Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Beautiful disasters, bad days and drum covers.

Early 2005. He'd raved about Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" making its appearance in the movie "Almost Famous" and I was all "Oh, that's niiiceee" and promptly went back home and listened to the song over and over and over again. A few days later, when he came over I grabbed his arm and cried, "There, there, thats the song I was talking about. See, the girl is depressed and she's drawing sad pictures on the wall and the guy modifies each one so that they become all happy.." (Well, not in those words exactly, cos we spoke in Mizo, obviously) and he was also all "oh, that's niiicceeee". A couple weeks later, he said, "There is this fabulous song by some guy called Daniel Powter, you should give it a listen. I've been listening to it over and over".

That's how its been, he and I and music. The initial attraction when we met at the end of 2004 was sparked off by a mutual interest in the same kind of music. Since then, we have been recommending songs to each other, a silent unacknowledged competition over who would make the better find. When one of us makes the find, the other would act all non-committal, no matter how we might secretly like the song.  Then a couple weeks later, the other would act like it had been him/me making the original find.

But Cobus, I willingly concede the original find to him. Last year he showed me this clip of this boy doing an amazing drum cover of one of my fave songs, Breaking Benjamin's "Breath". I flipped. Then recently he gave me some more amazing covers done by the same boy, Cobus Potgeiter.

He plays the drums himself and since being with him, Ive started to pay more attention to stick-work. I don't know much, but this I know- Cobus is an extremely talented kid. But more than the talent is the enthusiasm and the sheer exuberance with which he plays his drums. And the way those hands move- Here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fmtkuNjw80&playnext=1&list=PL33553168DDBB8212

The way his hands fly towards the end of the song, it's like the comments say, he's got tentacles for arms and kryptonite in his wrist bands :D Its like he's not even banging those drums, he's making them move through sheer will-power. Aweeeesssommmmeeee. The fact that he absolutely loves what he's doing only makes him that much more watch and listen-worthy.

Been air-drumming like crazy and my arms ache and I'm exhausted and exhilarated and so darned chuffed!!

Hey Z :D 

2 comments:

Mos-a said...

Cover artist mai mai maw? Ama hla pawh a phuah thiam nange?

Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin a tluk chuang lovang.

ku2 said...

its one thing to create something from scratch, another to work on something that someone has already popularised and yet, be able to make it your own... compare chi nileuh