Tales of a percussionist

TOP#1 Aug. 17, 2008 

In this episode, I introduce myself, and tell you all what I have been up too.

-links

www.confederationc.on.ca

 

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Hey Everybody:

OK, I have to set this up a little bit. As a member of the worship team at Redwood Park Church, we play a 15 to 20 minute set for every service, including 2 on sunday morning. Because of that, we tend to spend the entire morning at the church. We rehearse and soundcheck a about 8:00 am, finish that about 9:00, then the first service starts at 9:15 am. Now, after the worship set in the first service everything is fine. However after the worship set in the second service, it looks like a bomb went off in the green room. Lifeless bodies on the couches, the chairs, and the wall is usually holding up a couple people as well. That is when I ask myself, “why do I do this?” Well these are the reasons why.

   1)Music is my passion. I have a love for music that will never fade. And since passion comes from God, I beleive I am doing what he has meant me to do.

   2)Music is an escape for me. For those 15 to 20 minutes during a worship set, there is nothing running through my head except for the music and lyrics of the songs, nothing negative. No bill collectors knocking at your door. No bookies or goons looking to take your thumbs. Just the sweet serenity and ambience of worship.

    3)What I feel to be the Most important reason. I tend to be a very charasmatic performer. For those of you who have seen me play, I really get into my music mind, body and soul. Most times I have a hard time moving after a worship set because I spend so much energy playing. In essence, I really know how to get an audience involved. I feel God has given me that charisma to help bring the congregation or audience a little deeper into worship, thereby creating a deeper and more meaningful worship experience. And I feel it is a part of my duty as a performer to do this.

Well, there you have it. Normally I do not go as deep as this, but I felt I really needed to post this. Any Way…Keep Bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

Well last night marked the return of my HERO Duane “Dog” Chapman…aka “Dog” the bounty hunter. I know what you are going to say before you even say it. “Didn’t his show get pulled off the air because of racism?” The fact of the matter is that YES it did. Dog made a huge mistake well he was extremely tired, and when tapes roll…EVERYTHING GETS RECORDED. However he has payed for his lapse of judgemant, and is back on the air. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of how he became the worlds greatest bounty hunter, I will give you the same condensed version he gave last night. One night in 1976 Duane Chapman was sitting in a jail cell, when he heard the LORD speaking to him. “Change your ways”, the Lord said to Duane “and you will help change others.” Here we are 32 years later and that is exactly what he is doing. With the word of GOD on his tounge, and love in his heart he has given so many people a second chance. A chance to change their direction in life. 

Now on to the part about why I look up to him. As you can imagine, a person reformed as much as Dog is, would be a great role modle for someone like me. I have been following Duane Chapman ever since I first heard about him in the mid 90’s when I got my first internet connection. Since then I have been fascinated with his life, and how he chooses to even put his life on the line, just to help someone change their life. He cares for people who would generally be slapped in prison because of one little mistake. He cares for those who generally no one else would care about. When you sit and think about it, is this not what Jesus did as well? Now I am not comparing Dog to Jesus. I am just saying that Duane Chapman is truly a man of God. And that is what is so inspiring about his story and what he does for people.

Now that you know a little of his story you can check out his official website for more info at  www.dogthebountyhunter.com  if you are interested…Keep Bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

Did it ever ocur to you that as a child TGIF was in effect? Now for some reason more and more business are working Saturdays as well. Instead of a 5 day work week, it has now been turned to 6. I remember as a child, poking fun at those who worked hard long hours. We made fun of them. Now here we are about 20 years later, and we are working twice as hard as THEY did, just to make ends meet. Could it be the factor of inflation? Or maybe the fact that the general cost of living has gone up? I don’t think so. I think it is the fact of gas being over a dolllar a liter. People are working all this extra time, just to fill the tank. It is times like this, that I thank GOD I can’t drive. Well, figure this. You have to buy the vehicle. Most times it’s roughly around $10,000. Add in the insurance, and things like that, and it can be allready pretty expensive. Now factor in the price of gas, and it is no wonder a lot of people now have a 6 day work week. Could the price of gas be hiked to help slow down global warming? I don’t know for sure? All I know is what I see. More people in car pools. More people taking the bus. More people biking or walking into work. I have seen this whole thing shift right before my eyes. Personally I think that people were not scared of the thought of global warming, and so they had to be pressured into it. Like I said, I don’t know for sure, but that’s my theory behind the gas prices. Afterall it is defenetly not the first time the governmant has done this to us. Keep Bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

Well it is officail. As of this September I will be playing once again with the MacGillivray Pipe Band of Thunder Bay. I went to go listen to the badn last Thursday as they were playing a gig only a few minutes away from my house. I must say that I missed the sound of the pipes & drums. A sound I have known all my life. In my mind, 17 years was enough. After some time off though, I feel like after giving the band 17 years of working together and entertaining people should be thrown away. I will enjoy the rest of my summer, then join up with them in the fall.

Aslo is Scoot’s news….it’s a workin’ man I am, But I don’t go underground….I go to a place called Pack Pros Plus. I generally sort and pack e-waste. Things like old computers, monitors, tvs, sterios, and generaly old electronics. It might not be the job I was expecting to find after graduating from the college with a Business Marketing Diploma, but to tell you the truth…I love doing this kind of stuff more. Not only am I helping the environment, I am also slowly getting into better shape. Which is good for someone of my size. The only downside is the commute…just over an hour on a city bus. AHWell…you can’t win them all. I get to opportunity to help the environmant, get into better shape, and work with some AWESOME people. Can life get any better than this? Stay tuned and see…keep bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

Sorry I did not post anything earlier, but I was just too busy. Any way, let’s get into the analysis of the Phillidelphia vs Pitsburgh series. Normally these two teams would be evenly matched, however the Flyers seem to be cooling off as the Penguins seem to be heating up. Personally I think Malkin deserves a cup run the way he has played. Crosby is good as long as he stays healthy. That is the strong point for the Pens. Crosby is there to win faceoffs and set up Malkin for a shot or 2. Add in the play of Marian Hossa, who I have loved since his begining years in the league, and you have the recipe for success. As long as the deffence stays strong I think we could see a sweep for the Pens. As for the Dallas vs Detroit series, man what a shocker. Detroit is playing some absolutly amazing hockey. They are a team on a mission. As I said the other day, they remind me of the OLD detroit days. Back in the day about 10 years ago, they were the team to beat. It was the deffensive teams like Detroit, Colorado, and New Jersey that dominated then. The way I see it, Pitsburgh vs Detroit in the final. What type of game will win out? Will it be the strong offense of the Pens or the strong deffence of the Wings? I have a feeling the final round will take 7 games to settle. Any way, 4 game sweep on both sides. We will see what happens…keep bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

After watching most of the Detroit, Dallas game last night, it almost seems I went back in time. The Redwings were playing the old pattened “Defensive Offense” the same way they did about a decade or so ago. Back then it was all about Yzerman, Kozlov and Federoff. Now it’s names like Zetterberg, and Franzen. I tell you ir was beautiful. Very similar to the Scotty Bowman Wings of the 90’s. And also who ever said Franzen was a fourth liner had absolutly no idea what they were talking about. Someone lite the fire under him, and looked what happened. Turco however had a terrable game. Dallas, playing their typical physical game gave up FAR TOO MANY penalties. Turco made some great saves, but the Dallas deffence really needs some work. Being an “aggressive offence” minded team, it really does not work that well against a deffensive powerhouse like Detroit. Personally I felt that Dallas dependad on Marty Turco a little TOO much. He is after all only a man, and is entittled to an off night now and then. But when the Dallas players are caught up ice, most times there is only one deffence and Turco deffending the net. Dallas is an offensive powerhouse, but the only way they are going to win is to think more deffensivly. There is a time for an all out attack, and a time to deffend. The Stars normally do that, however MOST of their good defenders were in the box when they were needed. Dallas really needs to forget about the hitting, and play STRONG deffense. That is the only way they will beat the Wings. Now onto Chriss Osgood. The reason I feel Dallas lost the game was that they were now up against a Strong Deffensive team, and an even stronger goalie. Knowing this they should have realized that they would not get as many shots on goal as they normally would. Therefore, if the shot count is going to be lower, you must lower the shot count of your opponents. Dallas being the stronger offensive team should win out. I the Stars stay out of the box, and play a stronger deffensive game, then they should have no problem with the Wings. Any way that’s my breakdown of the Western Conference Final. Stay Tuned for the Eastern Conference Final…Keep Bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

Well it is now official. Montreal could not get it done. They came close a few times, but still not enough. This may be a loss for them, but it was defenetly a gain for us spectators. Although they are out, they introduced us to Carey Price. I tell you know, that this is NOT the last time we will see Carey Price in the playoffs. Also, Montreal got their without the help of their cpt. Saku Koivu. Whose career I have been fascinated with for many years. He only came back from an injury at the begining ofthe series with Phillidelphia. Montreal should be very proud of the season they had. And what can be said about the Flyers goaltender Martin Biron. He was absolutly amazing at times. But the strongest factor for the Flyers was R.J. Umerger. 8 goals in 5 back to back games is unbelieveable. Although 2 or 3 were kind of questionable. When the series started, I thought for sure Montreal would win, as Price notched a shutout in game one. For a rookie goaltender, that’s awesome. I beleive it will be people like Price and Marc-Andre Fleury that will lead the goaltending for the next generation. Move over Hasek, Kiprisoff, and Brodeur a new generation of goaltenders has arrived.

Keep Bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

Well, tonight there was a glimmer of hope for Montreal, the game came down to the last few minutes. Philidelphia was up 2 to 0 until about the last 6 minutes. Montreal got 2 goals in 11 seconds to tie the game. Then came an extremely STUPID penalty against Montreal to give Philly the powerplay, which they scored on. For one breif moment, I thought maybe Montreal could pull it off…however thanks to a stupid ref…that was not the case. Which begs the question. If you call one team for holding and not the other…is that not fixing a game? Personally, I think NHL refs get away with too much of it…especially in the playoffs. And the call tonight was absolutly blaitant. If these refs keep doing this and it actually affects the outcome of a game, why are they not suspended, or at least thrown out of a game? Could it be that the higher ups (as in nhl execs or nhlpa execs) are giving orders to make sure a certain team looses? Well I don’t know for sure…but I defenetly smell a lot of BULL when it affects the outcome of an important game like it did tonight. If a player were to throw a game (play lousy on porpose), they are investigated. However when a ref affects a game he gets away with it. THAT’S CRAP…personally the refs should be investigated as well and punnished accordingly. Any way, that’s my 2 cents on the matter…Keep Bloggin’

Hey Everybody:

As you can see I changed the title around a little bit. Still the same old adventures however. I also wanted to say that Montreal is my pick for the Eastern Conference. So I am saying Dallas vs Montreal for the Stanley Cup. KEEP HOPE ALIVE CANADA, the cup may come north of the border sooner than a lot of people think. For my subbies who are die hard Maple Leaf fans, I think ALL the present members of the Leafs should switch to professional GOLF instead, considering all the time they have been spending on the greens the last few years…just kidding…YES I do like the Leafs, it’s the GM and the people that run the team that I don’t like. But that’s another story entirely. Any way yeah…Dallas vs Montreal for the cup…we shall see what happens…keep bloggin’