Bang a djembe @ the Northeast Ohio Drum & Music Jam
Modern music may have buried the drumbeat into the mix, but the primal nature of percussion remains the focus for a group of Northeast Ohioans who gather monthly to keep the beat alive. Comprised of folks from Cleveland to Akron and Ashtabula, the Northeast Ohio Drum & Music Jam (NEO DaM Jam) returns Thu 6/2 for a free show at the Beachland Ballroom. CoolCleveland talked to NEO DaM Jam coordinator and Eastlake resident A.J. Gooch about the drum circle shows, which have been taking place for the past few years.
CoolCleveland: So what exactly is NEO DaM Jam?
Al Gooch: It’s the local drumming communities from Northeast Ohio coming together and jamming. We’ve got djembes, doumbeks, and every other kind of drum you can think of show up. Sometimes we have a guy who brings a theremin. We have a guy who brings a guitar. We do it three weeks a month. One week we’re at Beachland Ballroom and then two weeks we’re at Karma Koffee in Willoughby and one week we take off.
What do the participants and audience members get out of a drum circle?
For some people it’s a spiritual thing. For some people, it’s therapeutic. And for others, it’s just part of their life that they want to encourage others to help them with or to do with them.
What’s a normal drum circle show like?
Recently we went for 56 minutes. It’s a beat that went up and down. Djembe took over for a while, and doumbeks took over for a while and then we had the high-end folks who would just get on top of everything and put some sounds on there. Then we quieted down and the guitar and theremin took over for a little bit with the drums underneath. It just kind of rolls like that. Sometimes it’s a fantastic sound and sometimes it’s a five-minute train wreck but we just keep going.
When it comes to the performance, are there rules or a code of ethics one should abide by?
Yeah, don’t try to take over the drumming with one stupid beat. That’s a beat that makes no sense to what everybody else is trying to do. Every once in a while someone will come in that people call djembe cowboys. Djembe really are loud and poppy. These cowboys will try to play the beat they know, and nobody else knows the beat because it’s some offbeat or something somebody made up. It just stops the drumming and keeps everybody from moving. Also, if it’s at the Beachland Ballroom or the coffee house, don’t bring your own alcohol in. That’s happened a couple of times.
Finally, we’re dying to ask what are any misconceptions people have about a drum circle?
That it’s a bunch of hippies being crazy and it’s a patchouli fest. We do have people who wear their patchouli, but we also have people from all walks of life who show up. We have folks who bring their kids. We have belly dancers show up. We have dancers that come and dance. We had some African dancers come one time and dance in the circle. So there’s a little bit of everything that goes on. It’s probably the best drum jam in Northeast Ohio.
The next NEO DaM Jam takes place at 8PM Thu 6/2 at the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Rd., Cleveland. The all-ages show is free. Call 216-383-1124. Also visit http://BeachlandBallroom.com.
Freelance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio.
When he’s not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com