Cris Cohen: When you join an existing band, how do you honor what came before -- in terms of the drummers who sat in that throne before -- but also make space to express yourself and show what you have to offer? Drummer Mike Vanderhule of Y&T: Good question. First thing I do is learn everything the way it was done originally, so I can sound like the record first and foremost. And then as you get to know them, they'll let you know where you have freedom to play other parts. As a kid coming up, any band I was into, you go to a concert and you want to hear songs played the way we knew it. So those are the key parts, the sound you want it to have. But we have a lot of places where we stretch out and I can't help but sound like myself. Client Laura Tate: My father was an opera singer and vocal coach. We struggled. As a young girl, I wanted to have a piano or a guitar, but my family couldn't afford it. I created the Laura Tate Fund for the Arts to bridge those gaps. The Fund raises money to provide children -- children who don't have anything -- with instruments, lessons, etc. I think the arts enrich people's lives. Whether they become professional musicians or not, it still gives them a sense of what it's all about. It gives them a way to express themselves.
-- Bands To Fans: Helping musicians tell their story I am working on a special project for Huey Lewis & The News. It involves reading through documentation of every day, person, instrument, and location involved in the creation of one song.
I love this kind of stuff. |
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