Update on whats happening with Andrew Riezebeek in the music industry

PEOPLES!!!

I have been doing a ton musically and i thought it would be fun to let my fellow class mates know whats going on :).

First of all, 2/3 months ago i got hired to play in a band with graduating students from the Conservatory of Amsterdam! The group is called DINGUS and here is a link to a live video of us playing in the Wilhelmina Pakhuis, Amsterdam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joE95DHHMd4

We are an energetic Electro/Funk group exploring the world of groove and experimentation.

Next to this project i started a home studio project with the drummer of DINGUS (Flip van Schil). We built a little studio in my basement and have been messing around with some tracks. The project is called First Draft. We did not decide to lash on to any particular style so the creative we freedom we have is fantastic!

As you all know i am a summer student at the Berklee College of Music. Not to long ago i have gotten the great honor to start writing blogs for the college. They want to use me as a

"role model" for other young musicians by letting me share my experiences.

Here is a link to my first post:

http://www.berklee-blogs.com/2009/11/from-guitar-sessions-to-five-week-a-young-musician-on-a-mission/

That's about it! Now you guys know what i have been doing and i will make sure to keep y'all posted.

Cheers and thanks for reading,

Drew

Elvis Unmasked

Hey Guys and Gals,

A couple of classes ago we watched a great documentary on Elvis Presley. Watching this documentary was a total trip. Everybody knows that Elvis is a legend that has changed Rock and Roll and music in general. Watching him being put in the spotlight by people that have first hand evidence was...... actually i think you could call it an honor!! All the footage used in the documentary was really special and this also counts for the pictures. When watching this film you really had the feeling you know the man himself. You feel like a close friend in a weird way.

Elvis was a white man but this did not stop him to show his love for black music. He always remained himself and i believe that is what made him the hero that he is! His perseverance and motivation in music where truly remarkable and he will never be forgotten.

Cheers and thanks for reading,

Drew

Playing test on Funky Town

Hey Guys and Gals!

Not to long ago our class had a playing test on the tune 'Funky Town': (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CImrIKNmBo).

This was a great challenge because the song is not an easy feet at all. The rhythm and feel of the song are very hard to replicate. The most interesting part of this test was definitely figuring out how to get everybody sounding as one team in the particular time frame that we where given. I really learned how to use your time as efficiently as possible.

As far as judging other people this song was really useful. Knowing the tune has a great groove and sound it was really easy to see if groups where doing it right or wrong. The song itself was a very clear point of reference with clear indications of what makes the song so great :).

While i was grading i did not really find myself watching more closely than usual. I am a musician myself and i am always a critical observant as far as music goes. The feeling of "power" during the grading process was really nice. It made me feel very useful and the challenge of grading was also a lot of fun!

During the grading process the rubric where very handy. Having descriptors of what makes a group good is really useful when judging. The rubric also helps in making the test fair because with a rubric you can focus on particular elements of quality and you do not have to take everything into account.

This test was a lot of fun to participate in and it also made me realize that making music is a team effort that is very rewarding!

Cheers and thanks for reading,

Drew