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DRUMmagazine.com August 2013 DRUM! 11

PLUGGED IN83 In The Studio With Shawn PeltonChasing that Saturday Night Live drum sound all the way back to Pelton’s per-sonal studio space.

88 Dialed InNew gear from Ddrum, Yamaha, and Drum Drops.

SOUNDLAB90 Gretsch Catalina Street Kit

92 Sabian Hoop Crasher

PRACTICE PAD97 Drum Parts: Eric Moore�e lethal pulse behind Suicidal Tendencies shows you how to “Smash It.”

104 LessonsMaking backbeats less predictable with Wally Schnalle. Matt Byrne on the inverted paradiddle. Danny Gottlieb does variations on 3/4.

VIBE31 Chris ReifertAutopsy’s drummer and primary vocal-ist is doubly threatening.

EVERYTHING ELSE 12 Perspective

16 Feedback

18 Notation Guide

20 Single Strokes

28 Showcase

107 Picks

114 Time Capsule

COVER STORY 42 Clinician MagiciansWhat do Chad Smith, Cindy Blackman-Santana, and Jason Bittner have in common? Not much, except for what it takes to put on the best clinic ever.

FEATURES34 Drummies! Artist Award WinnersYou, the reader, have spoken. Be-hold, the new kings and queens of your drumming universe.

56 Will Kennedy�e Yellowjackets drummer is the architect of sophisticated rhythms that keep heads bobbing. Let him show you how to build yours.

HAND DRUM!71 Jhair Sala�e Peruvian percussionist has cajon beats on the brain and rhythm in his heart.

.

76 Product TestDuende Cajons

78 LessonsFor Richie Gajate-Garcia, three per-cussion items are better than one. Retrofitting your sound at a glance with Glen Caruba.

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12 DRUM! August 2013 DRUMmagazine.com

A Roomful Of Drummers

Do you recall your first drum clinic? I remember mine. And while the clinician himself was impressive, the optics and atmospherics were the things that stuck with me for decades afterward.

I’d never seen anything quite like it before. Around 30 drum-mers crammed into an upstairs room of a music store facing a temporary riser erected for the event. A feeling of community permeated the evening as we sat shoulder to shoulder, lapping up licks and tidbits of wisdom flying from the stage. Attendees

reacted to every tricky pattern, whipping heads around, slapping high fives, laughing excitedly. It felt like a cross between a motivational seminar and sporting event.

Remember — this was before YouTube. Back then you couldn’t simply dial-up a long menu of videos of your favorite drummers. You had to wait until a clinician came to town in order to check out his or her chops. But while I’ve spent plenty of time on YouTube, young readers who’ve never attended a live drum clinic might not realize that a video is little more than a pale imitation of being there in person.

First of all, there’s the sound. I don’t care how much you crank up your computer’s ex-ternal speakers; you’ll never come close to duplicating the range of subtle tones and col-ors that surround you in a live clinic. While a video can translate the bombast, it doesn’t do justice to subtleties like ghost notes, bass drum feathering, and hi-hat barks. Such techniques offer the type of delicacy and detail that can breathe life into a performance.

Then there’s the all-important interaction between the stage and audience. During the clinic attendees usually have the chance to ask the clinician to further dissect dem-onstrated techniques, slow things down, and put specific ideas under the microscope so that no one gets left behind. Try doing that on YouTube.

And afterward, you often get the chance to meet the drummer face to face, shake hands, get autographs, and chat for a while. The most common revelation is that — despite the clinician’s super chops and impressive track record — the drummer on stage isn’t all that different from the drummers in the audience. In other words, to quote Sly Stone, you can make it if you try.

I’ve seen literally hundreds of clinics since that first one, and walked away from each with a new idea about technique, musicianship, professionalism, or some other vital facet of the drumming art. In tandem with private lessons, method books, instructional videos, and just plain woodshedding, drum clinics can play an important role in every drummer’s development.

So if you happen to be anywhere close to San Jose this coming August 9, we encour-age you to attend our DRUM! Night 2013 drumming festival, featuring the three leg-endary drummers on the cover of this issue. It will be a great night of drumming, gear exhibits, and yes, that all-important camaraderie you simply won’t find anywhere else. Go to drumnight2013.com for more info.

See you there!

RECONCEIVED.Built to play on the front end of innovation, and the back end of the pocket.

Welcome, Saturn IV.


EDITORIALManaging Editor Dave Constantin

Assistant Editor Andrew Lentz

Music Editor Wally Schnalle

Web Associate Jordan Liffengren

Contributing Writers Ken Babal, Robert Barton,

Brad Boynton, John Ephland, Matt Byrne, Glen

Caruba, AJ Donahue, Richie Gajate Garcia, Gary

Gardner, Diane Gershuny, Daniel Glass, Danny

Gottlieb, Terence Higgins, Taku Hirano, David

Jarnstrom, David Libman, Eric Kamm, Robert

Lewis, Billy Martin, Andrew Nusca, John Nyman,

Luga Podesta, Bobby Rock, Brad Schlueter, Wally

Schnalle, Mike Snyder, Karen Stackpole, Norman

Weinberg, David Weiss, John Wicks, Jake Wood

DESIGNArt Director Richard Leeds

Design Director Cristina Strombotne

Design Associate J.J. Pineda

Contributing Photographers Robert Downs,

Eddie Malluk, Rick Malkin, Christopher T. Martin, Lissa

Wales, Neil Zlozower, Leslie Hampton

Contributing Illustrators John R. Adams

Video Contributors Nate Brown, Glen Caruba,

Giovanni Durst, Richie Gajate Garcia, Libor Hadrava,

“Tiger” Bill Meligari, Rich Redmond, Brad Schlueter

Video Designer Sibel Girini

ADVERTISINGAdvertising Director Eric Frank

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ENTER MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC. is a California corporation

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DRUM! office: 95 South Market St., Suite 430, San Jose, CA 95113; Tel: 408-971-9794; Fax: 408-971-0300For new or existing subscriptions, call: 1-888-378-6624

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CLINIC &EVENT CALENDAR

Featuring tons of upcoming events with

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CHRIS BAKER“PLAYBACK PROVES INVALUABLE”Chris takes his playing to a new level only after hearing a recording of himself. “My eyes were opened to how much I was overplaying, fluctuations in my timing, and the quality of the tone of my drums when I hit them.”

VIC CONTEST WINNER!

Read Chris’ game-changing story and tell us YOURS. You could win too! VICFIRTH50.com

©2013 VIC FIRTH COMPANY

We want to read your mail! Send letters to [email protected].

One Hot MissiveLeave it to DRUM! to put Ian Paice on an American mag cover! Jon, Cliff, Danny, Ian, etc., the record-ing tips of Ray’s record. �en Ian blows me away with the com-ments about my timekeeping! From Andy’s perspective about the importance of a good-sounding kit to the last page with Hal [Blaine]’s timbale kit and everything in between. So much good stuff. Keep doing your thing. You’re making an old man like me very happy and proud. See you in August.

Via E-mail

Sound AdviceI started drumming about a year and a half ago, and from the beginning I thought that having an electronic kit would mean I could practice any time. Unfortunately, my drums still produce consider-able noise and my neighbors are not amused, to say the least. I did a quick research online for ways to reduce the noise and found many people having the same problem. I also found lots of ingenious solutions includ-ing a noise-isolation platform constructed with tennis balls! It would be fantastic to see these is-sues covered in the magazine, but I’d also appreciate any tips before I get kicked out of my apartment! Would it be worth investing in a better kit with mesh heads or the Yamaha silicon pads? Would soft-tip drum sticks make any dif-ference? What about construct-ing a “cage” around the kit with soundproof curtains? Any help will be hugely appreciated.

. .Via E-mail

Editor’s Reply: Our managing editor, Dave Constantin, built a tennis-ball platform and had some success (after some heavy modifications to what you’ll find online), but it depends on what kind of sound you’re talking about. If you mean vibrations through the floor (especially if you live above your neighbors), they’re the hardest to subdue, but definitely require a platform. We’ve done soundproofing articles before but

we’ll be covering this topic again in an upcoming issue as it’s too much to respond to here. Stay tuned (and for now, try not to play too late).

Praise The FordI was more than a bit miffed to learn that Hannah Ford gets hate mail. People who dis someone as talented as Ford ought to be given glass bellies so they can see where they’re going. There are plenty of drummers who play music that I don’t care for, but they’re great drummers and I enjoy reading about them. Thanks for covering all of them.

Warren, Ohio

Brand ConsciousI couldn't help but notice on Billy Rymer's Tama Silverstar set (page 44 of the June issue 204), the snare appears to be one of Dave Bedrock's SuperDrum 12 lug Snares.

Via Email

Editor’s Reply. �anks for the query, Lenny. Actually, it’s a 14" Tama Starclassic Brass model.

ERRATAIn the “Set List” page of the July 2013 issue, the photography credit was mistakenly attributed to another photographer. All shots of Brad Wilk, including the cover and contents page, were taken by Neil Zlozower/Atlas Icons.

Hannah Ford’s equipment list should have included �e Kelly SHU system.

HERE’S TO ALL THEGAME-CHANGING MOMENTS.

THE BIRTH OF PITCH PAIRING1963

VIC’S GARAGE–Dover, MA With his fledgling business underway, Vic accidentally drops a handful of sticks

on his basement floor. Noticing that each stick makes its own definitive pitch, he begins pitch pairing all of his sticks—revolutionizing the industry.

Get the whole story at VICFIRTH50.com.


Note & Rest ValuesNotes and rests come in different lengths, which are written as frac-tions. For every size note, there is an equivalent size rest. The note and rest values include whole (1/1), half (1/2), quarter (1/4), eighth (1/8), sixteenth (1/16), and thirty-second (1/32). These fractions represent the sizes of the notes and rests. For example, two eighths fit in the space (or time) of one

quarter, so eighth-notes are twice as fast as quarter-notes. These relation-ships define the lengths (and speeds) of the notes. Rhythms are written by

using combinations of notes and rests, so it is important to memorize them to quickly identify and play rhythms. There are several different parts of a

note: the note head, stem, and flags or beams. Recognizing them will help you learn to identify notes.

Whole- Note

Whole Rest

Half- Note Half Rest

Quarter-Note

Quarter Rest

Eighth-Note

Eighth Rest Sixteenth-Note

Sixteenth Rest

Thirty-Second-

Note

Thirty-Second

Rest

Drum Key

China Open Hi-Hat

Tom 1 Tom 2 Snare Ghost Note

Rim Click

Snare Doubles

Snare Buzz

Tom 3 Tom 4

Tom 5

Right Bass

Left Bass

Hi-Hat Pedal

Hi-Hat Splash

Closed Hi-Hat

Ride Bell

RideChoked Crash

CrashCowbellSplash

Repeats & Counting RhythmsThe simplest way to figure out rhythms is to count them with the smallest note value you have to play. For most drum music, that means counting sixteenth-notes. In 4/4, sixteenth-notes are counted “1 e & ah 2 e & ah 3 e & ah 4 e & ah.” Since you are counting sixteenths, a sixteenth-note or rest

will last for one count, an eighth-note/rest will last for two counts, a quarter-note/rest will last for four counts, a

half-note/rest will last for eight, and a whole-note/rest will last for sixteen.Repeat signs are used to abbreviate a

piece of music and minimize page turns. A few different types of repeat signs are shown in the example above.

Repeat Sign

Repeat everything since

the previous repeat sign

One-Bar Repeat(repeat previous

measure)1e&ah2e&ah 3 e & ah 4 e & ah

Two-Bar Repeat(repeat two previous

measures)

TripletsAs we go from larger notes down the list to the smaller notes, the notes and rests are halved in length. If you want to divide a note into thirds, you’ll need to use a triplet. A quarter-note naturally divides into two eighths, but if you want to divide it into thirds, you need to use an eighth-note triplet. An eighth-note triplet is played 50-per-cent faster than normal eighth notes and would be equivalent to a twelfth-note (although there is no such note). An eighth-note triplet is written as three eighth-notes beamed together with a number three above them. Any of the three notes can be replaced with an eighth rest or two sixteenths, or any other division of an eighth-note allowing for more notational flexibility. Triplets are usually counted “1 & ah 2 & ah 3 & ah 4 & ah.” You can also divide a note into fifths (quin-tuplet), sixths (sextuplet), sevenths (septuplet), and so on.

Dotted Notes & RestsSometimes you’ll see a note or a rest with a small dot written next to it. This indicates that the note will last 50 percent longer, or 1 1/2 times its normal length.

Music Clefs, Staffs, Measures & Bar LinesMusic is written on a music staff, which features five parallel horizontal lines. The first thing you’ll see writ-ten on the staff is the clef, which determines the pitch of the notes. The drum/percussion clef looks like

a vertical rectangle and is used with nonpitched percussion instruments. With nonpitched percussion instru-ments like a drum set, notes written on different spaces and lines indicate that you play a specific instrument: snare

drum, bass drum, or cymbal. The staff is separated into individual measures (or bars) of music, with thin vertical lines, called bar lines. The number of beats in each measure is determined by the time signature.

Time SignaturesTime signatures are written like frac-tions. The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number indicates the size of the note that represents the duration

of one beat. For example, in the time signature of 5/4, there are five beats in each measure and the quarter-note lasts for one beat. The time signature is written at the beginning of the piece

of music and wherever there is a meter change. Since most music is in 4/4, the time signature is often abbrevi-ated with a large letter “C,” indicating “common” time.

Time SignatureDrum Clef

Bar Line

Staff

Measure

1 e & ah 2 e & ah 3 e & ah 4 e & ah 1 e & ah 2 e & ah 3 e & ah 4 e & ah

Accent

Crescendo (gradually louder)

Decrescendo (gradually softer)

A double bar line indicates the ending

1 e & ah 2 e & ah 3 e & ah 4 e & ah 1 e & ah 2 e & ah 3 & ah 4 e&ah

3

GUIDE TO DRUM NOTATION By Brad Schlueter

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Photography: COU

RTESY QU

INN

Johnny Rabb 41 35 Independent

“I grip the sticks as loosely as possible while still maintaining control. �is helps avoid tension and blisters on heavier hitting gigs.”

Ray Luzier 43 37 Korn

“When I started playing heavier music, I would grip super tight. When I attended Musicians Institute, one of my teachers, Joe Porcaro, taught me that I can play hard but with a looser grip. I hit very hard with Korn, but my grip is very relaxed and loose. I haven’t had a hand problem yet after bashing for 37 years.”

Calvin Smith 25 11 �e Safety Fire

“I generally hold the stick pretty loosely because I use a sort of whip-ping action for my accented strokes. It gives me a better rebound from the drumhead, which lets me put less effort into each stroke since the stick essentially lifts itself up. Because of the economy of movement, it makes it easier to do faster, more consistent strokes for long periods of time.”

�omas Pridgen 29 26 Trash Talk, �undercat

“I grip my stick loosely almost to the point where the stick could easily be snatched out of my hand. It helps my mobility around the set and it helps me to not have calluses.”

“DO YOU GRIP THE STICK TIGHTLY OR LOOSELY?”

Session drummer and composer Quinn is hanging out at Professional Drum Shop in Los Angeles, where he’s indulging his gear fetish. �e mono-monikered artist has an enviable collection to be sure, but he’s primarily a rhythm artist whose beats have made their way onto everything from India.Arie’s latest album to the theme music on Roseanne Barr’s now-defunct talk show. But we were eager to get the scoop on Quinn’s latest score — multiple credits on Daft Punk’s super-hyped new Random Access Memory. While you can’t deny JR Robinson and Omar Hakim’s killer kit contribu-tions, Quinn’s percussive flavorings definitely gave some shape to the album’s much-lauded human element. Despite the faceless duo’s robotic reputa-

tion, though, the process wasn’t as clinical as he imagined. �e one-time orchestral percussionist with the New England Conservatory was also kind enough to share the various ways he earns scratch with his rhythm skills.

THE HUMAN TOUCHI went into the Daft Punk thing a little naïve, hon-estly. I didn’t really know their music. I knew about their helmets and stuff, but I didn’t know what to expect, but making electronic sounds organically is the thing that I enjoy most. I love that it’s just me playing with somebody, and they think I’m running loops, or playing to a click track with some tracks, or triggering stuff‚ and yet it’s just me playing my kit or modifying drums in a certain way to make it sound that artificial way. I’m primarily a drum set player, so honestly I don’t think I knew that [Daft Punk] were electronic. At the time there was talk with the band about bringing back that [’70s disco heyday] type of sound with live players. So I totally embraced that whole electronic thing where they were using real players. So much of [present day

QuinnIN THEIR OWN WORDS

PUNKED!Quinn with one of his many vintage kits. Inset: Daft Punk sessions.

Interviewed by Rob McKinley


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EDM] is done by DJs or keyboard players triggering stuff, but on [first single “Get Lucky,” “Giorgio By Moroder,” etc.] those aren’t samples; that’s me playing all this weird percussion stuff.

SO MANY BEATS, SO LITTLE TIMEWe spent two days just putting down a lot of grooves. I played on top of Omar’s and some of JR’s things, or I kind of go in and out of some of their tracks. �ey would sort of morph the two and so I would generally always have click and whoever was on tape. �en I did bunch of things on my own and a bunch of crazy percussion — like a talking drum thing that I did, I think on “Giorgio By Moroder.” I had two drum kits: my left-of-center modified hybrid setup, and then I had a kind of Gretcsh hodge-podge vintage thing. And so I would jump back and forth between those kits and then a whole table of percussion. So I was sort of jumping around everywhere, playing like 16 bars of this or doing some-thing else. And so, I was putting out a lot of stuff there that got used later. Daft Punk produced Kanye West [who jacked Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” for his 2007 mix tape], so on Kanye’s [new track] “Black Skinhead,” those drums are actually mine. I was in China a few weeks ago and a friend of mine told me he saw it on Saturday Night Live on YouTube.

SCHOOLING THE ’BOTSI was the only one at Conway Studios [in Los Angeles, where Random Access Memory was partly recorded]. Everyone was in the studio but I was the only musician on those two days. Mick Guzauski was engineering with all of his assistants, �omas [Bangalter] from Daft Punk was producing, and I think Paul Franco, their live guy, was there. �e other Daft Punk gentleman [Guy Manuel De Homem-Cristo] — I guess people just call him Guy-Man — was in New York. I believe his wife was having a baby so he was with her there. But �omas was walking around Skyping his kids and stuff, and just kind of coming up with ideas, throwing things out there. He was always coming in and out of the control room. He loves instruments, so I remember him asking me what my oldest instrument was. At the time it was a 1920s Walberg & Auge “collapsible” bass drum. I kept on surprising him with the old gear. �is is really his first studio record with actual musicians instead of just samples, so it was like a kid in a candy store for him. [laughs]

TOTALLY RANDOMI was just telling someone the other day that I consider myself very lucky. As a

session artist you’re doing maybe some rock or pop type recordings and maybe touring but generally you don’t go from a record over to a major film like The Big Wedding. I did all the percussion on that, which is not a lot, but it’s a pretty funny movie with DeNiro and Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams. I think it’s still in theaters. The composer for that movie is the composer for the TV show True Blood. He’s actually the guy who introduced me to Daniel [Lerner, Daft Punk assistant engineer]. Now I’m working on the second Percy Jackson

movie, which I’m really excited about because it’s the second installment of this Harry Pot-ter–like series, and [for the music] it’s taking place at 20th Century Fox sound stage. And actually the guy engineering those sessions is the guy who engineered the Roseanne Barr talk-show theme I composed. So, it’s amazing how it becomes like a family that champions you and brings you in on things. I really have a lot to be thankful to those guys for, for-recommending me, because they can change your world.

SINGLE STROKESBy Waldo �e Squid

YOU CAN APPEAR IN NEW BLOOD. Email [email protected] or send a CD or DVD of your drumming, a bio with your age, equipment setup, contact information, and a hi-res photo to Waldo �e Squid, c/o New Blood, 95 S. Market St., #430, San Jose, CA 95113. No materials will be returned. Please indicate if you want your email contact published.

It’s probably only a mat-ter of time before Gunnar Fletcher’s metamorphosis into an extreme-metal demon is complete. But first watch the Tennessee-based drummer’s talent show videos from 2007, when he was just a kid, to the more recent ones on his Facebook page, and you will immediately see a quantum leap in finesse; speed; and control. As the new drummer for heavy-rock trio Down-bleed, Fletcher gets a chance to play with more feel, groove, and swing, but given his tender age we’re assuming the band’s

choice of venues in which to play are somewhat limited (then again, all-ages clubs have the truly passionate fans). Based on the videos, the dude’s heart is clearly in the style of modern deathcore/djent, yet the willingness to adapt to different music situations is promising. And if some players say extreme-metal isn’t the best showcase for dynamic drumming, with its dialed-in vibe and all, just remember, it’s a style, people — roll with it.

Kevin Alcombrack is a dyed-in-the-wool drum obsessive. Besides covering the likes of Joe Bonamassa and Jonny Lang, the Seattle-area drummer created a video of himself justifying the purchase of new gear, and one showing off a set of Wuhans he converted into O-Zone-style cymbals. Whether coasting on a backbeat or a greasy 6/8, “serve the song” is the mantra he lives by, an interesting development for a drummer who started as a prog player before a blues epiphany. On the “So Many Roads” cover, he’s

doing a lot of rimshotting for cut and occasionally flamming with Jason Bonham’s tracks (sort of like playing “around” a click). “I wasn’t miked so the rimshot helped, and has just became a part of my style,” he explains. DRUM! music editor Wally Schnalle would be proud of his use of paradiddles, too. Alcombrack started on drums as a teen but then life got in the way, and he didn’t return to the craft till his early thirties. Guess obsessions really never die.

Gunnar Fletcher 15 Pearl drums and hardware, Sabian cymbals, and Vic Firth sticks @gunnarfletcher, downbleed.com

Kevin Alcombrack 39 DW Collector’s drums and DW hardware, Zildjian and Sabian cymbals, and Vic Firth Buddy Rich sticks. youtube.com/user/ddrumbum, facebook.com/kevin.alcombrack

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�ese days, people tend to remember the disco era of the ’70s as a time of big hair, polyester shirts, and excessive partying. And while disco may have been simplistic in terms of its lyrical content (just about every song title seemed to include the word dance), we should not forget that many of the era’s hits are remembered for their incredibly sophis-ticated production, including some of the deepest grooves ever committed to tape. In the last days before drum machines, the four-on-the-floor, hi-hat driven “disco beat” ruled the airwaves and clubs, and was a mainstay in every working drummer’s vocabulary.

YOUNG GUN�e man who deserves much of the credit for proliferating the disco beat is Earl Young. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Young had almost no formal music education. A near perfect sense of time, however, more than made up the difference, and by the age of 15 he had scored his first top-ten hit. As the

1970s dawned, Young assumed the role of first-call drummer for what was known as MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother), a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadel-phia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios. �is group worked closely with the legendary songwriting/production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff to produce some of the biggest hits of the day. �e magic they spun behind artists like Harold Melvin & �e Blue Notes, �e O’Jays, �e Stylistics, �e Spinners, and �e Village People became known as the Sound Of Philadelphia.

BURN, BABY BURN In 1974, MFSB scored its own single, “TSOP (�e Sound Of Philadelphia),” which became the theme for the TV show Soul Train, and is arguably the first disco song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. �ree years later, with disco

at its peak, Young hit the jackpot again. �e Trammps, a band he founded, won a Grammy when their dance hit “Disco Inferno” was included on the ultimate disco soundtrack: Saturday Night Fever. And that’s no jive!

By Daniel Glass

DANIEL GLASS plays drums with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, and is the cre-ator of the award-winning DVDs The Century Project and TRAPS: The Incred-ible Story Of Vintage Drums. To hear audio versions of “Moment In History,” please visit danielglass.com

Young playing that funky disco music with the Salsoul Orchestra.

Drumming Innovators, Part 4: Earl Young


SINGLE STROKES

BY BOBBY ROCK

PUMP

Drumbell Training

SNARE CRUSHERS �is exercise will bring super power and endurance to your snare drum strokes.

1. From a seated position with your elbows relaxed by your sides, pre-tend like you’re balancing the bot-tom of each dumbbell on top of an imaginary snare in front of you. (Your knuckles should be facing forward.)

2. Raise your right dumbbell up to the right side of your head, approxi-mately 4" from your temple.

3. With a controlled motion, return the right dumbbell to the starting posi-tion, while simultaneously raising your left dumbbell up to the left side of your head the same way.

4. As you return the left dumbbell to the starting position, raise your right dumbbell back up again, and so forth. Continue this RLRL motion for 30 seconds to two minutes. Do three sets.

TOM BASHERS �is exercise will increase mobility, speed, and power between your toms and snare.

1. From a seated position, hold both dumbbells in front of your chest with the sides of your fists facing down.

2. Extend your right dumbbell forward in a controlled, circular motion.

3. Once it’s all the way forward, complete the circle with your right dumbbell as your left dumb-bell extends forward to begin its circular motion. (You are emulat-ing the front-wheel motion of a locomotive.)

4. Continue this motion smooth and steady for 30 seconds to two min-utes. Do three sets.

Both of these movements should produce a gradually intensifying burn in your arms and shoulders, so embrace the pain!

Runners, fighters, and football players all have key weightlifting exercises designed to strengthen movements specific to their activi-ties. Drummers should have the same, so I’ve developed a few drumming-specific exercises through the years that will improve power, speed, endurance, and mobility around the kit.

I call this “drumbell” training because it involves using dumbbells to enhance drumming motions. Try adding these to your regimen two or three times a week, and be prepared for some great results.

A FEW PARAMETERS …A. Start off with light dumbbells (1–2 lbers should

be fine). You can increase the weight later, once you get acclimated to the movements.

B. Exercises are always performed in a rhythmic, RLRL motion, similar to drumming.

C. Sets are based around duration of time, as op-posed to traditional reps.

D. Perform these exercises at the end of your upper-body workout routine.

Two of my favorites …


I own a venue that features a large variety of live music entertainment.

Recently, I noticed a strange phenomenon. Whenever I hired a new band, I found that the band would then be hired by a compet-ing establishment located two blocks away. Even more infuriating, the competing establishment was paying these bands less than I was and a number of my regular patrons actually visited the competing establishment to see these bands.

I spent a substantial amount of time trying to figure out how to stop this practice while at the same time ensuring that I could still hire the bands in question with no hard feelings. In a tight market, venue owners must do all they can to preserve their crowd and entertainment quality.

On the other hand, bands need to make a living.

Bearing in mind that bands playing at my venues must now (with certain exceptions) agree to what is known as a “restrictive covenant” as to where they may play, I still needed to present the problem to the bands and then advise then as to how I intended to fix it, the intention being to retain high-quality acts in my venue, while depriving competi-tors of the benefits of my work in selecting these bands.

In doing this, I presented the problem as more competitive in nature rather than one where I sought to control where bands could play. Switching gears, a restrictive covenant prevents the band from playing gigs within a specific geographic boundary for a specified period of time. Bands should watch for such provisions in their performance contracts

in order to ensure that they do not agree to onerous provisions that could restrict their gigging to an unduly small geographic area and/or for an unduly lengthy period of time. Such provisions may indeed be unenforceable, and most jurisdictions require that such provisions be reasonable. But what exactly constitutes reason-able is subject to interpretation and depends on the particular facts of the case. For example, if there are many competing establishments in the immediate vicinity, you may want to carve out some exceptions, especially for those establishments that are geographically distant from the place where your gig is taking place. �e possibilities are endless, but the point is that bands

must be on the lookout for these types of provisions and work with the venue owners so that the inter-ests of all parties are protected.

So how did I deal with the com-peting establishment? I merely told the bands that they had a choice: Play for me, or play for them, but they could not play for both. In this case, I was not dictating where bands were allowed to play, but merely telling them that they would not be welcome at my venue if they played the competing venue. Every band has thus far agreed to my request, and has remained in my rotation, while ensuring that competitors do not benefit from the fruits of my labors. I now use a restrictive covenant in all my performance contracts.

Robert S. Lewis, Esq.

�e Loyalty Clause “A RESTRICTIVE COVENANT PREVENTS THE BAND FROM PLAYING GIGS WITHIN A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARY FOR A SPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME.”

With 210 entrants representing 40 countries, and attracting 2 million visits to the website, the follow-up to our inaugural Hit Like A Girl

contest was a window on today’s top talent and tomorrow’s drum stars.

Readers might remember that the 2012 de-but of Hit Like A Girl was limited to contestants over 18. Realizing that drummers shouldn’t be penalized for their age, we created another

category for those over 18 as well. Readers’ votes rolled in between February 15 and April 1 while celebrity judges Samantha Maloney, Alli-son Miller, Dawn Richardson, Kimberly �omp-son, Shauney “Baby” Recke, Meytal Cohen, Jess Bowen, and Elaine Bradley chose between 20 finalists in each division. �e judges then chose a winner and two runners-up.

Winners received PDP drums with DW Pedals, TRX or CRX cymbal packs, Evans

drumheads, SKB bags or cases, and six pairs of Vater sticks. Each winner also got a Tunebot tuner and instructional packs from Alfred Publishing. Runners-up got to take home Yamaha DTX kits — a DTX450 for the first runner-up and the DTX400 for the sec-ond runner-up. All entrants receive special digital products and discounts from Tom Tom Magazine, DRUM! Magazine, Drumchan-nel, or Onlinedrummer.

HIT LIKE A GIRL 2013 WINNERS’ CIRCLE

2013 FINALISTS

18+ WINNERS

VALERIA SEPULVEDA Winner, 18 And OverThe judges were blown away by the fusion-style solo from Chilean drum-mer Valeria Sepulveda, underpinned by a blend of light touch and explosive power. It’s especially impressive for someone who as a teen snuck into a drum class at school, started goofing around on a kit, and caught the attention of a professor. “He taught me a basic rock beat, and as much to my surprise as anyone, it came very naturally. I thought to myself, This is it! This is what I want to do for the rest of my life!”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in drum performance from the University Of Valparaiso in Valparaiso, Chile, in 2011, Sepulveda moved to the U.S. to pursue her musical career, and where she will be touring this summer.

MICHAELA BREZOVSKY First Runner-Up, 18 And Over�e jazz-lite backing track that Michaela Brezovsky chose to accompany her performance jam seems like mere window dressing for the Viennese sensation’s soloistic display of control, groove, and musicality. �e 23-year-old has future session great and touring musi-cian written all over her. “It was 3 a.m. in Austria and my boyfriend and I were watching on his laptop,” she gushed upon hearing about the results. “I couldn’t speak when I realized I was a winner.”

Having graduated from the Joseph Haydn Conserva-tory, Brezovsky continues to play jazz drums and study at ipop (Das Institut Für Popularmusik) in Vienna. Besides the DTX450 she took home, Hit Like A Girl 2013 has symbolic importance for the drummer. “Female drumming is grow-ing in Austria,” she says. “I know about ten other women drummers in Austria, but there are many young girls in the schools who play drums now. It’s a big change.”

KELSEY COOK Second Runner-Up, 18 And OverTwenty-three-year-old Kelsey Cook was emblematic of a trend that emerged this year: mixtape-style club hits as the soundtrack to a showbiz-oriented approach to drumming. While many contestants had the same idea, no one did it with as much panache as Cook. �at bizzaro double rim-click on the floor tom and Johnny Rabb–in-spired splash on the snare (1:10) … �at one-handed double-stroke fill (1:35) … �e stick twirls (everywhere) … all of it managed breezily in a cocktail dress and high heels … wow!

Perhaps even more remarkable was that she did it against all odds. “I don’t come from a family with a musi-cal background,” she explains. But Cook knew they were going to be behind her no matter what, “even if it was extremely annoying when I first started,” she says. “Which I’m sure most drummers can relate to.”

* N I C X * (Indonesia)Adi Mashash (Israel)Amanda Imamura (Brazil)BCDrums (Australia)Bijou Bell (US)Brittany Maccarello (US)Brooke Hord (US)

Caroline Parsons (US)Cindy raoux (France)DRUMCHIK25 (US)DrummerGurl (US)Drummergyal (US)Fiamma (Italy)Freyja Hooper (Australia)

Issy (Germany)Justine (US)KatVillalon-TX (US)Kortney Grinwis (US)Kynadi Hankins (US)LaFabulosa (US)Leticia Santos (Brazil)

MaddieDrummer (US)Madi Vogt (US)Marlenedrums (Puerto Rico)Megan Luce (US)Melanie DiLorenzo (US)Misia (me-sha) Vessio (US)Paige Proctor (UK)

Roo (US)Sam Landa (Canada)SBD (UK)Seneca Falls (Mexico)Sincerelyilana (US)tschak boom! (Germany)


ALEXEY POBLETE Winner, Under 18Watching ten-year-old Alexey Poblete crush it on “Under It Over It” by Five Finger Death Punch might cause you to do a double take — a small kid shouldn’t be able to blaze extreme-metal drum parts with this much ease. (Hey, the foot cams don’t lie!) She’s even stomping on those twin pedals in leather pumps.

�ough Poblete’s career has only just begun, it was no cakewalk to get to where she is right now. Hounding her parents for a year, they finally bought her a drum set, but only if she took lessons. If the Pobletes had any doubts about their daughter, Alexey’s teacher quickly expelled them. “On my first hour of lessons my drum teacher told my parents that, ‘Your daughter will become a good drummer because she tries hard and does not quit easily.’”

TAYLOR ANN KATASE First Runner-Up, Under 18There was nothing lacking from Honolulu’s Taylor Ann Katase and her spot-on cover of Beyoncé’s “End Of Time.” The 17-year-old has been in concert band for six years, marching band for four, and cites Tony Royster Jr., Chad Smith, Tony Williams, and Abe Lagrimas Jr. as influences. She has been taking private lessons for the last two-and-a-half years but it seems like easily twice that. “My mother originally wanted me to play the flute just like she did when she was in school,” Katase says. “But I decided to choose the exact opposite. I thought it fit my personality a little better.” Good move.

MADDEN KLASS Second Runner-Up Under 18When Madden Klass incorporated her own solo into John Bonham’s famous “Moby Dick” solo, the judges instantly appreciated her ambition, and rewarded her creative and solid execution. �ough studying jazz drumming, a love of classic rock informs her current band Youth Be Told. “We are also working on original music which I am excited about,” she says. “Performing our own music is going to be amazing!”

A shout-out to our Special Recognition winners including Little Drummer Girl, Gaia, Marlhy!, and Shelby. �anks to everyone — especially our read-ers — for making Hit Like A Girl 2013 a total blast.

‘FORDE~ON~DRUMZ’ (UK)1 Fallen Angel (US)Agi (Panama)Aisha Gaillard (US)AJ Drumz (UK)Allie (US)AmyK (US)Annebelle (Belgium)antocoty (Argentina)Arielle (US)Ary’an (US)AshleyBloskas (US)Astrid (Australia)Baby Goon (US)bassanddrum (US)Becky (US)betka.shell (Slovakia)Bianca (US)brooklyntam (US)caseydelvo (Philippines)Cassidy (Canada)CC (Canada)Chrissy Garvey (US)Christina Picciano (US)Clair O’Boyle (Australia)Clibber (US)Cortney (US)DaDrummerChick (US)DEBI DRUMS (US)delphine (France)Demetria “Dede” Anderson (US)Dhea Princessia (Indonesia)Domino (Canada)Dotty (Belgium)DrumChick (US)

Drumforever (France)drummer3993 (US)drummergirl345 (US)drummergirlgina (US)Earthquake Bass Bartell (Canada)Embrace Agony (US)Emily Hogan (Ireland)Emma Thomas (UK)F0R3V3RADRUMM3R (US)Fadilah Darswa (Indonesia)FosterOnDrums (Canada)Gabby Stover (US)Gabby Vick (US)Gaia (US)Genesis (US)Goober (US)Grace Plays Drums (UK)Hailey Storm (US)Hardcore/Metal Drummer (S. Korea)Helena Krausz (Brazil)ixelvarecka (US)J.Pearson-drummer (UK)JadeMcHugh (UK)Jaleesamg (Nepal)Jazzy (US)Jennifer_Ventresca (Canada)Jess (Colombia)Jess De Vries (Australia)Jessica Anderson (US)Jessica Frizzell (US)Jessica Huynh (US)Jessika Bane (Jessi B) (US)Jessondrums (UK)JJbeatz (US)Joan (France)

Joanne Phillips (US)Jodi Joy (US)jonimasondrums (US)Karen Moreno (Mexico)Karinapril (Indonesia)Kat (US)Kate (US)Katherine Stanton (US)KAZHA (US)KC Rock Corll (US)Kelly (Canada)Kiana Gibson (US)Kiana Vicari (US)Kim Andrews (New Zealand)KlaudiaWorld (Poland)LA ZURDA (Guatemala)Lacretia “TT” Bolden (US)Laura Diosa (Colombia)Laura Moakes (UK)LAURATDRUMMER (Guam)Lea Ceder (Sweden)LilDrummerV (US)Lindsay Bird (Canada)Little Drummer Girl (US)Louise Batera (Brazil)Lucy Campos (Brazil)Lya Drummer (Venezuela)Lynette Chiamaka Okoroike (US)Macai (Qatar)Malgorzata Miriam Szymecka

(Austria)Mariah Samrani (Australia)Marlhy! (US)Mars Biusing (Malaysia)Megan Clarke (US)

Meghan Chamberlain (Canada)MIKEY (Slovenia)Miss Emily Christine (US)Miss Karli (Canada)Molly Wallace (US)Monica Spasaro (Australia)Mrs_Rev33112 (US)Muki (Thailand)Mustang Allie (US)Mynameislizkelly (US)Natalia (Canada)Ninja Nins (Australia)Paola Cascante (Costa Rica)Paris Oconnor (US)Patty Anne (US)Pilot Drummer (US)Rage Paige (US)Remi F. (UK)rewing652 (US)Rikki Woods (US)Rumi Muhr (Japan)Sally Zori (Canada)Sandy Smith (US)Sara Ricci (US)Saramore (Australia)sfdrumgirl (US)Shelbster (US)Shelbster the Rockette (Canada)Shelby (US)sillysibbles (US)SkilllzerTard (Australia)Soap Cu$tom (France)Sohini Bhattacharya (India)Sonia “Little B” Cabrita (Portugal)SophiaLovesDrums (Germany)

Southberry Lane (Luxembourg)sozodrummer (US)Squirrel Girl (US)Steena (US)Steff (Canada)Steffi (Germany)Stephanie P (US)Suslucia (US)Talya Valenti (Australia)TalzDM (South Africa)TamarPlaysDrums (Israel)Test Video (Guatemala)Test Video 3 ()Testing Video 2 ()ThatOneGirl (US)The Sophie Mophie (US)The Wahoo Kid (US)Tiff Kent (US)Tiffy Pop (US)Topsticks Drummergirl (Nigeria)Trisha Drummer (US)TwinkDrumz (US)Valerie Franco (US)Vanessa Domonique (UK)Verdiana V Gariboldi (Italy)Vicky “Buttfairy” Reader (UK)Weezy (US)wendig (US)WileyWWAAAAA (US)Windy Samantha (Indonesia)xoxbballgrlxox (US)XTINE (Canada)Ziioup! (France)

2013 ENTRANTS

<18 WINNERS

Hit Like A Girl 2013 produced by DRUM! in conjunction with TRX Cymbals and Tom Tom Magazine. Sponsored by DW Drums, Pacific Drums & Percussion, Yamaha DTX, Evans, Vater, SKB, TRX and CRX Cymbals, Tunebot, Alfred Publishing, Percussion Marketing Council, Robert Downs Photography, Online Drummer, Drummercafe, iDrum (UK), The Black Page (Canada), Indian Drummer (India), Drums and Percussion (Germany), Boteros.com (Chile), MEOW (Musicians for Equal Opportunities for Women), DFGS (Drum For Goodness Sake).



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By Andrew LentzChris Reifert

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C hris Reifert’s mellow demeanor is unsettling. Kind of like the calm before a storm. �e Autopsy drummer/vocalist is

currently at home in Benicia, a town in Northern California’s East Bay that sits in the shadow of heavy industry. �e 44-year-old, who at a distance seems like he’d curb your teeth if you held his gaze too long, is sitting at his kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee. �at would be impossible for most folks considering the toxic breezes wafting through the window. “Oh, yeah, we deal with it certain days. [laughs] It’s kind of a mood killer. Oh well, I still got ten fingers and ten toes.”

MULTI-TASKMASTER


When you’re the driver — and we do mean the driver — for one of death metal’s most underrated bands, you have to be tough. Especially since Autopsy’s new full-length, the second after an inexplicable 15-year hiatus, carries more weight than just any old follow-up. “We always want to sound like us, but we didn’t want to do Mental Funeral, Part 2,” he says, referring to their 1991 sophomore effort.

Recorded in Oakland’s Fantasy Studios — better known for jazz recordings and Credence Clearwater’s seminal albums — �e Headless Ritual reflects almost 25 years of pushing the death-metal envelope, and the lore-steeped surroundings imparted a freshness to the project. “You can just feel the history in the walls,” he says of Fantasy. “�ere’s two really good drum rooms in particular that just make all the difference in the world. You get that big sound that just microphones can’t get. You’ve got to have a good live room.”

Blending the gut-punch riffs and vocal croak of death metal with the atmospherics of doom is an Autopsy signature. Whether or not they were the first band to meld the two styles is a debate best left to the extreme-metal snobs, but we’re pretty sure Reifert is the only drummer in this niche who is also the lead singer.

And he doesn’t phone in the beats (or lyrics) like most singing drummers. Between near-constant fills, Reifert delivers a wide range of phrasing and inflection along with agonized wails, sickened rasps, and typical horror-film memes. You might say the vocals are the star of the band, but fortunately, not at the expense of tasty drumming. “It’s a pain in the ass,” he says of his dual role. In the band’s early days they hired a singer with disastrous results, so Reifert took over. “It’s not a smart thing to do. Like, why would anyone do that? I just got stuck with it.”

Does splitting duties between drumming and singing lend itself to the death-doom sub-genre, or did Reifert’s multitasking give birth to it? It’s the kind of chicken-or-egg question that doesn’t interest him much. All he knows is that the unusual combo breeds some cool beats. “[Autopsy drumming]’s kind of a rock and roll feel, you know? Maybe because of what I grew up on, being the age I am, or whatever. I like the feeling of looseness, and there’s no looseness in blastbeats. It’s more of a stamina thing rather than a feel thing. I think when there’s a lot of blastbeats, that becomes the focus instead of the actual guitar riffs.”

Whatever double bass runs there are on �e Headless Ritual (“Arch Cadaver” comes to mind) they sit low in the mix — a refreshing throw-back to a time when extreme-metal drum-mers weren’t bionic showboats. Reifert is also dead-set on playing two bass drums rather than a double-pedal on a single kick. “It’s just more drums to hit. Keith Moon wasn’t [mimics beaters] brrrrrh-brrrrrrrrh! on the bass drums,” he says of one of his biggest influences. “�ere’s just more possibilities, more textures, or whatever you want to call it. It keeps your legs busy.”

It comes as no surprise that Reifert does not use triggers. In fact, he could go on for days about how much he hates them. “I don’t know why anyone would ever do that for any reason whatsoever,” he practically yells. “You could be touching the snare with a feather and it sounds like a machine gun. What the hell is that, man? It’s cheating, for one thing, and you also lose all dynamics.”

As one of Autopsy’s main songwriters, Reifert has the advantage of making the drum parts fit the tunes and vice versa. “None of [the songs] are really hard,” he says. “Mostly the ob-stacle for me is remembering how many times a section repeats. It’s like, ‘Okay, this part goes eight times and that goes four and that part goes six.’ And we have weird timing sometimes. It’s not always 4/4; it might be 11/16. [laughs] Some of Eric [Cutler, guitarist/backing vocals]’s songs are really weird and it’ll take a minute to get my head wrapped around what he’s doing. He doesn’t think about drums when he’s writing

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QUICK LICKS Transcription by Brad Schlueter

“When Hammer Meets Bone”

Chris Reifert’s drumming is always brutal, offering a powerful blend of thrash and straight metal. Reifert’s double bass onslaught has a double-time feel due to the snare placement on all the &’s. He breaks the pattern up with groupings of three notes played between his snare/crash and feet that create a brief polyrhythmic three-over-four feel in the fourth and sixth mea-sures. At the verse, he simplifies this thrash pattern’s footwork.

“I THINK WHEN THERE’S A LOT OF BLASTBEATS, THAT BECOMES THE FOCUS INSTEAD OF THE ACTUAL GUITAR RIFFS”


music. He’s just like, ‘Here’s my song,’ and I’ll be like ‘Ah, f__k.’ His songs can be really challeng-ing to me, but after all these years I’m used to his way of playing too. A couple of times and I can get it down.”

�at our guy is a quick study shouldn’t surprise anyone. As the original drummer in seminal tech-death band (and scene icon) Death, Reifert’s parts are memorialized on the Tampa band’s influential debut from 1987, Scream Bloody Gore. �at came about when Death’s late frontman, Chuck Schuldiner, briefly settled in the Bay Area, a thrash mecca in the mid-’80s, and where he eventually crossed paths with Reifert.

When the guitarist returned to Florida, Rei-fert had no intention of leaving California so the stint with Death came to an abrupt end. �ough momentarily crushed, the drummer stepped into the drum chair for local thrashers Desecra-tion the following summer, but he was jonesing to start his own project. Forming Autopsy with Cutler in 1987, the band went on to make several records with the small but respected U.K. label Peaceville (which they are still signed to), but after a miserable tour in ’94, the band fell apart. Reifert then formed Abscess, his home for the next 15 years.

Sometimes, though, the past catches up with you. In 2009, Autopsy celebrated the 20th anniversary of debut Severed Survival with two

new songs for a special reissue. “It was only supposed to be for that and nothing else,” he says. “We weren’t officially back together. We’re like, ‘Oh, this will be a little treat’ or whatever, but then that sparked something.”

What it sparked was an avalanche of emails from promoters and booking agents to come play. �e band turned down each and every one … until they couldn’t. “�e guys from Maryland Deathfest were really aggressive about it, just pushing more and more, and then other people in Europe were contacting us. So we actually started to think about if for a minute.” Moreover, Abscess had fallen apart. At the same time, and purely by coincidence, the members were dreaming up Autopsyesque ideas. “It was all of sudden like, ‘Wow, I just got this cool riff in my head. I better get home and write that down.’ Man, it just really avalanched. I’m still in shock.”

�e vibe of Autopsy’s material from the mid-’90s, around the time they broke up, segues seamlessly into 2010’s �e Tomb Within EP, which marked the band’s return. 2011 follow-up Macabre Eternal, and now �e Headless Ritual, prove the reunion was no fluke but the beginning of a second act. “It’s like a continuation,” Reifert explains. “We still have the same vision for the band and the same way of playing. Time has gone on so we’re older of course, but we’re no less hungry to make a good little bit of noise.”

INSIDE TRACKS

Autopsy The Headless Ritual

Playing slow ain’t easy. So while the amped-up thrash attack atop “Slaughter At Beast House” is certainly attention grabbing, it’s the subsequent doom-laden dirge — reveal-ing drummer/growler Chris Reifert’s eternal patience and dynamic control — that makes a more lasting impression. Such subtle quali-ties may no longer be valued in the genre, but for those who still enjoy hearing a living, breathing human heartbeat behind their cacophonous carnage, Autopsy’s latest is a nostalgic treat. �ere are no triggers or click tracks jailing Reifert’s fluid feel on �e Head-less Ritual, and his penchant for triplet-based fills adds a classic rock swing to the macabre mix. Example: “When Hammer Meets Bone” offers multiple Keith Moon moments, with one sprawling tom roll even catching a bit of cymbal. Some might deem such a technical slip blasphemous; others will appreciate the existence of a rare, idiosyncratic happy ac-cident left untouched on a modern recording.

—David Jarnstrom

CHUZ ESTRADA (JESSE & JOY)VALENTINO ARTEAGA (OF MICE & MEN)

ROB KETCHUM (CHER LLOYD)

T R X L T D S E R I E S


THE BEST OF TMike ManginiDRUMMER OF THE YEARRUNNERS-UP

• Taylor Hawkins• Josh Freese• Chris Dave

PROGRESSIVE ROCK DRUMMER OF THE YEARRUNNERS-UP

• Neil Peart• Gavin Harrison• Marco Minnemann

Interviewed By Dave Constantin

DRUM!: A lot has changed for you over the last few years. What did this past year look like?MIKE MANGINI: I’ve been in Dream �eater land, as everyone knows. It’s a big commit-ment, whether we’re playing together or we’re not, because I want to keep progressing, and there are a lot of things that I haven’t practiced enough to be able to do that have always been in my head. And then each time I achieve something a whole new set of things comes in. It’s almost like a blessing and a curse. �ere’s never enough time. And when I’m in between Dream �eater land I’m doing the drum clinic thing, or with my family. Or, now, I took up golf within the last year, and that’s become like a disease, in a good way. [laughs]

But Dream �eater finished at the beginning of September last year. We had been going and going and going and going. And every single month off that the band had, I did at least one week’s worth of drum clinics. So I was away from home and my family almost all the time. And when the band finished in early September, [D.T. guitarist] John Petrucci asked me to go on tour with him to South America for the G3 tour.

�e interesting thing about being in Dream �eater is there’s a ton of downtime. Yeah, we have press things to do, and we all practice a lot, of course, but really, there’s plenty of downtime to be doing stuff in the middle. So it’s just an awesome situation.

D!: You went from being a full-time instruc-tor to full-time rock star with Dream �eater. Was that a difficult transition?MM: Although I took all the clinics that came in between Dream �eater tours, I was actu-ally more frantic, more busy, and 20-million times as stressed out before joining Dream �eater. Joining Dream �eater relieved me. My life completely took a turnaround. Even people hanging out with me noticed my neck wasn’t as tight. [laughs]

Working at Berklee is extremely great. I mean, really. My colleagues there are fantastic; I’ve always loved teaching; being able to do that at that facility was really really cool. However, working with that job, you still have to supplement your income with another job, and it’s really difficult to fill the time. I resigned at the very end of 2010 when life with Dream �eater started. And my last few months at Berklee were even more stressful than any time in the history of my life, because I was dealing with all the stuff that went along with my life at that time, and I had to construct a drum set to record the first album with the band. Because I decided I had to go through the entire catalog of ten records to get a sense of how to make a combination of the set that I would be comfortable playing and the set that I would be required to play in order to play ten records of material.

D!: Is that kit still evolving?MM: Tidbits change. My tech and the different sound engineers were constantly in communi-cation with me. I was constantly asking them questions like, “What about this drumhead combination? What about this? How does it really sound?” And basically I nailed it. After I had recorded A Dramatic Turn Of Events and we went on the road, really nothing has structur-ally changed on the drums, and nothing really changed when we did this last record. I did change a few cymbals and drumhead types. But pretty much the wisest thing I ever did was to go through that catalog of Dream �eater before settling into my own little spot.

D!: At this point, do you feel that “new drum-mer smell” has finally washed off and you’re now accepted by fans as the rightful drum-mer for Dream �eater — as opposed to still being viewed as Mike Portnoy’s replacement?MM: Absolutely. And the reality of that can be truthfully understood from the people that were there. All of those fans that came out to support the band gave me such an overwhelm-ing amount of support and positivity that it is absolutely, totally, completely mind-blowing to me. Now, I’m discussing that reality rather than a projected reality by a small number of people that didn’t check it out and still had ideas or opinions. But they didn’t even see it. It was the

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THE BEST!

Interviewed By Dave Constantin

DRUM!: Tell us about the highlights of your career in and out of the studio over the last year that have contributed to our readers voting for you to win these two categories.LENNY CASTRO: I really can’t answer that question because once I do a session or a project I move on. I’ve done so much even in one year’s time I cannot remember what I’ve done. One thing I do remember is the new Joe Bonamassa Live In �e Vienna Opera House DVD that just came out — that might be it, or the Adele CD 21. �ere are more. It’s very hard

to tell. Like I said, once I do a project, I let it go and move to the next thing, whatever that may be. If I hear about it later from a fan or a colleague, that’s cool.

D!: What would you say is your most identifi-able signature element in your playing that no one else can do as well as you — or at least exactly like you, and how did you develop it? (We’re giving you permission to boast here.)LC: [laughs], I appreciate the opportunity to brag, but I’m not like that. It’s not in my na-

ture. I have been blessed with great parents, great teachers, and wonderful talents given to me by the powers that be. What I do and how I do it is irrelevant. I know that I was raised listening to a lot of different types of music and that I was always going in the op-posite direction as everyone else. When my friends were listening to Latin, I was listen-ing to rock, R&B, classical, country-western — oh, and great TV music from theme songs to commercials to cartoon music. I learned to switch off my Latin roots to play other

idea in their head that I couldn’t possibly work out. And a lot of people still stick with that. �at little struggle is not over. But it will be once this new record comes out. I can say that.

D!: Well, obviously enough of our readers admire your technical skill as being at the pinnacle of the craft. Do you have one signa-ture thing on drums that no one else can do as well as you?MM: Well, I do, but I do have to have a disclaimer that our drum community is the greatest thing probably on planet Earth. We have something that apparently other instrument communi-ties don’t have at the level we have it, with the camaraderie, the magazines, the festivals, the whole thing. It’s pretty amazing. Because

of that, I’m friends with most of my peers. So eventually everybody realizes that each person is in and of themselves special and unique. But, there are skills outside of us all that are attain-able by anybody. So, if I were to say that, yes, there’s something that I do that nobody else does, I’m not silly enough to think that nobody else can sit there and just practice to techni-cally do it. But there’s a difference between something being in a person’s heart and not. And what is in my heart is to orchestrate in a completely ambidextrous way on the drum kit.

If I were playing on a 4-piece kit — which I’m totally happy doing, believe me — I would play differently. But true ambidexterity — not just hitting a drum on the left or hitting a pedal — is required to change up the feel. In the stereo

image, when I switch from the right side of the kit to the left side of the kit, you can feel it. It doesn’t matter if it’s totally audible by some-body who doesn’t know anything about music. But the feeling is there. And in order to do that, my limbs have to have a reflection of being as equal as possible. �at’s my calling.

D!: Now that our readers have decided you’re the greatest drummer in the world, what’s next? Disneyland?MM: [laughs] If I can take the family with me, yes. But really, I just want to say thank you. I really appreciate everybody that supported me. It really is wonderful. I’m just smiling from ear to ear with one piece of good news after another. It really is a great time in my life.

Lenny CastroPERCUSSIONIST OF THE YEARRUNNERS-UP

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genres too. But I’m not the only one who can do that. I don’t see myself as being so differ-ent than my fellow percussionist friends.

D!: Have you learned any new beats, tricks, techniques, etc. in the last year or changed any fundamental aspect of your playing?LC: I was called to do the Joe Bonamassa gig last year and the producer, Kevin Shirley, said to me, “�is is not going to be your regular congas, bongos, and tambourine kind of gig. It’s going to be a very different approach.” To me, that says, ‘Here is a challenge,’ and I love that. It keeps me fresh, thinking out of the box, so to speak. He also told me that he was putting together a very eclectic band from all over the place — an acoustic band. One guy from Ireland, one from Sweden, and me and another gentleman from L.A. �ey sent me the songs and I listened to them and was floored by the music. It inspired me to put together a very different setup that included bodhráns, frame drums, a cajon with a bass drum pedal in it, a djembe, a washboard. Like I said, very different. I had very little experience with some of these instruments, like the bodhrán and the frame drums, but I have always had a knack to be able to see, then play, instruments since I was a child. I did some research and learned more not only how to play them but the his-tory of these instruments.

I am always looking for new ways to play and new things to play. It’s a never-ending journey in the life of a percussionist or any musician. I always like to mix and match instru-ments. You have to always expand your mind to think in different ways and challenge yourself. So, with the learning of these drums and their techniques come different rhythms and beats.

D!: What is your typical practice regimen like these days?LC: I practice when I can but it’s difficult because I’m pretty busy either in the studio or on the road or doing stuff around the house. So there is no regimen. Sometimes I don’t practice at all. If I want to try something new I do it on the gig. I love the pressure.

D!: At this point in your career, are you still auditioning for gigs with new artists or do you get to simply choose what you do and don’t do?LC: I haven’t auditioned for a gig since my first big gig I got with Melissa Manchester in 1974, I think. I do not audition. If someone wants me, they call me. I have done enough in my career. People know what I do. Aerosmith’s management called me one time and said, “We are looking for a percussionist. So, what have you done?” the guys says. I told the guy, “Do your homework before you call someone

up and ask stupid questions,” and I hung up. I don’t have time for stupidity. Auditions are nerve-wracking and a pain in the ass.

D!: Having played with some of the biggest names in music throughout your career, is there any band, artist, or musical style you’ve yet to experience as a player that you most want to?LC: �ere is a ton of stuff I still want to do, the biggest being to do a solo CD. But there are loads of things and people I still want to experience in my musical life. I recently did a tour this year in Japan with a Japanese band called Love Psychedelico. My first tour with a Japanese artist. It was fantastic. I want to do more with them. I love them a lot. �is is a big deal for me since Japan is my second home and I spend a lot of time there.

D!: What can we expect from you in the com-ing year? What musical projects are you most excited about?LC: As far as what’s coming up, I can’t say. You know how this business is; you never know what’s around the corner. You just have to be ready for anything that comes your way. I will be doing more touring with Joe Bonamassa this fall, so look out for that. I will be playing with his electric band and the acoustic band I was talk-ing about earlier. �at, I’m very excited about.

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JAZZ PERCUSSIONISTGiovanni HidalgoRUNNERS-UP

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Clinical ly Proven

Jason Bittner

Blackman-Santana

As he carves his way through Malibu Canyon in a rented SUV, Chili Pep-

pers drummer Chad Smith tries to recall the first clinic he ever put

on. Late to a recording session with Sugarland singer Jennifer Net-

tles, Smith’s a bit distracted, but the memory gets him cackling. �at’s because when

the concept was floated to him by a gear rep sometime back in the mid-’90s, it was

laughable. “I’m like, ‘Karaoke drumming, really?’” he says, chuckling at the memory of

his then-derogatory view of this budding subgenre of drum instruction.

By Andrew Lentz

I l lustration by Bla ke Loos l i

rarely occupy the

same sentence let alone the same stage.

But on the topic of drum clinics,

countless hours playing solo under

the microscope have led them all to the

same conclusion: The learning process

is a two-way street.

the stars of DRUM! Night 2013


Chad Smith,

& Cindy

————————————

—————— ——————

Jason Bittner

Blackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-SantanaBlackman-Santana

Chad Smith,Jason Bittner

&Jason Bittner

&&&Jason BittnerJason BittnerJason BittnerJason Bittner


Clinical ly Proven

“He’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s kind of popular now, blah, blah.’”It sounded great in theory, but Smith’s initial enthusi-

asm soon vanished once he started thinking about what he would actually do. “I remember being on the plane and writing stuff down: ‘I went to school here; I played with this band’ — and it just sounded so boring, so I was, ‘I’ll just wing it.’”

Jason Bittner had an all together different challenge on his maiden clinic, which happened to be the Modern Drummer Festival in 2005. Or it would have been had he not sought the counsel of an elder statesman. “I asked Steve Smith if he had any advice on doing clinics,” the Shadows Fall drummer recalls over the phone. Bittner is at home in Schenectady, New York, where he just logged three hours of private lessons with his students. “He said, ‘Yeah, do another clinic before you do your first real clinic.’” [laughs]

Let’s Get This Party StartedWe all know teachers agonize over lesson plans. But for our chosen subjects, preparation is the least worrisome as-pect of putting on a clinic. “I come with things in mind to talk about,” says Blackman-Santana, “but I don’t have to stick to those things. I’ve done clinics where we didn’t get to any of that because the questions that they asked me were so interesting. If I get to the venue and feel a certain way, I go accordingly.”

Preparation is pointless for Bittner because there is no way you can plan something as chaotic as a gathering of drumming enthusiasts. “Crowds can dictate your clinics based on their participation,” he explains. “But when you have clinics and there are no questions from the audience? Those can be real long nights.”

Smith has an even simpler approach to prep. “The game plan is to not suck,” he says. “And sometimes it’s kind of hard because I’m used to playing with other musi-cians. I much prefer that over playing by myself.”

At the start of a clinic, Blackman-Santana, who plays in various guises including CBS Trio and Another Lifetime, improvises on the kit. Unlike Smith and Bittner, she does not bring tracks to play along with, although someone surely wants to hear “Are You Gonna Go My Way” from her time with Lenny Kravitz. “I like people to hear the tone of my drums because I want to talk about tuning and sound and drum selection and why I play what I play,” she says. “I set the tone for that by playing first.”

Education Vs. EntertainmentSometimes the clinic’s structure depends on how it’s being billed. A tour, a drum festival, or a one-off at a mom-and-pop music store have different requirements. Says Bittner: “I don’t go through the whole 45-minute double bass tutorial anymore because now it’s on the What Drives The Beat DVD. I’m trying to give a clinic that is not just about heavy metal. It’s about drumming, period. Knowing the roots. Learning to play different styles of music.

“Now, let’s talk about a clinic tour,” he continues. “I had one a number of years ago with Stu Hamm — amaz-ing bass player. When we did that, obviously we weren’t doing 90 minutes apiece. We’d do, like, 45 minutes each and then play together. So that was more of a performance kind of thing where it wasn’t that much education.”

A milestone in the development of Blackman-Santana’s clinic came when she went through some 50 instructional DVDs to get ideas, but one thing stood out: No one was talk-ing about the evolution of the drum set, a glaring omission she has since rectified. But that wasn’t all. “There were peo-ple who talked about comping, but nobody talked about how [the craft] arrived at that,” she says. “That’s one of the things I still talk about today because I think it’s really important for people to grasp that concept even if they 1) Are not jazz drummers, 2) Don’t want to play that way, or 3) Don’t even

“T here were people who ta l ked about comping, but nobody ta l ked about how [the craf t] arrived

at that.”

—Cindy Black man- Santana

Photograph: MA

RKU

S LACK

ING

ER/JAZZFO

TO


care about it. Because it gives you a base and something to build off of. So that’s something that I really stress.”

Clinics are all about interactivity, but Smith takes the idea a step further. “If there’s two drum sets, I get people to play along. I like to get young kids up because I really support young people getting involved in music. I really respect the importance of hard work and doing what you love. And I just try to pass that along and just a little bit of my story, how dedicated and in love with music I still am after all these years. The next thing you know it’s like 40–50 minutes have gone by, maybe play a solo at the end — ba-da boom, ba-da bing! See ya later.”

Do’s & Don’tsBack to that clinic Smith was brainstorming on the airplane ride. Call it a triple-header: First, Best, and Worst. Taking

place at a rock club in Nashville in the middle of the after-noon (Skid Row’s drummer was also on the bill, he thinks), Smith recalls a box of a place with walls painted black. Playing along to something from Blood Sugar Sex Magik, all was fine but it seemed too easy. “I’m doing my thing and I just felt, ‘This kinda blows.’ He noticed the club had cages for dancing girls suspended from either side of the stage. To spice things up, why not offer his drum set to the first person to get into the cages and get naked? A few minutes later some kid was in the buff with his hand over his privates.

“Next day, I get a call — I can’t remember, it might have been the Sabian people — but somebody’s like, ‘Chad, what did you do at the clinic yesterday?’

“I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’“He goes, ‘We’re being sued. Pearl is being sued. The

club is being sued. You’re being sued for inciting lewd and lascivious behavior …’

W hen it comes to putting on a drum show,

retailers who want to grow their business could do worse than follow the example of Donn Bennett Drum Studio, a vintage super-store just outside Seattle.

Every November, epony-mous founder Donn Bennett (whose monthly “Time Cap-sule” column you’ll find on the last page of this issue) puts on Woodstick Big Beat, or what he calls “the mother of all clin-ics.” �e event features a slate of notable drummers giving separate clinics throughout the day. (Woodstick 2012 featured �omas Lang, Mike Johnston, Glen Sobel, Tim Alexander, and others.)

Outsourcing a sound company and getting up to ten major clinicians and their kits in and out in a timely fashion (plus several hundred drum set players for “Big Beat,” Woodstick’s grand finale), is a logistical nightmare, but it’s not the main hurdle for Bennett. “I guess the biggest challenge of the whole thing is getting the word out,” he says

over the phone from subur-ban Bellevue. “Since we have a zero-dollar budget we rely almost entirely on volunteers, guys in the shop, and whatever support we can get from the community.”

While social media is a key promotional tool, Bennett also avails himself of traditional platforms such as a popular morning drive-time show in Seattle that has regularly plugged Woodstick over the years. “We could never afford to get that kind of radio adver-tising,” he explains. “I would think that in most major mar-kets there is some sort of show like that where an arrange-ment like that could be worked out. As long as everybody gets something out of the deal.”

For the last several years Woodstick has taken place in a 30,000 sq. ft. field house. It has also taken place in QwestField, home of the NFL’s Seahawks. For this year’s up-coming event, a tribal casino in Tacoma donated its events center, including full use of a stage and P.A. system.

Despite the far-flung locales, attendees make the

connection between Wood-stick and Donn Bennett Drum Studio. The store’s banner is over the stage and there is a booth present. In the past, stacks of cymbals and drums were brought to the venue, but that idea turned into too much trouble logistically. “Basically we make it really clear at the event that Donn Bennett Drum Studio is a cool place that loves drums, drumming, and drummers, and sooner or later most of the attendees will make it into the shop.”

To make it simple for “regular” clinics during the year, artists stop by the store while on tour, but Bennett has occasionally flown out talent

for the occasion. Whether it’s Woodstick or a regular clinic, the whole idea, Bennett says, is to make sure everybody leaves happy, even if it’s just with a free T-shirt, a pair of sticks, or an autograph. “It’s also important that the sponsoring companies get something as well,” he continues. “We try to promote some kind of special on their products on the day of show but, particularly for drum companies, we might not sell any of their drums day of show — it’s a big purchase. We al-ways want to make sure we get pictures of the artist with their sponsor’s product up on our social media right away. �at way the sponsors get some immediate gratification.”

Host With The Most:Donn Bennett


Clinical ly Proven“And I’m ‘Oh, holy s__t.’” Apparently there had been a

preacher and his son in the audience. Fortunately no one was sued and Smith was duly chastened.

In the weeks preceding a PASIC convention at which she was scheduled to perform, Blackman-Santana injured her left hand in a bicycle accident and was about to cancel. In those dark moments, she found strength from a story Art Blakey once told her about a televised gig that Buddy Rich played. On the broadcast you couldn’t tell at first, but as Rich’s drum riser came up through the floor, viewers saw his arm in a sling. “And so I went and I did the clinic with one hand,” she recalls.

“And Peter Erskine and I went to dinner afterward and Peter said, ‘I didn’t even notice until just a little bit ago that you did the clinic with one hand because it was actu-ally hurt. I thought you were just showing off!’”

If we didn’t know better we’d think Bittner’s best clinic was lifted from a Sam Ash commercial — or maybe a dream sequence from a primetime sitcom. The town officials in

Krasnodar, in southern Russia, took him out to lunch, checked him into the city’s top hotel, and even presented him with giant cake decorated like a snare drum with his name above frosting drum sticks. Later, after checking out the Tama Starclassic B/B kit set up to his exact specifica-tions, one thing struck him as odd: a banquet table in from the drum riser. “I was, ‘Uh, why is there a table with chairs in front of the drum set?’ They said, ‘You’re doing a press conference at 4:00.’ I said, ‘What?’”

Speaking to 30 or so assembled journos was the easy part. It was the 400 people who showed up to the clinic that really freaked him out. Calling out Shadows Fall song titles and even singing along to the lyrics, the sweat-drenched fans never forgot that the occasion was first and foremost a clinic. “I was like, ‘Do you guys even want me to do exercises and stuff or just give a concert?’ And they screamed, ‘Education! Education!’ So I did my whole program.”

It also highlighted the difference between clinics in North America and Europe. “It’s a lot more of the

DRUM!: What’s the single greatest challenge in sponsor-ing a clinic?Tama: Communication. Even the simplest clinic demands that numerous human beings who may not even know one another have to come together as a tight team. Any given Tama clinic may involve any combination of the following: An artist, an artist’s manager, our artist rela-tions department, one or more members of our sales team, the music store owner, its managers and staff, and of course, my team. Many of the above-mentioned people are very busy with demands that have nothing to do with the clinic. So keeping everyone on the same page, in terms of deadlines and details, is most of the work involved in putting a clinic together.

Pearl: Achieving proper return on investment. Our clinic

program is based on dealer performance. It is a tool used by dealers to help promote the sales of our products and to build a bond of loyalty and community with the drummers in his area. If the clinic is done properly there are sales before and after the event with additional dis-counts on product. Our hope is that our artists will inspire the attendees.

Gretsch: As with any market-ing endeavor, the money needs to be available and budgeted. We have a dedi-cated artist clinic budget that is part of the overall market-ing budget. As much as we do, there are always opportuni-ties that we cannot fit into the budget. �e logistics that are involved for a clinic can be tricky. Store dates, artist schedule availability, infor-

mational marketing materials, and other variables come into play. �is frequently adds up to a lot of communication with little details that need to be managed. Kim Graham, our Gretsch artist relations manager, does a super job of maintaining this aspect of clinic management.

DRUM!: With so many high-profile artists on your roster, how do you choose who gets to have a clinic and when?Pearl: We do not choose. It is the dealer’s event so we allow them to choose. Once a budget is established the dealer picks from artists whose fees are in his budget’s price range. Artist fees vary. We then ask the dealer for the proposed date of their event. If that artist is not available we will go back to the dealer for a second choice. �is is a marketing cooperative

with our dealer base and we want them to have the best opportunity to succeed. A suc-cessful event is one that both builds and unites the drum-ming community and spikes the dealer’s sales before, dur-ing, and after the event.

Gretsch: �ere are a few fac-tors involved, including avail-able funds, artist availability, and specific artist requests by the retailer. A talented clinician requires credibility, a focused content concept, strong com-munication skills, and an open, engaging personality. We have been fortunate to have several Gretsch artists who fit this criterion very nicely.

Tama: Like everyone in our business, the economy has challenged us to do more with less. �at means a lot of really tough decisions. We seek to

A Clinician’s Best FriendUnless Bill Gates is the drummer, clinics wouldn’t be possible without support from the gear manufacturers. We

spoke to Pearl’s Mike Farriss, Gretsch’s John Palmer, and Tama’s Pat Graham, endorsees of Chad Smith, Cindy

Blackman-Santana, and Jason Bittner, respectively, to find out what it takes to put on a percussive circus.


maximize the benefit to all par-ties involved. So rather than it being a “yes” to this artist and a “no” to that artist, we’re looking for an alignment of the planets that answers numerous concerns such as: Will the clinic promote our brand in a way that might help the dealer sell some drums? Does the dealer tend to cater to a particular musical genre? Is the artist a good match for that clientele? Is the retailer “good” at running and promoting events? Who’s available when? Will the artist already be in the geograph-ic area, therefore eliminating travel costs? And so on.

DRUM!: How involved are you in the logistics, in terms of gear, sound, etc.?Pearl: Logistics and art-ist transportation often falls completely on us as we are the featured sponsor. We will book flights and coordinate with the dealer to make sure the proper gear is there for the artist the day of the clinic. We are also responsible for making sure the artist’s fee is paid.

Tama: If the clinic is taking place in support of a particular dealer, we work out the details with the dealer, and the dealer does much of the figurative and literal

“heavy lifting.” For our part, we ensure that the artist is going to have the gear he or she needs to give a great clinic. For those events that aren’t sponsored in partnership with a dealer, we’ve taken on more of the gear/logis-tical responsibilities.

Gretsch: We work with the artist and the store on logistics for every event. We have drum set information on file for each artist that details series and configurations they are comfortable with. We work with the store to make sure there is a specific Gretsch kit there that matches the artist gear profile. We also collaborate with the store to make sure an appropriate audio/video system is in place to use for questions/answers and artist play-alongs and other media. In terms of sound, we leave it up to the store or venue to provide a pro-fessional mix, which in general they consistently achieve. DRUM!: What was your biggest mistake as a clinic organizer?Tama: �inking it’s possible to ensure things can be so well planned that everything will be completely perfectly orga-nized at every clinic. Even with everyone’s best efforts, things

come up. You just make it work, by working with everyone, the best you can.

Gretsch: In general, we have had really good consistency with our clinics. �e key is mak-ing sure all dates are confirmed and locked down, both by the artist and the store. It’s impor-tant that the artist doesn’t sur-prise the store when they arrive for a clinic and vice-versa, it’s critical that the artist arrives when expected by the store. It all comes down to clearly com-municating expectations.

Pearl: �e organization of the event in [a given] market falls on the dealer as he knows his market better than we do. Our greatest concern is that the preparations are well organized by the dealer on the front end. A successful event from this as-pect would be proper promotion, production, venue, and product. We also want the artist to be very comfortable when setting up and sound checking. It is important to a good event that everything the artist requires to perform is in place. If everything is properly organized then all the pieces will fall into place, and the event as a whole should be a stress-free environment.

Mike Farriss | Pearl

John Palmer | Gretsch

Pat Graham | Tama

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“T here’s a d if ference between being in an on l ine cl inic chat room ... and being physica l ly in the room with someone.”

—Jason Bittner


Clinical ly Proventechnical questions,” he says. “I’m a New Yorker so I talk really fast. My reps that are handling me over there are always like, ‘Remember, you’ve got to talk slow,’ because I’m just rambling away and you can just see that they’re catching every third or fourth word.”

On the f lipside, we assumed Bittner’s nightmare clinic was the one in a London pub a few years ago when a drunk was heckling him. Or that time in Poland where an audience member continuously challenged him (He later confessed, “I kind of liked it.”). But the honor goes to a small music store in Massachusetts a few months ago. It all started when the store employees wanted to remove the click track sound from the playback. “Doing all this stuff at zero hour made me nervous. I want to do it the way I want to do it — I’m the artist, right? I’m not trying to be that guy, but shouldn’t I be the one that has the say on how I’m going to do my clinic? It’s how I’ve been doing this for the last three years and no one has complained about it before. My argument was you barely hear [the click] anyways.”

Sure enough, the laptop crashed halfway through the first Shadows Fall track. On the next track, the metronome and the song panned out of his head-phones in a section that had a tempo change. No big deal, he just counted and came back in where he was supposed to, but it definitely messed up his mojo. “It was one of those things where I knew it was going to be messed up if it didn’t go down the way that I had been practicing it for the last two weeks prior.”

We all know New Yorkers love to complain, but Bittner’s reasons for hat-ing that day are altruistic. “It’s the first time that I left a clinic actually wonder-ing if people enjoyed it or not.”

Reading The CrowdClinic audiences are a mixed bag includ-ing beginners, pros, and everybody in between. Because of this, clinicians have to strike the right balance of keeping advanced students interested without leaving newbies behind. “I try to break things down,” says Blackman-Santana. “And I ask them if they understood, and if anybody says no, then I would break it down further. Otherwise how are you go-ing to help somebody?”

As a jazz drummer, Blackman-San-tana’s audience tends to have more of a

foundational understanding of the finer concepts such as comping and limb inde-pendence, but just because you’re among like-minded folks is no excuse to get self-indulgent: “I’ve seen a lot of drummers do clinics where they just go in and play a bunch of stuff and it sounds great, but it sounds like they’re just doing that: Playing a bunch of stuff. There’s no real teaching that’s going on.”

Despite the stick-twirling antics of a Chili Peppers show, Smith is as bothered by “performance clinics” as Blackman-Santana is. As a kid in the late ’70s, the future Pepper had an-ticipated a Billy Cobham clinic com-ing through Ann Arbor, Michigan, for weeks, even getting there early to drool over the Mahavishnu master’s kit. As Smith recalls, Cobham walked out and sat down without a word, proceeding to dazzle everyone for 20 minutes. “And then he steps up to the microphone and says, ‘Any questions?’ It was so intimi-dating. I don’t know if he didn’t want to be there or was in a bad mood or maybe that’s just what he does. What are you going say after that? ‘What kind of sticks do you use, Mr. Cobham?’”

It’s more intellectually gratifying for Blackman-Santana at a targeted clinic, like the master class she recently gave at State University Of New York (Orange campus). “This was with professional drummers, but there were also guitar players and a couple of bass players there, so I was discussing the cohesion of play-ing together, which I would talk about anyway, but maybe a little more because there were other instrumentalists there. I talked about some of my particular views on the music business, where things in the industry are headed. I like to feel people out and see what they want to talk about. At the same time, I want to talk about the topics that I feel are important.”

Smith isn’t big on handouts or other materials because it makes the time together seem like school — a death sentence for any clinician. Blackman-Santana’s aversion is more immedi-ate. “I’m not doing anything like that,” she scoffs. “If you say, ‘I’m a student of drums for life,’ that’s beautiful. When you say I’m a third grader and I need a sheet, then you are going to remain a third grader and keep needing a sheet. Nothing wrong with a sheet, you can get great information. It’s just not a tactic that I have employed.”

Bittner is the complete opposite, hand-ing out three–to-five pages every time, no exceptions. “That’s why sometimes they


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Clinical ly Provenrun so long because they start looking at stuff and I’m going, ‘Oh, man, we’ve got to wrap this up. If there’s anything you see here that you want me to go through, ask me.’ But I won’t sit there and go through everything on the pages — we might be there for hours.”

Speaking of long stretches of time, we never mentioned what happened in that trial clinic Bittner did back in ’05. Close to 175 people came out — very respectable for a first-timer. But the takeaway was more valuable. “I learned no one wants to see you there for two-and-a-half hours.” [laughs]

Protocol And EtiquetteThe first rule of a clinic is there are no rules — either for the clinician or the audience. It’s more about common sense. Take the topic of filming, for instance. “I don’t care if you record, film, whatever,” Bittner says. “I would prefer if you don’t, but if you’re going to, please just keep it for your own personal use. I don’t want it up on YouTube only because 95 percent of the people that come to these things have a cell phone and the sound qual-ity is going to be terrible. And then you read all the comments: ‘I can’t hear! It sounds like crap!’ Exactly. Which is why I tape every one of my clinics with the [Zoom] Q3 and I even tell people, ‘Look, I’m filming this with my own cameras at good angles so you can see what’s going on and with a good sound card so you can hear it and I’m going to put it all on the Internet where you can get it for free anyways. I’m not selling it.’”

Once a clinic’s over it ain’t really over. Smith, Blackman-Santana, and Bittner sign autographs, hand out schwag, and do meet-and-greets, not because they have to but because it’s a good hang. “My thing is if you do one autograph signing you should do them all,” Smith says. “It’s not fair to be like, ‘I’m only going sign for 20 minutes and then be, ‘Screw all you guys.’”

During the Q&A portion, Smith fre-quently has to rein in the star-struck fan: “‘Do you think you look like Will Ferrell?’ That comes up quite a bit,” he says, and not at all joking. “People can start getting a little kooky with all that Hollywood s__t, you know?”

Bittner has a strategy for modifying audience behavior when things veer off topic. “I’ll get, ‘Do you know Neil Peart?’ ‘Yes. Next question.’ I’m not rude but I’ll keep the answer short. I’m not here to tell you about all my famous drummer

friends. 99.9 percent of the guys you ask if I know them, I know them. Probably every one is in my phone right now. You get those people where you can tell when they’re asking, they’re looking for you to say something maybe not positive [about that drummer].”

Sometimes Blackman-Santana gets what she calls “the ugly girl questions”: “What’s it like to be a female drum-mer?” She used to find it irritating, but lately doesn’t mind it. “If people don’t understand someone’s perspective, their thoughts about that might never change,” she reasons. “So when they ask me about that I tell them, ‘My hands don’t know whether they’re male or female; they just know whether they’re making a certain sound or not.’”

Besides blowing chops and being rude, what are the biggest gaffes clinicians make? “I don’t know,” Bittner says, “maybe asking for too much money? Expecting the world and not getting it?”

When Students Are TeachersHow many clinicians would own up to learning something from an audience member? In Japan a few years ago, a young unschooled girl actually had Smith rethinking his crossover on hats and snare. It’s hard for him to describe her unorthodox technique, but, he says, “I remember the power that she got out of her right hand. It opened my eyes like, Wow, that sounds really cool. I did it for a while, but I wasn’t confident enough to pull it off on stage or anything like that.”

As for shameless pilfering from other drummers, it’s open season all year ’round. “I have no qualms about that,” he adds gleefully. “What are clinics for? You go to guitar clinics and they tape up their ped-als and knobs so you can’t see what their settings are. What’s that about?”

As for the stolen lick, Smith won’t say what it was but he will cop to the victim: “Ian Paice. That’s all you need to know. He did a one-handed roll on the snare, which I’ve seen but never in person and it was amazing,” he says, adding, “but that’s not the thing I stole.”

Blackman-Santana recalls a time in Sydney where an audience member asked if the traditional-grip player ever reversed her grips, so that the right hand was traditional, her left matched. “I said, ‘I’ve never tried it, but I might as well right now.’ It was very awkward. [laughs] I don’t think he was a drummer



Clinical ly Proven

because it’s a weird thing to ask. But it was an interesting challenge.”

New Media:Help Or Hindrance?Ever since the recession, the availability of clinic dollars has dropped considerably. Even before then, online education and the increasing quality of the digital expe-rience — Skype lessons, etc. — encroaches on the traditional territory of clinics. “I think it’s great to integrate that with your clinic because then you’re able to share with many more people,” says Blackman-Santana. “I definitely plan on doing that. But I don’t think that should ever replace seeing clinics live. If you never saw Tony Williams play then you would never understand his power, his tone, the vorac-ity with which he attacked the drums. If you never saw Art Blakey play, who I was fortunate enough to see, you would never have felt him shake the stage.”

For Bittner, the golden age of clinics was 1985 till the early ’90s. Drome Sound, the local music store in Schenectady, was his go-to spot, and he caught every one the store put on because it “was a constant barrage of education.” Yes, music instruction has adapted to the Internet, but as far as replacing the clinic? “You can get online with anybody in the world but there’s a difference between being in an online clinic chat room or whatever and being physically in the room with someone. I may be able to look at you through the computer screen and go, ‘Okay, can you please play this?’ And okay, well, you can sort of see what I’m doing and kind of hear it I guess but …”

Smith is equally skeptical. “It’s just being able to have that experience of seeing somebody in person, seeing them sweat, in real time — not with a phone or viewfinder in your face. Being in the moment and always having that as your memory and your experience, I hope that that will always be there. I’m confident that it will.”

“It’s just being able to have that experience of seeing somebody in person, seeing them sweat, in rea l time — not with a phone or v iew-f inder in

your face.

—Chad Smith

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WORLD’S BESTYear after year, our artist roster makes us proud to be part of the KMC Musicorp Percussion Group. Congratulations to this year’s DRUMMIE Award winners and nominees who faithfully represent our brands and get the most out of our instruments.

You give it your best, so we give it our best.

MIKE JOHNSTON WINNER Drum

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Latin Percussionist

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Latin Percussionist, Percussion Clinician

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M A K I N G M O


ill Kennedy is sitting idly in his car in the dusty parking lot of a casual restaurant in south-

eastern Texas. Despite the artificial attractiveness of the manicured suburban landscape

around him — the very embodiment of the American Dream — his gaze is pointed downward, away

from the light streaming through the windshield and into the darkness below the dashboard.

W

BY ANDRE W NUSCA | PHOTOGR APH BY SERGIONE INF USO

HAS LEARNED PLENTY OF LESSONS ABOUT MUSICAL

EXPRESSION AND HOLDING DOWN A FAT GROOVE.

THE KEY IS HOW TO MAKE THAT WORK RIGHT NOW.

AS THE RHYTHMIC BACKBONE OF THE FORWARD-

THINKING JAZZ-FUSION OUTFIT YELLOWJACKETS,

WILL KENNEDY


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THE WINGSOF INSPIRATION


WILL KENNEDY


This is, admittedly, a strange position for someone behind the wheel. But Kennedy is striking an all-too-familiar pose in the 21st century: the distracted digital operator. (Good thing the car is parked.) With neck tucked and eyes locked, he flicks at the glowing screen of his mo-bile phone, transfixed by lines of text as they whiz by. The keys hang limply from the ignition.

Nope, nothing important today.At this time of year — right around election sea-

son — much of the United States is too cold to sit with the windows down. But this is Katy, a satellite city of

Houston that Kennedy now calls home, and the average temperature in the winter is the rough equivalent to what is experienced further north in the spring. It’s the perfect weather to let the breeze seep into the car.

Out of the blue, a woman Kennedy has never met walks up to the window and peers in.

“I feel like I should introduce myself.”She pauses, then smiles.“I’m the other Democrat in the neighborhood.”Kennedy pauses, searching for something to say. How

on Earth did she know that?

Infographic: JOH

N R. A

DA

MS

KENNEDY’S SETUP

DRUMS Pearl (Reference, Masters

Premium, or Masters MCX series)

1 22" x 18" Bass Drum

2 14" x 6.5" Snare Drum

3 12" x 8" Tom

4 14" x 14" Floor Tom

5 16" x 16" Floor Tom

CYMBALS Zildjian

A 14" A Custom Hi-Hat

B 16" A Custom Crash

C 20" K Custom Dry Ride

D 17" A Custom Crash

E 18" A Custom Crash

Will Kennedy also uses Pearl Eliminator chain-

drive single pedal, Pro-Mark Will Kennedy 5A

signature wood-tip and MJZ5 Jazz Café sticks,

and Evans heads (Clear EC2 tom batters, G1

tom resos, ST Dry snare, and EMAD2 bass)

A

1

2

3

4

5

BC

D E

DRUMmagazine.com August 2013 DRUM! 61 DRUMmagazine.com August 2013 DRUM! 61

Oh, right. The Obama 2012 sticker on the back bumper.

“Oh, wow, nice to meet you.” They both laugh at the awkward moment.

And that’s when William Kennedy realizes he’s not in California anymore.

EMBRACING CHANGEIn his decade-and-a-half of drumming for famed jazz-fusion quartet Yellow-jackets, Kennedy’s mantra has always been this: Create moments that take people places.

That is certainly what the 53-year-old is hoping he has done with his playing on the band’s new album, A Rise In The Road, which consists of ten new songs and features a fresh face on bass: Felix Pastorius, son of the late (and legendary) Weather Report bassist Jaco Pastorius. It is no small matter to change 25 percent of any band, never mind one that is 33 years old. But Kennedy is buzzing about the potential to break new ground.

“There’s fear involved — replacing a founding member, that big footprint of sound. What do you do? We didn’t do a big cattle call, but we played with a few guys. Felix stood out. We’re so glad, so happy that we captured him. He’s been a wonderful addition to our band and our sound. He brings a youthful spirit that is really wonderful to have, and that commitment to being a musician and character of sound is just an honor to see and experience.”

In this way, A Rise In The Road is aptly named: the personnel change repre-sents both a challenge and a chance at something new for this veteran group of musicians, which includes pianist Russell Ferrante and saxophonist Bob Mintzer. Little did the band know of the fortune that would come when it first set out on this road in 1981; more than three

decades and 22 albums later, its members are preparing to turn yet another corner in pursuit of new adventures.

A Rise In The Road chronicles that moment of transformation: personally, professionally, and, most importantly given the nature of the change, sonically. Nowhere is that more evident than in Kennedy’s drum playing.

“It’s a snapshot of time of our inter-pretation of these new songs. Some of them were really challenging in terms of creating groove and shape to them, and others were easier to fall into and play and have fun. It’s cool to create a project like that, that has some stretching going on, pushing the envelope in terms of musicality and groove, but kick back and enjoy a shuff le.”

The Jackets, as they call themselves, aren’t interested in duplicating past proj-ects, and for the new album, its members composed new songs with the clear intent of going in new directions. They got what they asked for: one such tune, “An Informed Decision,” carries a 4/4 time signature but has phrasing on top in 11. The song was written by Ferrante, and its structure initially perplexed the rest of the seasoned musicians in the group.

“It was just an enormous puzzle to find a groove. It’s an interesting Yellow-jackets challenge because we’re always excited about a strong melody. That’s re-ally important for us; we want that to be the statement of the song. It’s not about the groove so much as the content of the melody. And here we are with a song with such a technical base, with a great melody. So what do you do to support that melody and create that emotional arc in the song?”

To create that experience, Kennedy stripped the song down to its component parts using a tiny drum kit in Ferrante’s garage in Los Angeles. First, he laid down

“ IT ’S COOL TO CRE ATE A PROJECT LIKE

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GOING ON, PUSHING THE ENVELOPE IN

TERMS OF MUSICALIT Y AND GROOVE BUT

KICK BACK AND ENJOY A SHUFFLE.”

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WILL KENNEDY

a basic 4/4 beat so that his bandmates could work their way through their parts. “I found that it was important to lay a bed for them to get comfortable.” Once they inter-nalized the underlying structure of the song, Kennedy cued up Ferrante’s original demo, which Ferrante had composed in Apple’s Logic Pro software without drum programming. Then Kennedy just went at it, tackling its many nuances right there in rehearsal.

“It turned out to be a kind of funk-based groove that supports the four but implies the eleven. As I began to shed with it, I started by playing a backbeat of the four and using the bass drum to catch the hits of the eleven. That helped

me evolve to a groove that did not have the backbeat — though at the end, the vamp of the song, I brought the backbeat back to fade it out. It’s a loose, jazzy funk groove.”

In hindsight, it seemed to take him only a moment.

KEEPING UP WITH BIG BROTHERWill Kennedy sat behind his first drum set at age five, in the modest home in which he grew up in Oakland, Cali-fornia. His parents were not musicians, but his father had a sizable record collection and a passion for playing mu-sic at all hours. It was enough to perk up young Will’s ears.

“We were hearing music at all times in the house. Big band stuff, smaller trios, classical music, country-western — the whole gamut. It was a really great school for us. Even before I knew what jazz was, I was rolling with that sound.”

This, of course, was a time of great transition for music, from the prim sounds of the 1950s to the increas-ingly looser tones of the 1960s. Fond memories of Count Basie playing “April In Paris” were soon replaced by something decidedly funkier. Those early years left a mas-sive impression on Will and his older brother Hershall.

“Tony Williams and The New Lifetime. Billy Cobham’s Spectrum. And the funk — Parliament Funkadelic, Sly And The Family Stone, Tower Of Power — I had the best of both worlds.”

With six years on Will, Hershall began mastering the keyboard. (He is now a well-known multi-instrumentalist for funk outfit Graham Central Station.) The younger Kennedy was forced to keep up on the drum set.

“Supporting my brother as he played keyboards was a great challenge. He being older than me, I had to be on my toes to keep up with him. It pushed me. I had the desire to be pushed and keep up. We would write songs, learn songs from other artists, and countless hours of jamming.

“We had the police called a few times. We got to know those guys.”

So began Kennedy’s first drum lessons, and a series of formative experiences that gave him the vocabulary and tools to be confident on the throne. At age nine, Kennedy began taking formal lessons, getting an education on rudiments, note values, and the drummer’s role in a band of musicians.

“Playing an instrument that could be considered the loudest, how is it that I could affect the performance by doing the opposite of that, arc the emotion of the song by using dynamics? Discovering things like that. Those types of things evolved in my mind.”

In a flash of entrepreneurialism, Kennedy turned his brisk skills progress into a position in the house band of a local club. It was his first taste of music not just as a hob-by, but as a career. “It was like, ‘Oh, wow, I can get paid for this!’ Up until then it was just fun and games, something that Hershall and I did to have fun. I realized that this is really an art, a profession, to get good at and leave a legacy and a mark on the industry.”

Kennedy fondly recalls playing at the Keystone Korner jazz club in San Francisco with his brother. “Born in 1960, I wasn’t conscious of Coltrane and Miles. I wasn’t old enough to see them then. But they were appearing there often. When I discovered that playing drums could turn into a career, in my teens, we started playing there. It was awesome. The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins … a wide variety of artists would come and play. There was just a great community of musicians from the Oakland-Rich-mond-Berkeley–San Francisco area.”

Given such support, Hershall’s career began to blossom in the 1970s — he went on to join Graham Central Station after founder Larry Graham left Sly And The Family Stone — and shortly thereafter, so did Will’s. In the ensuing years, Will undertook more practice, played more gigs, and acquired plenty of chops all around the San Francisco Bay Area.

But he was still a young man, in awe of his elders. Nowhere was that more apparent than at his first drum clinic, held sometime in the late 1970s, at the well-known shop Drum World, then in San Francisco.

Sharing the session with him? Some guy 14 years his senior named David Garibaldi. From a hugely successful band called Tower Of Power that Kennedy may or may not have used to listen to as a kid. No pressure!

“I was nervous as a puppy. I didn’t really know what to say or do, other than to be myself and share techniques. Watching David do his presentation was a great learning experience and he just had a ton of techniques and ap-proaches to share. We all went to school watching him do that clinic.”

Even as he absorbed Garibaldi’s chops, Kennedy was terrified. What was he supposed to say? To do?

W I L L K E N N E D Y ’ S S E L E C T E D D I S C O G R A P H Y

1987Four Corners

1988Politics

1989The Spin

1991Greenhouse

1993Like A River

1994Run For Your Life

1995Dreamland

1997Blue Hats

1998Club Nocturne

2011Timeline

DRUMmagazine.com August 2013 DRUM! 63 DRUMmagazine.com August 2013 DRUM! 63

Should he get up there on stage and just play? Should he take questions? At a young age, Kennedy had the equivalent of a master’s degree in drum technique, but he was still in grade school when it came to the art of giving a presentation. He gave it his all anyway.

“The reaction was very positive, if I remember correctly. The advantage of having enough playing time under my belt to confidently deliver a performance and shape a solo and take people on a musical journey behind the kit, that’s what saved me through my nervousness.”

In other words, he made some mo-ments.

By 1986, Kennedy was a Bay Area fixture, and that’s when he was asked to audition for the five-year-old band Yel-lowjackets. He aced it. Replacing found-ing drummer Ricky Lawson, Kennedy redirected the band’s funky inflections toward a more swinging, rocking path. The following year, the band recorded and released its album, Four Corners. It would be a milestone that set in motion a string of Grammy-winning recordings for the band and clarified to the industry at large what “jazz fusion” was — and ought to be.

FOREVER THE SEEKERSo, how does a guy who’s been playing in the same band for years keep it fresh? That’s the question on Kennedy’s mind as he embarks on yet another tour. The Yellowjackets have already been preparing with the occasional show here and there, but with A Rise In The Road to support, they will certainly be play-ing well into 2014.

“This is a gig you’ve got to shed for. If there’s a span of time where we’re off — like right now, three weeks of downtime — before the next run of dates, I’ll listen to some of the music and if not, go into the practice room and put the phones on and play along or just play a bit. Just to remember who I am.”

Despite the improvisational tendencies that the band embraces on the road, the need to serve the song is always top of mind for Kennedy. He remembers when he was a session musician in Los Angeles, record-ing drum parts for film soundtracks. The exacting experience informs his expressive, free-flowing playing today.

“When you’re hired for a movie date, in certain situations the producer desires you to come to that place of maximum content and contribution to what he’s written right away. He wants you to ar-rive in that place as quickly as possible, because he has a 100-piece orchestra waiting in the lobby and 20 scenes to record for. You’re in that seat, the music is going and the chart is in front of you. You’re looking at a very vague roadmap of the music you’re playing, and it’s on you to contribute the emotion and peaks and valleys. Sometimes you have specific things to play, other times he’ll give you direction. It’s nerve-wracking. Millions of dollars are being spent. If you blow it, there are 20 other guys lined up to fill what you couldn’t do. There are some butterflies in your stomach. You have to be confident enough to make a moment.”

Still, there are risks in mastering this moment-making — like boredom, or stagnation. With so many Yellow-jackets shows under his belt, how does a veteran like Kennedy keep from falling into a rut? Simple: He tries to recog-nize, then actively avoid, old habits wherever possible.

“Through a couple of recordings, in some of the Latin tunes, I found myself playing similar ride cymbal patterns. It shows up on the gig, too. Once you line up those tunes next to each other [on a set list], it’s ‘Oh, man, I played the same ride cymbal pattern on that tune two years ago as the one I just did!’ It’s almost shocking.”

To combat this, Kennedy seeks out new approaches to his instrument. He recalls

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A BIT. JUST TO REMEMBER WHO I AM.”


WILL KENNEDY

the 1997 Yellowjackets song “Capetown,” from the band’s Blue Hats album, which is based on a 6/8 groove nick-named “Magabu” that he borrowed from the West African country of Cameroon, courtesy of native musician Paul Tchounga. The moment Kennedy heard the groove, he couldn’t resist.

“I met Paul at a gig somewhere; he was playing. I talked with him for a while and realized he was from an-other place. We exchanged numbers and kept in contact. We got together one afternoon with two drum sets. We’re jamming, and he suddenly fell into this groove. I had a [Sony] Walkman at the time, and I asked him, ‘Man, what is that, what are you playing?’ Where is the 1?’

“He showed me, and I recorded it, but I still couldn’t grasp playing it. It’s very angular and syncopated, yet has this floaty, bouncy feel about it that’s really cool. I ended up showing it to our pianist, Russell. He fell in love with it, and we ended up writing this song.

“Like with any syncopated groove, every groove has a pulse, a heartbeat. Once you can discover what its root pulse is, you can discover where the other limbs fall in relationship to that. I had to internalize the foundation of the 6/8 with accents on 1 and 4 before I could add the hi-hat part and bass drum part.”

Kennedy was so happy with how the final composition came out that he proudly notes Tchounga’s influence on it,

even 16 years later. It’s all about switching it up and being open to new influences, he says.

“The important thing to remember is, bottom line, you can never know it all. There’s always something new to learn. Be a sponge; always be a sponge. Soak that stuff in and try to capture it. Even if you acquire a pattern that’s difficult, you can break it up and play parts and create vari-ations. Simple things like that help keep things interesting.”

As interesting as the time you met what appeared to be the only other registered Democrat in Katy, Texas?

He just laughs.“Here we are again, creating those moments.”

“ E VERY GROOVE HAS A PUL SE, A

HE ARTBE AT. ONCE YOU CAN DISCOVER

WHAT ITS ROOT PUL SE IS, YOU CAN

DISCOVER WHERE THE OTHER LIMBS

FALL IN REL ATIONSHIP TO THAT.”

STRAIGHT JACKETSThe band laying it down

at a live radio perfor-mance at Seattle’s KPLU.

Phot

ogra

ph:

JUST

IN S

TEYE

R


WILL KENNEDY

WILL KENNEDY IS A STELLAR DRUMMER and musician. One of the reasons he has

such a unique, interesting, and funky

groove is that he plays open-handedly,

with his left hand on the hi-hat. �at al-

lows his right hand to add offbeat hi-hat

accents and tom notes in spots that a

right-handed drummer wouldn’t. He’s

also one of those rare drummers who

can get ten tones from his snare drum.

He explores middle and lower dynamic

levels more than the upper ranges, which

brings out subtle timbres from his kit and

cymbals that most drummers ignore.

“Madrugada”Kennedy’s percolating and dynamic

“Madrugada” groove has a funky odd-

time feel due to the 5/5/6 note phrasing,

yet is always very musical. Kennedy also

wrote this cool track for the band.

“Can’t We Elope”�is track’s title uses a play on words

from Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe

Island” and also borrows the bass line

from that song. It has a relaxed feel, but

Kennedy adds lots of subtle embellish-

ments to keep his groove from being

anything but repetitive.

“I Knew His Father”�is song welcomes bassist Felix Pas-

torius to the band’s lineup and features

one of those percolating grooves that

Kennedy executes so well. �is time he

plays a bouncy up-tempo reggae groove

(that I’ve written in 4/4 rather than cut

time) with a shuffle feel. Kennedy usually

keeps his hi-hat opening very narrow,

so the difference between his open and

closed hats is very slight and all the snare

notes in this transcription are ghosted. On

this CD, Pastorius plays his father’s bass

graciously loaned to him by its owner and

family friend, Robert Trujillo of Metallica.

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YellowjacketsWill Kennedy

Madrugada

Intro


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“Madrugada”

“Can’t We Elope”

“I Knew His Father”

GROOVE ANALYSIS By Brad Schlueter

GOOD WILL GROOVING


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Make it there. Make it anywhere.

LPMUSIC.COM


Jhair Valencia, known professionally as Jhair Sala, might seem a little young (at 25) to be considered a world-class percussionist and “mas-

ter” of anything. But when you hear him play cajon, the Afro Peruvian box drum that’s currently turning up in salsa, pop, and folk bands worldwide, it’s hard for the “m” word not to pop into mind. Sala also aces congas, timbales, bongos, and bata, but it’s his unique approach to the cajon that’s made him a force to be reck-oned with on the New York City Latin music scene.

“Afro Peruvian rhythms are in a 6/6 or a 6/8, while Afro Cuban tunes are in 4/4, 12/8, and 6/8,” Sala explains. “The Afro Peruvian 6/8 can mesh with the Cuban 6/8 and, as long as you have threes and fours in the beats, the numbers can be broken up and merged. If I play a fill in an Afro Cuban song, it’s always going to feel different because I maintain my own Afro Peruvian feel and that gives a twist to the sound when I’m playing the Cuban stuff.”

Sala lives in New Jersey, not far from the home of Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez, his boss, and the man who in-troduced him to the New York City salsa scene. Like Sala, Martinez is known for his melodic approach to hand percus-sion. The duo often gets together in the basement of Sala’s home to practice and stay in shape. “We don’t play as much as we used to in the early days, but we do warming-up paradiddles, develop our solos, and run through the grooves we’re working on. We just play what we feel in

By j. poet

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Jhair Sala Duende Percusión Pro Cajon 76

Afro Peruvian Plus Salsa, Squared By TalentJhair Sala


the moment to stay in shape, so we don’t drop the ball when we’re on stage.”

Weaned On RhythmSala was born and raised in Lima, Peru. His extended family was full of musicians and included many well-known Peruvian singers. “My grandfather sang and my father, who passed away when I was 16, was a musician and composer,” Sala says. “I don’t recall any trouble or sadness in our house. I think because the family was always playing music.”

Sala’s mother, Mariela Valencia, was one of the original singers and dancers in Peru Negro, the folkloric troupe that helped reintroduce Afro Peruvian music to the world. She performed with them from the time she was 12 until she was 21, starting as a dancer and moving up to become one of the group’s lead singers. The music is known for its inventive use of unique percussion instruments including the cajon, the cajita, and the quijada de burro. The cajita is a lidded box used in

Catholic churches for collections. The lid is snapped open and closed and the side of the box is played with a small stick. It sounds like the Cuban clave. The quijada is a donkey jawbone with the teeth loosened to produce a sound that is part shekere, part guiro. But it was always the cajon that fascinated him.

The family of Rolando Campos, the man who started the group in 1969, and his son Ronny, the group’s current direc-tor, lived near the Sala family. “My family knew the Campos family even before my mother was born. We considered ourselves part of their family and there were parties at my house where we’d all get together and play.” As a child, Sala would go to Peru Negro rehearsals and the band’s percus-sionists would show him how to handle different percussion instruments.

“After leaving Peru Negro, my mom was a back-up singer for [Afro Peruvian singing star] Eva Ayllon, who was also a friend of the family, so I was always listen-ing to the cajon.” Eventually, Sala’s mother

started her own band, The Mariela Valen-cia Show. “When I was three years old, I started taking lessons from Lucho Gomez, one of the percussionists in my mother’s band. My father played cajon too, and I’d already been sitting next to him and trying to follow what he was doing.”

Gomez taught Sala the finger, hand, and palm techniques for cajon and other percussion instruments, but he wasn’t a conventional teacher. He didn’t focus on technique, he taught Sala to learn the basic rhythm patterns and stick with them. After Sala knew the basics, Gomez stopped correcting his hand positions. He showed him how to keep the focus on his hands and the patterns he was beating out. “I’d look at his hands and try to accommo-date his technique to my own, but he told me there was no way to define a proper method of playing. He encouraged me to find a style I was comfortable with. He had a sharp, clean attack when he played cajon and had me practice until I was able to reproduce that sound on my own.”

By the time he was five, Sala knew he wanted to be a percussionist. He got his first professional paying gig when he was seven sitting in with his mother’s band, and turning in a professional performance that belied his young age. “Since I was little, playing music was normal for me. Sometimes I was a bit nervous if I was playing at parties in my house, but not when I was playing on stage. I was always comfortable on stage.”

Sala was seven when he began rehears-ing for Peru Negrito, Peru Negro’s youth group, in hopes of getting into the troupe. There, he was able to continue his formal study of the cajon and other instruments. He attended a couple of rehearsals, but soon after that, his mother moved the family to New Jersey and Sala met Pedrito Martinez, who was married to a close friend of the family. He came to Sala’s house for a holiday party. “I was only nine years old, but I brought out my cajon. We sat down together and started playing folkloric music from Peru.” Martinez lived nearby and was so impressed with Sala’s playing that he suggested they start prac-ticing and jamming together. He became Sala’s mentor and teacher and taught him how to handle bongos, timbales, bata, and other Cuban percussion instruments.

“The first thing I noticed is that he doesn’t play like anyone else,” Sala says. “He’s always trying to develop a sound that’s outside the box, new ways of play-ing that stretch the limits of the instru-ments, while keeping the groove going Jhair Sala also uses Vic Firth timbale sticks and Remo heads including Fiberskin3 for congas.

Infographic: JOH

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Jhair’s Setup

DRUMS LP Durian Wood Classic Series Congas

1 11.75" x 30" Congas

2 12.5" x 30” Tumbas

3 Percusin Real Jhair Valencia-Sala Signature Series Cajon

4 LP Legends Series John “Dandy” Rodriguez Bongos

5 14" & 15" LP Prestige Timbales

6 Bass Drum

CYMBALS ZildjianA 16" A Custom

B 15" Azuka Latin Multi Crash

C 17" FX El Sonido Multi Crash Ride

D 18" A Custom

PERCUSSION LPE Salsa Downtown Timbale Cowbell, Salsa Sergio

Bongo Cowbell, and LP Stealth Jam Block

A

112

2

3

4

5

6

B

C

D

E


forward. He’s a singer as well and I think that affects his melodic approach. He’s discovered a way to play melodies on per-cussion instruments and combines those melodies with the groove. That makes him sound different from other players. He’s a pocket percussionist, so I took some of that, and he places the congas and tunes them in a way that makes them blend with the other instruments. They’re never too loud or overwhelming.”

Moving Up The Musical LadderAlthough Sala had studied with Lucho Gomez when he was young, he considers Martinez his main teacher, even though

Martinez insisted that they weren’t student and teacher, but equal partners. They just jammed together and developed their individual approaches to melody and rhythm. When Sala was 15, Martinez rec-ommended him for his first professional American gig outside of his mother’s band. Salsa violin player Alfredo de la Fé, known as the Jimi Hendrix of the Latin violin, had started his own band and needed a substitute percussionist for a local gig. Needless to say, Sala acquitted himself with his usual combination of flawless technique and passion. When Pedrito Martinez finally started his own band, he tapped Sala as an original member.

When he wasn’t hanging with Marti-nez, the teenage Sala was playing second cajon in the new incarnation of The Mariela Valencia Show his mother had put together after coming to the United States. His father stayed behind in Peru, so his mother had to work to help support her extended family. With his mother’s group, Sala played dates in Mexico, Central and South America, Columbia, and Europe. He became musical director of the band, which allowed him to develop as an ar-ranger and bandleader. When his mother made Valses, her first album in the States, Sala stepped behind the boards and pro-duced the record. He was only 16.

Jhair Sala

J H A I R S A L A ’ S S E L E C T E D D I S C O G R A P H Y

2006What I Want

2012Por Fin En La Calle

2006Island Life

2013La Locamotive 2

2012Primero Amarilla Después Malva

2010Amarte

TBA TBA

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NOLA PERUVIAN Brooklyn Bowl 2012 with e Pedro Martinez Group (notice Stanton Moore’s

unmistakable Galactic kit chilling in the background).

TBA Bill Cosby Comedy Special (soundtrack)

ART NOT AVAILABLE

ART NOT AVAILABLE


“It wasn’t that intimidating. My mom usually produced her own albums in Peru and I watched her in the studio when I was growing up, so I had an idea of how to go about it. Her guitar player, Pepe Torres, wrote the original songs and we did some classics and standards with new arrangements.” Sala’s main contribution was getting his mother to overcome her aversion to using a drum kit on the recording. He wanted to give the music a jazzy edge to differentiate his mother’s band from other Afro Peru-vian groups. “The drum set was going to be unique to that record, but from then on, she used it in her music. It changed the color of the whole band and gave her a little tweak, a little flair that allowed her to add more colors to the sound she was creating.”

At the same time, Sala was learning the intricacies of Afro Cuban rhythms, and began lessons with Roberto Chino Bolaños, one of the top Afro Peruvian bandleaders and percussionists in the tri-state area. His band, Kambalache Negro, takes a strictly traditional approach to Afro Peruvian styles. Sala wanted to make sure that the sound he was devel-oping stayed close to his roots. When Kambalache Negro made their debut al-bum, 2012’s Por Fin En La Calle, Bolaños asked Sala to appear on the album as a special guest.

As word began to spread about Sala’s inimitable solos and propulsive grooves with Kambalache Negro and Pedrito Martinez, he began getting calls from performers like Desmond Child, Patience Dabany, and Brenda K. Star. He’s record-ed on albums with Ileana Santamaría, Osmany Paredes, Edmar Castañeda, Pa-tience Dabany, and Yerba Buena, but his main interest is still the work he’s doing with his friend and mentor Pedrito Pablo Martinez. He was a featured performer, alongside Steve Gadd and Pedrito Martinez, at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2012 and joined his friends when they presented a percussion clinic during the event.

From Player To WriterUntil recently, Sala hadn’t done that much writing or arranging, at least in public, except for his work with his mother’s band when he was a young man. That changed in 2010 when he started working with his friend Sebas-tian Natal, a talented pianist. They put together La Tematica, a 13-piece timba- and salsa-style band that touches on most of the genres he loves: funk,

R&B, rock, and Cuban folkloric music. They’ve been playing gigs up and down the East Coast, focusing on Washing-ton, D.C., and New York City. Sala and Natal collaborate on the lyrics, music, melodies, and arrangements. “Sebastian usually lays down a bass line first,” Sala explains. “That gives you something to build the lyrics on. Then we compose the piano part and decide on the percus-sion I’ll add. The last thing we write is the horn charts.”

While they’re finishing up work on the album, they’ve put up a few videos of their tunes on YouTube and the Latin Percus-sion channel, congahead.com. In addition to their own gigs, they’ve been backing up singers from Cuba and Puerto Rico when they play gigs in the area such as Tirso Duarte and Mayito Rivera, former lead singer of Los Van Van.

While he is excited about recording his still unnamed debut as a bandleader, Sala has no intention of leaving the Pe-drito Martinez band. He also intends to keep working as a sideman on as many projects as time permits. His mastery of Afro Peruvian styles infuses his work in other genres and makes him one of the most in-demand players in the New York area. “Lima is a very musical city and growing up there, listening to different styles, made it easy for me to play differ-ent rhythms and stay in the pocket,” Sala says. “I know how to flow from rhythm to rhythm, be it in a salsa situation, a Puerto Rican band, or playing with pop artists or rock bands. I don’t see myself as a virtuoso, but as a good percussion-ist who knows how to accompany other musicians and play with the rest of the band. My goal is to help the performers by building a good foundation. I’m not interested in getting people to say how good I’m sounding. I want the whole band to get the credit.”

I don’t see myself as a virtuoso, but as a good percussionist who knows how to accom-pany other musicians and play with the rest of the band.”


PRODUCT TEST

The closest thing to a literal trans-lation of the Spanish word “du-ende” into English might be soul, or perhaps magic. It seems that

instruments made by Duende Percusión have a little bit of both. Duende Percusión is a Spanish cajon manufacturer that uses traditional methods to make finely crafted instruments by hand. The attention to detail shows, and now that Duende has distribution in both the U.S. and the U.K., it’s likely you’ll be hearing a lot more about this company and its products. Duende already has recruited a rather impressive endorsement roster, including luminaries such as Efrain Toro and Mino Cinelu.

While the cajon drum is a Cuban/Peru-vian instrument with roots in West Africa that has become popular throughout the

world and in a number of musical genres, it has found a special place in the hearts of flamenco performers. It was only a matter of time before Spanish instrument makers threw their hats in the ring to showcase their own high-caliber offerings to add to the already crowded playing field of pro instruments on the market today. But Du-ende has something quite special in its Pro cajon model; the company moniker proves to be an apt choice.

THE NUTS AND BOLTSThe Duende Pro model is made entirely of birch. The chassis is constructed of a top, bottom, back, and sides that are 0.75" boards — themselves made from 12–13 thin birch layers glued together. The tapa, or playing surface, is 0.125" thick and provides a beautiful tone and response. The tapa is held securely in place with 18 recessed screws, and there is no need to loosen or adjust any of them to improve the resonance or tone; the Pro sounds great out of the box. The sound-hole is an approximately 5.25" oval, which helps provide for plenty of bass tone.

Inside the Duende Pro are more percussive treats — there are two sets of internal snares in a V-shape on the back of the tapa, and eight tiny sleigh bells hang-ing from a wire loop suspended from the top of the drum, which are set into motion with a bit of vigorous playing. The bells add just a touch of seasoning to slaps, ac-cents, and louder bass tones. The internal snares and the bell-suspension loop appear

to be made from very light-gauge acous-tic guitar strings; probably 8-gauge. The guitar string adds another level of detailed musicality to an already well-designed and constructed instrument. There are four small but solid rubber feet to isolate the drum from the floor and improve tone.

While there are several finishes avail-able from Duende, the drum I received for review had a natural birch chassis, while the tapa playing surface was stained in a gorgeous striped-ebony finish, emblazoned with a white Duende logo that created a stunning visual contrast. The Pro is sized 18.25" x 12" x 12", and fits just perfectly in a standard cajon case (not included).

The drum is a joy to play. Very respon-sive to light touches, taps, and finger rolls, but with lots of full low end available, and nice sharp slap tones as well. The guitar-string snares and accent-activated sleigh bells really do add a unique sound to rhythms played on the Duende Pro.

TESTING AND OBSERVATIONSWhile using the D.P. in a live situation on a fairly large stage with a full P.A., it only took an SM58 placed just off-center from the sound-hole to fill the stage and the hall with plenty of percussive tone. The addi-tion of an all-purpose overhead percussion mike set about 5' high and pointed down at an angle picked up lots of crispy slap and pop sounds; in fact, the microphone had to be scaled back a bit in order to avoid being overwhelmed by the DP’s plentiful projection. While waiting for a late-arriv-

By Gregg Juke

DuendePercusin

Duende Pro Cajon .............................. $290

All-birch chassis and tapas, guitar-string snare-wire with internally suspended sleigh bells, sturdy rubber feet.

Duende Percusió[email protected]

A BOX FULL OF AUTHENTIC FLAMENCO FLAVOR

PRO CAJON


ing drummer, musicians during the first set remarked that they “didn’t miss the drum set at all” with yours truly and the Duende Pro on the job. That’s probably as grand (albeit succinct) an endorsement as a non-percussion playing, contemporary Western musician can give a cajon. Job well done.

TAILOR-MADE?I noticed one very small problem with the model that I received for review. I doubt that it’s an issue with the line as a whole, but as a matter of full-disclosure, I should probably mention it — the top/seat area of the cajon had a bit of a “tacky”/sticky quality, probably just a very new model with a recent coat of var-nish. But after using it for a few practice sessions and a gig, I did notice that what

appeared to be quite a bit of pants-fiber had become stuck to the cajon (or it could have been small bits of material from the cajon case I’ve been keeping it in), and would require a bit of scrubbing to get into pristine shape.

�e Duende Pro Cajon is a wonder-ful instrument; both beautiful to look at and full of great sounds. If you are looking for a serious cajon, either to add to an existing arsenal, or as a first professional cajon drum, the Duende Pro should definitely make your “final possibilities” cut-list.

BOBBY ALLENDETITO NIEVES

BOOMBOX CAJON

FIBERGLASS BODY

VIBRANT COLOR THAT GETS YOU NOTICED

AMAZING LOW ENDWITH BASS PORT

Look for this cajon and many more at your local Pearl Dealer’s

CAJON ZONE!

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PCJ633BB630


LESSONSLESSONS


By Glen Caruba

On a recent session for Saturday Night Fever — The Musical, I had to capture some of the authentic sounds of the disco-funk-

infused ’70s. However, like the major-

ity of us, I did not necessarily have all the percussion gear from that era. Back then, drums and percussion were drier, a bit mellower and with more “thud,” as opposed to the brighter, higher-tuned, and more cutting sounds of today’s

standards. No need to freak out, though! If you need to re-create those sounds, I have some easy modifications that can temporarily transform some of your instruments back to the sounds of the ’70s, you dig?

Back To Funky Town

1. For the congas, you’ll need some thick skin ... literally. �ick heads tuned down, preferably on wood drums (although fiberglass was around).

2. Shakers with heavy shot and metal cylinders ruled.

4. Finally, you have to have cowbell ... and duct tape! Wrap it up and dry the tone out.

3. For the timbales, swap your clear heads for coated and also tune them down a half octave. Listen to the band War (“Low Rider”) and you’ll understand.

One of my favorite ways to play is to incorporate several instru-ments at the same time. If I am the only percussionist in a band and we are doing a charanga,

two other instruments besides conga that are used in this style — the Cuban guiro and the cha-cha cowbell — would be greatly missed if left out. In the following lesson, I have outlined the patterns for all three instruments for you to try to work out. Several techniques would have to be practiced in order to play them together — for starters, a one-handed conga tumbao and a one-handed guiro while playing the cha-cha bell with your foot.

If you are right-handed, follow this key. If you are left-handed, do the opposite.

- has played with Phil Collins, Di-ana Ross, Hiroshima, and John Denver, recorded movie soundtracks, taught at Musician’s Institute for ten years, and performs clinics worldwide.

Conga, Mounted Guiro, And Cha-Cha BellBy Richie Gajate-Garcia

KEY:S = SlapO = Open Tone

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T hough Shawn Pelton is renowned for his seemingly endless gig with the Saturday Night Live Band, among New York’s inner circle of late-night

recording rounds, he is the go-to man for sessions of every stripe. And as physical space and recording budgets in New York City are always at a premium, Pelton has increased his value as a super session

drummer by recording tracks in his home studio then sending the results (typically via Dropbox) to artists and producers across the globe. Pelton’s workload-in-progress includes Billy Squier, Rosanne Cash, �e Late Night With David Letterman band’s Will Lee, and singer-songwriters Ayo and Mary Fahl. Pelton’s extensive resume includes Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Ray Charles,

SHAWN PELTON

�e SNL Drummer And Session Ace �rows Back �e Curtain On His Percussive Lair

Text And Photos By Sam Pryor

IN THE STUDIO WITH

“�is is where the magic happens!”

Pelton laughs, peering out over his

close-miked set.


Sheryl Crow, Elton John, Johnny Cash, Pink, Shakira, Kelly Clarkson, Pavarotti, Carly Simon, and Buddy Guy — for starters!

Working out of a 17' x 15' studio in his spacious Greenwich Village apartment, Pelton’s rig includes two DW drum sets (one on a floating floor filled with seven layers of insulation), a corner closet positively bursting with percussion, a small rack with hardware effects, another closet full of snare drums, a serious laptop worksta-tion, and a vintage Zildjian cymbal signed by Steve Gadd, Roger Hawkins, Jim Keltner, Zigaboo Modeliste, and Bernard Purdie. Beyond the star-striking scenery, Pelton’s studio has that lived-in, 24/7 look.

IMPORT/EXPORT“Doing tracks for people is like being in the export business,” Pelton says. “People like to get a lot of options. So even if the music might be better served with fewer micro-phones, I’ve found that’s not really my call. I give them three bass drum microphone options, various tom and snare drum sounds, multiple overhead and room microphone and reverb choices, and then the artist or producer takes it from there. I try to make a musical statement about how I hear it, but by giving people so many options with the stripes, the artist or mixer or producer at the other end doesn’t feel boxed in by my interpretation. Part of the role of the session musician is being flexible. I give them enough raw material to run with the ball and sculpt it how they hear it.”

Coming from the era when “cutting a track” meant recording in one of New York’s storied studios like Avatar or Right Track, Pel-ton believes that the big studios are perhaps less relevant than in years past. He’s excited about what can be achieved through careful microphone placement and choice of software in a home studio environment.

“What does ‘major label sound’ mean now?” Pelton ponders. “�ere was a time in the ’80s that if you didn’t record at Power Sta-tion or Hit Factory it was almost considered a demo. But ever since Beck made records in his bedroom on a 4-track and they became hits, and then with hip-hop in the ’90s, it blew the doors wide open. If you have a great idea and a concept for a sound you can make it happen. So I am not sure you need the class-A micro-phone pre to do it. You really can get great sounds these days without having to buy the super-duper high-end gear. When it comes to vocals you have to use high-end microphones, but a Shure SM57 has been one of the classic choices for snare drums for decades, and it’s a $120 microphone. It’s the music and the performance that matters.”

TRACKING VIBES, AND THE “VIBE-ULATOR”Ableton Live through an Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display is Pelton’s DAW of choice, and he cites WaveMachine Labs Drumagog, BFD FXpansion, and PSP Vintage Warmer as critical tools in his ability to give clients multiple sound options. But of course it all begins with his drum set, which consists of 13" x 9" and 16" x 16" DW toms and a 24" x 14" bass drum, augmented with a 14" x 6.5" Ludwig Black Beauty snare (with a Yamaha Russ Miller Groove Wedge signed by Roger Hawkins) and an alternate 13" x 7" Brady jarrah wood snare drum. Pelton’s Zildjian cymbal assortment, left

to right: vintage 14" A Zildjian hi-hats, 17" A Custom crash, 21" Custom Special Dry ride, and 18" Custom Session crash.

Pelton’s microphone setup is straightfor-ward, but detailed. He offers three different overhead configurations for his clients: a pair of Earthworks QTC40 omni microphones (2' away from left and right crashes), two Coles 4038s arrayed in a mini Glyn Johns setup — one directly overhead and the other to the right of the floor tom. “If the track is a lighter, brush-oriented thing,” he says, “I will physically bring the overheads in closer.” �e other option for overheads is a pair of AKG 451s that Pelton will use “if the track needs more sparkly high end.”

1. Sitting on a suspended sub-floor, Pelton’s home studio includes work station to the left, drum set to the right, and effects rack. 2. �e drums are further isolated on their own riser, with barely enough room to cram in Pelton’s multiple miking setups.

1

2


In �e Studio With Shawn PeltonPelton uses room mikes even in this small

space, including a retro-looking Potophone ribbon microphone placed in front of the set. “I pull it back a little bit, between tom and bass drum height, 3' away.” He also runs a Crown PZM microphone on the ceiling to pick up more room ambience. A Shure SM57 hangs in the room corner as well, going through an older Roland SP-808, “which has a compres-sion patch — it’s just trippy,” he says. “I call that the ‘Vibe-ulator.’” Picking up his left side snare drum, an M Audio Solaris then runs through various compression plug-ins. “I have 16 different microphone options that I can give people, and that doesn’t include the room sound.”

Pelton’s close-miking options include “a really expensive Josephson 22S microphone aimed right at edge of the rim pointing toward the center of the drum,” he explains. “And a handkerchief on the snare drumhead for mut-

ing or not depending on the track.” �e snare microphone is covered in a foam Crash Guard by Prime Acoustic, which creates a baffle between the hi-hat and the microphone. “I put a kinky old Electro Voice talkback mike under the snare; 2" off the bottom head,” he continues. “It really picks up the midrange of the bottom snare. It has a musicality that I really like.” An AKG 451 picks up hi-hat (aimed to record the chick but still retain air), then a Sennheiser 421 on each tom, 1" off the head and 1" in toward the center. �ree micro-phones record the bass drum: an AKG D 112 inside the shell, a modified Yamaha NS-10 sub-kick for sub frequencies outside the drum, and for attack and click a Shure Beta 91 sitting on a towel inside the bass drum.

Pelton’s outboard rack hardware includes an RME OctaMic mike pre/A-to-D converter, an API Discrete 4-Channel Mic/Line pre, Apogee Big Ben clock, Universal Audio 4110 4-Channel

Precision Analog Microphone Preamp (all into an RME Hammerfall DSP MF 2 PCI interface), and below those items, the Roland SP-808, which affects the corner-hanging Shure SM57.

WILL, BILLY, AND BILLY�ough Pelton’s set sounded great in his studio, he takes full advantage of software and hardware effects to give clients multiple options. After dumping the artist demo into Ableton and recording his drum track to it, Pelton is free to improve on the basic drum and room sound with a tried-and-true ap-proach that includes sound replacement and software reverb manipulation.

Pelton brings up a version of Allan Tous-saint’s “Get Out My Life Woman,” that he recently recorded for a Will Lee project with ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. Raunchy and funky, the track sounds upfront and immediate, Pelton

Known as much for his atmospheric percussion as his drumming, Pelton’s arsenal includes a wealth of snare drums, percussion toys, and multiple sticks; brushes; rods; and more.


thwacking a meaty 2 and 4 while generously bashing hi-hats. “�is is an example of a track meant to be old timey and not high-end sounding,” Pelton explains. He breaks down the track to its separate unaffected drum sources, beginning with the bass drum, which sounds crackly when soloed. He then brings up Drumaggog and blends in a sample of a low end, wombly bass drum titled “CR78 drum machine.” He goes further, adding an electronic sub sound for extra thump, and then tunes it down and blends it in behind the acoustic bass drum sound. “You could play it on cardboard boxes and send that off,” he laughs. He then plays the other bass drum microphone (Shure Beta 91) that has more click and attack, finally blending all three. �e client will receive all three bass drum sounds: AKG D112 blended with a Drumagog sample, Yamaha Subkick, and the “click” or Beta 91 stripe. And that’s just an example of what you can do with a couple of bass drum micro-phones and software.

Next, Pelton plays a remake of Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” by ’80s rocker Billy Squier. A finished track, Pelton’s drums boom like Bonham battling a hurricane. “‘We are not in Avatar Room A, so how do you make that kind of room sound so big,’ you might ask?” he queries. “I take the kick and snare and over-heads and put them into a room sound with one of Ableton’s reverbs and compress it. �en I also use Drumagog [he plays the dry, AKG D112 bass drum microphone]. Drumagog has a selection where you can remove the MIDI

out of the bass drum track and feed it into BFD FXpansion. Drumagaog is replacement soft-ware; BFD is a drum library where they have recorded all these different mike locations and samples of room sounds. With BFD I can move the physical placement of the microphone on the screen and you can hear the change in the room reverb. I use BFD to create my own room sounds and microphone placement, it’s real drums triggering the sounds. And you choose different bass drums like a bass drum through an amp, or through an Oberheim drum machine, or a ’70s Ludwig kick drum, or even a stomping boot sound. BFD can turn any small room into the room size you need for the recording. It’s essential.”

THEME TO 30 ROCKFinally, Pelton plays the booming, swing-ori-ented theme to the hit show 30 Rock. Pelton’s drums are absolutely storming, seemingly modeled after Gene Krupa’s drum solo in Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing.”

“For my room sound I took the drums dry,” he explains. “I used the ‘small hall’ preset in Ableton reverb, then on top of that I added the PSP Vintage Warmer for tape saturation and compression. �e other element is BFD; it has another room character that I blend with my room sound. It’s the MIDI of my bass drum, snare, and toms going into BFD. �e PZM microphones add another room character. You have to be tricky about tuning the BFD drums to the real drums so it’s not discordant.”

With the resurgence of analog gear in most recording studios and the predominance of relatively inexpensive software it’s become the perfect union of past and present, of clas-sic technology and modern convenience. And pro New York drummers from Pelton to Steve Wolf and Steve Jordan are making the most of the technology. But the balance between analog and digital remains in flux.

“As I’ve gained more experience I’ve drifted away from using samples,” Pelton says, “but Drumagog is key. People generally want a certain room sound so I have to give it to them. With Drumagog you can take the MIDI of a snare drum and change the sound. For instance, with Drumagog I can basically create a ’60s Ludwig snare with a towel taped to it, and blend it in. I can tune that sample up or down to change its resonance and increase its ‘slap.’ Then, if we add compression and I take the MIDI out and run it into the BFD, which adds the room sound, it’s massive now.”

And with such powerful software tools available, Pelton believes that while mi-crophones and preamps are important, the ability to affect the hardware with software is perhaps a bigger game changer.

“It used to be about going to tape with drums then all these tape emulation plug-ins came in,” he says. “When you solo individual elements then listen in the context of a com-plete mix, it seems some of these subtle-ties may get further buried as far as what mike preamp was used. ‘Is that really the

A pair of Zildjian hi-hats is testament to Pelton’s fascination with his drumming brethren, autographed by Levon Helm, Jim Keltner, Steve Gadd, and Zigaboo Modeliste.


room sound of Avatar A or a simulation that someone who worked there was able to dial in?’ You can really make great music and great tracks, but it comes down to the musician. Bernard Purdie will sound awesome out of a cassette player.

“What’s interesting is that the mi-crophone choice makes a difference, and there’s a difference between ribbon and condenser microphones; they all have their character,” he continues. “But the com-pression chain can make an equally huge difference. For instance, with Ringo’s drums, the fact that it all went though the Fairchild 660 compressor at the end of the chain — the color that added and how it brought up the punch of his drums — those tools can add broader swatches of color than the microphone preamp choice. I might have a drum going through a cheaper microphone pre, but with certain software I can make a bigger personality statement. And the soft-ware is cheaper than a microphone preamp. Drumagog is $350 and PSP Vintage Warmer is $150; that’s powerful software.”

THE PELTON METHODPelton’s process for recording tracks in his home studio is not unlike working with live musicians in a larger studio. He often receives an mp3 version of a track, to which he re-quests a two-bar or eight-click count-off be added as a visual and audible intro cue.

“I want eight clicks before the song starts,” Pelton explains, “because there may be latency, and by having the clicks I know I have a visual reference.”

After he tracks his part and emails the result to the artist they discuss it via phone to make adjustments in style or sound. He then sends a second round of the beat with changes that can be inserted into their mix, for further review.

“�en I export a session of all the different stripes with the two-bar count-off,” he says. “�ey usually either want to change the sound or your drumming. �e drumming is more important if they know they have options to tailor the sound to what they want.”

As important as it is to understand the recording process and the details of micro-phone placement and software operation, Pelton admits that it’s really still all about the sound the musician makes on his instru-ment. You might be a technical whiz, but if you can’t play, you won’t get called.

“It’s ultimately about your touch and feel as a musician,” Pelton says. “Can you tune your toms for tone and warmth? Do you know how to get a good sound? The more I recorded myself, the more I learned by being on the other side of the glass. See-

ing my playing on the screen showed me where not to rush and how to pace myself. Tracking myself has been great for learn-ing. The fact that we can make these kind of drum sounds happen and in a floating studio in Manhattan! That would have never hap-pened when I first came to the city in 1988. It’s empowering now.”

To further empower yourself as a musi-cian, and to make the most of technology and talent, thinking beyond the box (com-puter or otherwise) is essential.

“The traditional role of the drummer always puts you as a sideman and always working for somebody else,” Pelton con-cludes. “But the moment you get involved with the programming and recording side of it you become more marketable in so many different ways. Surviving in the business has gotten harder so the more things you can do the better, and the gateway is not that expensive. You can get a setup going with three or four mikes and some software, and you can really start making music.”

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In �e Studio With Shawn Pelton


MORE THAN A PRETTY FINISHIf Ddrum kits are often seen in hard rock and metal situations, then it’s likely a lot of such players — seeing as how they play in super-loud bands — need to use triggers. And they need those triggers to look good, don’t they? Chrome Elite Triggers, which got a major overhaul for 2013, fit the bill. �e mirror-like cowl gleams under stage lights and protects the upgraded disc transducer. �is larger transducer has even greater sensitivity and tracking capabilities. �e upgraded wiring harness adds stability and security to the heaviest hitters. Available in sets and singles: Tom Tom Trigger, $64.99; Dual Snare Drum Trigger, $109.99; Bass Drum Trigger, $109.99; and Trigger Kit, $384.99Ddrumddrum.com866-859-9737

RELIVING THE DREAMSample-pack series Drumdrops has a thing for the decade of teased hair. Latest beat collection Now �at’s What I Call 80’s Drums nods toward grooves influenced by the styles of George Michael, De La Soul, Soul 2 Soul, Happy Mondays, Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode, and more. Performing the tracks is drummer Steve Sidelnyk (Madonna, Annie Lennox, Massive Attack) on a DW Collec-tor’s Series kit with Ludwig Black Beauty, Ludwig Coliseum, and DW Craviotto snares surrounded by 19 microphones. Featuring 20 drum tracks rang-ing from 71–179 bpm, the collection is offered as drum multitracks, mixes, stems, and drum loops. �e stem and mix packs come with the full mix of the kit, as well as separate drum stems of each individual drum component. Stems are ideal if you want ready-mixed versions of the track. �e loops come formatted as WAVs, Apple Loops, and Rex2 files. Works in all major DAWs.Drum Dropsdrumdrops.com

EVERYONE NEEDS A GOOD EDITORYamaha’s DTX700 Editor allows users to customize all the internal sounds as well as any user-uploaded files in the DTX700 kit module, so now creating custom kits is a snap. �e intuitive software package eliminates the need for time-consuming multipage naviga-tion on the trigger module screen, letting users modify the sounds and features, helping to foster creativity. Exceptional graphics enhance the editor’s features and all edited DTX programs can easily be saved on a computer. A DTX700 Librarian is included so that musicians can easily arrange and save their newly created kits with a convenient graphic interface. Available for Windows and Mac OSX.Yamahausa.yamaha.com714-522-9105

transducer. �is larger transducer has even greater sensitivity and tracking capabilities. �e upgraded wiring harness adds stability and security to the heaviest hitters. Available in sets and singles: Tom Tom Trigger, $64.99; Dual Snare Drum Trigger, $109.99; Bass Drum Trigger, $109.99; and Trigger Kit, $384.99


G retsch’s new addition to the Catalina Club series is the appropriately named Street Kit. �is diminutive

kit is designed to transport easily

for working drummers on the go and may have been created to take advantage of the market share left vacant by Yamaha’s discontinued HipGig kits. �ere are

several important differences be-tween those two kits. �e Gretsch Street Kit has one very unique feature — an adjustable sized bass drum. If you’re scratching your head now, read on, my friends.

SHELLS�e kit features 100 percent mahogany shells and has Gretsch’s signature 30 degree bearing edges top and bottom. �e drums have a natural interior and not the Silver Sealer interiors found on Gretsch’s high-end kits.

CONFIGURATION�e Street Kit has just one configuration. It’s a 4-piece kit with a 13" x 5" snare drum, 10" x

6" mounted tom, a 13" x 11" floor tom, and a 16"-diameter bass drum whose depth varies from 12" to 14.5". More about this unique feature in a minute. It’s similar to a bebop configuration but with slightly undersized shells.

FINISHES�ere are currently just two wrapped finishes available for the kit; Red Sparkle and Silver Sparkle. Our review kit had the silver spar-kle finish and it looked great. �e sparkles are very small and quite reflective. �e finish “popped” un-der every lighting situation nicely. If Gretsch were to augment the finish selection I’d like to suggest the company’s surprisingly nice

DETAILS

100 percent mahogany with 30 degree bearing edges with a natural shell interior.

4-piece kit with a 13" x 5" snare drum: 10" x 6" mounted tom, a 13" x 11" floor tom and a 16" bass drum whose depth varies from 12" to 14.5".

$925.99

Silver sparkle or red sparkle wrapped finishes.

Adjustable-depth bass drum, elevated bass drum, compact sizes, ride cymbal arm, and Remo heads.

Includes floor tom legs, single ball-and-socket tom arm, bass drum lift, cymbal arm.

gretschdrums.com 860-509-8888

By Brad Schlueter

Club Street KitGretsch

COMPACT, ADJUSTABLE, AFFORDABLE, COOL


Walnut Lacquer that’s available on other kits in the Catalina line and perhaps a White Marine Pearl. �ose additions would appeal to jazz drummers even more than the current offerings.

FEATURES�e drums are sold as a shell pack without hardware, though this kit actually includes a bit more hardware than many shell packs. You’ll find floor tom legs, a single ball-and-socket tom arm, but also a bass drum lift and cymbal arm that attaches to a bracket on the bass drum so you won’t need to bring a ride cymbal stand. �e tom arm and cymbal arm also have memory locks for repeat-able settings. �e kit is set up for right-handed drummers; lefties are out of luck.

I really liked the inclusion of the ride cymbal arm and loved the bass drum lift. �ough pretty much mandatory on such a small bass drum, elevating the drum al-lows the beater to strike the head at its center for a natural response and doesn’t force you to lower the beater and change the feel of your pedal, something floor-bound 18" drums often require.

�e kit uses thinner 1.6mm hoops for all the drums, even the small bass drum.

There is no suspension system for the mounted tom, though it isn’t necessary as I found the drum to have lots of sustain anyway.

All the brackets are isolated from the shell with gaskets.

�e kit uses coated single-ply Remo heads for the snare and tom batters with clear resonant heads. �e bass drum has a premuffled clear batter and a premuffled coated logo head without a port.

�e snare uses Gretsch’s simple but effective vintage side throw-off and has a solid butt plate. �e snares are 20-strand chrome. �e floor tom, kick, and snare have a six-lug design and the mounted tom uses just five, like many other Gretsch kits.

�e bass drum is where things get really interesting. It has a novel adjustable-depth feature that will definitely turn

some heads. �ough just 16" in diameter, its depth, as mentioned, can vary from 12"–14.5". Gretsch accomplishes this by cutting the drum in the middle and using three pairs of brackets that con-nect to each other via short rods. By loosening half of the brackets you can pull the drum apart up to 2.5". �ere are notches in the rods to make precise adjustments easy. �is takes a minute to do and is probably best done during a set break rather than between songs. �e kit looks a bit like a jazz kit with a woofer attached. I think it looks very cool.

�e real question, of course, is what’s the point? Gretsch says you can alter the sound of the bass drum from a traditional jazz sound with more overtones with the drum shell closed, to a punch-ier and drier sound with more attack as you open the distance between the shell halves.

SOUNDSo, you’re undoubtedly wonder-ing “does it work?” Yes, it does. �e sound difference is noticeable, though not radical, and might be likened to cutting larger and larger holes into the resonant head of a drum. Since air is escaping the drum much faster and not reso-nating around a closed chamber, the sound gets drier and punchier as the drum is opened. With the drum closed you get a pretty traditional bass drum tone. �is flexibility could be useful if you play different types of gigs from

night to night or at a wedding where you could leave the drum closed if you were playing jazz in the first set or two and then open it for rock and pop later in the gig.

A couple of things about this clever feature: �is kit is adver-tised as being easy to move and Gretsch offers a pair of cases for the kit, though I didn’t get to try them. Since you can open the bass drum you could probably transport the snare and rack tom in the bass drum from gig to gig. I’d recommend cases for every drum if you try this.

Since the small tom and ride cymbal arm mount to the outer half of the bass drum shell, open-ing the drum will move them away from you, which could prove to be a bit inconvenient if you’re a stickler for such things.

With the bass drum opened, though, it’s very easy to set a microphone inside it should you need to compete with amps.

I did notice one thing about this feature: Since the tom mount attaches to the outer half of the drum shell, the weight of the tom slightly compresses the bass drum shell. I can’t help but wonder if after years of use the outer half of the shell might go slightly out of round due to that weight. It struck me that if the drum shell were instead cut at a 45 degree angle to its edge rather than 90 degrees, the two halves of the drum would maintain and reinforce a circular shape when the drum was closed.

Since the drums are all slightly undersized, the drum kit’s bottom pitch range is a tad higher than one featuring larger diameter drums. �at said, I’ve often thought standard jazz sizes are too large for the high tunings often used. Smaller drums work better at higher tunings and don’t sound as choked as bigger drums do when tuned tightly. For that reason, I think these sizes are pretty much ideal for jazz.

�e kit does sound bigger than its sizes suggest, though a 16" bass drum will never be mistaken for a typical 22" rock kick. I tuned this kit toward the bottom of its range since I play more rock than bebop and was able to get a deep enough sound for it to work across styles. �e floor tom doesn’t get really deep, but the mahogany shells offer a lot of warmth, so it sounds deeper than a brighter species would. �e toms had lots of sustain and a very warm tone.

�ough many drummers will prefer a 14" snare, the 13" snare sounded virtually indistinguish-able. It was warm but still had a crisp top. If I loosened the wires it worked well for quiet jazz and bal-lads. Rimshots were cutting and not too wet. My only issue with it was that a smaller snare has a smaller sweet spot for rim-clicks (and the thin 1.6mm hoop makes that even more of an issue). If this were my kit I’d upgrade the top snare hoop to a 2.3mm triple-flanged or die-cast model.

VERDICT

This kit is a blast to play and can sound bigger than its sizes might suggest. It’s an ideal set if you play a lot of different types of gigs or have to bring a kit to rehearsals but don’t want to have to use several different kits. Heavy metal drummers might not be tempted but for busy working pros this little kit can adapt to most gigs remarkably well. Saving the best for last: It’s also really affordable. I want one!


Apparently when Jojo May-er isn’t busy grooving his butt off in various elec-tronica, dub step, jazz, or

“whatever else you want to call it” projects, he spends his spare

time designing new elements of the drum kit. Previous Jojo Mayer inventions and collabora-tions include Sabian’s Jojo Mayer signature Vault Fierce models (hi-hats, ride, and crash), the AAX OMNI cymbals, and Sonor’s Perfect Balance single bass drum pedal. While this represents a rather impressive track record of specialized gear, Sabian’s Hoop Crasher could be Jojo’s most creative design yet.

JUST ANOTHER EFFECTS CYMBAL?Not by a long shot. Made from Sabian’s premium B20 bronze, the Hoop Crasher, which won the coveted Best In Show award at the 2013 NAMM Show, starts

its life much like a set of 14" AAX X-Celerator Hats but then immediately undergoes major reconstructive surgery. An ap-proximate 11"-diameter hole is cut from the middle of both cymbals. (The cutaway is melted down again and reused, in case you’re wondering.) What’s left are two bronze hoops that stack atop each other.

The top hoop is lighter because it’s thinner. Its weight is then further reduced by punching it with 32 equidistant 0.5"-diameter holes. The heavier bottom hoop retains the same Air Wave lip found on the bottom X-Celerator Hi-Hat cymbal. The hoops are connected to each other with two rivets that are

removable by using two flathead or Phillips screwdrivers. Sabian completes the Hoop Crasher package by including a lovely velvet bag with three black plas-tic clips inside.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?You start by setting the Hoop Crasher on any 14" drum. A word of caution: If you use an S-Hoop (like I do on one of my snares), the reduced diameter from the inward bend of the S-Hoop makes it so the Hoop Crasher won’t fit. Otherwise, the Hoop Crasher fit just fine on all my other 14" snares with die-cast or traditional triple-flanged hoops. (Of course, you could also set it on a 14" tom, but all my floor toms are 16" in diameter.)

DETAILS/ 14" Hoop Crasher $399

Two 14" premium B20 bronze hoops, top hoop with 32 holes, bottom hoop with air-waive lip; also includ-ed are three adjustable black clips in a black velvet bag.

sabian.com 800-817-2242

By David E. Libman

Hoop CrasherSabian

A COOL NEW JOJO MAYER MULTITOOL


Once on the drum, you can play the Hoop Crasher alone, or you can play it in combination with the drum using the in-ner raised edge as a sort of rim for varying effects. When struck, the top and bottom hoops vibrate together creating a white-noise sound that incorporates the rich tonality of B20 bronze. In many ways, the sounds I coaxed from the Hoop Crasher remind me of the “sheesh” effects I hear on electronic kits. Because the Hoop Crasher has an 11" hole in the middle, it also still allowed me to play my snare drum without the Hoop Crasher sound effects. However, the Hoop Crasher’s weight (even with its minimal contact on the head) rather signifi-cantly dampened the drum’s overtones, not unlike a thicker O-ring.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE BLACK CLIPS?From my perspective, these clips serve the same function as the tension knob on a snare strainer. The Hoop Crasher’s top and bottom hoops vibrate the most when no clips are used at all. As a result, with no clips, the white-noise sound has its longest possible sustain — like extra loose snare wires (but quite a different sound). The clips, when used, attach to the drum’s rim. The portion of the clip that hovers over the Hoop Crasher has three notches. As you progress through those notches, you decrease Hoop Crasher vibration and reduce sustain. To put it another way: No clips = most sustain. Clips at the tightest setting = most articulation.

These clips have a good design that allows them to be attached and removed quickly and easily. I can imagine using them on one tune at a gig where I want increased articulation, and then remov-ing them to play the Hoop Crasher wide

open with more sustain. I can also imagine that when I remove the clips, I might throw them on the stage floor and not be able to find them again because of dark mood lighting. Hence, I’d like to see Sabian offer these clips in colors other than just black. I propose orange sparkle, but I sup-pose white would work just as well.

WHY REMOVE THE RIVETS?I wondered, so I tried. I didn’t find the process of using two screwdrivers

to remove the rivets particularly easy, but once removed, I was able to ask my wife if she “would like a screw.” (I seem to find that joke much more amusing than my wife does. Go figure.)

Once the rivets are removed, guess what: The two hoops come apart. You can place one hoop on one drum and the other hoop

on another. They each sound different. The heavier hoop sounds clangier, while the lighter hoop sounds wispier. I then stacked both hoops atop each other without rivets. They have enough weight that they didn’t come apart and function in the same man-ner as when rivets are attached. If I owned a Hoop Crasher, I’d immediately remove the rivets to allow quick access to these increased options.

VERDICT

�is is a new instrument that screams for creative people to experiment. I suspect I may have only scratched the surface of the possible sounds this device offers. If I owned it, I would use the same restraint I apply to any China cymbal — play-ing it just often enough to give some “wow” factor, but not so much that it gets annoying. If you’re bored with your traditional palette of sounds, the Hoop Crasher may be a refreshing new addition to your kit. Plus, the 11" hole in the middle is big enough that you can wear it around your neck as some serious bling.

Chris McHugh – Country DrummerLuisito Quintero – Rising Star PercussionistFrederic Macarez – Mallet Percussionist

2013 Drummies! WinnerRock/Pop/Hip-Hop Percussionist

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T he rules of punk drumming have been officially pronounced dead. Our ruthless assailant of tried-and-true rhythms is Eric Moore, drummer for

punk/thrash legends Suicidal Tendencies who, as you will see, had zero interest in the beaten path for 13, the band’s first studio album in — what else? — 13 years (not to be confused in any way with the new Black Sab-bath album of the same name).

You’ll find a plethora of original drumming up and down 13, and the subtly schizophrenic approach of track #2, “Smash It” is no excep-tion, pushing relentlessly forward with a surprising number of styles Moore effortlessly weaves together. “I wanted it different right out of the gate,” says Moore, who recorded the album at Def Jam Studios in L.A. “�is song is about getting into it. You know how right before you get into a fight, you stare

into somebody’s eyes, and just get pumped? ‘Smash It’ is just really angry. It’s just about going berserk.”

But there’s a method to Moore’s madness, starting with the first microsecond of “Smash It,” which kicks off with a fast straight-stick volley on the snare, followed by a series of suffocating hi-hat chokes. �en, from 0:08–0:19, Moore unleashes a hyper, off-time polyrhythmic cascade where a fast/skippy

By David Weiss Transcription by Wally Schnalle

Eric MooreOF SU ICIDA L TENDENCIES

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“SMASH IT”

A Giveaway So Extreme... It’s Obscene.

DRUMmagazine.com/giveaways Deadline To Enter. All entries must be received by November 15, 2013. The drawing will be held November 25, 2013. No purchase necessary.

The Giveaways are not open to employees of Enter Music Publishing, and DRUM! or participating companies. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received You may enter online once per day at DRUMmagazine.com/giveaways. Limit one mailed entry card per household.

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hi-hat/snare/kick pattern goes off under raw, wiry guitar.

“In the intro, we go straight into it — it just has to attack you,” he says. “�en for the next section, [lead singer] Mike Muir said, ‘I want you to be out of the box.’ We never want the drums to sound obvious. All punk music is always the same, so I want to play what the guitar player is playing, but I want to freak it so it’s not just a beat. It makes it way more interesting, and a lot more fun.”

Playing with a single kick (Moore does play double kick, but opted out of that configura-tion for “Smash It”), he then does go into a more traditional punk-rock feel from 0:19–0:41, reeling off a solid, fast, and hyper-but-focused punk beat for verse one. “After that, the idea was to just jump into it so the people can get their slam on inside the pit,” says Moore. “You’ve got to have that energy, and this song brings so much energy. �at’s how it came about — playing the off-time stuff, then for the verse we launch into the fast part.

“It’s more of a gallop,” he continues. “It’s like a horse trotting, and the bass drum is single-double-single-double, which gets you into a steady flow. �at’s how I approach music all the time — even the fast stuff has to be grooving.”

At 0:42, a fast single-stroke snare fill shoots Suicidal Tendencies into the chorus, noteworthy here for its plainspoken efficiency. “It’s just a good build — it doesn’t have to be over the top,” Moore says. “Sometimes you want to be outlandish, but it’s also good to be simplified and just go to the next part. �at fill is a nice crescendo into the song. It’s all about being musical.”

From 0:43–1:08, Moore cruises on the straight-ahead punk beat. After a big tom/snare fill at 1:10, a return to the intro’s hi-hat chokes injects fresh space into “Smash It.” “We wanted to make it breathe and still be heavy there,” he says.

After a fusion-style tom fill at 1:16, the drummer digs into a halting spacious beat for a bridge to verse two, eliciting visions of early Primus via prominent hi-hat strokes and a snare that really pops. “Right there, me and the guitar player are really, really vibing,” says Moore. “I’m playing a side hat, so I’m in and out of the groove, and I just pick and choose where I place the snare, just to be different.”

Be sure to note how Moore caps the long snare fill at 2:10, where one quick strike on the hi-hat precedes a shot on the snare right before a pause. “It just felt right,” he says of the move. “Open hi-hat before the snare hit, it sounds like stop! Say ‘stop’ [as you play it]

— I pronounce the drum fill. It can make a world of difference.”

Arriving at the 2:16 mark — another super-busy polyrhyth-mic beat begins, going to some strange places between the snare, kick, and hat. “Right there,” he says, “I wanted to play a little more off-time accents, playing again with the guitarist. It’s hav-ing fun, talking back and forth to each other, and not just playing the snare on 2 and 4, and evolving the beat. That’s the type of drum-

mer I like to be: change the mindset, and switch it up a little bit.”

It evolves even further at 2:35, as “Smash It!” goes into a strange, pulsing rock beat where something is missing — quite inten-tionally. “Most rock players will play that part with a double pedal, doing exactly what the guitar player is doing,” Moore observes. “I love double bass, but I don’t feel it needs to be added all the time. I want to take punk rock to a whole other level, beyond the ’80s and ’90s. �e machine gun double bass beat is so obvi-

ous, but I’m going to play it different — being out of the box and still killing it. Creativity is the whole point.”

“Smash It” collapses into half time at 3:02, announced by big rock flams that Moore launches from around the kit (“when the song goes into half-time you have to make a stand”), followed by a spacious, patient, hat-prominent rock beat at 3:04. �en listen for just a few measures of punky funk that follow at 3:17. “Even though it’s a funky part, it makes sense for the song,” he says. “If you weren’t listening closely, you wouldn’t notice. You’d just be grooving with the music.”

As soon as the funk begins it ends, resolv-ing itself into a solid 4/4 rock beat pushing forward until the end, mirroring the intro with a furious/fast snare fill that sets off one last halting hi-hat series. As Moore and his fellow Suicidals expected, this all works extremely well live.

“Oh, man, the crowd goes off and we bring the energy,” he grins. “For some people it’s hard to believe you’re playing live what they heard on the record: They don’t think it’s possible.”

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: Suicidal Tendencies: 13: “Smash It”

MOORE’S SETUP

DRUMS PDP Concept 1 24" x 18" Bass Drum2 22" x 20" Bass Drum 3 14" x 5.5" Snare4 8" x 8" Tom5 10" x 8.5" Tom6 12" x 9" Tom7 14" x 12" Floor Tom8 16" x 14" Floor Tom9 18" x 16" Floor Tom 10 20" x 18" Gong Drum

CYMBALS Zion Eric Moore II Signature seriesA 14" Hi-hatB 20" CrashCC 17" Crash17" CrashD 10" Effects SplashE 21" Ride F 12" Effects Hats (stacked)G 19" CrashH 18" Crash I 17" ChinaJ 18" China

Eric Moore also uses DW 9000 hardware and pedals, Aquarian heads (Force 10s on beater side; Response

1 Clear resonant side; and Super Kick10 on bass drums), and Pro-Mark Eric Moore signature series sticks.

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Eric Moore

(continued on pg. 102)

“SMASH IT”

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Eric Moore “SMASH IT”


THE GUITAR PLAYER turns around and yells “More backbeat!” So, being the supportive team player

you are, you start smackin’ 2 and 4 on that snare harder. After all, 2 and 4 are univer-sally understood to be the backbeats. But we can play around with the placement of the backbeats to add some rhythmic spice to the groove and still keep it funky. Ex. 1 shows a pretty standard groove. Exs. 2 and 3 move the snare off of beat 4 in the first measure. Exs. 4–6 play with moving the snare off of beat 2. Ex. 7 places the snare on beat 1 in the second measure. Not a traditional backbeat location but it works in a lot of situations. And Ex. 8 is a four-measure pattern that moves the snare on beat 2 — forward a sixteenth-note every measure. Have fun and create your own patterns as well.

DRUM! music editor is a drummer, composer, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has performed with Eddie Gale, Ernie Watts, and the San Jose Symphony Orchestra. itrhymes.com

Wally Schnalle

Playing With The Backbeat


WHEN PLAYING IN 3/4, one of my favorite devices to use is accents on the & of 3. Roy Haynes would have to be cited

as the biggest influence for this type of feel. Here are some basic patterns that might be helpful in developing a swinging and more open and over-the–bar line approach to playing in 3/4.

Ex. 1 is a basic feel with the bass drum on 1 and the hi-hat on 2. Ex. 2 adds a synco-pated dotted-quarter feel in the bass drum. Ex. 3 moves the second bass drum to the snare. Ex. 4 ties the cymbal to match the bass drum, giving the feel more of a float. In Ex. 6 we add the snare beat along with the cymbal on the & of 3. Ex. 7 moves the second bass drum to the snare. Ex. 8 ties the & of 3 over to the downbeat, again adding more float. I hope you find these helpful, and a great starting place for more variations and rhythmic experiments in 3/4.

Danny Gottlieb

THIS MONTH, WE are going to explore some different sticking patterns to apply around the drum set. �is

will be the first of four lessons involving this varying-stick-pattern concept. �is particu-lar pattern is basically a paradiddle, however, the sticking is offset by one note. �is is called an “inverted paradiddle,” which cre-ates a different sound and groove from the straight paradiddle. It’s funkier and grooves a lot! Be sure to move this pattern around the kit and cymbals to make it truly musical.

bashes for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. In his spare time, he is working on his special ed./elementary ed. teaching degree. facebook.com/matthew.p.byrne.5 Instagram- @iammattbyrne

Inverted Paradiddle

Matt Byrne

3/4 Accents

has played with Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, the NDR Big Band, and is currently a member of Gary Sinise’s Lt Dan Band (ltdanband.com). He is an associate professor of jazz studies at the University Of North Florida. dannygottlieb.org

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DRUMPICKSTHE ALMOSTFear Inside Our Bones

A aron Gillespie is a tricky one. First he was at the vanguard of Christian met-alcore with his band Underoath — as both drummer and backing vocalist.

When he formed �e Almost a few years back, he expressed a commercial side that was mostly realized with debut Southern Weather and refined further on Monster Monster in 2009. Now the carrot-topped altar boy has made a devil’s bargain with Fear Inside Our Bones, a huge-sounding record cloaked in Southern rock and blues. Did he make a secret pilgrimage to the proverbial Crossroads?

Recorded live in a short window at Nash-ville’s Omni Studios with producer Marshall Altman, Fear Inside Our Bones is Gillespie’s most personal statement thus far in his career and the message is delivered with unvarnished anger. On opener “Ghost” — the brawniest offering here, underpinned with scorching guitar flourishes — the singer howls

“You can’t trust the ghost inside ...” quickly answering himself “No you can’t” like an angry preacher before the flock. “I’m Down” slithers along on a dusty vintage blues. Gil-lespie: “I’m down … don’t count me out.”

Another reason for the album’s gritty feel is that Gillespie has now availed himself of the talents of guitarists Jay Vilardi and Dusty Redmon, and bassist Jon �ompson. Most of these guys have been with �e Almost for a0 while but Fear Inside Our Bones’ kaleidoscopic moods just feels like more of a full-band effort.

Halfway through Bones it feels as if Gil-lespie loses interest in the blues rock experi-ment begun so audaciously, reverting back to the conventionally slick impulses of the first two albums, and in many ways, amplifies them. �e snotty “So What” is pure power-pop while the whimsical “Love Is Coming Down” could be anything from ’90s indie rock to an MOR track on a TV show theme song, and for the briefest moments, “I Won’t Let Go” might have been an outtake from �e Killers. Not a bad thing to have sticky gem or two, but the radical shift makes the album as a whole less coherent. Luckily, the analog vibe of Altman’s production dirties up the bubble gum.

In Underoath, Gillespie drummed with good feel and lots of heart. Joe Musten, who

joined The Almost in 2008 with Monster Monster, has a resume that includes the bands Beloved and Advent. He also has repaired drums and given lessons at a shop in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina, so he’s more of the full drummer package. As if responding to the album’s conflicted heart, the drummer’s approach is literally re-invented for each track. There’s ginormous fills and robust playing on “Come On” but nothing comes close to the title track’s club-wielding abandon. The slurring hats on “The Florida Sun” set the mood on this home state valentine. In the chorus of “Fight Song” the tribal toms are more Echo-plex than ethnic, but the ones on opener “Ghost” actually employ a digital doubling effect. The kick drum eighth-notes at 1:07 on “Never Be Like You” are a nice touch.

As if to prove his writing chops (and maybe assert his Southern pride?), Gillespie serves up Fear Inside Our Bones as a broad stylistic showcase with a whiff of classic rock nostalgia. �e former drummer has success-fully made himself over in the vein of Dave Grohl whose career he is unconsciously (or consciously?) aping. For the moment, though, �e Almost is getting more chameleonic as they search for who they are.

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MIDDLE CLASS RUTPick Up Your Head

On follow-up to No Name No Color, Sac-ramento hellions Zack Lopez and Sean Stockham make a giant racket for a mere duo. At one point Lopez — who definitively evokes Jane’s Addic-tion’s Perry Ferrell — warns “You better stay away, she’s a po-leece man” on “Police Man.” Lopez’ writing is almost as provocative as the video for “Aunt Betty” is disturbing.

From thunderous rock grooves to machine-like propulsion and places in between, Stockham never puts his eggs in one rhythmic basket. Mostly fat, wide-open bass drum like on “No More,” “Sing While You Slave,” and the hyp-notic title track — with its percussion overdubs — are the dude’s default. But the hugeness of the drums is never more apparent than on “Aunt Betty.” How he does “Cut �e Line”’s industrial clanks is anyone’s guess.

�is is one of the summer’s great rock records and it feels like Middle Class Rut is only getting started.

THE MOTHER HIPSBehind Beyond

�e creators of “California soul” celebrate 20 years of existence with the follow-up to 2009’s Pacific Dust. Greg Loiacono coaxes everything from jangle to dobro and slide tones from his guitar. On “Jefferson Army” Tim Bluhm sings, “We’ve got water and timber and weed, and all they got is insatiable greed / We’re tired of the vampires sucking the blood of the land.”

�at John Hofer is innovative and supportive within roots-rock’s parameters is cause for celebration. At 2:25 of “Jefferson Army,” the drum-machine sounding beat makes you wonder how he can uncross his arms so quick unless he’s open-handed, or the snare single-strokes are one-handed. “Creation Smiles” feels like a march till you realize it’s a kind of half-time shuffle. “Tuffy”’s rock shuffle rocks harder than most.

No need to decamp for Big Sur and build a yurt to get your Golden State on when Behind Beyond is coming through the speakers.

Photograph: ROD

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THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDEREverblack

Michigan melodic death metallers have expanded their palette and toughened up their sound on their sixth release. Ryan Night has a memorable guitar lead in every track. “In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me” is written from the perspective of Elizabeth Short’s killer, who gave Black Dahlia their name. Max Lavelle steps in for outgoing bassist Ryan “Bart” Williams who stuck around to help produce.

New drummer Alan Cassidy brings polish and sophistication from previous band Abigail Williams to BDM’s bruising riffage, mainly in the way of transitions and accents. Foot speed on “Into �e Everblack” and “Every Rope A Noose” are inhuman, as are the fills on “Control.” Only 23, a future of extreme-metal drum star-dom is looking good.

The Black Dahlia Murder are now the official conduit for a malevolent force. Be very afraid.

TREETOP FLYERS�e Mountain Moves

Coming up in the open-mike scene that spawned Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, and other folky Brits, Treetop Flyers mine a similar roots terrain, albeit with a Laurel Canyon twist. With its shooby-doo-wah refrain, “Postcards” is the perfect summer escape. Reid Morrison’s creamy, lilting voice could be the love child of James Taylor and Donald Fagen.

What’s not to like about the tasteful approach of Tomer Danan? He’s a happy crasher on “Making Time” in a way that enhances the ecstatic vocals. “Haunted House” boasts at least three different grooves. He’s the perfect click for the glockenspiel pings on “She’s Gonna Run.” �e meandering “Rose” is a showcase of subtle dynamics.

Despite the folky medium, �e Moun-tain Moves will rock your world like it’s 1973.

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AMON AMARTHDeceiver Of �e Gods

Viking metallers Amon Amarth’s ninth album is inspired by Loke, the prankster god of Norse mythology. Johan Hegg’s gurgling roar next to guitarist Olavi Mikkonen’s heroic leads herald the dawn of a new age or maybe the end of this one. “Victory is our reward for all the blood we spilled,” Hegg shrieks on “We Shall Destroy.”

In “Father Of �e Wolf” and the mid-song detour of “Blood Eagle,” Fredrik Anders-son’s blasts are intimidating, but this Swede is more interesting in the 140–150 bpm range. In “Under Siege” he’s combining the d-beat of thrash with a standard DM blast beneath oc-casional splash hits for a staggered-yet-fluid effect. Rad sextuplets before the breakdown at 3:03 on “We Shall Destroy.”

Deceiver Of �e Gods feels angrier and more threatening than anything the band has done in ages. We can’t wait to see the long ship the horde drags on stage for the North American tour.

LETLIVE.�e Blackest Beautiful

On fourth release and first for Epitaph, the Los Angeles quartet blend hardcore, rock, and screamo for their own aggro hybrid. �e croon-slash–mad bark of Ryan Butler recalls Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo crossed with �e Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler. Jean Nascimento and Jeff Sahyoun’s guitars seem to alternately caress and claw at your face.

Not a moment is wasted in the caffeinated neck-snapping beats of Chris Crandall, who was recruited when longtime drummer Anthony Rivera left last year. Cool hats on “Pheromone Cvlt” and Tommy gun bass drum eighth-notes on “Younger” and “27 Club.” There’s crystalline ride cymbal that pops out at the one-minute mark of “That Fear Fever,” but overall the album’s washy cym-bals function more as a time marker than a source of accents.

Rarely does a band sound new without being quirky or trying too hard. Save for the typographic affectations in its name, letlive. is a glaring exception.

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Cutting-edge drum set & percussion education with Miguel Gutierrez! Serving Michigan, Indiana, Ohio & Ontario, Canada drummers. Professional Drum & Percussion Studies, 248-460-DRUM (3786). www.prodrumstudies.com

Maryland Area: Pro Rock / Metal Teacher Tommy Azzinaro. Proficient in Double Bass. Beginners to Intermediate. Reasonable Rates. 410-724-2838. e-mail: [email protected]

West L.A. & Hollywood CA. Beginning to advanced drum instruction with Peter Tavella. 30 years experi-ence, contemporary techniques. 323-632-1316. [email protected]

Nassau County, Long Island, drum instruction. All levels / styles. Double Bass a specialty. Call or e-mail Rick Cash: 516-660-7204. [email protected]

VINTAGE DRUMS

Ludwig, Rogers, Slingerland, Leedy, & Gretsch books by Rob Cook, producer of the Chicago Drum Show & publisher of drummer biographies. Rebeats, 989-463-4757, [email protected], www.rebeats.com

You need Bobby Chiasson’s vintage drum list! 420 Coach Road, Argyle, NY 12809 Tel: 518-638-8559. www.drumfarm.com

CLASSIFIEDS

ACCESSORIES


CLASSIFIEDSPERCUSSION

Threads For Rockin’ Drummers Like You.Grab a tee or three at our official HLAG Store, EnterMusicStore.biz

MEDIA MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Marco Minnemann

Drum Stars Of YouTube

HAND DRUMAirto Moreira On The Hand Drum/Drum Set Connection

PLUGGED INThree Budget Microphone Setups Under The Microscope

REVIEWEDGon Bops Orestes Vilato TimbalesBoso DrumsticksPaiste Cymbals

VIBENikki Glaspie of DumpstaphunkJimmy DeGrasso with Black Star Riders

AD INDEX

MEET YOUR MAKER


MONTH>>Gaai DrumsAfter the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Masayoshi Nakamura realized that life is short. �e quake, which killed more than 6,400 people and cost $100 billion in damages, bitter-sweetly inspired him to follow his heart. “What I wanted to do for a long time was to make drums in the United States, where all the classic super drums were made,” Nakamura says.

As a teen, performing was his passion, and he had customized his drums to create a better sound. He made it as a professional drummer and eventually started working at a drum company in Los Angeles in 2002.

It took him a while to start his own brand, Gaai Drums, and he faced challenges without financial backers. “May-be that’s why I get creative and find a way to do things more cost effectively,” he says, “things other people don’t do, such as my signature spiral wrap or cutting glass sparkle materials super thin to make pin stripes.” Naka-mura strives for the “ultimate balanced sound,” with his drums, so the drummer can play any style of music.

Gaai drums are characterized by retro looks with sur-prising modern twists. Nakamura uses North American maple shells and offers two lines of drums: g (small g) and G (big G). Small g drums are simple classics, while big G drums are pop, chic, and vintage-inspired.

�e name Gaai, which comes from a version of Na-kamura’s first name, means grace and love. “�e brand name Gaai Drums expresses my graceful respect and sincere love for drum-making.”

You can snag a snare from Gaai starting at $700, or a kit starting around $2,800.CONTACT: [email protected]

—JORDAN LIFFENGREN

Jeremy Spencer

OF FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH

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STICKSInnovative Percussion innovativepercussion.com 93Pro-Mark promark.com 7PWB powerwristbuilders.com 94Regal Tip regaltip.com 101Vater vater.com 61, 63Vic Firth vicfirth.com 16/17

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DRUM INSTRUCTIONDrumeo drumeo.com 23

ONLINE SERVICESCascio interstatemusic.com 25DRUM! Calendar DRUMmagazine.com 14Online Drummer onlinedrummer.com 94

RETAIL STORESMaxwell maxwelldrums.com 50

APPARELDRUM! entermusicstore.biz 112Rockabilia rockabilia.com 95

HEADSAquarian aquariandrumheads.com 48Evans evansdrumheads.com 52Remo remo.com 67

CASESGator gatorcases.com 94SKB skbcase.com 6

MEDIAMetro metrosiliconvalley.com 21The Footiments thefootiments.com 95

MISCELLANEOUSChad Smith Contest drumchannel.com 106DRUM! Next Month DRUMmagazine.com 113DRUM! Night 2013 DRUMNight2013.com 8/9DRUM! Subscriptions DRUMsub.com 19Pearl Giveaway DRUMmagazine.com/giveaways 98/99PASIC 2013 pas.org 96San Jose Jazz Summer Fest jazzfest.sanjosejazz.org 108


Time Capsule By Donn Bennett 1990198019701960195019401930 2000

DRUM! (USPS-23586) is a registered trademark of Enter Music Publishing, Inc. DRUM! is published 12 times per year for $24.95 by Enter Music Publishing, Inc. DRUM!, 95 South Market St. Suite 430, San Jose, CA 95113. Tel: 408-971-9794, Fax: 408-971-0300. Periodical Postage Paid at San Jose and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DRUM!, PO Box 460849, Escondido, CA 92046-0849. All material published in DRUM! is copyrighted © 2013 by Enter Music Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in DRUM! is forbidden without written permission. Distributed by Curtis Circulation. ISSN# 1097-0614. PRINTED IN THE USA.

Michael Derosier’s 1980 Ludwig Drum Set For Heart

Heart was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame earlier this year. �eir performance at the induction ceremony was the first time the original band-

members had played together since they parted in the early 1980s. �e last time this lineup was together they were headlining stadium tours, as well as sharing stages all over the world with bands like �e Who and �e Rolling Stones. �e original Heart band was a powerful, rocking group of top-notch musicians, which included Michael Derosier on drums. Derosier never pur-sued attention in the media but is well known, particularly among musicians, as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time.

Derosier’s biggest influences were Buddy Rich and John Bonham. His 1980 Ludwig Classic drum set clearly reflects these influences. Both his idols used the same one rack tom, two floor tom configuration. �e 13" x 9" rack tom is all

Buddy. �e maple finish, Ludwig Supraphonic 402 snare, and the big bass and floor toms reflect Bonham. Derosier took the big drum idea one step further with a deeper 26" x 16" bass and enormous 18" x 16" and 20" x 18" floor toms. Derosier added the copper-plated lugs, inspired by copper hardware Heart guitarist Roger Fisher had installed on one of his custom guitars. Derosier had played this 1970 Ludwig 14" x 6.5" Supraphonic snare long before the rest of the set was built. �e lugs were copper plated to match the rest of the set. �is is the snare Derosier played on Heart’s 1977 hit “Barracuda.” He played these drums with Heart from 1980 until he left the band in 1982.

Derosier has always strove for a big, wide-open sound and this set has big written all over it with heavy 6-ply maple and poplar shells and no muffling except a felt strip on the bass drum. He remembers arguing with many soundmen

and studio engineers who wanted to control his sound with smaller, muffled drums. “�ere was one time,” Derosier recalled, “when I was recording with this set at �e Power Station in New York. I was really butting heads with the engineer who wanted me to use a smaller, more controlled kit. It turned out that Carmine Ap-pice was in the next studio. Carmine came over and told the engineer that my drums sounded fantastic and if they wanted to make this record sound huge then they should let me use my big, wide-open kit. End of conversation.”

Derosier plays a virtually identical configura-tion in his current band, Heart By Heart, which includes original Heart bassist Steve Fossen.

Donn Bennett is a world-renowned collec-tor and dealer of rare and vintage drums. His collection is on display at Donn Bennett Drum Studio in Bellevue, Washington.

1980

cool tempered

SOUND LEGACY

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2013 DRUMMIES.

Mike ManginiProgressive Rock Drummer

Pedrito MartinezRising Star PercussionistLatin Percussionist

Aaron SpearsFunk DrummerGospel Drummer

Sheila ERock/Pop/Hip-Hop Percussionist

Marcus GilmoreJazz Drummer

© 2013 Avedis Zildjian Com

pany

MANGINIMIKEDRUMMER OF THE YEAR

Chris LaytonBlues Drummer

Giovanni HidalgoJazz Percussionist

161271088-drum-august-2013

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