Hello to everyone!

Hello everyone! I just joined the site and figured I'd introduce myself.

Billy has been my favorite drummer and biggest influence, since I first heard him in Mahavishnu in the early 70's.

I have been checking out the forum for awhile now, and there seems to be alot of nice folks here, so I figured "what have I got to lose".

Hopefully I can be a worthwhile contributer.

Russ

WELCOME RUSS-

Glad to have you here---->D.L.

Welcome, Russ.



We resonate with you!!
It's great to share the
legacy of Billy.

Partake and thank you
for joining us!!

Regards,

What up, Russ?!

Thanks guys! I feel at home already!

Russ,

In reference to your Tony Williams quote, I've been listening to him quite a bit lately. Man, Tony was incredible. Apparently, someone forgot to tell him that some of the things he did behind the drumkit can't be done. Never saw him live. That is a regret I will take to my grave.

Buddy Rich, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham and Steve Gadd. No one else has come along, set an industry standard and changed the face and approach to the drums since these four.

We are living in very dangerous musical times today. Artistic impression in our up and coming young people is bieng shoved by the wayside for stardomhood.... There is a pretty wide void between wanting to be a star and wanting to be a great artist and musical craftsperson. And this is why I personally make it a point to not watch shows like American Idol.

I could go on, but I won't.

Welcome aboard, fusionfunk.

Don.

Welcome Russ,

You have 4 things in your initial post which give you good credibility already on this site:

Your user name fusionfunk combines two of the favorite styles of music and drumming we like on this site.

Thirdly, there's a photo of you on a drumset which we like to see. If you get a chance, post some of your music in the drummer's Bytes section.

And fourth, you mentioned Tony williams who is respected by all who post here - our moderator Pete used to study with Tony, and he can be a source of great stories about Tony should you be interested.

Peace, TED

Hey Don & Ted!

Don I agree with you 100%. The music biz doesn't have the same amount of respect given to it by the youth of today. It's all about "make me a rock star BEFORE I really perfect my craft". Sad.

And yeah, Tony was a MONSTER.

Ted, I'm glad to see we are all like minded here. There is another drum forum out there, ( which shall remain nameless ), that is not too friendly, unless you're a metal head. I definately didn't fit in there!
By the way Ted, I too, studied briefly with Tony in New York City, in the mid '70's. He was a real motivater!

I can see this is going to be a great place to hang. Looking forward to it!

Russ

Hi
fusionfunk.


I love the Tony Williams- Allan Holdsworth recordings '75-76
Great sound in those better days.


______________________

Outtasight
Colin.

Welcome Fusionfunk!

My favorite Tony Williams is Filles de Kilimanjaro with Miles, Believe it and Seven steps to heaven

Regards

Wolo

Hello Colin, Wolo, and Alex! It's great to be here with people that are all on the same wavelength.

Alex, it's truly an honor to be able to communicate with you. You're a GREAT player! I am truly humbled.

I guess it's a small world with the Tony connections. I only wish I could have spent more time with him. It was all too brief.

Russ

fusionfunk wrote:
Alex, it's truly an honor to be able to communicate with you. You're a GREAT player! I am truly humbled.

Thanks for the nice words!

Take care,

welcome to the board, russ! great to have you here!

Niki wrote:welcome to the board, russ! great to have you here!

Thank you Niki! It's nice to be here.

Russ

hello Russ,you're welcome!peace,Stef

stef wrote:hello Russ,you're welcome!peace,Stef

Thanks Stef! I'm really enjoying it here. Lots of nice, intelligent and polite people.

I've found a home!

Russ

fusionfunk wrote:

stef wrote:hello Russ,you're welcome!peace,Stef

Thanks Stef! I'm really enjoying it here. Lots of nice, intelligent and polite people.

I've found a home!

Russ

Welcome aboard Fusionfunk! Don't forget your dramamine though!

Seriously... I've made great friends here beyond the blogs from time to time. They know who they are!

Suss wrote:

fusionfunk wrote:

stef wrote:hello Russ,you're welcome!peace,Stef

Thanks Stef! I'm really enjoying it here. Lots of nice, intelligent and polite people.

I've found a home!

Russ

Welcome aboard Fusionfunk! Don't forget your dramamine though!

Seriously... I've made great friends here beyond the blogs from time to time. They know who they are!

Thanks Suss! It would be neat if we could all meet someplace for a get together, but I guess the logistics of that would be tough!

You know what Russ? Other than Billy Cobham, I've been trying to meet these knuckleheads for the past six years!

Logistics? Well... that's a given: always a concern. Yet I can tell you that there are many whom I can phone rather than depend on the forum stuff... including our Admin Peter who put this site up.

So you're in Pennsylvania? Anywhere near Philadelphia? If so, give D.L. a contact. I'm too far from you to go for lunch at 1PM today.

In the meantime, either PM me or we'll just speak here. I'd be more than happy to provide my cell number.

All The Best,

Suss wrote:You know what Russ? Other than Billy Cobham, I've been trying to meet these knuckleheads for the past six years!

Logistics? Well... that's a given: always a concern. Yet I can tell you that there are many whom I can phone rather than depend on the forum stuff... including our Admin Peter who put this site up.

So you're in Pennsylvania? Anywhere near Philadelphia? If so, give D.L. a contact. I'm too far from you to go for lunch at 1PM today.

In the meantime, either PM me or we'll just speak here. I'd be more than happy to provide my cell number.

All The Best,

That's way cool! I'll look forward to it.

I'm about 2-2 1/2 hours from Philly. I live near Harrisburg.

We should all plan an annual BC party, ( drums included!), and pick a central location, and whoever can make it great. For those who can't there's always the next year!

Russ

Hey FusionFunk Russ!

When I said PM, I meant "private message" me. Otherwise simply email me from within any post (or my profile) that I've made public.

Everyone who knows me personally has a really private address: otherwise you can email me at "suss@johnsussewell.com."

You are so right... in fact I tried to get these knuckleheads to coordinate a reunion five years ago. However, with respect to everyone, our joint efforts were not possible at that time... including Billy Cobham's.

The last time I saw Boomer was here in Atlanta when he was touring with the "Jazz Is Dead" crew. What an evening! Billy had not seen my face (nor mine his) since 1975 when he headlined his Spectrum tour and I was drumming for the Average White Band! Yeah... go figure!

Please don't get the wrong idea... I'm all about genuine relationships and the music that mystically brings us together. Other than that, my horizons may not coincide with yours. Yet I truly believe it does... so forgive my disclaimer. I sense you have a lot more to contribute to this "village" than what even you are willing to admit.

Looking forward to it...

Best Regards and Love,

Suss wrote:Hey FusionFunk Russ!

When I said PM, I meant "private message" me. Otherwise simply email me from within any post (or my profile) that I've made public.

Everyone who knows me personally has a really private address: otherwise you can email me at "suss@johnsussewell.com."

You are so right... in fact I tried to get these knuckleheads to coordinate a reunion five years ago. However, with respect to everyone, our joint efforts were not possible at that time... including Billy Cobham's.

The last time I saw Boomer was here in Atlanta when he was touring with the "Jazz Is Dead" crew. What an evening! Billy had not seen my face (nor mine his) since 1975 when he headlined his Spectrum tour and I was drumming for the Average White Band! Yeah... go figure!

Please don't get the wrong idea... I'm all about genuine relationships and the music that mystically brings us together. Other than that, my horizons may not coincide with yours. Yet I truly believe it does... so forgive my disclaimer. I sense you have a lot more to contribute to this "village" than what even you are willing to admit.

Looking forward to it...

Best Regards and Love,

Yes, I knew what you meant by "pm". I was referring to looking forward to some one-on-one discussions.

Speaking of AWB, I just saw them a month or so ago in Harrisburg. They warmed up for Tower of Power. I enjoyed both bands very much.

I will definately contact you. I'd love to hear about your experiences over the years in the music business. The evolution the industry has gone through, even in my lifetime, is mind boggling.

Take care,

Russ

fusionfunk wrote:

Yes, I knew what you meant by "pm". I was referring to looking forward to some one-on-one discussions.

Speaking of AWB, I just saw them a month or so ago in Harrisburg. They warmed up for Tower of Power. I enjoyed both bands very much.

I will definately contact you. I'd love to hear about your experiences over the years in the music business. The evolution the industry has gone through, even in my lifetime, is mind boggling.

Take care,

Russ

Cool Russ,

I'm switching over to Boomer's original site for now... have you logged in there yet?

http://www.billycobham.com

... the Forum section... I think you have! Your're too astute to have overlooked it.

It's up to our community here for the future. I'll be monitoring ALL sides. Waiting on your email... while never forgetting my dear friend and encouragement: Pete Corona (admin).