TD 1
Obviously you have to make a living but if I have
a day where a load of crazy shit happens, it’s Jason McNamara Jason McNamara is a drummer of incredible scope and versatility. In the space of an hour, he’ll run the gamut from hip-hop to bossa nova and afrobeat. That makes the music that got him into drumming all the more surprising. “It was actually Nu-Metal,” he laughs. “I saw Staind and Vex Red at the Point when I was 15. You could feel it in your chest. I thought it was so powerful.” Throughout his teens, McNamara played in a series of bands. It wasn’t until his early 20s that he realized that he could make a living from music. Eventually, he summoned the courage to bring his drums onto the streets, and he hasn’t looked back since. “It’s been about 11 years, but it feels like a whole lifetime of experience. It’s mad the amount of people I’ve met, the projects and opportunities I’ve been involved in. It’s a whole spectrum. I’ve been punched in the face, and on the other end, I’ve fallen in love.” Busking is much more than an income to McNamara; it’s a skill that allows him to meet people all over the world. “All the trips I’ve gone on and the places I’ve visited, I wouldn’t be able to do that unless I played music. It enables you to prolong trips, and it’s a really great way to get to know a place.” It’s led to some incredible experiences. In Kaohsiung, he played a New Years Eve party to a rapt audience in his hostel. In St. Petersburg, he taught a percussion workshop for orphan teenagers. One time while playing in Estonia, a girl watched him play for an hour before leaving a note. Later, a friend translated it. “It said, ‘your sound made my pain go away.’ I don’t take it for granted at all that people are affected by what they see and hear in the environment they occupy. Even if you go out and help one person, that’s amazing.” “The experiences and the connections you make with people are priceless. The money is a bonus after that. Obviously you have to make a living but if I have a day where a load of crazy shit happens, it’s definitely worth it, even if I make bad money.” He recalls one time in which he was playing on Grafton Street with Acid Granny, a crazy noise group who operate out of a trolley. Halfway through the set, a young child walked up to him. “He was dancing and talking in a language I didn’t understand. I offered him a drum stick, but he wouldn’t take it. So I spontaneously put a pot on his head and started playing it.” “So I look to my right and there’s two lads on a trolley going mad on synthesizers, then there’s this kid squealing with happiness as I’m banging him on the head. The sun’s shining, we’ve a massive crowd, and I just think ‘How did I end up in this situation?’ It’s magic.” ● definitely worth it, even if I make bad money 28