Truth Arrives

I was up in Kelly's room with Jack the Schnauzer when the band practice suddenly ceased. I thought the silence meant they were working out a part, but then Himself came upstairs and said, "The drums are here!"



Tyler had done research on custom drums for a couple of years. Truth Custom Drums is the company he has admired the most for several reasons, but their prices were way out of reach for a (then) 17 year old with a part time job.



For his 18th birthday, Himself and I wanted to honor our son with a gift. We thought of a used car to replace his that isn't running as well, but we realized custom drums were something he would treasure long after a used car came and went. Plus, and I'm going to speak like the mom I am, Ty's an incredible drummer. He. Just. Is. The snare arrived first, and the owners of the company had each signed the inside of the drum and included a scripture verse.

Himself came running in with the box. He questioned the Fed Ex guy on the fact that there was only ONE box, but they were all nestled inside each other. This is the stage the unpacking was at when I ran down the stairs. Tyler was so excited, and it meant so much that his band mates were here when they arrived.

These guys are packing pros! I don't know HOW they got the drums, drum heads, and all the packing paper on the right of the picture into ONE box! To the left of the picture is Tyler's bass amp, fondly known as "The Beast." Jeremy uses it when they practice and play.

Those who know Zach will agree that this is his "Pretty Darn Sweet" smile. He uses it when something cool is happening.

Some assembly required! It's all right. He likes it.

Guys always try to act so cool. Here I finally caught the smile that had been playing around the corners of his mouth. He has slight swelling along the jawline from his wisdom teeth, but he was feeling no pain at this point!

Himself was a total kid at this during the unpacking. His phone kept ringing and he would run into his office to take care of it, then run back out to see how it was progressing. Jack the Schnauzer pretty much got in the way.

As with most drummers, Ty's very precise with the placement of each drum. He has sped up this process by marking the specific spot for the pedals on his mat with tape. It's amazing how he can be playing away and yet hear the slightest rattle or tapping that's out of place, stop, make the adjustment, then continue.

Each head is carefully tuned when he puts them on, but with this new set it will probably take a few months to get the exact heads and tunings for the sound he wants. Trust me, friends. This boy protects his ears when he plays (we all do!). He doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize any possible career in music.

A few more adjustments here and there, then. . . . .

A sore jaw doesn't stop the smile after the first hit on the tom. He loves the resonance that goes on and on.

See the cases in the right of the picture? Those arrived on Monday. He got a really good deal on them from Geoff at Truth. However, the kick drum case (not pictured) is so large, it doesn't fit in the door opening to the upstairs! He offered to let us use it for a coffee table downstairs. :-)

For those who know Jeremy, you'll recognize his "Whoa!" face.

Himself again. The kick is completely suspended off the ground for full resonance. He of course had to check it out personally. This is the same guy who has to touch an electric fence to "see what it feels like."

Here's the full band "giving it a ride." This is where and how they practice every week, right in the living room. I love when they're here. I love feeding them chili dogs. I wish everyone could hear how hard they work on their music.




A boy and his drum. A drum and his boy.