I've always been a percussion junkie. Let me take you on a journey through my percussive life... follow me below the dingledoodle squigglie dKosagnocchi dividerthingie fold after a word from our sponsor...
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I joined my high school marching band as part of the flag line, and not JUST because we marched at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid and in an early 80's Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade. (Yes, video of this exists. No, I am not visible in it. No, I'm not linking it because it makes it WAY to easy to identify me) A sucker for a good drum line even then, I wanted to be near the sound! Over the years, I've seen and heard a number of great drumline performances, but two recent online clips are what prompted this topic tonight:
Saw this on my Facebook feed and was in love. The group is Top Secret Drum Corps hailing from Basel, Switzerland. Drums! Drama! Fire! How can you go wrong?
A few "similar video" clicks later and I'm watching this group of high school lads who call themselves the Hot Scots. Their performance was put together in less than a week. Yeah, I can't do that either...
Back to my musical journey through percussion. Enter my formative music years in high school and college, and while many my age were enjoying 80's pop I had a thing for Rush. The band, NOT the drug-addicted blowhard. Oh, and while the entire band is good, drummergod Neil Peart is why to this day I attend their shows and drool a lot while not blinking. Take a look at this solo:
Spent my honeymoon in French Polynesia, aka the Tahitian Islands. Aside from all that sun (I burned in under 20 minutes at 8 o'clock in the morning waiting for our room to be ready), snorkeling (I was afraid to go underwater and had to wear a T-shirt so my back didn't burn while Mr. Brillig swam with the fishies) and food (OK, this I liked, especially the all-Tahitian-vanilla dinner!)... there's a fine history of Polynesian drumming. There are plenty of "Tahitian drumming" videos on Youtube that mostly feature the dancers, but this little piece of a few drummers jamming in the backyard is drummers. Oh, and cute kids :)...
I went through a mid-life... well, it wasn't a crisis but I did decide I wanted to learn to play the drums. I let this goal slide onto my "next life" bucket list because mid-life is waaaay to old to develop the limb independence needed to play a drumkit without enough disposable time to practice incessantly. I am grateful to the various local drummers who graciously let me hang out off to the side and watch while they played.
One of the best experiences I had during this time, was going to see U2 with Mr. Brillig and K1, who was just Kid Brillig at that point, as K2 hadn't arrived on the scene. Everyone else may have been watching Bono and The Edge, but I had my sights set on Larry Mullen Jr!
Best percussion that is not instrumental percussion but IS in fact percussion has got to be David Stackhouse, when he was with the a capella band Five O'Clock Shadow. He was both beatbox and bassist, calls what he does beatbass. He's since gone solo to work on his singing-with-actual-words career, and is absolutely brilliant! If you can see either he, OR FOCS, do! Here's a clip of them covering the Jimmy Eat World song The Middle. For extra fun, this playlist link also includes a clip of them doing Black Dog. omGOD it's fantastic.
Lastly, the song that got me back into a "must listen to more percussion" mood, by the band Fun. I absolutely LOVE this song, and this live version with the The Cuddlers (made up of members of the Gay Men's Chorus of LA) is wonderful!
So, got percussion? Do share your favorites!!
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without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do
not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From Noddy:
decembersue offers hope for repurposing abandoned WalMarts other than as MegaChurches in FishOutofWater's diary, Walmart Shoppers Bolt to Costco & Target: Empty Shelves & Long Lines Tied to Staffing Problems.
From bronte17:
MinistryOfTruth inquires about the ignorance of bliss in the heartbreaking and excellent diary post Doctor shows heartless GOP Senate video of what assault rifles do when the bullet explodes inside you... followed up by a most excellent quote from MoT highlighted by Lisa Lockwood that clarifies what the f we are advocating for.
Last, but not least, MoT gives us one more great comment... For a party that calls themselves "Pro Life" they sure do like taking money from people who cause death...
From commonmass:
This comment by Kossack SpamNunn sums up the logic of the anti-marriage equality crowd brilliantly and concisely.
From Yours Truly, brillig:
kovie outs Rush based on reports in ProgLegs's diary With No Irony, Rush Limbaugh Says Lesbians are Obese Substance Abusers.
Top Mojo for yesterday, March 25th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) The problem, as always, is income inequality by Dallasdoc — 178
2) I'm One of Them. by Gooserock — 131
3) I refuse to do that by AoT — 127
4) I would like to thank the FP's... by RichM — 113
5) And I would like to thank Bernie Sanders by Puddytat — 105
6) Injustice by Dallasdoc — 97
7) "Reform" is the wrong word by OregonOak — 92
8) It's a terrifying prospect by Joan McCarter — 91
9) The desired outcome by a certain group of people: by polecat — 90
10) Raising the cap by Joan McCarter — 89
11) The diary describes EXACTLY what a "well regulated by flitedocnm — 86
12) Seems to be failing rather spectaularly by xxdr zombiexx — 85
13) Glad you are back here. by TomP — 82
14) It's interesting by joanneleon — 77
15) Right on doc. by One Pissed Off Liberal — 74
16) Raising the cap seems like such an easy by HappyinNM — 74
17) Not as scary as some Bozo by SBParrothead — 74
18) Multi-pronged strategy by Dallasdoc — 68
19) On Alex Wagner's show by miracle11 — 65
20) Cruz really just enjoys being an asshat by MadRuth — 64
21) To me, "forced abortions" by anastasia p — 60
22) Seconded! by koosah — 60
23) Obama's golf vacation was a hint by FishOutofWater — 60
24) I think you may want to refer to it... by bobswern — 58
25) Wow! Tour de force! Mahvelous! by Clem Yeobright — 57
26) Pretty amazing. by Laura Clawson — 57
27) Badly Needed: Another FDR by JekyllnHyde — 54
28) my furbutts by Debbie in ME — 53
29) Wopila to Carter Camp, a Kossack by navajo — 52
30) OMFG. by earicicle — 51
31) It would also cut COLA's in many other... by CTDemoFarmer — 51
Top Pictures for yesterday, March 25th. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!