The final stop on the Zildjian Drummer Love Tour was a bitter-sweet one. Zildjian and Robert Downs came through Plano, TX on August 3 to do the photo shoot with Zildjian Drummer Love Contest winner for the Midwest South Region, Mike Talbot. Mike had a beautiful family that was extremely kind and provided some nice, cool relief from the 112 degrees of Plano, TX heat. Check out Robert's Blog for more on the photo shoot. All in all, it was an amazing experience visiting all of the winners. It's a bit surreal to see all of the planning and hard work put into Drummer Love really come to action and now that it's over, we're going to start planning the next one! Stay tuned! In the meantime, here's a list of the cymbals that Mike chose: 

22" K Constantinople Medium Ride 
24" K Light Ride 
20" FX Oriental Crash of Doom 
18" K Dark Crash Medium Thin 
15" A New Beat HiHats 
19" A Medium Thin Crash

Follow the Tour at Zildjian's Facebook Page.

August 4th - Dallas, TX
I can’t even explain how hot it is in Dallas. When we got off the plane, the heat seeped through the lining of the ramp and slapped me square in the face. We walked three blocks to dinner last night and almost died of heat exhaustion. It’s hot. Really hot. Like 113 degrees hot.

It’s so hot we had ice cream for lunch. That being said, how does heat effect a shoot? Well, it effects it a lot. The worst thing that can happen is a nasty sweat job on a subject. The last time it happened, I was shooting Abe Cunningham of the Deftones in his father’s elevator factory in NORCAL, it was 110 degrees and he was soaked. I decided if I could not beat it, I had to join it and threw a bucket of water on him, it was a FUN shoot. I did not have that option here in Dallas, Mike was a good looking family guy with kids and a house and a backyard and it would have not matched any of the other shots. He needed the real rock star treatment, “stay in the house, I will call you when I am ready.” I also was battling my gear in extreme heat. My camera got so hot, I could only shoot in ten-minute sessions, it was crazy. Craig and I were downing Gatorade and water like there was no tomorrow, Mike looked calm and cool.

Mike explained it had been at least this hot for a month. I think that kind of sums up Mike; he is an extremely cool guy. Mike is a drummer’s drummer. He did not really get out there to rock the vote for himself, “yeah, I told some people at work and my Facebook friends.” It became evident when Mike began to play he was full of precise fills and articulate movements. Mike plays his “trash” kit in a small office in a larger office park near the airport; he can only play after the employees go home for the day. I have seen some “cool” spaces and this was NOT one of them, but it worked and that’s all you need when you want to play really bad - a place that works. “Yeah, they're moving next month to another office space, I’m gonna move with them...” You have to do what you have to do when you wanna rock.

Our shoot with Mike went off like clock work, it was our sixth shoot of the series and at this point “shots” just seem to be giving themselves up to me. I wish I could continue this shoot for the rest of the year, but it's time to move on and shut this one down. What a long strange trip it’s been...

When the last click of the shutter sounded and my internal “I got it" bell rang, I felt sad, if only for a second. I also felt like a huge weight (that I personally put there) had been lifted off my shoulders. This was the end of a year - yes a YEAR - long process. The amount of work behind the scenes that the staff of Zildjian had put into this contest was mind blowing. We all supported each other and we all had a lot riding on its success. These contests come with a price tag that no one really keeps track of, the costs of time, thought, and passion are un-recordable, but they are there.

The shoot is over now. In my wake, I look back at a well thought out creative process that I am extremely proud of. The weight on my shoulders has been replaced by a sense of pride and confidence that I have given it my all.

I’m like you. I still have to go home, wash some clothes, and pay the rent. I also have to wake up the next day, feed Tag (my cat and office manager) and start over. What’s next? I have a few ideas. I’m looking forward to moving forward, like the drummers who entered this contest. I'm going to hit it, practice it, and make it happen, no matter what because it’s what I love and it’s what I do.

JUST LIKE YOU.
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