Ipswich Waterfront

Here are the five things I thought were worth sharing this week: 

1. I hadn't listened to this album in a long time, but this week made amends. A real masterpiece — Bitches Brew - Miles Davis.
    
2. I enjoyed this rambling chat between Adam Buxton and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood on Adam's podcast (which is always good fun). Which reminds me, I can't wait to get my hands on Radiohead's new album A Moon Shaped Pool which is released physically on Friday!
    
3. I'm not totally sure this is worth sharing, but it is quite amusing — Green Screen Queen.
    
4. Another gem from Brain Pickings — Einstein’s Brilliant and Unusual Life, in a Graphic Novel.
    
5. Yesterday one of my drum students reminded me of this hilarious scene from Wayne's World 2. It never fails to make me laugh! What a tale!

That's all for this week. If you liked this, check out my previous Five Things posts or sign up to receive future posts straight to your inbox. Enjoy!

Don't look down / sun-day drum-day

Here are the five things I thought were worth sharing this week: 

1. I don't think you need to be a drummer to appreciate how good this solo by JP Bouvet is. It's got a bit of everything and it's only a minute long — Oh, and it's in 7/8 in case you didn't notice! It's from the album Bubble & Squeak by Mike Linden, which is well worth a listen.

2. I've been really enjoying The Kills new album Ash & Ice. The first track is particularly cool, as is it's video.

3. Are we living in a computer simulation? Elon Musk thinks we might be! Crazy thought experiments like that are fun to consider, but even if we are in a simulation does it even matter?

4. I love this quote from this article on fixed vs growth mindset by Hazel Gale — “take yourself less seriously because your imperfections are the things that people really connect with. Learn to laugh at yourself and enjoy the fact that others can do the same.”

5. I've been making a conscious effort during the last few weeks to spend less time mindlessly browsing social networks and more time on my projects. This little app has been a great help to me — it allows you to block access to any website for a period of time that you choose. So bye bye Facebook for 3 hours, hello getting some work done!

That's all for this week. If you liked this, check out my previous Five Things posts or sign up to receive future posts straight to your inbox. Enjoy!

Hot Dog

Here are the five things I thought were worth sharing this week: 

1. Brain Pickings is one of my favourite sites on the internet. I could (and regularly do) spend hours getting lost in the endless wisdom contained within it's pages. This post titled 10 Rules for Students, Teachers, and Life by John Cage and Sister Corita Kent is a new favourite. I liked it so much I printed a copy of the rules to put on the wall above my desk.  — “Rule 6: Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail, there’s only make.”
    
2. Austin Kleon is an author and artist that I've mentioned in several other posts. In this interview, he talks about his artistic process, his books and his thoughts on what it takes to live a fulfilling ‘creative’ life. Definitely worth listen if you are a creative individual or want to be!
    
3. “Labels are releasing cassettes again, but there's a place where they never went out of fashion: prison” From last week's episode of 99% Invisible. Are cassettes making a comeback?
    
4. Hearing Buddy Rich's drumming as a teenager is what inspired me to start practicing and to take my drumming seriously. This video is a fine example of his genius.
    
5. Ólafur Arnalds is a classical and electronic musician from Iceland, and someone I find incredibly inspiring. He has a huge body of work and regularly shares it for free, including this beautiful song “Study for Generative Piano (i)”. You can download sheet music for a lot of his songs on his website.

That's all for this week. If you liked this, check out my previous Five Things posts or sign up to receive future posts straight to your inbox. Enjoy!

What did you do?

Here are the five things I thought were worth sharing this week: 

1. Austin Kleon shared this great Louis C.K. quote on having an audience in his weekly newsletter (it's very good, I recommend you subscribe). The quote comes from this conversation on The Bill Simmons Podcast. It's a great insight into Louis C.K.'s creative process and ethos. Just a heads up, it does contain some ‘adult’ language!
    
2. On Monday I finished reading The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. The message throughout the book is that in this hyper connected world we all have the opportunity to pick ourselves, to leave our comfort zones and to create something meaningful. I loved it and found it really inspiring. If you are unfamiliar with Seth's work, his blog is an excellent place to start.
    
3. Courtney Barnett's ‘Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit’ was one of my favourite albums from last year. I'm not sure what I love more, the catchy choruses or her witty lyrics. Pedestrian At Best is a fine example of both and has fun video too. 
    
4. If you're anything like me and take quite a few photos on your phone, you might like the Pocket Tripod. It's a portable tripod that, as the name suggests, fits in your pocket. I bought one a few weeks ago and it's been really useful.
    
5. Earlier this week I wrote a post on my favourite drum books. If you are a drummer, check it out. I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations too.

That's all for this week. If you liked this, check out my previous Five Things posts or sign up to receive future posts straight to your inbox. Enjoy!

Photo from rehearsal with Coco & the Butterfields a few weeks ago

Here are the five things I thought were worth sharing this week: 

1. This article on Soviet-era bootleg music recorded on X-ray plates came across my twitter feed earlier this week and it reminded me of this episode of 99% Invisible on Bone Music. It's a great episode by one of my favourite podcasts. It's also only 14 mins long, so what are you waiting for?
    
2. Do you think you could draw a bicycle from memory? Turns out it's not as easy as you might first think. Designer Gianluca Gimini asked friends and strangers to complete this seemingly simple task and the results are brilliant. As are his 3D renderings of these imagined bicycles.
    
3. This episode of Startup on the rise and fall of Grooveshark is fantastic. “Their mission was a noble one: bring an end to online piracy by offering cheap, convenient, and legal access to music. Their execution, however, was less than thorough.”
    
4. Some great advice from Mark Feldman of Bang! The Drum School on becoming a better drummer and getting the most out of your practice. Aimed at drummers but applies to anyone learning any instrument.
    
5. If you haven't seen it already, check out the animated video for Radiohead's new single Burn The Witch. It is wonderful. Very much looking forward to hearing the whole album!

That's all for this week. Enjoy!

Scribbled notes for a set I'm learning for some gigs over the next few months — Emphasis on the scribbled.

Here are the five things I thought were worth sharing this week: 

1. Stefan Sagmeister on Creative Live — I'd not heard of Stefan or his work but I found this interview on his creative process fascinating, in particular his policy of taking a one year break every seven years... hmm tempting!
    
2. I recently discovered the music of American contemporary classical composer Nico Muhly. This interview with him on Meet The Composer is fantastic. I'm also really enjoying his album Mothertongue.
    
3. Over the weekend I started and finished reading Man's Search For Meaning by Victor E Frankl about his experiences in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. An incredible book, I struggled to put it down. Recommended reading.
    
4. If you haven't seen this week's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, go watch it. Next time you see a news report starting with the phrase “Scientists say...” or “A recent study suggests” you'll know to approach it with a healthy dose of scepticism.
    
5. Yesterday this video of Sting's Seven Days featuring Vinnie Colaiuta on drums came across my Facebook feed. The 5/4 groove on this track is a fine example of Vinnie's genius. He makes the odd time signature feel quite normal, so much so that most people wouldn't notice it. Sting knows how to pick his drummers! 

That's all for this week. Enjoy!