New photo of DM
DM with Jackson Browne at Yamaha's "Groove Night" - January '04
Pic Courtesy of ClayGreene@drum-news.com
Boston, MA, USA / June 2004

Hello folks!

I thought this might be a good time for a brief update ... I visited the Chicago Vintage Drum Fair in mid-May & enjoyed indulging in one of my favorite hobbies ...

As you may have gathered, I had a good time late January in LA @ the ( NAMM show ) Yamaha "Groove Night" Although in some respects it's an intimidating scenario - "sitting in" for one song on a basically unfamiliar drum set while being watched by some of the worlds' greatest drummers (backstage) & some 600-plus drummers & music-industry folks out front in the theatre - I DID enjoy the whole event & am proud to have been invited to attend & celebrate the career & now retirement of Hagi, truly one of the drum worlds' great innovators. It's something I'll always remember fondly.

The February now-annual UK "Feast-of-Fiddles" tour was once again great fun. We had quite a few front-line changes due to the ubiquitous "schedule conflicts" , but despite that, FOF managed to rock-out (Errr - folk-out?) to much acclaim at venues various in the S. East once again. Plans are afoot to travel a little further afield (north of the Tottenham Court Rd.? Good grief!) in '05 - watch this space!

As well as a busy gig schedule Details on the GIG page. , I've recently been active in New England recording studios; most of the work won't see the light until the end of the year, but there's some fine music on the horizon from "Super Genius" , Rob Laurens & Brian Rolland, to name but a few. Some CD's that have recently surfaced & are worth mentioning include Susan Werners' "I Can't Be New", Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez' "The Trouble with Humans" & a fave' - John Sheldon's "No Brakes". FYI, John Sheldon wrote "September Grass" , the opening track on James Taylors' "October Road".

Friends closer to home here in Boston know that my ( & many peoples' ) friend, the wonderful bass player Richard Gates ( hear him on "No Brakes" , for example ) recently had a successful heart transplant. It's an understatement to say we all wish him well - it's very good news so far - & I look forward to recording & "gigging" with him soon .

Some of you may have heard / noticed that I'm not working with Mary Chapin Carpenter this year. One of the reasons for this is that at present there's too much activity for me 'round here. I know Chapin will have a wonderful tour & I hope some of you get the opportunity to see her. However, I am pleased to tell you that I will be doing a short U.S. tour starting mid-June with the Richard Thompson Band - check RT's website www.richardthompson-music.com for dates & details. By the way, if you get the chance, check out the April issue of "Amplifier" ( a U.S. ) music magazine ... there's a kind-of "top-ten" / favorite music tracks list from yours truly; each piece chosen has a short overview paragraph ... and the UK's "Rhythm" magazine - same month - has an article & pictures of Yamaha's "Groove Night" mentioned earlier in this missive.

b/w photoMoving onto the equipment side of things - briefly so as not to put the non-players into a coma - I have to give kudos to my good friends (located disarmingly close here in Boston) @ the Zildjian cymbal company. I've been an endorser since '74 & reckon they're about the nicest group of people one could hope to meet. I'm flattered they have time to look after me whenever I visit ; when one considers the drummers that are associated with Zildjian & the ones who have visited the factory over the decades, it's a humbling experience. I'm currently enjoying the new "Armand Z" ride cymbal; you can hear it if you get to see me play a live date around town ... & I've also picked up one of the K "Dry" crashes & a "Session" crash, primarily for studio use. Contrary to what some seemingly ill-informed folk say, I believe Zildjians are now better than ever - they're really "raising the bar" these days. Drummers - do try them out ! I hope to see you sometime over the next few months ... & keep listening !

Regards - DM

That long promised new pics page is coming soon .... do check in from time to time. This will including some shots from Yamaha's "Groove Night and some other interesting shots from the archives. For the time being, the XTC "NonSuch" recording sessions photo gallery with Gus Dudgeon still hold pride of place. new pics'

PS: Drummers - please don't hesitate to contact me for discussions on equipment (or even if you're looking for a snare drum.) As for most of us, it continues to be a passion!