Bath RhythmFest

Never did get around to writing the diary I had intended. Suffice to say it was a fabulous week, with very few hitches. It’s amazing how much work goes on behind the scenes to get this course running as successfully as it does. Artists’ kits, microphones, PA, teaching kits, lighting, projectors, chairs, schedules, last-minute requests, missing kit, missing people, hospitality, hotels etc etc all fall under our very small team. We also have to ensure we drink the bar dry each and every night.

I’d like to thank everyone involved, as it really wouldn’t have happened without some exceptional people:

Drum Tech Team: Mike Ellis, Ed Gallimore, Doug Callahan, Andy Sutor and Dave Savage. These guys made sure all the kits were in the teaching rooms; that the artists’ kits were setup and broken down; kits were moved when required with missing parts swiftly located. Mike in particular demonstrated his experience on several occasions with on-the-fly repairs during performances.
Tony “Phil” Taylor: Our chief sound man was on hand all week to make sure performances sounded immaculate. Sorting out disparate international artists with wildly differing kits and styles together with their ‘unique’ backing track solutions is no mean feat, let me tell you. Pretty much all the artists complimented us on the sound.
Stu McLean & Andy Horsborough: the IGF sound team were very helpful when we ran out of leads or mics or people!
Martin Potts and Korg did a sterling job in supplying us with a raft of Mapex kits and several tons of cymbals. The sight of all those kits, cymbals and their respective cardboard boxes needing to be reunited was, perhaps, the most depressing part of the week on the last Saturday morning with a hangover!

George Barnett has actually done a great write-up of the week which can be found on the Mike Dolbear site (www.mikedolbear.com)