Poetry & The Birth of A Percussion Band

Poetry & The Birth of A Percussion Band

How this eclectic band came about is by far divine.

One person knew another, and introduced the other.
Somebody saw a flyer online for a coming poetry excitedly open to drummers. Messages were exchanged with the event host and three people showed up — with drums.We brought our — rather many drums — to the Wednesday summer poetry set one evening in July. Afterwards we sat in the back of the trunk of one person’s utility vehicle, then we went in set up and just started playing.
People were only beginning to come in.
Dj working on his tracks to the side on the two step stage, which we were oblivious to being to the other side, and off the stage.
We started playing. Setting our tone, testing the drums, and really playing together for the first time — ever!!
More people began filling in, looking for seats — and dancing.
The dancing was, in fact for us, as we attempted to find one another through rhythms and new beats together, some people took out cell phones took pictures and videos. Some looked excited, others confused on the altered format.
And we played on. Well for a few more minutes — as the crowd was gathering fixated on what we were doing, not just by the sound, but the interracial intergendered trio makeup on drums.
“Get it girl!” one woman yelled out seemingly happy to see a black woman on drums.“Wow, those white guys are really grooving,” a young guy up front said to his friend as he leaned forward watching more.
Then a young talk attractive woman in a black slinky dress came over doing a short dance in front of us and the crowd. She turned and abruptly said,“oh thank you so much, ok can you sit down now!”
We stopped and moved the drums while one person added, “Ya know, back in the day drums were a central part of the poetry set mix.” The host laughed then turned to the crowd, egging the comment on by adding, “they said that apparently back in the day”, as she danced to emphasize each word, “drummers used to play with the poets. What ya’ll think? I never heard of that. Hmmm, we will have to see about all that…”
Begrudgingly but quietly, we set our drums to the side and walked to the middle aisle between both sides of the crowd and found seats. And took in all the poets and words reflective of St. Louis minds at that time in the city.All the while wondering when the drums would happen? Then we realized, this type of poetry set — farrrrrr cry from the late 1990s — did not use drummers as the cultural backdrop for innovative poets lacing lyrics over channeled beats from somewhere beyond. The drums were akin to the poems/poets, separate and only able to have a short set.
In this poetry set version, audiences get live with the dj.Go dj, go dj, go… wait what????????
So that translated to 5–7 minutes to play. Not the Love Jones groove that those in the late 1990s and early 2000s may still be nostalgic in remembering how drummers forged a cultural imprint about black culture, life, and expression through sounds of drumbeats and everyday words.
So we sat, and we waited….
Then one leaned to another and commented, “never again will we be asked to sit down!”While sitting, vibing, and watching, some divine glitter must have swelled and scattered through the three of us. The drums were beyond festive that July night once we get on stage. And that set, that everyday interaction in the summer of 2016, just as each our lives were drastically changing, the music became the lure and the medium, and that night a band was formed.
We high fived one another afterward, promised to jam and do more in the future, (as all other musicians do alll all all the time). But this trio, we followed up on our words! Calls and texts were sent, ideas on who we were and could be were put together between basement jam sets as we thought on our collective as we imagined the becoming. And also reflecting on the communal whole — seen and the unseen — that we culturally come from and play for — beyond time, space, and intergalatic understandings.
Within mere weeks, a name, opportunities and a passionate drive fueled by that one momentary poetry set — that went fantastic— gave birth to this cosmic band.
Later in July, after two played almost weekly open jam set on handdrums as people walked by on a popular St. Louis street — dancing, swaying, and smiling — laid the foundation for more. We called and met up as a trio again late one night and decided on a name that came, and stuck most in our beginning hearts.
Amalgamation (mixing of cultural new) +Alchemy (divinely forged)
equals AMALGHEMY!Drums are a portal of connection and entry into more. For us drums and trees are our connection to earth along with meditation which connected each of us more in the coming days weeks and months.
Like all music, drums facilitate the connection of minds, hearts and hands that move beyond any normal human understanding bridging sound and hearts towards the future.Through the drums and since that summer early beginning, Amalghemy has grown many times over with tons of albums, new members, events, meditations, concerts, social media presence, live videos, and communal interest in upgrading the hearts of many and through trance/channeled music to help us all celebrate life and allow music to be thy meditation back to self and joy.
May our drums and words heal more than a mere some, but many in and between other times, dimensions, and spaces. And especially those reading!
With hearts full of love,
AMALGHEMY
**Email: amalghemy@gmail.com — - To learn more about the band, visit:amalghemy.weebly.com;
**Experience sound healing with Amalghemy drum medicine** & 60+ albums more at: 7777.bandcamp.com