The jerk store called; they're running out of you

There is a debate going on over at the Facebook page of the Coconut Grove Drum Circle. Some dude named Danny, who seems to be a professional drummer, is putting down the Drum Circle drummers for being amateurish and not wanting to further their drum beating skills.

He is not getting the whole purpose of the drum circle. It's not a place for the likes of Buddy Rich and Sheila E, even though perhaps they might enjoy it, but it's a place for community spirit and fun.

I took this photo last Saturday of Ty and Sandy. Look at their faces!

Liz Gibson, one of the founders of the Grove Drum Circle, found this info on a website: "A community drum circle is often a fun, multicultural, mixed level, group music making event, with freely improvised rhythms, and the music is created on the spot, in the moment. There is no 'audience'; everyone is welcome to play, dance, or listen as the mood strikes them. Bring a drum if you have one. It's a jam session, an exploration. The language of rhythm transcends normal communication boundaries, so one sometimes finds folks interacting who would normally have trouble doing so. Often at larger community drum circles, some people will choose to dance in the middle of the circle, or fire/hoop dancers or others will be practicing at the same time, so that the drumming is part of a larger social event."

Liz is so dedicated to the drum circle along with Karen and Richard Deilke and Mark Richards. It is their baby. Look at this one Drum Circle from July. It was packed! More people than I've seen at any of the drum circles -- in the dead of summer!

This is the essence of the Coconut Grove Drum Circle. It is not a place for a drum concert and the drummers all have other lives, they are not professional musicians and never claimed to be.

All I know is that every time I am at the Drum Circle, I see dozens of people with big happy smiles on their faces all getting into the beat, whether drumming, dancing or just watching, it is an event and people enjoy it and always come back.

This comment from Danny on Facebook is uncalled for: "As for that video I saw, there were maybe 2 people actually playing a rhythm and a whole bunch of people randomly hitting their drums."

He goes on to insult them by saying, "I can't imagine why a good drummer would go unless forced or bored out of their mind. It's like a math professor wanting to add numbers with elementary school students. If you want to play the same thing over and over unchallenged and give percussion a worse name go ahead. Majority of musicians say drums and percussion aren't real instruments, that anybody can play it, I guess I couldn't prove them wrong even if I did study percussion! Like any instrument, there are people who play for real, and people who don't and give it a bad name! It's obvious who they are!"

He doesn't get it and he never will. Again, look at the faces of Ty and Sandy above. This is what it's all about. Not sheet music and professionals.

BTW: I have a request from The Loft and the other stores at the corner of Grand and Commodore. They would like to see the Drum Circle on the corner there next Gallery Walk or even before!