Foot Tappin' Good Time

If there is one thing I hate more than running out of peanuts first in a hand full of Doo Dads, it is a pointless meandering drum solo that goes on and on and on... In the next few days and weeks we are going to be stormed by a barrage of Beatle related sounds and accompaniment. Thus it is probably the proper time to say that my favorite drummer of all time, because of his subtlety, is Ringo Starr and dammit, I'm quite serious. In many ways, Ringo represents what made the Beatles ultra-popular. His drumming style mimicked their appeal, their simple but universal message.

Ringo's drumming is often underrated. One of the most exhilarating musical moments in Beatle history is his 23 second drum solo at the end of Abbey Road. Any drummer can bash their way through a solo, using technique rather than inspiration. But in that brief solo, the rhythms, poly-rhythms and understated pure expression of finally being let loose show Ringo to be a true artist. Although I'm not exactly what you might call a percussive type guy, even I can admit that at times a good drummer can add something very special to a performance.

All this of course, is a roundabout way of mentioning that I saw the British drum group, Stomp, play at the Ordway last Monday night. They were nothing if not percussive, putting on the best musical show that featured garbage cans that I have ever seen. Stomp is a five year old, eleven member drumming, dancing ensemble that puts on quite a spectacle by making music from the most common objects one can imagine. The show opened with the group sweeping the stage and then running amuck pounding their brooms and swishing in rhythmic frenzy. Later, the group utilized many basic household objects including cigarette lighters, plastic grocery bags, newspapers, and wood saws, everything you might say except the kitchen sink- au contraire mon ami, they even had a bit that featured that item.

Sitting in the audience three memories pounded their way into my mind. For some reason I remembered as a kid watching the Muppet Show where the guest was Buddy Rich. Buddy and his two drumsticks went nuts, running around and pounding objects all around the set. It was terribly entertaining. The next thing that popped into mind was attending the University of Minnesota marching band's indoor concerts while my brother was a prominent member. The band really rocked the house, and probably the most entertaining parts were the drum cadences that got everyone tapping their toes. The last memory, long suppressed was attending a high school dance, one of the few I did, and ending up the evening entertaining everyone by dancing (quite skillfully) with a cafeteria chair. This may have furthered my reputation as being somewhat of an eccentric. What do all these memories have in common and why did seeing Stomp unleash them? It's all in the beat, Pedro.

Stomp is more than a novelty act; they are entertainers extradonaire. Their show is full of impressive variety, humor and athletic dancing. Similar in nature to their far east cousins, the Japanese percussion group Kodo, Stomp leaves their audiences impressed by the rhythm, the music, and the universality of a good drum beat. The pure endurance of the group was impressive by itself. The show ended with all the hipsters in the audience snapping their fingers like the suave upper class Vegas loving crowd that a venue like the Ordway tends to attract. Still, the humor of Stomp cut through any of the pretentiousness that otherwise might have existed. Physical humor, subtle humor, wacky humor, the show was great fun. Perhaps most impressive of all were the dynamics of the show. Rather than using volume as flash, the group relied more on the intricate weaving of rhythms. What the show lacked in spontaneity was made up for with the precision of the pieces. While not exactly inspired music making, Stomp nonetheless proved once and for all that percussionists can be expressive and effective musicians.