Rock on mate!

An old friend from high school, his grandfather and Roy Orbison were best friends! He's got old home movies with Roy hanging out with the family. My buddy's name is "Orbie" if that tells ya! Roy was a great great musician.

Love the little bit of mechanics & woodworking on those drums. All my life i played more with the drums -----then actually playing them.

Larry

Excited

I've been playing professionally since I graduated from High School. I joined my first real band when I was 18 and never really looked back. In the late 90s I played with a band that was part of the post grunge feeding frenzy. Labels where signing any band that had a singer that sounded like Eddie Vedder and we where part of it. Like most bands that sign deals we flopped.

After that I went back to working a day job until I landed a gig playing cover tunes for a chain of bars in the midwest and on the east coast This was the sweetest gig I've ever had. The bars picked up our airfare and hotel. We would head out on Thursday do three nights and head home on Sunday. It was cool, kind of like being a part time rockstar and the money was really good. Eventually the economy went in the tank and that gig ended. Now I'm back to hustling gigs on the weekend and working a day job but it was fun while it lasted.

These days I refer to myself as a musical prostitute. I've had it with playing in bands and all the politics that goes along with it so I just try to stay uncommitted. I do as many pick up dates as possible and if the money isn't great I try to make sure its at least fun. What I mean by that is playing Brown Eyed Girl isn't fun, but Led Zeppelin is, therefore Brown Eyed Girl cost more for me to play than Black Dog:)

I've been a semi-pro all my life. I'm now 65 years old. I play every weds nite in a house band at a Blues open jam. I play with 2 other small Blues Bands. Those gigs usually add 4 more gigs a month in the summer and 2 a month in the winter. I'm also a percussionist in our local community concert band. I collect old player drums. I have around 70 snare drums and around 14 kits. I'm retired. I'm just an old drummer having fun. I will quit when they pry the sticks from my cold dead hands. :)

All great replies and stories here, thanks guy!

Well, most of you know that I play for enjoyment to knock off the sawdust once in a while. Currently I am in a band with other amateur musicians and we have a lot of fun. Were not focused on becoming a bar band or a paid band for that matter, but we do want to keep improving and eventually get enough songs to head up a party or fund raiser, somewhere in the good outdoors in the summertime or something like that.

I do have to thank this forum for part of my success. A few years ago I made my first post because I had a red Ludwig Rocker-2 kit that I was thinking about stripping the wrap and re-doing with veneer. Well the response was to go ahead and do it, the drums are not worth much. Well, I ended up keeping the red wrap and purchasing drums off of ebay to do the veneer on. Somehow I became addicted to this site and slowly made some very good friends and felt welcome here form the git-go. Over the last few years you guys have givin me the inspiration, devotion, advice and lessons to keep playing the drums. Today I am really feeling and hearing the improvement of my drumming skills thanks to a lot of hard work on my behalf but also the help from members here.

Thanks for sharing your stories with me and the rest of the gang, it just makes us a become a little closer, and that is is cool!

I just drum for fun. Im not good enough for any other reason. I love it all the same tho. Ive enjoyed reading all of your stories. Thanks jeff for starting this thread, very interesting.

Justin.. "Orbie" is one lucky guy to have had that privilege.. Roy lived a seemingly clean but tragic life and attracted great respect from his peers worldwide.

He influenced a couple of generations with both his amazing vocals & his songwriting skills...

Thanks for the post..

Cheers

John

I played what I guess you'd call semi-professionally, never being able to leave my day job. Enjoyed many weekend/summer gigs in small clubs up to larger venues in amusement parks and fairs. Made some great money doing 60s/Beatles. Loved every minute of it. Taught many years, too. Very rewarding. Only play occasionally now as time a circumstances have caused my band mates to tend more to their personal lives. I actually gig occasionally as a fill in for a jazz ensemble. Me--Ringo wanna be-- playing Jazz....if blessed with good health, I'd like to be playing up to the day I die. Rock on! Dean

61 years old, 45 years gigging. Full time day job and I try to gig as much as I can fit in but they are increasingly low ball on hours and pay. Lately I have joined a community big band where I will never see a nickel so I can get some time in on big band stuff and give myself a challenge. I am not a collector, but I have a few cool player grade sets and snares. I enjoy working on gear where my skills line up. I am just finishing up painting and adding the inlay strips for a Trixon Luxus (regular circular 20") bass drum hoop. Stuff like that I can handle. I also hope to keep playing as long as I can, but my finger joints aren't what they were.