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For Sale: North Drums - Double Bass Kit - Rare!

My friend Randy is selling his prized North Drum kit and he's sent me some pictures of his kit to post for your viewing pleasure.  From what I can tell these drums are in great condition and Randy has been meticulous in his care for them.

So far he hasn't named a price for the kit, but I found an FAQ over at North Drums Info and this is what they said (not about his kit, but about North Drums in general:

Q.

How much are these North Drums worth?

A.

I get this question a lot, and it is a fine question indeed. I do not know - in fact nobody knows, but I do know what I have seen sell over the last 3 or 4 years. First, condition is very important. MINT drums sell for a lot more than scuffed and scratched ones. Completeness is also very important - missing parts are hard to get. That said, I think a nice Nexus kit (6 pieces) with the rack and complete is worth from $750 to $1500. Double bass kits are in the $2500 range, down to $1800 if they are beat or the market is not noticing. The easiest way to see is to check eBay for past sales. Quite a few sets go through eBay, and the range of prices is not inconsistent with what I have seen from vintage drum shops. Or you can send me pics and I'll take my best guess.

For a recent comparison, a North Drums (single kick drum) set sold for $2750 on eBay.

If you are interested in contacting Randy about his gorgeous North Drums, leave a comment below and I'll forward his contact info along to you.

I first saw a set of these on the cover of  Jackson Browne's live album "Running on Empty" (see picture at the top of this post). Russ Kunkel played a set of these on that album which has always been one of my all time favorite records.  But for a more thorough background on the drums, I suggest you Google "North Drums" and check out Wikipedia or the aforementioned North Drums Info site.

Pictured below are some photos of the kit Randy is selling:

Here is what Randy told me about his set:

Set includes:

2 huge Gibraltar boom cymbal stands, rack, tom arms, cymbal mounts, hi-hat stand,

2 Bass Drum's,

4 Rack Toms

1 Floor Tom

Snare drums not included, but would be OK selling those too. (1970's Chrome on Wood 8x14 Ludwig w/Classic strainer), 3x12 steel shell Tama)

 

If you're interested in making an offer on this wonderful and unique kit, leave a comment below and I'll forward Randy's contact info along to you.

 

Session Rates: How much do YOU charge?

Recently, I received an email from a fellow drummer asking me how to quote a price for a project he was being asked to play on.  As I was writing my answer to him I thought it might make a good blog post, so here it is: 

"Before quoting a rate for any gig I will typically ask what the budget and time frame is for the session.  Usually the producer or artist has an amount already in their head and so it works best if I know what that amount is before I quote them my rate.  I have usually quoted either a day rate or per song rate, but there are other ways to work out compensation as well.  You could do a trade for services, or even work out an equity share in their project if you really believe in what the artist is doing (and if they are receptive to this idea).

I have found that quoting a day rate usually gets me into trouble because I typically complete the drum tracks quicker than what the client was expecting.  A few years ago, I did a session that was going to be two days of work and I quoted the client a day rate of $400 per day.  Well, I knocked out all of the songs in one day and was only paid my $400 day rate.  They still got all the songs they needed from me, but I was only paid half of what I had expected to receive over the two days.  It was almost like being penalized for being too good! 

Because of that experience, I now price out my studio work on a per song basis and typically charge between $100 and $250 per song, depending on the client and the budget of the project.  It's rare that I'm only called in to play on one song, so it typically works out better for me than charging a day rate. 

Remember when setting your session rate to think of the expenses you pay as a professional:  taxes, upkeep and maintenance on your gear, gas and traveling expenses, etc. Even if you are lucky to get an endorsement, sticks and heads (and cymbals) still cost money (just not as much as they do when paying retail)! 

When I was working as a session musician in Nashville, the Musicians Union was helpful in that they would set the pay scale for different types of sessions.  If the session was a "demo" or "limited pressing"  it paid less than if it was a "Master Recording."  Two of the benefits to playing on a Union session were that taxes were withheld, and you could get paid a second time (or even more) for your initial work if the song you recorded ended up getting added to a "Greatest Hits" collection, was included on a movie soundtrack or used for a commercial.  Back then a typical "Master Session" would be around $330 for a 3 hour block of time, out of which the session musician would pay taxes, and health and welfare.  Session rates could also vary on the time of day the session took place as well, and if you played any "doubles," like adding a percussion track (congas, shaker, tambourine, etc).

Back when I was just starting out playing sessions (in Dallas, TX), I used to take every opportunity that came along regardless if it paid. I figured the experience was more valuable than the paycheck.  Of course, back then I was single and had very little bills to pay while working full time at a drum store to support myself.  

Depending on how your relationship is with the client, it may be worth it to do the session for less than what you'd like to get, so as to build up a positive working relationship which could lead to more work down the road.  Of course, it's hard to know if that will happen, but thinking along those lines might be helpful in pricing yourself for a particular session."

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the rates I charge, but I'd be interested in knowing what you charge for playing drums on a session and why.  Also, do you think my rates are reasonable, too high or too low?  I'd love to hear your feedback on my thoughts. 

Leave a comment below and who knows, maybe we can all work towards some sort of a pricing guide for drummers here!

Steve Smith Album

My drumming and percussion playing is featured on the new Steve Smith album that's coming out soon - "Steve-ing the Story".  You can hear two of his new songs on his website currently - both feature my playing. The song "City of Oaks" features my beat box snare (it's a Remo pre-tuned Toy Snare Drum with a snare wedged between the top head and the rim).  Here's a picture of it from that session (with Steve's red shoes in the background):

 

I also used a different set of cymbals for that session.  Typically I bring my old K's, and Zildjian K Constantinoble's but this time I used some Istanbul cymbals from my friend Chris Stephenson's Cymbal Shop.  You can hear those cymbals being played on "Unlike Myself" which is another song that's currently being feature on Steve's site.  You can see two of the Istanbuls I used below:

You can find out more about Steve's album at the following places:

Facebook:  search for "steve-ing the story" to find the fan page for the album

Twitter:  @the_steve_smith

Website:  www.thestevesmith.biz

Here is a photo from last weeks gig at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. I was playing with Christa Wells and Nicole Witt. Acclaimed singer/ songwriter Billy Montana opened the show and I (along with the rest of the band) backed him up on a couple of songs. Good times!  (pictured below L to R:  Christa Wells, DB, Nicole Witt, Billy Montana, Jamie Moore, Andy Wood)

In the Studio @ Fidelitorium and Two Egrets)

Recently, I had the opportunity to record at Mitch Easter's Fidelitorium Studios in Kernersville, North Carolina.  I spent a day there recording drum tracks for the band Convergence from Chicago.  They are working with producer Mike Garrigan who called me in to play drums for the album.  Songwriter Robert Jarosinski  had come down the earlier to do "scratch tracks" and arranging with Mike, to give me something to play to. 

Robert was unable to be there for the drum tracking so Mike sent the him videos of our work so that Robert could "see" and get a sense of the progress we were making.  Robert also made these videos available to the fans that helped him fund this recording project via his KickStarter campaign. 

In the video below you can see me playing on my trusty 'ole Radio Kings. 

After our day at the Fidelitorium, Mike brought me back to his studio (Two Egrets in Greensboro, NC) for additional drumming on a smaller kit.  In the next video,  you can see me creating some different textures and loop - type grooves.  I'm using my 22" Vintage Ludwig Kick  and my 20" Premier "pancake" kick, and also my trusty 22" K Zildjian Flat Ride (with rivets), my old 20" Istanbul K, and you can also see me using my toy drum, along with a bunch of odd bits and pieces here and there...

Brett Harris "Man of Few Words"

I'm excited for Brett Harris' new release.  Many of my friends worked on his project and his CD is being released April 6th.  Earlier today I had the privilege of drumming for Brett on a local radio program, WUNC's "The State of Things"  You can hear the audio for that program by clicking this link:

http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/sot0402c10.mp3

Or you can check out the "official" show page here:

http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/sot0402c10.mp3/mediafile_view

It's always fun to go down to the American Tobacco Complex where the WUNC studios are located (I was down there last summer doing a similar thing with Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple).  After soundcheck, we (the band consisted of Jeff Crawford on bass, Charles Cleaver on keys, me on drums and of course Brett on Guitar) had some time to hang out, so we went over to the Cuban restaurant across the way and saw Patrick (from Luego) who I hadn't seen in awhile.  He was working over there this morning, and he graciously brought me out a "cuban coffee" (espresso with a shot of simple syrup), and it was good to see him again.  

After we played our set, I met up with my friend Able who helped me load out my gear, and then he gave me a quick tour of his awesome workplace (not only do they have a coffee bar, but they have a pub and a sundeck!). 

All in all a fun day with friends...I'm so thankful that I still get asked to make music and am so glad that Brett asked me to help him out today.  If you get a chance, check out Brett's music via his site:  http://www.brettharrismusic.com/

Gear wise, this is what I used today:

Pictured are my old (really old) vintage K hi-hats, and my vintage K ride along with my Acrolite snare and my 20" x 10" Premier "pancake" drum that I was inspired to get after seeing Jay Bellerose's similar drum back "in the day" when Sixpence did a show with Paula Cole...Oh and I also used an old Ludwig tambourine (you can see it poking out of the cymbal bag) at some point, and some slegih bells too...sitting in the chair (on the left side of the picture) you can see one of the charts I made to help me do justice to the drum parts from the recording.

And some other pictures I took today: 

I took a bunch of pictures today and some of them (the one above and this one) I tweaked in iPhoto a bit to give them a bit of a vintage vibe.

You can listen to the live audio feed right outside the studio.  They have this box with a speaker and volume knob.  I love the way this box looks.
And below you have some shots I took of soundcheck and us waiting outside of the studio before we went on the air:

Going home - Branson here I come!

It's not often one gets to play in their hometown.  I'll be getting that chance soon. 

I haven't played in Branson (the town where I grew up and did my first gigs as a professional drummer) since - oh...hmmm 1990?  I think the last gig I played in Branson was as a substitute drummer for my friend James Ingalls at the Shoji Tabuchi Show - and that was probably around June 1990. 

If by chance you thought you saw me perform with Sixpence at Silver Dollar City back in the early 2000's - that wasn't me.  I had already left the band by the time they played Silver Dollar City and I've had a few folks tell me they saw me at that show...well sorry to disappoint, but that wasn't me.  It just so happened that the drummer looked a little like me from a distance...same hair color, skin tone and body type...but still not me.

Not only will I be playing Branson, but I'll be playing at the church where I first began being involved musically.  It was at First Presbyterian Church of Branson that I first joined the children's choir, and began playing handbells, and playing percussion for little ensembles that were put together on occasion.  So many good memories at this church, and to be honest I'm a little nervous to go back and play there!

So, if you're anywhere near Branson on April 11th, 2010 I heartily recommend coming on down to the First Presbyterian Church of Branson around 1:30.  I'll be playing with Christa Wells and Nicole Witt - two amazing singer/ songwriters I've been privileged to play with off and on over the past 8 - 9 months.  It's a FREE show and donations will be taken to help support the church's youth group mission trip.  And if you want - Drop me me a line via the comments below or via my contact link and let me know if you'll be coming - I'd love to hear from you!

Below is the scan of the "flyer" that was circulated at First Pres, yesterday. - My dad scanned it off and sent it to me...so I thought I'd post it up here for you to enjoy!

Details:

Date:  Sunday, April 11th

Time:  1:30pm (yes it's in the afternoon!)

Concert with Christa Wells and Nicole Witt

Location:

First Presbyterian Church
420 West Main
Branson, Missouri 65616
P) 417-334-3468

Directions

See you there!

An Email response:

Recently, I've had a few emails asking me about how to play drums for a living, and after responding to one of those emails, I thought I'd copy my response into a blog post...maybe it'll be helpful, or maybe it's just too much information...regardless, here is an excerpt from my response: 

To give you a bit more information about my story - I started playing drums at an early age, had many great experiences playing music in my hometown of Branson as I was growing up, and chose to attend the University of North Texas to further increase my percussion knowledge.

After graduating I chose to stay in Texas and continue to work on my skills as a drummer.  I worked as in intern at a local recording studio (Tim Miner's Knightlight Studio in Dallas) for a time, and later worked at Lone Star Percussion in their warehouse, fulfilling mail orders.  All this time I was playing in local bands and looking for opportunities to play and record whenever possible, by answering "Musician Wanted" ads in the local 'indie" paper that would come out each week.

Basically, I wanted to play drums for a living so bad that I played any and every gig I could get my hands on...some were interesting (reggae bands, original singer/ songwriters, televangelist churches) others - not so much (the Mesquite Rodeo, VFW dance gigs, wedding bands).

Thankfully, I found a band that I really enjoyed and could be creative in.  That band was Sixpence None the Richer and I spent 7 plus years with them touring and recording.  Because of my work with them, and my eventual move to Nashville, I was able to get more studio work and gigs with other artists. 

As far suggestions go for how to pursue more opportunities - I would seek out every type of gig you can imagine.  Try to find drumming work where ever you can.  And if a gig doesn't exist - create one.  Become a band leader and a songwriter.  Look to create your own recording opportunities via friends or via the internet through services like Indaba and Soundcloud.  Learn EVERYTHING you can about the business of music, management, booking etc.   Don't be afraid to seek out gigs with players that are better than you.  Go for it and be prepared to fail - to feel like a fool and to be discouraged - just don't give up! 

And if you're able - I would suggest moving to NYC or LA and studying with a great teacher.  The more you can work on the intricacies of your technique and surround yourself with players and musicians who are better than you, the quicker you'll see improvements happen with your playing.  And as you cultivate these relationships, they will eventually lead to referrals, which will hopefully lead to gigs. 

Jo Jo Mayer's Secret Weapon

I've been watching the Jo Jo Mayer instructional video and absolutely love it.  Some of my favorite parts are the transitions between the segments where he is playing outside (on a sidewalk, on a median, etc) with a small kit, laying down funky beats and grooves.  Capturing his audio appears to be one of these:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FlashMic/

I'd really love to get one of these mics, but (ouch!) they are a bit expensive, don't you think?

Still I love the idea of taking my kit outside and laying down some beats and having a way to document what I play quickly and conveniently.  So with that in mind, and not much of a budget, I would probably purchase one of the Zoom recorders, or even the Tascam machine.  They are much less expensive, and my guess is they would be able to get the job done just as well (or at least close enough).

Khristian Weeks

I really love the work that Khris Weeks is doing...check out his site:

Visceral Media

He also has a bunch of stuff posted over on the Internet Archive too...I especially like this one, "The Day Floats Away":

And some videos, like this one below:

the conjure woman from VisceralMedia Records on Vimeo.

In addition to his own music, Khris is one half of the duo:  Cornstar and he also does sound art - here is the write up on his installation last August down at Golden Belt here in Durham:

"Khristian Weeks' sound installation is a co-mingling of separate and distinct aural events, at once demonstrating the impermanent nature of all phenomena and highlighting the beauty inherent in their often violent birth/ growth, and necessary decay/ dissolution – extremes orbiting around the ultimate reality of the present moment."

Just last week I heard two of songs his played on WXYC as part of the Chat Music Festival and then found this work he had done with his partner in Cornstar for Sachimay Records: http://sachimayrecords.com/with.html