I'll take a stab at this one, Nonc. A good drummer will make your tunes sparkle, bro. I'm talkin' solid playing, someone who can HIT the skins like they mean it, keep an honest meter, and can take visual queues like the subtle lifting of eyebrows and reading lips. And it's the little things, too -- not the big showy stuff that shows and glows. With a top-drawer drummer, you can take a mediocre tune like... oh... let's say, Mary Had A Little Lamb... put a kickin' intro on it and a tight ending... pshaw! Sounds like you know your onions then. People will wanna dance to that tired old diddy. And with a drummer that can make that happen, the rest of the pieces fall into place.

An awesome fiddle player and a decent singer.