It's been a while

Man! It has been a while since I posted anything...sorry. Been composing some, including a song for a sick friend called "For Sandi", kind of a healing tune, from the heart nonetheless. This whole meditative, soft, subtle thing is a whole new direction for me.

I miss playing drumset, a whole lot! The whole idea when Kim and I got to Lyon College here in Batesville, was that I had been told there were a bunch of percussionists just dying to learn and study kit and world-percussion. The problem is the college itself doesn't have ANYTHING in the way of percussion for them to practice on, even if I had a line around the block of students wanting to learn...problem #1

problem #2 = my #@!$ing leg, and mobility issues, so I can't get around to the magnet schools, middle schools, or high schools to get flyers up to even advertise...plus, even putting together a solo act is almost impossible because our place is so small, I can't set-up properly to see how I could facilitate performing solo.

problem #3 = no places to play...people to play with busy currently with football season. I have an exceptional young man as a student who is perfect for a percussion performing group, and a couple of Lyon college students, but none of their schedules are permitting rehearsal time to put said group together.

problem #4 = if I can't get a group to play with, I can't perform with Lyon College ensembles since there aren't any, and there's only one guy in town that plays jazz, maybe two...and he is the director of the marching band that plays at the HS football games, which Kim and I discovered are a HUGE deal here, so he has no time until November....so nowhere to get my name around as the "go-to guy" in terms of being da man on drums and percussion.

The only good news really, is that Kim is kicking ass in her new job, and my own compositions have taken a more reflective turn...album sales are picking up a little, but my medical bills are making it necessary to figure out a way to bring in more money, but I can't even get a part-time job, as can't even stand up for more than about 10 minutes at a time because of leg.

There's a remote shot of the college hiring me as a percussion consultant, but because I have no degree, it would have to be via my pedigree with AF Band and Drummer's Collective teacher. The irony is, they are desperately in need of me, because they have no equipment to speak of, and no one in the music department really knows anything about percussion. I offered to help for free even, but hiring me is the only way that can go apparently.

Blogs are for ranting and that's what this is, so sorry it's so negative. Hopefully the next post will be full of positive stories, and wonderful anecdotes that make all this seem like a dream, but for now...this is how it is.

Randini