travis whitmore

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Mike Stern Band with Dave Weckl This past Saturday, my wife and I went to see a show at the infamous Blues Alley in Washington DC. I’ve had a few people email me and ask about how it went, so I thought I’d share a brief post about the show. Before I do, let me set the stage a little bit. Those of you that know me well know that I’ve studied other drummers and listened to a LOT of music over the years. I have my favorite musicians and bands but have always really paid attention to drummers that portray something different… something that stands out. Dave Weckl is one of those drummers. I picked up my first album of his - “Master Plan” when I was 13. And for the last 20 years, Dave has been a huge inspiration of mine. When I saw that he was playing with Mike Stern in DC, I jumped on the opportunity straight away. The Venue: Founded in 1965, Blues Alley is the nation’s oldest continuing jazz supper club, having showcased internationally renowned artists over the years. As soon as we stepped inside, we noticed that the place was packed - shocker! The host only had a few tables left in the back. Gasp! Intimate setting + Dave Weckl on drums = Must. Get. Close. I immediately expressed my love of the bands drummer to the host. Without a bit of hesitancy, he said, “Follow me, I have an idea.” And off we went to the front of the stage, directly beside the drum kit. Perfect. (View from our table) The Show: Along with the Grammy nomination of Mike’s new album “Big Neighborhood” and the Hall of Fame stature of Dave Weckl’s drumming, other world-renown players included Tom Kennedy on bass and Bob Franceschini on sax. And to watch these amazing players this close is something that’s hard to explain. In three words, however: Dynamics, Communication, Musical. It was so refreshing to watch and listen to this high caliber of musicianship. It’s something that ALL musicians can learn from. In my opinion, the musicality, communication between band members and the dynamics is somewhat lost in today’s music. These guys knew where the song was headed, played when they were supposed to play and backed off when they weren’t. They made eye contact the entire time and just let the songs go where they were intended to go. Last but not least, when the band ended the show, Dave himself had to squeeze by our table. After 20 years, I finally had the opportunity to shake his hand and chat briefly. Inspirational to say the least. And seriously, what drummers do you know get their name on the billboard when they play out too? Awesome.  If you ever get a chance to see a show at Blues Alley, do it. The staff were great, food was amazing and there’s some great lineups coming down the pike.

Mike Stern Band with Dave Weckl

This past Saturday, my wife and I went to see a show at the infamous Blues Alley in Washington DC.

I’ve had a few people email me and ask about how it went, so I thought I’d share a brief post about the show. Before I do, let me set the stage a little bit. Those of you that know me well know that I’ve studied other drummers and listened to a LOT of music over the years. I have my favorite musicians and bands but have always really paid attention to drummers that portray something different… something that stands out. Dave Weckl is one of those drummers. I picked up my first album of his - “Master Plan” when I was 13. And for the last 20 years, Dave has been a huge inspiration of mine. When I saw that he was playing with Mike Stern in DC, I jumped on the opportunity straight away.

The Venue: Founded in 1965, Blues Alley is the nation’s oldest continuing jazz supper club, having showcased internationally renowned artists over the years. As soon as we stepped inside, we noticed that the place was packed - shocker! The host only had a few tables left in the back. Gasp! Intimate setting + Dave Weckl on drums = Must. Get. Close. I immediately expressed my love of the bands drummer to the host. Without a bit of hesitancy, he said, “Follow me, I have an idea.” And off we went to the front of the stage, directly beside the drum kit. Perfect. (View from our table)

The Show: Along with the Grammy nomination of Mike’s new album “Big Neighborhood” and the Hall of Fame stature of Dave Weckl’s drumming, other world-renown players included Tom Kennedy on bass and Bob Franceschini on sax. And to watch these amazing players this close is something that’s hard to explain. In three words, however: Dynamics, Communication, Musical. It was so refreshing to watch and listen to this high caliber of musicianship. It’s something that ALL musicians can learn from. In my opinion, the musicality, communication between band members and the dynamics is somewhat lost in today’s music. These guys knew where the song was headed, played when they were supposed to play and backed off when they weren’t. They made eye contact the entire time and just let the songs go where they were intended to go.

Last but not least, when the band ended the show, Dave himself had to squeeze by our table. After 20 years, I finally had the opportunity to shake his hand and chat briefly. Inspirational to say the least. And seriously, what drummers do you know get their name on the billboard when they play out too? Awesome. 

If you ever get a chance to see a show at Blues Alley, do it. The staff were great, food was amazing and there’s some great lineups coming down the pike.


[Book Review] - 50 Things Your Life Doesn’t Need by Sam Davidson This past weekend my entire family was kicked in the butt by the infamous influenza. Yep all of us, including my wife, our 2 year old girl and 15 month old boy. Many of you know what I’m talking about as the flu bug has seemed to make it’s way around lately. Normally, there’s really nothing positive or productive that comes from being in bed all day. Aside from listening to the new radiohead album, watching Karate Kid Part I, 2 and 3 and every Dora the Explorer episode that’s ever been created, I WAS able to read quite a bit. One of my favorite things to do is to just sit back and read a good book or magazine, especially if it’s something that can be applied to my life and interests. I recently had the opportunity to chat with entrepreneur and author Sam Davidson. Soon after our discussion, I ordered his new book: “50 Things Your Life Doesn’t Need.” My wife and I have been in major ‘clutter free’ mode lately and have been really working on ridding our lives and home with junk we don’t need. So, I was instantly sold from the get go on the title alone. “50 Things…” isn’t all about getting rid of just stuff. Sam certainly recommends ridding yourself of the normal junk that comes to mind: Giving clothes that you don’t wear to the salvation army and people in need, selling the expensive car in your driveway and stop eating fast food. While these are pretty important things to think about, they’re still a fairly obvious choice. The question that Sam is asking and driving home here is: What stuff in your life is getting in the way of you living out your passion? Things like: Empty Journals - start writing in them! Unused Suitcases - toss them or take a trip somewhere! Boring Hobbies - Learn how to say no to stuff you don’t enjoy These are just three examples of the 50 things Sam recommends ridding your life of to free up time, resources and money to do what you love. Whether or not you’ve figured it out yet, all of us have a passion. Regardless of whether it’s music, art, knitting, woodworking, or mowing the lawn - this book aims at helping you figure it out and making it happen. Better yet, it’s a super easy and quick read. The challenge starts after the book is closed. Interested? If so, you can check out more about Sam and the book here. OR, let me know and I’ll send it to ya!

[Book Review] - 50 Things Your Life Doesn’t Need by Sam Davidson

This past weekend my entire family was kicked in the butt by the infamous influenza. Yep all of us, including my wife, our 2 year old girl and 15 month old boy. Many of you know what I’m talking about as the flu bug has seemed to make it’s way around lately. Normally, there’s really nothing positive or productive that comes from being in bed all day. Aside from listening to the new radiohead album, watching Karate Kid Part I, 2 and 3 and every Dora the Explorer episode that’s ever been created, I WAS able to read quite a bit. One of my favorite things to do is to just sit back and read a good book or magazine, especially if it’s something that can be applied to my life and interests. I recently had the opportunity to chat with entrepreneur and author Sam Davidson. Soon after our discussion, I ordered his new book: “50 Things Your Life Doesn’t Need.” My wife and I have been in major ‘clutter free’ mode lately and have been really working on ridding our lives and home with junk we don’t need. So, I was instantly sold from the get go on the title alone.

“50 Things…” isn’t all about getting rid of just stuff. Sam certainly recommends ridding yourself of the normal junk that comes to mind: Giving clothes that you don’t wear to the salvation army and people in need, selling the expensive car in your driveway and stop eating fast food. While these are pretty important things to think about, they’re still a fairly obvious choice. The question that Sam is asking and driving home here is: What stuff in your life is getting in the way of you living out your passion? Things like:

  • Empty Journals - start writing in them!
  • Unused Suitcases - toss them or take a trip somewhere!
  • Boring Hobbies - Learn how to say no to stuff you don’t enjoy

These are just three examples of the 50 things Sam recommends ridding your life of to free up time, resources and money to do what you love. Whether or not you’ve figured it out yet, all of us have a passion. Regardless of whether it’s music, art, knitting, woodworking, or mowing the lawn - this book aims at helping you figure it out and making it happen. Better yet, it’s a super easy and quick read. The challenge starts after the book is closed.

Interested? If so, you can check out more about Sam and the book here. OR, let me know and I’ll send it to ya!