Kai Flanders
The popular Venice Beach Drum Circle has done away with the bongos and embraced the digital age. This week the group, which meets every Sunday just before sunset, announced that it has replaced traditional instruments with a collection of smartphones and Rock Band drum kits.
Ariel Coriander, who describes himself as the group's de facto leader, despite “not believing in the concept of leaders,” wants to assure people that even though they've modernized, the circle's core values remain intact.
“It's not, like, The Matrix or anything like that,” he says over the phone from his parent's house in Mar Vista. “We're keeping a very '60s vibe, but, like, bringing it into the 20th century, you know?”
Other group member's reactions ranged from “stoked” to “totally electric.”
Yet not all members were pleased with the changes, and a couple drummers have left in the wake of the restructuring.
“What's a phone? It's like a box. The whole reason we're here is to think out of the box,” protested one member who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of “seriously harshing people's mellows” and would only identify himself as having been an extra in The Big Lebowski.
This past Sunday was the circle's first drum-less session, which, viewed from the distance of the boardwalk, looked like a strange interpretive dance. But up close you could see them tapping away on their tiny screens, earbuds firmly plugged into their Google smart phones (iPhones are prohibited, as Apple is considered a criminal organization).
The group has partnered with an independent Venice software developer to create an a new app called EZ Drumma, in which hitting a drum requires only the touch of a screen. Users can choose from various types of drums, from snares to congas, and then select the manner of drumming through one of many user-generated filters, such as “bitchin'” or “like Ringo Starr on quaaludes.” Coriander, for one, is glad he no longer has to lug his djembes in and out of his parent's basement.
The group also live-streams their three-hour sessions straight to their blog NeverEndingCircle.tumblr.com. The drum circle has even started their own Twitter account (@Circleof_Lyfe), which players use to live tweet. Observations include: “Tweetin', drummin' same tyme— total trip! #internet,” “no limit 2 power of drumz and life love ocean” and “HASHtagblessed.” The account has already amassed more than 27 followers.
The group also has an Instagram account, but so far the only pictures uploaded have been so out of focus that is impossible to tell whether they are of the ocean, the sky, or just the inside of someone's pocket.
Follow us on Twitter @LAWeeklyMusic, Kai Flanders @Kye_Flan, and like us at LAWeeklyMusic.
Top 20 Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre
Top 20 Sexiest Female Musicians of All Time
Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Move GIFs
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.