Let's Talk About Drum Solos. Also, Motley Crue and Slipknot Both Coming to the Sommet Center in Feb.

It's no secret that in rock 'n' roll nothing gets a crowd going like a good ol' fashioned drum solo. It's as fundamental a rock cornerstone as the blues. In fact, some of the biggest bands in rock history like The Rolling Stones, U2, and Paramore would have never made it had they not included them. Don't you remember how Larry Mullen Jr. ended AIDS in Africa when he swallowed fire and shat out double paradiddles on the Rototoms at Live Aid? Let's define terms here. To count as a proper drum solo you must either include a gong, a gong on fire, a moving drum riser, a moment where you jettison the sticks and just play with your hands, absolutely no jazz licks, plenty of Bonham triplets or some white mambo on the cowbell. All the above is preferred. Having AT LEAST two bass drums is mandatory. In this current era of four-piece kits, Velvet Underground worship, and a crumbling economy, I've come to realize that the hip kids of this generation have mostly been spared the percussive clichés bonafide by the terms aforementioned. As you are about to learn, this coming February the Sommet Center is providing two great options for getting the drum solo experience.