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Teaching Studio Now Open!

I'm excited to announce that my Durham, NC teaching studio is now open and I'm accepting students for all levels and all ages! of drum instruction.

Here is your chance to take lessons with a 20 + year veteran of the music industry, with multiple Grammy nominations, a Platinum record, multiple Gold records, an in-depth knowledge of the music industry and a music degree from one of the top-rated music schools (University of North Texas) in the country.

I also offer instruction on basic hand drumming/ conga technique, transcribing and charting fundamentals, and music business basics. I'm also available for group instruction as well.

To find out more about my background and experience, feel free to view my bio and discography at www.dalebakerdrummer.com.

I think you'll find my teaching style to be flexible, smart and logical. I take pride in being able to "break apart" the complex machinations of drumming and show the simplicity behind the seemingly difficult concepts and sometimes mind-numbing displays of technique.

I am confident I can work with you to take your drumming to the "next level" (or beyond) in your playing, no matter what your skill level is.

I look forward to hearing from you. My contact info is located at here.

Cheers!

dale

Featured in "DrumBlog!"

Now how cool is this! The fine folks at drumblog have chosen to put a little blurb up announcing my site and letting people know where to find me on the web. Thanks guys!

Elitism KILLS Creativity

I went to this really cool percussion ensemble concert the other night at a local University here and it was SO COOL! I loved how the director (and this guy is CREDENTIALED...He's a BIG TIME EDUCATOR!) made the audience and performers connected. He broke the barrier and transformed a routine "concert" into a learning experience for us all! By doing this, I think he removed alot of the performance pressure (i.e. stage fright!) off the students and allowed them to play better. I really had a good time and the experience brought back alot of memories from when I was in college down in Texas.

And then I had a conversation with a friend the other day who passed on a negative comment that they had heard someone make about me and so that led to me sort of processing it all and thinking about some things...("oh watch out, he's THINKING again," I can almost hear you say...)

SO...I was thinking about this today and thought I'd write down my thoughts before I forget...

Continue reading "Elitism KILLS Creativity" »

Nashville...SECRETS! (in a manner similar to Conan O' Brien)

Okay, someone wrote and asked me for "advice" about moving to Nashville and making a living at being a musician there, so after writing it all down I thought I'd make a post out of it...I can imagine all my Nashville friends saying..."You'll Never Work in this Town Again!" hmmm...click on the extended entry if you want to see my comments...

Continue reading "Nashville...SECRETS! (in a manner similar to Conan O' Brien)" »

Buy from a little store and support a family, Oh and I've started teaching lessons privately!

Okay I'm getting all activist on you here...but I found this interesting blurb on a local store's website and thought I'd pass the link along...

Also, kind of along the same lines as the article...I've stopped my affiliation with Progressive Percussion and am now "heading out on my own!" Starting now I will forever be an independent drum teacher, aka underdog, small fish in a big pond etc...I am starting my own drum lesson studio and invite you to sign up for lessons with me!

If you're interested in taking drum lessons with me, email me at durhamdrumlessons@earthlink.net.

I'm excited about this new venture and hope to fill my teaching schedule soon! So don't delay! Email or give me a call soon!

Well that's it for now...have a great weekend...dale

iTunes unfair? You be the judge...

You've got to check out this site: fake itunes site

It's a pretty humorous look at the ever evolving battle of royalties, intellectual property and the RIAA (especially if you click through on the links on the page) I think it provides more great insight into how the music business works, so that's why I included it here.

Special thanks to the UK's daily email paper the Register for making the link available and known through their article...

Have a great day everybody!

My name in print...

So I gave up on tracking all the Sixpence stories...besides it was taking up all my time and most of the news was all based on the initial blurb that I originally posted the link to.

But here's another piece of news...folk/pop artists, Spencer Acuff are feature in an interview here...

I played drums on their debut release, "Moment Golden" and my name is mentioned in the article. Check them out if you get a chance. They're a bunch of great guys and their music is worth hearing...

Have a great weekend...get out there and enjoy the great weather!

My Drumming On CD

  • Sixpence None the Richer: This Beautiful Mess

    Sixpence None the Richer: This Beautiful Mess
    The second CD Sixpence recorded was my first with the band. We tracked the rhythm tracks in 4 days at Omni Sound studios in Nashville. Armand John Petri produced and many fans say that this is their favorite Sixpence album.

  • Sixpence None The Richer: Sixpence None The Richer

    Sixpence None The Richer: Sixpence None The Richer
    The Grammy nominated, RIAA Certified Platinum selling album that featured the breakout hit, "Kiss Me." Produced by Steve Taylor and wonderfully engineered and mixed by Russ Long, with additional mixing by Bob Clearmountain. The follow-up hit, "There She Goes" was also later added to this album.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: The Best of Sixpence None the Richer

    Sixpence None the Richer: The Best of Sixpence None the Richer
    Includes the hits "Kiss Me," "There She Goes," and "Breathe Your Name" and many other of the songs I played on and helped promote during my 7+ years with the band.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: Tickets for a Prayer Wheel

    Sixpence None the Richer: Tickets for a Prayer Wheel
    Out-takes and B-Sides from Sixpence's "This Beautiful Mess" CD. There were some extended jams, a live track, some moody percussion and even a re-mix done by friend and former roommate, Sal Salvador. Not only does this CD feature my drumming, and vocals(!), but I make my producing debut on this album with an angst-filled vibey take on an old Patsy Cline song.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: Mega 3 Collection

    Sixpence None the Richer: Mega 3 Collection
    Includes Sixpence's first 3 CD's. Of these 3 CD's my drumming only appears on the 2nd and 3rd disc. The first CD featured the drumming of Chris Dodds, one of my favorite people and drummers.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: There She Goes

    Sixpence None the Richer: There She Goes
    CD single of the 11th hour addition to Sixpence's self-titled album which helped solidify Sixpence as a legitmate "Breakthrough Artist" according to R&R magazine. The song went on to become a Top 10 Single with an appealing video (featuring "Saving Private Ryan" star, Adam Goldberg), by director and good friend of the band, Brandon Dickerson.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: Breathe Your Name / Northern Lights

    Sixpence None the Richer: Breathe Your Name / Northern Lights
    CD single of the Top 20 hit, Breathe Your Name w/ non-album track Northern Lights, from Sixpence's Divine Discontent record. Both songs feature my drumming.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: Collage: A Portrait of Their Best

    Sixpence None the Richer: Collage: A Portrait of Their Best
    A compilation of the best tracks from the band's REX years. And yes, that's me in the corner with the beard and glasses.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: Kiss Me

    Sixpence None the Richer: Kiss Me
    Imported Single of the most played song from the year 2000. This song features my drumming and went to the top of the charts in over 10 countries (US, UK, Canada, Israel, Japan, etc...). I also appeared in all the videos and TV appearances that helped promote this song. Interesting side note: this song was chosen by Britain's Royal Family to be played for over 200 Million viewers during Prince Edward's 1999 wedding.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: I Can't Catch You

    Sixpence None the Richer: I Can't Catch You
    Import Single of a song from the band's self-titled album. This was one of the songs Bob Clearmountain mixed and it was honor to have him work his magic on my drum tracks!

  • ...The Basics: Grow
    I was really happy how this record turned out. An honest, well produced CD by a couple of North Carolina's (and Northern California's) best songwriters. I also took the photos that appear in the CD booklet.
  • [Various Artists]: City on a Hill: Collection

    [Various Artists]: City on a Hill: Collection
    I played on the first City on a Hill CD as well as a track or two on the second CD.

  • [Various Artists]: Return Of The Grievous Angel: Tribute To Gram Parsons

    [Various Artists]: Return Of The Grievous Angel: Tribute To Gram Parsons
    I played drums with the Rolling Creek Dippers, aka: Buddy and Julie Miller, Victoria Williams, Mark Olsen, Jim Lauderdale.

  • [Various Artists]: Roaring Lambs

    [Various Artists]: Roaring Lambs
    I played drums with Sixpence None the Richer, Emmylou Harris, Steve Taylor and percussion with Burlap to Cashmere on this CD.

  • [Various Artists]: Exodus

    [Various Artists]: Exodus
    I played with Sixpence None the Richer, Michael W. Smith, and Kenny Meeks on this CD.

  • Kim Taylor: So Black, So Bright

    Kim Taylor: So Black, So Bright
    I played drums on this CD that was produced by Jack Henderson. This is one of my favorite projects to have played on. Some of the tracks feature Linford and Karin from Over the Rhine as well.

  • Frankly Scarlet: Stories I've Heard
    I played and recorded with this band back when I lived in Dallas. We even shot a video...with the Dallas skyline as our backdrop.
  • [Various Artists]: Making God Smile: An Artists' Tribute to the Songs of Beach Boy Brian Wilson

    [Various Artists]: Making God Smile: An Artists' Tribute to the Songs of Beach Boy Brian Wilson
    I played drums and percussion (timpani, chimes, beat box) on Jason Harrod's version of "In My Room" for this Brian Wilson tribute album.

  • Rebecca St. James: Transform

    Rebecca St. James: Transform
    I played on a track produced by Matt Bronlewee, that featured the London Symphony Orchestra and some very "Bjork" sounding vocals by Rebecca. I think we did about 40 tracks of various percussion overdubs for this track too.

  • [Various Artists]: Never Say Dinosaur

    [Various Artists]: Never Say Dinosaur
    My first time to work with producer Brent Bourgeois and one of my first times in the studio with Sixpence. I borrowed a whole bunch of percussion from Steve Hindalong and had a great time overdubbing frame drums, rattan shakers and the like. The track ended up sounding very Daniel Lanois-ish with some Peter Gabriel-esq type layers thrown in for good measure.

  • Phantasmic: Fluffy Vs. Phantasmic
    "Rainy Day Assembly" appears on this record. This out-take from Sixpence's "This Beautiful Mess" session was used by Tess Wiley (aka, Phantasmic) and features shaker performed by percussion wiz Lalo Davila.
  • Honey: Lost on You
    I played on two tracks from this record produced by Dan and Steve from Jars of Clay.
  • [various artists]: Here On Earth (2000 Film)

    [various artists]: Here On Earth (2000 Film)
    This Soundtrack album features two songs I did with Sixpence, one a cover of a Sam Phillips/ T-Bone Burnett song: "I Need Love" and the other, the opening track ("We Have Forgotten") from Sixpence's self-titled record.

  • [various artists]: Snow Day: Music From The Motion Picture

    [various artists]: Snow Day: Music From The Motion Picture
    Sixpence's version of The La's tune, "There She Goes" is on this soundtrack album. And yes, I'm playing drums on that song...

  • [various artists]: Bounce: Music from and Inspired by the Miramax Motion Picture (2000 film)

    [various artists]: Bounce: Music from and Inspired by the Miramax Motion Picture (2000 film)
    Another song ("Love") I did with Sixpence from their self-titled album, appears on this soundtrack. Mark Nash and I played a drum duet of sorts to get the primal heavy-handed approach needed for this wonderful song.

  • [various artists]: Dick

    [various artists]: Dick
    One of my favorite tracks. Everytime I hear this song ("Dancing Queen"), I can't help but think of Alan Partridge.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: Divine Discontent

    Sixpence None the Richer: Divine Discontent
    Even though I quit playing with the band in 2001, the bulk of this record was recorded in 2000, and so my playing is featured on more than half the tracks on this record. Produced by Paul Fox, beautifully engineered by Mark Chevalier and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge.

  • Sixpence None the Richer: The Early Years

    Sixpence None the Richer: The Early Years
    New Sixpence compilation from the REX years. Includes songs and b-sides from the early work I recorded with Sixpence - pre "Kiss Me" era.

  • Steve Hindalong, et.al: City on a Hill: Reflections on Our Spiritual Journey (Ccm Book)

    Steve Hindalong, et.al: City on a Hill: Reflections on Our Spiritual Journey (Ccm Book)
    Okay, this is a book. But I wrote the first essay that appears in the book and took all the photos that appear as well. You can actually read my essay by clicking this link and "looking inside the book." Fun, huh?

  • Various Artists: Pointfolio 1.0

    Various Artists: Pointfolio 1.0
    A radio station compilation featuring in-studio and concert live cuts. Includes, Sixpence doing "Kiss Me"(with me on drums), and Fleming and John's "Ugly Girl", Dido, BareNaked Ladies, etc.

  • : Plumb

    Plumb
    Loops, fragments of songs and lots of percussion is what I remember from this session. Producer Dan Haseltine and Matt Bronlewee made this a fun and creative time in the studio. It was great to be a part of the debut album of such a phenomenal artist (am I gushing to much here?).

  • [various Artists] : Felicity: Senior Year (tv soundtrack)

    [various Artists] : Felicity: Senior Year (tv soundtrack)
    Features "Melody of You" a beautiful song by Sixpence None the Richer that I played drums on and was featured on the series final episode (I think).

Contact Me:

  • Dale Baker
    919-402-8048
    dalebakerdrummer {@} gmail {dot} com

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