MD Online Blog. Headlines from the Drumming World

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Aaron Siegel Of White, Blue, Yellow And Clouds

I play in a band called White, Blue, Yellow And Clouds. It was a band long before I joined it. They had two tapes with do-wop covers and experiments involving crude reverb loops. My friend from college, Matt Bauder, is the lead singer and songwriter. When he finally went into the studio two years ago to record a full-length CD, he asked me to lay down the drum tracks. Besides some work with an indie singer-songwriter I got when I first moved to New York in 2000, I hadn’t played much rocking drumset for a while. I have mostly experimented with extended techniques and improvisation. My solo percussion CD The Cabinet features twenty-one two-minute tracks, and each track has one prolonged texture on it. It feels to me like an exercise in formalism, but I think it actually feels natural at the same time. Almost as though putting such restraints on my activity tricked the music into happening in an organic way.

Matt and I also play in an improvisational trio called Memorize The Sky. This group has released a couple of 3" CDs, and in the spring of 2007 we released our first full-length recording on 482 Music. This group has been together since the late ’90s. Matt and I met in Ann Arbor, MI, and have developed together an improvisational sensibility that seems really unique to us. I play vibraphone and a standing percussion setup in this ensemble. We went to Germany and Austria in the spring to tour in support of the new record and got a lot of great responses to our music. We are ultimately interested in the music being coherent (and probably beautiful), but our process of working together always changes the music so we aren’t really sure what is going to happen the next time we get together. As a result of our tour, we have a tape and an LP coming out on German labels this winter and next spring.

I also play in Anthony Braxton’s sextet and 12 + 1 tet. I met Anthony while I was in graduate school for composition and have been playing with him for almost three years now. The bands have a great vibe. Anthony’s music is very challenging on the face of it, but once you get past a lot of the nomenclature, it’s really fun to explore the way he thinks about music and composition. As a composer myself, I really appreciate being asked to think compositionally while I am playing the drums or vibraphone. Instead of just keeping time or providing support for a soloist, I get chances to lead the ensemble and pull the music into territory that feels interesting to me. This is a real treat!

So, Matt and I have known each other for a while and when he asked me to play on the White, Blue, Yellow And Clouds CD, I jumped at the opportunity. I have always loved Matt’s interpretations of soul giants like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, and this record has a couple of these gems on it. But the record also includes some ingenious throwback pop tracks that sound like genuine doo-wop and Monkees covers. I guess you could say the music is rather nostalgic, but really, it’s just as alive today as it was back then. And the ensemble is full of great improvisers and experimentalists, so when you least expect it, we will head right into a drone section and then drop back into a new tune. I like this kind of on-stage reorganizing. It keeps the music fresh and exciting.

For more on Aaron Siegel, go to www.aaronsiegel.net, www.memorizethesky.com, or www.myspace.com/mbauder.

Santiago Cabakian Of AplanadorA

Hello, people at Modern Drummer, it’s a pleasure for me to tell you the way I’ve been trying to survive musically in this little big-hearted country in Latin America called Uruguay.

Logically, this country’s good heart and friendly people are not enough: In a third-world country there are few possibilities of economic development for musicians.

Most of us—although we are, musically speaking, above many of the bands that come to play here from other countries—must pay the price of living here and wait for a miracle to happen and take us to the place we deserve to be in.

But not everything is wrong: I’ve been blessed with the gift of being able to develop as a musician, specifically as a drummer, since I was six years old. I’ve been through every vicissitude in this career, but I carry on as session drummer. Lately I’ve had been more enthusiastic about being a member of a band. All in all, it’s a career I’m achieving with a lot of sacrifice, like every individual who dedicates himself to music.

In 2001 I was a member of Plancton (new metal), and two years later I became a founding member of AplanadorA, with my friend and bass-player Agustin Davis (formerly of Legend).

In 2004, the band Radical called me for their first record, Radio, and I took part in their shows during the first period of the band. A year and a half later, in May of 2006, that album achieved the Graffiti award for Best Heavy Metal Album, given by local and international press and recording companies.

Nevertheless, I chose to stay with AplanadorA, who I went on to record four albums with. This band played live for the first time on December 11, 2005, when we introduced our first LP, a tribute to the legendary Brits Black Sabbath.

After a good number of shows—from Bjbar to ex Central Theatre—this past July AplanadorA shared a show with Viticus, the Argentinean band of the former bassist of Pappo, Riff.

This October AplanadorA had the privilege of sharing boards with the Deep Purple/Black Sabbath bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes. This took place at the Central Theatre, where AplanadorA played for the first time and opened the first show that Hughes gave in Uruguay in ten years.

I can say that I’m happy with the results: a unique, not very common experience for a band of our genre. And I must say that, although the price of the tickets was not very affordable, the four thousand people in the audience—among whom we could recognize our loyal stable of fans—told us that fans will follow you to the end of the earth.

The whole experience pre-show and backstage with Glenn’s crew was unusual—I have never had the chance to know people so cordial, refined, and polite. One of my greatest memories is a dialog with Steve Stephens, a heart-and-soul human being who showed his goodness by lending me his drumkit and allowing me to make the changes I wished to for my performance. This enabled AplanadorA to start the show on time. Glenn and G.G. Mash also showed their kindness by congratulating my performance.

Let’s turn to my regular life: teaching and playing in the few places Montevideo offers. At the moment I’m in a new project called Indigo, with singer and guitarist Pablo Soiza. We’ve done twelve songs, which we hope to release by November 23. I have very good expectations for the album because the songs are powerful and my style is more moderated than when playing heavy metal. On November 22 we are playing at Bjbar.

My career started for me after lots of radio advertisements, shows with soloists, and cheap cover bands that did not pay a third of my daily expenses, which I need to supplement my earnings from teaching. But I don’t want to give you a bad image. Because all hard work results in good rewards, especially when a great magazine like Modern Drummer gives me the chance to tell you about my reality as a drummer here in South America.

Well, if you want to know more about my career and listen to some of my music, you can visit these sites: www.myspace.com/scabakian, www.aplanadora.net, and www.myspace.com/indigobanda. Or if you want, you can email me at scabakian@gmail.com

And don’t forget this: “Creation, freedom, and strength…always look for new ideas!”

Todd Turner Of Far-Less

I have to say, the fact that I’m writing anything for the best drumming publication in the world is a crowning achievement that I certainly do not feel worthy of. I’ve read Modern Drummer ever since I would beat on the pots and pans in the kitchen of my parents’ house at the age of ten or so. I would go over to my neighbor’s house and stand outside of his back door just to listen to him practice, sometimes for hours, and occasionally he would let me in and I would browse through his collection of MD magazines.

My band, Far-Less, has recently released our new album, A Toast To Bad Taste, on Tooth And Nail Records. On this album, we drastically changed to a more epic and personal sound. While writing the beats and percussion tracks for this album, I wanted to really try to think outside of the box while keeping everything digestible to the average listener. Most of the songs have drum tracks that aren’t technically loaded with difficulty; however, I would like to think that the beats are original. In my opinion, a drummer who writes and performs from his true style is so much more appealing than somebody who just throws out numerous rudiments and fills that have been recycled and duplicated countless times.

As for now, we are on tour with He Is Legend for most of November, promoting the release of our new record, and then we’ll return home to our Virginia headquarters for Thanksgiving before going back out. Be sure to pick up the album and continue supporting great publications and deserving musicians.

For more info on Todd and Far-Less, check out www.atoasttobadtaste.com/.

Pat Broderick Of Ghastly City Sleep

I love the drums, really way too much. I have played and played and played and given up many things to make beats. Heart is the center of percussion. Stripped bare of melody, sheer dynamics and passion make it incredible. I love the beat. I find that, while having a nice kit IS a bonus, the heart of the drummer is what really drives a song. Any drum, object, or surface one deems percussion, played with one’s own pure passion, will invoke emotion in a listener. Thanks for checking out our music!

For more on Pat and Ghastly City Sleep, go to www.myspace.com/GhastlyCitySleep.

James Windsor-Wells Of Hans Blix

Hello, Modern Drummer readers! I have been asked to write an entry about the new Hans Blix album, What’s The Highest Number You Can Think Of? For those of you who are not familiar with us, Hans Blix’s music is entirely improvised, and has no preconceived material that is written before we play. For this album, we recorded fourteen hours of music in nine different sessions, and later chopped it down to 45 minutes of material (which is what you get with the album). This album, our first, was recorded entirely in my living room (which comfortably rests above a tire shop). It has been an incredible learning experience for all of us. Before this project, we knew very little about recording—especially miking drums!

At the beginning of the recording process, I used the standard drum setup, with a snare drum, two toms, a bass drum, a hi-hat, and two cymbals (Bosphorus Hammer Series). As the project went on, I began to hear sounds that required the use of other percussion instruments, such as cowbells and shakers. I also began to experiment with cymbal stacking and using a splash cymbal on the snare drum or toms. Since the recording, I have expanded my setup even more. I now use a small Casio keyboard run through various distortion pedals. The recording and experimentation process has taught me a lot about what I like and don’t like when it comes to drum sound. In general, for more rocking sections of songs, I like sounds that are very sharp and bright. For ambient sections, I like sounds that are darker and more legato-ish. Certain sounds work well at different times, and create a different effect.

Spontaneously creating a song, in a recording or live situation, can be a daunting (and sometimes TERRIFYING) task. There is no preconceived composition to carry the music. What you are performing at the moment IS the composition. In Hans Blix, we don’t view improvising as only soloing or jamming. We feel that we are composing a song on the spot. One thing that has helped us is to use visual cues, which we grew stronger at during the making of this album. We’ve also begun to specify before we play some general guidelines for a piece. Often we will specify a tempo, key, and general feel or groove. Having a plan is empowering and helps to throw you into the right mindset to create a strong spontaneous composition.

I learned a great deal about improvising from this project as well. Because we recorded so much music, and listened to all of it, we all got a strong sense of the tendencies of our improvising, good and bad. There is no right or wrong in music, and a unique thing about Hans Blix is the wide variety of material that we create. Some of our songs are ambient, some are danceable, and some are rocking. The role of the drums can be to create an ambient sound-scape, to lay down a groove for others to play on top of, or to solo while the other musicians accompany. There are no hard and fast rules. The songs that sound the strongest are the ones where the three of us are on the same page and creating a piece with a sense of togetherness about the concept of how the song should sound.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Hans Blix is the way we work together as a team while improvising. This chemistry (which is a very important component for a band) has grown a great deal through the process of this album (both listening back and talking about why we liked and disliked certain recordings). My advice to someone who wants to create spontaneous composition is to find people you really feel comfortable playing with, and play together A LOT. Talk about the compositions that you create, and discuss which ones are strong and which ones need some work (and also how and why they need work). This can be a really fun process, and one from which we can all learn a great deal about ourselves!

For more on James Windsor-Wells and Hans Blix, go to
www.hansblixband.com or www.myspace.com/hansblixband.

Mike Fuentes Of Pierce The Veil

I literally just walked off stage ten minutes ago at The House Of Blues in Orlando, on the Bone Palace Ballet tour. The crowd was a lot of fun, which always makes for a better show!

We’ve been on tour for about six months now, working hard and having a blast, with no plans to go home any time soon. For me, the best part about touring is meeting new people. Every day you meet someone new, whether it’s a musician in one of the other bands, someone at a truck stop, or a fan. Fans of PTV are the best. And I’m not just saying that to be nice—they really are. I’ve met some of the most loyal, respectable kids at our shows, and they sing their hearts out. That is by far the best part for me. See, I like to feed off the crowd’s energy, so whenever they’re into it, I’m into it.

I’m a self-taught drummer, and I’ve been playing for eight years. We just released our debut album, A Flair For The Dramatic, on Equal Vision Records, and we’ve been touring nonstop nationally and internationally since the release. We just recently returned home from a two-week run in the UK with a band from Whales called The Blackout, and what an experience that was. The shows were amazing, the kids were very supportive and happy to have us—just an all-around good trip. Playing overseas can be frustrating. Not being able to use your own kit, which you have dialed in your whole life, is definitely challenging, but I got used to it. After this tour we meet up with a band called From First To Last for another full US tour and much, much more after that—so look out!

Being a self-taught drummer has its ups and downs. I never could afford a lesson, so I basically just taught myself. People say my style is unique. I’m a very aggressive, hard-hitting drummer, but still people say I always look relaxed and that I play in the pocket. That might be because I play to a click track, which has saved my life. Following to a click live was a bit strange at the beginning, especially with our style of song structure. But it’s tightened up our set immensely.

The comment I get every day after setting up my kit is, “Is that really how your snare is set?” It’s kind of annoying to hear all the time, but I guess it is weird. I tilt my snare forward, to the point where most drummers can’t even get a solid hit on it. Maybe it’s because I’m 6' 2" and sit super-high and close. I don’t know, but it helps me get perfect rimshots on every beat.

If I had to recommend something to a drummer who can’t afford lessons or who is just starting out, it would be to try something that I’ve done a lot, especially during the Warped Tour. I would spend all day going from stage to stage, focusing on just the drummer. Even if he wasn’t mind-blowing, I’d find something about his playing or his style and I’d really try to take it in. Then later I’d try to work some of those things into my own playing. I think that listening to people play and really feeling the music is what helped me create my own style of drumming.

Well, now I’m off to go watch the rest of the show!

Take care,

Mike

LA Drummer/Instructor Pamela Manganaro

Hi, MD readers, my name is Pamela Manganaro, and I’m a drummer/teacher in Los Angeles. I’d like to share my experience and hopefully encourage more women to play drums.

    In 1989 Drum Workshop vice-president John Good asked me if I could throw a curve ball. “You bet,” I said. And that was my welcome into the DW family. I was now an official Drum Workshop artist, the quintessential symbol of a professional drummer who made it. The curve ball question was his creative way of determining if I could play. You see, the way one throws a ball corresponds to proper grip and stroke. I might have been a kid, and a girl to boot, but I knew my stuff.

    I started playing the drums at age ten. My mom would drive me to the local music store for lessons with Houstonian drummers Craig Lemay and Bob Brock. I played in the orchestra all through junior high and high school, and went on to study percussion in college. The day I left Houston, I spray-painted “Hollywood Here I Come” with shoe polish on the back window of my Camaro. I was determined to make it big in Los Angeles. So here I was in John Good’s office, surrounded by posters of all the drummers I idolized: Jonathan Moffett (Madonna), Terry Bozzio (Missing Persons), Neil Peart (Rush)…. I felt like a little girl who had a long way to go.

    Six weeks later, my new kit arrived via U.P.S. Opening the boxes, I was greeted with the pure, delicious scent of fresh maple wood. The high-gloss lacquer finish sparkled in the light. I couldn’t believe these were my drums. I set them up, and for three days I slept on the floor next to them. I spent the next fifteen years loading, driving, unloading, carrying, setting up, and tearing down those beautiful drums, playing every chance I could get. I put my heart and sweat into more than twenty original projects, (trying to get signed), did hundreds of casuals (weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.,), and went on tour twice with Latin-jazz artist Angela Bofill and contemporary pop band Go West.

    Once, five years ago, my mentor, drummer Ricky Lawson (Anita Baker, Yellowjackets) called to say Madonna was flying to LA to audition musicians for her upcoming tour. He said the gig paid $7,000 a week and he wanted me to go for it. That sounded nice, but I wasn’t invited to audition. The next day, Madonna’s musical director called me from New York. He said Ricky had called Madonna in England and told her I could play and she said, “All right, let her play.” Talk about shock. I immediately hung up and went into overdrive. I had three days to learn five songs. That was the easy part. I knew Madonna ran sequenced tracks on stage, and I knew I had to be hip to the technology behind those tracks. So I called my best friend, Chris Clermont, and over the next 72 hours we uploaded the five songs onto his computer and took out the drum tracks, so I could show up at the audition with the tracks minus the drums and play along to the rest of the instrumentation live. This was the biggest audition of my life, and I had to be prepared.

    On the day of the audition, we arrived at Lead’s, a famous rehearsal studio on Sunset Boulevard. It was packed with musicians trying to crash the audition. My name was on the list, number four out of five drummers who were auditioning, and the security guard scurried us in. Chris, Oscar, (my equipment tech), and I nervously waited in the lobby with all my gear.
    Finally, my time came. We entered the room, and there she was. I came face to face with one of the most influential and powerful icons of pop music and contemporary culture, Madonna. I extended my hand and said, “Hey, Madonna, I’m Pam and I’m here to play the drums for you.” I sounded so contrived and phony. Plus, I felt so stupid because she was in the middle of putting her coat on and her arm wasn’t all the way through the sleeve yet. Here I was pouncing all over her with all my nervous energy, pushing her to shake my hand when all she could do was finish putting on her coat. I created the uncomfortable pretzel tension, and for some crazy reason, I cannot get over that moment.

    Meanwhile, I look up to the drum riser and see Chris freaking out. His sequencer was on the blink. What? Oh my God! I had to keep cool. I played it off like it was no big deal and I told the sound engineer to feed me the tracks through the house system. Chris and Oscar cleared off the drum riser, and I sat down on the drum throne.

    There’s always an ethereal moment when approaching the kit, when everything is set up perfectly, and I’m prepared to play. The kit is so beautiful, ready and waiting for me. I feel blessed in that moment, as if angels are in the room. So the soundman hands me the headphones, which are a piece of junk, and he pumps the playback tracks so loud that my eardrums are practically blown out. For the next two years, I would suffer from a strange humming sound in my head. I still have occasional pain, a piercing reminder of that day.

    Anyway, I played three of the five songs. She wanted to hear how I sounded on another song that wasn’t on the list, “Holiday.” I played it, thanked them, and left. I heard they hired Michael Bland, Prince’s drummer, then let him go for some reason or another, and used the drummer who previously recorded her new music in England.

    So that was my one big shot at making it big. It came and went, and here I am. I never reached the heights of the famous drummers I grew up idolizing. Sheila E is the most famous female drummer out there. You go, girl! In fact, female drummers have a huge place in my heart.

    So, what am I doing now? I had a baby, went back to school, and now I teach children how to play the drums. Maybe I actually did “make it,” in the sense that I was fortunate enough to have the freedom to pursue my passion and experience life in such a beautiful way. Even though I never became a famous mainstream drummer, I know one thing: I can still throw a serious curve ball.

For more on Pam, visit www.myspace.com/pamelamanganaro.

Shane Gaalaas Of Cosmosquad

Hello, everyone, my name is Shane Gaalaas, and this is my first contribution to the blog at Modern Drummer. I feel very privileged to be a part of it.

I’ve had the good fortune to play music for a living for the better part of my life. I started out on ice cream pails and made the transition to my current Pearl Masters Custom kit decorated with some lovely Zildjian cymbals. It can’t get much better than that!

I’ve played in a variety of musical situations thus far in my career. Most recently I’ve focused much of my attention on my band Cosmosquad. It’s a very expressive outlet for me musically and as a drummer, plus it’s just a whole lot of fun! Making a living being a musician can have its challenges, and sometimes you can just plain spread yourself too thin trying to do every session, gig, etc. It’s important to take the work so you can eat, HELLO! But you have to balance it with the stuff you are really passionate about. It will ultimately carry over to the more academic side of your musical journey.

On the C-Squad front, we’ve done several dates recently, including a live performance at MI in Hollywood that was filmed/recorded and will be available on DVD early next year. We also have a new record out called Acid Test, which marks our third studio album to date.

Two thousand and eight is going to be action-packed, as I will be on tour with Japanese Icons B’z. They will celebrate their glorious twenty-year career and 100 million records sold with an anniversary tour that will take me from stadiums to the most remote parts of Japan. The tour will keep me busy deep into ’08.

I have to say it’s a very opportune time to be a drummer, with such a vast pool of talent to draw from. There are so many great players/music out there these days, it’s just staggering! The best part of the deal is that everything is so accessible now, with online instruction, youtube…the list goes on. To be a young aspiring drummer these days means you can see/study with virtually ANYONE, ANYTIME at the click of a mouse. It’s overwhelming to see how the drumming community has evolved in recent years. You don’t have to live in New York or LA—or any big city, for that matter—to experience it. Providing you have a high-speed Internet connection, you can live anywhere, set up your kit by the computer, and study with anyone. So “bollocks” to the lame-o “The music/players ain’t what it/they used to be” attitude. In my opinion, that is just…well…just BS! The Internet does nothing but enhance our muse, PERIOD! It blows my mind how many up & comers out there are raising the bar into the stratosphere. With all the shared info there is these days, and all the knowledge that is at our disposal, it is truly inspiring! ALL YOUNG DRUMMERS TAKE HEED: Seize the opportunity to learn and grow!

Thanks for the chance to rant,

Shane

For more Shane Gaalaas info, check out www.shanegaalaas.com, www.myspace.com/shanegaalaas, www.cosmosquad.com, or www.myspace.com/cosmosquad.

Drummer/Leader Gunnar Waage

Hi, MD readers, this is Gunnar Waage. I am an independent drummer/composer and educator in Iceland. I’d like to tell you a little bit about my drumming and my music and give you a chance to listen to some material that will be on my upcoming album.

First a little bit about my self. I started studying drums at the age of twelve, when my parents gave me permission to switch from the piano over to classical percussion at the conservatory. This was in 1977. My early influences stay with me to this day. I got heavily into Mitch Mitchell, Barriemore Barlow, Mark Craney (absolutely blew my mind with Jethro Tull), Ian Paice, Kenwood Dennard, Mike Clark, and Phil Collins…the list would be endless. Later I got into Dave Weckl and then Virgil Donati—one can study those guys for many years. And new guys keep coming along.

Later I had the good fortune to study with Gordy Knudtson and his team in Minneapolis. Gordy’s material, inventiveness, and vision changed my life! I still ambitiously work on and teach Gordy’s material, and I’ll keep on doing that. Today I write music and teach drums at my own private drum school here in Iceland. Teaching is actually the ultimate form of study for me. Many of my students are pursuing the jazz-fusion path, but lately a lot of metal players study with me as well.

Back to my album. This is my second as a leader. I started working on the tracks about a year ago. I wanted to make very powerful tracks with a lot of great musicians in a progressive rock/fusion context, and be very aggressive with my drum tracks.

So it is with great pride that I present to you my music and my drumming. Thanks to all the great musicians who participated. This music is dedicated to all my students. (I’ve had drum students in three continents) and to the drumming community.

Take care folks!!!

To listen to Gunnar Waage’s new album, go to multitrack.powweb.com/gunnarwaage/

Calling All Pop-Heads!

MD Associate Editor Billy Amendola’s
Favorite Words & Music

There’s been a fantastic wave of pop lately, so for you fellow pop-heads, I wanted to share some of what I’ve been diggin’ on my iPod.

I’ll start with my favorite of the bunch at the moment: Rooney’s Calling The World. It’s the band’s four-years-in-the-waiting second recording, and it’s good-ol’-fashioned melodic pop music at its best. The CD is armed with ’70s guitar riffs, ’80s keyboard sounds, and beautiful, catchy, hook-filled harmonies held together nicely by drummer Ned Brower. From start to finish, every track goes right into your head and stays there. Special guests include late Beatle George Harrison’s son Dhani and Jellyfish’s Andy Sturmer. Anyone who’s a fan of the latter, or of Weezer or ELO, will adore this CD.

Speaking of Jellyfish, Burning Sky Records’ two-CD set Sensory Lullabies is an excellent tribute to that group. The collection features thirty-five bands, including Check Point Charley, whose Songs One Through Twelve, featuring drummer Kevin Packard, is a favorite of mine.

You can’t be a pop-head and not be a Beatle freak, and this year has certainly been an interesting one for fans of the Fab Four. This past summer I spent a lot of time listening to Paul McCartney’s Memory Almost Full. I’ve been waiting years for Paul McCartney to make “a Paul McCartney record.” Memory delivers and brings us back to McCartney’s Beatles/Wings vibe. When you’re considered one half of the greatest songwriting team of all time, there’s a lot you have to live up to with each new project. Happily this time out Paul reminds us why he’s a legend—not only with his superb songwriting, but with his playing as well. As with classic McCartney albums like Ram and Band On The Run, Paul plays nearly every instrument, including drums, and his kit playing is always exactly what’s needed to make the songs groove. Session great and recent McCartney band member Abe Laboriel Jr. guests, along with the rest of Paul’s touring band, on six tunes. As great a drummer as Abe is, without looking at the credits it would be hard to distinguish between the two. No, there are no ground-breaking drum patterns on this CD. What you will hear, though, are perfect examples of what works when you're playing to well-crafted songs written by one of the masters of all time.

Before we leave the subject of Sir Paul, you also might want to check out his recent three-part DVD set, The McCartney Years (Rhino). And it’s very nice to finally see the solo releases of all four Beatles available on iTunes. Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon—as well as the recent Traveling Wilburys collection—all feature the great Jim Keltner on drums on various tracks. And wait, before we leave the topic of The Beatles, some of the books I’ve been reading on the subject include Can’t Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, And America by Jonathan Gould; Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, And Me, by George and Eric’s former wife Patti Boyd; and Yesterday: The Beatles Once Upon A Time, a photo book by Astrid Kirchherr and Max

Scheler. I’m also really looking forward to former John Lennon girlfriend May Pang’s picture book Instamatic Karma. It features hundreds of never-before-seen photos that May took of Lennon

and friends during the period in the mid-’70s known as John’s “lost weekend,” when she was living with the ex-Beatle. Look for that one to be released in March ’08 by St. Martin’s Press. (For more, go to www.instamatickarma.com.)

Next April will see the release of Thrice Upon A Time, the first recording in thirty years from one of Long Island’s favorite bands, Barnaby Bye. For more on drummer Mike Ricciardella and the band, check out www.barnabybye.com.

Another great read is the unauthorized biography of Barnaby Bye’s Long Island neighbor Billy Joel, written by Mark Bego. Former Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto really opens up to Mark about his working and personal relationship with Billy.

Recently I also finished Eric Clapton’s new autobiography. Talking about his days in Delaney & Bonnie and in Derek & The Dominos, Eric says, “I was in absolute awe of these people, and yet they made me feel that I was on their level. My musicianship fit with their musicianship. To this day I would say that bass player Carl Radle and drummer Jimmy Gordon are the most powerful rhythm section I have ever played with. They were absolutely brilliant. When people say that Jim Gordon is the greatest rock ’n’ roll drummer who ever lived, I think it’s true, beyond anybody.”

Finally, a couple weeks ago I caught a fabulous concert by one of the first and best power-pop bands, The Raspberries. Drummer Jim Bonfanti and the rest of the band recently reunited, and earlier this year they released a brand-new CD/DVD package, Live At The Sunset Strip. Jim sounded awesome on his vintage Ludwig kit. For more on Bonfanti, visit www.myspace.com/jim_bonfanti.

Before I leave you, here are a bunch more pop CDs for you to give a listen to: The Click Five’s Modern Minds And Pastimes, featuring Joey Zehr (www.myspace.com/theclickfive); Fountains Of Wayne’s Traffic & Weather, featuring Brian Young (www.myspace.com/fountainsofwayne); Here’s Johnny with Damien Fahey (www.myspace.com/heresjohnnymusic); Tyrone Wells’ Hold On, with Mark Chipello (www.myspace.com/tyronewells); and Sloan’s Never Hear The End Of It, with drummer Andrew Scott (www.myspace.com/sloan).

Also finally, check these out releases by some super-talented drummer/multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriters: Adam Church’s Sum Of All Parts (www.myspace.com/adamchurchtunes); Joshua Bartholomew’s self-titled CD (www.myspace.com/joshuabartholomew); and Justin Lanning’s Behind These Eyes (www.myspace.com/justinlanning).

Peace & Love ☺

Billy

Peter Wilkinson

Looking For New England: Confessions Of A Drummer On The Road With The Saints

Greetings, tub-thumpers. The good people at Modern Drummer magazine have asked me to write a few words about our upcoming tour of the East Coast and Texas.

Apart from the odd string of dates dotted over the last couple of years, it’s been too long since The Saints toured the US. But having just limbered up from dates in Greece, we are ready to kick off in Cleveland this Thursday night.

Working our way East from there, we arrive back in New York City for two shows on October 31, including a special appearance at Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents Halloween A Go-Go, at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square.

Along the way we will be promoting our new record, Imperious Delirium, on Wildflower Records. The album was recorded in Amsterdam, where the band is currently based.

Fans of early Saints material should find something to smile about with the new record. Chris Bailey is in as fine a voice as ever and has grabbed his recent lead guitar role with both hands. Caspar Wijnberg is holding it all down firmly on bass while yours truly, as I know you know, is doing all the real work from the back!

For those of you who might make it to any of the shows, expect some real back-to-basics rock ’n’ roll along with some carefully chosen material from the rich catalog that Chris has produced over the years since Stranded first leapt off the turntable.

I’ll be checking in again at the end of the tour to give you all the sordid details of our trip through the big country. In the meantime, peace and love from The Saints…and keep on bangin’ on.

Peter

The Exotic Sounds Of Burmese Nat Pwe Music

Burma (or Myanmar, depending on who you talk to) has been in the news lately, and the country’s music is fascinating, especially from a percussion standpoint. Last week we posted a review of Princess Nicotine: Folk And Pop Music Of Myanmar, a collection of music recorded by The Sun City Girls’ Alan Bishop for his Sublime Frequencies label. In that review we promised to bring you Alan’s impressions of a specific style of Burmese music called Nat Pwe, as presented on the Sublime Frequencies CD Music Of Nat Pwe: Folk And Pop Music Of Myanmar Vol. 3. Alan was kind enough to answer a few specific questions MD had after hearing this captivating disc.

What are some of the basic instruments used in this music?
The main instrument is called the Hsaing Waing, or circle drum. It’s a circular structure containing a series of tuned melodic drums, which line the inside of the structure for 360° around. The drums are either played by hand or with mallets. The heads of the drums can be made from animal skin, metal, or rubber. The Hsaing Waing usually drives the melody of the song with the oboe (similar to the chenai from India) and the vocalist. Each drum circle seems to be customized and maintained by the drummer who usually occupies it.

How many people are playing at any given time?
The Nat Pwe orchestra is a slight variation of the orchestra used in Burmese classical music. There is the Hsaing Waing player at the center of the orchestra, one or two oboe players, one or two vocalists along with chorus vocals handled by the other musicians, several hand drums, and several miscellaneous percussion instruments like xylophone, hand cymbals, wood blocks, bells, beds of nipple gongs, or weirder homemade percussion instruments. All together, a typical Nat Pwe orchestra consists of eight to twelve people.

Does each musician play only one instrument?
Yes, each musician is responsible for his instrument only.

Are the parts very defined?
At times the parts are frighteningly precise and awe-inspiringly complex in terms of composition and execution. There are many improbable sequences, changes, and oddly arranged passages. Then there is the tremendous speed with which pieces are sometimes executed, making them all the more impressive. At other times there seems to be no perceptible order for a period of the time, only for it to come back to that precisely executed coherence from out of nowhere to put things back in perspective.

Is there improv involved?
Yes, the veteran musicians are free to improvise throughout the songs, as long as they execute the most important form elements and proper areas of emphasis for the said piece. From this improvisation come highly unique polyrhythmic segments, solos by the oboe, vocal improvisations, and other more serendipitous discoveries that occur in collective improvisation. The main director of the orchestra is the circle drum player, who is responsible for guiding the music. Also, the members of the audience can suddenly become possessed by the Nat spirit and begin to move unpredictably around the stage and surrounding areas creating, another element of spontaneity.

What types of rhythms are typical?
The rhythms are normally based in common time, and many of the songs can be repetitive for spells. But there are many tempo changes, breaks, and polyrhythmic segments.

Are there clear influences from other cultures?
This is a question I’ve been trying to answer for many years. Geographically, Burma (Myanmar) is surrounded by some major cultural heavyweights: China, India, and Thailand. Yet, the many musical traditions developed in Burma—from the solo piano stylings, to the very unique sound of the Burmese harp, to the Hsaing Waing orchestra of Nat Pwe and Burmese classical music—seem to be developed on their own without much or very little revelation of any outside influences whatsoever. In other words, nothing anywhere really sounds like Burmese music. From everything I’ve read on the subject over the years, Thai music and Indian music are sometimes referenced as influential, but I’ve never heard any Thai or Indian music that sounds quite like traditional Burmese music. They seem to have somehow developed a system of operation with whatever they have incorporated from beyond their borders that simply pioneers new directions in music, and the outside world is barely aware of this fact. Burmese popular music has many obvious influences, especially from the West, but this is the norm everywhere.

To learn more about Music Of Nat Pwe and a wellspring of other world-music CDs and DVDs, go to www.sublimefrequencies.com. Their products are also available at many progressive online and brick & mortar dealers around the world.

Russell Lee Of Deepfield

What’s up, MD kids? This is Russell Lee. I’m the drummer for the band Deepfield. We are from South Carolina. We got our start playing with bands such as Puddle Of Mudd (I’m watching them soundcheck now as I write this!), Chevelle, Shinedown, and various other bands in the rock market. From there we got noticed, signed a deal with In De Goot Recordings, and put out our first record, Archetypes And Repetitions.

I grew up listening to a lot of metal. My older brother was huge influence on what I listened too. So that’s why I started learning to play drums to Master Of Puppets and Live After Death at the ripe old age of twelve. Pretty much from then on up to my early twenties it was straight metal all the time. Took some lessons from Derek Roddy, learned blast beats, opened for Nile on numerous occasions, and then slowly fell into more of a rock genre as I matured. A few years ago I decided to tear down my entire kit, buy the Led Zeppelin catalog, and start from scratch. Now I've become very focused on groove, thanks to our producer, Paul Ebersold. It’s worked wonders for my playing.

I love playing simple rock. Our guitarists are so riff-oriented, and that makes it easy to be in the pocket at all times. And, at a moment of inspiration, those heavy guitar riffs make it easy to start playing off with some massive fills. It’s all about the rock, having a good time, playing hard, and sweating it out for what you love!

Keep in mind, when you’re playing live, the crowd can really feed off the drummer alone. It’s a hard job. Stay healthy, eat well, and most importantly, SLEEP! If you don’t sleep, the crowd will.

When it comes to the studio, I focus less on the set of songs and more on the individual track—playing all the right rhythms and fills. I try to make the song the best I possibly can and do my part as a member of the group.

I use Vic Firth 7A sticks in the studio. A trick I learned is that less stick leaves more room for the drum. It allows the drum to sing more without being weighed down with all the wood. On the road I use the Vic Firth 8D. It’s a beefier, longer version of the 7A. For cymbals I use Sabian HHX, and my kit is a ddrum Diode Acrylic series, and I love every bit of it!

Keep up the rock! And check us out on tour or at your nearest record store.

For more on Russell Lee, go to www.myspace.com/Deepfield. Photo by Zach Martin.

Former New Birth Drummer Robin Russell

Greetings, everyone! It’s been well over a year since my last submission to the MD blog, and it’s good to be back. My all-drum CD Drum Beats (available @ cdbaby.com/robinrussell) has been selling well, and I am in the process of producing another all-drum CD. It’s amazing and a very good feeling to see the sales coming in from all over the world. To all those who have made a purchase, thank you, I deeply appreciate you.

I continue to partake in my outdoor drumming sessions in the mountains of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, and just can’t get enough of it. This past May 8 I was out at the Griffith Park woodshed and lived through the frightening experience of being caught in the middle of a huge brush fire. On that day I began to smell smoke, and then I saw ashes floating in the sky. I got up from drums, stepped from the under the oak tree, and saw a smoldering cloud of orange/black smoke coming my way. Moments later, the park ranger pulled up and advised me to leave immediately. At that point it was pretty scary. The fiery cloud was rapidly advancing towards me, and I realized that I might have to high-tail it out of there and leave my equipment to the mercy of this raging inferno. With a few blessings from above, a morsel of shelter from Mother Nature, and a smidgen of sanctuary from Father Time, I made it out, drums and all. The area was closed for three months after the fire, and I had a pretty hard time dealing with the closure. All is well now, and the area has reopened.

Playing solo gigs, teaching privately, doing some local gigs, and recording sessions here and there still occupies a portion of my time, and many of the mainstream rappers and hip-hoppers still continue to sample my drum tracks. I was recently contacted by a gentlemen name Greg Rodgers, who is very supportive of some the albums and drum tracks that I laid with New Birth back in the 1970s, in particular “Got To Get A Knutt” from the Birthday album. Greg is the percussion coordinator for the one-and-only almighty Washington Redskins Marching Band. The truth is, I am equally impressed by what Greg and the Skins organization is all about. They’re on a mission, they’re positive role models, and they are all champions.

Many of us have heard and seen the Skins’ percussion section in action. These guys know how to take care of business when it comes to the art of marching band drumming, and I recently discovered that there are only two professional football teams with a marching band—the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens. To me, listening to and watching a marching band like the Skins’ is like taking a good dose of medicine. When they rattle off the rudiments with all that explosive/dynamic precision and rhythmic harmony, it’s an exciting, entertaining, fun, and festive experience that will lift every spirit within the realm of its earthshaking rumble. By means of the fancy footwork and extravagant theatrics, the visual aspect of their performance can be just as entertaining as the musical side. To the Washington Redskins Marching Band, and all the other marching bands across the country and abroad, keep up the good work. You are of a special breed.

Thanks for your time.

Robin Russell

For more on Robin Russell, go to home.earthlink.net/~rrussell007/.

AB’s Weekly Obsessions

MD managing editor Adam B here again, sharing some of releases on high-rotation in the Budofsky home…and car…and office…and gym…. That’s right, the music never stops, and this week I’ve been obsessing on some old-school and old-world sounds. First off, the DVD Dear Mr. Fantasy: A Celebration For Jim Capaldi. This video documents a concert from this past January at The Roundhouse in London, featuring the late Traffic drummer’s long-time partner in sound, Steve Winwood, as well as Pete Townshend, Joe Walsh, Paul Weller, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and famed Bad Co. drummer SIMON KIRKE. Beyond being a drummer of great depth, Capaldi was a fine songwriter, and his often-touching, always soulful tunes make for great all-star material. Simon Kirke was a contemporary of Jim, sharing his R&B roots (check out Bad Co.’s self-titled debut if you need proof), so he’s well-suited to the material. Studio legend ANDY NEWMARK, Paul Weller’s STEVE WHITE, and percussionist-to-the-stars RAY COOPER also appear here, making for an even cooler package. Jim Capaldi was a beloved member of the British music community, and the depth of feelings that his friends and peers felt at this event are palpable. (www.eagle-rock.com)

You could say Traffic’s brew of psychedelia, jazz, folk, soul, and rock was pretty exotic, even by late-’60s standards. But I think even Jim Capaldi would agree, you haven’t really walked on the wild side till you’ve heard Latin rhythms interpreted by a top Bollywood orchestra. On A Bollywood Legend: The Best Of The EMI Years, Indian soundtrack maestro R. D. Burman is given the double-disc best-of treatment, and fans of the rhythmically weird and wonderful will find lots to obsess over here. Afro-Cuban is one of a thousand styles filtered through Burman’s kaleidoscopic world-view; spy themes, big band, and of course Indian classical music are but a few more, and the studio musicians appointed to interpret these demands are uniformly top-drawer. World music drummers, be prepared! (www.timessquarerecords.net)

If you can believe it, the collection Princess Nicotine: Folk And Pop Music Of Myanmar makes the R. D. Burman stuff seem nearly tame. Next week we’ll be running a blog from The Sun City Girls’ Alan Bishop, who also runs Sublime Frequencies Records, about a fascinating style of highly rhythmic Burmese folk music called Nat Pwe. Princess Nicotine focuses more on the strife-ridden nation’s “pop” music, but don’t be fooled by that tag. Burma is one of the most under-explored countries in the world, and the sounds that come out of a radio there would be shocking to most Western ears. Dig the titles of the first two songs on this CD: “Burmese Golden Drum” and “Really Strange And Weird Things.” Just about says it all right there. As far as I can hear, there isn’t any proper drumset on these cuts, but the percussive sounds and rhythms…I have to imagine Frank Zappa stumbled across this stuff at some point, because the colors and hits—even the odd vocal breaks—would fit effortlessly within his music. I haven’t looked at my drumkit the same way since I’ve heard this music, and I suspect you won’t either. (www.sublimefrequencies.com)

DAD’s Pat Gesualdo

Hello to everyone in Drumland! It’s Pat Gesualdo, Vater Percussion special education program director, and president/CEO of the non-profit organization DAD (Drums And Disabilities). First, I would like to say thank you to all of you who came to see me on my drum therapy clinic/lecture tour. It was great meeting all of you!

I would like to take this opportunity on the Modern Drummer blog to give you some insight into my responsibilities at Vater, tell you a bit about the DAD program, and inform you as to how you can take part in our unique program efforts. In these positions, I train drum instructors in our drum therapy techniques, which helps the special-needs population develop retention, coordination, and self-esteem through drumming.

DAD is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his administration helped me launch in several New York City schools and communities, to help the special-needs population with drumming. Our program is now featured in schools and communities throughout the world. Various celebrities, sports stars, politicians, doctors, and major corporations have also joined forces with us in this wonderful project.

As drum instructors, you have the opportunity to take part in this program and can get certified in our “Drum Therapy” techniques, which in turn will enable you to help expand your private teaching practice and work with the special-needs population in various locations in your communities. Besides monetary income, there are other great benefits to becoming involved in the DAD program.

I also hold DAD program training programs, where I train psychologists, doctors, and drummers throughout the world in these techniques. So any of you who would like to join us in the Vater/DAD program, please feel free to contact me directly at www.myspace.com/patgesualdo. And be sure to stop by my official Web sites, www.myspace.com/vaterpercussion, www.myspace.com/dadprogram, and www.dadprogram.org, to check on my tour dates, DAD events, and even some of my new tunes. And for those of you going to NAMM, please be sure to visit me at the Vater booth to say hi.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Pat Gesualdo

New York Drumming Legend Chris Parker On Suzy Bogguss

The new Suzy Bogguss album, Sweet Danger, was recorded at Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey. The studio is the old train station, and it’s filled with a freight-load of Tony Bennett’s great musical vibes. It’s a really cool place to record, and working there with an artist like Suzy Boggus was especially satisfying for me. It was hard to hold back tears on a lot of the takes because Suzy sang every time, and her voice is so clear and sincere, filled with emotion but without histrionics or gratuitous melismas. And her lyrics speak like an intimate conversation that you're having with her. And she’s a good listener!

Tracking was a very organic process, and listening to her first rundowns gave everyone in the room a great direction without her having to specify exactly what to play or not to play. Suzy was real open to ideas, textures, and, for me, little unorthodox touches like putting unprimed linen canvas on tom-toms, turning the snare upside-down, playing stacked cymbals, and playing with half sticks/half brushes and with mallets. Some of the grooves are very subdued but still draw the ear in and around her beautiful voice. I’m thinking specifically of the title track, where her voice reminds me of an ebony clarinet played effortlessly, insinuating a tigress-like sexuality while “throwing caution to the wind.”

On playbacks, Suzy didn’t miss a thing. She was always very positive, constructive, and supportive towards the players and refreshingly modest about her own flawless performances while we were still making adjustments and refinements to our parts. The old joke on sessions was always, “Relax, this tune plays itself.” Then you’d be confronted by a dark page filled with explicit, difficult parts. But Suzy’s tunes really did play themselves, so well sung by her that I only needed to listen to come up with the right accompaniment. I can testify from experience that performing in the studio with artists is often a test of diplomacy, détente, and compromise, hopefully arriving at a musical solution. But with Suzy we were all on the same page from the first note .I think that’s evident when listening, and the listeners should “throw caution to the wind” too.

Billy Atwell

Hey MD community! Billy Atwell here checking in from scenic NJ at the hub of NYC. I’m happy to have been asked to contribute to the MD blog page. There’s some great drummers with great stories and advice here, that’s for sure. Hopefully you’ll get some use out of my first platform.

If there is one thing I feel pretty confident discussing, it’s the concept of adaptability. In terms of drum history I went from being a tri-tom field drummer in high school to playing a Brufordesque Simmons kit in a prog-core quartet Jello Biafra called “the ‘Rush’ of hardcore.” Wasting all those formative years of drum corps on playing odd-time, hyper-kinetic, left-wing punk rock seemed like the only hope for me. It was also a distinctly West Virginian experience, but I digress.

From there I freelanced doing everything from reggae gigs in RI to playing country in questionable west TX/NM bars. Landing in NYC in ’91, I played in a plethora of Lower East Side bands and went so far as to play in Gospel-inspired musicals off Broadway (i.e., the 2000 revival of Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell). I even got to tour Eastern Europe a few times. On one tour I flew out of a town in Norway called Hell to play above the Arctic Circle. “Welcome to Hell. Have a nice flight!”

While the drumming served as a great vehicle for gaining experience and networking, I had also been honing my multi-instrumentalist skills stemming from years of guitar playing. Now, why my infatuation with KISS and Gene Simmons got me started on guitar rather than bass is beyond me. Concurrently the only logical prospect of my want to rock and roll all night and party every day in the elementary school band program was drums. Let’s hear it for Peter Criss!

Anyhow, the residual comprehension of chords and melodic theory from the 6-string landed me opportunities to score student and independent films and even debut a remix project at Lincoln Center through the Juilliard School’s dance department. It’s one thing to see a bunch of peroxide blonds flailing front row at a cover gig. It’s another to see an ocean of testosterone moshing and stage diving like sharks in a feeding frenzy from the drum riser at CBGB’s. But with all rhythm-based excursions I’ve done, there are none that compare to witnessing modern dance and choreography on that scale. If you really want to see what the human form can do to sound, get into THAT scene. Mind-blowing.

Again, “adaptability.”

Subsequently the curse or gift of hearing The Big Picture (and having a reasonable amount of facility to pull it off) encouraged me to hone my recording skills towards my present flagship: AMP Audio of Hoboken, NJ. It is there that I find challenges working one-on-one with singer/songwriters. What with the advent of sampling, loops, and programming, the budgets for drummers has been going downhill…FAST. Every day studios are downsizing or locking their doors. Every day someone is hyping on craigslist that they’ve got skillz and beetz and all sorts of sample-based produce to sell. Sony Studios closing to become office real estate really redefines the term “death knell,” eh? Better learn to adapt, kid!

Regarding the “live” drummer/loop argument, it’s simply a creative choice, like orchestrating clarinet versus tuba. Apples and oranges. Music has changed, and finding the right sound is the real adventure, at least to me. I have had an ally with sound and zero loyalty to any particular instrument. I’m not even a purist about what the mic’ brings into the computer. Once it’s digital I’ll pet the proverbial cat backwards if that’s what the song needs.

Clearly this is no excuse to let my buzz rolls and double-stroke combinations go to hell in a hand basket. I still play every weekend with a fat and happy cover band up and down the East Coast. Gotta maintain. Yet globally I’ve always wanted a career applying my creativity towards music. To some extent it may be blasphemy that I work under similar dynamics programming drum beats or creating time without miking up the kit and having a go at it. I befriended my Boss drum machines years back, and they’ve served me well. I am taking advantage of compromised real estate (i.e., an 8' x 12' room and a spare bedroom) to create recordings that hold their own. Some of my clients have never even seen me hold a drumstick.

“Drummer”? For life.

“Music producer and film composer”? Most certainly.

“Adaptability.”

Word.

BAIII

For more on Billy Atwell and his various projects, go to www.billyatwell.com, www.ampaudio.net, www.myspace.com/billyatwelldrums, or www.cdbaby.com/cd/billyatwell.

Neal Smith Mirrored Premier Vintage Drum Set For Sale

Neal Smith, drummer in the original Alice Cooper band, is selling his historic mirrored Premier drumset. This is reportedly the very first completely mirrored drumset ever made. The kit include four bass drums—the two originals from the 1973 Billion Dollar Babies tour, and the two bass drums from Alice Cooper’s 1974 Brazilian tour, for which the band was cited in the Guinness Book Of World Records, for over twenty years, for the indoor concert attendance record of 125,000 people. The photo included here is from 1973. Serious inquiries only can be sent to Neal c/o Gail Worley, gail@vocis.com.

New England Drum Expo Clinician Jerome Deupree

Hey, folks! I want to tell you about the New England International Drum Expo that was held in Manchester, New Hampshire a couple weekends ago. I was very honored to do a clinic on Sunday. The roster of players was formidable to say the least. Steve Smith, Kenwood Dennard, Cindy Blackman, Bob Moses, Dave DiCenso, and Dave Mattacks were just some of those who appeared. The show was put on by Cherie Willoughby and Repercussions, and was hopefully only the first of many to come.

I arrived on Saturday morning just before the doors opened. After locating the right hall (one of the others was full of snakes!) I loaded in and had a look around. I think the turnout was pretty good for a first show. There were booths from stores, manufacturers, collectors, and schools as well as a consignment space. I had a quick look around and said hi to a bunch of friends, but soon had to retreat to my hotel room for some peace and quiet. I love drums as much as anyone, but the display room was quite noisy and I needed to get some rest.

I did manage to catch a bit of some of the other clinicians. I hadn’t seen Bob Moses in some time, and it was great to hear him play again. Kenwood was his usual stunning self, playing drums and keyboards at the same time as well as speaking and singing on top of it. Later that night Steve Smith and Pete Lockett did solo spots and played together. It was my first chance to see Pete, and I wasn’t disappointed. Steve, of course, was amazing as always.

Sunday I woke up early, as I wanted to warm up. I’d been able to set up the drums the night before so I had plenty of time to play and get ready. I was using my new Tempus drums: 12x20 bass drum, 8x12 rack tom, 12x14 floor tom, and a 6x14 snare. The drums are carbon fiber with a special blue/green sparkle finish. The cymbals were a 22" Paiste Dark Energy MK 2 ride, a Sabian 18" Legacy crash, an 8" Paiste Prototype splash, and 14" Paiste hats—a Dark Energy top over a Light Dark bottom.

Even though I had the whole kit, my subject was focusing on kick/snare/hat, so I put the rest off to the side for a bit. The room was full, and I was happy to be there. Despite having done this clinic before, I got a little off track from time to time, hopefully not too far, though. I had folks come up to play, and that’s always fun. The last guy to volunteer was the cameraman. I think he turned the camera off before he played, though. I wanted to thank him afterward but didn’t get the chance. At the very end I put the kit back together and played for a bit. It’s always funny how an hour can go by so fast. All in all, I think it went well, and a few folks told me they liked it.

After my slot I got to see Dave Mattacks and Andrew Barr play. Dave spoke about tuning and recording, and Andrew played some very nice variations on a 6/8 theme, among other things. It was my first time seeing him play as well, and I really enjoyed it. Throughout the weekend I ran into friends and folks from online forums that I’m on. It’s always nice to connect with other drummers and talk shop. Attendance seemed to be pretty good, but given the amount of space, it was kind of hard to tell. Cherie and her staff did a great job of running things smoothly.

I had to miss Cindy Blackman, who closed the show, as I had a gig to get to. I’m sure she was great on that big yellow Gretsch set. It must have been a wonderful finale for the weekend. My thanks and congrats to Cherie for putting on this show. I hope it’ll all happen again next year. Maybe I’ll see you there?

My Latest Obsessions

MD managing editor Adam B back at you with another weekly installment of my latest favest listening. Right now, leaping gloriously from my iMac is Hello, Avalanche by The Octopus Project. This mostly vocal-free album strikes a perfect balance between indie-rock quirkiness and heavy alt-rock bluster. After the quiet lullaby of “Snow Tip Cap Mountain,” we’re hauled headlong into “Truck,” which drummer TOTO MIRANDA absolutely plows through with a wailing upbeat hi-hat smash and, at about 1:10, a HUGELY energizing snare/cymbal fill. The rest of the album, which might remind you of something by Trans Am or Tortoise, is equally playful and exciting. Fresh, clean, and damned good for you.

Two other albums that strike a similar balance between odd and creative indie pop and big ’n’ bruising alt-rock are the latest by Portugal. The Man and Mice Parade. That period in the middle of PTM’s name is intentional, no doubt irking editors far and wide. I’ll cut the band a break, though, because their latest, Church Mouth, is absolutely killing. All itchy rhythms, doubled singsong vocals, booming drums, and needles pinned into the red, Church Mouth is equally smart and soulful. Drummer JASON SECHRIST lends a slamming touch and just enough rhythmic tweaking to keep you on your toes. I’ve got a feeling these guys are great live—if you happen to see them, let me know.

Meanwhile, Mice Parade, effectively drummer ADAM PIERCE aided by some heavy alt-rock friends, has produced its seventh album of brawny-but-bookish sounds. In fact, I think that’s drummer DOUG SCHARIN on opening track “Sneaky Red.” If so, Attaboy, Doug! It’s the first pop song in a long time I’ve continually rewound over and over due almost entirely to the massive drum performance. But ultimately it’s Pierce’s heartfelt tunes that’ll draw you in for the long haul. And when he himself is responsible for the big beats, it ain’t no small thing neither. Fans of Pinback and The Go-Betweens should appreciate this one.

See you next time!

AB

London Of City Sleeps

London of City Sleeps here, with a few tips for the road and at home. First—and I can’t stress this enough—practice with a metronome. I see a lot of drummers out there who don’t even bat an eye at the idea of playing to a click track. Don’t get me wrong, I love to just be free sometimes. But this is the basic principle of drumming—keeping time. I find that playing with a metronome not only tightens your natural pocket, it also keeps a comfortable state of mind for the other musicians. When everyone’s on the same page, it makes for better a performance. Basically, if you’re not doing this now, get on it. Try an hour each day on a practice pad, going over rudiments and finding the right tempo for those songs that are going to make you millions. Then move to a click at band rehearsal, and so on, until you feel so tight with it that the sound of the click almost disappears in your ears. This is for your own good, trust me.

On the road it’s important to be extremely fast and accurate in set changes. There’s nothing more annoying to a club owner who is paying for entertainment than a band who can’t get up and off in the required amount of time. This should usually take fifteen to twenty minutes. The best way I’ve found to knock five to ten minutes off set-up and break-down time is to strike your own drums. You should always have a rug or mat of some kind. Put aside a day before you take off into that wild life on the road, buy some glow-in-the-dark tape (which you can get at any hardware store), and build your set from bottom to top with your eyes closed. Once you’ve set it up so it’s in the position that’s most comfortable for you, take the tape and outline your kit on your rug, kind of like a making a chalk outline of a body at a crime scene. You can also strike your hardware at the points you have set them to. This makes for a faster build and load-in. Using glow-in-the-dark tape also ensures that you make it to your kit when the club is darker than need be, which is usually the case.

These are just a few ideas. Try them and see the progression. It also doesn’t hurt to have the right pair of sticks. I use Silverfox because they pitch-match their sticks so that every hit is consistent, and they’re the most durable sticks out there because of their choice in wood and their Duracrylx coating.

Be sure to check us out at www.CitySleeps.com or at a venue near you soon.

London

Stella Of Mink

G’day cyberspace and Modern Drummer! My name is Stella Mozgawa. I play the ol’ drumkit for Mink. I’m twenty-one years old, and my dimensions could be best described as 14", 22", 13", and 16". I’m reporting from the far-stretching plains between Seattle and Spokane, Washington as I roll gracefully into what will be the sixth week of our tour with Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party. It’s been quite the adventure thus far; I can hardly think where to start. What an absolute dream discovering North America and its little treasures whilst playing music. It’s a little early in the piece to flex cheese, but I feel so unbelievably blessed to be doing what I adore every single day, I must have saved a baby/small dog/old lady from a burning building in a past life.

We’ve had an action-packed year; we’re definitely a stronger band now (personally and musically). Last year in September we were all in Sydney, Australia after my first trip to New York. Since then we’ve written over sixty songs, recorded our debut album in California with Sylvia Massy and in New York with Chris Shaw, performed for over 15,000 people during our shows with KISS (a separate blog in itself), played SXSW and Lollapalooza, and hooked up with Angels And Airwaves and now Perry Farrell on our second run of the States. It’s surreal to think Mink has only been a band for a mere eighteen months!

I’ve been fortunate to meet and hang out with some drumming deities in the US too: Jonathan Mover (to whom I have to send astronomical thanks for recommending me to Pearl), Charley Drayton, and Steve Jordan. What a trip! Mike Farriss and the Pearl crew have been certified superheroes for me. I’m giddy with delight over my new Reference Series kit. What an immaculately designed piece. [Sigh] I’ve been using all Zildjian cymbals (22" K ride, 19" and 20" A custom crashes, and 14" New Beats) and Vater sticks, and loving every second of it!

So we released our debut album, MINK, a month ago—in New Orleans, no less. Neal (singer of Mink) and I celebrated by getting tattoos of a giant squid and a rabid monkey, respectively. So far the response to the shows has been overwhelming. I love chewing the so-called fat with the crowds after our gigs. There are some mighty attractive and delightful people spread across this country, I’ll tell ya! Thank you to everyone who has hi-fived us, danced with/to us, and bought our album. You make us feel super-special every evening.

One of the most interesting characteristics of this current tour has been the “flash mobs,” a concept introduced to us by Mr. Farrell. These are spontaneous performances that take place in arbitrary locations, like Mac stores, health-food store car parks—even an environmental tent at Lollapalooza. These have allowed us to take our music out of the four-wall context. The music business is certainly in a transitional phase, and as musicians we have the chance to get really creative without our promotional methods—there’s no concrete formula. So we’re taking music to the streets! In fact, we took our music to a mall in Toronto and were escorted out by appropriately mean-looking security guards. Of course we captured the whole thing on camera (much like everything we do). Check out www.myspace.com/mink for our daily, often very silly video diaries. Oh, and see our equally cute podcasts on iTunes, called “Mink TV”. Plugging can be cute too! Ha.

What’s on the horizon, I hear you ask? (P.S., I can hear you chewing, too.) Well, we will be touring this record till we can tour no longer—more of the US, a sprinkle of Japan, Australia, and Europe, some CMJ in NY for good measure. I will build a hovering drum-riser equipped with cup holders, just like the one in my dreams. Well, that’s about it. Thank you, Modern Drummer, thank YOU for reading my ramblings, and see you around!

Good night and good luck, America!

xx Stella

To check out a video featuring Stella, go to www.minkmusic.com/_assets/_press/Stella.mov

Justin Hanson Of So They Say

Hey, MD readers, I’m Justin Hanson, and I play drums for So They Say. We’re an alternative rock band based out of St. Louis, Missouri. We got together 2004 while I was still in high school, and we started touring in 2005 while also releasing an E.P. on Fearless. We ended up working with Matt Squire on our first record, Antidote For Irony, which was released in 2006. Now we’re about to release our second record, Life In Surveillance. This time we worked with Matt Hyde, and we made a record that we’re really proud of.

Recording Life In Surveillance was a great opportunity to play more of what I enjoy as an artist and drummer. Matt has such great ideas, and my drum selection this time around was just outrageous. My friend Dave Gersch came in and hooked me up with a Tama Bell Brass snare, a 1930s vintage Ludwig, and a Ludwig Black Beauty. We worked with a cool vintage Ludwig bass drum as well. Overall it was a real fun experience.

As a drummer I feel strongly that when you’re writing a record, it’s important to try to serve the song while stylistically defining yourself. Some of my favorite drummers are John Bonham, Danny Carey, Josh Freese, Abe Cunningham, and Billy Cobham. Listening to those guys’ records and watching them play live definitely helped shape me as a player. I love being able to create music and record albums and tour on them. I’ve wanted to do it my whole life, and I feel really fortunate to be able to go out and rock. So come out and catch a show!

For more on Justin and So They Say, go to www.myspace.com/sotheysay.

MD Managing Editor Adam Budofsky: His Latest Obsessions

As a music junkie, I never tire of discovering new bands—and old ones—and turning on my friends to them. Say what you want about today’s music scene, but there always seems to be at least a few new CDs to recommend—even beyond the numerous discs we talk about in Modern Drummer’s Critique department every month. With that in mind, here’s the first of my weekly Obsession blogs, where I’ll be hipping you’all to some sounds that, imho, you should check out asap.

First off, I’ve been all over the soundtrack to Dedication, the new movie featuring Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore. Honestly, I’m not even sure what the heck the film is about (though given her excellent performance in the film Saved, I’ll watch anything starring the lovely and funny Miss M). But the music’s what matters here, and drummers will no doubt love this particular soundtrack, due to the presence of two of the best alternative/art bands working today, Deerhoof and Lightning Bolt. Deerhoof actually has four songs included here, including two that beautifully highlight GREG SAUNIER’s disparate strengths. The opener, “Matchbook Seeks Maniac (Dedication Mix),” opens the disc with a Phil Spector–worthy BIG BEAT, showcasing Greg’s clean, soulful approach to pop forms. Greg’s also got an unhinged side, though, which is apparent on “Hark The Umpire.” If you’ve ever seen Greg play live, this track will immediately bring you back to that experience when you surely doubled over with laughter at the sheer audaciousness of his genius.

Lightning Bolt, who fans of Hella (with Zach Hill) will no doubt love, is represented here by the track “Forcefield.” Not much I can do to communicate the aural explosion that is BRAIN CHIPPENDALE. Let’s put it this way: Lightning Bolt is Bold

a duo that sounds like an octet, with Brian representing five or six players, plus the coffee machine down the hall.

One constant obsession of mine is garage rock, a style that technique-oriented drummers too often scoff at. Among my favorite recent releases is Balboa Island, which represents the return of The Pretty Things. (Do some schooling on them; they’re as important to the roots of classic rock as The Stones and The Who—no kidding.) Long-time drummer and legendary loon SKIP ALLAN is THE REAL DEAL, and so is his sound here. If my drums could sound like the way Skip’s do here, I’d never touch another lug nut.

Legendary (if a group originating in the ’80s can be called “legendary”) garage band The Chesterfield Kings have a new one out, Psychedelic Sunrise. Ever wish The Stones could be frozen in time in, say, 1971? Check out this album. Drummer MIKE BOISE, who’s been in the band for a decade, helps this well-worn territory sound fresh—and important.

Britain’s Stabilisers, featuring drummer FRANCIS BRAITHWAIT, have been given a push by garage maven (and Brooce sidekick) Little Steven Van Zandt, who has reissued their album from last year, Wanna Do The Wild Plastic Brane Love Thing?, on his own Wicked Cool label. This might be my favorite album of the season. A remarkably cohesive and exciting blend of original punk rock, garage rock, and some well-placed contemporary vibes, Wanna Do… is one thundering slice of riffage after another, from top to bottom. And check out track two, “Belinda.” Love that unusual phrasing. Braithwait sounds great throughout.

Finally, we have The Redwalls’ self-titled long-player. BEN GREENO is the skinsman here, and he should be thrilled with this gig. Not only does Ben get to be all slam-happy on cuts like the garage-anthem-in-the-making leadoff track, “Hangman,” but he can strut his pop chops on “You Can’t Help Yourself” and other super-catchy songs that don’t necessarily play nice next to today’s sterile radio fluff. Greeno knows his pop mechanisms, and he knows how to use ’em.

Until next time, keep your ears open and an extra pair of sticks in the trunk!

AB

David Bergander Of Celebration

Greetings! I’m David Bergander of the band Celebration. We’re very excited that our second album, The Modern Tribe, is out now on 4AD. We’ve learned many things creating this record, the most important being, follow your heart, trust your gut, and free your mind.

I personally don’t really geek out on gear—the drums I use have come to me through various people and serendipitous occasions, and they have lives of their own. The ride cymbal I use was a gift from an old roommate, my rack tom was found in an abandoned basement, my bass drum was an old birthday gift, the floor tom fell out of someone’s closet when we stayed with them on tour and they said, “Oh, you should take it, it’s just going to sit in the closet if you don’t.”

I mostly just like to play and create with my bandmates and other friends in any capacity that’s available. Music is the only universal language, and it’s also the most versatile and eternal. Music has endless potential.

Thanks for reading, and if you wish to see what Celebration is about or find out if we’re playing near you....www.myspace.com/celebrationcelebration.

Drummer/Leader Marc Norgaard

Hello, fellow drummers, from Baltimore, Maryland! My name is Marc Norgaard, and I have been running a successful drum session-via-the-Web business for a number of years. I’ve had the opportunity to play on everything from demos to jingles to complete albums, working with artists from around the world, right out of my own studio. I recently completed a solo album of all original “organic prog rock” called Tolerance with Frank Gambale, Brett Garsed, Steve Hunt, Tobias Hurwitz, and Dave DeMarco, which Modern Drummer invited me to write about here.

Let me start at the start!

Playing sessions means spending a lot of time listening to other people’s music, and trying to create a drum part that satisfies where they are trying to go with it. Sometimes it flat-out means playing a drum part that they threw together on a machine and ended up married to, even though they’ve never touched a drumstick in their life. Often it means adapting your style to get the certain sound of another drummer who the artist hiring you admires. What it all boils down to is satisfying customers, which—while gratifying in its own way—doesn’t always scratch that itch that all of us have as musicians: to get a message out through our respective instruments that tells a story about who we are musically and, more fundamentally, who we are as individuals. Having watched clients go through the process of releasing their own music for years, living out their dreams on whatever scale, I decided it was time for me to take that step as well. For those of you thinking of releasing a solo album…everything they tell you is true! It’s a ridiculous amount of work. But it’s also totally worth it.

In addition to the drums, I play just enough guitar to be dangerous (to the neighbors’ ears, anyway), so most of my writing was initially done on the guitar. I would write a scratch guitar track (usually recorded with a click) and then head for the drumkit, thinking about how to orchestrate grooves, create arrangements, and allow whatever other random inspiration was around to strike. I would then return to the guitar, rewrite parts, add the new orchestration and hits where I was feeling them on the kit, and write additional sections. Once the outlines of the songs were complete, I went back again and recorded some scratch drum parts. (Ironically, many of the scratch tracks ended up being the final tracks of the album, just to keep that spontaneous and fresh feeling in the takes.) I then wrote a significant amount of the bass parts and melodies, at which point I had a working demo to send out when recruiting other musicians for the project.

I started at the top of the food chain, looking for prog-rock and fusion guitarists, and luckily enough I was able to interest my two first choices for the main guitar slots, Brett Garsed (Planet X) and Frank Gambale (Chick Corea Elektric Band). I also have the good fortune of being the regular drummer for National Guitar Workshop shred guru Tobias Hurwitz, and he readily signed on for a track himself. A number of the tunes on the album feature piano, but I wanted to avoid synthesizers for the most part, in an effort to keep things sounding as organic as possible. I approached Steve Hunt (Allan Holdsworth, Billy Cobham), hoping to find someone interested in playing acoustic piano who would also stylistically be able to bridge the gap between prog rock and fusion that most of my writing explores. Steve also readily agreed, and I was down to the all-important bass chair.

A few years earlier I’d been invited to join a project with another local session player, Dave DeMarco. Though that never really took off, I’d been impressed with his attitude and his chops at the time, and decided to call him up. Having a local player involved, after all, would mean more control over what we could do as a rhythm section, and he was always the definition of professional. He also plays some drums on occasion, and was, in fact, involved in the Turn It Up, Lay It Down series of CDs for drummers, which many of you have no doubt heard. Having a bass player with “drummers’ ears” could only be an asset. After hearing the demo material, Dave agreed to sign up for the project.

Before tracking began, I became intimately familiar with Sibelius notation software, which enabled me to get coherent-looking charts in front of everyone for recording. While I did have some basic theory while I was at Berklee, and more from Tobias, I had not exercised it a great deal. So I spent hours counting frets and then running through “Every, Good, Boy, Deserves...” up the staff to make it all happen. But by the end of it I was feeling much more engaged with the music than I had at any point yet...and also learned how to notate an Aminb9/#11 chord! Yikes!

We began by tracking the bass and drum parts first, making a few changes, and adjusting parts to adapt to some of the absolutely killer ideas that Dave would come in with each week. Once those tracks were complete, the guitar tracks were recorded, with a few additions and suggestions to spice things up as we went along. All three of the guitarists were fantastic to work with—very positive, open to suggestions, and all giving helpful feedback with regards to trying to move the music in the right direction. Brett Garsed even went to the lengths of requesting soloed tracks of my original scratch guitar melodies, so that he could recreate all the different inflections I had envisioned. (It also occurred to me that maybe my charts were just so bad he couldn't read them, and he was saving my ego a bit…who knows!) As everyone's parts were completed, I really started to get excited. Hearing what you’ve spent over a year’s effort on really taking shape is an indescribable feeling. This excitement never let up, right through the mix down, all the way to that final stage during which you hear the music sounding its most incredible: during playback at high-bit resolution in the mastering studio (Masterdisk in New York City).

During this time the artwork was also getting finalized, and the manufacturing and distribution were being discussed. Once the CDs were pressed—twenty months after I started the project—a lifelong dream was accomplished. I hope you all enjoy the CD. Hit me up with any questions, or give me a shout over at MySpace.

I urge you all to always pursue your own goals. Cheers!

For more on Marc Norgaard, go to www.marcnorgaard.com or www.myspace.com/marcnorgaarddrums. To purchase Tolerance, go to cdbaby.com/cd/marcnorgaard or www.amazon.com/Tolerance-Marc-Norgaard/dp/B000TYWJD8. And check out Marc in the October ’07) issue of Recording magazine, in the feature on session drummers titled “Drummers For Hire.”

The Leslie Pintchik Trio’s Mark Dodge

Hi there, this is my first blog for Modern Drummer, and I’m excited to talk to everyone about The Leslie Pintchik Trio and our most recent album, Quartets, which is due out October 9th. Leslie Pintchik is a jazz pianist and composer who, along with her husband and bassist Scott Hardy, has been performing in the clubs of New York for over 20 years. I started playing with them in 1998 and had good chemistry from the start. Over the past nine years we’ve developed a strong musical and personal connection, which is captured on the Quartets recording. Leslie and Scott are both tremendously melodic and sensitive musicians who can do many different things, but they stay totally true to their music and sound. It makes my job easy!

We were graced by two special guests in the studio: saxophonist Steve Wilson, and drummer/percussionist Satoshi Takeishi. Steve Wilson is a monster player who’s worked with Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Maria Schneider, but he remains completely humble, and he took the music to another level.

Satoshi Takeishi, who plays with the Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias, among others, is a totally creative, reactive, and interactive musician who sounds just as good playing the cajon as he does playing the kit. He and I had an immediate hook-up, and he was also so much fun to play with. He used cajon, frame drums, bells, and lots of other little noisemakers that added so much to the music.

We have a busy fall, with gigs around New York and our CD release party on November 7 at the Kitano Hotel. For more info, visit www.lesliepintchik.com and myspace.com/markdodgethedrummer.

See you next time!

Mark

Chris Prescott Of Pinback

Hey there. My name is Chris Prescott and I am the drummer for the San Diego–based band Pinback. I started out playing guitar and keyboards with them a couple years ago when the gig came up, but quickly jumped to drums when that position became available. It’s been great playing in the band, for a number of reasons. First of all, I was a fan of their music anyway, so it wasn’t exactly a drag to learn the 30+ songs. Also the other band members and I were old friends, and our previous projects had played together many times over the years. It was really natural to finally end up in the same band together.

Pinback is currently on the first leg of our touring for the new album, Autumn Of The Seraphs. This year we will travel across America, Canada, Europe, Japan, and possibly China. It’s gonna be a busy one! So far the shows have been great and we’re getting a good rhythm to touring life. It’s always hard to leave friends and family back home, but I’m grateful to be able to do what we do. It would be a shame if I took all this for granted when it’s not every day that a musician can make ends meet solely through traveling and playing music they love. Of course we are also grateful that people come and enjoy what we are doing.

For more on Pinback, go to www.pinback.com or www.myspace.com/pinback.

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