Tag Archives: new stuff

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Gear 2018 experiments

I posted a little flyover from my 3/3 show but wanted to share a bit more about the gear I’m playing around with for 2018.

First off, great news that Impression Cymbals has a US presence again. I’ve been with them for 3 years now and have a wide selection of their Turkish made masterpieces. So far the very limited run I-Con series 15″ hihats and 20″ ride paired with a 19″ Traditional Crash/Ride are all perfect choices but I may add some efx cymbals or another washy crash soon.

The new music needs a different sound than my Taye Studio Birch so I’m giving the Yamaha Absolute Maple Hybrid kit a spin.  I’ve never been a Maple drums fan but the Wenge in the middle of this shell does something magical and somehow the kit sounds like Maple and Birch at the same time? Sorcery. I’m using a Big Fat Snarebourine for a little extra snare chunk and an LP micro snare and click hihat tambourine for some spice.

Stickwise, Vic Firth has come out with this Modern Jazz collection and I’m loving the MJC3. It’s like an 8D but with an oval bead instead of an acorn and it feels perfect in my hands. I’d been an SD4 guy forever but for some reason I move to it for drums and away from it for sticks?

My new electronics rig is a work in progress but so far I’ve got all of the atmospheric vocal effects and additional keys/strings/blips and boops running from Ableton Live out of an iConnectAudi02+ to the house and also with a headphone mix to me via the amazing FutureSonics G10 in ear monitors. The iConnect has a software mixer that allows me a lot of control to route of out Ableton and even though were only using two right now we could easily push 4 and I’d still be able to have a separate stereo headphone mix.  I love that lil robot!  I’M also using a Keith McMillen Instruments Bop Pad as the start/stop controller and since it has 4 zones I can trigger a sound or two per song if needed.  And it all fits in one case! wooo!

It’s been fun to jump back into music with an electronic component and our new set of songs definitely have alot of new colors and textures to make them come to life.

More experiments to come…..

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Oh Canada!

 

DMC goes international!

We’ll be heading up to Toronto to play some shows during Indie Week Canada as part of the RSL blog’s Outlaw Roadshow.  One of the shows is even at the legendary Cameron House, which some folks consider Canada’s CBGB’s.  (Having played at CBGB’s back in the late 90’s I’ll let you know!)

 

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“Fuel The Lights” out now!

fuel-cover

 

It’s Alive!  haha

Stream and Download Fuel The Lights, the new album by Devil Met Contention today!
https://devilmetcontention.bandcamp.com/alb…/fuel-the-lights
Or you can find them on Spotify, Itunes, Youtube and everywhere digital music is sold.

Also,  a HUGE thank you to Milwaukee Record for the exclusive early stream and kind words about the new music. We love our local press!

Exclusive: Suit up for Devil Met Contention’s debut full-length, ‘Fuel The Lights’

http://milwaukeerecord.com/music/exclusive-suit-devil-met-contentions-debut-full-length-fuel-lights/

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Music For Time Travel!

time-travel-cd

After about a year of various sessions and a single release last year of “Summertime”, this release is ready for the world.  It was an honor to join Victor DeLorenzo, Janet Schiff, Rob Wasserman, Monia and more special guests by contributing drum set and percussion to this release.  If time and venues permit, I may even get to join V & J onstage in the future to play some of these tunes live!.

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Summertime!

nineteen-thirteen-summertime

OUT NOW – the new Nineteen Thirteen single “Summertime.” The track centers around an organ recording of Janet’s grandma from back in the 1960’s, augmented with our normal Cello/Drums/Percussion plus some special contributors. On bass, we have the Grammy award winning bassist Rob Wasserman and on vocal the lovely Monia. A full length release is scheduled for Fall  2015.

Also, here are dates for my Summer (so far):

With Nineteen Thirteen
June 4, 2015 @ 8:30PM – The Bay – Whitefish Bay, WI
June 13, 2015 @ 1PM – Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) – West Bend, WI
June 20, 2015 @ 4PM – Lakefront Festival of The Arts – Milwaukee, WI
July 12, 2015 @ 5PM – Bastille Days: Cathedral Square Stage – Milwaukee, WI
August 7-8, 2015 Mile of Music Festival – Appleton, WI

With Devil Met Contention
July 11, 2015 @ 7PM, w/ New Red Moons & Tree Party – Club Garibaldi – Milwaukee, WI
July 14, 2015 @ 9PM – Vintage – Milwaukee, WI
July 23, 2015 @ 5:30PM – 414 Music Live at 88.9 Radio Milwaukee
July 24, 2015 @ 8PM, w/ Zach Pietrini –Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
August 8, 2015 @5pm Newaukee Urban Beach Party, Lakefront State Park, WI
August 13, 2015 @ 8PM, w/Brett Newski – Boone & Crockett – Milwaukee, WI
August 14, 2015 @ 7pm – Lunar Rooftop Series (Milwaukee Athletic Club)  – Milwaukee, WI
August 15, 2015 @ 8pm – VAR Gallery – Milwaukee, WI
September 5, 2015 @ 5PM – WMSE Backyard BBQ (Cathedral Square Park) – Milwaukee WI

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Looking Back on 2013

ILC-bodysnatchers-cover

I was updating the Video of the Week page and Discography page recently and realized I had a pretty busy year. Lots of shows with MMTU, a few with Sulek and another great ILC show at COLDWAVES II this year. Also got to sit in with my pals Zach Steinback, Michael McDermott* and 1913 playing a little cajon and percussion. And I had five different projects release this year! It’s crazy how fast this year went by and I think I’m going to do a 12 Days of Christmas type review of my top 12 favorite shows of the year.

In the meantime, Let’s plug some product- they make great stocking stuffers!
Mike Mangione and The Union: Red-winged Blackbird Man (CD 2013)
ILC: Body Snatchers (CD 2013)
Rally and Sustain: The Cracknation Documentary (DVD, 2013)
Rally and Sustain: Cracklogues and Tour Logs (book, 2013)
Justin Heron: The Justin Heron EP (digital, 2013)

*maybe? haha

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Red-Winged Blackbird Man is out now!

090213_cover

Finally!

We recorded this awhile back and toured the songs all last year, talked to a few folks and got our team in place and it’s out now. We’ve got a great media team and a great pr team and the rest we’re doing on our own.

Who needs a label these days? 🙂

We’ll be out on the road in September, October and November to promote the new release so stop bye and say hi!

MMTU Fall Dates
Sep 7 2013 Madison-House Concert Madison, WI 8:00pm
Sep 13 2013 REPUBLIC at Calhoun Square Minneapolis, MN 9pm
Sep 14 2013 North Dakota State Fargo, ND 8pm
Sep 20 2013 Precinct Somerville, MA 8pm
Sep 21 2013 Saint Peters Church New Brunswick, NJ 8pm
Sep 27 2013 The Trinity House Livonia, MI 8pm
Sep 28 2013 Modern Formations Gallery Pittsburgh, PA 8pm
Sep 29 2013 IOTA Washington, DC 8pm
Sep 30 2013 St.Ignatius Church Hickory, MD 7pm
Oct 1 2013 The Thought Lot Shippensburg, PA 7pm
Oct 2 2013 Burlap and Bean Philadelphia, PA 8pm
Oct 3 2013 The Living Room New York, NY 9pm
Oct 4 2013 St. Paul Inside the Walls Madison, NJ 8pm
Oct 5 2013 Catholic Underground NY, NY 7pm
Oct 10 2013 Cafe Paradiso Fairfield, IA 8pm
Oct 11 2013 318 Cafe Excelsior, MN 8pm
Oct 12 2013 Eronel Dubuque, IA 9pm
Oct 18 2013 CSPS Cedar Rapids, IA 8pm
Oct 19 2013 Private Party Iowa City, IA 8pm
Oct 24 2013 Old Rock house St Louis, MO 8pm
Oct 25 2013 The New Vintage Louisville, KY 9pm
Oct 26 2013 Molly Malone’s Cincinnati,OH 9pm
Oct 27 2013 The Barking Spider Cleveland, OH 7pm
Nov 1 2013 Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI 9pm
Nov 2 2013 Old Town School Of Folk Music Chicago, IL 8:30pm
Nov 23 2013 Windy City House Concert Chicago, IL 8pm

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A Trip to the Drum Pad

Finally made it to the Drum Pad in Palatine last Saturday, right before they were about to close. I wasn’t able to check out their drum room with all the kits BUT, I did have a few minutes to check out all of the sticks they carry – An entire wall to choose from!

Usually, I am a Vic Firth guy as far as sticks go, I love Regal Tip Whiskers and Bristle Sticks, but was never able to find a Regal Tip stick that I really loved….until now.

Thanks to the Drum Pad, I am now working out the Joey Waronker signature sticks (he’s a lefty too!) and the “Crossover” stick. I couldn’t find it on their website so I better go back there this weekend on my way to the Chicago Drum Show and stock up!

The Drum Pad
Chicago Drum Show