of Radio”
“Tom Sawyer”
“One Little Victory”
“A Passage To Bangkok”
“YYZ”
Disc 3
Oh, Atlanta - The Authorized Bootlegs
“Ghost Of A Chance”
“Red Barchetta”
“The Trees”
“2112/The Temples Of Syrinx”
New John Blackwell DVD
September 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
John Blackwell will be joining Hudson’s Master Series DVDs. So sayeth the press release:
The three-hour DVD is divided into two main sections. In the first section, Blackwell performs with an all-star band and then explains and demonstrates the drum parts. Not only does the master drummer discuss the way the song and groove evolved along with the specific techniques that are involved in the performance, he demonstrates the patterns at normal and slow speeds to provide students with a deeper, fuller understanding of the parts and their musical context.
The second part of the program covers topics such as playing musically, grooving and embellishing the groove without over-playing, fills and solos, showmanship and independence as well as Blackwell’s Jazz, R&B and Hip-Hop roots. A bonus chapter on bass drum pedal technique featuring a rare appearance by Blackwell’s friend and mentor Marcus Williams is also included.
No word on a release date or when our review copy will be arriving.
DVD Review: Guerrilla Drum Making
September 2, 2008 | 2 Comments
Guerrilla Drum Making:
Drum Making With Realistic Tactics and Realistic Tools
86 minutes
$41.99
Preamble
First off, a confession: I suck at building stuff. I can’t turn on a power tool without soiling my shorts (the fear of puncturing or outright severing a limb is really quite the bowel loosener), and frankly I can’t even hang a poster without bruising a finger. So even though I love the hell out of drums and have long been fascinated with the art of drum building, I didn’t think there was any way I could customize a kit on my own.
Until now. John Dutra’s Guerilla Drum Making demystifies the process of customizing drums and—most important of all—gives you the knowledge and confidence to do it yourself. While watching the DVD, you’ll soon be thinking, “I really can do this.”
The Lowdown
Just to be clear, though, this DVD doesn’t show you how to build actual drum shells. If you have a hankering to carve out a kit from that big birch tree in your backyard, Guerrilla Drum Making won’t help you. What the DVD does instead is expertly guide you through DIY methods for customizing the look of shells.
Like all good teachers, Dutra starts with the basics and clearly defines his terms: what’s a unibit? Or a straight-edge square? Or tailors tape? The DVD’s first chapter shows the viewer what those and other recommended tools actually look like and how to use them, along with a few time-saving tips. For any tooltards out there like me, it’s a greatly appreciated intro.
The rest of the 86-minute vid is divided into 6 more chapters that demonstrate how to work with and apply a variety of finishes—from stains to wraps to veneers to acrylics. Looking for a cool-ass collage kit? Chapter 2 takes you through each step to a perfectly finished and unique drum. Want a striped laminate for your bass drum? Check out Chapter 6. As each chapter progresses, you’ll also learn how to mark and drill a shell for proper lug placement, whether the lugs are in-line or offset.
Throughout the DVD, the vid quality is top-notch, the camera work is slick, and Dutra’s voice-over explanations are professional and easy to follow. Even the background music, which ranges from downtempo to metal, is good.
Who Should Watch
If you’ve always been interested in customizing drums but didn’t know how to get started, then Guerrilla Drum Making is essential viewing. Stop whatever you’re doing and go buy it now.
If you have some experience with drum building or are even a seasoned pro, then Guerrilla Drum Making is highly recommended viewing. You’ll pick up some great tips that will make your drum-building life easier. And at the very least, you’ll see the instructional quality you need to aspire to in case you ever decide to turn teacher and make your own video.
If you have no desire to ever take a drill or piece of sandpaper to your drums, you’ll still get a lot out of watching this DVD. Dutra’s clearly a guy who is passionate about the craft, and he imparts his knowledge well. You’ll appreciate drums even more after seeing the skill that goes into making them. In this case, learning some of the tricks doesn’t at all spoil the magic.
BDT rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Chad Smith Eastern Rim DVD
March 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Remember how we said Chad Smith was keeping busy during the Peppers’ hiatus? Well, here’s some proof—his new 2-DVD set, Eastern Rim, which is apparently chock-full of performance, clinic, and interview footage. I had the good fortune to see Smith in clinic once, and he was one hellaciously funny fucker (never mind a powerful performer). Here’s to hoping that an uncensored version will be made available. In the meantime, you can order a regular-old copy now from Music Dispatch for $39.95.
[via Drummerszone.com]
Steve Gadd DVD Preview
February 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Hudson Music’s excellent DrumCast! series has just updated with a sneak preview of Steve Gadd’s new DVD. The footage was taken from his 2006 Mission From Gadd tour. The groove master talks about how he came up with some of his most famous parts (you know the ones) and then lets his sticks do their thing. Truly superb stuff.
Jens Hannemann Is a Drumming Genius…
November 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment
And an extraordinary teacher to boot. His new DVD, a revolutionary leap forward in instructional media, will definitely change your playing and probably change your life. And if you don’t believe us, read all about it here in the New York Times. You know they wouldn’t make shit up.
