Session Drummer | Studio Drummer | Touring and Worship Drummer for Hire | Dale Baker | Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, NC

More Indie Cred...

I'm so excited.  This song I played drums for is being played on probably the coolest radio station on this planet and on the probably the coolest morning show ever (with the exception of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic).  I'm excited for the further exposure this will hopefully bring Perry and The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers... Click on image to see the playlist in more detail...

Back from Ichthus '05

We had a good time at Ichthus '05...I'd say we put our indelible stamp of "prog-worship" on the festival go-ers there in Kentucky...but that's just me talking all big and stuff.

We (Mali) played Main Stage on Thursday night before Duffy Robbins took the stage and then came back up to play during the altar call part of Duffy's talk.  It was pretty awesome to look out and see all these people coming toward the stage...I saw one kid who was obviously dealing with some serious stuff...he was broken and in tears...anyway...it really was an emotional moment and it was an honor to have been a part of all that. 

Once we were finished on the Main Stage we went and did some press stuff which was interesting, because this band Skillet was playing at that point, and they were so loud we were having a difficult time hearing the questions being asked of us, and our answers weren't really being heard.  Still, it was fun to take part in it all.  After the Press Tent, we made our way over to another Tent to go see Mute Math. One word...omgy'all.

I'm listening to their music online right now and I can't remember when the last time I've been this captivated by a band.  And seeing them perform really clinched the deal.  They were on fire.  It was probably like seeing The Police during their first tour of America back when they toured in a station wagon.

Anyway...they were inspiring to say the least.  And I can only imagine how they will influence me in the years to come.

On Friday, we played at the Worship Tent/ Stage with Will McFarlane and just had a great time.  I'd never heard Will speak before in a setting like this and I really enjoyed what he had to say.  I was blessed by his words and his spirit.  Musically, we all felt more relaxed then we had the previous day on the Main Stage and it showed...I was drenched when I was done...but maybe that had more to do with the humidity...hmmm.

I've got a few more photos that I took...if you want to see them all, head on over to the Mali Flickr Site and check them out there...Oh, and if you want...tell all your friends and family...Mali has a MySpace site...sign up and help spread the word!

For Sale: Roland Handsonic HPD-15 Percussion Controller

SOLD!  Sorry this item is no longer for sale!

Before I post this on eBay, I thought I'd give you all "first dibs" on this:

I'm selling my Roland HPD-15 Handsonic Percussion Controller. (it comes with Power Adapter, Original Box and packing materials, Original Manual, Custom Presets (programmed by me), and a (not pictured) Roland FD-7 Hi-Hat controller (new and unused - still in box).

Price: $650  Shipping: $25

I've used this piece of equipment on alot of records and with many artists (Jason Harrod, The Basics, The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers, and most notably Sixpence None the Richer).  I specifically used this live with Sixpence at the December 2000 concert in Cinncinati (at the Over the Rhine X-mas concert) when we played "Breathe Your Name."  I used it as a midi trigger and to play a Tambourine Loop and Vibes Loop I created, using the pads and internal sounds.

There is a bunch of info written about this on the Roland website, so I won't repeat any of it here.   This is a great piece of gear that is not only useful as a percussion instrument, but as a  general sound module as well.

You'll notice in the pictures that I taped over all the Roland logos.  If you want me to remove those I will, however I left them on there just in case you wanted them.  I also have many of my own custom patches programmed into the machine.  If you'd like I can return the unit to it's originally configured state, just let me know.

The unit is in great condition.  I used it mainly in the studio and at a church gig that I used to play. Let me know if you'd like to purchase this or if you have any questions.  You can do so by posting a comment below.

I can also take more pictures of the unit, if that would be helpfu ltoo.

original box and packing materials

original manual

Photos: Carolina HopeFest, David Karsten Daniels

I just posted some new pics...check 'em out if you want.  They are in my dalebakerdrummer photo album, located over there down a little bit on the left side of this page.  Or you can just click here to see the photo album...

I posted (finally!) some of the pics I took from the MACK Rock Festival I played with David Karsten Daniels.  It was a good time.  We packed Sara's SUV to the roof with gear and then somehow fit ourselves into the car and drove up and back in a day.  David took us to this great little place in Charlottesville after the gig.  Very vibey and memorable for sure.

The other pics are from yesterday after I played with the Basics at HopeFest 2005 .  I didn't bring my camera during the day, so unfortunately all I have to show for the gig is a broken chair and photos of my fellow guys (Sorry Kelly, your photo didn't turn out - probably due to the fact that my $20 K-Mart digital camera didn't come with a flash) that I played the gig with.  We had a good time at the gig, though I'll probably post more on it at a later date.  I ran into Steven Delop...(I won't even try to spell his name), Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken as well as some old aquaintances in Jars of Clay and Spencer Acuff.  I also saw Jay Wright who ran sound and tour managed for Sixpence back in the day.  Oh and I had a great time chatting with Will (the drummer for Derek Webb).  The whole event took place at the newly renovated American Tobacco Complex across from the Durham Bulls ballpark here in Downtown Durham.  It was a beautiful day, too bad there weren't more people at the gig. 

And as if I haven't dropped enough names already (at least I didn't completely obnoxious and create links to all of them...), I saw Thad Cockrell and chatted with him a bit.  I miss him being around here in Durham...but I'm glad some great things are happening for him and his career.

Great Thoughts from the Nashville Scene

Jewly Hight writes a great criticism of the GMA and its failure to include Buddy Miller's latest album and Ben Harper's record in their list of nominees.  Though I think the failure of Buddy and Ben to get nominated is more a failure on the part of their respective record companies (for not being members of the GMA and therefore not able to nominate artists) and less of a failure on GMA's part.  That said, it's a great article.  Here's an excerpt:

But what's gospel to the Grammys may or may not be gospel to the GMAs, and there's more to this than lyrical content. First, gospel music's gatekeepers suffer from a separatist mind-set. You'd think that an organization whose mission statement is "to expose, promote and celebrate the Gospel through music" would embrace anyone anywhere who creates good music that does this effectively. In reality, the CCM creed might more accurately read, "Blessed are those who target the right niche audience—that is, Christians who buy into the CCM subculture via Christian radio stations, retailers and concerts—for they shall be heralded as legitimately gospel."

This is where mixing spirituality, art and commerce gets sticky. Anything produced outside the CCM sphere of influence, no matter how well-intentioned, is generally suspect. Artists who make faith-oriented music for the larger marketplace thus often go unnoticed, and many of them are probably relieved.

To read the full article, go here (and if it's not there, search for the article at the Nashville Scene).