Reading Walt's observations regarding the ebbing of IMW's activity lately in November's newsletter, it got me thinking that I'm indeed a part of that trend, and on a personal, introspective level, wondering why. To that end, please bear with me as I attempt to bore the skin off of you with my "story", which may or may not be similar others that might be MIA...at IMW. I'm not criticisng anything or anyone, but admitting something about myself that may be or have been experienced by others in my boat...or not.
I wanted to play drums.
I had dabbled with guitar and violin off and on for many years, but drums were what I wanted to play. I had convinced my wife that I would stick with the drums if I could just get a kit. I got the kit. Then, I soon realized after I remembered how to hold the sticks and play a few rudiments learned during my high school marching band days, that drums are not an instrument to be played for hours...alone...with no accompaniment. Cranking up your stereo and playing along (poorly) to Led Zepplin II or Back In Black gets really annoying to a spouse...or a neighbor...or even a house cat. In fact, it gets pretty annoying to the perpetrator, too.
The only way I was going to stay interested (and keep my drums) was to find someone to play with. Since I had no 3 dimensional friends who played anything, or if they did, were not interested in re-living their youth by spending their free time jamming with me at my house and, like me, had lost all hope in impressing chicks, I started looking for a website that catered to amateurs like me and encouraged collaborations via the internet. I found one, and soon became active as the resident hack drummer who would try anything, just to be playing. It was a total blast...for awhile. Then, because of egos or other emotionally inspired conflicts or whatever, the owners of that site decided that I and a couple others including Walt, were no longer welcome as members. We were banned, and the rest is history.
Walt soon rescued us by building IMW, sinking unimaginable time and money of his own to make it happen. At last, we would be among like-minded folks with a sense of humor who just wanted to play music together and have a few laughs...via the internet. While IMW has been great for developing friendships and a source of great independently produced and performed music from around the world, the collaborations among members just weren't happening...for me, anyway. I did however, develop a relationship with Brian Futch once I learned that we lived about a mile from each other, and eventually we formed a band (Red Velvet Mojo). The band has been my sole outlet for playing and my musical salvation, but I still miss collaborating with my e-friends.
So far, I have only collaborated on perhaps two songs at IMW since it's inception. Unfortunately for me, I'm not creative enough to write and perform my own stuff, so I've had to ride the coattails of more talented folks who would permit me to participate. That's no one's fault but mine.
I don't know what happened, but it seems like the desire to jam and just play together via the web withered away for the people with whom I used to play with / for. So, while waiting for someone more creative than me to come up with something I could play to (and would ask me to), I spent my first year on IMW trying to be funny, or pissing people off with my thinly veiled political opinions. In the chat rooms during the radio shows, early on, I just blurted out sarcastic quips that eventually only a few members who "got me" were able to relate to. The others who didn't know me - now the majority - probably thought I was a mentally handicapped shut-in with Tourette Syndrome, and thus, politely ignored me.
My point is this...all I ever wanted to do was play music with other people...anywhere, any time. I'm not the type to sit and listen to music just to listen to music. I stopped doing that when the remains of my last joint circled the toilet bowl for the last time about 30 years ago. I don't go to concerts. I don't go to clubs just to hear a band play. I don't watch golf, but I love to play it. I don't watch baseball, but I will be the first one at the field when someone suggests a pick-up game, even if I'm the last one picked or not picked at all. In other words, I'm not much of a spectator, and I'm an impatient and unattentive (rude) audience. Good or bad, right or wrong, my joy of music comes from playing. I appreciate it when people listen to me play, but honestly, if no one was in the room other than me and the band, I would still be loving every minute of it.
Don't get me wrong, I do love and appreciate good music and I do listen to music most of the day....while I'm doing other things. But I can't remember the last time I sat and listened to an album / CD. (I think it was Steely Dan's "Katy Lied" album...the day it was released...when I had my Advents pointed at my overstuffed couch from 6 feet away, with a bong in my hand) Now, it either moves me or it doesn't, and I don't care why...either way. If that makes me insensitive, selfish, unsophisticated, or whatever, oh well.
So, I would love to be an active participant in making music at IMW. With anyone who cares to allow me to. On the other hand, I know that programming fake drums or using MIDI gadgetry is a lot easier for the modern music creator, and the results can be "better" at times depending on what particular program or plug-in or whatever the user can afford, and what the creator is looking for. "Perfect" sounding drums, played in "perfect" MIDI controlled time, cut & paste choruses and verses, easily editable, with no no snare buzz, stick clicks, cymbal clang, kick pedal squeaks, etc. I get the attraction some might have to that. But maybe that's the "problem". Good quality "perfect" acoustic drum sounds have become more affordable and accessible to anyone with enough RAM and a desire to use them in place of the real thing. I'm not a purest snob...honest! I'm just saying, technology has made what I love to do an inconvenience for the online music collaborator.
So maybe that's why I've drifted away, I don't honestly know.
But I do know that I need to play drums. Sloppy, clangy, loud, squeaky drums.
Rylie Bishop
