#paiste

#Charlotte

It was a Christmas miracle I tell ya! I actually played a set of drums I restored! 

The 1993 Rockstar RMs RULE!

I had the opportunity to play drums (after far too many years of not playing) for a “Christmas Holiday Sing” assembly at my kids elementary school. Evidently the fifth grade drummer sadly fell ill so they thought “...hmmm who do we know who plays like a fifth grader?” So they asked the next best thing to a fifth grade drummer to fill in....ME!

The band was pretty much an “old guy band” comprised of parents of some of the students...all mutual acquaintances which was cool and vibey. Oddly enough it turned out pretty well. After years of not playing and only a couple hours of quick rehearsal, we totally killed “North Pole Rock and Roll” as all the kids in school sang along,

Ready set...ROCK POSE!

For those of you playing the home version of the game, I busted out a 10″ up 14″ down 20″ kick setup along with my 1985 14″ x 6.5″ King Beat snare that looked MASSIVE with the small size kit. Needless to say, in that gymnasium...that snare sounded as much like a cannon as it did when I bought it back in 1985! 

Any old cat that ever played a high school battle of the bands has a special place in his or her heart for gym acoustics!

Of course, all of my fully restored, heavy duty 80′s vintage Titan hardware made the trip. Unfortunately, the torn ligaments in my forearm regretted that decision! I forgot that it’s a well known fact that one should NOT carry more than one, heavy ass Titan hardware piece per hand at a time lest you will regret it. I actually think it’s illegal in most states. Looked pretty sweet tho no?

Cymbal setup was a mix of vintage Paiste and Zildjian. 14″ New Beat hats, 14″ Paiste 2002 Power Splash, 18″ Paiste 2002 Crash and a 21″ Zildjian Rock Ride. Fortunately for the kids, I left my 20″ Paiste RUDE China cymbal at home as I didn’t want to trigger anyone or send a kid to the nurse’s office with a melted face!

When I added in the 80′s Camco/Tama kick pedal and a Titan throne complete with genuine vintage cigarette burns (I don’t smoke)...I had myself a small slice of rock and roll heaven!

All in all this little gig was a freaking blast! The students and teachers loved it,  and I even scored some “Cool Dad” points with my kids who were under the impression that I was just a miserable old hobo living in a van down by the river.