John Thomas Barnes

Audience members have described me as "poetry in motion" when seeing me live on drums. The audience can expect me to be very dynamic and a solid hitting in the pocket style of drumming that will support the face of whatever band I'm performing with. Professionals can expect me to ABSOLUTLEY NEVER come to a gig late or unprepared. I DON'T WORK THAT WAY, PERIOD! Professionals can expect me to be dressed well and be attractive on stage every time without exception. My understanding of dynamics and the function of other musical instruments makes me an ideal drummer to work with live. I make it my responsibility as member of rhythm section to see to it that the front man/front men are supported musically, heard/understood by audience lyrically and as comfortable as they possibly can be. This formula must be maintained for success with live performance in my opinion, regardless of genre. I believe that the bass guitarist and the drummer function as one entity live and if this unit is not 100% fully communicating, complimenting and symbiotically functioning together as a support structure for the rest of the band, then you have accomplished NOTHING performing live. Nathan Hexem, the bassist for The Vidrines, is the bassist I work/perform with in The Vidrines. Nathan and I communicate on a subconscious level while performing together live. We are both individually skilled and comfortable in our abilities so we NEVER really "mess up" on stage because we have 100% communication!!

I live in Monroe, LA. I perform live mostly on drums with my band The Vidrines. I have tons of experience doing pick up gigs with band genres that include Blues, Rock, Zydeco, Country, Alternative and Jazz. I have deep roots in Delta Blues music. I began working professionally when I was 16 years old, performing live shows with traditional delta blues cover bands in the deep south region of the United States. This foundation has been a cornerstone for me throughout my career as a musician/songwriter. I am what one would call a "pocket" drummer. I stay in the pocket regardless of genre and lay down a foundation that any lead man would desire. In addition to playing drums I also play guitar, bass guitar, keys, sing and write my own original music. This gives me an edge when it comes to understanding dynamics and how they relate to live performance, recording and writing.... I understand the concept of less is more. Finally, I pride myself in ALWAYS maintaining a professional work ethic when it comes performing live, recording or whatever I may be doing in a Professional Musician Song Write capacity. I'm NEVER late, I never waste my time or others time and I always have maintained 100% professionalism and professional integrity over the course of my 20 career in the music industry. Live performance is definitely my strong point. In 1989 I played my first paying gig and since then every year up until present I have performed live professionally. Even though I have not cataloged every live show I've done, a conservative estimate would indicate that I have done well over 2500 professional live performances on drums since 1989. That is a very conservative estimate considering some years I played 5-6 shows a week months on end. So I am a seasoned professional drummer that has much experience in live performance on drums in following genres...Delta Blues, Zydeco, Country, Rock and Roll, Alternative Rock, Impromptu Experimental Jazz/fusion music, gospel and some Jazz. I am self taught for the most part. I just always knew how to play anything I picked up. However I have had some formal training on drums. I can read drum sheet music some, but have never used it professionally, so it has become something that I have lost skill in.I have never had any call for it professionally, not that there isn't plenty of applications for it out there.

I have my own professional gear and my own transportation. I will drive no more than 6 hours to do a live performance, beyond that airplane or train travel will become necessary. I can lay down drum tracks in studios and have done so many times for all genres. I can work with or without a click track. My rates for studio work vary and depend on each situation, but generally speaking I charge 100 dollars per hour with a minimum of four hours in studio. Live performance rates will vary as well. Locally I need to get no less than 100 dollars a night, this is contingent upon large gate proceeds and is negotiable with gate proceeds kept in mind. In short, I'm flexible but not real cheap. I have NEVER worked with anyone that has been unhappy with my services musically and professionally. YES, that's correct, NOT ONE TIME have I done a job and had someone be dissatisfied with me! I will not perform on stages that have supporting acts drum gear in front of mine or near enough to my gear or me to inhibit my playing or my image being perceived by audience or band members. When doing "hired gun"shows for cover bands I must have an individual drum sound check, this usually takes less than ten minutes. I can set up and break down my drum kit in less than 5 minutes. I prefer to have a separate monitor mix for drums, this is not a must but it only helps the entire group when this is the case. Studio work requires me to receive copy of the music to be recorded at least one week prior to recording, also at least one rehearsal prior to recording is preferred. Most of the time I work under verbal contract and expect everyone to honor and do EXACTLY what they have told me. I extend this same professional courtesy to everyone and I DEMAND it when I'm under contract. That being said, I am reasonable when "acts of God" come in to play. This happens from time to time in our industry and I understand that and I have ability to determine when this is the case. In short, pay me what we agreed on!! I expect half of pay up front and day off studio work. Any live gigs more than 6 hours away from my home will require half of my fee in advance and in some cases I expect it to be overnight shipped to me day before performance. In closing, I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH MY SERVICES!! I've never had an unhappy client, but in the event that this happens and I feel it's not attempt to save money, I will refund all of my fee(no travel, lodging, meal or per diems will be refunded in this unlikely event).