Drumming For A Lifetime pt.9

Here's a video of the Dallas-based band I occasionally play with. We used to be known as 'The Calling', but that was 20 years ago, then we broke up. In the late 80's, we had a pretty decent following in the Texas and Oklahoma region.

A year or so ago, we started playing together again, but the name 'The Calling' had been used by a flash-in-the-pan group a few years ago, so we couldn't use it again. The never-ending struggle to rename the band has plagued us for a year, so we just ignore people when they ask, and turn up the amps. One day, we'll agree on a new moniker.

This is a song called "Time Passes", and I think it's not a bad rendition of it, considering what you're hearing is a dry feed from the mixing console.

We had four cameras shooting that night, but they had no game-plan. It took a while to sort out the footage and come up with a good edit of the song. Oh, fyi, Micah (my oldest) ran lights for us that night, but unfortunately the available lighting he had to work with was a disaster.

Here it is, enjoy.

Miscellaneous Happenings

As promised, here's some images from recent days.

Chana's parents, Lynn and Glenda celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary last month. I did a tribute video made up of old pics and family video footage. It was a lot of fun to see extended family and friends that day.


Sky lost both front teeth on our Christmas trip. When the first one came out, he kissed the chicken strip that knocked it out and yelled "money, money, money!" Apparently, the charm of the Tooth Fairy is held only by her ability to fork over the Washingtons.


theCalling got together right after Christmas for a show. We worked hard to get the old material ready. It was a blast, the crowd went wild - well, they said they liked it.



Finally, last night Chana and I went to "An Evening With Lost" at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Almost the entire cast of the show was there, plus the creators (including J.J. Abrams) and producers, and the event was hosted by late night talk-man Jimmy Kimmel. There were no secrets revealed, but there were some good stories told. Obviously, the little digital camera I took is lame. I also need to talk to the guy who's supposed to clean the lens. (go to the link for more info)

Dominic Monaghan

Matthew Fox


More later...

UPDATE 01-31-07 - Some (MUCH better) pics from the Academy site:

Happy New Year

2007 promises to be a remarkable year. There are many exciting projects, both film and music-related, that are going to take off this year, so it might be overwhelming at times too. Chana's novel will be making it's debut as well. At least it won't be boring!

I'll be back soon to talk about these projects, including the reunion concert theCalling put on Dec 29th in Dallas. It was a smash.

For now, I have to kick this cold... :(

Drumming For A Lifetime, pt.5

Woodsheddin'

Despite the focus on a sound design career and that silly "making a living" stuff, I have tried to keep my inner-drummer happy throughout the years. Since moving to LA, I've been fortunate to have several gigs and the occasional recording session.

For the last few months, the drummer in me has been screaming to get more slack in the leash. Luckily, I have a few cool playing opportunities coming up in the next couple of months.

In December, I will be reuniting for a couple of nights with a Dallas based band I played with several years ago. The band's name was The Calling. You can hear a few of the songs we recorded here. Some of the drum parts are a challenge, thus the bunker-down in the woodshed to get ready. (actually, it looks more like a small isolation booth in my studio)

When I played with The Calling, it was an era when I probably used "too many notes", as I criticized in my last "Drumming For A Lifetime" installment, but hey, it is what it is - and the music is fun to play, so I'll deal with it.

Blast From The Past

theCalling is a band I played drums for during the late 80's (man, I'm dating myself with this entry), and Todd Williams, the lead vocalist, has just set up a myspace page for it. You can hear a few songs we recorded there.

It was the cool band that almost was... in that we had some success, some record deal offers, and a thriving regional fan base. Unfortunately, we just weren't meant to be. It was a lot of fun while it lasted though.

Todd, Martin Baird (bass and fearless leader), and Mike Graff (guitarist, and man responsible for the unique sound we had in the day) are all successful men in various careers in Dallas. You can read up on everyone at myspace.

One thing I'm proud of is that it was NOT a hair-band. The music STILL sounds cool in my opinion - a lot of U2, Police, XTC, The Smiths - type of sounds all rolled into one. Check it out.