So, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a Friday Drum launch. Hell, it’s been awhile since I posted regularly! The reason for this is pretty simple:  A few weeks ago, I was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident and it’s taken me a little time to get back into the swing of things again. In short, I’m back!

Today’s Friday Drum Launch features a guy I’ve long tried to emulate: Chad Smith. While certainly not the flashiest drummer to ever grace the stage, Chad’s sense of groove, time and unadulterated energy make him one of my favorite. Man, if I had a dollar for every hour I spent playing along to Red Hot Chili Peppers tracks in my studio, I wouldn’t need a day job any more.

While the RHCP’s sound has changed a great deal over the years, Chad’s drumming has remained incredibly consistent and nuanced. While I listened to albums like One Hot Minute and By The Way to check out Chad’s drumming, I didn’t really dig the albums. At all.

That is until Stadium Arcadium was released in 2006. I finally heard some of the magic of their earlier albums coalescing well with a mature approach to the songwriting. And, of course, Chad had some unbelievable tracks on it as well.

Which brings me to today’s Friday Drum Launch. This video looks to be from a clinic Chad did for Sabian in 2007 where he jams along to Readymade from Stadium Arcadium. Sure, there are some standard clinic embellishments in his playing, but the groove is just so slick, it doesn’t matter. Enjoy!

For those of you who frequent this little percussive corner of the interwebs, you might recall a post I put up last year about a charity event called The Big Beat. This event gathers drummers in several cities throughout the country to play the same groove at the same time. It’s a simple concept, but very cool and extremely fun. And most importantly the event raises money for a cause that should be near and dear to every musician’s heart:  The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates musical instruments to underserved schools, community music programs and individual students nationwide.

The biggest difference from last year is that The Big Beat is rumbling into St. Louis this year! Our local Five-Star drum shop, Drum Headquarters, along with ten other shops around the country, will coordinate The Big Beat on Sunday, November 1st. The event will take place at the Family Arena is St. Charles, MO.

The festivities will kick off at 11:00 AM and there will be a ton of fun activities in which to participate throughout the day, including live music, opportunities for all participants to play along with a band at the same time, plus raffles and giveaways of more that $12,000.00 worth of percussion gear from some of the industry’s best-known manufacturers. Also, one lucky attendee in one of the eleven cities will win a kick drum head with the Rush “Snakes & Arrows” artwork and autographed by Neil Peart. Nice!

The day will reach its summit at 4:45 PM CDT when all the drummers in each of the eleven participating cities begin playing the same beat in unison at exactly the same time. This will be coordinated via streaming Internet video with each local conductor following the primary conductor who will be in Seattle. This will be the largest collection of drummers ever assembled to play in unison like this, so you’ll want to be there!

What’s more, the event is open to everyone:  Experienced, novice and non-players alike. Even if you’ve never played drums before, you can register for the Big Beat, bring a hand drum and participate in the event from the seats of the Family Arena.

Here is the complete schedule for the day:

• 11:00am: Drum Set check-in / load-in opens at the loading dock entrance at the rear of the Family Arena. Raffle table opens.
• 12:00pm: Take part in the Big Beat Band sound check. The first raffle drawing follows the sound check. World’s Fastest Drummer competition opens.
• 12:30pm: Play along with the Big Beat Band, followed by raffle drawings.
• 1:30pm: Play along with the Big Beat Band, Drum Set Big Beat rehearsal, followed by raffle drawings.
• 2:00pm: Hand Percussion check-in opens in the front lobby of the Family Arena.
• 2:30pm: Play along with the Big Beat Band, followed by raffle drawings and fundraising awards presentation.
• 3:00pm: Hand Percussion Big Beat rehearsal.
• 3:30pm: Drum Set / Hand Percussion Big Beat rehearsal. World’s Fastest Drummer competition closes.
• 4:00pm: Final raffle drawings and World’s Fastest Drummer awards presentation.
• 4:45pm: Perform the Big Beat with over 1200 drummers in 11 cities in the world’s largest multi-city drum set event via an internet video connection.
• 5:00pm: The Big Beat STL 2009 comes to a close. Tear down and load out.
• The schedule of events can change without notice. Watch DrumHeadquarters.com and your email inbox for updates

How do you register? It’s easy. You can register online today by visiting the Drum Headquarters online store or download the registration form and drop it off with your $10 registration fee at Drum Headquarters in Maplewood, MO.

If you’re not interested in attending The Big Beat but would like to make a donation to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, you can make it via a FirstGiving web site setup for this event.

The Big Beat St. Louis is presented by Drum Headquarters, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Five-Star Drum Shops. Other sponsors include DW Drums, Sabian, Mapex, Pro-Mark, Istanbul Cymbals, Regal Tip, Direct Sound Extreme Isolation Headphones, Dream Cymbals and Gongs, Computer Solutions, Shirts Anytime and Whitney Design Works.

If you have any questions about the event, be sure to check out these great FAQs, or you can contact me or Jim Uding and the crew at Drum Headquarters.

As far as drumming events go, it doesn’t get more fun or more impactful than The Big Beat. Rather than spending a Sunday afternoon lying around watching football, why not spend $10 and come hang out with your fellow drummers, do some playing, win some cool gear and make a difference for young musicians all over the country.