A perspective from outside of the wasp nest.

Ahh.. I've been out from underneath the oppression of "the money-pit" for a week now. How do I feel? Realistic. I realize that there are very few absolute universal truths, but one must certainly be the replacement of problems in the average life... I accept that no matter what I achieve, and regardless of what heights I may scale to, there will always be some form of a headache to smother out with all of life's lovely little "pain-killers". But everyone knows that right? I've been going up and down, through stages of fear, extreme paranoia, ultra-joy, contentment, laziness, and flat out anger for two months now.. No relief in sight. I think this might be what it's like when God begins to break you, in order to prepare you for whatever He may have in store. And I've certainly been asking Him. Eyes up, ears open, moving forward.

A cautionary tale from someone at the bottom..

"Yes, hi, my name is Eric Santoro, and I'm a piss-poor manager of money..." - This statement should be my formal greeting to new people. After two years of digging, with a figurative track-hoe, my financial management short-comings have come to a head.. That is to say, I've found myself in serious trouble! I'm moving out of my beloved home, I don't answer phone calls on account of the fact that I fear acknowledging bill collectors, and I'm to the point that I can't afford anything.. With all of this going on, I find myself in reflection of the countless "wise up" lectures that I've received over the years. What good did it do? None. I'm far too stubborn to take heed, and listen to those with experience.. At least when it comes to money, you see, I hate money.. I hate the value that man-kind has put on it. At any rate, I've humbled myself before the almighty dollar, I've swallowed my pride, and raised the white flag. I surrender, I can't do it, I need help.. I guess (or so I'm told) that admitting a problem is the first, and most crucial step, so there you go.

The lesson? To listen!
Lesson learned. (maybe)

At least there is sweet music to comfort me. I'm playing drums with a grammy winner next week...Party on Wayne!

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Fruition!

The Wayne Hoskins Band has been diligently toiling away on the studio demo for six LONG months.. Well, the wait is almost over! I received a rough mix of the seven-song disc the other day, and WOW. It sounds great, and the copy I have isn't even mastered!!! I have recorded several "demo CD's" over the years, and this is by far, and away the most complete recording I have ever walked away with.. This thing should go like hot cakes! Who wants one??

My turn to piss and moan.

Ok.. I'll get right down to it.. I'm overly agitated. First, a little background: I have the capacity to be an ass-hole, everyone is aware of this. That being said, I believe myself to be a fair, understanding, and upright dude.. Especially concerning my friends. Let's examine that statement a little closer...

*I go out of my way, and possess a willingness to compromise my own comfort to help people. Period. (Even when it is not remotely, or by any stretch of the imagination, my obligation to do so.)

*I tip-toe around some people, and more specifically, their hyper-sensitive, pseudo-victimized, HYPOCRITICAL, demonizing, blame displacing/finger-pointing, baggage-carrying bullshit.. All in the name of keeping the peace, and/or maintaining a comfortable atmosphere. (Regardless of the fact that I find most peoples gripes unfounded.. You turds know who you are.)

*You'll never catch me intentionally trying to hurt, offend, or otherwise dismantle anyone's state of being. (Again, regardless of the fact that I think a lot of people are self-centered, self-serving jerk-offs.)

*Believe it, or not, my decency costs me financially. Let's see some of that from you self-righteous cretins out there.

*Finally, and in no terms of humility, my company is good. Period. The end.

Now the nagging question: WHY???? WHAT FOR??? People will dump on you anyway! So piss on them.

That's MY gripe for the day.

On to more enlightening news, The Wayne Hoskins Band has been noticeably tightening up.. All of us! We're playing solid shows, and I encourage everyone to check one out, as they are a rather good time. (Plus, our LP is sooo close to completion!) Secondly, my very close friend Chase Dawes (bassist from "Discourse") has joined the Elevation worship team, I couldn't be happier about this, as he's a solid player and the two of us have a great musical chemistry.. He fits right in with Perko, Dave, and myself, and people have noted it. Look for big things from both musical parties.. And, as always, STAY TUNED!

A long time coming...

Ok, so I said I would be updating this site frequently.. Didn't happen, but now I feel compelled to get this blog going in order to keep people updated, and get some things off of my chest! First things first, I have managed to stay rather busy with my drumming. Seriously busy. I am involved in three bands, The Wayne Hoskins Band, an experimental jazz/rock trio, and the latest addition, a church band (which I've actually been playing in for four months). I love every second of it, and still seek to make drumming my full-time career.. The Wayne has been playing shows, and after approximately four months, is excruciatingly close to having our studio LP finished.. It should sound great, and I'll be posting the tracks on this site as soon as they are available.

As I mentioned, I have also been playing with a church band.. It's Elevation church (non-denominational) in Layton, Ut. This has been an incredible experience, and I have witnessed my life being literally transformed before my very eyes. To be blessed with the opportunity to go every Sunday and lend my talents to usher people into the presence of God is something that can't be accurately described with words. On top of that, the collection of musicians in the band is nothing short of phenomenal, and it's very inspiring to play weekly with musicians of that caliber. If you're a church-goer, you should come sit in one of our services.. Amazing!

The jazz/rock/pop/acid combo (which is yet unnamed) is gearing up to start jamming again as well, and I'm excited about this because it's another avenue of un-bridled creativity. I'm not certain where we'll take it, but it's enjoyable non-the-less.

So, that's it for now, perhaps I can persuade people to start reading this thing. eric-drums.com! Tell your friends, and as always, stay tuned for show/song updates!