New Drums, A Big Move and Gigs

Hey folks, Lot's of stuff on the horizon as well as recent events which I am rather happy about. Firstly and MOST importantly... I HAVE A BRAND NEW ANCIENT KAURI STANBRIDGE DRUMKIT! After a 2 year wait, I am beyond happy to finally own such a beautiful sounding (and looking) instrument. The kit is made out of 100% Ancient Kauri wood. A wood that has been buried in the hilly plains of New Zealand for over 50,000 years. Potentially longer in fact since the wood has only been radio carbon dated to 50,000 years which is as far back as this dating technique can go, so it could be even older. I will be dedicating a small section of this site to putting up some pics and info on the drums for those drummers out there (or instrument enthusiasts) who might be interested in learning more about this beautiful and very ancient wood. In the meantime check out the pics below of the construction process. As of now the only way I can describe the tone would be to compare it to Mahogany or Bubinga. It's a very warm and full tone that fills the room yet isn't ear piercingly loud. You can really lay into these drums and not have to worry about covering the rest of the band. They also look ridiculously cool due to the natural Chatoyancy (the effect by which the wood grain achieves a striking 3dimensional appearance) of the grain after millennia of soaking up nutrients from the pete bog in New Zealand. My sincere and heartfelt thanks to Pete Stanbridge for creating such a beautiful sounding and looking instrument that I will use forever. To check out more of Pete's stuff (and believe me you really should) log onto www.stanbridgedrums.com and to learn more about Ancient Kauri wood please check out www.ancientwood.com. In the way of composing news I have an exciting development. I have recently been accepted to York University to complete a Masters in Music Composition! I'm both excited to be starting such a great program and to be moving back to good old Toronto. So come September 1st give me a shout if you're in the TO area.In performing news I have quite a week ahead of me. Tonight I'll be taking the stage with my good friends (and musician extraordinaire's) Brad Jefford and Chris Davis. We'll be playing through some neat Contemporary Jazz as well as some of Brad's original music so feel free to pop by, listen and even sit in for a tune. Downbeat's @ 8:30 at the Rose and Thistle followed by a second set open to jammers. It's an early show so pop on by and show your support for local music and the local jazz scene. I'll have clips from this gig posted on the drummer section of the site. Feel free to check them out.I'll also be performing a couple of events at The Bannerman Folk Festival this weekend (weather pending) with the Forgotten Bouzouki. Click here for a schedule and pricing info, etc. Some other news on the horizon with some cool sessions coming up. More on that later on.