May 15, 2024
To start off today’s entry
I have a couple of pics to share
which I already shared in the
Discord but in case you missed,
here they are again:
It was bitter sweet trading these
in at Guitar Center the other day
to get some acoustic drums for
our upcoming live shows.
I bought this e-kit during the
pandemic, and it brought
a lot of joy to me and my
kiddos whose faces lit up
when I put the headphones
on their tiny little ears while
they furiously hit as many of
the drums as hard as they
could haha… they all got
pretty good at basic drumbeat
patterns too! ALL of the drum
parts from Mind Cycles and
Beautiful, Terrible were written
on these drums. It was very
convenient to be able to just
plug them into the computer
to more easily get what was
in my head into my sessions
AND to make sure that parts
I was writing were actually
playable by human hands lol
although even then I still
struggled with that until Sam
joined the band. I always tell
him, “if you hear a part I’ve
written that you need three
arms to play, just ignore that”
haha. I didn’t feel nearly as
sad about setting up those
dang things for the last time
though. All the cables and
wires, figuring out which inserts
get plugged into which drums.
Such a mess to figure out, and
I didn’t want to be doing that
before every show although
now we’ll be plugging in
at least 7 microphones to
mic up the new acoustic kit…
somehow that still feels less
stressful to me than plugging
in the electric kit… Anyway,
as I was leaving the store I did
feel the sadness return a bit
seeing my kit sit there all set
up in the entryway of the
store. But then some kid sat
down and started to play
them. They had the biggest
smile on their face, and as
I walked past them they
beamed with excitement
at me (not knowing they
used to be mine). It was
special to see someone else
enjoy them, and idk why it
makes me choke up a little
bit thinking about, but it
does! (insert smiling tear-face
emoji here cuz my dinosaur
MacOS can’t generate that
one lol). I’m just grateful
now that this kit will hopefully
not only put a smile on lots of
shoppers’ faces as they sit
down at them upon first
entering the store, but also
whoever ends up buying them
will hopefully have just as
much fun with them as I did.
NOW the excitement has
been building all week for
the NEW KIT. I’m not looking
forward to how loud they’re
going to be as I’ve always
been very careful with my
music levels with ongoing
tinnitus condition in my ears,
but I’ve recently found some
excellent ear plug filters that
have made it possible to start
attending live shows again
(I hadn’t attended live music
events in ten years) and they
should be helpful with the
new kit too. I can’t wait to
see the look on my kids’ faces
now when they realize how
LOUD and just straight up
POWERFUL a real drum kit
is haha! Which reminds me,
gotta find some ear protection
for kids now too! Stay tuned
to the Discord for pics as
soon as the new kit arrives!!!
/n8
“Fenwick & the Futures