"I am the drum
You are the drum
We are the drum"
In August of 1994, I attended the 25th anniversary of WoodStock with my wife and two brothers. We camped behind the vendor's village near the forgotten East stage where a vendor named Anybody Can Whistle had brought drums and assorted percussion toys for sale. Whenever we would go past this vendor there was a wonderful and powerful drum circle happening which was fascinating and captivating. After that concert, I purchased my first drum, a quinta conga, got involved in drum circles, and started collecting world rhythm instruments. My collection now includes a hand carved djembe from Senegal, an American manufactured ashiko, a nadal from Nepal, African and Mediterranean talking drums, a hand crafted digerido, a 5' rain stick along with assorted bells, claves, and shakeres.
The jewel of my assorted collection is a hand crafted balafon from Ghana that still has pieces of the original goat hide used for lashing the frame work and the original sticks made of a natural rubber material.