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CAN-DO MUSICAL NOTES - JUNE 2018

Welcome to our first Can-Do Musical Notes for 2018.

Well.. we have finally done it!!!

Can-Do Musos INC is now a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation. Which means, any donation to Can-Do Musos is now tax deductible.

Check out our new promo video:

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Our website continues to grow, we currently have 307 Can-Do Musos from 33 countries. We have reached out to musicians from Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Channel Islands, Chile, China, Columbia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, United States of America, Uganda, and Venezuela, all living with a disability of some kind.

Can-Do Musos was established to provide support and showcase musicians living with a disability, such as mental health issues, physical challenges, intellectual challenges, speech, vision or hearing impairments who are all music makers and have the same passion about their craft.

In this issue we have NAMM Show 2018, Offbeat a short documentary about drummer Geno Oceano, The Sessions Panel Artist series with Dom Famularo, Brandon Mendenhall's Mind over Matter, plus more....

Latest News
AMBITION ROAD NEW RELEASE 'A BREATH AWAY'
Brisbane's Ambition Road have just re-released their single "A Breath Away". David Truong says "A huge thanks to our extraordinarily talented recording engineer Tony Dean for his brilliant work with the re-recorded version of our new single "A Breath Away".

"A Breath Away" will be available on all of the other major site such as CD Baby, Spotify, Apple music / iTunes music ETC very soon. In the meantime, you can find the track on Band Camp.
OLLE FRODIN'S MAYHEM IN BEDLAM
Swedish one armed drummer, Olle Frodin has just released a new "drum cam" video on Youtube from his band Mayhem in Bedlam. On the video you get an over the shoulder view of Olle in action on the kit. It was recorded at Mayhem in Bedlam's show at the club Rockland in Sala, Sweden on April 28th 2018.

The video goes for 32 minutes and can be watched here on Youtube. You can also find Mayhem in Bedlam on Facebook.
KEV SPENCER DEBUT ALBUM 'FOR REASONS UNKNOWN'
From Melbourne, bluesman Kev Spencer has recently released his debut album "For Reasons Unknown". Blues Magazine from the Netherlands says "Kev can play as the best! His style is best compared with the sound of The Jeff Healey Band.". You can hear and purchase the album at Band Camp.
BRAULIO MORALES - RISK OF FALLING
Chilean keyboard player and song writer Braulio Morales has been busy with his band Risk of Falling. They are in production of 2 new songs for the band's upcoming debut album. Braulio has also been working on another solo album CAOS, teaching Ableton Live & Music Production, and is about to start working on music for video games. To find out more, "like" Braulio Morales on Facebook.
SKULL FORK - FOCUS ON ABILITY
Phillip Island indie rockers, Skull Fork have been busy supporting their new album "Thought Cloud" with gigs around Melbourne and around Phillip Island.

Skull Fork is an all-inclusive music initiative guided by disability support worker Sam Haycroft of Scope in San Remo, Victoria. Although Sam leads the rock band project, like any band, it's pretty much "herding stray cats" into something resembling a heavy metal band. They were recently in the news nationally because of a stolen drum kit, which the local Cowes Police recovered a short time later. Skull Fork currently have an entry in the Focus On Ability Short Film Festival. They are asking people to vote for their video and share it and help spread the word. The video can be found and you can vote at the Focus On Ability website.

You can purchase Skull Fork's album and merchandise at Band Camp, also find Skull Fork on Facebook.
A NEW TONY DEE TRACK 'ONLY YOU'
A huge congratulations to Can-Do Muso Tony Dee from Brisbane, Queensland. Tony is best known for being the front man in the Blue suit on the "Yes I Can" commercial for the British Paralympics team for Rio. Tony has just released his debut single "Only You"
You can purchase Tony's single at itunes, also find Tony Dee Music on Facebook.
JOIN CAN-DO MUSOS
If you live with the day to day challenges of a disability, play drums, guitar, piano... in fact any instrument at all at any playing level, we would love you to join Can-Do Musos.

It's FREE and it's SIMPLE!!!

All you have to do is go to our home page at www.candomusos.com and fill in the form provided, it's that simple. Please remember though, when giving us your info, give us as much information as you possibly can as it helps us tell your story on our website. Once you have filled in those details, a Can-Do Musos team member will be in touch.
CAN-DO RADIO & CAN-DO MUSOS TV NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
We are looking for people to do radio and tv promos for us (or both), we need between 10 - 30 seconds of either video or audio with the words. MY NAME IS.. I AM FROM.. YOU'RE LISTENING TO CAN DO RADIO.. or YOU'RE WATCHING CAN-DO MUSOS TV. Be as creative as you like. Any submissions, please send to info@candomusos.com. Thanks for your support.
CAN-DO RADIO ON THE MUSO CHANNEL
Can-Do Musos supporter and drummer Pino Bertolini hosts Drum Talk, a talk back radio show about all things drumming on Monday nights at 8:00pm (AEST). Also Wednesday nights at 7:00pm (AEST) Andrew Hewitt hosts The Can-Do Radio Show. To Tune in to either of these shows, simply go to www.themusochannel.com and click play on the radio widget. The Muso Channel can also be found on Facebook.

If you can't tune in on Wednesdays at 7pm, there are always the Can-Do Radio podcasts at podomatic.com/podcasts/candoradio.
 
David Segal & Mark Goffeney - Mersin, Turkey - October 2017

Written by David Segal

It was October 10th, 2017 and my dad’s birthday. I usually spent it with him but today I was deplaning in Istanbul and in danger of missing my connecting flight to Mersin, Turkey. I had been accustomed to getting a wheelchair to the adjoining gates because my hips don't need any more stress. A gentleman motioned to me that my 'chair' was here and we were on our way.

It was motorized and a man was standing behind on the back as it zoomed through the airport. We must have been going twenty mph, I wish I was live streaming on Facebook, but too frenetic It would have been awesome, though. The first check point a person looked at my passport, visa, looked me up and down then said something was wrong with my credentials. I was miffed, Ahmet who was our point person in Turkey, told me everything was in order. I was concerned I was going to miss my flight...that I was going to be shipped back to the United States.

We went back to my original gate and I sat there for twenty minutes worrying. The people, even though I couldn't understand what they were saying, assured me I would get my flight. I couldn't sit still any longer and demanded to know what was going. A second man finally got back in the chair, and this time we were flying even faster. This time people were turning around wondering what the heck was going on. An associate had to put her hands up and shout to him, "Slow Down!" He did for a second and off we went. This time I got passed the customs and arrived at the gate for the flight.

In the seating area I ran into Ahmet, My bandmates - Mark Goffeney and Michael Baillif. We had a good laugh, hug and relieved that we were all together. They said they saw me being shepherded across the airport, and screamed my name, but we were going so fast that I could not hear them. The flight to Mersin was uneventful. We landed late at night in a very historic area that reminded me of Los Angeles. Palm Trees were everywhere. It was breezy and hot - typical sub-tropic weather.

The next day we had a lunch to meet many of the people that worked with the organization that brought us to Turkey, The 1st Mersin International Arts Festival. That night at the hotel we noticed a stage by the pool. This became our rehearsal space. I brought a mini-drumset, Mark had his bass and Michael had two guitars. I had been practicing to tracks in Connecticut, while Mark and Michael rehearsed together in San Diego, California. This was the first time we all played together as Big Toe and we had to get to work. I had played with Mark in California as part of Can-Do Musos and Michael used to play with Mark some years ago. We went through the entire set list in couple hours and called it a night.

People told us that the audience would be very proper and reserved. We started with a cover and then one of Mark's originals called "Why Do I Try" and went into "We Are The Same" and the audience started to loosen up. We really got the crowd going with our version of the Turkey standard "Bodrum Bodrum". Mark sang in Turkish and on the third verse started to rock out and had people running to the stage clapping. Our final song for our performance was "Hold Me Like You Do". The back of the room had all the teenagers and young adults, and really had them jumping up and down. It felt amazing to get such a response and realize we and Can-Do Musos made this happen. Two days later we had another great show but the audience was farther away.

People would come up to us after the show, ask us for pictures, sign this sign that. Mark was being interviewed for Turkish television.


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Friday the 13th was our day off, probably a good idea. ”M”, who was our guide and with us every day, set up a tour of some historic areas. That morning we were off to the “Cennet Cokugu” (The Chasm of Heaven). It looked like a road that John the Baptist might have walked down and had trees that might have given him shade. We ate at a restaurant that over-looked a valley that had a staircase hundreds of years old and even entertained the idea of riding a smiling camel, but instead just took pictures. Later we went to a beach at dusk and saw a castle in the middle of the ocean, kind of like Fort Sumter. There were several wild dogs running in a pack and Michael, our guitar player, became known as “the dog whisperer”, literally had them eating out of his hand. That evening we had an amazingly huge seafood dinner tucked away on a small street right on the water.

After our last show we went out to dinner with a bunch of people who had either performed or were part of the crew. Sevinc Arda, a popular singer in Turkey who resides in Germany serenaded Mark, and all of us for that matter, with a traditional song. We were spent but did not want to go. If another tour could have been planned then and there, we would have done it. But our flight was early in the morning. We couldn’t stay out too late. That was a “next time”. During the day we were joined by other singers, dancers, and other performers for a special lunch. Every one of us had a different disability, some spoke other languages but we all understood one another regardless.

When I look back on the trip, I think of how we, Can-Do Musos, and the Turkish municipality in charge of this festival had a great hand in a movement of bringing people together from all over the world. It may have taken us a little longer but we made it and now more people like us are making it, together.
 
Can-Do Musos representing at The NAMM Show 2018

On Sunday 28th Can-Do Musos hosted another forum at The NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. The forum was moderated by David Segal. Attending and sharing stories were Joe Hardy, Mark Goffeney, Brandon Mendenhall, Nate Stockton, Dean Zimmer, and Geno Oceano.

Andrew Hewitt popped in via Skype from Australia for a chat as he couldn't make it because of his wife Jen's upcoming shoulder surgery.
 
Meet Metal Guitarist Who Overcame Cerebral Palsy, Inspired by Korn and Pantera
Source: Revolver Magazine

Brandon Mendenhall is subject of inspirational new doc 'Mind Over Matter'


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Just like millions of teenagers, Brandon Mendenhall had a pair of eureka moments that convinced him to dedicate his life to metal. There was the first time he heard Korn's debut album — "Who is that? Where can I get it?" — and a similarly visceral response to Pantera's "Drag the Waters:" "[The guitar was] so simple, yet so heavy and so aggressive. I was like, yes!"

Riff-heavy records like these encouraged Mendenhall to pick up a guitar and learn to play himself. But here his story diverges from the norm: Mendenhall was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disability that hinders motor skills and coordination. At least one doctor told him he would never play an instrument. Despite the discouragement, Mendenhall learned the guitar, eventually started his own group, the Mendenhall Experiment, and obtained a deal with Lucent Records. That journey is now the subject of a new documentary, Mind Over Matter, which debuted in New York earlier this month at the ReelAbilities Film Fest — the largest festival in America to spotlight the narratives of the disabled.

"I want this film to be a testament to perseverance," Mendenhall says, speaking with Revolver before the ReelAbilities Fest screening. "For people to realize: Don't give up. If you keep picking away at it, picking away at it, picking away at it, you're gonna make something of yourself."

Mendenhall crafted Mind Over Matter with director Sébastien Paquet, whom he met at an event for Korn fans 14 years ago. Paquet had come to the U.S. from France with the goal of becoming Korn's photographer and videographer. "He had just moved to L.A., and I'd just moved to L.A.," Mendenhall remembers. "We didn't know anybody, so we became friends."

Paquet got his gig, but four years ago, he decided he wanted to expand his skill set and "focus on directing and storytelling." "One Christmas morning," Paquet recalls, "I had a lightning bolt moment — I've been friends with Brandon for years, and he has the most fascinating underdog story. He's my friend, but even if he wasn't, I would want to tell that story." He called Mendenhall and set up a meeting to talk about some sort of biographical project — probably a short film. "The meeting was supposed to be a 30 minutes," the guitarist says. "But it ended up being eight hours of me baring my life story on tape."


Much of that life story appears in Mind Over Matter. Mendenhall was born in a trailer park in Birmingham, Illinois, and bullied intensely as a child due to his disability. Hearing Korn marked an inflection point: "He saw something in that type of music: A release of that built up anger that could go into something positive," Paquet says. Korn influenced Mendenhall in two crucial ways. First, when he researched the band, he found out that James "Munky" Shaffer had picked up a guitar after severely injuring a finger; this encouraged him to pursue the guitar despite the limited mobility in his left hand. Second, Mendenhall became such a serious fan that he got a tattoo of both Shaffer and lead guitarist Brian "Head" Welch on his back. This tattoo made a distinct impression when he met group members after a gig. "I don't remember a lot of things in my past — the first 10 years of Korn," admits Welch, who was drinking heavily and doing lots of drugs during Korn's heyday, at one point during Mind Over Matter. But he remembered Mendenhall. "Not a lot of people got our faces tattooed on them," Welch says.

Mendenhall encountered Korn periodically over the years, and he now calls Shaffer "a mentor, the guy I go to when really big stuff is about to happen." The band's members appear often in Mind Over Matter. "When they saw how much their music impacted Brandon's life, [their involvement] was a no brainer," Paquet says. "Korn has never ever ever been about just music. Their music is salvation for so many people. They make it a point to meet all these fans at every show. They know that's what they're on this earth — whatever they can do to give back. Anything positive, they want to be a part of."

After graduating high school, Mendenhall's interest in music led him to Full Sail University in Florida to study engineering, and then to an intern position at the famous Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. But his attempts to get into the music business in Los Angeles were repeatedly thwarted. Mendenhall couldn't drive, so he couldn't become a studio errand boy. When he attempted to audition for bands, they weren't interested in a guitarist with a disability. Shaffer advised Mendenhall to start his own group, and the Mendenhall Experiment was born.

Leading a band brought its own challenges. "It's hard to find the right combination of people that would take a step back, see the project for what it is, what it could be, and not what they wanted it to be," Mendenhall explains. "We would get going, play a few shows, start recording, then somebody's ego gets out of line and they try to take over the band and meld it into their own thing."

Mendenhall says his band has fallen apart six separate times, forcing him to begin again from the beginning. "A common problem that I have," he continues, "is because my playing is limited, I would get into conflict with the different lead guitar players, who would want to play more complicated stuff. It's like, 'Dude, I can't play that.'"

Instead of showboating, the Mendenhall Experiment emphasizes the type of riffs that hooked Mendenhall when he first heard Pantera — "so simple, yet so heavy and aggressive." "The beauty of the band is that it's based around my own physical abilities," the guitarist says. "There's a process of keeping my parts simplified enough to where I can play them and we can continue forward. But if you put our record next to anyone else and you don't know the story, you won't listen and say, that's a disabled record, that music sounds disabled."

In Mind Over Matter, at the same time as Mendenhall navigates fraught intra-band politics, he battles his disease. Paquet follows the guitarist into doctor's appointments and medical evaluations. Mendenhall has had 10 corrective surgeries to date. Cerebral palsy hinders his left foot, and walking across Los Angeles during his first stint in the city aggravated the condition, forcing an operation. Performing too much with the Mendenhall Experiment after a recent surgery prevented the attempting bone fusion from taking hold.


But despite this, Mind Over Matter is filled with small triumphs. Mendenhall is the subject of a front-page story in his local newspaper; in one of the documentary's most emotional scenes, Paquet films as the guitarist brings a copy of the article to his mother and grandmother. "The camera is a little shaky because I was crying myself as I was shooting," Paquet says. "It sums up his struggle and his journey perfectly." Mendenhall also gets to record with Shaffer, serves as the opener for Korn's headlining set at the Aftershock Festival in 2016, and seems to have a stable band lineup, at least for now. The Mendenhall Experiment released a self-titled EP through Lucent last year. A full-length is in progress.

Paquet believes a film about dealing with disability is more now important now than ever. "We live under such a disgusting administration who mocks and steps on people who have not been born in luxury," he says. "If it's a time that this film needs to come out, it's in this administration for sure. You have to make those voices be heard even louder then before."

To that end, Mendenhall and Paquet are working the film festival circuit, "knocking on these distributors' doors so this film can reach your living rooms via a streaming partner that rhymes with Flix." After each viewing, they allot half an hour for a Q&A session; usually it stretches to an hour. At the Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival, they won awards for Best Cinematography, Best Screenwriting and an audience award due to a minutes-long standing ovation that brought Paquet to tears.

Mendenhall wouldn't mind if the film raised the Mendenhall Experiment's profile, as well. "We're helping people," the guitarist says. "And if this helps my band, too, that's great."

Check out THE MENDENHALL EXPERIMENT at facebook.com/TheMendenhallExperiment.
 
Can-Do Musos TV

Can-Do Musos TV has been building some momentum over the past couple of years showing off our members talents from all over the world. We have just done our 19th episode. All episodes of Can-Do Musos TV can be seen here Vimeo.
 
Off Beat

Source: directorsnotes.com

We last found Iqbal Ahmed busting neon fashion moves in a 1930s fabric-weaving factory with Weave. Today the LA-based writer/director returns to Directors Notes with the premiere of Offbeat – a significantly more personal and intimate project which through its unadorned natural style, beautifully expresses the overarching importance of music in the life of arthrogryposis sufferer Geno Oceano. DN asked Iqbal to share how his determination to not allow the film’s short running time to oversimplify his subject matter, opened the door to this inspiring portrait about the therapeutic power of music which also pays homage to the complexities of Geno’s life.


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This project started because I was really interested in making an inspiring (hopefully) short film about a musician. That was all I knew — except that I had no musicians in mind. So I started Googling and making phone calls to dozens of musical organizations and individuals. It was a really broad search and I ping ponged between people before I came across an organization called Can Do Musos, a global community of disabled musicians.

One of their leaders, David Segal, responded to my inquiry and having seen some of my earlier work was excited about the possibility of teaming up. And as luck would have it, a large number of their group would be converging at NAMM, a music trade show in Southern California. So I went and met about 10-15 really talented and kind folks.

It’s important to make the distinction that the Can Do Musos define themselves through MUSIC — and not their disabilities. On the surface, that might seem like an obvious thing to do. But having chatted with other groups and organizations who define themselves through physical challenges, I frequently found people who were motivated by a strong vein of politics or activism. Which is vitally important but in some ways, it wasn’t the kind of smaller and personal story I was hoping to tell.

In their love for music, the Can Do Musos I met were overwhelmingly positive and excited to talk about music. They wanted to perform. They were thrilled for any opportunity to jam together. They were relieved also NOT to constantly talk about their disabilities, but instead to talk about their PASSIONS. And it was in this backdrop that I met Geno Oceano, possibly the most passionate of the bunch.

I couldn’t possibly presume to tell everything about him in 5-minutes.

He was new to the group — but his energy was infectious. It felt like he had finally found his emerald city. He was finally around HIS people — music nerds who just wanted to play music. And these folks didn’t bat an eye at his disability — Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC), or simply Arthrogryposis. The condition describes congenital joint contracture in two or more areas of the body.

I interviewed Geno during NAMM and was touched by his immediate willingness to share. Almost nothing was off-limits. He was equal parts disarming and charming. At the end of our hour-long chat, I knew he’d be a perfect short film subject. I told him that I’d love to continue the conversation and visit him at his home in Northern California and film for a day or two.

We filmed in Hollister and Salinas. From the start, I made clear to Geno that I’d like to be true to his essence, but by no means tell his ENTIRE story. I couldn’t possibly presume to tell everything about him in 5-minutes. But I could try to hint at his complexity as a human and leave it at that. I wanted to give an unhurried glimpse into his life — his past, his present, and hopefully a hint at the future for him. We hit it off and he was willing to trust me. Which is frankly always an honor for me. To be entrusted to tell a personal story — well, that’s maybe the highest honor I ever feel in this business.

Watching someone intimately is not something to which I’ve really been privy. At least for myself, watching Geno in his personal routine felt a little sacred. That sounds goofy to say — but that’s actually how it felt. I felt a need to be respectful with everything I filmed and ultimately shared.

Music was especially important to me on this film. Besides the fundamental role music plays in Geno’s life, it was also really key for me to have music that supported the story emotionally, but that never took center stage. After all, Geno and his drumming are the heroes. I worked with my Composer Sean Sumwalt to shape a subdued but personal soundtrack for the film. Simple instrumentation was important for us. I wanted to start with an almost somber feeling. Music that felt musical and also respectful, somehow. Something that reminded us of the gravity or responsibility of watching someone intimately.

A good friend of mine, Cinematographer Andrew Shankweiler, was always on board for this project. The moment I pitched the project to him, he was sold. His family has worked for a long time in the field of disability rights — so this was personal for him. Andrew and I have an easy understanding having worked together a few times before.

We filmed for a couple of days in Northern California and I interviewed Geno one more time at the tail end. A month later, I visited him once more for a final interview. I wanted to tell his story authentically. I was a nervous wreck when I screened a cut of the film for him. I really wanted his blessings. And I’m so grateful that he gave them enthusiastically.

I knew that I wanted an unadorned visual style. I wanted it to be beautiful — but naturally so. It would just be about capturing small personal moments and picking the frames that could show those simply. I didn’t want to set up lights or try any wild camera moves. I just wanted to keep things simple and patient. The less emphasis I put on the camera setups, the more natural Geno felt throughout the process. And just as he did during the audio interviews, he allowed me to film anything and everything. Nothing was off limits. I think that level of access and intimacy comes through in the personal routine and small moments he shares with us.

I wanted to introduce Geno’s world in a small, almost claustrophobic way. Just to get a sense of what his actual day would FEEL like. The mammoth efforts to do things that we all take for granted — getting out of bed, brushing teeth, etc. Then as we learn more about Geno, I wanted to open up the world a little bit. To see outside. To see a smile.

To be entrusted to tell a personal story — well, that’s maybe the highest honor I ever feel in this business.

The tone of the piece was paramount to me. When I discussed the project with my Editor Cyndi Trissel, I knew I wanted us to be as patient as possible. To set a slow and somber tone to start. To create a kind of solemnity. Each line of dialogue is incredibly revealing of Geno’s life and historical struggles, so I wanted each thought to land cleanly.

This patience, besides giving the audience a chance to listen and actually absorb Geno’s words, was also done to create contrast. We finally feel that contrast — and a change in the visual language — when we shift gears and learn about Geno’s love of music. That sets the stage for the reveal that Geno is a drummer. When we finally see Geno drumming I’m hoping it feels a little joyful. Watching it was 100% one of the most inspiring things I’ve EVER seen. And to see Geno drum is to really understand him.

Withholding the reveal was important to me because it allowed me to actively engage the audience. I don’t think too many people see the joyous ending coming. I’d like to believe that most people feel the seriousness of the subject matter and believe that it’s the direction in which we’ll continue. So I hope the introduction of music and Geno’s drumming is a wonderful surprise. And a shift in tone that allows the audience to smile for the first time. I think earning that smile — from a directing and audience standpoint — is vital.

People are so complex. We have so many sides to ourselves. We are the sum of so many angles. But I think a lot of short documentaries sometimes oversimplify their subjects due to a short film’s time restraints. I really wanted to maximize Geno’s complexity. To acknowledge that I really CAN’T tell his entire story in four minutes. But I can show you diverse aspects of the man. That’s my attempt to show the most rounded person I can. And I also think that’s why the journey feels larger than the four-minute runtime.
 
The Sessions Panel Artist Series

Our Can-Do Musos leader, Dom Famularo has been hosting numerous interview videos with some amazing artists for The Sessions Panel's Artist Series. Amongst the legendary artists put through in-depth interviews are: Stewart Copeland, Chic Corea, Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd, Steve Vai, Vinnie Colaiuta, Bernard Perdie, Gerry Brown, Billy Sheehan, Dave Weckl, just to skim the top of the list. There are also interviews with some of our Can Do Musos advisory board members Mark Schulman, and Pete Lockett.

The Sessions provides the bridge between dreams and reality by Enriching artist lives through Education, focusing on Empowering and sharpening their business skills in the pursuit of excellence.

All episodes of The Sessions Panel Artist Series can be seen here thesessions.org.

You can subscribe to The Sessions Panel on Youtube

Don't forget to "like" The Sessions Panel on Facebook.
 
The Can-Do Drummer

Source: Drums & Percussion Magazin (Germany)

Written by: Cord Radke

Australians call someone who is obsessed with music a "muso". Such a person is Andrew Hewitt, who - although physically handicapped - drums enthusiastically: With his "Can Do" attitude he wants to inspire others and founded the platform "Can Do Musos".

Andrew Hewitt suffers from so-called infantile cerebral palsy - movement disorders due to early childhood brain damage. He is sitting in a wheelchair. But that did not stop him from becoming a drummer. He has been drumming for 37 years - more than that: "I play the drums, teach and work as a drumcircle facilitator for Remo," says Hewitt. In addition to Remo, the companies Pearl, Zildjian and Vic Firth support him in his commitment.

Prominent supporters

Coming from the Australian metropolis Sydney, Hewitt toured already Australia, in the USA, and finally in Germany, where we traded it in Berlin. Together with the "Global Ambassador of Drumming", Dom Famularo, as well as David Segal and Mike Mignogna, Hewitt founded the organization "Can Do Musos" in 2013:

Worldwide voice

In November 2014, Andrew Hewitt launched "Can Do Radio," a weekly online radio show featuring music by Can Do Musos.

The show can be found as podcast at podomatic.com. On vimeo.com there is also "Can Do Musos TV". Thanks to Hewitt's tireless efforts, the initiative has become a worldwide voice for musicians with disabilities. Currently it supports nearly 300 musicians from 32 countries.

Dom Famularo:
"Andrew is a very special person and artist! His drive and motivation is inspiring! He is committed, enthusiastic and always willing to learn and grow! He is an excellent example of the drive to excel.

I have known Andrew for over 10 years. In 2009 we performed together in Australia and had a full house standing ovation. The audience was lifted by his talent and perseverance.

For the past 4 years I have been working alongside Andrew with the Can-Do Musos project which we established to empower challenged musicians from all over the world"


Pete Lockett:
"I remember first seeing Andrew Hewitt at Australia drum weekend a few years back. He had a solo slot playing some tunes one afternoon. I was so impressed by his intense energy and passion to overcome all his obstacles in his quest to make music. It was truly inspiring. I stayed in touch ever since and was very happy to see him help develop Can-Do-Musos. It is such a positive organisation that gives inspiration and support to all those who are thinking of getting into music, regardless of their challenges."
 
Can-Do Musos needs your support.

Can-Do Musos needs your support. We recently became a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Registered Organisation, and are working hard to push Can-Do Musos into the future. Being a 501(c)(3) means any donation is tax deductible.

Our goal is to bring together disabled musicians from all over the world. As of June 2018 have 307 members form 33 countries. Here are some of the wonderful things your contributions to Can-Do Musos have made possible:
  • The BBC flew 10 CandoMusos to do a commercial for the Rio Paralympics at the famed Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles recorded.
  • The car company Audi flew one of our members to California to make a commercial.
  • We had 9 members flown in from all over the world to perform on Center Stage to open 2017 NAMM (The Nation Association of Music Merchants); one of the biggest trade shows in North America.
  • October 2017 we had the band Cactus from France, Mark Goffeney, who has no arms and plays guitar and bass with his feet, and David Segal from the USA, fly to Turkey to play the 1st International Accessible Arts festival.
  • Also in October, members of Rudely Interrupted and Andrew Hewitt from Australia were flown to Germany for presentations and clinics for the Berlin & Australia Arts Exchange for Arts Access Australia. We sponsored an all Australian Can Do Musos clinic at Just Music Berlin.
  • In 2018, we again, were able to have our own prestigious panel at the NAMM show.
  • We were even able to help a Christian church in India buy musical instruments.
If you have donated, we thank you for your financial support and helping us move forward.

Can-Do Musos don't make any money out of our fundraisers, it goes back into our Can-Do Musos community to help make things happen. So, if you can spare a few dollars, please go to gofundme.com/Candomusos501c3 and make your donation. Any amount is appreciated.

Alternitvately, you can donate via paypal with donate@candomusos.com.
 
Renee Kelly - Drummer

You can find Renee on Facebook at:
reneekellydrummer
Can-Do Featured Artist: Renee Kelly
Renee Kelly is young woman from Brisbane, Australia who started life with a huge disadvantage... a tiny 620 gm birth weight and hopelessly under-developed heart and lungs. She had only a very slim chance of survival … but survive she did.

Now Renee is making her mark on life, despite a disability that would have deterred the most determined of spirits.

She started playing on her dad's drumkit at age 3. Her musical skills are inspiring. She can pick up an array of different musical instruments and play pieces by ear. Not only does she drum and play percussion she has also learned to play dulcimer and fiddle.

Read More >
Renee's Fast Five:
1. What started you playing music?
My dad was the first person who introduced me to music. He taught me the drums from a very early age, and constantly had music playing around the house when I was growing up.

2. What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment, my main focus has been promoting the short documentary, Drummer Girl.

3. Had any bad gigs? Any funny gig stories?
In the small amount of gigs I've played with my good friend from my little project, Hollow Tree, Dave, so far I haven’t experienced any bad gigs. They have been a lot of fun, and everyone that came to the gigs we played were incredibly supportive. Remember once during one of the Hollow Tree gigs we played, I had to change instruments during the middle of a song. And I totally miss judged the position of where my guitar was when I was lifting it over my head. I ended up accidentally hitting myself in the head with my guitar. Thankfully I was okay though, and I just cracked up laughing and kept making jokes with the audience about it.

4. Who inspires you? Who are your heroes?

My dad and brothers, the boys from Cog, Jeff Buckley, all of Chris Cornell’s work, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, love funk, Irish Music, The list can just go on and on.
5. What is your biggest challenge as a musician, in what way have you had to adapt your playing to work around your challenges?

I think my biggest challenge as a musician has been transport, getting to and from places. Also people looking passed my disability.
 
Can-Do Youtube
 

Kyle Coleman (UK)
Standing on Solid Ground

Mick On Wheels (AUS)
Infinity & Beyond

The Mix (GER)
Africa Namibia
 

"Can-Do Musos continues to deliver great musicians to the world. We are very inspired to be the ones to organize such dedicated artists. We have just become a non-profit 501(c)(3). This means people can donate and have a tax break. We are still trying to raise funds to bring this to the next level. Every donation counts. We as the board take nothing from this. Only the satisfaction that we are a part of something bigger. We are motivated to keep this wave moving forward. We look to you to spread the word!

 

"If you develop and possess self-confidence, many things will naturally work in your favor. Believing in yourself and your ability to succeed at whatever you put your mind to is a priceless asset that cannot be purchased at any cost. Knowing that you have an innate "can-do" attitude prevents you from accepting failure as either part of your genetic makeup or your destiny."

Thanks for your involvement!!!

 

Dom, Andrew, David, Joe

 
About Can-Do Musos
Can Do Musos want to provide guidance and hope to all musicians with challenges. Music is empowering and has no limitations and everyone should have a chance at their dreams.

Having a "Can Do attitude" is the first step toward success!
Contact Us
Email: info@candomusos.com
Web: www.candomusos.com

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