Would you play electronic drums at a jam session?

I received an invite for a jam session at the last minute yesterday. Since I'm now making an effort to get out and play as much as possible I quickly agreed. They always seems to come up at the worst times though, like when your weekend is already overbooked, over scheduled, or otherwise too busy to begin with. The players were people that I have worked with in some capacity, some more than others. I figured it be a jam with simple songs in a ABAB, AABB, or similar format. But I quickly learned that was not the case and I'd have to "work it" and not just sit back and listen to typical blues progression solos. The guitarist hosting the session is a Berklee Graduate and a veteran of the Boston version of  "Blue Man Group" (Core Redonnett).

As such, Core took us on a musical excursion of some of his compositions and I felt compelled to give it my best shot. It surprised me somewhat that I had to work that hard, as I had not played with that caliber of guitarist in some time. Core and I played in our church band together but obviously, well, you get the point.

What became a challenge for me was that I was using his Roland V- Drums when I'm pretty used to playing acoustic drums live. I do have a "built" electronic set that I use for practice, but don't find it very expressive to play on. In this case I had to deal with hard cymbal pad that were tiring (the mesh toms are fantastic) and a bass pedal that kept floating across the carpet. I also found myself kind of lost as the sound system for the drums was slightly ahead of me, off to each side. It did have plenty of power, though I hesitated to turn it up too much as I could not tell how loud it was for the rest of the players.
Eventually, I wised up and put on the headphones for the kit. Well, one ear anyway, and left one side off. This gave me the balance I was looking for. I also spent too much time "dialing" all the different kits and finally came to rest with the basic kit setup sans any fluffy sounds.

The next time out I hope to bring some real cymbals and a couple of acoustic snare drums. This, I'm sure will give me what I need to get the job done.   

Warm up tip for drummers during the winter

At first thought you'd might be incline to think "oh, another list of para diddles to drive everyone crazy while I warm up". And while that is certainly an important step in a playing situation it's not it. Do your dishes. That's right, fill the sink with how water and do a load of dishes! 10 to 15 minutes in the hot, soapy water will totally loosen you up for your rudiments and playing. Works every time guaranteed. Now, an important point, don't wear rubber gloves! It's not nearly as effective if you do.
While this is a great way to warm up at home, obviously you're not going to roaming the neighborhood at a gig looking for some one's dishes to do. Fill the sink in the men's room with hot water and immerse your hands, again for as long as you feel the need. You might make it a point of keeping a couple of universal sink plugs in your gig bag for this purpose.
Keep in mind that just keeping your hands in running water will not do the trick either. Nor, is placing them over heaters, radiators and similar heat sources.
One final note. After getting them nice and loose from this trick put on a pair of light gloves (or your drumming gloves) to retain the heat. They will chill down if there's too long a wait before playing.