Episode notes
Description: Episode 18 is a great interview with Garman L. Bowers Jr., percussionist, wood worker, and 19th century rope tension drum restorer and reproducer. We talk about the anatomy of these drums, Garman’s process for restoring a drum, and things to keep in mind when making a reproduction of a drum from this era.
Show notes for this episode are available at https://eabbpodcast.com/show-notes-2/. Music in this episode comes from Our Musical Past from the Library of Congress and The 8th GM Regiment Band. You can get in touch with us on social media, and by emailing us at eabb.podcast@gmail.com.
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Episode Structure:
1:49 - Garman's musical background
4:58 - How Garman got into early American brass bands and Civil War reenacting
9:48 - Meeting Jari Villanueva, and how Garman got started playing with 19th century brass bands
11:27 - Garman's woodworking background
16:41 - Making period accurate chairs and stands for the Federal City Brass Band
20:29 - How Garman began to restore and reproduce 19th century rope tension drums
25:43 - Some of the drums that Garman has restored
28:35 - Things to consider when restoring drums, and how Garman determines the extent to which he restores drums
33:15 - Reproducing drums, and talking about sourcing materials
39:19- Process for reproducing a drum, referencing existing drums
42:04 - Rope tension drum designs
43:32 - Drum reproduction timeline
46:51 - Importance of preserving the labels that are on drums, other elements of drums that are tricky to restore/source
59:39 - Drum stick reproduction
1:08:20 - Where you can find Garman's work, and how you can get in touch with him if you're interested in any of his products
1:11:36 - Featured Album: Pride of the Regiment, Federal City Brass Band