"Arabesque", by Wishmaster's Alexis Serré and The Rockline

Yeah. We rock. >:)

A Night To Remember!

Wishmaster, The Rockline and the Diplomates horn line

After seven months of regular practice, and pretty hardcore at that in the last month, The Wishmaster OES 2012 event may now be a thing of the past, but the memories from this most awesome day will remain forever. Even though we had to work hard the entire day from 8AM up until show time, it was great to do so in the comfort given to rock stars. And as we had planned, the effect of having the marriage of Drum Corps and Metal was absolutely devastating. From the opening punches of Scaretale to the gigantic finale of Ghost Love Score, everything was dead-on with the precision of an atom clock. And the power... ZOMG the power! Having my already ridiculously powerful bass drum miked and hearing it assaulting the venue's walls was a truly awesome feeling. I would definitely do this again! It put a serious time constraint on my schedule but with results like this I'd be stupid not to do it again.

And hey, I can say I've realized one of my dreams: I am now part of a top-flight drumline that played the equivalent of FOUR Drum Corps shows in one evening. And wait till you see the drum feature! I'm waiting for a good video of it to come out, and I'm sure it will, to post it here. The house had already been brought down by the two opening bands, Opened Fist (tribute to System Of A Down) and Alcoholica (tribute to Metallica) so what we did was blow the remains of the house clear across Ste-Catherine street :))

And now I can go back to a somewhat regular schedule. The Rockline will be taking a well-deserved break and we'll see where it goes after. I've heard that we may skip 2013 for the big event because Wishmaster is also going on hiatus after a 25+ show summer tour, guitarist Tony Batal becoming a dad to a little girl, and drummer Alexis Serré's girlfriend expecting a baby soon™. But I'm keeping my eyes and ears open. In any case if there's a gig for the Rockline (without necessarily 45 minutes of drumline parts to learn), director & instructor Jacques Charbonneau has my number and he knows he can count on me on the bass line.

In the word that has become the Rockline slogan, it was totally SDEMMEY !!!

o7

I'm on bass #4 this time, stretching my neck to see the drum major!

The crowd, with EVE MTL pilots Ilinane and Cartboard Box up front and center :)

Meet La Drumline Rockline! Yours truly is on the far left.

Edit for Facebook users: Here's links to all of Quebec Metal's photos...

The lighter: Opened Fist

The dynamite: Alcoholica

The explosion: Wishmaster


Edit #2: Concert review !!!

I love the 21st century !!! XD

A bit earlier tonight, the Quebec contingent of Drum Corps fans were invading Allentown PA for the DCI East weekend, the last big competition before The Big One. Knowing that my dad was there and knowing he's... kind of technologically retarded, I posted on the Quebec Drum Corps Facebook page the following:

"Avis a tous ceux qui sont a Allentown: comme il refuse toujours de se joindre a Facebook, j'offre une biere au premier ou a la premiere qui donne une bonne bine a Yves "Fonfon" Gauthier de ma part. Bonus si c'est pris en photo et poste ici, et re-bonus s'il en retient un bon bleu !!! XD"

Sorry about all the french, but some bits just can't be translated. But bear with me! About an hour later I get a Facebook notice on my phone so I point my browser towards Zuckerberg's brainchild, and I find this:

Fonfon = PWND !!!!

Needless to say I keeled over laughing out loud and promptly welcomed my dad into the 21st century. Congratulations to my bassline mate Ronald Masse for winning "the beer". And dad, thank you for being the awesome sport you always are :)

Be careful around Quebec Drum Corps Nuts :))

o7

Weekend of Drums & EVE Alliance Tournament X

Wishmaster and The Rockline

What a crazy summer I'm having! Putting aside some gaming to get better at drums is starting to pay off not only in terms of drumming and musical skills but also in terms of new experiences. Last weekend was a big one for the Rockline drumline as we had our first public appearances since the official foundation of the group. On Saturday we went to a Drum Corps revival event in Sherbrooke Qc; the activity is far from what it used to be in the 80's, but it does seem to be slowly creeping out of the darkness it fell into in the late 90's and early 2000's. I personally don't think it will again reach the heights attained in the mid-80's, but at least it's fun to know that Drum Corps is getting some exposure again and new generations of players and performers are being groomed.

That said, the Rockline was performing the last number of the evening before a traditional Drum Corps retreat, playing two tunes with the band Wishmaster ("Scaretale" and "Romanticide") with whom we'll be playing with at the big fund-raiser Metal show in October. Our almost brand-new drums had been the talk of the day as we got small groups of spectators at rehearsal, when half the group was busy in the senior corps Les Diplomates du Quebec. My bass drum especially was a head-turner by its size and its deep boom. I can safely say I play THE largest marching bass drum in the entire province :) We also had our timpani player with us for the first time and he did a great job even though he had never played with us before. And the performance itself? Mind-blowing is the only word I can think of. If you listen to "Scaretale" you know it starts with as series of punches after a soft intro, right? Well those punches were echoing in the valley below the stadium like cannon shots! The older and more traditional-minded people in the crowd weren't too sure but could do nothing but notice the quality of our drumline. Those who like Metal literally freaked out! I can now safely say that Drum Corps Metal not only works but is a total percussive orgasm :))

After the retreat all the participating corps and any Drum Corps veteran who was interested was invited to get on the field for a 200+ player mass band rendition of "Can't Take my Eyes Off Of You". The mass band had praticed it during the afternoon at the same time we were practicing our stuff, but that didn't stop about half our drumline from participating, with me and my monster bass officially nicknamed "The Beast" representing the bass line. I had to grab some bass drum players from other corps and ask "WTF do we play?"... boom click boom-boom, click boom-boom... wow, that's hard! and of course at the right spots people were improvising left and right so I didn't disappoint! All in all a great night, if a bit insanely hot as a heat wave is currently hitting the South of the province.

On Sunday we had another public appearance in the form of a parade in my hometown's Percussion Festival, in Longueuil Qc. This was my first ever parade, and I have to say it was a slightly painful one. As you see in the Rockline picture, I usually play with the bass drum mounted on a stand (yes, this is me at far right with "the Beast"), but for a parade I have to carry that thing. And I did. Ow my back! Well, I didn't suffer too much and I ain't dead, but I do still have a few aches even two days after the event. It was a lot of fun, nobody played perfect but everyone was in a festive mood. I do admit that the last two street corners were the longest and very hard and I wanted to stop but I made it. I even found the energy to take part in an impromptu jam session with a bunch of percussion groups that closed the parade. Kids big and small got to play on our drums, total mayhem. A perfect finish for my drum weekend!

The Retreat; Rockline is in the foreground, in our "Black-out" uniforms; I'm the second in line from the front

EVE Online Alliance Tournament X

I knew that this weekend wouldn't be an easy one so I took a couple days off this week, and I needed the break, especially yesterday where my back was hurting. So I took the time to catch up on this little game that got me into blogging called EVE Online. With Alliance Tournament X in full swing I got to watch Day 5 and Day 6, and I have to admit it's making start to miss the game! A few things have changed since last I played and a whole of  modules I have no clue about have appeared (Ancilliary Shield Boosters?). I do plan to get back in the game in mid/late September but with so many changes I will have some adjusting to do. Hell I don't even know if the fits I know still work! And the Vaga... the poor poor Vaga that has been circumcised by mad vikings... :*( Oh well, I guess I'll fly the Cynabal more. I also have a crazy Fleet Stabber fit I want to try!

But back to the tournament I was happy to see that the alliance I want to join (Purple Alliance, Red vs Blue) is doing so well, and in the same bracket as Rote Kapelle (hi Cerui and Ripard!) and Pandemic Legion (hi Mintchip!). And that last RK vs PL match... with the Bhaalgorn flagship and FOUR Malice assault frigs... Holy Shit !!! Gratz to Rote Kapelle on that win, and gratz to Pandemic Legion for the size of those testicles XD It'll be kinda hard for me to catch the end of the tourney live as I will have my boys with me and do plan to go outside and do some stuff, but I do plan to hit YouTube later next week and catch all the action. Now that I've made my peace with ISK making (meaning I won't try much) I'm actually anxious to come back to EVE and do what I love to do most, blow some shit up!

Fly balls to the wall !!! (actual aviation term)

o7

Thursday's Percussive Lunch Hour - ZOMG Edition

Yeah I've not been posting this week for a good reason: on Monday my weakening 4 year old video card finally died a horrible overheated death, and on Tuesday as I was on my way to my drumline rehearsal I remembered that 2-3 years ago, my best buddy Letrange had given me a spare video card that happened to be nearly identical to my own, an Asus GF8800 GT with 512mb of RAM (mine had 1024 though). So yesterday I went through my 'puter stuff boxes, found it, swapped the old one, and spent a good 3 hours on Skyrim XD

But more important in this post is the video. Now why would I, CozmikR5, die-hard fan of Santa Clara Vanguard and Phantom Regiment, be posting a Blue Knights video? Well, the reason for this post is not about the drumline, but the actual drums themselves. You see, my instructor and drumline director Jacques Charbonneau got tired of waiting around for sponsors, not to mention got tired of practicing on wooden beams. So after holding a survey to find out how interested us members would be in going on after the Wishmaster fund-raiser show, he took a dive head-first and went out to buy THESE VERY INSTRUMENTS! I don't want to know how much he paid for 'em or how much blood he gave in exchange. All I know is that at some point around the 20th of June the drums will leave their previous home at BK HQ in Denver Colorado to their new one in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu Quebec.

As I've mentioned not too long ago, I myself will be at the helm of Bass Drum #5, which is a 32 inch monster of a drum. My parts aren't too complicated, but it will be fun as hell, especially on the fortissimo excuse-me-while-I-destroy-your-kidneys parts! You can be sure that at the first occasion we get to play on the ex-BK drums there will be an impromptu photo session and I'll be posting a few for sure.

Until next time, fly loud!

o7

Friday's Electric (sorta) Dessert - SCV Drumline Edition

OK, this is me geeking the fuck out. This video is NOT for everyone, for sure. But it is an example of what all drumlines aspire to be. They may not be the "official" best drumline (the honor went to The Cadets) but SCV will always be #1 in my heart :)

Enjoy!

o7

Meeting the band

Wishmaster is:

Philip Charbonneau: keyboard, vocals
Anissa Bélanger: vocals
Tony Batal: guitar
Daniel Tremblay: bass, guttural vocals
Alexis Serré: drums

Yesterday I was invited to a nice little happening that has to do with the Wishmaster show I'll be playing cymbals on this October. It was the media launch for the band's summer tour as well as the presentation of all the heads of departments for the October 20th gig. Present were a few local journalists and photographers, representants for the supporting acts (not really supporting acts, more like co-headliners), and representants for the dance troop and drumline (yay us!). Reps from the circus troop and Les Diplomates drum & bugle corps were also invited but Real Life did its ugly thing, but at least the drumline's director was able to cover a bit as he is also with the "Dips" as we call 'em here.

So basically it was a little party with Wishmaster presenting the new tunes on their set list, a miniature show in essence, followed by a small press conference and question period all done in a very easy-going manner. Following that I got to have a good chat with singer Anissa, and of course with drummer Alexis. The former was quite interesting despite the massive age gap (I'm 22 years her elder) because we have very similar musical tastes; I'll never get used to being called "Mr Gauthier" though! Do not let her young age fool you: this girl can SING! She doesn't try to imitate the Nightwish singers but her own voice works wonders. The drummer talk was also great because again our tastes match up not only musically, but also in drum set-up, a 7-piece DW placed almost exactly like my Mapex and also afflicted by cymbal addiction :) It's not every day that two drummers get together and talk Zappa and it happened yesterday as Alexis was taking down his kit.

But I had also an unexpected surprise waiting for me there. Apparently I made a good impression at the drumline's first practice because I was told by the director's wife that they felt sorry they couldn't put me on at least the bass line and that there wasn't time for a multi-tenor crash course. The fact that everybody from the bass line returned this year meant there was no room, and multi-tenors take a set of skills I have never practiced. But as I said before I don't mind all that and I'll have a great time. On the other hand, they told me that there is a spot open on the number three bass in the Dips. Mmmm... I may need to do some serious calendar juggling and possibly some hard discussions with my ex. Some practices fall on my parenting weekend, and only one in three practices is in the Montreal area. Not to mention the massive head-cramming I'd have to receive to catch up with the rest of the line. But even though I'm not sure if it's possible it was very uplifting to receive the invitation.

So the project is slowly starting to take shape. The venue is reserved, the people are booked, and work is under way. All we need now are actual drums and cymbals to play on :))

Drum Corps Metal for the kids and for the win!

o7

Multiple front action

As you may have noticed, I have officialized the turning of the final page in my EVE book with a slight blog redesign. With a speaker cover background and now Terry Bozzio's awesome monster kit, I think it's fair to say that my blog is taking a musical turn. I may still touch on EVE subjects once in a blue moon but it will be strictly with an outsider's point of view; just like one of my friends, I prefer hearing and talking about EVE than actually playing it. I've already been posting music videos every week for the past 2 years so this will go on, but here and there I may throw in some additional performances, and as before I'll concentrate on live music, unless it's a really well made video or the tune has a special significance.

I may be gone from EVE and may also be very busy with drumline immersion, but in no way does that stop me from being the same gamer nerd I always was. I've taken a short break from the fantasy world of Skyrim to take a stroll in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout 3. It's not that I got tired of Skyrim, but Fallout is just as good (I call it Skyrim's older brother) and being a 4-year old game it plays a lot better on my 4-year old machine! My progress in-game has slowed down since the drumline thing started but it's great to have games I can jump in and out of. My boys have also strongly re-ignited my taste for Quake Live, especially that now I can act as a coach. The day the boys each have a machine to play on will be interesting to say the least! And in the light of the up-coming Mechwarrior Online me and a bunch of Virtual World veterans are planning some mech action in Mech4Mercs. This should also be interesting!

So how goes the drumline stuff? So far I've received the sheet music for the three tunes from last year's set, "Dark Chest of Wonders" being the first tune we will tackle at the first drumline rehearsal. The cymbal part is fairly simple but as I don't know Nightwish music that well (it's alright but I'm not the biggest fan) I have my work cut out for me. And from one look at the snare part, my director was right: I'm not quite ready for this even if it's relatively simpler than normal snare parts. I'm not backing down from the challenge though, but because I want to concentrate on my cymbal part I'm mostly working on the 40 regular rudiments. To help me "get" the drum corps snare parts better I also acquired something called "128 Hybrid Rudiments"; this is the stuff that DCI gods like Jeff Queen, Corey Brohard and Dr John Wooton come up with. Yeah, each and every one is challenging, and each and every one has a funky name like "Shirley Murphy", "cheese paradiddle" and "diddle-egg-five". Yeah, fun! If you want to know what I'm talking about you can find the pdf document here.

And the closing subject, mountain bikes! Spring has decided to arrive a few days early in Montreal so there's a good chance that I'll pump up my tires tonight and go for my first ride in 2012. Oh it won't be anywhere far yet. I also need to take my bike to the bike shop have it tuned up from A to Z; there's a lot that I could do myself but a bike shop has tools I don't have, room to work on the bike, and technical experience. The shop near my place is used to dealing with 10k+$ race demons so I know my bike will be well taken care of. Of course my big travel plans may be shifted a bit because they may conflict with the drumline's crunch time, but I still intend to go. We'll see if there are modifications to make to my itinerary, but who knows, if the drumline practice goes well during the summer I don't see a problem of me skipping a weekend and coming back after the huge ride. I intended on bringing a pair of drum sticks anyway :)

So there you go. So long EVE and hello Real Life !!!

o7

Drumline update #2

So yesterday evening I had a lengthy chat with the drumline's director after I requested last year's sheet music for both the snare line and the bass line. His initial reaction was to tell me "I'm sorry Ben, both of these lines are full and then some. Plus I don't really know your drumming experience since you haven't gone the drum corps way. Do you know ruffs? Flams? Hybrid rudiments?". I took all of this in stride because I knew the quality of this drumline, and I knew what I was getting myself into.

Let's see. This drumline is jam-packed with DCI vets and instructors. And not only is the entire line-up from last year returning, we are five new guys coming in. One has his job cut out for him as he is the timpani player; he has to write his own parts and stuff. Another is already marching snares in Quebec's senior corps, so he easily gets that spot. The third is a guy who was marching snares when I was a kid and he was already OMGWTF awesome, and he never stopped drumming. He'll get a multi-tenor spot and I know he's up for that challenge. The forth guy is actually a bass guitar player but he's a long time friend of Wishmaster's leader who happens to be the drumline director's son. He'll be on the bass line. And then there's me.

So to break down the drumline by section: 9 snares, 5 basses, 4 multi-tenors, 1 timpani, and various cymbals. This right there is a full-sized competition drumline, with only the pit crew missing. So because of my unknown status I will be on the cymbal line, but knowing what I can do on drums I will be a damn solid cymbal player. You see, playing on a drumline isn't about the individual but the sum of all parts. A good example of this is the Santa Clara Vanguard cymbal line, who not only perform all kinds of crazy visuals (look up "SCV viper" on YouTube) but also play stuff that would challenge the best orchestra percussionists. Modern cymbal playing isn't about crashing every other quarter note in 4/4.

But even though I won't be on the snare line itself, I simply cannot pass on an opportunity like this. I will STILL get the snare parts and practice them for two reasons: 1- just in case, and 2- just because. I will also have a look at ALL the other parts; I do have to concentrate on getting my own part perfect but I welcome this challenge with open arms. One thing is certain, I will have an awesome amount of fun. I mean, how often does one drummer get to hang out with 20-25 other drummers, some of which have vast experience? I see nothing but good coming out of this :)

Flam hard

o7

Wishmaster Drumline update

I'm in! :)

And not only that; I will get my try-out on the snare line. The parts should be relatively easy because Wishmaster does have a regular drummer, but let's not forget that this drumline has some pretty impressive people on it, with instructors and DCI vets. Plus, where last year's returning players will have four tunes to learn (three are kept from last year's set list), I will have seven. But I welcome the challenge. The point of this drumline is not to be on a DCI competitive level, but to have an unbelievable amount of fun while raising money for Opération Enfant Soleil, Québec's main foundation for children's disease help.

Last year the drumline was sponsored by a local music store for its instruments but they're looking for a new sponsor this year. This means that the first few rehearsals will happen on practice pads. Slightly less exciting but it means then when the drums do arrive we should have quick results. Be assured that when I'll get to play on a new toy, I'll post pictures :)

Rehearsals will start on March 20th, and the show will be on October 20th. There will be two opening acts and where last year Wishmaster employed an orchestra, this year we're going with a full drum corps hornline. Drum Corps Metal? Oh yes, and it will be GLORIOUS !!!

Flam hard

o7

Drum Line !!!

It's no secret that I'm into drums. I'm a self-proclaimed drum geek and nothing makes me happier than talking about drumming, working on my sticking, checking out drum gear, and meeting people in and around the world of drumming. Last October I wrote a blog post about reconnecting with a few drum corps friends, my first drum instructor, and also meeting some new friends in the process. The event was a percussion meet held to attract music teachers from both regular and specialized schools to the fine art of percussion, and to do so two bands were on hand to explain their respective instruments and various techniques. The first band was a Brazilian style "bateria", which gave the meet quite a festive start. This is my old instructor's band by the way. And the second was a full-scale drum line consisting of seven snares (plus two spares...), three multi-tenors, five bass drums and three cymbals. Marry this drum line to a Nightwish cover band and an orchestra and you've got Wishmaster. And shit-tons of power!

Soon after the meet there was rumors that the drum line experience was going to be repeated; the full Wishmaster show was held for a local children's foundation and it had great success. And so it was that I kept in touch with these new friends and I made it known that if there was to be another edition, I wanted to be in on it. As I had mentioned last fall, I started practicing my rudiments a lot steadier in case something happened. And some time last week it did. The drum line's leader sent me an invitation for this year's edition first drum line meeting! So ever since that invitation I've raised my practice time from 1 hour a day to 2-3 hours. I know I can make the drum line as a cymbal or bass drum, but what I'm really shooting for is the snare line; I don't think I can make the quads as that takes some serious skills! My motivation: if one of my old time drum corps friends can make the bass drum line after 30 years without holding a pair of sticks, I can make the snare line. I realise that it's a huge step and it will involve an awesome amount of work, but I know I can do it. But honestly, I will not be disappointed if I don't get a snare spot; hell I'd just be happy being a roadie and changing drum heads and hauling stuff. But tomorrow night as I formally meet the drum line I fully intend to give everything I've got to give and maybe, just maybe, I will get to kick-start my drum line career after my own 30 year hiatus.

On a related subject, the bar where we've been holding the Montreal EVE Meets sometimes has some Audience Participation nights where people show off their singing skills, guitar chops and whatnot. Take a wild guess what I'd like to do :) I've found some snare solos to practice, most notably from my two favorite drum corps, namely Santa Clara Vanguard and Phantom Regiment. Needless to say a lot of work will be spent nailing the solos on the practice pad before I attempt 'em at full volume on a snare drum in front of an audience. But yeah, I'm getting weary of telling people I play drums... now I want to show 'em!

Fly loud

o7