DC's Blog

2019 Western New York Day of Percussion at SUNY Fredonia

3/29/2019

My performance at the 2019 Western New York Day of Percussion is dedicated to my high school band director, Mr. Sam Ralabate.  He is a graduate of Fredonia and being here has rekindled memories of him.  I will always be grateful for his guidance and instruction, and have never forgotten his incredible influence on my life.  Mr. Ralabate, you will always be my band director!!!!!

In 2002 I had the honor of joining my wife Therese, and the late-great Nick Attanasio on stage at PASIC to perform on Robin Engelman’s “Drummer’s Heritage Concert.”  The experience?  Incredible…life changing!  I will always be grateful to Robin for giving Nick this opportunity, and in turn, I’ll always be grateful to Nick for giving Therese & I the opportunity to join him on stage.  Seventeen years later, I still call that the highlight of my drumming career!!!!!

As a result of this performance I have made many wonderful friends, one of whom is Dr. Kay Stonefelt.  A year after this concert, Kay joined Nick, Therese & I, for a performance of Downfall of Paris with a group that I affectionately refer to as “The PAS Allstars.”  Through the years I have admired her desire and commitment to performance, education and learning.  When she made her trip to Japan to study Taiko Drumming I looked forward to seeing the pictures and videos she shared on social media.  She is truly a student of the art!!!!!

Fast forward to 2018, I once again asked my friend, Kay, to join me on stage at PASIC to be a part of “The PAS Allstars” as we performed the solo I wrote for the late Robin Engelman titled, “Drummer’s Heritage.”  With over twenty drummers in the group it was an incredible success!

And that leads me back to the title of this blog, The 2019 Western New York Day of Percussion.  After many years of Kay and I trying to work out our schedules to have me join her at Fredonia for a clinic, this is the year and tomorrow is the day.  I am grateful to be here at SUNY Fredonia and am looking forward to presenting a clinic tomorrow, Saturday March 30that 9:00am.  In addition, I will be joining her students in concert as we perform, “Drummer’s Heritage.”   Since Robin’s passing in 2016, I have made it my mission to perform this piece with as many musicians as possible, as many times as possible.  You might say, seventeen years later, Robin made this whole performance tomorrow possible.

I have been blessed throughout my life and drumming career to have known many incredible people.  Joining Dr. Kay Stonefelt and her students tomorrow is an honor for me.  Thank you to the Student Association and the Fredonia Percussion Guild, The Fredonia School of Music, the New York State Percussive Arts Society, Bob Accurso and of course, my friend Dr. Kay Stonefelt for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great event!!!!!

Contents are Flammable…For Steve Reich

7/2/2018

I am excited to announce that my tribute to Steve Reich titled, Contents are Flammable has just been published through Bachovich Music Publications. Thanks to my friend, Andrew Beall, for making this piece available to the world and I look forward to hearing many interpretations of it.

To Steve Reich, thank you for the inspiration. Dr. Bruce Reiprich exposed me to your music when I was a freshman at Wilkes College and it has brought great joy to me ever since. With gratitude I dedicate Contents are Flammable to you!

Of the numerous performances that Contents are Flammable has enjoyed, there are three that I would like to mention:

John Brennan & the Plano East Percussion staff took a fun approach to it as they entered the stage wearing HazMat costumes.
Ben Hans & the Wisconsin Lutheran College programed it on a concert where they invited me to perform with the students. Challenging and fun to say the least!
David Smith & Western Connecticut State University took it “on the road.” They performed it at their percussion ensemble concert, at the Connecticut Day of Percussion and at the USARD rudimental drumming convention. They also have the best video recording which can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/131907052

Thank you so much to the students at all three schools, as well as everybody else who has programed it. My dream is to hear Contents are Flammable reincarnated with multiple instrument set ups as it can be performed a variety of ways.

The original intent...5 rope snare drums.
Use 5 snare drums of different sizes and pitch.
Perform the piece on 1 snare drum, toms and bass drums.
Try performing on woodblocks, cowbells or any instruments you desire.
Add to the number of drummers. Line the ensemble up with Drum 1 on the right and Drum 5 on the left. Then add four or five additional drummers to the right of Drum 1 creating a mirror image of the left side. Expand or alter this based on the size of your group.
Create different effects by spreading the drummers out in a recital or concert hall to create rudimental surround sound.

         Contents are Flammable is truly more than just a piece to program on your concert.  This can be a semester long project of developing flam rudiments in any drum or percussion studio at the high school, college or professional level, and I would LOVE the opportunity to join you and your students for a clinic/master class helping to prepare it for a concert.

To Purchase the score and parts, please visit my friends at Bachovich Music Publications and order it today.
  http://bachovich.com/music/1058

And if you’d like to have me join you to work on Contents are Flammable, as well as any other traditional or “not-so-traditional” rudimental drumming, contact me at thefifeanddrumguy@gmail.com or give me a call.  Let’s set something up right away and make music the way it is supposed to be...FUN!!!!!

Drumming OUtside the lines..."not-so-traditional" drumming at its best!!!!!

1/26/2017

Many years ago I coined the phrase, "not-so-traditional" to describe my style of rudimental drumming. My book THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUMMER, published by Meredith Music Publications is filled with snare & bass drum solos that I believe represent this type of music at the highest level. Recently I became aware of one of the hippest "not-so-traditional" projects on the planet! (link at the bottom)

"Drumming Outside the Lines" is music from the hearts & minds of Kit Chatham, Matthew Bell, Alex Kuldell, Josh Dukes and Ryan Mullins. If you love music this is going to be the best 4:46 of your day. This is (as described on Youtube) a "Genre-defying instrumental mashup" but in my mind it is "not-so-traditional" AT ITS BEST! From the opening 10 second of Kit's jaw harp solo to the end where it fades out with a variety of drums this is nonstop fun with a unique blend of instruments.

It almost sounds like a joke~
Question: "What do you get when you combine Kit Chatham on Jaw Harp, Den-den Daiko, Drum Set, Tabla & Kanjira, Matthew Bell on Bodhrans & Rope Tension Snare, Alex Kuldell on Pipe Band Snare & Rope Bass Drum, Josh Dukes on Irish Flute & 12 String Guitar, and Ryan Mullins on Banjo & Mandolin?
Answer: Drumming Outside the Lines!"
But trust me, this is no joke…this is the stuff dreams are made of!!!!!

In a sense, this recording has helped me see a part of my dream come true. Most people know that although I love music of all genres, my true passion is drumming…specifically rudimental drumming. I have always dreamed of taking it to stages never before seen. "Drumming Outside the Lines" does exactly that, applying rudimental drumming in a "not-so-traditional" setting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73l6kO8DXyM&feature=youtu.be

I want to personally thank Kit, Matthew, Alex, Josh and Ryan for their commitment to creating great music. From the reaction I saw on Facebook I'm not the only person touched by their innovative approach. I look forward to all of their future musical creations and hope many musicians take their lead in creating more beautiful "not-so-traditional" music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DC

Jason Sutter…Never Judge a Book by it's Cover!!!!!

1/5/2015

Like many drummers & percussionists, PASIC is one of my favorite events of the year. Whether it is in Texas, or Ohio, or Indiana (or Indiana, or Indiana…) I always leave the convention inspired. This year I relearned a lesson that I already knew, but it was reenforced in an incredible way. "Never judge a book by it's cover" is something we all hear as children, but PASIC taught me this lesson in the form of Jason Sutter.

I was hanging on with my dear friend, Steve Fidyk and my "little" buddy Tony. They were headed to Jason Sutter's clinic and all I knew about him was that he played with Marilyn Manson. To be honest, that was all I needed to hear to turn me off…I've never been a Manson fan! However, this is my one time of year to hang with Fid & Tony, so I tagged along. As it turns out, this was my lucky day!

When I walked in the session had just started and I heard the classic rock sound of Foreigner. Definitely not the sound I was expecting. When Jason finished he talked about the challenges of playing this seemingly straight forward type of music. Then he talked about playing double bass and how he ended up with the Marilyn Manson gig. Can you guess what happened? I absolutely enjoyed his playing! This may not be the type of music I would choose to listen to, but the way he presented it and the challenges of playing it…lets just say he was phenomenal!!!!

So where do you go from there? I noticed he had two snare drums set up on the stage. Then he starts talking rudiments and marching percussion and I realized Jason Sutter was way more than Manson's drummer. All of a sudden he lays down a crazy rudimental solo. When he finishes that, he walks across the stage talking brushes and BAM, throws down some incredible brush work. He definitely takes the dual role of drummer AND educator to the highest level.

After the session was over we went up to the stage and I was able to meet him. What a great guy! Throughout his entire session he seemed like a guy who you could hang with, have a drink and talk drums. And that was the same guy I met after the show!!!!!!!!

I learned a lot that afternoon. To be honest, I'd say I learned more about being a person than a drummer at Jason's session.

At PASIC I caught many great sessions, but to be very honest, I left there completely inspired by this experience and have been on a mission to watch every video I can find of Jason Sutter. I am now a fan and look forward to hearing more of his drumming in the future. And who knows, one of these years if we both do PASIC sessions, maybe I'll get him to join us on stage to sling a rope drum and play the Downfall of Paris.

Experiences like this are why I go to PASIC!!!!!!!!!

DC

My Boys rocked Pasic!!!!!!

1/1/2015

You didn't ask, but…my boys rocked at PASIC!!!!!!!!!!

Who are my boys you ask? Mark Reilly & Brendan Mason. No, I did not teach them how to play, so they are not my boys in that sense. Instead I refer to them this way because we are like minded in our desire to promote "traditional" rudimental drumming and the "fife & drum" activity to people around the globe. These are two of my best friends and a couple of the most talented people in the activity. They are my boys!!!!!!!!!!

At PASIC they were involved in two separate clinics.
(Thanks to Innovative Percussion for the youtube links below!)

First up was Mark Reilly, performing with Peter Vulperhorst as The Cross Fade Duo. They presented a beautiful historically based session that incorporated rudiments from around the world. There were references to legendary American figures including Nick Attanasio, Les Parks & Eric Perilloux, the Swiss master, Dr. Berger, and some of the Dutch masters including Sjoerd Westra whom many of us in the audience were not familiar with until now. The duo also invited an all-star ensemble of drummers to the stage to join in with an incredible performance. The guest musicians included Bill Bachmann, Scott Jamison, Matt Reilly and George Willis. And to hear Peter's rudimental drumming arrangement of Cold Play's "Sky Full of Star's" had to be a surprising moment for everyone in the audience. This was an inspiring hour that just flew bye and left everybody wanting more!!!!!!!!!
Cross Fade Duo...Video 1…Joe 90
Cross Fade Duo...Video 2…Sky Full of Stars (session opener)

Immediately following in a room right down the hall the attendees filed in to see The Connecticut Patriots Fife & Drum Corps. This session was moderated by rudimental legend, Charley Poole, Jr., and led by Patriot drum instructor, Brendan Mason. As someone known as "the fife & drum guy" I could not have been prouder than I was for that hour. The corps took the beauty and pageantry of a fife & drum muster and brought it to life at PASIC. They do an incredible job of taking traditional melodies & rudiments, and creating incredibly versatile arrangement that make you feel like you are in a concert hall…and in many ways they were. But this wasn't just a drum clinic as there was a true feeling of communication with the audience. Nothing exemplified this better than when the Patriot fife line performed a beautiful fife solo in one of their medleys and as the drums reentered the crowd roared with applause. Of course we expect to hear a great drum line when the Patriots take the stage, but for many in the audience this was their first experience hearing a fife line, and they showed their appreciation with that massive cheer!!!!!!!! AND, lets not forget that during the Q&A there was a question for the drum major. Yes, the crowd loved everything about this clinic!!!!!!
CT Patriots…Video 1…Southern Comfort
CT Patriots…Video 2…Seaweed

Trust me when I say, this was a proud moment for anybody involved in the fife & drum activity. To Mark, Peter, Brendan and The Connecticut Patriots, for the entire community of fifers and drummers around the globe, I just want to say THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DC

Saturday at PASIC

11/16/2014

If you are into the art of rudimental drumming, Saturday November 22nd at PASIC is going to be HOT!!!!!!!!

8:00 am………..Marching percussion committee meeting
12:00 pm………The Cross Fade Duo, featuring Mark Reilly & Peter Vulperhorst
1:00 pm………..The Connecticut Patriots Fife & Drum Corps, moderated by Charley Poole, Jr., with drum instructor, Brendan Mason.
3:00 pm………..VISUALS!-Bring your sticks, featuring John Wooton, Jeff Queen, Harvey Thompson, Jeff Prosperie and Ralph Nader.
5:00 pm………..Bill Cobham

That is my schedule for the day, so I'm going to give you a quick break down of each event. I hope you will check out some of these great sessions if you are going to PASIC, and if you do, make sure you say hello.

8:00……….Marching Percussion Committee Meeting

When you enter the room for a committee meeting at PASIC it is like a who's who of drummers in the room. About 12 years ago I was invited by Julie Davila to join the committee as "the fife & drum guy." To be honest, it is very much a business meeting, but to hear some of the greats in marching percussion "talk drums" is an experience like no other!

12:00 pm………The Cross Fade Duo, featuring Mark Reilly & Peter Vulperhorst

If you've never had the opportunity to see one of the brightest stars in rudimental drumming, Mark Reilly, take the stage, then you are in for a treat. He is joined by one of Hollands biggest rudimental stars, Peter Vulperhorst. Together they perform as "The Cross Fade Duo." I'm honored to be joining them as a guest performer along with a handful of other talented drummer. This is going to be fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1:00 pm………..The Connecticut Patriots Fife & Drum Corps, moderated by Charley Poole, Jr., with drum instructor, Brendan Mason.

The music of fifing and drumming is diverse. Some groups perform purely "traditional" music, while others are contemporary. The Connecticut Patriots are all of the above!!!!! They take traditional melodies and drum rudiments to the limit and feature the arrangements of one of my favorite drummers in the world, Brendan Mason. This is a session you do not want to miss and it will be moderated by the legendary, Charley Poole, Jr.

3:00 pm………..VISUALS!-Bring your sticks, featuring John Wooton, Jeff Queen, Harvey Thompson, Jeff Prosperie and Ralph Nader.

Have you ever watched someone perform magic and ask, "how did they do that?" This is the version that every drummer has dreamed of. With John Wooton, Jeff Queen, Harvey Thompson, Jeff Prosperie and Ralph Nader sharing the stage, you have five of the best in the drumming business sharing their secrets. As the session suggests, "bring your sticks!"

5:00 pm………..Bill Cobham

After seeing the names of all of the above mentioned drummers you are probably asking, "what does Billy Cobham have to do with rudimental drumming?" This is not about his style, it is about his roots. Many people are unaware that Billy played drum corps in his youth. In one of these groups he was taught by rudimental drumming legend, Kenny Lemley (the son of Crazy Army creator, Ed Lemley). I exchanged email's with Billy a few years back and he expressed to me that every time he takes the stage his roots are part of his performance. He also mentioned Kenny being an important part of his early drumming career. I will definitely be in the audience!!!!!!!!

This is just a taste of what you will experience at PASIC. I'll be around Thursday, Friday & Saturday, so if you see me, please say hello. AND, if you visit my friends at Cooperman, Innovative Percussion, Remo & Yamaha, tell them Dominick sent you!!!!!!!!!

Thats all for now my friends…NOW STOP READING, PICK UP YOUR STICKS AND START MAKING MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!

DC

In the spirit,
Dominick Cuccia

Grooversity Festival…Saturday November 15…Somerville, MA

11/14/2014

I know I'm a little late with this, but the GROOVERSITY FESTIVAL is this Saturday (November 15th) from 1-6:30 In Somerville, Massachusetts. This is a FREE EVENT and if you are in the area you need to make it!!!!!!

Grooversity is the brain child of my dear friend, Marcus Santos. If you've never met Marcus you are missing out on someone special. He is one of those incredible human beings who inspires you both with his musical perfection and intoxicating personality!!!!!!!!!

Please check out the Grooversity website, http://www.grooversity.com/festival for more information and a lineup of the great artists who will be presenting clinics and workshops, including,

Marcus Santos
Sergio Bellotti
Bas Janssen
Gino Figliola
Ben Paulding
She Boom
Fabrizio Cavallaro
And more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hear that the day will be "Live Streaming Worldwide" so as soon as I get the info I will share it.

I hope to be at the GROOVERSITY FESTIVAL in 2015. Whether it is as a player or participant, it is now on my bucket list. Put it on yours and if you are free this Saturday, head over and let me know what you thought. I'm sure you will have an INCREDIBLE time…and if you do go, tell Marcus "Sorriso" says hello!!!!!!!!!

Music of the Kirks

10/12/2014

You didn't ask, but…I have long been a fan of rudimental drumming from days gone bye. It started out with the Company of Fifers & Drummers music books (aka/ The Company Book) which is considered by many to be the bible of the fife & drum muster. If you want to jam for a long time with hundreds of fifers & drummer, you need to have these books!!!!!!!

Through the years one of the driving forces behind the Company Books was my dear from and mentor, the late-great Al "Duke" Terreri. He helped bring the music of many great rudimental drummers alive, including the repertoire of Brooklyn's Sons of Liberty. With drumming by Les Parks and fifing by Bill Krug, it is incredible to read, perform and (if you're a rudimental nerd like me!) analyze their music!!!!!!!!

This brings me to the title of this essay…music of the Kirks.

The Chas T. Kirk Field Music Group (aka/the Kirks) were another of the great corps from New York who were popular with fans & judges alike. Their drum line boasted the likes of Eric Perriloux, Ken Lemley and too many others to name. Somewhere along the way Duke was able to put together a book of Kirks fife & bugle music.

Recently I receive a message from a fellow student of the art of rudimental drumming, Scott Mitchell. He discussed how he loved the music of The Kirks that was available and would love to see drumming from their repertoire. He even discussed The Company of Fifers & Drummers putting out a book of Kirks drum music if we could acquire it. I think this is a great idea that has long been over looked (although there was mention of it in the fife & bugle book).

Soooooooo, I'm reaching out to all of you for help. If you know anybody who had ties to The Chas. T. Kirk Field Music Group and can give Scott & I a lead on drum music from these legendary musicians we'd love to hear from you. You can email me at dominick@dreadeddrummer.com, visit me on Facebook, or send a response to this blog. You can also visit Scott Mitchell on Facebook. Either one of us would LOVE to hear from you and help make sure this historic music isn't lost in time.

Thanks for your help everybody…I know you can make this become a reality!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats all for now my friends…NOW STOP READING, PICK UP YOUR STICKS AND START MAKING MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!

DC

Welcome my friends!!!!!!

8/3/2014

YOU DIDN'T ASK, BUT...welcome to the official relaunch of DREADED DRUMMER PRODUCTIONS. Lots of things have been going on over the past few years and I plan on sharing as much as possible. For now I will hit you with a few things.

1. Aldo & Jolan Mazza invited me back as a staff member at the 19th KoSA Drum Camp & Festival this year and it was INCREDIBLE!!!!! I wrote a lengthy essay about the KoSA experience. The link is http://hyperlinkmedical.com/rudimentaldrumming/msgBoard/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10731&sid=325e42b909c1b57ac76700c223d53a20
If you've never been to KoSA put it on your bucket list…you'll thank me some day!!!!!!!!!!

2. Congrats to Gus Cuccia as he joins the ranks of Gallant Entertainments incredible drum lines. The New York Giants, New York Knicks and all the rest can boast having Tom Coughlin, Derek Fisher and Gus all on their sidelines!!!!!!!!!!!

3. PASIC 2014 will feature J. Mark Reilly and Brendan Mason, two of the hottest young stars in the world of traditional (& not-so-traditional) rudimental drumming. I am so proud of both of them and can't wait to see them take the stage. Mark will be joined by Peter Vulperhorst from Holland and Brendan will perform with The Connecticut Patriots

4. Over the past few years I've been developing The Great American Fife & Drum Band and I'm happy to say we are off and running. As we perform more I'll be sharing pics, but I assure you it is one of the most exciting things I've ever done!

5. The Civil War Troopers are once again on the street and hosting our annual muster on the 4th weekend of July in Montgomery, NY. Rudimental drumming's living legend Nick Attanasio will be with us for his 82nd year of drumming. God Bless Nick & his wife Gerry. She is the driving force behind Nick and they are both an inspiration to us all!!!!!!!!!

Thats all for now my friends…NOW STOP READING, PICK UP YOUR STICKS AND START MAKING MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!

DC