Hey, MD world! The last time I wrote a blog here was in September of 2010, when I drummed for Kill Hannah during an intimate main support run with the Smashing Pumpkins. Before I begin, I’d like to say that I feel honored and privileged to be able to share with fellow MD readers about what I’ve been up to since.

The past couple of years, I’ve been getting steady contracted work as a show band drummer aboard several different cruise lines, and boy have the gigs been fun! There are ups and downs with sea life, but I’ve gotten the chance to up my playing styles and have been getting a steady paycheck. It’s been like getting paid to practice. (Well, for me it is, as I’ve never been a prodigy when it comes to jazz or Latin music). Because of my recent gigs on ships, I’ve been able to play drums three to four hours a day, have been to over forty-five countries, and the downtime between gigs has inspired something—songwriting! I’ve been tracking and writing on all instruments including bass, guitar, vocals, and drums. I’ve even decided to launch an all-original music project called Dead Original.

I will be singing and playing guitar live, and I will hire musicians to rock with me live. (I guess I’m pulling a Dave Grohl here.) I’d like to get Dead Original off the ground to one day hopefully share the stage with notable bands. But first things first: I need money to launch the band! (Yes, it takes money to make money.) So the plans are to keep playing on ships until I have enough bread to get into a professional studio, shop the music around, and then launch it virally and pay for advertisements to promote the first album. Advertisement

I want to thank my companies Vic Firth, Trick drums, Evans drumheads, and Meinl cymbals.

If there’s a will then there is a way—even if you have to go out to sea to do it.

 

Cheers, and drum on!

 

For more on Paul Wandtke, go to www.paulwandtke.com and www.deadoriginalmusic.com.