Finding Where I Belong

Autumn is my favorite time of year and this season of harvest has been a good time for me to recognize my true musical identity. My time away gave me time to rest and recharge, which also gave me a sense of clarity that I had not felt in a long time. With that being said, I can feel a growth spurt coming and I can't wait to see how that impacts my musical life. 

I believe strongly in Providence and how following this divine guidance sets me on the right path. My desire to do what I love combined with wanting to work in different settings gives me the variety to keep the my performing life fresh while also challenging me to be even better than before, thus, requiring more focus and effort on my part . Leave it to Providence to not only create such opportunities but to also show me what I need to do in order to honor this path that is now before me.

I accept. 

Teaching 

I am back for another year of teaching Percussion at St. Augustine Catholic High School. This year is going to be very different as I only had two students return from last with a whole new batch of beginners. This was definitely going to be a new challenge. 

It starts with the right attitude and the right type of enthusiasm but in this case, it has required me to have more patience than ever before. Sometimes a teacher is blessed with students who are quick learners but in this case, while the enthusiasm was there the ability to match it was not always apparent. I had to make sure that I maintained a positive environment for each student while reassuring the struggling students that they will see results if they just stick with the program. 

We took baby steps as a group and focused on the little victories. In some cases, those who had trouble playing the drums did well when it came to learning how to read music. In other cases, it was a matter of them seeing and hearing the improvement that many of them displayed every time we played the drums. 

No better way to get the right feedback than to perform in front of the school. I taught my class our signature cadence, which is called Howling Thunder, but also added a nice free intro with some Samba calls while inserting some solos for my more advanced students in order to give the student body an exciting performance....and it worked. 

The best part was seeing my students look at each other while we were alone and say, we sounded awesome!  Yes, you did and you all understood the concept: We sounded awesome. 

I am very proud of my students. 

 

Music Composition

For many years I would only take time to write and record my own music when I had a break from a gig. Even then, it did not occur too often because I made sure to get some rest while spending some extra time with my family. No regrets but yes, there were many hours, days and months where I did not use my time off to work on my own music. I decided some time ago that this was about to change. I needed some me time for my music.

After moving into a new home where an extra room allowed me the space to work without disruption I took advantage of that time to focus on a lot of ideas that were brewing in my head. Sometimes it started with a groove, most of the time it was a riff that I came up with and before I knew it, the drums were programmed and I am tracking bass lines and guitar parts to hear my ideas on tape. In a lot of cases I surprised myself because I was usually pleased with the initial idea and rarely had to refine what I had initially written.

A lot of times I wanted to make sure I played each part as well as I could so there might be moments that I am watching a movie and riffing away, playing the same parts over and over so I could get it right before anything was tracked. In other words, if it was worth taking some time from the stage to focus on my music then I was going to put the same focus that I did when it came to learning and performing songs. 

In time I started sharing these recordings with selected friends in order to get an honest opinion. I was pleased with their input and accepted many of their suggestions because it gave me a chance to give my own music a different look.

Ironically, since I was spending more time playing guitar I could also see how much my guitar playing along with my approach to the instrument as I started using chord formations that I had never used before. It also improved my acoustic guitar work, which meant that I was even playing better every week at Church. There was a better flow, a better execution of dynamics as well as a more efficient execution of strumming and chord formations. 

The musician in me has improved because he was forced to stretch his abilities. 

 

Still a Drummer   

The creative juices were flowing and I loved the feeling of hearing my music come to life. Still, there is that primal feeling within me that can only come out when I am playing the drums and the truth is, I missed the stage. I did a few off the grid gigs over a several month period and while that was nice to get out for a bit I did miss the bigger venues that allowed me to go all out on my drums.

It started when my musical brother Tony Corrales came calling. He had the urge to hit the stage again to do a set at The Maverick. His chosen back up band would be Badlands, which features members of the Tony Corrales Band, which means that yes, I was a co-founder of the group. I was then invited to play the whole show and not just the set with Tony, which was certainly an exciting proposition for me. It was great to see my brothers again. Aside from Tony there was the amazing Joey Cota, who I have performed hundreds of gigs with as well as the Robert Rojas and Abelino Sanchez. I was always so blessed to share the stage with these great talents so to have a reunion of sorts was more than exciting, to say the least. 

I arrived to the venue, where I had not been in quite some time and was immediately taken by the familiar surroundings. It was nice to be welcomed by the staff, to see my brothers when they all arrived to the show along with some familiar faces known as the loyal TCB fan base. We hit the stage and BAM! We were back. Everyone was on their A game and the crowd response was better than we could hope for. It felt good to hit my drums in this way again so I was more than game to return for another Badlands gig once they hit me up for another night at The Maverick.  

Time went on and after a few hearts to hearts with the guys, with my family members and with myself I realized how much I needed to be back out there performing like I had in years past. More than that, the love and support of my musical l brothers showed me where I truly belonged. Still, as they know along with everyone who is close to me: part of my inner search showed me that I need to continue to challenge myself in order to continue to grow musically. That means that I will remain open to as many musical possibilities as possible.

You Want it, You Got It

The calendar rolled into September and I knew the next six weeks were going to hit me hard. Challenges also mean that one must not only be focused but ready to feel a level of certain level of exhaustion from all of the effort needed to complete certain tasks. On top of that, I also wanted to make sure that I made the same time for my family that they have grown accustom to while I was away from the stage.  

It started with a performance at the Diaspora Showcase in Tucson.  I had spent weeks working on songs by Miriam Makoba and to say that were at times challenging would be an understatement. Rhythmically, they were familiar to me but executing them properly was not so easy as the African pop approach differs from popular songs here in the West.

Then there is the constant unexpectedness of the music business. When I arrived at the first rehearsal it was decided that we were going to be an acoustic act meaning I was going to play my djembe, not my drum set. Okay, I know the arrangements of the songs and while I was slightly disappointed  this change of direction did not deprive me of what I gained as a drummer by adding this style of drumming to my arsenal. 

The date of the event arrived and I had a blast! I got to play with some seasoned musicians who were flown in from California, which meant I was more than honored to be the featured percussionist as this production was more than willing to bring in the right person from anywhere. On this night I performed for the first time with the Kora, a beautiful African stringed instrument that I have enjoyed listening to for decades now. Aside from the music, the event featured a full on celebration of African culture. From the fashion show to the food to all of the art that was displayed. I got to meet a lot of great people and put my experience as a world beat drummer on display for an exciting audience. I learned a lot since I did not play the drum set and look forward to the things I must do to grow as a percussionist. Aside from that, I am already anticipating the next performance, which will be on March 25, 2023 in Chandler, AZ.

Two weeks later I am back at Whiskey Roads with Badlands. We hit the stage knocking out some familiar songs along with a few new ones that went over really well. The familiarity was good but there was also a determination and energy that the band never had before. The audience response was awesome as was the response from the staff at the club. It was also nice to have Karina Bermudez join us onstage for a few songs as we had a chance to celebrate some great memories from the past. 

The following week took me to the Arts Express Theatre here in Tucson. I was referred to a musical theater gig by my old TCB bandmate Rose Briones and hired to do the gig by music director Zach Wetzel. The production was called Bright Star, which was a Broadway musical written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. I was brought in for three tech rehearsals after the cast and crew had been working for a little over five weeks. It was directed by Dana Milne, who is an old co-worker of mine at Salpointe Catholic High School and choreographed by Simone Joliet, another former Salpointe co-worker of mine. 

This must be a month of reunions! 

I had not been in a production like this in decades. Aside from playing a lot of train beats I layered percussion all over some beautiful songs. From powerful cymbal rolls over emotional ballads to finger cymbals, triangles, and jam blocks on some feel good songs. It challenged my instincts as a percussionist to both perform the songs as they should be played while also having to read charts throughout each performance. 

Aside from being able to play with Rose again, I also met some other great musicians that I  had a blast working with. I also need to mention the amazing performers onstage whose acting and singing were second to none. It has been a true honor to work with such professionals. What made it more special is that Zach has already hired me to be a part of Tick, Tick Boom starting in February of 2023. 

A week after this production I was back onstage with Badlands. This time we did an intimate gig at America Eats Co., a cozy stage area near those who came for a nice dinner with their family and friends. We had a great set and a fun time playing some of our favorite songs along with a few new ones. Although I enjoyed my time in the World Beat and Musical Theater arenas I really enjoyed beating on my drums again in a high energy environment.  

Soon after, it was time to pack my drums in my truck and head to the Los Angeles area. It was time for me to lead another drumming Master Class, this time at Los Angeles Harbor College in Wilmington, CA. This town is next to my hometown of Carson but it is the city where my mother was born, where my parents met as well as where my parents got married. I even lived in this town for about two years when I was baby so it is home to me. Even though I didn't attend this school I did have some friends who went here so I did spend some time here and even attended some performances here in my younger days. So, to be on this stage really meant a lot to me. 

The professors who organized my performance were warm and appreciative as were the students in the Musicianship 101 class. That vibe did a lot for me so add that to my preparation and it was an amazing moment. I made sure to demonstrate first, the musical capabilities of the drum set, express the importance of the fundamentals while encouraging the students to take all that they are learning in their musical studies to create and share their own musical voice. It seemed to work as the professors said that most of the students went straight to the practice rooms following my presentation.

I wrote this blog in my hotel room while I was in Los Angeles as a way to unwind from my busy day. Meanwhile, I received a text message from back home as I picked up a filler gig, which means I would hit the stage the evening after I return home. After that I have some time off from the stage so it's time to head back into my home studio to work on and start recording some new music. 

My focus is changing but the work never ends. I am really looking forward to getting back into my own musical world as a composer but the drummer in me also needs to come out. The good thing is that my performance schedule is filling up for the rest of this year as well as the beginning of next year. 

This is my musical cycle and I can see that I am most fulfilled when that cycle continues to turn. 

Carlos Solorzano 

https://www.desertdrummer.com/