Yes I Know - Black Flag

Flyer stolen from Facebook page

I didn't know who the guy was setting up his drum kit right next to me on the sidewalk in front of the Doll Hut last Saturday night. He had a Joe Strummer-esque cap on his head and a Big Gulp cup full of booze in his hands. Nice. We were drum nerding out on our respective sets, putting them together and talking cymbals and hardware and whatnot, and he made the oddest remark about being a really hard hitting drummer. Bob was within earshot and started laughing at his statement. This guy breaks cymbals!! he told him, he breaks through drum skins, and he seemed shocked to hear that was possible. He shook my hand and said it was nice to meet another hard hitting drummer such as himself and I was taken back at the arrogance on display from this guy. I laughed it all off and then he started clapping on me, saying that I probably wasn't really a hard hitting drummer, that it was probably the vistalite drums that made people think I was a hard hitting drummer, and Robert Headnoise heard him say that and he goes This guy goes through 4 or 5 pairs of drumsticks a night! If you can beat that then God bless. lol I was a bit irritated by the guy but we had to play so whatever. Good luck with your set. We should have a drum off in the parking lot after the gig to see who the hardest hitting drummer is. Uh huh... gladly I told him. See you after the gig.

So Headnoise gets done playing, and I'm outside trying to catch my breath while contemplating getting a Thrifty's ice cream cone from the door guy who's selling them, and I can hear Mad Parade playing a few yards away in the parking lot next to the Doll Hut Studio. They sounded terrible and I immediately figure out why - the drumming was horrible. Fast songs were being played slow and slow songs were being played too fast. I finished helping Bob stow away the gear and I grab my camera and head over to take pictures of the band and lo and behold who is the guy sitting behind the drum kit for Mad Parade? Yup! The loudmouth guy that I was talking to earlier! Joey the guitarist was apologetic, saying that Court Jester was never played as fast before in the history of the band, and attributing it to the fact that their drummer was punched in the jaw a few minutes before the gig started. I smirked and went back to where Bob was hanging around and was telling him about the loudmouth drummer guy getting punched in the jaw and Bob said he saw the whole thing go down - some guy apparently just randomly walked up to him of all the people that were hanging out in front of the Doll Hut and just wrecked him, leaving him lying horizontal on the pavement. Karma I guess. After Mad Parade finished playing I jokingly went up to the guy to ask him about the drum off and he just snarled Get the fuck away from me and jumped in his car and left... so, I guess I won by default!! hahahaha I love playing gigs in CA. Interesting way to end a night, that's for sure!! 😉

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