Q: With so many drums and other things surrounding you, where do you put your beer?

A: First, this is a valid and well thought question! Second, it’s beers, not beer.

As one’s drumkit grows, beer space becomes increasingly limited. Not only does floor space get covered up, but space to attach drink holders to your hardware can become almost non-existent. Add space for drum microphones, and yer pretty much screwed.

The diagram at right shows a typical 5-piece drumkit. The dots in red indicate all the accessible spaces for beer on the floor, and the dots in blue indicate spots where drink holders could be attached to hardware.

The next diagram shows my current kit. As you can see, space for beer is extremely limited. The remedy for this is to order beer more frequently, and only have 2 or 3 beers on hand at any given time. In 3LM, this was accomplished by giving me a “beer mic”. Since I don’t (can’t) sing, I never had access to a mic. When I bought my new kit, it became clear that I would need a mic so I could order beers as needed. So Marty bought a new sound board so we would have enough channels to accommodate the beer mic.

Unfortunately, the sound guy usually forgets to turn my beer mic on. It then becomes necessary to pelt Mick with drumsticks until he orders me beer.
I should emphasize a few danger zones when storing beer on the floor/riser.

The most convenient spot to store beer is just left of the hi-hat. This position is also subject to the most “bounce” created by various hi-hat/double kick drum work. A beer can easily be spilled during drumplay, and all you can do is helplessly watch as the succulent nectar of joy seeps into the main sound snake (generally situated immediate stage left of the drum riser). It is truly a sad sight. Always place your beer at least 12 inches away from your hi-hat pedal.