Time Lapsing in Portland

Check out this time lapse video shot by students at the University of Portland, our hosts this past weekend for a show that featured Tyler Ward & Alex G opening for the incomparable Andy Grammer.

We had a fantastic time playing Rock The Bluff, and I can't say enough about the way we were taken care of by everyone who put on the show. From taking us out to the legendary Voodoo Donuts immediately after picking us up at the airport, to meeting all of our backstage needs and getting up early the morning after the concert to make sure we made our flights home, everyone at the U of P went above and beyond to make this show happen and to make sure that us musicians - and not just the students - had a great weekend.

At about the 1:24 mark of the video, you can see yours truly (in a bright teal-colored tee shirt) setting up his drumset on the side of the stage while Andy Grammer's band was soundchecking. (Look closely, and you'll probably be able to make out the entire T-Ward Crew, as well.)

Also, for some additional U of P hijinks, check out this interview the campus newspaper conducted before the show.

Dave Grohl's Advice for Aspiring Musicians

Pay close attention to what Dave Grohl has to say to up-and-coming artists and bands.


No matter how an artist chooses to promote themselves or distribute their music, the live experience will always be it. It will always be the thing. I think most of us would be hard-pressed to think of a single great musical act that has endured for decades that could not deliver live. Cover videos and online distribution and, as Dave puts it here, "product placement" are fine, but they cannot and will never replace the power of awesome live performance.

If you want to make fans for life, blow them away from the stage - great performance of great songs. Everything else is tertiary.

Sean Waldron - "She's Got"

Here's the final result of a recording & video production that I got to be a part of a few weeks ago with the über-talented Sean Waldron. Be on the lookout towards the final chorus for the answer to the question as to just who happens to be displaying such mind-blowing rhythmic mastery on the song's drum track.


(And don't forget to pick the song up here if you dig it!)

My Most Important Drumstick

Amongst the plethora of both damaged and unused drumsticks that constitute my personal arsenal, there is one that remains though all the others be thrown out. It stays firmly ensconced among the other sticks, mallets, brushes, rods, & drum keys, despite the rather high turnover rate of the other residents of my stick bag. It is never played. It never gets used. Its purpose in the bag is symbolic and sentimental, reminding me about things more important than any music I could make with it if I chose to pull it out.

It was hand-carved from the wood of a tree by a great uncle of mine during the Depression. He wanted to become a drummer and, given the rough economic dynamics of the time, was required to make his own drumsticks in order to pursue his dream. When he had to leave to fight in the most horrific and widespread war this world has ever known, he gave the stick to his parents and told them that should he not return, he wanted it to be passed on until it reached the hands of another drummer in the family. 

Adventures in iTunes: an über '80s mix

Alright, folks. We're going back in time a bit on this one. This list is chock full of hits as well as a few deeper cuts, great, classic songs as well as pure cheese, and I'm sure somebody out there is going to respond with a, "Why is this song on there but not that one?" And, well, that's the point. Let it inspire you to make your own 1980's playlist. Because, well, every iPod should have one, really.


There are some great childhood memories for me on this list and a bunch of songs I still love to listen to. The '80s were a great time for pop music. For those of you not born until the following decade, just trust me: having my first concept of rock 'n' roll be either the classic tunes of the '50s and '60s my father played for me or the songs I heard on radio stations during the late '80s and early '90s was a great blessing. It helped me to fall in love with music in a way that was more than reality competition shows or videos posted on a Facebook wall. 

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Dig the list!