This week on #SlapperCast: a free-form discussion of metal/prog drummers, recent gigs, and how we’re learning to navigate this seemingly never-ending pandemic as professional musicians.

• What coffee are we drinking today?
• Patrick’s coffee brewing tips
• Praise for drummer Dave Lombardo of Slayer and Mr. Bungle
• Dave Lombardo’s on-and-off again relationship with Slayer
• Lombardo vs. drummer Paul Bostaph
• New tour dates in early October (Wichita KS, Omaha NE, etc.)
• T-Bone Tom’s in Kemah on October 23rd
• Acoustic Blaggards shows… without a fiddle player
• Many thanks to Tim Kennedy for providing video footage from our performance at the Sherwood Virtual Celtic Gathering
• Our recent show at Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. in Bryan TX
• Eric’s new drum kit
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been killing our pubs and breweries
• Praise for Chris Buckley, former Blaggard fiddler who played with us last week
• Time signature changes vs. “feel” in rock music
• Eric’s favorite Rush song
• Eric’s upcoming PASIC roundtable discussion on Neil Peart, featuring Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater
• Do prog bands take themselves too seriously?
• Our habit of teasing audiences with brief bits of classic rock songs we have no intention of actually playing
• Our new album is in the mixing stage
• Looking forward to getting out-of-state for the first time since the pandemic started
• Memories of our first road trip with Eric back in 2017
• NEXT WEEK: a giveaway of Blackwater Brewing Co. beer on Episode 87
• Upcoming Houston-area shows in November
• People who request songs and then disappear
• Song requests that make no sense
• Billy Joel’s overt Beatles influence on “Nylon Curtain”

This week on SlapperCast: disappointing albums, musicians we like but wouldn’t want to work with, difficult working relationships in bands.

• Friday September 25: Blaggards LIVE on Facebook from Blackwater Draw Brewing Co.

• Blackwater Draw Brewing Co.
• Blaze gets mad!! Iron Maiden Chile 1996
• Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock ‘N’ Roll (1987) – Bonus Clip: Chuck & Keith Rehearse
• The Police – Better Than Therapy, Living The Police Reunion
• Ricky Gervais Discusses Friendship with David Bowie

Topics:

• Eric’s “ointment” story
• Recapping our first full-length performance in months
• How much time off is too much?
• The challenge of developing an unspoken language as a band when we’re not gigging
• Managing different tempos and keys in a set list
• Last week’s show with Cindy Heywood (see Episode 84)
• Slade Ham’s recent stand-up comedy show at the Houston Improv (see Episode 83)
• Other comedy shows we’ve seen
• The possibility of Blaggards doing shows with stand-up comedians
• Eric’s memories of Hi-Ho Records in Berlin, New Hampshire
• Patrick’s memories of Houston’s Cactus Records in the old days
• Patrick and Eric remember learning about new album releases by reading music magazines
• Chad remembers the joy of discovering new album releases at record stores just by chance
• Chad’s deep disappointment with Peter Gabriel’s “So” album when it first came out in 1986
• Eric explains the one thing that makes Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” cool
• Eric’s disappoinment with the Boo Radleys
• Patrick’s disappoinment with Iron Maiden’s Blaze Bailey period
• Chad’s disappoinment with Queen’s “Hot Space” album
• Patrick’s disappointment with Freddie Mercury’s solo material
• Eric’s disappointment with Sting’s early ’90s solo material
• A critique of the “Synchronicity” album by the Police
• The joy of a watching solid three-piece band perform like the Police or ZZ Top
• Sting and Stewart Copeland’s turbulent working relationship
• Musicians we like but wouldn’t want to work with (Chuck Berry, Buddy Rich, James Brown, etc.)
• Tin Machine versus David Bowie’s solo material
• Bootsy Collins’ experience working with James Brown
• Ricky Gervais’ friendship with David Bowie