Modern Drummer Blogs

Next 3 Blogs

Carmine Appice
2009-11-06

Hey, MD! I’ve never written a blog before so I’ll just fill you in on what I’ve been up to. I recently released my Guitar Zeus project’s double CD Conquering Heroes with Tony Franklin on bass. The featured guitarists are Brian May, Slash, Ted Nugent, Mick Mars, and many more. I’m always doing drum festivals and clinics, including a recent one in Germany for ddrum. In November I’ll be doing in-store promos for Guitar Zeus. I’ll be at Best Buy in Pasadena, California on November 7 and at J&R Music in NYC on November 19. My group SLAMM will be appearing in NYC at Archlight Theater on March 19-20 for three weekends.

I also just finished shooting a DVD for my book Realistic Rock For Kids. We held a contest with MD and ddrum and came up with a great eleven-year-old-drummer, Peter Biggiani Jr., from Toms River, NJ. Peter won the contest and will star in the video. So it’s been crazy with meetings, shooting the video, stopping by the MD offices to see my friends, doing some radio interviews—one with Eddie Trunk—then editing the DVD. It’s been nuts, but a lot of fun.

Until next time, C ya, and thanks!

Carmine

For more on Carmine and SLAMM, including tour dates, go to www.carmineappice.com.

Photo by Paul La Raia

Gloria Gaynor’s Swiss Chris
2009-11-05

Hello, MD! I am currently doing spot dates in North and South America with Gloria Gaynor. I’m also playing drums for this great group Bajah & the Dry Eye Crew. Check these guys out; they’re great artists with a message. Another fun project I’m involved in is being the musical director and drummer for the hip-hop/rock group Riot In Paris.

There are so many great teachers out there–choose the best to learn from. I took lessons at the Collective in NYC, while I studied at Berklee School Of Music and NEC in Boston. I’ve studied with Alan Dawson, Kenwood Dennard, Jim Chapin, Joe Morello, Dom Famularo, Giovanni Hidalgo, Victor Mendoza, Ed Uribe, Bob Moses, and Marvin “Smitty” Smith. I hope this info can help to empower you…if I can do it, you can do it too!

For all the tech nerds: I’m using acoustic/electronic drums and triggering kicks, snares, 808s, quotes from my Akai MPC, and loops and samples from my laptop using Ableton. Thank you, Alesis, Akai, Roland, Yamaha (electronics), Ableton, and Apple, for the support. And a shout to my drum sponsors: Yamaha, Sabian, Aquarian and Vic Firth.

Also be on the lookout for my book, Sticking With Swiss Chris, which will be out soon with Cherry Lane Publishing and Hal Leonard distribution.

For more on Swiss Chris, visit:
www.myspace.com/swisschris777
www.swissorg.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kyPddFIUe0
think-peace.com/?p=6705

Robin Stone of the Amenta
2009-11-04

Hey there, everyone in MD Interwebs land! My name is Robin Stone, and I play in the Amenta. I’ve got something different to talk about: extreme metal drumming.
 
Whenever you turn on the radio or watch any pop/rock video, chances are the drumming is simple, mid-tempo, and takes a back seat in the song–which is exactly what the music calls for. But what happens if the polar opposite is created, where the drums are the forefront of the song, playing insanely complex patterns at mind-numbing speeds? That’s extreme metal drumming (or EMD).
 
Now, if you’re thinking of drummers along the lines of Joey Jordison or Dave Lombardo, think again. These guys, although fantastic drummers in their own right, do not represent extreme drumming. The real standout point of EMD is that it revolves around two main things: speed and endurance. I’m not talking about uncontrolled bashing as fast as possible; I mean precise, smooth playing in a musical context.
 
After every show I play, without fail there is always a bunch of people asking me, “How did you get so fast?” The answer is not so much practice as training. My usual day of drumming consists of two to three hours of “workouts.” I start with the metronome on 200 bpm and play a single-stroke roll for five minutes without stopping. Then I up the bpm by 10 every five minutes. I end up at 250 beats per minute, without stopping. The muscle ache in your legs after half an hour of playing 16ths at these speeds is quite intense. I then repeat the process with my hands.
 
Now I can hear you think, “How is this musical?” I ask you, what is “musical”? Where or how do you draw the line? If you were to break down any extreme music, you will find it’s all still built on the fundamental rules of music, just pushed to the limits.
 
In order to play EMD, you need to have a totally different mindset compared to “normal ” drummers, as you have to be willing to put yourself through hours and hours of mindless repetition, muscle cramps, tendonitis, and blisters. Oh, and the dreaded TICK TICK of the metronome. It’s a form of drumming that will turn you into your own drill sergeant.
 
It’s also slow process. If you keep up your training regimen, you can expect to wait five or so years before you really have some command over your limbs. Once you’ve made it through the half-decade of pain, you can reap the benefits. Show after show, you’ll have people trying to get backstage just to sit behind you and watch. The pure thrill of playing so fast is an absolute joy. There is nothing like it!
 
I didn’t start playing EMD straight away. I spent six or so years playing on a standard set with one kick drum, jamming away with classic ’60s bands such as Cream and the Beatles. I learned how to groove and play at standard tempos first. I had jazz lessons and loved it. It was only when I got my first double pedal that things changed.
 
In 2006 I joined the Amenta, and things got serious. After some Australian shows we went to Europe for a month or so, and toured through seven or eight countries, then did New Zealand, and now we’re heading out to the States and Canada for seven and a half weeks. I’m really looking forward to seeing America! As soon as we get back, it’s into the studio.
 
For more on Robin Stone, go to www.myspace.com/theamenta or www.myspace.com/norsemetal.

Next 3 Blogs