There is a famous quote from Duke Ellington that always cracks me up: "There is nothing to keeping a band together. You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money!" It’s a…
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One More Year
A personal reflection on why insisting can sometimes be an act of belief
By Sean J. Kennedy
(Written December 2025, edited May 2026)
At the Moment of the Question
A friend recently asked me whether they should encourage—or insist—that their…
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Remembering Neil Peart
Remembering Neil Peart
My social media post from January 10, 2020
A friend just texted me the news that one of my drumming heroes, Neil Peart, passed away this week. Social media will be flooded with tributes, but I just…
Read moreSilver Bullets and Stolen Gold
Silver Bullets and Stolen Gold
by Sean J. Kennedy
May 16, 2022
"Remember that when you meet your antagonist, to do everything in a mild agreeable manner.
Let your courage be keen, but, at the same time, as polished as…
Read moreSound Advice: Words to Practice By
Sound Advice: Words to Practice By
Written by Sean J. Kennedy
February 14, 2012
Whenever I have the opportunity to hold a drum clinic or adjudicate a music festival and tape record comments for the performers, I often find myself…
Read moreBass Drums, Berlioz, and Bubba
Bass Drums, Berlioz, and Bubba
Written by Sean J. Kennedy, November 19, 2011
Symphonie Fantastique is a program symphony that was written by the French composer, Hector Berlioz, between 1830 and 1845, that tells the story of an artist gifted…
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