Sunday, September 03, 2006
Beat Those Skins
How do you know if a drummer's platform is level?
The drool comes out of both sides of his mouth.
How do trumpet players park in the handicap spots?
They put drumsticks on the dash.
What's the difference between a drummer and a drum machine?
You only have to punch the information into the drum machine once.
Ah, drummer jokes. Growing up with a Dad who played and hosted jam sessions I heard 'em all. Don't know if there's anyone brave enough to spout any in the direction of the Drum Tao group though. This crew are the bad-ass samurai warriors of drumming and they have some big sticks.
A, B & I saw their current show at the Canberra Theatre last night & it was outstanding. With nothing but drums, hand-cymbals & a few flutes, the Drum Tao players belted out two hours of amazing percussion.
While the sound was incredible (feeling the massive bass drums kick you in the chest and come up through the floor was v cool), it was the choreography and lighting that added the top finishing touches to the show. They were jumping around like they were in a kendo fight and their sticks were flying so fast they looked like Japanese fans. 
There was something akin to a ceremony each time a drummer approached or left a drum. They would walk up to the drum, calmly remove the sticks from the stick holder as one, seperate the sticks, step their legs apart with knees off-lock in something like a pre-fight stance, before launching into their percussive attack. At the end of the piece they'd stand in front of the drum, calmly put their sticks together and return them to the bag and take a step back before turning and exiting. It was almost reverential.
The tour continues through Australia & New Zealand. If you missed it or want a bit of a preview, check out this video clip.All images are screenshots from their DVD The Martial Art of Noise, but they're just as it looked at the Canberra show.
[Tags: Drum Tao, Canberra, Australia]
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