Long time no blog...

The life of an independent cymbal maker is a busy one! Sourcing and buying metals, creating instruments, trying to promote and sell them, putting them carefully into shipping boxes, handing them over to shipping agents, playing music, doing the accounts, exhibiting at shows: Winter NAMM, Frankfurt Musikmesse, The UK Custom Drum Show, Chicago Drum Show. It’s nice to have a bit of a break now over the summer. Phew.

Time to catch up on orders. Time to develop new ideas. Time to investigate new materials. Time to make plans. Ohio Drum Show? Amsterdam Drum Show? Maybe. UK National Drum Fair? PASIC? Definitely.

The music festival and fringe has been on here in Bath. The Baghdaddies and Travis / Fripp were highlights of that for me. Ooh, and how could I forget – ANTA, Squeeze Me Macaroni and Team Brick. Last year it was Joanna McGregor playing John Cage. Spellbinding. In 3 weeks, I’ll be playing my gong rig at The Croft in Bristol with the wonderful Dan Bennett on guitar and processing.

Actually, I’ve sold some pretty sweet gongs lately. I need to make some more, if only for that performance. Back to the grindstone...