And To All A Good-Night

Greetings all and a Merry Christmas to you and yours! Alas this will be my final View From The Drum Stool update on MD.com. It’s been a pleasure writing for you all over the last year-and-a-half but I feel like I’ve said my piece. To quote Billy Ward from one of his recent blogs: “...do

By | 2017-12-14T11:24:07+00:00 December 15th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on And To All A Good-Night

Mackerels, Mariners, Robins and Imps

Gothenburg Hi folks and thanks for stopping by. Can you believe it’s November already!? Didn’t it come around fast (I’m sure I said that last year…). Speaking of last November’s post, I note that another year has gone by that I have not been booked for a gig in Swindon. I’m starting to fear

By | 2017-11-14T12:26:10+00:00 November 15th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on Mackerels, Mariners, Robins and Imps

Into the Great Wide Open

The last few weeks have flown by in a whirlwind of eggs-over-easy, weak coffee and, thankfully, a big bunch o’ badass American gigs. I’ve been abroad with Saint Etienne traversing the glorious United States of America on a tour that began up in Boston, bounced around the northeast, dipped into the midwest before landing in

By | 2017-10-14T22:56:00+00:00 October 15th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on Into the Great Wide Open

On The Road Again…

Hull Howdy folks! Thanks for checking back in. I’m glad to report it’s been another busy month of gigs and recording with a final few festivals, the odd radio session and plenty to keep me busy in the home studio. One thing I’ll say for a life in music is that there’s always

By | 2017-09-14T08:54:44+00:00 September 15th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on On The Road Again…

Pillow Talk (or, This Is Not An IKEA Advert)

Abbey Road Greetings loyal readership and thanks for joining me aboard The Good Ship Drum Stool once again. The summer so far has seen the usual steady flow of festival dates and the last month has been no different. And given the persistent pitter-patter-pitter-patter of rain it's meant more than a little action

By | 2017-08-14T22:47:42+00:00 August 15th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on Pillow Talk (or, This Is Not An IKEA Advert)

Ode to The Drum Shop

No drum shop to be found in Mallorca, only sun, sea, sand and stages Greetings all and welcome to the July update from My Life In Drums. This month sees me writing you from the Turf Tavern, the famed Oxford boozer where Bill Clinton allegedly ‘did not inhale’… It’s been a nice mix

By | 2017-08-11T18:14:18+00:00 July 14th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on Ode to The Drum Shop

Out and About…

Howdy drum fans and thanks for joining me once again! I’m grateful to have had a packed month behind the tubs, firstly in rehearsals with Saint Etienne, and then a torrent of gigs both at home and abroad. But first up was a fun late-night spot at a festival called WOOD depping with Oxford band

By | 2017-08-11T18:16:54+00:00 June 15th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on Out and About…

And Don’t Forget To Bend At The Knees…

At the age of 16 after finishing school I took a music course at Oxford College of Further Education. Not to be confused with actual Oxford University (far from it, back then the College was a hotbed of underage pregnancy and underachievement...) the formative music education, and the chance to meet likeminded musicians, was invaluable

By | 2017-08-11T18:17:23+00:00 May 15th, 2017|Categories: Features, View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on And Don’t Forget To Bend At The Knees…

Spring and David Hockney

Spring has sprung once again friends, although long hours on the road have meant that only my right arm so far has any colour - I think they call it the truck drivers tan…? I recently returned home late from a Leicester show to find my Dad confuzzled in a corner, leant over his guitar

By | 2017-08-11T18:17:49+00:00 April 16th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Tags: |Comments Off on Spring and David Hockney

Mike Monaghan’s View From The Drumstool 

Rest in peace sweet one In the September ’16 edition of View From The Drum Stool I (twice!) erroneously referred to my faded-red Vauxhall Astra Estate as trusty. Alas the mean and miserable month of January did prove those fateful words false and with a clunk, a strain and one final almighty misfire

By | 2017-08-11T18:19:20+00:00 February 13th, 2017|Categories: View From The Drum Stool|Comments Off on Mike Monaghan’s View From The Drumstool 
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