a little piano cover by brendan
a little piano cover by brendan
hi there rats!
when things get stale for me and i need to shake things up a bit, there are a few things i do to find inspiration.
i tend to read a lot—mostly fiction—but lately i’ve been reading a lot of memoirs written by other musicians. i like to get in their heads, see what worked for them, and see how they turned their failures into successes.
i think a lot of musicians start their careers with a dream, a wish. they hope to be an artist, or they want to tour the world.
i think the most successful artists are the ones who want it the most—who are willing to do anything to make that dream happen.
cassie showed me a rick rubin interview the other day where he talked about artists making their best album ever.
he said that a lot of artists think they want to make the best album ever, but they don’t actually act like they do.
he asked: what would it look like for an artist to make the best album they’ve ever made? what would it sound like? how much would they be willing to commit? to give up?
i haven’t stopped thinking about that.
am i truly living in a way that allows me to make the best art i am capable of? do i still want it as much as i once did? have i lost the dream that inspired me to be a musician in the first place? maybe that changes with age, and how do i refine it for the stage of life i’m in now?
whatever the answers are, i know one thing: i’m always trying to live a life that makes space for art. i’m trying to stay curious, to stay inspired, to keep choosing the kind of life that allows me to create the best art that I can.
Admittedly, it’s hard and I fall out of it. But lord knows, I keep trying.
Lately, I’ve have been trying to use different gear or setups to see what they bring out of me.
for instance, i’ve taken off all my rack toms and replaced them with roto toms. roto toms are like the ugly, toothless brother of timbales—they have a thin head and a clear pitch. you tune them by rotating the rim, tightening or loosening the lugs on the head.
a picture of my kit
roto tom!
another piece of gear i’ve been using lately is the elektron cycles. it’s an analog fm drum machine, and i’ve been running it through an old fender amp with the distortion cranked up, which makes it sound like a ball of steel wool.
playing along with this machine allows me, as a drummer, to take more of a “lead” role instead of a “rhythm” role. i can be more expressive while the drum machine holds it down for the band.
i’ve also been finding inspiration by flipping through sean’s old, coffee-stained real book. if you don’t know what a real book is, it’s a collection of jazz standards written out with the chords and melody.
when i got to the end of the alphabetized book, the very last page was a tattered chart of “when you wish upon a star.”
i never really paid much attention to this tune. i always thought it was campy or dorky, but when i started playing it on piano, it conjured something in me—some childhood, tape-grain-vhs nostalgia.
i realized that some of the chord choices in the song are actually really cool—maybe even similar to ideas we’d use in a utr song.
anyway, i thought i would share it with all of you. so here’s my little cover of “when you wish upon a star.”
i don’t know if i’m living my life in a way that makes the best possible art. i don’t think it’s possible for any of us to know the answer to that question.
what i do know is that i will always keep feeling around in the dark. i will always keep trying.
i’ll keep reaching, keep failing, keep learning, and keep moving forward.
there’s a strange comfort in that. in knowing this about myself.
in knowing that i can be content with where i’m at—not because it’s perfect, but because the journey isn’t over. there’s still so much more to try, to discover. the battle has just begun.
if you’ve been around utr for a while, you’ve probably heard the story of when cassie reached out to legendary bassist leland sklar, who has played on countless records since the '70s.
she told him she was a huge fan and loved his playing.
he replied with: “gon keep gon til i get er right.”
the fact that he’s still learning this late into his career always stuck with me.
in our little rat community, we kind of have our own version of “gon keep gon til i get er right.”
a phrase that proves our commitment to each other. and cassie, sean, and my commitment to keep this band going, to keep learning, and to keep growing no matter the circumstances.
you know the one i’m talking about:
I appreciate your performance, but while we’re on the subject of memoirs: when are you starting yours? Because that’s one I’d read. Or at the very least a cookbook.
Love that cover! Definitely brings back childhood memories for me as well. Keep doing what you’re doing. Know you are loved. And see you when I get the chance. TWD!
It always amazes me how just changing the way something is played or what you play it on can completely change it. You took a rather “meh” Disney tune and turned it into something much deeper in one little clip. Damn music is cool that way. Thanks for the ditty and your thoughts!
I love the way you’re always looking for new ways to create unique sounds, bringing others into a new space by the way you play, the lyrics you guys choose, unique instruments played in unusual ways and the special effects you create. Sometimes it has been absolutely genius, using the simplest things and doing something entirely different and unique with them. creating a mood or unusual psychological response.
I love that we get to feel a little of your experience when you share with us.
Keep on Keeping on.
Know you’re loved and very much appreciated
TWD
Great insights, Brendan. Dawn & I are really trying to get back to Northern California, in fact we won our old homestead in an auction last week, but due to some error, our old neighbor got the property. Long story, and kind of heartbreaking, but I am gon keep gon til I get home. Now this may sound like I’ve gone off topic, but it’s all about believing and wishing on those stars. My art has taken many forms—music, art, writing—and holding on loosely is key to creating something you will love. If you love what you’ve risked everything to create (even the dream of getting back home), then you have won the battle…at least for a day, or an hour. Just keep on keeping on: Til We Die!
Dear Brendan, I appreciate your performance and your thoughts on finding new ways to inspire creativity and learn something new about making music. I totally agree that if you have a deep longing to bring out what you hear in your head and commit it to being the best and making it worth being shared with those willing to listen. This is what every inspired artist hopes to do.
May you always have this desire for greatness and continue to be inspired by your dreams!