Ep. 18 - Honest PASIC Recap For Teachers & Students

PASIC is the one percussion event that reminds you why music in person matters. In this episode, we recap PASIC 2025 and past PASIC experiences—world-class performances you can feel in the room, hallway run-ins with your heroes, and the exhibit hall experience you simply can’t get from scrolling on your phone. We talk student takeaways, teacher recharge, magical moments, and why the live, shared energy of PASIC hits different than any clip ever will. 

Special shoutout to Joshua Simonds, Justin Ramirez, & the rest of the team at the Percussive Arts Society for knocking it out the park this year. 

Questions? Comments? - Reach out! teamislas@gmail.com

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Zach
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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Greetings and salutations, friends, and welcome back to the Team Eslots Podcast, episode 18. My name is Doug Bush, and today I'm joined by Patricia Eslot and Zach Shear. And this is the podcast for anyone looking to better themselves in percussion education. Percussive arts society international convention, aka PASIC. PASIC. Yeah, friends, this is a once-a-year international convention. Uh and if you are listening to this and you are a percussionist and you have never been, I implore you, friend, save your money, get a ticket, and go. You will have a wonderful time. 100% Doug Bush guarantee. I've been to PACIC uh with many hats, not as many hats as Mr. Shear, maybe, but I've been as a student and a clinician and a performer and uh an educator. Uh and every single time it's been a wonderful experience.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Uh I would also just add before we gush about PASIC, um, this is just us really reflecting on all the times we've been and specifically the last time we've been in 2025. This is not um an ad for PASIC. They didn't pay us. Right. Like we're not, we have no, yeah, you know, we're not cashing our check from PASIC after this episode. Um this is just our genuine No.

unknown 1:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Hey friends, don't forget to leave that five in the five-side review.

SPEAKER_02 1:53

Step one is um, but uh we were just like genuinely talking about how we had a great time, right? And and then we were like, um, yeah, we should, we should share about that and talk about just our experiences overall. Um in terms of PASIC 2025 specifically, um, I don't know the exact number, but I know before the convention and after the convention, I confirmed or I heard, you know, confirmation from um Joshua uh Simmons. Simons, I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing his last name correctly. Uh the guy who's, I believe, the executive director, that this was, if not the biggest PASIC ever, one of the biggest. Wow. Um, this 50th anniversary uh one that they had this year. And and I certainly felt that. Um and it definitely makes the convention, I think, better for everybody when everybody comes. Yeah, right? It does.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

I mean, one of the things that's so exciting and fun about the convention is you see in the drum set world these festivals and conventions uh that are amazing and full of these heavies, right? But PASIC is like the only that I can think of like it's all of percussion. You have your drum set heavies. I mean, Ash Sowan was there, Jeff Hamilton, Dave Weckel. I mean, just all these monsters, you know. Uh, but you also have the Santa Clara Vanguard, right? Or the University of North Texas, or what you know, there's is all percussion is welcome there. And so the people you run into, the diversity. Oh, you know, we we go to lots of different conventions. You go to a convention, uh a movie convention or a uh a comic convention or a whatever, fill in the blink, right? And you see the same kind of clientele. The diversity of the clientele at PASIC. I mean, you know, like literal rock stars. I remember when Mastodon was there once. Mastodon's guitarist is just not the drummer, the guitarist. He's just walking through the convention. No one knows who this guy is, right? It's I mean, and it's like he's selling out giant, you know. Uh uh in that that's one of the that's one of the fun things about PASIC.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Yes. So I I think I had a front row seat to that this year, Mr. Bush, because uh this was my like you said, I've worn a lot of different hats at PASIC.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

I've been You just wear a lot of different hats for sure.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

Um, but like this year I was uh for the first time, I was like uh with a company at PASIC, right? So I'm there at the Dynasty Titan booth. And so I I spoke directly to more people that I didn't know, right? Like just as part of my role. And, you know, I would go up to people, introduce myself, start a conversation, and then ask them about themselves and what they do. And it's like the the answers, I never got the same answer twice. And they're like so unpredictable. It could be like, um, you know, will I study the effect of the gamelon music in India on whatever, you know? Um, and I'm here for this one like, you know, research paper presentation. Yeah, or it could be like, uh, I'm a band mom from BOA across the street, yeah, you know, or it could be like I I I walked up to a guy, introduced myself, talked to him, and he was like, I live in New York, I play in Broadway musicals. Like I'm a drum set in Broadway musicals. I was like, wow, that's that's incredible. And then obviously, um, especially with with BOA in town, I I spoke to like, you know, guys who teach at Avon. Or like you said, I spoke to Paul Rennick. I spoke to Dave Weckle. I also said hi to Chris Lamb. Like it's like, wow, this is amazing, you know? Um, and I think that's one thing uh that is unique about PASIC and actually is different about PASIC than the other conventions we have the opportunity to go to as music educators, right? Like um TMEA, TBA, Midwest, PASIC. I feel like those are kind of the big ones. And then other state conventions, right? Like your music uh convention in your local in your state. Um, they all have awesome things about them. I think the coolest thing about PASIC is it's kind of a good opportunity to see how actually small our world is. Yeah. Um and that is reflected, like we've said, in in the artists. Like you can say hi to Akira Jimbo and then to Chris Lamb, you know, and then to the Mastodon guitar player. Um, but also on the company side, I think it's a really cool opportunity to have a direct connection to these companies that you use their products, or maybe you don't and you want to know more about their products. Um, and it's cool to realize like, hey, that this isn't Amazon here. Like, like I can think of multiple companies that like you can walk up to and have a conversation with either the guy who founded the company, guy or girl, um, who founded the company or is the current owner of the company. You can maybe speak to someone who actually makes the product, especially with some of the smaller companies, you know. Um, and that opportunity doesn't exist, I think, at a lot of other conventions. And it certainly doesn't exist for like everything from heads to sticks to cymbals to this company that I've never heard of that makes these weird cool metal things over here, you know? Yeah, yeah. Composers, arrangers, right? Like you want to talk to some people. I'm I'm thinking about playing this guy's music, or I'm thinking about hiring this girl as an arranger, they're probably there.

SPEAKER_03 7:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:11

You can just walk right up to them and have a direct connection to, yeah, like I said, composer, arranger, founder, owner, craftsman of the thing you want to use.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Yeah, that's one of my favorite things about going to PASIC is just connecting with different people. You know, the longer you're in this activity, the more interactions you have in different corners of the world sometimes. And you might see that person once and then not see them again for years and years and years, and then you happen to be at the same PASIC and you cross each other in the hallway. And because this community is so small, and because you know, we have this shared love of music and percussion, uh, there's just this instant connection again. It almost feels like that span of time, whether it was six months since you last saw them at drum court or 10 years or 15 years since you saw them in college, it doesn't matter because you're still speaking the same language.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Absolutely. And and I I this I don't know how this will come off. I was gonna say this might sound a little awkward, but maybe not, you know. Uh many of my most memorable purchases of equipment were done at PASIC. And and and and namely symbols. Because there's like a you know, a uniqueness to the quality. When you're talking high-end symbols, they're uh for the most part still handmade, right? So you you can have three models next to each other, they're all quote unquote identical, but different weights, different hammering patterns. And so the you know, the opportunity, like you said, to be able to go from booth to booth there live with a and listen and then be like, yeah, this one that looks like a shield a Spartan would have used.

unknown 8:43

Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Uh but the sounds like a chorus of angels singing. Like I I I I have multiple memories of like the excitement I especially at North Texas, I can remember like saving, saving my money for months. And I, you know, I'm taking jazz studies and I'm gonna get a good jazz ride symbol, right? And and uh kind of that hunt and that excitement. Um, like you said, it's not Amazon, like you're you don't get the same thing just going online, and you know, um like there there is a there's excitement of being a person of uh getting to check out the gear live and getting to hear the things performed live uh in a in a venue in which like everyone is passionate about percussion, right? This year at the 2025, I remember seeing you know Ash Sowan do a clinic, and I remember the San Claire Vanguard doing a clinic, and Ash Sowan and Paul Rennick both said at their clinics respectively uh how exciting it is to perform at PASIC because the audience is so genuinely appreciative of it. And now I don't know, I could be, I could be, this could be more a reflection of me than in reality, but I imagine if I was one of those young drummers for the Santa Clara Vanguard that just threw down, my gosh, they sounded incredible. It was such a joy to listen to. The the Doug Bush of 20 years old probably would have thought, like, oh, that was dirty, a dirty, horrible bag. Because I would be comparing it to like DCI finals, where I had just played every day, all day for three months, right? But I'm telling you, every human that was sitting next to us, from Edward Freytag, one of the most, you know, uh accomplished percussion arrangers uh to live, right? To like this high school student from Lebanon Trail or whatever that's playing quads, right? Universally, everyone's just like, that was unbelievable. This is this is a meaningful musical moment that I'm gonna this is gonna stay with me. You don't get that uh from a TikTok video on your phone.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

You know, it's alive in person. You feel it, you feel the atmosphere, you feel, and it only happens in a situation like that. And uh I think that that's one of the things that makes it so special, right? Is that the audience is kind of in on it, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 10:49

Yes, you know, um, Mr. Bush, you you hit on a couple things there that I think I agree with 100%. And you talked about how that had an impact on you or still does have an impact on you. But also I know when I have gone to PASIC um as a teacher and I've brought students, they feel that in like a way it's almost hard to describe the impact. Uh, like if it's still affecting us, how many times have we been to PASIC? Oh, yes, right? Yeah, yeah. You you bring some kid who didn't even know this existed before. And I know, like, um, and and in in multiple ways, right? Like you were talking about gear, and I remember one of the times we went to PASIC at Capel, uh, you talked about symbols, but I thought about sticks. I remember telling them, like, there's this, guys, there's this company, it's called Cooperman, and they make all these really cool sticks, and you can go to the booth and try out it's it's like picking a wand in Harry Potter, right? It's like I want rosewood uh 67.23 grams, you know. And they're kind of like, what? And but then I was like, just trust me, go to the booth, you know. And all these kids came back with these, like, oh, Mr. Sheer, look what I got. And like, oh, he chose the persimmon, you know, and like whatever. But it's like you don't get that experience. They were just so they nerded out so hard on it. Because it's like they probably met the guy who made them, you know. Um, and that's a thing you can only do at PASIC, but then also um the the performances, like you said, like the impact that has on your students. So if you're a teacher and you have the opportunity or you're thinking about what would it be like to take my kids to PASIC, separate from whether or not they're gonna compete or perform, if you that's obviously a wonderful opportunity, but if you can just get them there, I can say with confidence from experience, it can do something to light a fire in them that is different than what you can do just in the classroom.

SPEAKER_03 12:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

Um, and it it's really like the first time we went, uh, I remember distinctly where I was in the convention center when the some of the kids turned to me and they were like, So, Mr. Shear, when are we like making a tape again so we can come back? Yeah. And I was like, I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm tired, y'all slow your roll. Yeah, but they were just like, even though they had been through a lot of really hard work to get there in the first place, they were like chomping at the bit to come back. And and I didn't do that, the convention did that.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yeah, it wasn't a type of situation where they'd worked so hard all semester uh to, you know, be able to manage marching band and PASIC and all of these things. And then they played the concert and they went to the convention. It was kind of like, uh, well, maybe the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. No, it was exactly the opposite. Like uh the experience was great, not just from the performance standpoint, but getting to see all of the stuff in the exhibit halls and getting to hear all these amazing musicians of all sorts of different styles and flavors of percussion and feeling that energy that they took back with them that then carried much further than one single concert would any given year.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

Yeah. And and we talked about getting to see like your heroes, right? Oh, like they, I mean, they see Paul Rennick walking through the I mean it's they're like Mr. Sheer, Mr. Sheer, Mr. Sheer. Is is that Paul Rennick? Or fill in the blank, whoever it is, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm like, yeah, it is. Like, I'm gonna go take a picture with him. You know, yeah, it's just it's so cool for them.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Yeah, and well, and and what I also love that PASIC provides uh is also opportunities for them to perform and play, right? That you know, um it definitely I know I'm I know I'm ancient old as dust, right? But one of my one of many people my age favorite components of drum core was the solo and ensemble contest, which has slowly kind of um kind of faded away over the years. But PASIC still holds on to this opportunity, whether you're a high school student or a college student, and I can remember in some of these programs I've taught where uh maybe we can maybe it's not copel, maybe we can't bring the whole group, or maybe we can't record for today. But I have this one killer center snare, right? And they have a thing to work towards, and that's like to go here and I'm gonna compete against like Tom Ock's son or something. You know what I mean? Uh and like my judge is gonna be Jeff Prospery, right? You know, uh, and Jeff Osdomore or something, right? You know what I mean? And it's uh, and just like East Last is saying, like at 100% of the time, any student that we've been a part of at any program, at any level that has gone and competed, that plays saying, oh my gosh, uh uh Art Avula, the True Brad, you know, I had the privilege of writing a snare ensemble uh for them years ago. And they they did such a wonderful job with it. It was such a big deal for them to take it there. They played so wonderfully, and years later, I'm we're out there clinicking and they're still talking about it to this day. El Chupacabro. You can go to team slots.com if you want a copy. You know, uh still talking about it. And so I love that PACIC um still provides that opportunity across the board, big or small, college, high school, and I mean when you see, like, for example, the UNT snare ensemble or quad ensemble, there's still there, there's the innovation. You know, back in the day, we used to always joke you would see something in INE, you know, the this quad solos would win, and then a lot of that stuff would show up the next year in drum court shows. Yeah, right. And I feel like there's a there's an element of that, you know, you see you that still exist. Um thankfully that PACIC is is still pushing that, you know. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 16:17

You know, I also like kind of like I said about the companies, like these aren't this isn't Amazon, right? These are small companies run by like the people you're meeting. Um, and that's a cool, great opportunity. The same is true for the percussive arts society itself, like for like PAS, right? It's like PAS is not, I don't know, what's a huge organization, you know, but like it's not, it's a fairly small thing run by like a handful of people. And um, I think that that is such a cool direct connection you can have with them at the convention. And and like I said, I've been as an attendee, as a teacher, as a clinician, as a performer, as a competitor. Like I've been, so I've seen all of the ins and outs, the great things, the hard things, the things that didn't make sense to me at the time. Like, oh, why would you guys do this this way? But it's like, I understand now, like, number one, there's only like five people running this whole thing, you know. Number two, they are all all the things that are happening are for a reason, and they are actually working very hard to make the experience great for everybody. Yep. And um, that's not an easy thing to do because you do have everybody from Chris Lamb to the Mastodon guitar player, right? Like that's a wide range. Yeah, yeah. Um, but it it is cool because the opportunity exists for you to get in there and talk with those people, meet those people, serve on a committee, like um get involved, bring your group and uh help to make the convention better next year.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Um yeah, now listen, it can be hard because PASIC happens at a time period in the year. For a lot of percussion educators, it is a very difficult time. The end of marching season. Uh, and that can vary for different programs depending on their level of commitment to all of that and activity and all of that. And it can be really hard to then, once you're finally on the other side of it, go like, okay, now I'm gonna get on a plane and go out of town when all I want to do is just sit on my couch and watch Stranger Things and not move for the next week. Uh, but the whole reason we're doing this podcast is to advocate for why it is so important for you to just shut up and stop overthinking it and just go if you have the opportunity to go. I mean, it is inspiring for the students, but it's also inspiring for uh the educator, the musician in you, right? The whole reason that you became uh a teacher in the first place of this thing and you have gone through all of the hoops to get here is because you love music and you love percussion. I know for me, uh one experience that stands with me is going to see Glenn Valez, this outstanding hand drum player. And uh he was in a small room, but it was packed. I mean, standing room only for everyone that knew what was up. And it was the first time I had seen anyone play a hand drum. I mean, he had, I think, probably a Pandero or Rick or something that was mic'd up. And I had never heard it create that kind of a low deep sound all the way to like the highest jingle sound. And I was just so incredibly impressed with how much music and creativity and technique could come from a single drum, like a drum with single head on it and one little jingle. It was so inspiring. And it it sparked in me this idea of like, oh, you don't have to have the most uh elaborate setup or giant percussion ensemble or anything to make music that's really engaging.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Yeah, yeah. And I mean, I think all three of us have been so incredibly fortunate and blessed to attend uh just like a large number of incredible live musical concerts, right? From multiple genres, multiple musicians. But I mean, a couple of years ago when we were there and we were there with Mike Lennish and Annie Chernout, and we were like kind of like front row or second row for Michelle Camilo.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

And I mean, it was unironically something like they played six songs and four of them got standing ovations. I mean, it was by far the largest standing ovation to perform it, like it, you know, and again, it goes back to that understanding is it's like you can be a big fan of Afro-Cuban music, but when you have that deep rhythmic understanding that comes with percussion, you and in and there's that's the thing too, uh, you're feeling that shared experience with everybody in the audience, you know, when he's hitting those e's and uh's for 45 consecutive measures, and then finally drops the one. Yeah, and the whole audience, oh you know what I mean? I mean, or or before that, there was a time with Pedro Martinez and I are and and Steve Gadd. People are literally on their feet dancing, yeah, right. You know, um, it's just really it's a it's uh uh it's a very, very, very special place to be uh to go to become inspired and um excited um uh for the craft and the art of percussion.

SPEAKER_02 21:13

Well, we should acknowledge on drum set at that concert, the Michelle Camilo concert was uh Daphnis uh Prieto, I think I'm saying his last name correctly.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

And and just Sabian Frying Pan. Sabian Frying Pan on the right.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

And I think that's a good example. Now, maybe this was just me, but there are other examples at PASIC of like I didn't really know a lot about him at that time. But PASIG is an incredible place to go, like, whoa, who is that guy? Like, I heard this guy, I I didn't, I maybe I'd heard his name before. I'd certainly never heard him play live. Yeah, yeah. He had probably like, okay, we live in Texas. He probably had never played in he might have never played in Dallas. I don't know. Right? Like, it's not like somebody like him is coming through Dallas every weekend. Um, so it's just an incredible place to. To like kind of discover in a very like real firsthand way people you didn't get to hear play before. You might not get to hear them play again. I know I heard Percussion Group Cincinnati one time. And uh I I'd heard them at UNT, but then I saw they were playing a PACIC, and it was just like it was like very avant-garde, um, like very different than the music I normally get to see, but um just an amazing experience just in a random room at 10 a.m. in the morning, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like you said, Doug, like the collective experience you get watching concerts like that, I would argue is actually better, even if the concert was exactly the same. The collective experience is better at PACIC because you're watching it with a crowd full of drummers. Yeah, and and that was something I remember telling the students at Capel both times we went, hey, um, you will never perform for a better a better audience than this, right? Like the people in this audience appreciate what you're doing more than any other audience in the world. Yep. So you should enjoy that. And that that's special as a performer, but also as an audience member. Yep. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

And hey guys, listen, it it is wonderful. Clearly, we love PASIC. I mean, I literally proposed to Miss E sloss on the way to PASIC, right? We love PASIC, but you can see some wheels off stuff at PASIC too. Oh, yeah. Some turtlenecks involved in this operation, folks, right? Miss E Sloss, you you remember ever seeing uh or experiencing some weirdness at PASIC?

SPEAKER_00 23:35

Yeah, no, this is a minute ago. Uh back when the heat of the Nintendo Wii was really popular. So it was a second ago. Um, but the it was when I was getting into electronic music. I can't remember if I already owned a Xylosynth or not, but I was really excited about uh what that area of uh of music offered me. And there was an electronic specific clinic that was or concert that was being performed, and so I made sure that I was there and I was in the front row or whatever. Uh and I didn't know this artist at all. I hadn't heard of him, but it sounded interesting. Well, uh for his his last piece that he performed, he had developed this we like wand.

SPEAKER_02 24:21

Sorry, sorry, did you say wand?

SPEAKER_00 24:22

Wand, like Harry Potter wand kind of thing, like conductor baton, but it was more wand than baton for sure. Maybe it had some lights on it. Uh but he would wave it around and it would create certain sounds, and he would like uh hit an imaginary symbol in the air to make a certain sound. Well, he had this piece that he had prepared, and it must have been a big deal because uh he was like, okay, now I'm gonna get into performance mode. So he's wearing his you know his white button-down shirt and he rolls up the cuffs on his on his wrists, he rolls them up a little bit, shoves them up to his elbows. And then the last step of preparation was he unbuttoned his shirt a couple of buttons. Oh no. And what did it sound like? Oh, I think you know what it sounded like.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

Yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh absolutely. Um it's still 10 out of 10. Highly recommended.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

Uh you actually like you kind of it that's part of the cool thing about basic is you kind of sometimes you walk in, you don't know what's coming. Yes, that's right. Yeah, you don't know what's coming. And that's kind of fun.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

And um, there's a commitment to it, which is great. Yeah, you know, I love like like uh uh a commitment to it and a place where a person can do really wheels off avant-garde. Uh there we have definitely been uh uh we've experienced performances at PASIC that could only happen at PASIC. That's right. Yeah, that could only be appreciated and valued there, um, for sure. Uh but I mean, yeah, again, just like, you know, I mean, I can remember seeing Cindy Blackman, she had just gotten a skiing accent. So she shows up on stage, her arm in a cast, and threw down. She sounds better than I've ever sounded, which is like her left and her feet. You know what I mean? I think I was there with with Mike Lemish, and we're just saying, and it's just like, what do we want? It's just unreal, you know. Um it is it is genuinely they they the um committee works very hard to bring in the best of the best and provide the best that they can for everyone, and I think that they do a great job of it. Yeah, yeah. Awesome guys. Hey, thanks for hanging with us today, friends. If you have any questions for the podcast, uh please send them to teameslos at gmail.com. That's teameslos t-e-a-m.gmail.com. Shout out to all the great percussion companies that support team eslos. That's Maypex Majestic Percussion, Dynasty Percussion, Remo Drumheads, ProMark sticks them out, Sabian Symbols, Beetle Percussion, and Lot Riot apparel. You know, one of the things that they have at PASIC is a ton of literature. I know a lot of people go there to pick up percussion ensembles, um, uh pick up new uh method books, but you don't have to attend PASIC to pick up some outstanding musical literature. If you're looking for method books or solos or percussion ensembles that have been commissioned for performance at PASIC, where should you go, Miss E sloss?

SPEAKER_00 27:24

Uh you should go to teamesloss.com.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

Absolutely. You will find all of the above and more. Hey, if you can grid triplets with your Wii Remote while making mochi on Rhythm Heaven Fever, boy, that's a deep cut. Then leave us a five-star review. Remember, friends, step one is time, step two is sound, step three is subscribing to the Team ESlos podcast.