DrumArmy.com

Drum Army - Wants You !

Imagine if you will...BTM, the insane genius guru mutant from the alien orgy samplefest noise rock band, OUT of BAND EXPERIENCE (OBE) sending out the request for volunteers. That's right, Drum Army Wants You...see the world and taste its rhythms. It was the fall 1990 and a crack team of percussion experts were hand-picked by Commander-in-Chief Bill T. Miller to embark on the quest. With the help of TIME TRAVEL WARP PORTALS and the OBE Magick Amulet, this mutant patrol of SIX mercenary officers pounded out the basic rhythm trax during FULL MOON time tunnel sessions.

Departing from a portal which appeared in the wall at HEADROOM STUDIOS and travelling at the speed of sound, eight "songs" or "jam dimensions" were conjured up. The battle plan was to lay down the basic assult and then, later, DRAFT Special Forces Troops to overdub even MORE. Eventually OVER 40 minutes of beatscape masters materialized from the original 90 minutes of multitrack tapes. The first half of the CD focuses on the OLD WORLD rhythms.

! 1-Motherland (Africa)
Transported to the MOTHERLAND of AFRICA, the DRUM ARMY witnesses the BIRTH OF THE BEAT...jungle logs and chanting call out across the continent. The DRUM ARMY ensemble answers the call as the jungle comes alive with the chaos of beats. A mixture of the primitive organic sounds of ancient world mingles with modern drums, samplers, and noise making junk that the Drum Army patrol brought with them through the portal.

! 2-Tropical Rainstick (South America)
The beats of MOTHERLAND echo in the distance as a new portal swallows up the the DRUM ARMY PATROL, sweeping them deep into the AMAZON RAIN FORESTS of SOUTH AMERICA. Rhythm is the spirit of a country. A gentle rain is starting as the SHAMAN beckons for the mercenary percussionists to join in. The SHAMAN hands Commander BTM the sacred TROPICAL RAINSTICK. Eventually a downpour of beats gives way to clear skies and the rain forest shifts its complex polyrhythms. In a visionary electro shroom prophecy, the SHAMAN catches a glimpe of the future, where the purity of the ancient land is trampled. Cautious, but still hopeful for the future, the SHAMAN shows the Drum Army Patrol the path to yet another portal.....

! 3-Trance Dance (Tibet)
Now...high in the mysterious mountains of Tibet, a meditative calm consumes the time-traveling percussionists of the DRUM ARMY. The sounds of chanting monks, long brass horns, assorted bells, shakers, and drums played with large curved sticks fill the air. For a moment, Commander BTM thinks he HEARS and understands the origin of the sound of ONE HAND CLAPPING, but after more meditation, he concludes that the first step on the path to enlightenment is knowing he will never truly understand this ancient conundrum. Lost in a TRANCE DANCE, time seems suspended. Another portal appears.....

! 4-Tribal Stomp (Native America)
This time BTM and his most trusted officer, General Andrew Deckard, decide to scout this realm, while the other four officers stay tranced-out on the Tibetan mountain top, planning to reunite later. This new portal leads into a desert land of spirits, now known as the southwestern lands of the Native American Indians. A TRIBAL STOMP is already alive with the visions of an intertribal POW WOW. We will smoke the pipe and there will be no lies between us. YOU had YOURSELF A VISION.....

! 5-Big Rock Beat (Britain)
Then suddenly as the smoke drifts skyward, the travelers are drawn into a new portal, travelling through a long vortex maze gliding from the ANCIENT WORLD to the NEW MODERN WORLD. BTM and AD find themselves joining what appears to be a DRUM-IN of sorts. Clearly in LONDON, circa late 60s, the drummers pound out a Bonham-Moon-Baker-like beat in a dark dingy club. It's got a groovy beat, huh? After all the ancient world travels, the BIG ROCK BEAT seems to be SIMPLE by comparision, but the familiar 4/4 rock rock backbeat feeds the time traveler's homesick desires. As one of the UK drummers twirls his sticks, yet another portal opens up.....

! 6-Urban Jamfest (USA)
Slammed across the ocean to an URBAN JAMFEST. A smorgasbord of drummers of various styles converge. Now in the courtyard at the top of Telegraph Ave - UC Berkeley, California, but it could be ANY CITY USA. In this courtyard BTM and AD are reunited with THREE of the Drum Army OFFICERS who stayed behind in Tibet. The lost traveler known as General SIMON stayed behind on the mountain top and to this day his exact whereabouts are still unknown...SIMON, if yer out there, show us a sign. THE original five officers, Bill T. Miller, Andy Deckard, Ken Winokur, Larry Dersch, and John Breglia thrash about wildly with beats bouncing off the concrete jungle as the OVERLOAD of the MODERN WORLD gives way to the DECAY OF MADNESS.

To replace the VOID left by MISSING IN ACTION General SIMON, another EXPERT PERCUSSION MERCENARY is brought in through the original portal at HEADROOM STUDIOS. The only logical choice is OBE bandmate JEFF COHEN. He appears, joining in for the rest of the journey...sticks in hand and ready to bang. Just as the the jamfest sounds become almost unbearable in their random mixture of styles...guess what...the DRUM ARMY PATROL is pulled down into another portal.......

! 7-Eurotech (Germany)
Transported to a EuroTech laboratory packed full of electronics in GERMANY, the ARMY is surrounded by primative oscillators and hi-tech samplers triggered with drum pads, keyboards, computer sequencers. Ready to morph, loop, and mutate, the DRUM ARMY embraces a chance to step out of the organic grounding of tradition. Sparks fly as an electro industdroid dance beat happy trip ignites....and you guessed it, yet another portal opens up... this time back to the NOW TIMES.

! 8-Drum Army March (World Parade)
YES...back from the Past into the Future and now somewhere in the PRESENT. The full-blown DRUM ARMY assembles to MARCH. A hero's welcome back ticker tape semi-normal parade. BUT this is NOT a traditional Drum Corps Marching Ensemble. NOW ALL the TROOPS have joined with OFFICERS. Marching up the avenues, VISITORS from ALL the worlds the DRUM ARMY visited appear within the ranks to make this a UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCE. The ensemble stops to perform along the route, as the crowd's cheers become part of the rhythms. Time drifts onward as the DRUM ARMY marches into the distance...

Is that yet another portal...who what where why when how is happening NOW?