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Dustin Hengst
(September 2005 Issue)
Driving A SongNamed after the wise-cracking ticket scalper from Fast Times At Ridgemont
High,
Boston-based rock band Damone combine Joan Jett-inspired rock 'n' roll
brattiness with Rick
Nielsen-worthy power-pop sensibilities. Setting
itself apart from the pack with the tomboyish verve of
eighteen-year-old vocalist
Noelle, the quartet's major label debut, From The Attic,
infuses tales of teenage misadventure with hyper-kinetic
energy.
Drummer Dustin Hengst says players like Phil Rudd, Tommy Lee, and
Queen's Roger Taylor most influenced
his playing style. Drumming since
his early teens, Hengst eventually studied music engineering at Berklee
College before
switching to the school's performance program. "I
learned a lot at Berklee about what producers and engineers want
from
drummers in the studio and what works best for recording," Dustin
states. "I have an expanded vocabulary in that area
now, and I get
ideas all the time.
However, with Damone I feel I need to focus on playing a basic
four-on-the-floor rock
vibe. If it sounds good, it's good, and I'm not
going to think too much about the technical aspects of it."
The
young drummer's energetic playing style seems perfectly suited to
Damone. "When we play live," Dustin says, "I try to
focus on having a
sense of reckless abandon. When it comes to my style, I don't feel like
I'm reinventing the wheel.
I'm just trying to keep the wheel rolling,
carrying on a tradition of rock 'n' roll
drums."
Gail Worley
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