newfie percussionist
I'm originally from Port de Grave Newfoundland which is a small out port fishing community. I was raised in an environment full of ITM and encouraged to learn. I currently reside in Sudbury Ontario and work as a hard rock miner. I'm 6 feet 6 inches tall and check in at around the 270 lb mark. I'm bald by choice (hot work environment) profusley tattooed and look like the guy your mother warned you about. I play percussion instruments as tendon problem in my wrists has robbed me of the manual dexterity to play stringed instruments. I play on a semi professional level and am serious about the music but not about the music industry. I've been known to frequent several bars of ill repute just to get my kicks. However my wife does a good job of keeping me out of trouble these days. She's due to be cannonized shortly. I have a penchant for mischief and when you see that sparkle in my wildly mis-aligned blue eyes, you can bet I'm scheming something up so watch closely. If you're in the area drop me a line and we'll get a session on the go. I hate it when people look down their nose at me because I'm a percussionist instead of what they call a "real musician". I've been playing music of all varieties for well over 20 years and I've paid my dues. So you lot who look down your nose at percussionists had best not look down your nose at me because I'll out play you and leave you looking like a fool when I pull out any of the 250 or so tunes that I can play off the top of my head or the other 100 or so that I know the words to. I can understand the loathing held for the tub thumpers as I can't stand them meself when they try to play along with tunes they don't know or with totally unrefined skills. It takes time to learn these things and maybe if some of you would get down off your high bloody horse and think back to when you first started out playing whatever instrument(s) you play, you'd remember being in the same boat. I've never met a piper who didn't sound loike he was doing a cross between strangling a cat and molesting a goat the first time he tried to squeeze sound out of the bag and reeds. Lighten up a little ya bunch of overgrown nancies and stop picking on those who are less experienced than you. It'll make a better person of you, the one your mother tried to make of you but you went and ruined on her.
Tunes in newfie percussionist's tunebook: 27