Skip to content

PERCUSSIONIST

H O M E
A B O U T
L E S S O N S
B L O G
N E W S
E V E N T S
I M A G E S
- P E R F O R M A N C E S
- P O R T R A I T S
V I D E O S
- S O L O / D U O
- E N S E M B L E
C O N N E C T

About

Share this:

Twitter
Facebook
Google

Like this:

Like Loading...

A B O U T
B L O G
L E S S O N S
E V E N T S
I M A G E S
V I D E O S
C O N N E C T

Facebook
Instagram
Email
YouTube

Search for:

I N U K S U I T —————————————————— First time performing John Luther Adams’ “Inuksuit” last Saturday was nothing short of a transformative experience! Getting to join together in community with Doug Perkins ( @perkoperc ) and 45 other percussionists at @riceuniversity and present this piece in such a beautiful grove of oak trees amplified by @falon_mihalic’s thoughtful landscape art was fantastic! —————————————————— This piece is such a special, uncommon, constantly evolving work, and experiencing length, form, ensemble communication, and character change from the first rehearsal to the performance was an amazing thing to behold. I’ll hold onto this one for a bit! —————————————————— #music #musician #musicianlife #community #environment #space #unique #special #collaboration #peaceful #outdoors #landscape #sound #design #art #thankful #transformation #contemporary #ensemble #houston #texas #inuksuit

spontaneous creations! —————————————————— Every now and then, I’ll have short creative bursts where I’ll be motivated toward crafting sounds that are often reflections upon past experiences or ways I make sense of present ones. —————————————————— Whenever work gets super hectic, I usually think about my favorite places in Colorado and how the several summers I’ve spent in the Rockies have shaped who I am as a musician and as a person. —————————————————— Whenever I’ve summited mountains, the stillness and silence at the top viewing the surroundings is so peaceful, but the sheer volume of creation and fear of changing conditions (thunderstorms can pop up at any minute during the summer months) is straight up humbling. —————————————————— Fun fact: I crafted this piece in the course of a single day! Full recording is up on my soundcloud! —————————————————— #music #musician #musicianlife #recording #experiment #electronic #timbre #minimalist #minimal #texture #layers #sound #concept #contemporary #creative #inspired #mountains #colorado #image #summit #vscocam #memories #austin #texas #story

late birthday present courtesy of @flattrackcoffee // 13/10 would recommend —————————————————— This handmade ceramic mug by @baker_potter is special in every way. The thumb indentation on the handle is a little extra detail that I never knew I wanted until I experienced it, and the weight distribution is so spot-on that I can pick up a full cup with just two fingers with zero effort. #thingsigeekoutabout —————————————————— #monday #coffee #mug #design #ceramic #detail #attention #awesome #perfect #home #art #comfort #vscocam #morning #start #wakeup #austin #texas

Welcome to Josh’s “15 Seconds of STANK!” —————————————————— Anybody remember @liquidrum’s #liquidrumfasthandschallenge? Who could forget? It was a fun way for us drummers to show everyone what we’re really trying to do in our free time: risking carpal tunnel and splinters to find out who’s got the realest #fasthands. —————————————————— Now, I want to challenge my friends and colleagues of any level of drum set savvy to open up their deepest pockets and forgo their 15 seconds of #fasthands fame and instead go for 15 seconds of STANK. —————————————————— The rules? Record 15 seconds of the dirtiest back pocket groove you got. Post it on your story and your profile, and use the hashtag #15secondsofSTANK. Then, tag three or four other friends to rope them into this! We’ll see who rises above soon enough! —————————————————— First, I challenge @liquidrum @cleachmusic @joshuaquillen and my old roomie @ckarabelas23. HAVE AT IT. —————————————————— #music #musician #musicianlife #drums #drummer #percussion #groove #pocket #stank #challenge #fun #community #silly #sharing #instagram #jam #austin #texas

T E L L A S T O R Y —————————————————— So excited to debut my new piece “January” (sound on!) for percussion and electronics on March 15 as the closer to my new solo show entitled “How I Learned to Count!” In this program, I’m going to be using some of my favorite pieces of music as an avenue to tell the story of how I learned to do what I do as well as how I’ve grown as a person through all of it. —————————————————— By sharing the “how”, I also hope to show you why I do all this to begin with! The “why” is something that doesn’t get talked about a lot, but I feel like it’s the question people (artists included!) are asking the most. —————————————————— All in all, what I’m attempting to create is a concert environment that isn’t just about engaging with the music. It’s about getting to know the people who create it, too. Community is the most important thing anyway, right? —————————————————— Can’t wait to play for you, friends! —————————————————— #music #musician #musicianlife #solo #performance #show #percussion #electronics #marimba #vibraphone #drums #story #sharing #personal #connection #community #environment #new #art #artist #growth #contemporary #concert #austin #texas

good views while buried in work at @houndstoothcoffee last night 🙌🏼 —————————————————— Doctoral student life is getting crazy. The (annotated!!) reading assignments are m-a-s-s-i-v-e, all the music on my plate is demanding, daily rehearsals during prime lunch hour (12-2pm) are a little unnerving, and teaching is amazing fun yet physically and mentally rigorous. Is any of this easy or glamorous? Heck no. It’s hard. But guess what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. —————————————————— On the other side of all this is exponentially increased knowledge and ability, expanded repertoire, fulfilling performances, and the satisfaction of seeing long-term improvements take shape in myself as well as my own students. —————————————————— It’s easy in tough seasons for the only thing we see to be trials and not what they do in us. In the first chapter of his letter in the NT, James writes “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” He writes this because he knows that enduring trials fills gaps in our “life résumés” with valuable wisdom and experience. I believe this truth inserts so much freedom into our work, whatever it may be, so today, I’ll enjoy difficulty for where it leads: growth. 🤘🏼 —————————————————— #music #musician #musicianlife #gradschool #work #studying #reading #perspective #difficulty #faith #view #colors #workspace #thought #coffee #grind #busy #growth #mindset #austin #texas

*when something works out way better than you thought it would* 😮 —————————————————— Been experimenting with some electronic effects on marimba recently! This is actually the end of variation 5 in Khan Variations with the sound reversed and slightly distorted. So, you’ll see that backwards Viñao kinda sounds like @radiohead a la Kid A/Amnesiac. Love thinking outside the box! —————————————————— #music #musician #musicianlife #percussion #marimba #experiment #electronic #fun #ideas #sound #layers #shape #studio #instrumental #austin #texas

B A L A N C E —————————————————— undergrad = practicing and pretending to read 😎 —————————————————— master’s degree = practicing and reading the same amount at great physical and mental cost 😰 —————————————————— doctorate = reading so much that you can’t practice ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ —————————————————— I know what a lot of us are thinking, “Oh man! I wish I could just practice all the time!” That’s sounds all fine and dandy until you think about it. Crazy music doesn’t really make a ton of sense without context! How are you supposed to correctly interpret something without an intimate understanding of aesthetics from a particular period? How are you supposed to catch your wrong notes and missed measures without a trained ear? How can you learn music faster without any theory knowledge that helps you anticipate musical material before it even happens? The list goes on. —————————————————— Guess what, drummers? When you start aging, your hands are the first thing to go. No more chops, no more cool licks. All you’ll have eventually is your knowledge and love of the craft. That’s why I read. Not just for assignments but for the future that’s ahead! It’s not all about chops! —————————————————— #music #musicianlife #coffee #reading #gradschool #scholar #morning #tuesday #learning #perspective #austin #texas

R E T H I N K M U S I C —————————————————— This month, as many people are traveling the country taking auditions at various colleges and conservatories, I’d encourage anyone in this situation to hold this truth high in your heart and mind. Music (or any art, for that matter) can often be full of unhealthy competition and unfair judgment. That kind of environment lifts up a select few and sadly leaves everyone else wondering if they should be doing this at all. What I say to that is this: I think it’s so important for us artists to value each other as people first, not as mere channels of aesthetic brilliance. —————————————————— Rest assured, nobody should treat dark attitudes and disrespectfulness as normalities. They are the furthest 👏🏻 thing 👏🏻 from 👏🏻 normal! I believe the guard is changing in our profession, and our art is becoming better because of it! What matters most is that we get to do it at all. ——————————————————#mondaymotivation #truth #music #musician #musicianlife #support #mentality #mentalhealth #respect #kindness #faith #belief #identity #art #artist #community #positivity #inclusion #important #austin #texas

© J O S H M C C L E L L A N 2 0 1 8 // all rights reserved

%d bloggers like this: