Hollywood, CA- The Drums’ released their fourth album, “Abysmal Thoughts”, earlier this year. Following Jonny on social media and picking up on news bits here and there during the time he recorded and produced the album, I had a feeling that that it would be a pretty heavy autobiography of all that he had gone through (a divorce, a bandmate leaving to pursue solo endeavors, etc) … and I was pretty much right. The album is filled with all of the drama and pain that Jonny went through, but the heavy subject matter and melodramatic imagery is masked with light hearted instrumental arrangements draped in Jonny’s soothingly mellifluous vocals. Everything that I’ve come to love so much about Jonny and his music.
Over the course of three years, I’ve seen The Drums perform live four times (the performance at the Fonda was my fourth). While the music has kept me coming back for more, there’s something I’ve noticed that endears me even more to The Drums with every performance … and that’s the new found joy that Jonny brings to the stage.
With every note and every melody he sang, his movements and demeanor on stage exhibited a confident aura, even jovial, despite the melancholy subject matter. There was an extra bounce in every step he took and swash he swayed … and it made watching the performance considerably more enjoyable than it already was.
With fans singing along to the choruses of every song, I could see a twinkle in Johnny’s eye that seemed to acknowledge the love and togetherness spawned from the music that filled the room. It was a communal revelation that everyone in the room shared some kind of abysmal thought, and together they could all vent happily en mass in song about whatever weighted on their shoulders.
Towards the end of the performance, Jonny got personal with the crowd telling them a little bit about his journey for self-acceptance (see the last video below). It was a poignant moment and summed up simply with his final thoughts before continuing on with the music, “Just be exactly who you are.”
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LIVE CLIPS
The Drums at The Fonda 11/3/17. Thoughts and photo gallery coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/hEWEaKKPnF
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) November 30, 2017
The Drums at The Fonda 11/3/17. Thoughts and photo gallery coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/thNtmLyI9K
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) November 30, 2017
The Drums at The Fonda 11/3/17. Thoughts and photo gallery coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/kC9TgaDVFj
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) November 30, 2017
