The Story Behind Drip Drums
It all began on tour in January 2020.
I was running a fan club initiative for The Glorious Sons on their 2.5 month long A War On Everything North American tour. Part of the reward for downloading their new fan club app was getting the chance to win signed drumheads, used guitar pics and strings. Every few nights I’d ask the guitar and drum technicians for their scraps to set up on my little fan club table as a prize. They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure amirite??
So there I was on the tour bus with stacks of used drumheads in my bunk and I decided to take one home. The smooth surface reminded me of a pristine white canvas that maybe I could paint on…
Cutting the tour short because of Covid was devastating. Post-tour depression is already a consideration. Now, imagine coming home straight into isolation not knowing what to make of all this free time.
It wasn’t until a couple weeks into isolation that I decided to pick up that drumhead I brought home with me and paint on it! It was so satisfying seeing colour splash across the white surface. It was like finding that one flower that manages to bloom in between cracks in the concrete. Underneath the paint were many dents on the drumhead (it was used after all) but there was some magic in knowing that a drummer beat this thing a hundred times and created vibrating sound waves that brought so much joy to thousands of people.
I didn’t pick up the paint brush again until a few months later when I moved into a new place. Covid wasn’t going anywhere and neither was my anxiety.
I ended up quitting my dream job because my mental health took a turn for the worst. I was no longer honouring myself and my needs and I lost sight of why I was working in music in the first place. From there, seething depression and anxiety commenced. I needed something to focus on and work towards to find purpose again.
So I followed the beat of my heart - back to the drumheads.
I hit up my good pal at YC Drum Company for the goods and I started having fun. I can’t disclose who these upcycled drumheads belonged to, but let’s just say it’s a guarantee that the best in Canadian Rock music played on them.
I started experimenting with colour blocking, painting layers upon layers of paint. Then I tried out a drip technique where I let time and gravity take hold for a while.
Drop by drop I let the paint fall until it hit the centre of the drums, pointing to that focal point that kept me aligned and sane. Sometimes I’d leave the paint to drip and walk away to do something else only to come back and see that the drip had gone farther than I wanted it to. You can see in some of the pieces that the drips don’t meet so neatly in the middle. It was often in these moments that I was sidetracked and having trouble focusing on anything. But the drumheads kept calling me back: “Is the paint dry yet? Is the drip finished yet?” It was like bringing your mind back to your breath during meditation.
Quite frankly this art project got me through a global pandemic, isolation, and on the other side of depression and anxiety.
So… This is Drip Drums! My art project with upcycled drumheads!
These pieces mean a lot to me because drums have always been an important part of my life. My late father was a drummer and it’s the one instrument that I can play naturally. I have him to thank for putting the natural rhythm in me.
I’ve always loved the drums because it’s a sound you can physically feel. It just grabs you right in your chest and you can’t help but move along. As a dancer, drumming is conducive to my abilities to emulate powerful emotion through my entire body. So I still feel like I’m dancing along whenever I play drums.
I am so proud to finally have this project out in the world. All the names of the pieces are inspired by some of my favourite songs and artists. I made a playlist you can listen to below…
Mental health is something I have grown to feel very strongly about and so I want to give back with this project. Partial proceeds will be donated to Remedy Institute’s Community Support Program that provides bursaries for those in the 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, and artist communities to access mental health treatment at low and no cost services.
I hope Drip Drums bring you the same solace and joy that they brought me. xx
Artists featured in the Drip Drums trailer in order of appearance:
Tame Impala
Johnny Daigo
The Flaming Lips
Arkells
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Clara Venice
The Rolling Stones
Lido Pimienta
The Dreamboats
LP
Metric
Julian Casablancas + The Voidz
Weaves
The Killers
Caribou
The Beaches
Foster the People
Justice
Orville Peck
Disclosure
Ceréna
Lemon Bucket Orkestra
Sean Lennon (The GOASTT)
Bubblegum Bikini
The Capitol Beat
The Glorious Sons
Queens of the Stone Age
Death From Above 1979
Satanic Mills
Monowhales
Kaytranada
Jennifer Lopez
Kid Cudi
July Talk
Budsons
Fear of Romance + Brendon Padjasek
Feist
Clairmont the Second
Rosalia
My Nonno Benny
