Hot Rods Tipper

I had a wonderful opportunity this past week to visit with one of the top bodhrán players in the world, Martin O'Neill. He had with him an interesting-looking tipper, which I asked about. He explained that it was a modified ProMark Hot Rods drumstick. So, taking more inspiration from Mr. O'Neill, I picked up my own set of hot rods and set about an imitation hotrod-tipper of my own.

The unaltered Hot Rods drumstick is far too long for regular bodhrán playing. It was a simple bit of sawing to get the stick to the desired length.

A short amount of time with some 320-grit sandpaper was all it took to smooth off the rough end and make the stick easy on the goatskin.

And, that's it. The tipper sounds great. It's a bit heavier than some of my other tippers, which along with the rounded edges produces a nice warm bass thump. The nineteen birch rods make a nice click as well. Many thanks to Mr. O'Neill for the tip(per). :o)

My Way: A Tribute To Frank Sinatra

I was lucky enough to be invited by a friend to perform in "My Way: A Tribute To Frank Sinatra" over this past weekend (7/31 - 8/1/2009). The performance was in Sioux City, IA. It was a great couple of nights; we played to around 1,300 people over the two shows and received standing ovations for both performances. During Friday's performance, we started to get some severe weather around intermission. Randy Peters, the artistic director and his crew moved the entire performance indoors; not a small task. The audience patiently waited for another full setup and sound check, and stuck with us through the second act. What a great group of folks!

The ensemble was as follows:
Sandy Henry (Vocalist)
Don Nelson (Bassist)
Stephen Morrow (Vocalist)
Brad Halbersma (Pianist)
Brenda Ashley (Vocalist)
Kimberly Bata (Percussionist)
Charlie Reese (Vocalist)

I've certainly gained an entirely new appreciation for Sinatra and his music. Among the ensemble pieces, I had several feature solos, including:

"I've Got The World On A String"
"Fly Me To The Moon"
"The Lady Is A Tramp"
"My Lean Baby"
"I've Got You Under My Skin"
"(Love Is) The Tender Trap"
"One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)"
"Summer Wind"
"That's Life"


A full list of the songs from the performance (58!)

And here is an online announcement from the local paper:

Sioux City Journal: Songs of Ol' Blue Eyes presented

I cannot thank the cast and crew enough for letting me be a part of this wonderful show!