Natal Drums: Joining the fam!!

I'm super excited to officially announce that I'm a part of the Natal family of artists!!  If you're unfamiliar, check out these drums - especially if you're into a vintage sounding kit that's easy on the eyes!  These drums are easy to tune, easy to play, have a warm "buttery" sound (as described in the Feb 2017 Modern Drummer), and are stunning on stage.  I really appreciate having the support of this company and I'm honored to join this family of bad-ass drummers (who you should also check out if you're unfamiliar:  Marko Djordevic of Sveti and Jonah Smith fame, the shuffle king Jason Smay w/ J.D. McPherson, Jano Rix from the Wood Bros.  These guys are killing!).  If you make it out to a Honeyhoney show this summer come check these babies out!

Keeping the Irons in the Fire

It's hard to believe we're only a little over a month into 2016. I've been all over the place, and I've already been lucky enough to work on several projects with talented musicians who are also great friends. 

I hit the ground running on New Year's Eve playing with Joelle and the Pinehurst Trio at a restaurant in Times Square. It was a crazy but very cool experience.  A week later I got back on the road with my pals HoneyHoney. We traveled down the west coast opening for one of my new favorite bands, JD McPherson. Getting to know JD and his band as we traveled from Vancouver to San Diego was a great time. The band is killing and all super sweet, and I hope to hook up with them again in the future.

When we were got to Los Angeles I finally had the opportunity to go to NAMM, something I've wanted to do for years.  I connected with a bunch of great companies that I love (more on that in the future). A highlight was meeting one of my personal heroes, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie! 

I flew from San Diego to Miami to spend the last week of January with Andy Suzuki and the Method on the Rockboat XVI. We cruised from Florida to Costa Maya Mexico then to Grand Cayman Islands. Like last year, it was an incredible experience playing for appreciative crowds, being surrounded by great music, and getting to make friends with some really talented musicians.  It wasn't easy saying goodbye to the Method and the climate, but flying west to Denver meant a reunion with HoneyHoney and headlining new venues in Colorado with a new set list. 

After a week in the mountains, I flew back home to get the semester at Williams started and meet some new students.  I can't believe it, but this is my 10th year teaching drums at Williams College!  

It's kind of crazy, but somehow this year already seems like it will be busier than 2015. In a good way! I'm back on the road now with HoneyHoney until the end of winter, and I'm looking forward to continuing to polish up the new songs we're performing over the next couple of months.  Come check us out if you can! Tour dates are on my shows page, and on HoneyHoney's website . There's nothing as good as seeing old friends while on the road, except for making new ones!  
 

Honeyhoney "Sweet Thing" Music Video

I'm playing the role of "drummer" in the latest Honeyhoney video featuring the hilarious and beloved David "Gruber" Allen! 

"Sweet Thing" Directed and Produced by HONEYHONEY & Sage "Sagito" Atwood ------------------- Order '3' here: iTunes: http://smarturl.it/HONEYHONEY3 Amazon (CD): http://smarturl.it/HONEYHONEYCD Amazon (Vinyl): http://smarturl.it/HONEYHONEYLP