C. Anthony’s blog

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Mesa, Arizona.  Fans of Crash Street Kids lined the fence at Falcon Field to get a glimpse of their favorite Crash Street Kids, kid. The foursome stopped to greet the excited followers before boarding a flight to an undisclosed location to wrap up recording of their third album; due to be release in May.

The excited fans yelled and screamed, as Crash Street Kids walked out onto the tarmac, holding up signs and offering up whatever they could find to have autographed; the more bold of the fans baring a shoulder or tummy for the chance of a signature.

As the foursome boarded the Gulfstream jet, they paused for a final wave to the crowd before disappearing into the plane.

For more information about their record release and touring dates visit Crash Street Kids on their website at:

www.crashstreetkids.com

Just a few shots of me working out on my ever-expanding drum kit. I just hung a new crash cymbal which was purchased from Smart Trigger, a company which makes a wide range of electronically triggered cymbals which are very realistic in weight, feel, and response to their acoustic counterparts. I was very impressed with my new cymbal and will be adding the ride, china, and hi-hat cymbals next.

www.smarttrigger.com

Tug is the leading manufacturer of airline ground support equipment and this was my first visit to our corporate office in Marietta, GA. I am sure everyone has seen the little tractors whizzing around the airfield and the loaders putting baggage onto the aircraft, and chances are, the tractor that pushed your aircraft off the gate was built by Tug.

I manage the Phoenix, AZ location at Sky Harbor International Airport and recently had the opportunity to visit the factory and get a first hand look behind the scenes of what goes into building a Tug baggage tractor or Tug belt loader. The factory is laid out in three lanes for the various equipment being assembled. Similar to Henry Ford's conception of mass production and assembly lines, the equipment starts as a frame and moves along the assembly line while the many parts are moved into position for installation.

Enjoy the photo's and feel free to visit our home page for more information on our equipment.

www.tugtech.com

I got to play band-rowdey for the night as I accompanied Glass Heroes for a show in Tempe, Arizona. Everyone met at The Club House musical venue and once we finished the greetings and a few drinks I helped A.D, my musical drum-master, assemble his kit and prepare for their performance. For them I am sure it was another "gig" but for me, it was a taste of the life of a performer and all that goes into making a live show a hit.

The cozy crowd of about 200 gathered around the elevated stage as some other acts came and went. The Heroes took the stage and exploded into a burst of musical energy, A.D's arms and elbows, moving in all directions, his eyes closed in concentration while Steve jumped from the drum riser with full-circle arm movements reminiscent of the "Who's" Pete Townsand. 

Between songs, Steve and Keith would inter-act with the crowd with homorus tales and banter before bursting into another number. I was impressed to see the crowd signing along, doing their best air-guitar, dancing and clearly enjoying themselves. There's an energetic "give-and-take" during a show that takes place between performer and the fans which adds to the expierence of a live show.

The Heroes finished for the night with a very sincere and rowdey response from the crowd and I got my first live, behind-the-scenes expeirence of being in a rock band complete with hang-over.

The Drums 022

The Drums 018

The Drums 016

The drum kit just got a little bigger. I added the Pintech insturments this week which brought me up to a full compliment of drums. The cymbals are not the best, being nothing more that plastic circles with trigger sensors mounted on them and the hi-hat is very tiny so those will be the next up-grades.

I combined the frame work of the Roland and Pintech into one structure which supports my pads nicely with very little vibration. Becasue I am using more pads than the processor will support, I have to use two. For this I run the main portion of the kit through the Roland module and my added pads are controled with a Yamaha RM-50 drum processor. It acts as a slave to the Roland module and is a great tool for getting the unusual sounds assigned to the other pads.  

It certainly was like something from Oz when this brightly colored rainbow arched across the eastern sky of Phoenix. In the west, the clouds broke open, freeing the setting sun's energy and producing a panoramic view of colors that seemed to stretch from South Mountain to Camelback Mountain.

The rain clouds passed between the sun and rainbow to create a ribbon of dancing colors in crisp brilliance in contrast to the gray storm clouds. Approaching aircraft would break through the thick clouds, passing right through the rainbow as if coming out of a wrinkle in time to safely land in the present.   

So, there I am behind my partially completed kit, minus cymbals and just a few other needed instruments, but I'm having fun. This was once my master bedroom converted into a very cozy practice studio. Living in a condo there are certain limitations for a drummer; neighbors being the biggest one. I'm running all Roland pads and a Yamaha drum machine which will later be used for added inputs. 

I have been working with a local musician, A.D Adams, who plays for Crash Street Kids and Glass Heroes and I can not say enough about this gifted man. Not only for his musicianship but for his unique style of teaching. His passion and love of music is exemplified through his presentation and encouraging nature.

It's an experience! 

Glass Heroes

Just as a thank you to Steve for hooking me up with A.D I wanted to promote the new Glass Heroes release and invite everyone to visit the Glass Heroes home page.

Steve, I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll see you at our third place.