Back to basics

I picked up my hardware and snare from the band's pad yesterday, and set up my kit this morning. I tuned up properly, except for the 16" floor tom, which eternally seems to have an unwanted, added ring in all kits I've played. I guess it's time to think of some muffling with cotton and duct tape.
I was long planning to reschedule my practice discipline, and it seems things are falling into place. Apart from the Virgil Donati lessons, I've also picked up a few groove lessons from Weckl's video. Then there are always the conga patterns and drumset interpretations of the cascaras that Kochuda gives us, and right now, we are working out the rumba/guagauanco cascara, and it simply is an amazing groove. And Herman Matthews Jr: SO funky!
I also played to Living Colour's Love Rears its Ugly Head. Man, Will Calhoun just NAILS that groove! So much space, SO much groooooooove!
I'm getting back to rudiments, single and double strokes, and paradiddles. The difference is that I used to play these previously only on the snare; now I can play them more or less all over the kit, and with both my hands and feet. That is helping in opening up my playing.

PS: 'Serious Moves' by Dennis Chambers: that's some seriously different shit altogether. Some of the stuff is plain blinding-speed-and-precision. A very funky alien thang!