[drumming diary] Gig report

Played way the hell out in Chicago Heights last night, at a place called Oasis One-Sixty. In the 'burbs, you don't have nightclubs as much as you have "entertainment complexes," where you can basically be all clubs to all people within the same building. Part of that, in the case of this particular establishment, is an all-ages live room. Unfortunately, tearing the kids away from The Simpsons was a bigger task than any of the four bands could handle. Quote from the esteemed Mr. Mitchel during Miles of Empty's set: "There are only six of us here, and we're all hecklers!"

I was grumpy as hell when I got there, as Lindsie and I got substantially lost on the way. This happens whenever I visit a new suburb, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Except that I knew exactly where I blew it, and didn't act on that instinct immediately. Or at least turn around instead of trying to triangulate the proper direction using an elaborate system of turns on to diagonal streets.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about the gig itself. Turns out the singer/guitarist from Miles of Empty is an acquaintance from back in the URT days. I had a hunch that I was far enough away from home that I had to know somebody.

This was our debut with Larry replacing Jayh in the band, and it definitely gives us a different edge. Drumming-wise, I had to cope with the significant amount of pain in my feet, but once I got started, it wasn't an issue. Certain parts of songs are getting bigger as a result of the extra electric guitar. Even more washy with the crash cymbals, which is something I may be doing a bit too often in this band. We're going to get under the hood of a bunch of songs in the next couple of weeks, so I should be able to address that. The live kit is now using just a single bass drum pedal, which will take a little getting used to.