American composer and percussionist Joe Tompkins commonly combines the syncopated and oddly grouped rhythms of the French drumming traditions with the rudiments found in traditional American drumming, creating a unique rhythmically dense, yet satisfying, approach to the snare drum. The writing combines the dexterity required for executing the involved sticking patterns and a surprisingly smooth-feeling funk groove, interwoven between lilting and stuttering rhythms. In this trio, I find myself pulled back to a very formative time in my music-making career. Collaborating with my colleagues with a focus on rudimental drumming reminds me of my years in high school drumline, where much of my love for music blossomed. What I fell in love with was not the intense drumming or competition, but the feeling of making music with friends and sharing a love for creating.