Every
Saturday and
Sunday, at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, at
Venice Beach,
L.A., there is a
drumming session. It's hard to miss, because there is usually a little crowd on the
sand and a loud
beat coming from it. Any person who shows up with a
drum of some sort can play, and joins the
circle. On the
inside of the circle are those who feel the
irrepressible urge to
dance, on the outside are those who wish to just
watch or
listen. Here's what someone at the session had to say about it:
"Hell man, ya can bring anything you want as long as it makes some noise an' stuff. They'll love ya for it!"
The general atmosphere is very friendly, and the drumming will continue for hours upon hours, as drummers come and go throughout. As the Sun sets on the Pacific or the mountains (depending on the time of year)the drummers all turn to face the sunset. The drumming becomes more and more intense, faster and faster as less and less of the Sun can be seen. The beat reaches a peak when the Sun is nothing more than a blinding point on the horizon, a sparkling speck of light. And then *poof*! the Sun is gone and so is the beat. The crowd cheers, then after another moment or two of appluase the drumming starts up again, and continues into the night.