It's back. And only if you live in a soundproof room somewhere in Antarctica, would you not know.
The Annual Woodstick Big Beat 2008 has returned to Kirkland (Juanita Field House, Juanita High School, Sunday, Nov. 2 Call 360-746-0178 or visit www.bennettdrums.com for details) and lots of Seattle drummers will be there, including celebrity broadcaster John Maynard. The former KZOK deejay, a drummer himself and founder of the band The Turdles, said he is delighted to be a part of the event, which he anticipates being mind-numbingly noisy.
"It's just a cacophony. It's hysterical, a spectacle. You can't tell what is going on," Maynard said from his home in Magnolia. "Everybody is out of time, there are kids and hacks like me. You would think that you were at a manufacturing plant that stamped out railroad wheels - it's almost chaotic. But it's a great, fun event."
The show is being sponsored and put together by Bennett Drums owner, Donn Bennett. This sixth annual event is expected to have 500 or more drummers playing simultaneously to promote, oddly enough, hearing safety. The show will also be simultaneously replicated in nine other cities in the United States. Kirkland will connect with these cities via live Internet and together will attempt to break the current Guinness World record of 533 drummers playing at the same time in one location. There will also be a drawing that features a Beatles logo drumhead autographed by Ringo Starr. And since he just declared that he is no longer signing autographs, it might be worth more than expected.
Also a part of the show will be Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam, Dom Famularo, Michael Derosier of Heart, Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse, Jeff Kathan of Paul Rogers, Tony Coleman of BB King and several other top-name drummers.
Maynard is friends with Derosier and got to know Bennett when Derosier suggested Maynard finally get a good drum set of his own. Before that, Maynard would just come up on stage and play other people's sets. He would play a lot of jazz material, selections from Cozy Cole or Sandy Nelson. And when he plays with Derosier, it doesn't stop.
"We'd jam and it was really fun, but when it comes to drums, Derosier is like a retriever with a tennis ball. He just loves it. He plays for hours a day because he loves it," Maynard said.
Some of the loudest drumming Maynard has heard has come from Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge. Of the latter, Maynard said, he "strikes with such concussive force, like rifle shots going off. And Derosier can do the same."
Maynard plays at home and tries not to disturb the neighbors. Though he does have a neighbor who for days was remodeling his home and had an air-compressor running outside Maynard's kitchen door for 12 hours a day. Now Maynard is getting a little poetic justice with his drums. "It really pisses the neighbors off," he said, joking.[[In-content Ad]]
