A Kayla and Maddie Update

[BAG]

Hi all,

I don't get the time to get on here as much as I would like however I know there are some people who like to see how the girls are progressing over time.

Kayla and Maddie did a support for a popular hip-hop act here in Australia recently (another paid gig!!). It is the best PA they have had the opportunity to play through and managed to out-do the other support acts who were all much older than they were. Once again it is just video from a basic camera, and you can see the blur of the camera each beat from the HUGE bottom end coming from the PA. As an ex-roadie for some of the biggest names in Australian music back in the 80's I was blown away by the quality and volume coming out of a system that was much smaller than what we used to lug around the country.

Hope you like it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-znoO2yS4M

[Geir]

WOW !!!!

They are on their way to fame for sure I really appreciate the updates. It's so great to see these talents getting more confident and pro for each time I see them.

They are so relaxed and natural on stage and deliver a fab performance.

I'm also intrigued with Kayla's performance on what I assume is a cajun. I've watched quite a few of their videos now and just wonder, does she have some kind of pedal arrangement for both feet? It could look like it on one of the videos.

Anyway ... keep up the fantastic work girls !! I'm a fan !

[BAG]

I'm also intrigued with Kayla's performance on what I assume is a cajun. I've watched quite a few of their videos now and just wonder, does she have some kind of pedal arrangement for both feet? It could look like it on one of the videos.

You are correct that the cajon she uses has a double kick arrangement. It is a Woodskin brand and is made in Melbourne here in Australia. As far as I am aware it is the only cajon with kick and snare pedals in the world. They are not cheap (retail around $1000) but they are the best thing since sliced bread. The girls can get an almost full band sound at times. Just adding that percussion makes such a difference.

I'm now playing bass (as well as the Woodskin) in a couple of bands and it's amazing how much fun being a one man rhythm section can be.

[Geir]

That is a great arrangement. Never seen it before, but it's a great addition to a cajon. If when I get a cajon I must look into getting an arrangement like that (maybe try to make one )

[peterp]

On the Cajon front, from a Canadian retail chain.

Cajon with built in kick pedal, expensive!
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products/14504/Drums/World_Percussion/Gon_Bops/Pedal_Cajon.htm

But an addon bass pedal is not so expensive
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products/19120/Drums/Hardware/Gibraltar/Cajon_Pedal.htm

The Cajons themselves seem to run in the 100$cdn-300$cdn range.
Or they seem to not be too difficult to DIY!


But to the OP, the girls are doing very well indeed!

[peterp]

Hum a 2 faced Cajon, hard enough to chew gum and walk, never mind beat on 2 sides of a box while trying to drink with the third hand at the same time!

http://www.long-mcquade.com/products/18186/Drums/World_Percussion/Pearl/Two-Face_Cajon.htm

[BAG]

That is a great arrangement. Never seen it before, but it's a great addition to a cajon. If when I get a cajon I must look into getting an arrangement like that (maybe try to make one )

If you are REALLY handy you might be able to do so. It is quite a system inside of rods, levers and springs. The kick beater is much bigger than a kick drum beater and is quite soft (otherwise you'll smash the thin facing) and the snare beater is smaller but also softish. There is also a system of levers on the side to move the snare wire on and off the face to get different sounds, a lever for the opening and closing of the hatch at the back, and a lever for a damper on the face inside. This is very handy for live work as i put a kick mic inside the woodskin, close the hatch and put the damper on. You need to do this to minimise bottom end feedback. I then use a 57 mic outside facing the front of the woodskin. My aim is to get a separation of the "boom" and "cha" sounds. Unlike a drum kit both sounds happen in the same enclosure so you need to drastically eq the two mics, one with all low and virtually no mid and high with the other the opposite.

But an addon bass pedal is not so expensive
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products/19120/Drums/Hardware/Gibraltar/Cajon_Pedal.htm

The beauty of the Woodskin set-up is that you are using your heel on the pedals whereas with the pedal you have linked to (like a normal kick-drum pedal) you use the front of your foot, which for non-drummers is very tiring to the muscles around your shin bone. It is amazing how much less effort it is and you are basically walking along. Also, the separate kick pedals will only give you the kick sound and not the snare sound. Unless you are also playing by hand you might as well get a small stomp box for the bass drum sound. We recently picked one up for $65 as we are heading to China where the girls will be doing a gig and we didn't want the hassle of transporting the Cajon.

This is one of the better "How-To" pages i have found for building a basic Cajon.