Yes. Yes he is.
So is this a lot, or are we over-reacting. (there are also electronic drum pads back there. Ten drums by my count.)
Originally Posted by undercool
Yes. Yes he does.
So is this a lot, or are we over-reacting. (there are also electronic drum pads back there. Ten drums by my count.)
Originally Posted by undercool
If someone was carrying their weight and musically solid then it doesn't seem like a deal breaker, but it seems pretty damn weird. I have never known a drummer who brought pieces of a kit they didn't even use to a gig.
Granted - it's a good size kit, but again, hard to tell from the picture as to just how bad the sprawl is. The stuff that appears to be sticking in your craw - like the cowbells seem to be "vertical" and the stand legs seem to be "woven" in there pretty tight. Will you truly reclaim much stage space if he leaves that home? Is his footprint truly that big of a deal - or it is that you just feel it's overkill?
1) The pic doesn't make the footprint seem all that huge, to me. Cluttered, but then who am I to talk?
2) He may have stuff pre-attached to stuff (the technical description), so that it's maybe slightly easier to set up WITH all the stuff instead of mixing and matching for a specific gig.
3) We've often altered a planned set list on the fly, so unexpected "need" for a specific cowbell (or whatever) may be in the back of his mind, may be driving the "bring everything" approach.
4) It helps to have every piece placed exactly the same, every time, all the time... 'cause sometimes we're not aiming a stick at a specific instrument, we're aiming at where that instrument always lives. That may be guiding his plan...
5) If it turns out set-up time (and time spent being in your way, holding up your own progress) is actually the real underlying issue, you might discuss a rack system with him. There are pros and cons. We don't play out much anymore, but I can set up my full kit in about 15-20 minutes, I think, starting from "everything nearby." (Full 270° rack, 5 hanging toms (if I take all 5), 3 cymbals, a couple "side tables," cowbell, wood block, metronome -- all attached to the rack. The rack itself is 3 pieces, ties together quickly, some of the stuff is always attached, i.e., even during transit. Comparing to your pic, my full kit looks to be about the same amount of space he's using. If I cut some stuff out... I'd still take up the same amount of space...)
6) If he's loading all his stuff both in and out, without whining for help from the rest of you...
-D44
The moral of the story here may be that "each person has their own drives and goals." Maybe he just REALLY wants to use and show off all the toys he's accumulated?
I am tempted to call him a weirdo, though.
Originally Posted by ckcondon
Theres absolutely zero reason for him to need to face totally front of stage...Cheat the angle of the kit one way or another so he's got his back more parallel to one of the walls, you will be amazed at how much space seems to open up.
As a drummer I really dislike being stuck in a corner like that. Sometimes there isn't much to do but it does create wasted space. In my last band we played several gigs at a small bar where the "stage" area was rectangular with a half wall separating it from the rest of the bar along the long side. The bar manager wanted the open end of the rectangle free for dancers (which were rare) so we could not spread out along the long wall.The short side was glass to the outside with a bench seat. Perhaps 10 feet wide by 18 long. Everyone wanted me in the corner at an angle so we could face out at an angle. The place was so small it didn't matter. I got there first and set my rug up square to walls and with enough room on my left to place a Bose L1 Model 1 plus stacked Bose subs against the bench seat...and still squeeze out. It was weird but it left a lot more room. Lead guitarist stood pretty much in front of me. Another Bose L1 was on my right with the bassist next to it. Lead singer/guitarist was more or less in front of bassist. They were mostly angled a bit to the right while I faced straight ahead.
I used to drag a fair amount of **bleep** but learned fairly quickly to downsize. I moved to a rack but after dropping two of four toms I don't think it made a lot of difference in setup time and nearly the same footprint. As others have mentioned a 4-piece kit, hats, two crashes and a ride will cover really anything. Unless covering the Outfield's Your Love, in which case a china is needed for the 2741 times it is hit in that 3 min song. Add a splash clamped on a tom arm so it doesn't take up any additional space and gives color, clamp the cowbell to the kick and a jam block & tambourine to the hats for Alice In Chain's No Excuses, and I was all set 
Oh yeah and a mini timbale on the rack. I'll post a photo if I can find one and figure out how.
Went to see the guys just this past Friday and their new drummer plays a small Gretsch kit. The boys have all kinds of room on stage now! It sounded just fine although now that I think about it I did not hear No Excuses! I'm working on a blues trio now and replaced the timbale with a tom and dropped the toys hanging off the hats.
Just waiting to see if John is browsing this thread You guys did sound great!
Roger
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