Originally Posted by Maelochs

not following a passion or a calling to preserve some weird social distinction seems silly. if you want to play drums ... how is that less significant than wanting to ride a bike? if I said, "Don't ride bikes ... the metal has to be mined and refined, and the aluminum takes a huge amount o electricity to form and refine, so it is really very environmentally damaging---it isn't worth the personal satisfaction," you'd ignore me, and rightly so.

Same with drums. if you need a vehicle to move your drums, get a vehicle. Nobody really cares if you are "car-free." if drums talk to you, if playing drums will enrich your life ... Live. play the dang drums and do what it takes to make it work.

Funny thing ... playing bass, you would still need an amp ... and a bass and an amp are not things you could safely haul on a trailer year round (humidity, rain, road shock) and would still be a sizable load making along trips to gigs really difficult.

maybe take up singing, or a really small woodwind like a flute or soprano sax, which you could play through a the PA. Otherwise, being a working musician pretty much demands owning or at least riding in a car ... and it can be a strain on your band mates if you refuse to be self-sufficient. And also ... generally a band is a group of people working as a team, do saying "No, I won't help haul stuff---you guys get a bigger vehicle, and then come pick me up" is not really team playing. Those little frictions can matter down the road.

To me, it is quality of life, anyway. if I want to do something---really want to--I will do what i need to. i used to love MTB riding and there were no trails i could ride to---so I always found a way to borrow a vehicle or get a ride. Now I own a vehicle. The question would be, "Do I value LCF status, even if it is all in my own mind and no one else cares, more than i enjoy riding trails and seeing nature?"

Buy a cheap minivan---they are awesome. You can go on extended vacations and camp in the back if need be (Walmart doesn't have showers or continental breakfasts but they offer rest rooms,) you can bring you bikes/kayaks/guitars/hand drums, you can cruise at a reasonable pace and get good fuel mileage, you can see things you never would have seen staying home, and for less than the cost of rentals and hotels or whatever.

Or not. Some folks would do things differently. That's fine. But seriously, if your passion is to play the drums ... why not follow the call? Life is Way too short not to be living it.