About Me
Times are especially hard on us involved in the arts. To give you a good value for your money, I'm including a free live drum circle CD with all orders of my 2 hour DVD, "101 Drum Circle Rhythms" from my website. It's $17 including shipping to your door for both.
Also my new 300 pg. book, "A Practical Guide To Hand Drumming And Drum Circles" finally got published. It's $17.95 Have a look at my drum circle finder also and see what's going on around you. Free drum circle mp3's and more. Check them all out at my site drumcircles.net
If you dig the track playing, or some of the other ones, I have a variety of drum circle CDs for $5 each you can buy from me direct at my site. The proceeds help with drum repairs, replacing mutilated tambourines, etc.
You can also buy a single MP3 or 2 at CD Baby with the link below, or by visiting CDbaby.com
Thanks for helping to support independent artisits and music.
Below is a clip from my 2 hour 101 Drum Circle Rhythms DVD. Please check out a rhythm or two. I priced it low so everyone, can afford to enjoy drumming more. The entire DVD is up close and personal. You can see the sounds created. It's available at drumcircles.net or on Amazon for a few bucks more.
101 Drum Circle Rhythms DVD Sample
You might notice what looks like a ring on my finger while I'm drumming. It's a wedding band tattoo. Guess that's a real commitment eh? Thanks! LoL
drumcircles.net
I hope you enjoy your visit here, and maybe meet a few of my friends. I like to give away something free when you visit my website. Especially to those of you who have helped to support drum circles around the world, and what I do for a living. You can download a 25 minute belly dancing drum jam mp3 free there. Global drum circle finders, 100's of drummer jokes, and some other reasonably cool stuff. drumcircles.net
I worked as a musician/character actor in Hollywood for 14 years. I enjoyed jamming out at the Venice Beach drum circle every Sunday. It was my form of therapy to help deal with all the rejections. The average for booking a commercial is 1 in 83 auditions. That's a little tough on you over time.
The real acting in that industry was is in getting hired. The actual job was like a reward. That I found challenging and fun. But there is major ups and downs working professionally as an actor. The feeling of euphoria when you get a big job is hard to describe. There is nothing like the rush of walking out on live TV in front of a studio audience, (and 20 million people watching) There is like this wall of energy. Whoosh! On the other hand, being up for a big role that's just between you and someone else and then they choose him, after like 3 callbacks, that was equally devistating. You just had to get back up off your butt and go after the next one. Sometimes it wasn't very easy.
It's amazing how hand drumming can heal you both emotionally and physically. I never really made it big as an actor, but I was very blessed to be able to work a lot, and managed to make a living doing what I really loved to do. Just to get work in that industry is a miracle in itself. I was very fortunate to be able to earn a living for as long as I did.
If you've got this dream man, I say go for it. It could be possible if you work hard at it. Don't regret that you didn't try it. Even if they all say to you can't make it. And they did. It made me all the more determined. If I could offer any advice it would be to go for it if you can, then you won't always have to wonder...What If I did'nt persue my dream?
So the short story of it is, off I went to Hollywood with a suitcase full of junk and $2000. Yeah, to be honest, I was a little scared. I had done some regional work, but this was the Big leagues. You compete with the best in the world for roles in anything on TV, Films, even Commercials. Thay said LA has an actor on every street corner. They were right. It took like a year, before I landed a big job. I thought I might never get one. I had like 30 call backs for roles, but just couldn't land the big one...and I was starting to doubt myself. "Man, am I ever going to get a job in this town?" I thought. Most actors who go out there, last a year, and go back to Paduka. But finally it happened, and I then went on to make a pretty decent living doing really stupid stuff. People start to recognize you on the street when you have 3 or 4 commercials running like 20 times a day. I miss it a little now and then.
I posted a few pics above from some of the crazier acting jobs I did, and there's a few strange acting and funny casting stories on my blog.
90% of the work I did was comedy, but I did get to do a little bit of drama. (but it was rare, Hollywood saw me as a comedy guy, and that was pretty much it. The town chooses who you are, you just have to recognize it, be able to accept it, and go with it.
I did get to play a Romulan officer charactor pretty regularly. That was cool. Star Trek The Next Generation. It was like a childhood dream come true. I grew up watching Science Fiction stuff as a kid, and I used to pretend I was on The Enterprise. I never imagined I would actually be on it someday. I couldn't help but think to myself almost now and then on the set..."and I'm getting paid for this?" (Dude, I've have paid them. I think most people would. Especially those guys at those conventions.)
Of course when you are on the set, you're working. Word of mouth gets around, and you have to keep your working face on, but I was always kind of secretly happy inside working on that show. I never dreamed I would ever be beaming up someplace, blasting phasers at the good guys, and all kinds of other cool stuff. Getting "beamed " in was one of the most difficult things to do, believe it or not...
There's a picture of me above from Star Trek in my Romulan get-up. The job was like this...A 4 am call time on the set, then 3 hour make up session in a chair, air brushed, Gluing rubber face "appliances" on you, wigs, etc. then zip you off to wardrobe. The costume was one piece! It had to be removed from the back by someone else. How embarrassing was that trying to take a leak?
So actual work time starts around 8am - 10pm. Then after the fun part of working, At like 10pm it was 2 more hours getting all that make up and medical glue off of you. Man, after 10 hours of wearing that stuff on your entire face, you want it off...badly. For days after, I was always picking pieces of it out of my hair. LoL I didn't care.
Mike Westmore the head make up artist/designer once told me the make up job on me was over $5000 worth, and that celebrities would come in on Halloween to have him specially do it for them. Little did they know, it was over a 2 hour mudpack in a chair. Ha! Mike would always joke with me about my nose. "It needs no appliances! It's perfect schnoziemoto!" (appliances are the foam rubber crap they glue on you), or add ons, It's perfect looking just as is. He always had a new "big nose" joke for me every episode I worked on! I really appreciated them getting me out of there as quick as possible. These guys were like tatoo artists. Really skilled at what they do. But getting all that crap off you, was a bitch!
Anyway...Welcome to My "Space" - Live Long...and Prosper...
This is your brain on drums.
Why would a board certified Neurolgist prescribe drum circles for his patients? You can hear my radio interview with him, and it is fascinating to get his perspective on it. He's been attending our drum circle for over 6 months. Visit my website to listen to it. It's a free download.
Do leave a comment if you wish, but not just the "Thanks for the add" stuff. I'd appreciate if you actually say something, and I will as well.
Please, don't make me use the Romulan Cloaking Device...
If y'all are looking for a drum circle in the Tampa Bay area, there is over 9 that meet on a regular basis around these parts... For locations, days, and times, see "local drum circles" on my home page - drumcircles.net
