Ed's Drum Diaries #47 - Apr 2022-Jan 2023
/Hey folks, welcome back and happy new year! The last time I wrote one of these was back in April of last year, so apologies for the radio silence since then… As anyone with kids in the picture could have told me (and plenty of them did tell me!), there’s absolutely no comparison in the amount of free time a person has before and after adding children into the mix - although I hear you get some of it back eventually… Anyway, the result being that I’ve not written one of these in almost a year now!
An action shot from a wedding with Tom Fitzpatrick in May, captured by fellow drummer and photographer, Nik Carter, who happened to be providing photography for the wedding in question!
As expected, it’s been quite a year, and quite the period of adjustment to say the least…! In short, I spent much of the last year beavering away on the teaching side of things while as a family we focused on settling into our new way of life, but now that we’re in much more of a steady routine (touch wood!) I’m looking forward to taking on more playing commitments once again. There certainly have been some fun gigs over the last year too though! I’ve added some photos from a selection of them throughout.
My setup for a production of “Evita” in April.
One area I’ve been especially trying to settle back into lately is getting some regular practice done, as I quickly (and inevitably!) found that drumming with a baby in the house isn’t all that practical! A year in, the conclusion I’ve come to is that I have to be sure to keep a practice pad nearby when at home, in order to try and make the most of the odd opportunities as and when they arise, and when it comes to finding time to get on the kit, I have to make it a priority and also prioritise exactly what it is that I want to work on. Quite the change from having plenty of free time to practice to my heart’s content in the past!
Backstage at “Big Church Festival” in June, where I provide drum tech/backline support duties. Just some of the kits in action as they rotate through set-up, line check and sound check backstage, before heading out front for their set.
One wonderful side effect of drumming around the house though, is that our little boy is already showing a great deal of enthusiasm for drums - or “bang bangs”, as he currently calls them!! In fact, a couple of pairs of sticks and practice pads have made their way into his collection of toys, and they’re certainly a firm favourite of his! So to be honest, some of my most regular practice opportunities are now in the form of bashing away on a practice pad with him, as and when he lets me! He also absolutely loves when I take him to sit on the kit, which is a favourite thing to do of ours, and also gives my wife a moment of peace - as long as she doesn’t mind the noise, which fortunately she’s quite used to by now!
Before a set with the “Actually Gay Men’s Chorus” at Seaford Family Pride Festival in August.
As mentioned, I hadn’t been taking on quite as many gigs as usual over the last year, mainly to avoid those especially late night drives home when I didn’t quite know how much sleep I’d be able to get! It’s been really lovely to have had some more weekends at home, seeing friends and family etc, but I am keen to get playing more and I’m enjoying gradually taking on more bookings again.
Back with the “Alter Eagles” in November - my first outing with the band since pre-Covid, so it was great to see them again!
Thanks as always for checking in, and once again, my apologies that this one was so much later than I had intended! Going forwards, rather than a monthly newsletter as I used to do, I think I’ll have to make this more of an “as and when” kind of thing. It would also be nice to take the time to put out some thoughts on other subjects too, such as practice or gear specifics. Watch this space! All the best and catch you soon, Ed.
