Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Book Review: "FLEETWOOD: My Life and Adventures in Fleetwood Mac"




This is the first in a series of book reviews for the "Drum Dungeon", a series we plan on utilizing to reveal some great and enlightening "Diamonds in the Literary Rough" for our fans. Our first review is on a book originally published in 1991 by Avon Books; the eponymously-titled psuedo biography of long time drummer, and off-the-wall namesake of the supergroup "Fleetwood Mac" -- Mick Fleetwood.

This book is a fabulous "must read" for all drummers and non-drummers alike. Even if you are not a huge fan of the band [Fleetwood Mac] or for that matter even Mick Fleetwood himself; this is one of those books that once you open it and start reading, you simply cannot put it down. It sheds a whole new light on the life of one of rock and roll's most talented [and tallest] drummers.

It starts with his humble beginnings playing music in the early 60's; doing his first gig at a church youth club under the name 'The Senders'', then on to playing in his next band titled ''Cheynes'' with Peter Green [The Green God] and really details their relationship [as it does many others]. It will blow your mind to read of all the things that Mick encountered in his tenure with the band he, Green, and John McVie started back in 1967, way before he joined forces with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. There is a lot of pain in this story - there is alot of joy, and there are just so many interesting facts through out the whole book. I know it will lead the reader into a whole new perspective on the life, and respect for this man, who simply-started out... ''WITH TWO STICKS AND A DRUM''

I totally recommend this book to all, and also want to thank Mr. Fleetwood for all the years of great drumming and music. "Fleetwood: My Life and Adventures In Fleetwood Mac" is written by Mick Fleetwood [with Stephen Davis] and republished by William Morrow + Company, Inc. NY., NY.

Click the photo at the top of this article to shop for your own copy of this book.

~The Central Scrutinizer

Friday, June 19, 2009

THE PEARL ELIMINATOR DEMON DRIVE



I have been using various types of pedals since 1975. This was when I first put my foot onto a kick drums foot pedal and hence my signature moment as I embarked on the long, varied journey to learn and understand drums/percussion. I think it was just some no named brand pedal held together with miss-matched nuts & bolts. That is until the day came that I had saved my pennies long enough to go out and buy my first real professional pedal; a "Ludwig speed king". This is the pedal I still have to this day and use on all my various kit set-ups. And now, some 30 plus years later, I have now found the pedal that I feel will suit me even more. "The Pearl Eliminator Demon Drive".

Remember drum-dungeoneers, we are all different, with different likes and dislikes, and when it comes to the world of drumming and the major manufacturers, there are really no good or bad choices on what you use, or what is even percieved as "better". Just personal taste for what fits us personally as a drummer.

I had heard of this DEMON pedal before, but had never kicked one, so I went to my local music store to see what all the hype was. They had one there, it was the double and still in the box. They also were playing a promotional DVD on it, hosted by Todd Sucherman of Styx -- he was explaining all the great feature's of this pedal that was not seen on any others. One of the first features I really noticed, was the ZERO LATENCY U-JOINTS, which allows for great flexability, and allows you to play just as quickly and accurately with your second pedal as your primary. Another fabulous thing that sets this pedal apart from others, is the NINJA BEARINGS, that were originally designed by skateboard engineers, and gives this pedal killer speed. So at this point I was very excited by the whole thing, and wanted to do the ultimate test... kick the hell out of it myself!! When dude broke it out and set it up the first thing I noticed was...WOW it sure looked cool [for what that's worth]. But of course playing it was the real test and honestly, that turned out to be an even more positive experience. It just flowed so smoothly, and the response was out of this world. It took a while to check out all the other features that make this a phenomenal pedal:

  • the DIRECT LINK ADJUSTMENT, which has 2 positions for a light or heavy feel.
  • the FOOTBOARD HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
  • the CLICK LOCK SPRING TENSION
  • a DUO-DECK LONGBOARD that gives you the option to convert your pedal from short board to long board for your comfort.

There are many other features for the "Demon Drive" that make it a really great pedal in my opinion, and I know that some of you out there will find it to be awesome as well, although of course some may not. As I was there trying it, another fellow gave it the go around, but thought it was to smooth for his type of playing. So I recommend that you go out , and try it for yourself to see if this is the pedal for you!

Till next time all you Drum-Dungeoneers!

~Central Scrutinizer