Hello, MD folks, Jeremy Taggart from Our Lady Peace here. We’re releasing album number 8, Curve, in the U.S. on April 17. It’s been a great experience, and I can’t wait to play the songs on this year’s touring cycle. I couldn’t be more amped about it.

I’ve been shedding my ass off, and I love my Craviotto drums and Istanbul Agop cymbals. They make practicing fun. I’ve been using my maple Crav’s: 14 x26 bass drum, 8×12 tom, 16×16 and 16×18 floors, and 6×14″ snare, all equipped with tasty Remo coated Emperors and DW hardware. As for the cymbals, I’m using 18″ and 20″ Traditional Thin crashes, the out-of-control 30th Anniversary 14″ hi-hats, and the to-die-for Mel Lewis 22″ ride. I’m hitting these with the Pro-Mark Shira Kashi Oak 7As. I love the density and weight of the oak; that makes them feel nice and heavy. Gotta feather those six-ounce hats, though! It’s a much smaller stick, though, so it’s still a big change for me, as I used to play something closer to a 5B.

Recently I’ve lightened my approach and found a new source of power by lessening my quieter range. This has greatly changed my perspective, and added great value to my playing. It will also allow me to play comfortably for many years to come—a very important thing, as I feel “playing time” keeps us young as well as walking or jogging. Playing a comfortable pattern has a Zen-like quality that you can lose yourself in for hours. I feel we connect to time, not start time. We hop on and off, like a continual train. Always a great ride. Advertisement

Drums are my way of communicating many feelings without words, and I’m constantly trying to hone my voice and vocabulary. By playing the gear I love and trying to get better at playing and listening, it’s a constant cycle of inspiration that can only make me better. We are so lucky to be able to share this gift and have this forum to talk about the greats that have left us. I try to find old records of great drummers all the time that we don’t hear anymore, guys like Jim Gordon, Gary Chester, and Earl Palmer. Those cats were so good—how can we not study them every day? Their musicality was so high—so much great homework!

See you out there, folks!

 

For more on Jeremy Taggart and Our Lady Peace, go to ourladypeace.com.