Beating drums on Santa Monica Beach

Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles California

California Dreaming

When you walk along Santa Monica Beach, the last thing you expect to see is a young boy playing his heart out on a set of drums — on a sand dune.  This scene caught my attention, and I had to go and investigate.

(I didn’t see any roadies, so I can only imagine what a pain it was to get that drum kit across the beach and up that dune!)

Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles California

Father and son were having fun.  The son had his headphones on and was playing along to the beat, while his dad videotaped him for a demo reel.  It’s California, and everyone has a dream.

Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles California

This boy created the soundtrack to another California afternoon, while tourists and locals wandered along the shoreline oblivious to the hopes and dreams of this rising star.Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles CaliforniaThe sun shone on this performer like a spotlight, and the level of concentration intensified. Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles California

The drumming stopped and restarted, as the father called “action” for take after take.

Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles CaliforniaAs the sun slipped down, the iconic image of the Lifeguard station created a silhouette against sky. The performer drummed his heart out, hoping to be an iconic image himself one day. Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles California

(This is my entry for Photo Roulette #50, being hosted by GQ Trippin)

And because this is Tinsel Town, there’s always an alternative behind-the-scenes shot to shatter the mood. The romance of the beach setting offset by nearby development.Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles CaliforniaI left father and son to finish their shoot, and took a parting shot of the big wheel and roller coaster ride at Santa Monica pier.
Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles CaliforniaA moment in time, captured for posterity.  When this chap reaches notoriety, at his pinnacle of fame – I’ll let him use these photo’s for his album cover.

Author: Roving Jay

Jay is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a travel writer. She works with authors and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their self-publishing goals and reach their target audience through content marketing. Jay has published a series of travel guides, a travel memoir, and nonfiction books about travel writing. She housesits and volunteers around the globe with her husband, a Hollywood set painter, and she’s never more that 10 paces away from a wi-fi connection.

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