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BiographyName: Van Lawrenece
Styles/Influences: Blues, Country, Rock, Jazz, Old Soul, Old R&B, Funk, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Sam Lay, Fred Below, Al Jackson, Jr., Jamie Oldaker, Jim Keltner, Levon Helm & Milt Turner. History: I became disabled in 2001 when I awoke one morning to not being able to use my right side and promptly fell on the floor. After all was said and done I regained movement in my extremities and went on about my normal day to day duties. The initial attack of M.S. left my right foot weaker and I lost full range of motion. I have fatigue that likes to attack my right leg and arm and my fingers go numb. This is difficult as there are times that I either cannot feel the sticks in my hand or I cannot close my hands around them. I have overcome these issues with a new set-up (shown below in one pic) and soon my hand issues will be a thing of the past with the Triplet Drum Gloves for my stick manipulation issues. I play the Blues, but more of a "Rockin' Blues"! I tend to join bands that play the electric blues with even more of a modern rock edge to it (Think a shot of S.R.V. and a shot of Cream mixed into one glass with a splash of the Allman Brothers over Hendrix, and you might get the idea!). I have been in several bands of all genres, but I am mainly a Blues drummer, probably due to the fact that I was born and raised In Chicago. While the Blues Is my favorite and the genre I identify with the most, I am also into some Country, Rock, Jazz, Old Soul, Old R&B and Funk. I have been playing drums since I was 9 and writing lyrics and poems since I was about 16 and I have had some of my poems published. I now live In the Ozark mountain area of Missouri, where I have been since September 2001. I first moved to a town called Crane, which Is my ancestral home but, In 2004, I moved about 2 hours north to another rural area on a horse ranch with my wife (we have 9 horses, a goat, a cow, 5 Miniature Pinschers - which we breed - 4 chickens, a Rottie, a Basset Hound, a Harrier and a house cat) and after being born and raised in Chicago, I really love it in these rural communities. The only down side that I have found to living in the Ozarks is that there isn't as many Blues outlets or Blues musicians as there was in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas but, so many other great things has happened to me since I have been here that far out-weigh that little item, things that I could have never gotten while living in the city! At the moment I am currently playing in a band called the Tripple Threat Roadhouse Blues Band. Some of my drum influences are: Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Sam Lay, Fred Below, Al Jackson, Jr., Jamie Oldaker, Jim Keltner, Levon Helm & Milt Turner. Also, my kit got picked as Drum Kit of the Week by DRUM! Magazine (albeit it was my old configuration). Read the write-up here! Gear
Drums: Mapex Pro M in Transparent Midnight Black Finish (except where noted)
Cymbals: Zildjian ZXT Titanium
Hardware & Misc:
I also use 3 Mapex TS965 dual cymbal/tom stands and a Mapex S500 snare stand Heads: Evans
Sticks: UniGrip 5AN L-Groovers Nylon Tip and Vic Firth Cartwheel Mallets Contact
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