14" A Custom Mastersound Zildjian high hat....try saying that quickly!

well after knowing what i wanted since the summer, finally i got my hands on a 14" mastersound high hat. It was muchly needed as i had resorted to using the bottom of a solar hat and the bottom of a pastie hat for the 2 weeks leading up to it haha (i dont sujest it)

I used it for the first proper time at xalt last Saturday and it served me very very well, it has a fab sizzle about it due to the way the bottom of the hat is made.

This weekend im playing at kingsland on saturday night and mersea sunday night and will be the first time ive taken my new high hat out on the road with me, am looking forward to how it performs!

Xalt January

Well last Saturday was the first XALT of 2007, in which the build up to was very differnt, in that not only was the pastor of our church away in canada, but so was our main worship leader!
Which made things interesting, but in fact it ment we all pulled together as a team and helped each other out in all the little tasks that needed doing. The event its self went very well and God really moved in that place which proves what Jason had said before hand in that God is blessing the ministry and not individuals, which is a very good feeling! It just feels at the moment that we really are making God happy and he is pleased with whats going on, now that is a feeling!! lol

The weekend

This weekend has been a tad insane,

I was asked to drum at both Mersea Free church on Sunday night and Kingsland on Saturday night.

Its really interesting playing somewhere other than your home church, i found it alot easyer to let go of what people might think of me and what i look like and just worship with all that i have.

Drumming in Mersea i think is becoming a regular thing and i am going back to Kingsland another 3 times in the next month or 2.

Diary. 2006

Dad sujested to me last night that i should keep a record of all the places i have played and everytime i play somewhere new make a note of it. So thats what im gunna start doing.

Well from what i a remember last year, 2006,

It was March 18th that we (the Xalt band) were asked to go and play at 'Encore'
This was an event which my mate Chesh was just starting up, found out about 20 mins before it started that she had no idea how many people were going to actually turn up! As it happens there was a fair number there, praise God, and it was a very very good event and God really moved in that place, so much so that we almost ran out of songs! (Good old consuming fire, that can go on for hours if you need it to lol)

After the event, the dude that spoke, phil, came up to me and Kristian and simply said, "Im getting married in July and i want a phat time of worship like that"

And so from that we were invited to play at this guys wedding in London!

July quickly came round, and we rolled down to London to lead a wedding, which all through the set up and prayers before hand kept us asking, "why are we in london leading a wedding lord?" lol But as always he knows what he is doing. The wedding went very well, they are a very cute couple (she cried coming up the isle and all that).

3 days later the best man gave Kristian a call and informed him that 3 people became christians at the wedding during the worship in the service. I think this was one of those moments where we just knew God was smileing on us and leading us, even though we may feel out of place somewhere, he is using us for his glory.

There was also a trip to Hawrich in there aswell somewhere, in which a number of people started coming to Xalt and they still do.

Then september came round and planning for the cyo celebration started


The Anual CYO Celebration was on the 29th October. It was the third year in a row that we had been asked to lead it. St Botolphs church was packed out with just over 350 people, and it was a fantastic event, which led to the bishop coming onto the stage afterwards and saying how he really felt blessed to be a part of this "high octain worship" Boy how that statment traveled!

November was a little bit less stressfull! we still had our Xalt event on the last saturday and once again God turned up big style.

In December i was asked to play drums at an event at st johns, which was part of the 'seeking Gods blessing for colchester' movement.
It wasnt the style i was used to, as it involved a huge choir and Orchestra. The event went well with about 400 people. It was a good feeling to know that when people plan an event and need a drummer, they call me lol even if it is for a fairly traditional service.

and so 2006 ended with an Xalt, it was just one of those special nights, we lit the room and stage with around 200 candles and God just filled the room with his spirit.

2007

Another year gone!

I dont think i've ever looked forward to a year so much than 2007!
God is really starting to kick stuff off within Xalt and Elim in Colchester, its very exciting times!

(still no high hat however)

when i can think of something to write ill come back on here!!

1 Week Before Xmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the countdown has well and truley started!

its getting more crazy by the day!!

last friday night i went to my 5th delirious gig this year, once again they were on fire and its always amazing to watch the drummer, stew smith, going for it with all his heart, if only we could all play as loud as hes allowed to and get away with it!!

all of last week was spent in elim, building a new stage, and re wireing it completly, it now means we hav no cables on stage which makes the whole thing look so much more tidy and easy to use and get about on.

this morning at church we had a dedication service, which was very nice, lots of friends and family turned out so we had a good number of people, we went for a more lively and up beat kind of set, inc oh happy day (the new one), sing to the king and blessed be your name.


USING CAROLS AS WORSHIP?!?
now this is a tricky one! they are often seen as just somthing you sing this time of year, but are we worshiping if we r singing it just for the sake of it??
i had this convosation with a few ppl, but at the delirious gig on fri, matt redman supported and did a version of o little town of bethlehem, which was fantastic, and delirious even finished the whole gig with a huge rock version of hark the herold angel sing, which just exploded,so clearly worshiping to carols can be done, just in the right moment and context....just like to add we also did joy to the world this morning and it went down a storm....point proved?

NEW HIGH HAT AT XMAS!!!!!!!!! 14" a custom mastersound ziljian baby yea!!!!!!!!!!

xxx merry xmas

Worship drumming vs. Performance drumming

Being a drummer is great fun, especially in a worship team in your church. You play one of the loudest acoustic instruments in the team! When you hit those babies and they boom, people take notice! You lay the foundation, the beat, the rhythm. You get to show off those chops you worked so hard to refine. You get to be heard! The most important part of the team is you..whoa! Hang on…we’re getting carried away here. Are we talking about worshipping or performing here? It would seem, dangerously enough, to be the latter.

“Why would performing be such a bad thing?” you may ask. Well, performing isn’t a bad thing, in the right context. In the context of worship, it’s not right and, furthermore, it’s not Biblical.

You see, when you perform, you are entertaining people. They are enjoying being played for and the focus is on the performers. Adulation and edification comes from the people. It’s a thing of “I give and I expect to receive.” It’s showing off your talents and appreciating the applause from the crowd.
Performing is for the glory of man. Worship, however, is for the glory of God.

Worship, is different. You’re not there to perform. You are there to be part of a team whose responsibility it is to lead the people into a place where God is exalted, where His presence is so tangible you can feel it, where a foundation is layed for the Holy Spirit can minister. So, when you see the part a drummer plays in a worship context, it’s a huge responsibility and awesome privilege, a task not to be taken lightly.

Back in the groove

Wow my last post was all the way back in october!

The night of the CYO Celebration went really well, God was lifted up and we were able to make lots of noise (not too much obv!)

Since then we have had an Xalt in november which was a few down on numbers from October, but the right people were there and it was a great night of worshiping God!

Recently i have been a little bit challenged about the subject of performance, what is the difference between worship drumming and performance drumming. ill be able to write more about that when i can think more clearly!
Me and another member of the band have been visiting other churches on a sunday night for the past month or so, and its great to see what other people are up to!
For example we went to kingsland last sunday night, and they have done a fantastic job with how the stage and new building looks, it really does set the scene for a worship time with God.

Exciting times! in that not only have we totally re painted the inside of elim white, but we are now in the process of building a new stage, which has given us so much more room to play with! however it means im getting put in the corner, but i think we can deal with that :)

hope to write more soon!

CYO Celebration

Some Pics of the 2006 CYO Celebration, 29th October.

Latest Equipment list

Equpiment list:
TOURING KIT
Drums:
Vintage Premier - Series, Gold (UK)
[22" Kick, 12" Rack Tom, 16" Floor Tom] {14" Gretsch Floor Tom}

Snare: Premier - 14"x 8"

Cymbals:
Zildjian - 18" & 19" A custom Crash, 6" A custom Splash
Paiste - 18" 101 ride, 14" 101 hats

Hardware: Pearl
DW: Hardcore beater

Topdog 'O' rings, 10",12",14"x2

Drum skins:
Remo Emperor Coated

Drum sticks: Vic Firth - 5a wood tips.
Vic Firth - beaters

2nd floor tom

This is somthing i picked up after watching the U2 live vertigo 
tour dvd, the drummer, Larry, plays with a second floor tom on the
 left side of his high hat
After playing around abit with the idea i grew to really quite like it!
It leaves alot more options with fills and when building in a song.  
It also means you can play it just like a high hat
and so getting alot faster beats going than you could 
with the right side floor tom.

Of course every drummer likes his own sounds and set ups, 
but ive found especially with worship drumming that it helps 
a great deal when you need to take the song to a new place.

Just one of my personal preferences however, i now don't 
play anywhere without my 2nd floor tom. 

new bass drum beater

 Last week i bought a new bass drum beater! it had the word hardcore on the case so thought it would be about right.  It has a large lump of plastic in the middle to give it that extra 'kick'.  I first tested it out last night at Kesed and i liked it!!

Afew drumming pics

Drumming at Castle Park 05


Drumming at Castle Park 05


Guest Drumming at Kesed 06