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

1/5/2015

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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
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My Boys rocked Pasic!!!!!!

1/1/2015

3 Comments

 
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 

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    "You didn't ask, but…" is Dominick's chance to share thoughts on anything and everything!

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