Nutmeg.

Christmas time is coming yet again. Every year this song comes to mind. As if you already didn't have enough reasons to like John Legend.

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Cats are Stupid, Right?

This video made me legit LOL so hard.

Matt Brotka-Tattoo Artist Profile & The Fortune Healers

This is my friend Matt Brotka, he is an amazing tattoo artist from Rhode Island. Hes worked at countless shops and for/with countless of my other tattooer/shop owner friends. A few years ago he packed up and moved to Richmond, VA. He now works out of Salvation Tattoo and this is his artist profile video. Which he used my band(The Fortune Healers) tunes for the background music!

If you have a minute check out the video! Then check out The Fortune Healers! and if you really like tattoos please check out his webiste! Matt is an extremely good tattooer and I'm sure RI has been bummed since he left. If you live in Richmond look him up!

www.mattbrotka.com

The Greenery

This is a video for "Spit and Argue" from the Greenerys new record "Wasted Days".

Reason I post this, It was filmed at the Waterfront Tavern in Holyoke MA, a place I've gone to many of times for friends shows in the Western Mass area. My friend Matt is also the gentleman who starts all the ruckus, VERY like matt. Probably why they chose him to be in this video. Matts a real nice guy, unless you piss him off.

If you like gnarly pissed hardcore music, this may be a band for you.

Trick Throw offs

Well, I make a post about Trick Drums and how I've never heard of them and what do I find out last week? Oh, just that my snare drum from Dark Horse HAS a throw off FROM Trick Drums!

I did say Trick makes all kinds of different hardware and I always knew the term "Trick Throw off" in the custom drums game and I knew specifically what that throw off looked like. However I just kind of thought that it was some sort of fancy name or description of an action it does. Which I do not see how a throw off switch can perform any trick at all, know what I mean? Its something that I just never really gave thought, which is why I didn't put the 2 together.

This is the throw off thats on my snare drum right now.



ALL the custom companies, SJC, Truth, Shine, Dark Horse, Orange County, etc use them. Not to mention some of the bigger named Companies such as Spaun. They also sell them at Guitar Center.

You can get whatever you want laser etched on them. Usually companies get their Logo on them. Like mine has the Dark Horse logo as well as the Trick logo.

So yeah, I just figured Id post this to show how oblivious I am!

Chip Ritter/Trick Drums

I found out about Chip Ritter this morning looking at the TRICK drums webpage. TRICK is a custom drum company from Arlington Heights, IL. That I also found out about recently.

I attended the Harvest/Burnt By The Sun last show in NYC last week. The drummer from Burnt By The Sun who I was told is also the drummer for Municipal Waste, had a TRICK drum kit, a company I have never heard of before. So this morning I finally got a chance to check out their webpage. Thats where I found Chip. Dude has some chops and I'm a sucker for stick tricks. A little flash is cool and all but personally not my thing but stick trick drummers are definitely a thing that interest me and make me laugh whenever I see someone doing some whacky shit. Stick juggling is his shtick he is running with and I think its pretty cool. Decent video to watch. Quality is a bit off, but it is what it is.

TRICK has a Orange Country Choppers of drums vibe. All their drums are created with an alloy called AL13 shells from their own custom design. Along with all their hardware options, pedals, throw offs, etc that are also all made of metals. TRICK Drums may not appeal to me but they are on top of their shit. They really are doing something unique. Creating drums that are very industrial but at the same time look no different than any company thats using wood shells. They are machinists and they seem to be really good at what they are doing. They offer the ability to machine whatever it is you want on site (for a price increase of course) to fulfill your dream. They also offer laser etching, textured Metal Grain, Millusion and pin striping. Which if you chose to not wrap or finish your Trick drum kit, is something you could not do with wood shelled drums.

Not my thing but still cool in its own right. If you have a minute and care to check it out look here at TRICK DRUMS

My Friend Max

This is Max. He's a recent friend that I have made. Max is a real good guy and happens to also be a really talented good guy.

I've known that Max was a musician for a minute and that my friend Paul had recently been working with him as his "backing band" essentially under his moniker "Max Prussner". I just heard this song a few days ago and was really impressed on how good it was.

This is a music video that was made of the song "Tell Me Trouble". It features lots of cool new friends that I have made over the past year and sadly, If I had only met Max a little sooner I would have had the pleasure of being in this video with everyone else.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

www.maxprussner.com

Signed!

After recording 1 shitty demo in a hardcore band with some friends in 2004 and a handful of demos that were never released in various projects, I am finally in a functioning band that has a legitimate CD released! It would be my first not only written and recorded BUT mastered and packaged release on a record label! Its such a small thing that is going to go completely unnoticed but its still a pretty cool to me. You never know what can happen. Everyone starts small and this is just the beginning. Init Records is a great place for a start, TJ has known Steve for a while and I personally own releases from Init. When I was 16 buying Spirit of Versailles 7 inches I would have never thought that 10 years later I would be in a band that would have a release on that same label.

July marks a year that I have been doing The Fortune Healers. I've enjoying my time in this band writing rock n roll songs with my friends. Doing even the small things that we do. Pretty much anything that happens is an accomplishment. We've been lucky enough to be playing locally 1 to 2 times a month and its good to finally be able to play for/with friends considering a lot of friends have yet to even see me play drums or hear what I've been doing. Last week we made friends with a NYC band called Tidal Arms who are cool ass dudes and dug us real hard which is awesome as hell. We hope to get to NYC to play with them in the future. People seem to be digging it when they can catch a show so it makes me happy to know people are liking what I'm doing and to see how much I kill it behind a drum kit (beeep beeep).

The ball has started rolling and who knows what can happen. I'm excited to start writing more music for a full length, which will also be a first and we also plan to release a 7" sometime soon. I cannot wait to track for that. Its going to feature a song we play out but have yet to record thats one of my favorites thus far.

Until then you can grab our EP HERE in the INIT Records webstore for only $3!

Beardscaping.

Like most people in their lives I've had my first birthday, my first day of school, my first time riding a bike without training wheels, my first kiss and the list goes on. In 2011, I crushed them all by doing the most magnificent manly thing out of them all. I grew my FIRST beard!

I've tried to grow one before in past years but to no avail. This time I just rode it out to what many have said was a "Good Beard". It blossomed quite nicely if I don't say so myself.

Since summer is here and I do not wish to have this thing keeping heat in, getting sandy, having sea life stuck in it and all the other things beards seem to collect, I decided to get rid of my manly possession. So my friend Chris documented the removal of my beard. Not without trying all the cool facial hair patterns I could have first of course.

I am proud of my accomplishment. I didn't think it would be possible, but it was. I look forward to next winter, it will blossom again!

BIG.

So since I was heading south to DC and my snare drum just happened to be ready, we made a little pit stop in Kenilworth, NJ to pay a visit to the Dark Horse Percussion shop! Unfortunately DHP is not a 24/7 operation like I thought it was so I didn't get to take a tour of the shop. Real big bummer considering I didn't have to go pick up my drums like I had originally planned to do when they were finished. To actually be AT the shop and still not be able to see it was a bummer. Hopefully Healers will get down to New Jersey at some point or if I'm ever passing by again I'll get to check the joint out!



What was waiting for me in the hallway however was this beefy young lady:

14x8 15ply maple. Aged marine pearl wrap, single tube lugs and diecast hoops.

I originally ordered a 10ply but Anthony had this 15 on the shelf and decided to hook me up. Which I appreciate! I've seen a lot of people ordering 14x8 snares lately, you could say its the "cool thing" right now. So I kind of figured hey, why not? I already own a 14x7 why not go for a little more. I did NOT know what I was getting into! This snare is SO big its crazy. They never look all that big when I've seen others or when you're holding it yourself but once its set up in your stand, whole other perspective. It could be the single tubes that give it a bigger effect, I don't know but shes one big bitch!

I haven't had much time with her, I took her to the healers practice space last night and tuned her up to how I usually tune my snares but I haven't gotten an ear for her yet. My drums took a little while for me to get used to and this snare won't be any different. My tuning methods might not work for this snare. Theres still some kinks to be worked out. I'm used to a 7ply birch shell, so this is a HUGE difference in sound. In the end I'll figure everything out and get used to her and she'll be amazing. Can't wait for my band mates to see and hear it. I'm really interested in opinions of how she sounds. The shows I'm playing in June will hopefully give some valuable feedback.

If They Move...Kill Them.

Fairweather reunion show, what can I really say? The culmination of 8 years in maybe an hour. I sang my voice raw, shook my body sweaty and head banged my neck sore. It was probably the best time that I have had at a show in a VERY long time. This show meant so much to me. A band I loved then, a band I still love today.

Its a bit sad to think about when I stop to do so for a minute. In most "reunion" type fashions this show seemed to be a celebration for a rebirth, but was more of a celebration to an end. I've waited so long and I finally got what I wanted. I ask myself, now what? Although you can never be too sure, this will most likely never happen ever again in the rest of our life times. The process of learning to deal with that is slow. However I am so thankful that I got to be apart of this. Considering so many probably couldn't.

If any of you do read this, Shane, Pete, Jay. It was more than amazing to see all of you again, playing my most favorite songs that at the age of 15 shaped who I was and influenced me tenfold musically. You gave me power, solace and most importantly, friendship. I am more than pleased to know you as people and be able to feel so close to something that at the beginning, never thought I would be.

Now heres a video of Soundtrack To the Ride as I make an appearance at 1:11

You say you miss me but is that the best that you can do?

That line being said, I have missed Fairweather, for a long 8 years. I am also going to give them my best and trek my ass down to DC for this gig.

I found out via Facebook invite while at work and I almost lost my shit. I cannot explain how excited I am for this show. I can't wait to hear all those songs again and scream and shout with some friends like old times back in 2000-2002 all over New England. I've never seen DC so this is a great excuse to get on down there and see our nations capitol.

I've seen many "old" bands reunite the past 5 years. Even though I DO like those bands, some of them I never got to see when they were actually a band. Some I got a chance to see, but it was later in their career and I just never got a chance to develop that connection. Fairweather however is THAT band I have THAT kind of connection with.

I've been waiting a long time and I'm so pleased that I'm going to get the chance to be a part of this.

I Don't Ever Want To Feel Like This.

Bazan: Alone at the Microphone DVD

This is a really good Documentary on David Bazan. David Bazan is someone who I haven't followed so much as a solo artist. I own "Curse Your Branches" and it hasn't been spun as much as it probably should have. However if you did not know, David Bazan was the singer for a band I do listen to a lot and really enjoy called Pedro The Lion.

Its always opinion to say who is "amazing", "brilliant" and who also, "sucks" in music but I personally feel that David Bazan is an extremely talented song writer. So I am excited to watch this DVD for the interviews mostly but also to see my favorite Pedro The Lion songs performed since I never got a chance to see Pedro live when they were a band.

Things My Girlfriend Makes Me For Breakfast III

Apple cinnamon pancakes with apple brown sugar compote. I don't really have much to say about it. Only that I wish you were there to eat it. Apple & brown sugar compote slayed me. It was incredible. The pancakes themselves didn't even have to be apple, an added perk for them to be of course but the compote alone kicked you in the mouth with flavor.

My Drum Rig

Photo: Albert Longo

My drums set up after load in at The Fortune Healers show we played at The Met Cafe 2 weeks ago.

Adele Being Epic

Shes so on point its almost not even fair.

Things My Girlfriend Makes Me For Breakfast II

Banana French Toast with Blueberry compote!

Holy crap was that blueberry compote good!

Things My Girlfriend Makes Me For Breakfast.

Its no secret, I LOVE food. Since acquiring a girlfriend who has cooking/baking talents I have been the most spoiled in the "what do you want for breakfast" department.

I haven't been all that active on here lately so I just cooked this idea up (please excuses that corny pun) to start posting the delicious things that I get to eat every now and again.

Here we have an eggs in a basket bread sandwich w/ soy sausage, cheese & spinach middle. Yeah, it was GOOD.

Innuendos.

My girlfriend brought me this birthday card home cause she knows my humor(NEWS FLASH: I like REALLY dumb shit). She got it at Rite Aid. I don't know why but I find it weird that this was even in there. If you don't know what Rite Aid is, its a store/pharmacy exactly like CVS and/or Walgreens.

So Sick

Matthew Richard...BACK on the internet!

After getting up on The Dark Horse roster list and the website being redone shortly after my presence was extremely short lived. However the time has come again! I now have my drums, a band and all the other appropriate information together and I am back up on the site amongst the other DHP artists!



Head on over to www.darkhorsepercussion.com and check the ARTIST section to see the whole deal!

My Year In Pictures

2010 was an amazing year for me. Probably one of the better years of my life. This blog is actually one quite contrary to all my other year ender blogs that I have posted in the past. I see this to be a very good thing. I set out to do things this year and I accomplished ALL of them. Everything went my way. I feel very fortunate and lucky to be able to say that. I've also met a ton of new people this year, I'm pleased to have met all of them, everyone is so awesome and respectful. Its great. I look forward to the lifetimes ahead with everyone. 2011 starts off amazing and I have only a vague idea of whats in store. Heres to having just about everything I could ever want.

April 2010: I moved out of my parents into the city of Providence.


July 2010: I was referred by a friend to talk to his boss/co-worker about a band he was working on. Thats when I met TJ, who is a dude thats totally on my level. TJ needed a better and more available drummer. Thats when I joined The Fortune Healers. Our Bass player wasn't working either, so I took the pleasure of getting my good friend Derek in the band as well. Not to mention I've known Jae for about 7 years. I'm excited to be in a band with good people.

August 2010: After over a years wait, I FINALLY received my custom drums from Dark Horse Percussion.

September 2010: I visited the country of Australia. This is me on the steps of the Opera House.

December 2010: After months of "dating", I have a new girlfriend. Its nice, different. Wish me luck! I'll need it!

Way Better Than A Bike Helmet!

I'm seriously upset that this moves so fast and is only a little over 3 minutes. Because I would watch a legitimate 3 hour special about the making of a Daft Punk helmet!

New Years.

Partied with a lot of great people. This was one of the best New Years that I can ever remember. Oddly enough, it was with all NEW people in my life. Change is good.