What’s up? Hope this finds all of you well. My name is C.G. Ryche, and I’ve been a touring percussionist for over a decade. I have performed and toured with artist like Benise, Wayne Newton, Ambrosia, Disney, and The NFL, and I’ve performed at some of the top drum festivals in the world. I find it interesting being the drummer or percussionist driving the bus, putting on a show in the back–our musicality and dreams are just as big as those of the lead singers or artists we work for. I’ve always felt that it is important for us as musicians to look for situations in which we can express ourselves as artists. After all, where would a lot of us be without people like Peart, Vinnie, Bozzio, etc., who were able to express themselves musically? Even though we are the guys in the back, that does not mean we don’t have a story to tell or music to express.

I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the best in Hollywood to fulfill a dream and release a performance DVD of my new solo project called Echoes Of Silence. To now be the artist and release the echoes of my silence in song and vision is surreal and very fulfilling. I wanted to bring the rhythm to the forefront. Drums and vocals are the most primitive forms of music, and they’re what people gravitate toward. Drumming is what inspired me to take this journey in music to begin with, so I wanted to bring the highlights of drumming from around the world–Brazilian Batucada, Japanese Taiko school, or a Cuban rumba–to a larger-than-life setting. One of the defining factors of my career has been my showmanship, the ability to put the cookies where the kids can reach them. Being very inspired by Pink Floyd, I modeled my DVD to paint a world of imagination. Nobody ever comes to hear a show, they come to SEE a show. Thanks to director John H. Radulovic, we were able to present drumming with a caliber of filmmaking that has never been done before. I also integrated short film into the concert and DVD to better tell a story.

My DVD has been picked up by PBS and will air several times in 2008, which I couldn’t be more exited about. I’m also on a performance DVD just released called Heads Up 2007, where I perform with Tommy Aldridge, Derico Watson, Aaron Spears, Danny Seraphine, Gorden Campbell, Zoro, and Mike Mitchell. That DVD will be released by Altitude Digital. I think it’s important to further drumming for future generations and to support those who do. I also think it’s okay to dare to dream and pursue your goals, whatever they may be. Because there is no one that can be you, better than you. Advertisement

God bless, and keep in touch.

C.G. Ryche

For more on C.G. Ryche, go to www.cgryche.com.