Nisky Dixie Cats

Chandler Rowell

The main credential for a drummer these days is that he owns a set of drums, secondarily that he can play it. If you are a packrat, drums are the instrument for you. All that stuff breaks down into only 4 parcels, bulky but easy to store. And you can have a career like this: 6 years of lessons in the grades, play in the school and college bands and orchestras, do a little country, rock-and-roll, jazz with groups on the side....then pack 'em up and put them away for 30 years.

Don't get rid of them (most people do)! Suddenly there will be lots of drummers, but only you will still have a drum set. (Don't worry, the spouses won't let them run out and drop a couple thousand on a musical whim.) Real musicians (i.e., people who can actually read music) will seek you out. They need you - young drummers wouldn't be caught dead playing Dixieland music. What an ego trip!

And there are other advantages. There's not a frustration in the world that can't be pounded into oblivion on a set of skins and cyms. Drummers can even do pet tricks -- our drummer just has to go near his set and the dog leaves the room. Speaking of family benefits, the kids frequently get lulled to sleep by an evening's drum-solo practice; and the wife helps the band by suggesting new stage stunts -- like setting the drums on fire.

But hey, drums are fun. After 30 years as a scientist, our drummer got a performance badge that called him an "Artist" -- what a cross over!

Now if the drums just didn't weigh so much. After lugging them to the last gig, we heard him threaten to take up the piccolo.