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FEBRUARY, 2024
Greetings, one and all !
It’s late February '24 - & there’s just two weeks left on the Fairport UK ‘wintour’ - so far, so very good .
Again, my appreciation for those of you who’ve hung-in since my last update over a year ago .
Rather than my schedule winding down as the years go on, it seems to be busier - hence the delay writing this.
A reminder - I do try to at least keep my ‘live’ dates posted on this site - thnx to those who take the time to check them out - & attend & support the music .
Looking over my shoulder ; Jan’ {’23} kicked off well with “KBMG” & Dave Sag { Glouc’ , MA } dates .. & more recording with EJ Ouellette. FYI , EJ is a fine multi-instrumentalist with his own studio north east of Boston - he produces for a lot of songwriters & singers in the area. I’m fortunate in as much as he doesn’t play drums - & seems to like the way I do ! He often recommends me to his clients & calls for me many of his productions - we’ve made quite few over the years .. check out his website.
In mid-Jan’ , I was off to the UK for Fairports’ tour - my first with them for over 20 years. I have been ‘guesting' at their annual 3-day music festival {“Cropredy“ in Oxfordshire, held every August} for the last ten or so years , but this was the first ‘full outing‘. I thoroughly enjoyed myself - hence repeating it this {’24} year!
There were only ten or so days between the end of that tour & the start of the UK “Feast of Fiddles“ one , so I decided not to return to Boston. Caron threw a wonderful surprise birthday part for me in that gap - it was so good to see many friends - & then it was onto the “FOF“ tour. BTW , this {’24} will be the “FOF” 30th anniversary tour - & I’m also pleased to let you know that band is playing at “Cropredy” on the Thursday aftn’ , Aug’ 8th.
I subsequently flew home Apr' 2nd - I’d been away 9+ weeks - & was very homesick !
April through July saw many live dates - a partial list includes the following people .. & my apologies to anyone i’ve inadvertently omitted ; Cassandre McKinley , Dennis Brennan ,Brian Templeton , in the house band for new hampshire’s “Cold River Radio Show“ , Allen Estes , Chuck McDermott, Mike O’Connell . The year also included recording dates with - among others - Sal Baglio , Jon Butcher, Isabel Stover , Dan Cody , Rob Sherman, “Famous Grouse” . Also - check out video’s with my Boston friend Mike Barry - these include a great cover of a Syd Straw song “When My Ship Comes In".
June also included an invite from Yamaha to go to NYC to check-out soon-to-be-released new gear . some of this is now available - look out for more exciting {if you’re a drummer !} items soon . I also got to see the great Neil Finn live {courtesy of Mike Barry} - an excellent night out.
Early August , it was back to the UK for rehearsals , ‘warm-up’ dates & Fairport’s ”Cropredy" festival . All involved had a wonderful time { Nile Rodgers “Chic“ a particular stand-out } ; we then had some time with family & friends before retuning to Boston . August included more live work in New England before enjoying a brief break on the NJ shore.
I’ve been with the Zildjian cymbal company since ’74 , & was flattered to be invited to their grand 400th birthday celebration in Boston in September. A veritable ‘who’s-who’ of the percussion world attended & everyone was treated to tremendous performances by many superb players, all backed by a truly all-star band. Although there’s been some serious personnel changes at the company over the last few years {during & post-covid}, it’s good to know they’re still ‘delivering’ with their cymbals .. & BTW , the new 400th Anniv’ snare drum is quite something!
In November , I headed back to blighty - this time to attend { “Feast of Fiddles“ leader } Hugh Crabtree’s 70th birthday celebration - a seriously fun event! I also managed to fit in a drum clinic in Ipswich, & a masterclass at London’s Royal Academy of Music , courtesy of their head of percussion, my good friend Neil Percy. Back home, I caught a Boston date by “The Smithereens“ - my friend drummer Dennis Diken {& the whole band} on fine form .. we then got away to Aruba for a much needed & enjoyable holiday .
Dec' was rather a blur {!} - prepping for Christmas , live gigs & students took up a fair bit of time .. & ’24 came around rapidly.
Throughout the year there’s also been several music / drum related interviews & podcasts - as well as giving drum lessons .. contact me if you’re interested in the latter. I’d also like to mention / ‘plug’ Bob Henrit & Nigel Constable's “Crash Bang Wallop“ book { UK drummers & their equipment from the ’50’s onwards } - & also Mary Timony’s “Untame The Tiger“ recording { I tracked that at the ‘Foo Fighters’ Los Angeles studio}. Both are available by the time you’re reading this - & are highly recommended .
PRESENT DAY / 2024 ; After I finish this Fairport tour on March 10th, I’ll be back home to Boston - & then back to the UK in April for the “Feast of Fiddles“ tour. Late May & early June will see me {again!} in the UK for dates with the Richard Thompson band - June & July I’ll be home. Then it's back to England {for the 4th time this year} to play at the “Cropredy festival” with “FC” & “FOF".. all this ‘pond-hopping’ is helping my air miles!
BTW , though I’m not on social media much, you can see my basic comings-&-goings on my ‘Facebook’ page. Thank you once more for taking the time to check-in & read this update .. as always , I hope to see you on a ‘live’ date somewhere soon.
Fond regards - DM
NEW ENGLAND / JANUARY 2023
HAPPY NEW YEAR !
Greetings, one & all - as always, I hope this finds you in good health. Here is an overview of ’22 - & a look forward to ’23 .
First though , I want to let you know how saddened I am by friends near-&-far passing. We have all lost loved ones last year - yours truly is no exception .
R.I.P. - Alan Whetton , Gary Brooker , Jim Gwin , Jack King .. you’ll always be in our hearts.
There’s no real order to this following list - these are a few of the people i’ve had the pleasure of working with in a ‘live’ music situ’ - I’m hoping I’ll continue to make music with them this year & beyond.
Jon Sarty { & his ‘Cold River Radio Show’ , which is recorded in NH }, Cassandre Mckinly, Dennis Brennan, Dan King { with “KBMG” }, Dave Sag, Brian Templeton, Mike O’Connell, Johnny Trama, Alice Howe & Freebo .
There’s been recording too. Clients include Jon Butcher, EJ Ouellette { & tracks for many of his clients that he’s producing }, Seth Goldman, Paul Mitchell - & last but not least, “P.I.G.“ . Those initials stand for “Pretty Interesting Group“ {ho-hum #1} - & it's the rhythm section of the band I’ve been playing with in the UK for 25+ years now - “Feast Of Fiddles“ . As it was just the rhythm section on this recording, you’ll not be surprised to learn the CD's title is “No Fiddlin’“ - ho-hum #2. It’s available thru the “FOF” website, BTW. Also, do check out Jon Shain’s “Never Found a Way to Tame the Blues”, “ ‘Nor ‘Easter “ by EJ Ouellette - & "Gypsy Caravan”, by Butcher, Estes, Baglio. { BTW ; Kudos to Mike Barry for his engineering on the PIG & Jon Shain recordings. }
The “FOF” UK tour in April got off to a rough start. I caught covid just as it commenced, but to cut a long story short, I managed to play on, despite feeling dreadful the first few days. Fortunately, only a few other members of our ensemble contracted it too .. but we all ‘got through it‘ . I firmly believe that as we were all vaccinated, it prevented the situ’ from being a lot worse. The tour was well received, & as I write this, I can tell you the band is eagerly anticipating the Mar' / Apr' '23 one - again, dates are on the FOF website.
During the summer, I was fortunate to go to some great concerts in Boston thru my music connections. It wasn’t always possible to hook up with my friends in these bands { strict covid no-contact back-stage rules were in place from management, etc } - but it didn’t stop my enjoyment . These included McCartney, Bonnie Rait, John Mayer, Tom Jones, Lake Street Dive & John Hiatt .. all inspiring stuff !
I played at the Marblehead {MA} Arts Festival on the July 4th weekend { with Cassandre }, & at the end of the month, flew to the UK for “ Fairport Convention’s “ Oxfordshire “Cropredy Music Festival“ as a guest. The band line-up back in 1970 was Dave Pegg , Simon Nicol , Richard Thompson , Dave Swarbrick & myself - & as a special event at Cropredy, we played the material from the LP “Full House” recorded at that time. Current Fairport member Chris Leslie very ably stood-in for Swarbrick . ‘FC’ fans may like to know there’ll be a ‘live' CD available very soon - my understanding is it's being mixed this month. The 3-day festival went wonderfully well - despite record-breaking temperatures - & some 20,000 music fans had a splendid time.
During that time in England , I also managed to fit in two additional gigs with friends { one with Paul Mitchell in Oxon, one with Bob Brookes in Sx. }, a recording studio masterclass in Redhill, Sry. { set-up by my good friend Russ Gleason }, visited family - & attended our God-Daughter's marriage !
It seemed as though I’d not been back home very long before I had to return - this time { late Oct’ }, it was for a concert celebrating my great friend { & rhythm partner of 50+ years } Dave Pegg’s 75th birthday . It was held just outside Birmingham, the hall was packed, & I was very happy & proud to have contributed to a wonderful evening. { If you’re not familiar with Dave’s playing , check out his resume on Wikipedia - it’s impressive. }
The rest of the year was been taken up with more recording sessions, gigs, teaching students - & starting to prep’ for ’23.
When I left Fairport at the end of the ’90’s , the great drummer Gerry Conway took my place in the band. Fast forward to today, & Gerry is no longer with them. Although the band can function perfectly well as a four-piece, they wanted a drummer for their UK winter tour { in Feb’ & Mar’ } & they kindly asked me. I was flattered - have accepted .. & I’m really looking forward to playing with them ! I get a short break at the end of that tour - & will then do the “Feast of Fiddles“ one before returning home to Boston in early April. I hope to see many UK chums on both sojurns.
If you’re so inclined, my ‘live’ dates are nearly always posted on this site - & you can also reach me through it too.
Thanks as ever for supporting music - & my small contribution to it.
With my fond regards - DM
( PS : The "DM" T shirts in the above pic' are available via Mike Barry - mjbarry@michaelbarry.com )
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UPDATE / FEBUARY '22
greetings from boston’s north shore .. first off , i’d like to offer a heartfelt thank you for checking in here.
as we ALL know, the {virtually} last 2 years or so have had a profound effect on everyone - i know of no-one not impacted - & i truly hope it hasn’t been too bad for you.
i don’t wish to dwell on this too much, except to hope you’re still ‘hanging in there‘ & things are improving in your life.
i’m fortunate to report i’ve managed to keep myself reasonably occupied during that time period.
like many of my peers, i’ve come to grips with the technical necessities to do a certain amount of recording at home - but not to record drums, i hasten to add.
there’s been a wee bit of production work { some done at home }- this has included bob franke's "easter cantata" - & over the last six months or so, occasional & always enjoyable recording sessions.
these have entailed me adding drum set / percussion / keyboards, etc., to different artists’ work in various new england studios - predominantly working with just the engineer & sometimes the artist too. needless to say, all parties involved have been extremely cautious with regards to safety.
fyi, these artists have included the boston duo “famous grouse“ & the north carolina based duo jon shain & fj ventre { the “never found a way to tame the blues“ cd }. others include ej ouellette , jon butcher , allen estes , sal baglio & mike barry among many others . i recommend you check those good folks out !
other recording news ; in june ’21, i was invited to fly to california to record with an artist who was then new to me - mary timony. the tracks were cut at the “foo fighters” studio in los angeles, the music was excellent & a good time was most assuredly had by all .. look for that release summer of ‘22. mary & her producer joe wong have recently been adding an orchestra { recorded at ‘capitol’ studios in la } to some of the songs - it’s going to be quite a epic ! { btw ; a big ’thank you ‘ is due here to both yamaha drums & evans drum heads for supplying such a great drum set for those la sessions.}
in november , i travelled to water gap , pa for a few days to record with the philly-based band "boris garcia" .. tim carbone produced - & again , a thoroughly enjoyable time was had making some splendid music . watch for that cd to be released late summer , i believe .
as some of you may be aware , the uk-based 11-piece band i’ve been a part of for 25+ years “feast of fiddles“ had it’s '20 & ’21 tours canceled - but we plan to return to touring the uk in april ’22.
for the very first time, look out for a new rhythm-section only cd { recorded during the lockdown, natch } to be available in the spring .. the title - “ no fiddlin’ “!
my invite to appear as a guest at fairport’s “cropredy“ { in oxfordshire, uk } festival didn’t happen in ’20 nor ’21 { the festival was canceled both years } - but it is now looking very positive i'll be there in august ’22.
all being well , the ‘fc’ “full house“ line-up { richard thompson / simon nicol / dave pegg / chris leslie [’subbing' for dave swarbrick] / yours truly } will get to play all the material from that recording ‘live’ on stage .
there’s also been several interviews.
i think in part the resason for this is - to paraphrase one of my many drum heroes { mr roy haynes } “ .. if you simply 'hang around' long enough, you apparently enter ‘legendary status’ .. “ !
for those of you so inclined , these are available on ‘you-tube’ / internet sites various ; john dechristopher , michael vosbein , warren huart , joe wong & anil prasad were the people asking the questions . there was also a filmed one for the “liner notes legends” series - that was done in marblehead, ma with david christian - that will be available by the end of this year .
as the pandemic gradually recedes { although the memory of the 900k that passed certainly won’t - & they included some very close friends }, it seems ‘live’ music dates are slowly starting to happen again. to that end , i’ll start posting them on my calendar fairly soon.
do look for local / new england - & beyond - dates with “kbmg” , dennis brennan , cassandre mckinley , mike barry , jon sarty's nh-based "cold river radio show" - as well as the uk-based "feast of fiddles" , among others. please come out to a gig & say ‘hello’ !
if you’ve got this far , my thanks to you again .. stay safe , & i hope i'll see you soon .
dm
ps ; picture below - y. truly in the "foo fighters" los angeles studio , june '21 , with mary timony looking on .. " hope he's going to get it right this time .. "
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