O’Neill: The drumbeat in my soul (column)

Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.

I remember learning to play the drums in middle school, Mr. Hogan taught me to count the beats and measures, to pay attention to the 4 count and to listen to the flow of the song. I hadn’t yet developed the feel of the music, and I would fall off the beat, hitting the snare on the 1 and the 3 instead of the 2 and the 4. Mr Hogan would clap his hands on the right beats to get me back on track.