Playing keys with my feet where the streets have no name

I made a video of The Drop Daddies performing Where The Streets Have No Name at our gig on St. Patrick’s Day.

You’ll see that I’m playing the opening organ parts on the Korg wavestate, with MIDI footswitch triggers on the Helix, while struggling to simultaneously play the guitar parts – tricky business!

I’m guessing most people in the audience just think we’re playing to a backing track, so why do I bother with the extra pressure? Well, we don’t play to a click or use backing tracks, and this seems easier to set up than that. And I guess I do love a challenge- though I find I’m a worse guitar player when I’m also trying to use my feet to play keyboards. It requires a ton of practice!

Some songs are easier than others. The synth stabs in the bridge of Jessie’s Girl while chug-chugging power chords on the guitar – that’s easy. The piano chords during the middle guitar solo of All Right Now are a little harder. The trickiest is the guitar solo in China Girl – Stevie Ray Vaughn’s solo is already a nearly impossible task – but I simultaneously play the keyboard pads using my feet. I’m always relieved when I come out of that solo in one piece!

The only other downsides are getting teased that I just need a cymbal between my knees, and getting called Geddy by my bandmates.