I'm a drummer. I love playing drums. I don't get to do that too often these days.
I had a band in high school called Caution! that played loose, sloppy garage rock, and an indie rock group in college called Emergency and I. Both bands had decent runs, but after E&I broke up, I couldn't seem to find a steady outlet for skin-pounding, outside of the occasional substitution gig. I never thought of myself as a stellar drummer, but I got the job done, and it was a little depressing to see my skills atrophy. But then, it's not like my life stopped. Playing music just sort of fell by the wayside, unless you count leading drunken acoustic sing-alongs at parties. School got in the way. Writing got in the way. Work got in the way. Life happened.
Every so often, my dad brings up playing music. Because I used to work really hard at it. Because I spent a summer coming up with the $1,000 to buy a nice drum kit and cymbals and now they just sit in the garage. He always compares it to basketball. See, he used to participate in a youth league up through his college years. And then he had to train to become a CPA. And then he had to work. And then he got married...
It's fitting then that, after band practice today, my friends and I played basketball. We suck at it so hard. But we do a decent job covering Mountain Goats tunes. Today we jokingly called ourselves Science Club. I've got a decent list of bands that never took off. TMF. Cats Playing Jazz. And a few that never even got to have names. But it was fun playing today. We covered songs like "No Children," "Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton," and "This Year." I messed up a lot. Whatever. It was great to shake the dust from my stands. And when we were on, it was the best feeling in the world. I don't want to tour in a van or plug clothing sponsors or pretend to change someone's life. I just wanna have a beer and sing the songs that make me feel alive, and then afterward maybe grab a (veggie) burger.
I had a band in high school called Caution! that played loose, sloppy garage rock, and an indie rock group in college called Emergency and I. Both bands had decent runs, but after E&I broke up, I couldn't seem to find a steady outlet for skin-pounding, outside of the occasional substitution gig. I never thought of myself as a stellar drummer, but I got the job done, and it was a little depressing to see my skills atrophy. But then, it's not like my life stopped. Playing music just sort of fell by the wayside, unless you count leading drunken acoustic sing-alongs at parties. School got in the way. Writing got in the way. Work got in the way. Life happened.
Every so often, my dad brings up playing music. Because I used to work really hard at it. Because I spent a summer coming up with the $1,000 to buy a nice drum kit and cymbals and now they just sit in the garage. He always compares it to basketball. See, he used to participate in a youth league up through his college years. And then he had to train to become a CPA. And then he had to work. And then he got married...
It's fitting then that, after band practice today, my friends and I played basketball. We suck at it so hard. But we do a decent job covering Mountain Goats tunes. Today we jokingly called ourselves Science Club. I've got a decent list of bands that never took off. TMF. Cats Playing Jazz. And a few that never even got to have names. But it was fun playing today. We covered songs like "No Children," "Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton," and "This Year." I messed up a lot. Whatever. It was great to shake the dust from my stands. And when we were on, it was the best feeling in the world. I don't want to tour in a van or plug clothing sponsors or pretend to change someone's life. I just wanna have a beer and sing the songs that make me feel alive, and then afterward maybe grab a (veggie) burger.
1 comment:
JOKINGLY called ourselves Science Club?
BAND ANNULLED!
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