A Video From TED

Hi guys,

My friend Tim Curtin has been playing a weekly Thursday night gig in the Bronx, my old haunt , at a joint called Paddy Doherty's Ale House.

He usually has one or two guys with him and invites musicians to sit in and jam. Not really an open mic thing, just people that he knows .

I've gone to a few of these recently as he has been having musicians show up that I haven't seen in literally 30 or 35 years. It's been such fun to re-unite with these guys and to get to jam with some of them that I've never played with before because we were all in different bands.

So here's a video clip from thursday the 17th. I had been bringing my camera along to tape some of the shows for Tim so I had it set up when he asked me to play. Believe it or not, the darn thing went out of focus for the first tune we did, Stormy Monday, but refocused itself for most of this tune, which is White Room by Cream. It goes out of focus about 3 minutes in, stays out for a little over a minute, and then becomes clear for the end. Wierd, don't know why it did that. But anyway, the audio is fine and just think of it as a psychedelic camera effect.

Hope you like it. Takes a minute or two to load so be patient !

http://www.drumminfool.com/recent/whiteroom3.wmv


The drums are not mine. I was told they are 1974 Ludwig's that have been re--covered .



Peace, TED

That was great, Ted. Thanks for sharing!!!

Cool, Ted.

If I can inject a little something here... The guitar player playing the wah-wah I found to be a little irritating. I think he stuck out just a bit too much and it pretty much over powered everything else in some places including the vocals. It did get better later on in the tune where the vocals were out. I liked the drum sound and everyone played well together. Again, the wah wah guitar player could have toned it back a bit, but outside of that I thought you guys did a very nice job. Your playing was rock solid, Ted. Way to drive the band. Loved the band's power toward the end of the tune.

Yeah, really strange the way the camera just went out of focus like that...

D.

yeah Don, that guitar player was louder than he should have been. However, that was okay with everyone because of who he is.

His name is Mark Hitt and he is a guitar legend in the tri state area and a lot of the East Coast. It was an extreme honor for me to share the stage with him. His recording and performance credits include people like John Entwhistle, John Bonham and Robert Plant, Maggie Bell, the Tubes, Ted Nugent, Lesley West, Corky Laing and a lot more.

Back in the late 60's and early 70's before I started playing the drums seriously, I used to go see this guy play at all the rock clubs I could . His band was absolutely the best cover band around, bar none. The band was called Rat Race Choir. Mark was the baddest guitarist around. Go to you tube and listen to some of their Zeppelin covers, and Tull etc. The band still exists although the only original member left is the bassist Dave Chmera. I mean these guys had their own crew, truck and carried a quadraphonic P A system and light show with them .

When he plays, people come to see him show off, and he usually does. The other guitarist is my friend Tim Curtin and he knows Mark a long time and has done many gigs with him over the years. If you notice, Tim really doesn't play much during the song, just sings the vocals. It's a trio song anyway, as you know.

I actually played a song before White Room too, which was Stormy Monday. But the camera was out of focus for most of that song too, so I can't use it. But the audio is fine. I will rip the audio off that vid and maybe post that because Mark burns on that one, and Tim takes a tasty solo to follow him.

But anyway, thanks for watching and for the compliment. I do appreciate you and Woody taking time to comment ! and you're 100% right - he was a tad loud, But I loved it , and so did the crowd !

My best to you and Audrey ! Peace, TED

I understand, Ted. Though with me, it's all about the music in the end. And being a legend should not be a pass to play badly.... Unless you're Miles Davis.
Don't get me wrong, he did NOT play badly but as I said he was a bit too forceful and he stepped on the vocals. So then, what's all the showing off about, himself
or the music? The problem for playing for self is the music always wins the battle AND the war. When we play together for the music, this will be revealed. And
when we play for self the same results of revelation will apply.

Killer solid stuff, Ted. But your responsibility on this tune as drummer was slightly neglected. Your job is to take the largest mallet you have and smack the singer of the bridge in the groin in an upward motion with as much ferocity as you can muster. But I can see that would have been quite a reach, so all I can say is excellent, dude!

Good idea, Woof. But instead of doing that to the singer, he should have done it to that loud ass guitar player.

Actually, the singer of the bridge did a great job considering unreachable Jack Bruce vocals. Great to see you play this, Ted; really well done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URCcX56CyN0
http://www.emusic.com/album/Mose-Allison-Lessons-In-Living-Live-At-Montreux-MP3-Download/11755049.html

Never saw this while Cream toured recently; hard to believe he would say these things:
http://www.nme.com/news/nme/40867

Excuse my ignorance, Woof... But what do you mean by: "The singer of the bridge"?? "of the bridge" What am I missing?

The lyrics of the bridge of White Room:
I'll wait in this place where the sun never shines;
Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves.

Jack Bruce sings it at amazingly high octave inspired by Ginger Baker's strategically placed mallet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_%28music%29

Thanks keith ! and nobody can hit those Jack Bruce vocals in the bridge ! Except jack, of course.

So here's the other tune we did where he doesn't stomp on the vocals with his guitar, but does take a blistering solo. Tim responds with a more subtle solo - plus he had a smaller amp ! hahhahahahaha

this is just the audio as the camera was out of focus for most of the video of the tune.


Peace, TED

www.drumminfool.com/recent/stormymonday.wma

Ted,

Very cool. Not been on this
side for a while. A classic tune
and it made me think of what
Baker did, way back. Honestly,
I can-t remember but I will say
that Fresh Cream was the VERY
first album I ever bought, with
my own money.

You were solid, man. Great job.



Regards,

Thanks Pete ! Nice to read that !

I do remember the first record I bought with my own money. Actually it was 2 - 45's . Ruby Tuesday by the Stones, and Standing in the Shadows of Love by The Four Tops . Each cost .69 . I had $2 so I was able to buy them both including the tax. I still have them, too !

I don't remember the first album I bought, though I do remember passing up the chance to buy the Beatles Yesterday & Today with the Butcher cover before they pulled it off the shelves.

I remember joining the Columbia House Record club early on where you got 12 records free and had to agree to buy 6 in the next two years or something like that so that may have been my first album purchases.

and now I have over 2,000 albums. LOL

Peace, TED

Good stuff Ted, and that guitar player was great.

WHOA!!! Spanky on the drummer's bytes side!!!!!! There must be a snowball in hell!!!

Yeah Don, I never bothered to much even on the Old Billy sites, and I don't know why, but that has changed all of a sudden. And again, I don't know why, but I do know this, I need to be here.

thanks Spanky for checking it out, and for the kind words !

I think I know why he's over here Don ................ because he will soon be having some samples of his own work to be putting up. He has heard about some of your reviews from the past and wants to be on your good side for the future ! LOL hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I think I even heard that there is a case of Philly cheese steaks on the way out to San Jose even as you read this !!!!!!!!!

Mmmmmmm good ! I'm jealous !


TED

I am eating one as I type this.

Ted, I like your approach on these two tracks. Especially on White Room you deliver a solid groove and play precisely too. Well done!

I agree with Don that Mark Hitt, the guitar player, over powered the song (White Room) to a certain extent. He is talented though and plays a terrific solo on the other track Stormy Monday.


Kind regards,
Anders