Milwaukee Punk Rock Reunion Show Shank Hall

I'm preparing for another reunion show.  It's for my old Milwaukee punk band.  I will also be filling in on the drums for another great band named Sacred Order.  This time, I'm not doing any of the promotion, as the event is a fundraiser for an aspiring author.  The even is at Shank Hall this weekend.  All I have to do is try to play drums like I played back when I was 21 years old.  That's hard enough.

My bass player already asked me to bring the tempo down a bit on the songs.  I have no problem with that, as I really can't keep up with that drummer who used to be me. I can safely say that I'm not as flexible as I was all those years ago.  It's not that I need the flexibility, but it would be nice to have.  I'm drumming smarter now.

After the first few rehearsals on my own, I was starting to think that I would not be able to get my chops back up to snuff.  I was losing drum sticks, hitting the rims, and folding my arms onto themselves.  It was messy, to say the least.  To make matters worse, I had a ten day vacation planned well ahead of this event.  The vacation would take up precious drumming time. 

Our first full band practice went well.  When the rest of the band saw that I was just about as rusty as they were, it seemed to make them feel better.  Not that they need me to be playing poorly so they can feel better about themselves.  It was more of a "we're all in the same shape" kind of thing.  By our second rehearsal together, we had improved greatly.  The only wild card will be how well our singer performs. He's flying in the night before the event. 

Aside from the singer, the members of the band have all been performing in various bands in the past 25 years.  The singer was doing some hip jazz stuff in the early 1990's.  I don't know if he will be up to the task, but it's punk music, so all he has to do is get through the show with some sort of vocal style.    

Punk Rock Would Be Nothing Without Robert Moog

Did you know that Robert Moog was helping create new generations of synthesizers as late as 2004? He never saw the release of the MIDI capable “Little Phatty”, but he had a hand in its creation. Where would “Prog” Rock be without Robert Moog? He wasn’t the only person inventing great electronic keyboards, but he was certainly the most famous. Just ask Rick Wakeman. He would agree with me.

From Moog’s early days at the Bronx School of Science, he had a feeling that he could do more with electronic equipment than simply make machines for the engineering field. Twelve years after his last day in high school (and two college degrees later,) Moog came out with the ADSR envelope generator. That was one of the first synthesizer modules that could be controlled with the use of a keyboard.

Moog can also be credited with bringing the Theremin to the masses. He didn’t invent the instrument, but was founder of the first company to mass produce it. The Theremin has been around for 93 years. If you have ever watched an old science fiction movie, you have probably heard one in action. Some find Theremins to be very annoying, sound wise. They look very simple to play. Holding your hand within range of the loop antenna, and moving it about (your hand,) will generate a sound. It’s a one-note instrument.

Progressive Rock and Moog

Moog helped to launch the “progressive” rock movement. His modular synthesizers were put to use by artists such as Keith Emerson, John Cage and many others. Prior to the Moog, keyboard players spent most of their time playing piano, organ, and similar instruments. The band Yes would be nothing without the Minimoog. It might be a stretch, but punk rock music might not have gained a foothold if it weren’t for the Moog. As rock music had become so over the top, it inspired a generation of musicians to break down that sound. Thank you Mr. Moog for creating an instrument that inspired more than one genre of music.