Drum Circles for Summer Solstice

In honor of summer solstice, I did the trifecta of southwest Florida's drum circles, starting out small on Friday night in North Port, building up for Nokomis on Saturday, and rounding out with Siesta Key Beach on Sunday evening.  North Port is more intimate.  Nokomis Beach is going to be of primary focus, and Siesta is, of course, probably the most well known of the three drum circles.

It was a Tom Petty weekend with Ras and Jose, as we kept hearing various Tom Petty tunes, especially after Ras mentioned the song, "Won't Back Down."  Some people don't believe in coincidence, and it was almost as if the rocker I was once start struck by had been passing me some musical inspiration to channel over the weekend.  We found ourselves busting out a rasta version.

Ras is the one who feeds the licks, and Jose brings the cow bell.  The two are known by many who venture to the drum circle as staples amongst a sea of familiar faces.  Sure, people may come, and people may go, as Florida gets a lot of tourists, but there's a few die hard drummers there, too.

There's people who get religious about drawing the circles, putting fresh flowers in a mound in the middle, even burning sage to clear the energies at the beaches.  These are the regular ones there day in and day out, only missing in case of emergency or going to visit "up north" for whatever reason.  These familiar faces are the ones that people come to know, regardless of many who may go.

Even though random lyrics do occur, the drum circle is mainly known for drums - or so people think.  There's actually a variety of instruments that show up, from the classically inspired variety, to the ones made by hand or in the spur of the moment tapping on whatever random object happens to be nearby.  People like to join in, and sometimes, necessity is the mother of inventions in any artform.

Sure, the basics of drumming is following the rhythm of the natural heart beat.  Get it to synch up, and as the drums slow, the heart rate slows.  As drumming speeds up, so does the heart rate naturally.

There's certainly people who play to the beat of their own drum, so to speak, but there's also a movement in the music itself.  It can also depend on what instruments are around, be it steel drums, something smaller that's designed to be tapped with the hands, or even coconut shells knocking.  Try to get lost in the music, drifting to another plane, whether dancing, playing or chasing bubbles.

The drum circles are designed for all ages.  Tiny tots run through hula hoops in the sand, while older kids practice gymnastics skills.  Fly with feathers or butterfly wings, and once the sun sets, grab the glow sticks and LED devices to create trails of color in the sky that can be seen a ways away.

The great thing about being at a beach drum circle, is if you get tired, just hop in the ocean, and if you get tired, lean back on the sand, and if you're lucky enough at night, you might see a couple shooting stars.  If you've never been to a drum circle, Florida has many, and other places do, too.  Check out drumcircles.net/circlelist.html for more information; there's also a drum circle finder on Facebook.

Lita Ford's Like Laced Up Leather

Lita Ford's like laced up leather.  She has this classic, timeless style.  She's like that favorite leather garment that only gets better after wearing it for a while, feeling it imprint the curves of your body.

It takes a while for a good leather to loosen up, as it has to be broken in a bit.  Compared to other fabrics out there, leather holds up surprisingly well over time, being tough enough to handle spills on motorcycles that could've ripped right through other fabrics.  Lita Ford may have garnered notoriety with the likes of Joan Jett, but Lita was hanging out with some of the toughest of guys when other chicks wouldn't have been able to handle it in the 80's, being known for having some epic hook-ups over the years with names that most chicks from that era would only dream about in fantasies.

Yet, she has always maintained the lace of being a lady.  Not being afraid to show who was in charge, her solo career rocketed in a slightly more metal version than Jett.  Ok, so her song with Ozzy was a little bit of a ballad, and Jett does play with the likes of Acey Spade, who dabbles with the likes of Dope and Wednesday 13, so it really may be a bit of a toss up as to who is more metal, but still...

The point is that Lita Ford is still kicking ass and taking names in the rock scene, with a body that looked as tight as ever without having to be in some uncomfortable corset.  Her drummer's back there peeping over the top of the drum set, looking kinda average, but when he pops out from time to time, people may start to get an idea, but it's not til the end, when he comes to the front, that his Hulk-like arms, narrowing into a ripped, v-shaped torso, is visible, looking like a gymsperational advertisement where it makes you think of how much more you should be hitting the gym, damn slacker.

She's got some good guys up front, too.  They're bringing it.  Everything was awesome.

They played at The Ranch on Colonial in Fort Myers.  She opened up for Dokken.  Honestly, and no offense to Dokken, as I've covered them a few other times, and they have been awesome before, but on that particular night, Lita definitely put on the better show, blowing them out of the water.

Now, I will say that it was not all Dokken's fault on that particular night, as it was evident from the crowd that they were having some sort of sound issue from the start, as they ushered out one speaker, swapping it out for another at the last second before taking the stage.  At one point, an audience member claimed they thought the sound guy was sleeping during the show.  It was really bad.

The lead singer looked a little annoyed with the issue, as he had to verbalize his request into the mic.  This may have led into him not having as much of an energy that I have seen him have in the past.  We're giving the benefit of the doubt on that one for now, but Lita Ford still kicked major ass there.

Not to say Dokken was bad by any means, as it was an awesome show.  There's some eye candy there still for sure.  It's like, did time stand still with these people, or are they hiding the fountain of youth?

Just saying, with Lita being 60, I can only hope to look as amazing as her when I'm that age.  She's really an inspiration to women, not only with what she went through by being a woman in the rock and roll industry, but also by how she has weathered the years, with the classic cool of a leather.  Whether you remember her from her "Cherry Bomb" days, "Close Your Eyes," and "Kiss me once, kiss me twice... kiss me deadly;" it's an energy that pulses through your body, bringing the tingles.

If you haven't seen her live yet, why the hell not?  Go check her out.  Even if you have seen her before, go see her again, and while you're at it, go check out Dokken, too.



Marisa Williams earned her Master's in Writing from the Johns Hopkins University.  Follow her at www.twitter.com/booksnbling.  For more by Marisa, visit www.lulu.com/spotlight/thorisaz.

North Port Skateboard and BMX competition

The best in the North Port, FL, area gathered at the skate park on Friday in an intense competition.  With flips and twists that make people gasp and hold their breath, and a few unfortunate spills that made people wince with the pain of knowing that hitting the cement is not always a pleasant experience, the skills were phenomenal.  Skaters and BMX racers of all ages gathered for a little friendly competition, showing off the skills that they have been diligently honing.

The North Port Skate Park is currently seeking donations and sponsors for an art project to done at the park in the near future to showcase art done by the skaters who use the park as an outlet for their creative expressions.  While people aim to have some colorful art added to the park, it will be interesting to watch the changing landscape of the park, but the real awe is owed to the skaters that fill the park with their gravity defying stunts.  From the judges and mentors behind the scenes, to the athletes that are being molded as the future of skateboarding and MBX racing, the family-like atmosphere of the event was evident by the cheers and encouraging remarks, as even when these guys take a bad fall, they're the ones strong enough to get back up and try it again until they perfect it.