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& Chester
Thompson Turning It On Again
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Features ISSUE 007 n JANUARY - Fe 2008

018 Phil & Chester

Turning It On Again

036 Matt Flynn

More Taste, Less Fill

046 The New

Country
Mitch Marine and
Jim Riley

100 Face2Face
Simon Phillips Round 2

Cover Photo: Phil collins

and chester thompson
by Richard Pierce

004
 Departments

Count In
006 Editor’s Letter
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Chop Shop
054 CD Info Health
056 Transcription 070 Working It Out
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By Kevin Po savetz
060 Advanced Technique
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062 Urban Percussion
Djembe Rhythms
By Larry Fratangelo

064 Digital Domain 074 Industry Standard

Vater — Innovation
Amen, Brother
By Robert Boutin, J r.
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012 Paul 066 Drum U 076 Gear

What’s New
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July - August 2007

Cindy Anton Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Mover
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I am scanning the many magazines in the Barnes & Noble periodicals shelves, and I see the
word Drumhead on a magazine. I’ve been reading DrumHead since issue 2 and I buy each
Jonathan and Heather,
All right Jonathan, I’m starting to think
issue as they come out.
we were separated at birth or something
Have I read this issue?
weird?! (Only, you got ALL of the “playing”
I move the overlapping issues of Drum and Electronic Musician and what do I see... My
genes.) All of my favorite players have been
favorite drummer of all time...Billy Boy Bruford on the cover! I grab the issue immediately
in each issue so far?!?! How can that keep
and ...WHOA...HOLD ON NELLY....the rarest of rare drummers is being interviewed in the
happening? It’s like we have the same brain
magazine as well...Barrie Barlow from Jethro Tull.
or something.
I bought 2 copies! One issue is for reading and the other is for ‘exacto’ cutting the vintage
That was the BEST Bill Bruford article
photos of The Bruf and Barlow and framing them for hanging on my drum studio walls. All
I’ve ever read! 
Each issue just keeps getting
I can say is...Thank You...Thank You...Thank You. I can’t wait for Alan White to show up in
better – I know you’re tired of me writing
your magazine one day also.
after every issue – I can’t help it! Every
Keep up the great work!
article from Barlow to Bisquera to the Noble
Lou C.
and Cooley one, excellent!! You set yourself
apart by including pictures throughout the
Mr. Mover, Dear Team Drumhead, individual drummers careers (loved the old
  I’ve been a subscriber since I happened Many, many thanks for the excellent Barlow Ludwig ad!)
upon your publication’s second issue. I read Face2Face with Andy Newmark in issue 5. You said that we would be surprised  in the
just about every drum mag I can find and Andy’s a wonderful player, and it’s great to upcoming issues--let me see…. Copeland,
have been doing so for over 30-years. Your see him featured in such a lengthy interview. Bozzio???? Who can it be……..?
Face2face interviews are just fabulous in their (The opening groove on “Running Shoes” I am so glad that I subscribed for the
depth!!!!!!!!! I just love the Andy Newmark from The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking was next 2-years – I can’t wait to read what lies
one and can’t wait for Bruford. So many one of the first parts I taught myself to play. ahead!
aspects of the magazine are innovative and Getting the right feel for it was tricky!) Bill F.
fresh. You’ve created a fabulous magazine These Face2Face interviews provide a PS – I loved the subtitle in the Bruford
here...(I think I may have already written fascinating “behind the scenes” look at the article – I am printing bumper stickers –
before to compliment you on it but it won’t creation of some incredible music, not to who’s with me????? “In Bruford We Trust.”
hurt to repeat if I have - drumming is my great mention an invaluable look into the life of
love, although I don’t have ‘professional- a professional musician. Andy’s thoughtful
level’ talent). Thanks. Your publication truly responses provide a refreshingly candid look
From Our Myspace Friends
I just finished reading the holiday 2007
is something I eagerly look forward to. Thanks at some of the most significant recording
issue and I think DRUMHEAD is simply the
for the inspiration!! artists of the last forty years. I can’t wait to
best drumming magazine out there today! I
Pete G.
 read part two!
loved the Bill Bruford interview - especially
Russ F.
the ‘pros and cons’ about his collaborations
BTW, I read Rhythm from England, and
Hi Heather, subscribe to Drum and Modern Drummer. 
throughout his career. I especially loved the
I have to say, with each issue, I become interview with Barriemore Barlow who I
Your publication stands head and shoulders
more and more impressed with Drumhead haven’t seen an interview with since around
above any of the above.
Magazine.  The articles are very in depth, they ‘79 or ‘80. He’s a huge influence on me and
always ask interesting and valid questions one of my favorite drummers ever - period.
(unlike a few other percussion prints who we Heather, Thanks so much. Keep up the fantastic
won’t name); and they give credit to some Thank you so very much. I already like this magazine for drummers.
drummers who seem to go unnoticed. publication better than the others and now mk
I gotta say, this is my new favorite drum I see why. Thank you for the great customer
mag. service. It just shows that everything there at Thanks for getting an interview with
Beau T. Drumhead is done professionally. Barriemore Barlow. Best drum magazine ever.
Stuart toadlunch

008
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Artist P.O.V.

Drummers

to
according

PA
UL
Rodgers
Words: Heather Smith

There are few artists who define

a genre of music: Paul Rodgers
is one of them. He is the voice
of rock ‘n’ roll. Since the start
of his career, rock’s burgeoning
‘60s, he’s fronted some of the
world’s most influential rock
bands, and written some of the
most popular rock songs ever.

Paul Rodgers | 2005 FRANK WHITE | Frank White Photo Agency

012
R
odgers and his British Cold Medina.”
blues-based band Free Free turned into Bad Company, which
stepped into the limelight Rodgers started with Mick Ralphs [Mott The
with their early hit “All Hoople] in 1973. Rodgers explains, “[When]
Right Now,” which by Mick and I formed Bad Company, Kirke
2000 had been played came along.” The band went on to achieve
over two million times resounding success with Kirke adding the
in England, and in 2006 backbeat to Rodgers’ powerhouse songwriting
passed three million plays in the U.S. Moving
on to form Bad Company in 1973, he went
on to write/co-write defining rock songs:
“Shooting Star,” “Feel Like Making Love,”
“Bad Company,” “Rock and Roll Fantasy” and
many, many more. The end was nowhere near
for the songwriter/vocalist/guitar player/
keyboardist working next with Jimmy Page
to form The Firm, and then The Law with
drummer Kenney Jones. Currently, besides
fronting his own band, he’s been the voice
of Queen, accepting the scepter after the
untimely passing of vocalist and icon Freddie
Mercury.
Jason Bonham Simon Kirke | BOB LEAFE | FWPA

“John’s
possibly
the best
rock ‘n’ roll
drummer
that ever
lived.”
Throughout his remarkable career, Paul
Rodgers has worked with numerous great
drummers, Simon Kirke, Chris Slade, Kenney
Jones, Mitch Mitchell, Buddy Miles, Deen
Castronovo and Roger Taylor, to name a
handful. “I had a blues band called Brown
Sugar, and I had a drummer in that band
called Andy Borenius, he was a great little
drummer actually,” reminisces Rodgers.
“When Koss [Paul Kossoff] and I formed
Free he brought Simon Kirke along. That’s
how I met Simon. They were already working
together in a band called Black Cat Bones.
Paul Kossoff came along to the Fickle Pickle,
we had a jam and I said to Paul right there,
‘We need to form a band.’” Forming Free with
Andy Fraser, the band launched into musical
history recording rock anthem “All Right
Now.” The song has been used in advertising
(Gatorade and Monster.com), TV and film,
“The Sopranos” and American Beauty, and
was even sampled by Tone Loc in “Funky
John Bonham | LAURENS VAN HOUTEN | FWPA
Chris Slade | BOB LEAFE | FWPA
skills. During this time, the major British
invasion bands were all touring, crisscrossing
the world. One band they had the fortune of
working alongside was Led Zeppelin. “John
Bonham was a really fantastic guy, I loved
John,” says Rodgers. “In the very early days
of Bad Company and Led Zeppelin, we’d see
them all the time. We didn’t actually tour
together, but we’d sometimes cross paths
while on tour in the States or in the U.K.
We’d get up for a jam with each other and it
was always a momentous occasion. (Laughs.)
John’s possibly the best rock ‘n’ roll drummer
that ever lived. The way he could just nail a
beat and hold it and leave all the room in the
world, all the space in the world for everyone
else to shine. Then, when he got a break, he’d
just unleash. WOW!”
His experience with the Bonham family
doesn’t end with John. On Rodgers’ recent
tour supporting his DVD, John’s younger

013
 “One of
sister Debbie Bonham, “Came up and jammed
on ‘Can’t Get Enough.’ When she picked
up the tambourine and started playing it, I

the things
thought it was Bonzo for a sec, shooka shooka
shooka, it was just this great solid beat, she’s

I find that
got the same touch.” The family connection
discussion then moves on to John’s son Jason
Bonham. “I remember meeting Jason when

will spoil
he was a little boy,” says Rodgers. “When
he was 13 or 14, I would play in Birmingham

a song is if
where John Bonham lived, and John would
come to the gig, ‘You guys gotta come back
to my house, won’t take no for an answer.’

it tends to
So we all go back, you know have a little
party and stuff, and then Jason comes down

speed up.”
in his pajamas, he’s about 12-years old and
there’s a jukebox blaring away. He says, ‘Dad,
can I set the kit up and play along to “All
Right Now?”’ John says, ‘Well you can just
do one song and then you’ve got to go to bed.’ Roger Taylor | FRANK WHITE | FWPA
[Jason] sets his little kit up and he was rock
solid, and he was 12-years old playing those
songs.” Rodgers worked with the adult Jason
Bonham on Muddy Waters Blues: A Tribute
To Muddy Waters. “By the time he came to
make an album with me he was a mature
drummer,” Rodgers explains, “very much of
a grown up guy. He actually used a different
technique than his father. He wasn’t exactly
the same as John. John was very much a rock
drummer. When I think of the way he came
in on ‘Stairway To Heaven,’ I know he had
lots of subtlety. I think he taught Jason much
more wrist movement. He could almost get
into a jazzy feel.” The comparative difference
from father and son will always be made, the
former a blues drummer turned Herculean
rock god, the later a rock drummer with a

A
staccato feel and a lot more
wrist movement.

fter leaving Bad Company,
Rodgers then formed The
Firm with Jimmy Page. Out
of sorts from not just the
demise of John Bonham,
but of Led Zeppelin as well,
Page began coming around
to Rodgers’ studio in Kingston, England,
where he was recording a solo album. “One
day [he] brought a tape along and asked me
if I’d write some lyrics to it. That became
‘Midnight Moonlight.’ Then we started to
write songs, and that’s how The Firm came
to be.” Page brought Chris Slade into the
band along with bassist Tony Franklin. Still
friends, Slade often joins Rodgers on stage
when performing in LA.
The Law, Rodgers’ band with Kenney
Jones, was the one band he formed around
the singer and drummer. The idea was to
bring in musicians to fill in the remaining
slots, depending on “If we wanted to go in the
soul direction or a blues direction or a flat out
Mitch Mitchell | LAURENS VAN HOUTEN | FWPA
Kenney Jones | BOB LEAFE | FWPA
rock direction.” When asked why The Law
didn’t continue after the one album, Rodgers
says, “It was during a period of time when
Atlantic was going through some changes up
top. There were many, many power struggles
going on, and we never really toured that
band, so it didn’t really take off. But I thought
we did some interesting things, particularly
‘Laying Down The Law.’”
Involved in several different tributes to
Jimi Hendrix, Rodgers has worked with both
of the guitarist’s drummers: Mitch Mitchell
(The Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Buddy
Miles (Band Of Gypsys). With Mitchell he
performed three Experience Hendrix shows
in 2004, “I love Mitch, I always loved The
Experience,” explains Rodgers. “Although he
was a beautiful jazz drummer, he was very
capable of some very intricate patterns. I
think it was Noel Redding [bass] that actually
kept time a lot of the time. He’d be dum

014
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“I do like to let drummers express
themselves within the context of
the song and find their own groove.”
Ryan Hoyle | FRANK WHITE | FWPA
Jeff Kathan
dum dum through it and they’d [Jimi and
Mitch] do this amazing thing where they’d
go into an explosion and then come out on the
beat. They had a feel going on between them
that put a twinkle in your eye. It was almost
avant-garde the places they went. It was so
out there, it was beyond time somehow. Yet
somehow they’d come back out of this blur
together. That’s his style of drumming and
it’s a very cool technique that he has. It was
great, great to play with him. It was nice to
make eye contact with him, and have a little
smile about what was going on.”
Recently the mantle of Queen vocalist was
passed to Rodgers, allowing him to work with
Roger Taylor. Welcomed by fans worldwide,
in his ‘new’ band, he found that Taylor is,
“a fantastic drummer, a songwriter, he’s a
great singer, and he’s a very creative person.
016
Selected Discography
Roger’s an incredibly talented man. Working
with Queen, Roger and Brian, they’re very
avant-garde and very forward thinking.
They’ve got a wide scope of creative ideas,
and they are willing to try anything and go
anywhere with different musical ideas. Some
of the things he’s [Taylor] played me that
we’re in the studio right now with absolutely
blow my mind. He’s not really very technical
in my description of drummers, I just know
what I like, he adds something that is just
very tasteful and at the same time, very
powerful.”
Able to pick any drummer from any stage
in the world, has its advantages. When
Rodgers was looking for a drummer to
record his recent DVD and U.K. tour he made
inquiries to using Collective Soul drummer
Ryan Hoyle. Having seen him perform on the
band’s DVD, Rodgers was impressed with his
“crisp” sound. Available for the gig, Rodgers
describes Hoyle as, “Quick on the uptake. It’s
not brain science but you do have to be pretty
sharp whether it’s three or it’s four, and he’s a
lot of fun to work with. He was very creative
on the newer material too, which is always a
boost.”
When touring his solo album Rodgers
turns to his “gentle giant” Jeff Katham. a
man “with a huge heart” who has worked
with Rogers for 9-years, and came from a
California based Free tribute band.
So what is it that a man like Rodgers looks
for when he chooses a drummer? “I look for
that groove. I know that’s a little bit vague,
but I look for that...that someone [who] can
sit behind the kit and just nail it straight
away. One of the things I find that will spoil a
song is if it tends to speed up. If you can hold
back that time and come in after the chorus
without having sped it up; ‘cause I do find
that when you play a song too fast it makes it
frivolous. For me it loses it’s intensity and its
power. For example “Feel Like Makin’ Love,”
we actually discovered with Queen, that we
play it in two tempos, when Roger suggested
that to me I said, ‘Well can you do that? Can
you play the verse in one tempo, and then
actually play the chorus in another?’ And
it really worked amazingly. Instead of just
leaning back, you pull it way back. Those are
the things that a really good drummer will
automatically understand. It keeps everybody
else on their toes. When I wrote that song all
those years ago I never thought it could be
played differently and improved upon from
its original version, but I think we actually
did manage that.
“I do like to let drummers express
themselves within the context of the song
and find their own groove. I’m very open to
working with them on that. As a singer you
can play with the beat too. You can sing ahead
of the beat, you can sing on the beat, you can
sing behind the beat, you can push it, you
can pull it back, and it’s great to work with a
drummer that’s understanding. I believe it’s
a musical conversation that we’re having.
We’re talking to each other through our
instruments.”
WEBFOOT
paulrodgers.com wikipedia.org
myspace.com/paulrodgersthevoice
 BROOKS WACKERMAN / BAD RELIGION / 9002 DOUBLE PEDAL

©2008 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 Phil
&
Chester
Collins

Thompson
Turningit on
Again INTERVIEW: MOVER
PHOhotos: Richard pierce

018
© Armando Gallo / Retna, Ltd.

019
PhilC
020
ollins
T
here’s a long-held belief that superstardom comes with a
price. If so, the cost to Phil Collins may be that his profile as a world-class
drummer has been partially eclipsed by his role as a superstar solo artist
and singer of Genesis.
In 2007 Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Collins re-united after an eleven
year hiatus (with longtime live members guitarist Daryl Stuermer and
drummer Chester Thompson rounding out the lineup) for a stadium tour. When Phil and
Chester performed side-by-side for their nightly duets, the musical chemistry hypnotized
audiences and served as a reminder that Phil is a drummer, first and foremost. Legions of
fans adore Collins as a front man, but many of us want to see him playing more drums live.
Whenever Collins does jump on the kit, there’s no getting away from the fact that drums are,
in his words, his “Main tool of creative expression.”
Collins has always had the luxury of choice when it comes to his creative outlets. A former
child actor who starred on the London stage in Oliver! and appeared in a brief role in the
Beatles’ film A Hard Days Night, Collins seemed destined for a career in the dramatic arts.
However, he was simultaneously cultivating his burgeoning skills as a drummer from an early
age and was involved with several London-based rock bands throughout his teens.

J oining Genesis in 1970 at the age of

19 after the release of their Trespass
album, Phil proved to be the perfect
timekeeper for their pioneering
progressive rock.
As a part-time member of the highly-
acclaimed English fusion outfit Brand X
during the ‘70s, Phil exposed a jazzier side
to his playing while he also he built a sterling
reputation as a studio musician, appearing
on albums by artists such as Robert Fripp,
Argent, Brian Eno, Adam Ant, John Martyn
and Thin Lizzy, to name a few.
When original Genesis singer/co-founder
Peter Gabriel quit in ‘75, launching what
would eventually become a brilliant solo
career, Phil stepped in as his replacement.
With Phil singing and drumming on the
albums, the band’s popularity soared to
multi-platinum status in the ‘80s and into
the ‘90s, although their sound took on a
decidedly pop flavor during that era.
Gabriel wisely invited Phil to play drums
on his 1980 solo album (referred to as ‘three’
or ‘melt,’ as his albums were then untitled).
Dispensing with cymbals, Phil’s stripped-
down drum sound became instantly
recognizable.
That haunting, primeval drum vibe
resonated on Collins’ very first solo
album Face Value (’81). The album was a
stratospheric success (the first single was the
massive hit “In The Air Tonight”), relying
heavily on drums and sung with raw emotion
it was the first of several hugely well-received
solo albums (between 1984 and 1990, he had
a run of 13 consecutive U.S. top ten hits)
and made him one of the most recognizable
voices of the decade.
Collins was everywhere in the ‘80s: he
dipped back into acting during that period
(appearing in the feature film Buster, and TV’s
“Miami Vice”); drummed for Robert Plant,
Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Frida [Abba]; and
became an in-demand producer for Phillip
Bailey [Earth Wind & Fire], Clapton, and
various other artists.
Singer, composer, producer: whatever
his role, Collins has consistently played
drums on all the albums with which he is
involved. “I find it odd that I don’t appear in
drum polls these days,” he commented in an
earlier interview. “People seem to think I’m
not a drummer any longer. Drums were the
beginning of everything for me. Even if I’m
out front singing with Genesis, I still consider
myself the band’s drummer.”
This is sharply evident on the DVD for Phil’s
2004 solo tour [Finally. . . The First Farewell
Tour]. The show opens with Phil crafting a
transcendental solo that which transfixes the
audience. Then Chester Thompson joins him
for their dazzling double act. Drumming of
this caliber has got to be the most enviable
job on the planet.
Mover had the pleasure of meeting Phil
Collins backstage at a sold-out Genesis show
at Giants Stadium last September. Drummer
to drummer, Mover got the exclusive story
on Genesis’ original plans to tour last year
(reputed to have been a reunion that was to
include Peter Gabriel and original guitarist
Steve Hackett), Collins’ hearing loss, and his
remembrances of things past and present.
And trust us; it’s all about the drums.

021
Mover: You have an incredibly distinct
playing style. Who did you grow up
listening to and how did your sound and
style develop into what it is today?
Phil Collins: I think probably it was
due to the fact that I was listening to a lot of
different types of music. It’s like the saying ‘It
goes in here and comes out there’ (pointing
into one ear, then the other).
It was in the ‘60s, I started playing when
I was five years old. I got a drum when I was
three, I started playing a little drum kit when
I was five, and that’s all I ever wanted to do
from that moment, although not seriously
until I was 12 or 13 which is when the Beatles
started. Prior to the Beatles of course there
was early rock ‘n’ roll which my brother and
sister, who were older than me, were listening
to. So music was always around.
Certainly from ‘62, ‘63, ‘64, I was listening
to old soul records from Atlantic, all of
Motown and all of the pop that was around,
whether it was the Beatles or the Hollies. I
was also listening to A Love Supreme, by John
Coltrane. I also heard the “West Side Story”
medley and Buddy Rich, and that blew me
away. I was actually going to see all of the
bands at The Marquee (London music club). I
used to sweep the floor of the Marquee Club,
the manager used to let me in because I was
always there. “I could put on my John
So I think the long-winded answer is
basically I was just listening to everything, Bonham hat, I could put on my
Keith Moon hat or my Ringo hat and
and so you couldn’t really pin one particular
person or one particular genre on me. Keith
Moon, Ginger Baker, Robert Henrit with
Argent, and Bobby Elliot with The Hollies,
they all influenced me. I could put on my John
I wasn’t shy about doing it.”
Bonham hat, I could put on my Keith Moon
hat or my Ringo hat and I wasn’t shy about JM: Did you get a concert tom kit or just to teach me at school. He was a good friend
doing it. Because I listened to all of it, it just take the bottom heads off? of mine. I haven’t seen him for years. He sold
seemed very natural to me. PC: No, I didn’t take the bottom heads off. me his Gretsch kit around the time they did
The sound, I’m not sure. I know that I have Woodstock, and then he left. I still have that.
it, the ‘sound’ thing, that’s obviously been JM: Real concert toms, like the old It’s been changed a few times, but I think
caricatured by “In The Air Tonight”. Octoplus. they’re distinctive.
PC: Oh those things, yeah, I remember that. For the single-head toms, it started with
JM: Your style as well, they’re both very Cobham used to play those. No I didn’t go for that ‘barking’ sort of sound and then that went
distinctive. those, although I was wild about Cobham in to the nth degree on the Gabriel stuff and the
PC: I’d like to think so. I’ve played with those fantastic Mahavishnu days. early solo albums. We always used to break the
Clapton in his band for many years and for I’ve got quite a few drum kits that sound down, me and Hugh Padgham (Genesis
me, he had that. You’d know when it was him, accumulated over the years, and I’m quite producer/engineer), who I worked with on
and his personality comes out in the music. happy to play a double-headed kit. I’ve got a so much of the stuff. Everybody thinks you
As for the sound, I am one of the few that uses lovely Premier kit, a double-headed kit from just lift it up, and do the same thing everyday.
concert toms. way back, and I’ve still got my first Gretsch kit But we always changed something because
which is double-headed. we didn’t want to be the same either. People
JM: Sonically, there was a big difference say that there is THAT thing. But actually
between Wind & Wuthering and And Then JM: When I saw you at Carnegie Hall with if you listen closely, there’s lots of different
There Were Three with the transition to the big band, you played a double-headed variations of live-ness and all that stuff.
concert toms. kit, a more traditional approach for jazz.
PC: Wind & Wuthering... I think that was PC: That was a new kit, but I still have the JM: On a lot of the Genesis music that
probably the Premier double shells that they one I bought from Bruce Roland when he you have writing credits on, especially
had out for awhile. I can’t actually remember, was with Joe Cocker. He actually played it in that middle-era of Trick Of The Tail,
certainly probably around that tour was when at Woodstock when he was in the Grease Wind & Wuthering and And Then There
I made the switch. Band (Cocker’s backing band), and he used Were Three, it’s extremely rhythmic stuff,

022

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15” Hi-Hats
18” HH Medium Thin Crash brilliant finish
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very drum oriented. On tracks such as
“Los Endos,” “Dance On A Volcano,” and
“Wot Gorilla?” are you composing from
a rhythmic place? Meaning, do you first
come up with an amazing ‘out’ groove,
then write something to it, or do you
actually think melodically with a rhythmic
twist?
PC: Up until that point, even though I was
singing with the band, I was a player first and
foremost. But my whole life changed with my
first divorce. I went through that experience,
then I started writing songs. The way we used
to write for the last few albums was to sit in a
room with nothing planned. I was always a big
Weather Report fan, a big fan of Joe Zawinul
and the various drummers in that band. So
that “bap bap, zigga bap” (singing the “Wot
Gorilla?” drum groove) is a Weather Report
riff really.
I would always try to bring that in, because
it’s just something that we never did. We were
a song band, kind of progressive and I was
trying to stretch out. “Los Endos” for example,
is my version of “Promise Of A Fisherman.”
That’s Santana, it’s on Borboletta. You listen
024
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Old Premier & New Yamaha cymbal stands
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12” & 15” Racks - Clear Ambassadors
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Sticks
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Roland Fantom XR & Roland TD-12
Kat triggers
Simmons SDS5 sounds
to Borboletta and “Promise Of A Fisherman”
and that’s kind of a real cool jazz version that
became “Los Endos.”
JM: Interesting. So you had things that you
wanted to express and play on the kit, and
wrote music in order to do it.
PC: Yeah. We said one day in rehearsal that,
“We should be doing this. . .” Then people
would start playing and somebody wrote a
song out of that idea.
JM: You mentioned Weather Report which
obviously brings Chester to mind. At
the end of “Duke’s Travels” there’s that
massive linear drum fill which you just
played at sound-check, the same one
on Seconds Out. Did you get that from
“Trouble Every Day” [Zappa]?
PC: Yeah. We’ve put it in a few places. We do
it in “Afterglow” and then we do it in “Duke’s
Travels.”
JM: Speaking of Duke, I really love the
double drum tracking. It blew me away
when I first heard it, and still does. What
brought you to do that, and how did
you do it in terms of recording the two
individual performances?
PC: On Duke I double tracked myself. The
whole album was a big step forward for us
because when we recorded it, it was before
I’d done Peter’s [Gabriel] third album, it was
before I’d done my solo album, but we were
already leaning towards a very ‘live’ sound
We recorded it in Polar Studios in Sweden
and they had a fantastic glass drum room.
“Duchess” and all the drums sound pretty
good on that record, “Duke’s Travels” too. We
just kind of suddenly went stereoic and I just
overdubbed to myself.
JM: So you laid out the kit in a regular
stereo fashion and then went back in and
double tracked it?
PC: Yeah. And this was before automation.
JM: You mentioned Peter [Gabriel] earlier.
Lots of rumors have been circulating
surrounding the fact that he didn’t do this
latest Genesis tour. Many people heard it
was going to be a reunion tour with the
early/mid-70s lineup. What happened?
PC: It will be revealed when we get the final
DVD documentary out. But in brief, I had
been doing interviews for the tour since the
Dance Into The Light album which was also
when the first Gabriel-era box set also came
out. I just kept saying, “Maybe someone will
call to get the five of us together again.” And
this started the whispers snowballing and
snowballing until eventually Steve [Hackett]
heard about it, Peter heard about it, and when
we were getting together to do interviews
for the box set, I would sit down and discuss
it and we’d kind of talk ourselves out of it.
Sometimes we felt keener about it than
others. In 2004, Pete gathered with the rest
of us to talk about the 30th anniversary of The
Lamb [The Lies Down On Broadway], and that
was really what we were talking about doing,
something to celebrate the 30th anniversary,
re-releasing it in 5.1.
We arrived in a hotel room in Scotland to
talk about it. Peter was keen, but he still had
his album to finish and still had a tour to go
with it. The album still has not come out and
we’re in 2007. Really, that was three years ago,
November 2004. And that still might happen
at some point. When they left, Steve and Pete,
we just sat there and said, “Well, that was a bit
of a strange meeting, I thought we were going
to decide when we were going to do it, not if.”
At that point I looked at Mike [Rutherford]
and said, “This is the Genesis that most
people know. Do you fancy doing this tour
with just us?” We could see that it was going
to be a lot of negotiation to present this thing
with all five of us. But it still might happen.
A lot of people think that we organized this
“With Steve and Pete, that’s a drums full time, as you used to do?
PC: I don’t miss it particularly. I mean I love it

separate thing that may still happen. when I do it. But the producing, well I’ve had
really a bad hearing loss in one ear, from a viral

I’d love it to happen, I’d love infection. Nothing to do with playing, but
it took away selected frequencies in one ear.

to get behind the drums and It’s called sudden deafness. This happened in
2000, so I’ve only got one and a half ears.

play. It would be fantastic.” People would have to be very brave to take

me on as their producer. Once you get under
the umbrella of hearing problems, as you
tour, asked Peter and he said, “No.” Like we recordings you’ve played on: Eddie Howell, know, people tell you different things like,
threw a party and he didn’t come, and it’s not John Martyn, Eno, Brand X, Robert Plant, “Oh, you’ve got tinnitus.” You try to tell them,
like that at all. Nova, Camel... With your incredibly “No, this is something else.” 
So it’s a separate issue, getting the five- successful solo career, as well as all the
piece with Steve and Pete, that’s a separate production work, do you miss playing JM: You mentioned Weather Report
thing that may still happen. I’d love it to
happen, I’d love to get behind the drums and
play. It would be fantastic. Pete’s very precious
about his career because he’s obviously built
something that’s quite fantastic. 

JM: I hope it comes around. Seeing you

play at Carnegie Hall with the Big Band
was a delight. Having you on drums all
night was just great and with Genesis, it
would really be something.
PC: With the Swing Band, yeah that was
great.
I wanted to record that whole ’98 Big Band
tour, which we did during the ‘96 portion of
the shows. In ‘98 we were recording in Europe
everywhere we played. When we arrived in
New York at Carnegie Hall I thought, “I’m
playing Carnegie Hall! We’re going to record
tonight, right?” The guy there answered, “No,
you can’t record here. It’s going to cost you to
record.”

JM: Mr. Union.

PC: Yep. So I said, “Nothing? Not even a DAT
for me?” And he said, “Nope. I can give you a
cassette from that mic up there. That’ll cost
you a couple thousand dollars, but I can do
that.” I said, “Alright, well I’m only going to
play it once probably.”
So I took it and back at the hotel after the gig
I put this cassette in and suddenly we sounded
like The Count Basie Orchestra, with that one
mic above the band and everybody balancing
themselves. This one mic was the recording. I
took this cassette and when we finally mixed
the Big Band CD, A Hot Night In Paris, I put
the cassette on for Don Murray[producer/
engineer]. I said, “This is what I want it to
sound like.” So he put all the tracks back
out through Capital, which is the studio
where Sinatra used to record. Everything was
recorded like they would have done back then,
in a very complicated way, but it ended up
sounding a little bit more traditional: the
Buddy Rich kind of band sound.

JM: I’ve collected so many of the

025
earlier. Was it Chester’s playing on Black
Market that convinced you he was right Solo
for Genesis?
PC: It was the Zappa Live album really. I’ve
always liked Zappa, he was always kind of
interesting, though I never saw him live.
That album Live At Roxy [Roxy & Elsewhere]
was fantastic and when I heard that stuff
he did with Ralph Humphrey I said, “That’s
incredible. That’s it… I want that. I want a bit
of that.” (Laughs).
So I rang Chester, and he’d heard of the
band I think but we’d never met, and he
actually joined the band without the other
guys having met him (laughs). Day one of
rehearsal, no one had met him. You know, he
just walks in and says, “Hello, I’m your new
drummer.” (Laughs).
That’s kind of weird to think it could happen
like that. I can’t imagine that happening now.
You can’t imagine a guitar player coming in
from nowhere. Like Daryl [Stuermer] walking
in just saying, “I’m you new guitar player,”
without some kind of audition. I mean Mike
even auditioned Daryl.

JM: What does Chester bring to the table?

Obviously there’s a groove and technique,
but what specifically?
PC: It’s very difficult for me, because I’m
always going to be (motioning like he’s turning
around on stage, having to keep an eye on the
drummer) which I’m not really doing with
Chester. If it wasn’t the right thing and he
wasn’t the right drummer, I would always be
turning around just out of habit. You know,
“What was that?”
But that never happens, unless a stick
comes flying by (laughs) or occasionally he
stops in a place where he shouldn’t.

JM: I haven’t seen the show yet, but I do

know the two of you are banging on a
couple of bar stools.
PC: Basically we’ve always written our drum
duets in a hotel room. He’d sit on one chair,
and there’d be a chair between us and we’d
play and record it on whatever the technology
was available at the time.
In Brussels, when we started rehearsing in
June for this tour, we did it in my room where
there was a leather stool, because that was all
that we had available.
This is all going to be on the documentary
that’s coming out so it’s kind of interesting to
see. We listened to it and it just sounded really
powerful. Had a chat about it and decided,
“Why don’t we just do this?”
I realize we’re in Stomp territory just kind
of playing on other things, but it’s different WEBFOOT
because it’s literally the way we’ve always
philcollins.co.uk genesis-music.com
done it, banging on the furniture.
drummerworld.com imdb.com
So it kind of feels like the right thing to
finish with.

026
GENESIS

Sessions

027
CThester
hompson
© Armando Gallo / Retna, Ltd.

028
W
ith freewheeling versatility, Chester
Thompson has bridged the gaps between jazz, rock, R&B and
Soul drumming, while thriving as a session and live player in the
music industry for more than three glorious decades.
When asked to explain the provenance of his playing, he once
commented that “It comes from God. You just close your eyes and
let Him take over.” Witnessing Thompson live, there does indeed seem to be a higher power
at work.
Born and bred in Baltimore, Thompson was raised on jazz and soul, with Elvin Jones, Tony
Williams and Max Roach inspiring him to develop his own uniqueness. At 13, Chester was
already gigging on the Baltimore club scene and by his mid-teens, his reputation was well
established within the local session community, having already played with regional and
national acts.

F rank Zappa and The Mothers of

Invention were the pinnacle of
experimentation and virtuosity,
their compositional adeptness and
penchant for mind-boggling time signatures
triumphant live solo tours throughout the
‘80s and ‘90s. Chester released his first solo
album, A Joyful Noise (’91) to critical acclaim
while also playing sessions for artists such as
Neil Diamond, George Duke, John Fogerty,
Jonathan Mover: Here you are, back again.
Chester Thompson: It’s been fifteen years.
The last tour finished in ’92.

JM: At that point you were still in LA?

legendary. In 1973, Frank Zappa drafted
Chester in to further augment the rhythm
section already inhabited by the formidable
Ralph Humphrey. It was a challenging gig
in terms of live preparation, yet Thompson
thrived on the road and in the studio on
landmark albums such as Bongo Fury, One
Size Fits All, Studio Tan and live
albums You Can’t Do That Onstage
Anymore and Roxy and Elsewhere.
From the exalted realms of Zappa,
Chester moved on to the musical
ecstasy of Weather Report, debuting
on what many consider the band’s
finest album, Black Market (’76).
When he joined Genesis in
‘77, Chester became familiar to
mainstream audiences. Phil Collins
needed to fill the drum chair for the
band’s Wind and Wuthering tour
while he stepped up front to sing,
replacing Peter Gabriel. Thompson
had been approached by Collins, (who
was already a fan) and offered the gig
without needing to audition. With
little more than a week to learn all of
Phil’s parts for the ’77 tour, Chester
worked night and day to nail every
riff and fill as they were originally
conceived on the earlier albums.
Thompson continued with
Genesis for the next decade-and-a-
half, as well as joining Collins for his
Donna Summer, Duane Eddy, Michael
McDonald, and Steve Hackett.
Genesis reformed in 2007 for their Turn It
On Again tour, with Chester’s pulse-racing
rhythms and inventive fills converting
audiences worldwide into true believers in
the power of rock drumming.
CT: Yeah.
JM: And then off to Nashville. Did the
move there have anything to do with you
knowing that it was possibly the end of
Genesis or perhaps a very long break?
CT: No, it had nothing to do with Genesis.
It was a combination of things. I certainly
wouldn’t have chosen Nashville (laughing).
I say jokingly, it was an act of God. I
actually went there for Larrie Londin’s funeral
and got in a day early, drove around, got the
addresses for the funeral home, the church,
the cemetery. I wanted to be able to move
around know where I was going. Driving
around looking at the area, I just fell in love
with it.
I went back to LA and mentioned it too
many times to my wife, she thought I’d
completely lost my mind. Next thing you
know, a few things happened to confirm that
it was the right way for us to go.
We all flew down - my wife, our son and
me - looked around, and within a week,
we’d bought a house, registered my son in
school, went home and started packing up
the house.
JM: Did it lead to more session work, or is
it a completely different scene than you
had anticipated?
CT: It was probably the worst disaster, work-
wise that I’ve ever encountered (laughs). But

029

it was a great family move. My son’s done very
well, he finished high school, finished college,
and he’s now married with his own family. So
it’s really been good.
JM: Now Genesis is back, 15 years after the
last tour. Is there anything vastly different
now compared to then?
CT: Everybody’s a lot more relaxed. And I
think we’re probably having more fun than we
ever had. It’s been. . . let’s just say we laugh a
lot more, which is a good thing.
JM: When you first got the call from Phil,
did you know who he was, were you
familiar with Genesis?
CT: Yeah. Alphonso Johnson was a pretty big
Genesis fan. We did a Weather Report tour in
Europe, and at the last concert in London, Phil
came to see us. Alphonso used to play Genesis
a lot on his his big Sony cassette player that
had speakers. We were on trains a lot so he
would play The Trick Of The Tail album all the
time. I only knew them from that.
JM: Did you know what you were getting
into?
CT: Not fully, only very little in actual fact.
JM: As far as the double drum format, did
you think this was going to be the set-up?
030
CT: Well I had done that with Zappa and it
was pretty clear from Phil in the beginning
that he really wanted to find someone that he
could lock with, a drummer that didn’t have
issues with sharing the chair. I said, “I’ve
already done that.” Basically, Phil and I locked
immediately. Even the first day of rehearsal,
we just started jamming as everybody was
setting up gear, we were just going for it.
Immediately it started feeling really good.
JM: Once you’ve listened to and learned
the studio recording, is it an open door for
you creatively? How closely do you feel
you need to stay to what Phil played?
CT: I’m under no illusions about why I’m
here. Basically I learn it as close as possible
to how he did it. But that’s not necessarily
the requirement. Phil’s a writer, so very often
there are certain fills that are considered part
of the composition. I get a handle on those
first, then I bring my own things in. If you
listen to any gig tape from the start of the tour
to the end of the tour, the songs usually have
quite a different personality. Daryl brings
something different to it just like I bring
something different to it.
JM: You’ve had some extremely
prestigious gigs in the past. Playing with
Weather Report is very impressive, but
there’s no comparison between your
playing on a track such as “Black Market”
compared to Zappa’s “Approximate,”
which was pretty serious for the time.
How did the Zappa chair come about and
how did you prepare for such a heavy gig?
CT: Marty Parellis, Frank’s tour manager at
the time, was a friend from Baltimore. I guess,
the band was incredible, but apparently
Frank thought that it had gotten a bit sterile.
Everything was played to such a level of
perfection that he didn’t feel like it had any
sort of grit to it. As I understand it, he was
looking for somebody that had, as he put it,
“A street feel.” So I got a shot at an audition.
My audition was a little different from the
stories you hear. Basically we jammed for
about an hour straight without stopping. We
just drifted in and out of so many different
kinds of feels and grooves, it was amazing.
We played everything from blues to shuffles
to hard rock to some fusion jazzy kind of
stuff. After we played for about an hour, Frank
turned around and said, “You got the gig.”
And then a couple of days later I heard the
whole band together and it scared the pants
off me.
JM: So you didn’t play with Ralph
[Humphrey], only Frank?
CT: No, not with Ralph. It was just the rhythm
section; Frank, Tom Fowler (bass), George
Duke (keyboards), and the singer, Napoleon
[Murphy Brock], we started at the same time
basically.
So yeah, it was just us, just a small group at
first. We were working on a couple of songs,
a few of the things in 4/4. And at that time
in Baltimore, I’d actually played a pretty
fair amount of odd times, but nothing ever
prepared me fully for that experience.
 Phil Collins

www.Gretschdrums.com
KMC., P.O. Box 507, Bloomfield, CT 06002

CHESTER THOMPSON
www.Gibraltarhardware.com KMC., P.O. Box 507, Bloomfield, CT 06002
JM: I’m curious, when Frank threw some
of that heavy stuff at you -- and probably
the same with Ralph, who had a hell of a
background with Don Ellis -- how did you
jump into those charts and read all of
those figures, the quintuplets and 11’s and
so on?
CT: It took a lot of work. I had no problem just
playing time signatures, it was getting used to
subdividing that stuff in the middle of a bar
or across a couple of beats. Then there were
times Ralph and I would be playing polymetric
stuff, sharing ‘one.’ That took some getting
used to as well. I didn’t get very much sleep
that first month of the gig (laughs).
JM: And Chester’s gorilla…explanation
please?
CT: (Laughs) It’s just one of those inside
fluke things that happened in the middle of
rehearsal. The lyric was, “She’s a gorilla, she
goes…,” and then Ruth Underwood would
always play the duck call. No matter what
animal it was, she would play the duck call.
One day in rehearsal it came out as “Chester’s
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032
gorilla” instead of “She’s a gorilla,” and it
stuck.
One day we rented a TV studio and we
taped what eventually became Dub Room
Special. Our tour manager, Marty Parellis, put
on a gorilla suit and then sneaked up behind
me while we were doing that song. This was
back in the days of the big afro, and I had
my comb in my back pocket. He pulled out
my comb and started playing with my hair. I
turned around and saw this gorilla, but I had
to keep playing. And there’s this one moment
on the video when I’m in sheer terror. But you
can’t stop playing... so I didn’t stop.
JM: There were rumors that Frank
wanted to reassemble the band with
you, Napoleon and the others. Was that
something that was really happening?
CT: Frank did ask me to do the last tour that
he actually ended up doing (before his death).
I was up for it. I went to his house, and the only
reason I didn’t do it was due to the fact that by
then I’d become a Christian, and Frank had
a real issue with religion. The lyrics and the
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Percussion
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Sticks
Regal Tip
Chester Thompson Model
stuff he wanted to do on that last tour were
just completely and totally against everything
I believed in and I just couldn’t do it. It was
pretty much anti-Christian, anti-religion of
any kind, and I just didn’t care to go there.
The music was always interesting, as usual,
but for me it was deeper than that and I
couldn’t support it.
JM: When Phil decided to leave Genesis,
the result was the album Calling All
Stations. Was there any talk… an offer or
any interest of having you be a part of it?
CT: They wanted no part of anything from
the past. Although I can’t really say there
were no ties to the past, because I think they
were trying to get back to the sort of Gabriel-
era Genesis. The more progressive rock kind
of stuff. But no, they weren’t interested in
continuing as they had during the previous
few years.
JM: This situation that you’re in with
Phil and Genesis is obviously a very
prominent one. Is this what you aspired
toward? Is this where you thought you’d
be, a monster progressive rock drummer
playing to a crowd of 80,000 tonight?
CT: I just like to play, I don’t care where. I
mean, I’ve been really blessed, very fortunate
career-wise. Obviously there are dreams and
goals, some of which have been fulfilled, some
of which haven’t even been touched yet. So
what I’m trying to say is that hopefully this
ain’t the end by any means.
JM: I certainly hope not.
CT: I do appreciate this and do not take it
for granted by any means. I’m grateful and
I’m really glad to be here. But if you catch me
at a jazz club with an acoustic quartet, then
I’m just as happy. I do as much of that in life,
maybe more, as the other stuff.
JM: What’s on the horizon, maybe another
solo record?
CT: Yeah I’m finally working towards that.
It’s umpteen years later since I did the first
one. I’ve come close a couple of times but my
musical tastes change.
I’ve actually been studying composition
and arranging the last few years. I’ve been
teaching at a university in Nashville, Belmont
University, and while teaching there, I’ve also
been taking classes. It’s one of those things
where I never actually finished a degree and
one day it hit me, “I’m in a university, when am
I gonna do this?” So I’ve been taking classes,
and I’m now officially two classes away from
a degree. I also decided to take a year studying
arranging and did some composition study as
well. So I’m really looking forward to going in
a whole different direction than I did before,
than I’ve ever done in the past.
 Selected Discography

Chester On...
Moving to Nashville -
“It was probably the
worst disaster, work-
wise that I’ve ever
encountered.”
Playing drums –
“I just like to play,
I don’t care where.”
Playing with Zappa –
“It took a lot of work.
I had no problem just
playing time signatures,
it’s getting used to
subdividing that stuff
in the middle of a bar or
across a couple of beats.”
His role in Genesis -
“I’m under no illusions
about why I’m here,
so basically I learn it as
close as possible to how
Phil did it.”
His career -
“I do appreciate this and
do not take it for granted
by any means.”
WEBFOOT

chesterthompson.com genesis-music.com
drummerworld.com united-mutations.com

034
035
MAROON 5’S

Great Taste,
Less Fill
WORDS KELLY KING
PHOTOS LEANNA BATES

036
037
 t’s a familiar story. A band is doing well and poised for superstardom. Seemingly
out of nowhere, a new drummer is chosen. The band’s popularity explodes
and it becomes bigger than anyone dreamed, with this new
drummer’s sound and feel helping to create a new chemistry for
the group. Sounds familiar? Ringo Starr..? Neil Peart..? No, this
time it’s Matt Flynn taking over the drum chair for Maroon 5.

Whether or not you’re a pop music fan, there’s no denying Maroon 5’s
accomplishments. In a time when the music business is struggling,
this band has had major success in both record sales and touring. Just
as undeniable is Flynn’s groove, feel and ability to drive the band. Matt
has chosen the direction of drummers, such as Don Henley, Dave Grohl
and Steve Jordan, who prefer to play minimally for the song and not to
impress the crowd. Don’t make the mistake of labeling him a one trick
pony, he’s got some serious chops in his arsenal. Making music is his
top priority, not flashy licks. You might catch him at the Baked Potato
(with Mike Alozondo) or at your local major concert venue but at either
location his feel is infectious. Tall, lean and well spoken, his personality
behind the kit is the same. It’s odd that a guy who is so heavily into
players like Stephen Perkins and Elvin Jones would end up becoming
such a minimalist.
Matt Flynn grew up in Northern California. His family
wasn’t what you would call particularly musical, although
his mother was a piano teacher and taught him to play, and
he was already begging for drums as early as age three. By
the time Matt reached age 10, they relented and took him
to local drum teacher Rich Herns. Herns instructed Flynn
to prepare page one of Stick Control for his second lesson.
When Matt showed up having learned pages 1 - 20, his
parents were encouraged to allow this drum obsession to
continue. Officially an overachiever, as far as drums were
concerned, at age 10 he began honing his drumset skills
playing along to his favorites: Peart, Bonham, Perkins, and
yes, he was a huge KISS fan. An all too common experience
would occur when a friend’s mother asked an eighth grade
Matt what he wanted to be when he grew up. The answer, “A
drummer” was met with the typical, “You can’t do that for
a living.” This fueled his dream even more. His first paying
gig was in junior high, taking over the drum-chair recently
vacated by Eric Valentine. The two would cross paths later
when drummer/producer Valentine would work on Maroon
5’s sophomore release.
After a year and a half at San Diego State, he moved to New
York City when a friend persuaded him to play drums in his
band. What followed was a decade of playing the New York
club scene, an experience both exciting and frustrating. Matt
felt that he was playing with great musicians, but always just
missing that “big” gig. With steadfast determination and
confidence, a series of events would deliver Flynn into one of
the biggest gigs in recording and touring today.
DRUMHEAD: What was New York City’s
allure?
MATT FLYNN: I had a friend who persuaded
me to move initially but then I discovered
that there was such a great scene there. It
takes a little time to find them, but when you
finally do, you can see some of the greatest
musicians in the world.
DH: What kind of stuff were you into
back then?
MF: I was heavily into Stephen Perkins. I
even went through a Bow Wow Wow thing.
No snare strainer turned on and crazy tom
beats. It was cool because I learned a lot
about overplaying going through that. I used
to record every rehearsal. I would play all
these wild things, just going for it all the time.
Technically really cool stuff, but I’d get tired
and just play a straight beat for awhile. When
I listened to the tapes I began to notice that
things sounded the best when I played really
straight. It just felt and sounded good, that
opened my eyes to what’s really important.
DH: Was the first “big” gig for you the
B-52’s?
MF: Yeah. It’s funny how that happened. I
was playing in about 20 bands at once. In
New York a lot of these places have house
kits. There’s this club called Arlene’s Grocery.
I’d play there almost every night with one or
two bands. It was real close to my house. The
soundman there was this guy Strewen. We got
to be friends. He asked me one night if I’d ever
be a drum-tech and, I nicely told him that it
wasn’t really my goal. He explained that he
was doing gigs with the B-52’s as a guitar tech.
They were doing a lot corporate events. It
involved being out for a very brief amount of
time and the money was really good. This was
around ‘98. It was great because I got to work
behind Zack Alford and Sterling Campbell.
When those guys weren’t playing with the
B’s they were playing with Springsteen and

038
039
“If I had gotten this gig in my early
twenties I might not have handled it
as well.”
Bowie. They had broken into the group of
guys who get called for really big gigs. The
best thing was that I’d sit behind them and
think, “I can totally do this”. I mean, in the
sense that the gig was about groove and feel. It
didn’t require you to be fusion chops monster.
They played great, and I saw that as far as
groove was concerned, I could handle the gig.
Eventually there was a situation where the
drummer couldn’t make it. Fred [Schneider,
lead singer] asked me if I could handle the
gig. I told him sure. They let me audition and
I started playing with them as their drummer.
It was funny because even though I was a
fulltime drummer, the other techs were like,
“Cool, one of us made it!”
DH: How long did you play with them?
MF: About a year and a half, maybe two years.
I would’ve played longer but I started to get
really busy with different work. It was about
this time I got called me to do this record with
Gavin DeGraw.
played was at the Avalon here in LA. We had a
song and a half at sound check. It was kind of
like jumping in the deep end of the pool.
DH: Was the situation difficult with
Ryan being hurt and you being called in?
MF: Not really because I was just the sub
guy. The band was great and a lot of fun to
play with. I had heard the stuff and knew
that I could do my sort of AC/DC-meets-
Maroon 5 thing. I guess it was a little weird
but it could’ve been a lot weirder. A lot of guys
might schmooze up and try to be all palsey
walsey, but that’s not my style. Ryan and I are
still friends. He’s a great guy. We talked a lot
when I was making this new record.
DH: Was if uncomfortable when the
word came down that you were the new
fulltime drummer?
MF: That was really a decision that the band
made. I think that it was something that they
struggled with, but ultimately one that they
all decided on together.
DH: When you watch a video of the band
over the last 4 - 5 years, you can see
that the band evolved. It’s a relationship
like any other where people change and
grow. Your style is different from Ryan’s
and it seems the band has moved in that
direction. How does being in such a high
profile gig affect your everyday life?
MF: Touring is rough, but I’ve been doing
that for quite awhile so my family knows how
to deal with that. I struggled all through my
twenties to get that gig. If I had gotten this gig
in my early twenties, I might not have handled
it as well. You just don’t believe your own
press and the hype. I feel very grounded. This

DH: That record would be Chariot.

MF: Yeah, but they ended up re-recording
it when I was out with another band due to
some changes in direction with the music.

DH: Even with that, you ended up

leaving the B-52’s to play with DeGraw.
MF: You know, it was less money, but
musically I felt pulled in that direction. I
played with him for awhile, but I felt like I
needed to spend some more time at home
with my daughter. Funny thing is, had I been
still playing with Gavin, I wouldn’t have been
available when Maroon 5 called.

DH: They saw you when DeGraw opened

for Maroon 5.
MF: We opened for like a second.

DH: But they obviously remembered

you. I know Ryan was having medical
problems with his arms that resulted in
his not being able to play. This was at
a critical time for M5 since the record
was taking off. You weren’t the first
drummer to sub. How did you come to
the gig?
MF: James Valentine called me. Ryan was
unable to play. I learned the set in a few days
off a board tape. They had all these tricky
transitions from song to song. The first gig I

040
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 is my job. It’s a little different for my daughter,
she’ll turn on the TV and expect to see me on
it. We were walking down the street the other
day and passed a magazine stand. She saw the
Rolling Stone with the band on the cover and
“You’re
was like, “There’s daddy.” My parents think
it’s cool. Most of the friends that I have now,
supposed
I’ve had for a long time. Sometimes people
pay more attention when I’m on a plane or
to be a
doing a session somewhere. Most of the time
I’m just at home with my wife and kids.
musician,
DH: So now you are officially the
not a
drummer for Maroon 5, and you’re
thrown right back into the hot seat
drummer.”
recording the follow up to a very
successful disc. The band worked with
three different sets of producers on It
Won’t Be Soon Before Long. What was
that like?
MF: The sessions with Spike [Mark Stent]
and Mike [Elizondo] were very electronic, lots
of programmed drums. Songs like “Nothing
042
Lasts Forever” were all programmed. Initially
they wanted me to just play kick and snare in
the chorus, and lay out during the verse. My
view of pop music is that we’re a band. We
might right a song that’s like a Beyonce song,
but we play it instead of programming it all.
Ultimately we all came to a compromise that
serves the record well. After that we went
to Eric Valentine, which was really straight
forward, no click, nothing, just play. It was
fun and more organic. Eric is a great producer
and drummer, so we really understood each
other. I’ve known him for a while. By the end
of the recording process we were working
with Mark Endert. That was really great. I
flew by myself to Atlanta during a vacation
to rework “Wake Up Call,” because it was too
‘boxy’ and it needed something different. I
like some of that looseness. That’s why the
White Stripes are so great! I think that kind of
thing is a reaction to the stiffness and control
that can happen in the studio. The single
“Makes Me Wonder” has fills where there is
a flam between the kick and
“We tried some MF: Yeah, that’s Spike. Booohm!
snare. I think that can be good
sometimes. Mistakes can be the
different DH: How about that crazy part at the
best parts of records.
things, but it end of “Kiwi?”
MF: We were recording at the Houdini
DH: You are triggering some
things live right?
always came Mansion on Laurel Canyon. Adam [Levine]
had done a demo with a loop the night before.
MF: Yeah. The first time we did
it was on this MTV thing with
back to that I showed up in the morning and listened to
it. I played along to it, very simple groove.
Kanye [West] and Eve. It was
10 minutes before we went on
basic groove.” There was no bridge at this point. When the
part that was finished ran out, I just started
air, I just took a deep breath and screwing around playing along to the loop.
we went with it. On “Wake Up
Call” the loop is only playing during the intro
and chorus with no click during the verse.
If you’re not spot on everything falls apart,
so that’s a challenge in itself. We’re talking
about maybe using it on some other stuff on
tour because we’d like to keep the chemistry
we have with just the five guys rather than
bringing a bunch of other people out for just a
few things. I’m not really sold either way yet,
so we’ll see what happens.

DH: Fair enough. Let’s talk about the

new record. Any tracks that you’re
especially fond of?
MF: I love “Little Of Your Time.” I love that
song! It’s one of the last ones that we recorded.
Just being with Eric Valentine. He did that
Queens Of The Stone Age album, Songs For
The Deaf, with Dave Grohl on it, which is one
of my absolute favorites. It’s just an insane
record. We got this dry sound. It was a small
kick, snare, hi-hat and one cymbal. That’s all
it is through the whole song. In the bridge I
played this pattern on an acoustic guitar case.
It was so organic working with him. We’d
drop keys on the ground and play on them
with pipe cleaner rods. I was really happy with
the way it turned out. “Not Falling Apart” is
another favorite. It’s very straight. We tried
some different things, but it always came back
to that basic groove. Proof that sometimes
straight ahead and driving is the best thing.

DH: “Wont Go Home Without You” has a

Police vibe reminiscent of Synchronicity.
Were you thinking Stewart Copeland
when you played it?
MF: That song is kind of an homage to The
Police. It’s funny because I can’t do all that
crazy stuff that Stewart does, he’s ridiculous
(laughs)! But that song is so simple that it
required simple drumming. When Stewart
plays that way, he’s equally amazing.
There’s a little drum thing in the bridge
that goes “doozh doozh GAK!” That’s very
Synchronicity. I love that guy, but I could
never cop his style. Nobody gets the sound
out of a snare like him.

DH: The floor tom sound on that track

is great.

043

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When we went to the studio and listened to
what we had laid down, Spike & Mike said
that they like the part where I was going nuts.
I had originally kind of done it as a joke, but
it actually worked in this song. That was a
one-take when we laid it down and it was
really fun to play something like that. It’s
just a bass drum and floor tom pattern that
mimics double bass.
DH: How about the drum sound. What
are you going for?
MF: Big. I don’t know if that’s the Maroon
5 sound, but it’s my ideal. The sound of un-
mic’d drums in a big hall. My favorite KISS
album is Alive II because the drums just sound
huge. I always ask the monitor guy for that.
I feel like, if I can hear that, it makes me
play better. I don’t tune to a specific pitch or
anything. You have to tune some, but after
that it’s more about the way that you hit the
drum than anything. If you really hit a drum
square you can make even a bad drum sound
good.
DH: How about players that have
influenced you?
MF: Early on I think it was Neil Peart. I realized
044
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Yamaha Click Station SKRM 100
early on that he’s to drummers, what Eddie
Van Halen is to guitar players. Unfortunately
that only seems to work in Rush. If you’re
trying to get a gig, people aren’t going to
appreciate you playing like Peart. (Laughs)!
Steve Jordan’s playing is sick. When you
hear him playing with the Expensive Winos,
his pocket is insane. Matt Chamberlain on
that Wallflowers record. Terry Bozzio on
Spring Session M. To this day that is some
of the most ridiculous drumming ever, in
a really good way. I could never come near
that. Of course, Stewart Copeland with The
Police. I’m a huge Dave Grohl fan because he
plays compositionally. You’re supposed to
be a musician, not a drummer: that’s what
drumming is. That guy writes hooks on drums.
“In Bloom,” are you kidding me? That fill he
keeps playing is just as much a hook as any
guitar riff ever. He never just goes “whatever.”
He’s writing music when he’s playing the
drums. That’s a huge lesson. He’s pretty much
my idol. It’s funny, I remember when he was
first interviewed in a drum magazine. The
next month all these letters to the editor were
like, “What are you crazy? Why is this guy on
the cover?” They just didn’t get it.
There are a lot of good young drummers
out there. It’s more about the way the guy
plays with the band than anything. Matt
Johnson’s work with Jeff Buckley, he’s one
of my favorites – a perfect blend of rock and
jazz, energy and swing. The drummer for The
Brazilian Girls [Aaron Johnston] is amazing. I
used to play to that record all the time in our
jam room when we were on tour. I actually
listen to the radio a lot. It’s interesting to me
to see what other drummers are doing in
pop music. I saw JD Blair with Shania Twain
on TV and thought what he did was really
interesting. Sometimes in pop music you get
maybe and eighth note or quartet note to put
personality in, so you have to be as creative as
possible while still supporting the music.
DH: What’s on your iPod?
MF: I’ve been listening to the Eagles lately.
I think Don Henely is a great drummer,
everything is in the right place. People ask
me sometimes why I think that there aren’t
any new guys like Bonham or Moon. It’s so
hard for somebody like that to prosper in
today’s musical environment. With all the
software and the way the music biz is, they all
get the life taken out of their style. It doesn’t
really allow someone to grow and develop a
personality like those guys had. Hopefully
we’ll begin to understand that we need to get
back to that pocket that rock ‘n’ roll is known
for. There’s a band called Priestess that I like.
As we wrap up the interview and leave
Matt’s backyard, he reminisces about the lean
years in New York and the struggle to be
a working musician. Walking through the
kitchen, he offers me something to drink as his
wife enters with their newborn son. As Matt
proudly introduces them, he kisses both and
talks about his precious daughter. Everyone
seems so, well, calm and normal, that it’s
hard to picture Matt rocking out behind the
kit in front of tens of thousands of fans. It’s a
little easier to imagine a few days later when
Matt invites Leana Bates (M5 photographer)
and I out to a full production rehearsal for
Maroon 5’s upcoming tour. During a break
in the rehearsal Adam Levine (singer) and
Matt trade self deprecating humor while
pictures are taken. It seems that the letters
to the editor concerning their Rolling Stone
cover and article were not all complimentary.
They laugh it off proving that they don’t take
themselves too seriously. A final friendly hug
and “Thank you” from Matt and security
walks us out. Passing behind the drum riser
I notice a practice pad where a sharpie has
been used to write slogans and jokes on it.
The largest one reads like Matt Flynn’s mantra
“Great Taste, Less Fill.”
WEBFOOT
maroon5.com yamaha.com
 www.yamahadrums.com
©2008 Yamaha Corporation of America. All rights reserved.
 H E N EW CO U N T RY
T Mitch Jim
Marine Riley

Words Kelly King

046
 oth attended University of North Texas (Denton,
Texas) known for it’s lauded music program.
Although Marine’s gig with Yoakam is a more
“traditional” one, and Riley’s with Rascal Flatts
more “contemporary,” the two have more than
just a common background. Their paths have
crossed several times, sometimes even in the
same band, at the same time!
While Riley was in LA to play at the American
Music Awards, he sat down with Marine
(fresh from recording Yoakam’s new CD) and
Drumhead to discuss education, success and
what it’s like “having your ass handed to you.”

Mitch Marine grew up in Illinois, and has played drums from an

early age. By the time he was able to drive himself to a gig, his career in
music was already off and running. He continued his education at the
University of North Texas, after which he gained notoriety with Brave
Combo and Andy Timmons, playing everything from Polkas to Latin
to high-energy rock. Upon hearing that Smashmouth was looking for
a new drummer, he packed up and moved to LA. “I had played with so
many people, I knew I had to know someone involved with the band. I
eventually got hold of the drum tech working with the band. He asked
if I had a tech. I told him that if I got the gig he would be my tech.
Needless to say, he became my tech.”
Mitch also played bass around LA in his downtime. “I was playing
bass, as well as drums, in a lot different bands. I kept running into
Dwight. I think that he was out just looking for some new energy and
players. I guess he figured that I must have something if he kept seeing
me so much. He gave me a shot and it worked really well.”

Mitch Marine

Jim Riley

Jim Riley, while attending North Texas, met the person that inspired
his move to Nashville. “Larrie Londin was at UNT doing a clinic. This
guy had played with everyone from Elvis to Journey. He had played
on hit records from Motown to Nashville. I had to meet this guy. So
I went to the hall early that day and Larrie was there setting up his
kit. I introduced myself and he could not have been cooler. I told him
that I had just gotten into country music, and I was thinking about
visiting Nashville to learn more about the scene. He gave me his phone
number and told me to call him when I got there, that he would show
me around and take me to one of his recording sessions. I was blown
away that a guy of his professional stature would be willing to help out
a young kid like that.”
Sadly, that opportunity was never realized. Later that day, Larrie
London suffered a heart attack while performing, slipping into a coma
from which he would not return. The kindness of a great player turned
a potentially scarring experience into an inspiring one for the young
Riley. Inspired by Larrie’s enduring spirit, after a short stint in Kansas
City, Riley decided to relocate to Nashville in pursuit of his dream.
He takes great delight in being able to share that same kindness with
young players that attend his clinics today.
It was while playing with Mark Chesnutt, he became friends with
members of the opening band on the tour. He would later join those
same musicians when they offered him the job playing in their new
band Rascal Flatts. Leaving an already established artist was a big leap
of faith, but after eight years with the Flatts (including world tours,
videos, awards and multi-platinum albums) it has proven to be the
right move.

047
“I love playing great music with
great musicians and country
music has allowed me to do that.”
— Jim Riley
DRUMHEAD: Do you feel there’s a
misconception that country drummers are
not as versed or proficient as, jazz or rock
drummers?
Jim Riley: You know, in years past, country
drumming was extremely simplistic in nature,
but in a good way. I mean, those guys were
playing for the song, and the song forms
were very basic. Today’s country is influenced
greatly by rock, pop, soul, and even hip-hop.
To play in this genre, you have to be very well
rounded, and I think that the perception of
the modern country drummer is changing.
MITCH MARINE: I think in general the view of
048
a country drummer has to be different. That
sort of traditional country playing is what I
just did on Dwight’s new Buck Owens tribute
CD. The drums sort of mimic the strumming
of the acoustic guitar, and help fatten up the
groove. You have to honor that kind of thing.
However, I think that when most people think
of country nowadays, their reference point
is more like what Jim is doing with Rascal
Flatts. It is country but leans hard towards
pop music. There’s a lot of rock ‘n’ roll in
there. I would think that the average 12- or
13-year old is going to see Jim up there wailing
away on the drums, and that’s going to be
his perception of what country drumming
is. Something a lot closer to
what I saw rock bands doing
when I was that age. Drums
are relatively new to country
music. I don’t think that
they were even allowed on
the stage until Johnny Cash
said that he wasn’t going
on without them. Overall,
drums in country music are
changing very quickly.
DH: Do you think the
“feel” is overlooked and
underrated?
MM: It either swings or it doesn’t. Rock is the
same way. It’s not just the notes, it’s the way
that you make it feel.
JR: I think country drumming is largely
misunderstood. I recently purchased a book
and CD that was supposed to be an “essential
styles” type book. There were four different
samba patterns, but no train beat. No country
shuffle. These are extremely important
grooves that everyone should know if they
are going out into the gigging world.
DH: Were you always fans of country
music?
JR: I think that I’ve always been a fan of




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“Whether I’m under qualified or
overqualified, I’m there because
I bring the right energy.”
— Mitch Marine
music. When I was a kid, I remember seeing a
commercial for a KISS album. Peter Criss was
on this huge riser and it was cool. Growing up
in the Northeast, I wasn’t really exposed to
very much country. It wasn’t until I moved to
Texas that I really got hip to it. I love playing
great music with great musicians, and country
music has allowed me to do that.
MM: Same here. I can remember always loving
country music but at the same time being
very into many other styles. I think that it’s
more about good music than any one style.
DH: How did the two of you end up in the
same gig at the same time?
JR: Well I had just finished doing the worst
050
tour ever, and I called Mitch looking for a
lead on a gig. I knew Mitch had been playing
bass, because he used to bring his bass to
one of my local bar gigs and sit in. But what
I didn’t know was that he was playing bass
with Jack Ingram, and that they were looking
for a drummer. We played that gig together
for several months. It was a blast getting to
hang with a fellow drum buddy on a gig like
that.
MM: Yeah, in ‘94-‘95 I stopped playing drums
and was playing bass full-time with the Texas
singer/songwriter Jack Ingram. Jack’s regular
drummer, Pete Coatney, a great drummer
who is still with Jack, was taking some time
off to get married and go on his honeymoon.
Jim called at the right time, which is how
it works, and filled in brilliantly. It was
particularly satisfying for me because when
I first picked up the bass, I would sit in with
Jim and his band, who were gracious enough
to let me play a Tom Petty song, just so I could
learn how to play the bass! Now he actually
got to witness how his generosity helped me
become a pretty good working bass player. We
had a great time!
DH: Now that you both have major gigs,
is it all that you expected and wanted it
to be?
MM: When I played Madison Square Garden
with Smashmouth, I walked the venue, took
pictures of the name on the marquee, and
just soaked it up. Those are the things that
you circle on your schedule. I want to really
experience those things.
JR: Yeah, I felt that way when we played
The Garden. I thought – this is where Led
Zeppelin recorded The Song Remains The
Same. Your perception of the music business
is so much different when you are 12. You’re
not that same kid, but he’s still there inside
you. As a kid I dreamed of playing on the
“Tonight Show” and riding from city to city in
a tour bus. When you wake up and that’s you
life, it’s surreal.
DH: And what of the perception that
others have of you once you’ve landed the
big gig. Is it difficult?
JR: You know it’s funny because the reality of
it is different than what you think. I mean, it
is all those great things, like the tours and the
records. But the weird thing is that once you
get to a certain level of success, it affects many
other things. I had about six months of down
time last year, but everyone assumed I was
busy. People don’t call you, because they just
assume that you’re not around.
MM: I’ve seen some of that as well. I’m
actually playing with Smashmouth while I
have down time from Dwight, but it does
happen where people assume that you’re busy
and you’d like to be playing or recording. We
love what we do and we enjoy it.
DH: Having studied at UNT, you both have
strong backgrounds in education. How do
you feel it relates to you being where you
are in your careers?
JR: I can draw a direct line from my education
at UNT, where I was a music major, to Rascal
Flatts. For one thing, I’m the bandleader, so
I have to be able to communicate with the
other musicians in their language. When I
left school, I knew that I wanted to perform,
Jim Riley Discography
Mitch Marine Discography
but I also knew that someday I would get
back to teaching. Being with the Flatts, I have
the opportunity and time to do both. I teach
privately out of my home and do clinics when .
I’m on the road. It’s a great balance.
MM: For me it’s easiest to see with the swing
thing. UNT is an amazing school for jazz.
Dwight’s gig relates directly in terms of
swing. Also the teachers there were amazing.
Henry Okstel is an amazing teacher. All the
stuff he had me do with Syncopation, I think
he’s the best teacher I ever had.
JR: He’s definitely one of the best. My Mitch Marine
drumset guy was [Ed] Soph. He was real big
on phrasing and playing musically. I also
think that I learned just as much out on Fry
Street as I did in class. Not to diminish the
I  .
school, but there were so many amazing
players there and they would be pushing ’ 
each other. My rehearsal room was two
doors down from Keith Carlock. You go in
there and listen and learn. I would go out on
any given night and hear Matt Chamberlin,
Keith Carlock, Earl Harvin, Jason Sutter, Dan
Wojciechowski, Mitch, or tons of other guys.
And for every guy who “made it” like those
B550A
DELUXE BOOM STAND
guys, or Mitch and I, there are guys like Greg
Beck and Rob Avsharian, who may not be
household names but are frighteningly good
drummers.
MM: I heard that Fry Street is Multi-position ratchet
being gutted. cymbal tilter
Knurled hideaway
JR: Yeah, that sucks. I went back boom arm
to visit the campus recently. Triple tube construction
Things are a little different, but with slip-proof nylon
they still have a killer program. inner sleeve
OS Cymbal
MM: It was intense. I remember Accuentuator
Doc Schietroma telling us the Die Cast memory locks
first day, that in a year, half of
us wouldn’t even be there in the
Double braced legs
program.
JR: Doc and I had, and still
have, more of a father-son
relationship. He yelled at me and
kicked my ass, but trust me, I
needed it! (Laughs)
MM: He’s a great guy. My point FIVE YEAR WARRANTY
was, that it was brutal. I think
that there were 90 drummers
trying out for 17 positions in
bands. There were auditions just
to audition.
JR: I remember auditioning for USA.MAPEXDRUMS.COM
lab band. Doc’s son Todd was the
room moderator, and the hall was © 2007 Mapex USA Incorporated.
filled with hopeful drummers.
MapexHW07.indd 14 11/16/07
051 9:10:41 AM
DRUM VITALS on than just what they’re
showing you. I learned early
Mit ch Marine GEAR BOX on to not close my ears to any
Drums kind of music: that’s part of
Mapex Saturn the education also. If I hadn’t
12” X 8” R ack learned, that I never would
14” X 14” Floor
16” X 16” Floor
have gotten the opportunity
22” X 14” Kick that I now have.
14” X 6 1/5” Black Panther Snare
Cymbals MM: You can’t afford to
Sabian
close off your ears if you’re
15” HH X Groove Hats
19” HH Xtreme Crash a working drummer. No
19” Signature Series Saturation Crash matter what level you’re at.
22” Prototype R ide I recently had an experience
Hardware with a young rock drummer
Mapex 900 Series
DW 9000 Double Pedal and Hi-hat
here in LA. I play some rock
Heads gigs and he was in a group of
Evans friends that would come out.
Kick - EQ3 Clear He came out to see me with
Snare - Coated HD Dry
Dwight and said, “That’s not
R ack & Floors - G Coated Tops / G1 Clear Bottoms
Sticks so hard, what you do back
Vic Firth there with that train beat.”
Buddy R ich Model I agreed, but then he got a
country gig and I went to see

“I learned early
him. He was sweatin’ it! He
Jim R ile y GEAR BOX could play it, but it didn’t
Drums
feel great. Technique is only
Ludwig Amber Vistalite
part of the battle.

on to not close my
24” X 16” Kick
12” X 8” R ack
16” X 16” Floor JR: I think it’s very
18” X 18” Floor
important for people to hear
14” X 6 1/2” Chrome Over Brass Snare

ears to any kind of

Cymbals this. Country music is an
Sabian important part of essential
22” L egacy Heavy R ide styles.
18” HH X O-Zone

music.”
18” AA Xplosion Crash
19” AA Xplosion Crash
DH: Do you feel
14” AA Hi-Hats pigeonholed, being
Hardware perceived as “just a
DW5000 — Jim Riley country drummer?”
Pedals
MM: I don’t think so. I don’t
Gibraltar
Custom R ack The door opens and some guy walks out of think that I could try out for a band of 20-year
Heads the audition room with his sticks in his hand, olds, but that’s more about marketing than
Remo and his head held low. Todd looks out at the anything.
Kick - Clear Powerstroke 3 crowd and says, “Who else here thinks they
Toms - Clear Emperor Tops
Clear Ambassador Bottoms
can drum?” Needless to say, I didn’t make JR: Even if I wasn’t playing with the Flatts,
Snare - Coated CS Top / Clear Ambassador Bottom lab band my first semester either. I got my ass I don’t think I’d be into playing in a band of
Sticks royally handed to me, and it made me realize 20-year olds. That’s just not who I am right
Vater that I had a lot of work ahead of me. now, nor where I want to be.
5B Wood T ip
Microphones
Shure DH: It’s important for drummers to hear MM: I auditioned for Korn earlier this year. I
Toms - Beta 98 that everything wasn’t so easy. It’s a didn’t change who I was or how I play. I did
Snare - SM 57 process of setting goals, determination, wear my black cowboy hat! (Everyone bursts
Kick - Beta 52 failing, achieving. Too often we hear into laughter.)
Hi-hat / Overhead - SM81
Electronics
that you either have it from birth or you
Apple Macbook don’t. It’s refreshing to hear successful JR: I don’t think that notion of being “just a
Abelton L ive Software musicians talk about their struggles, trials country player” exists anymore, at least not
M-Audio T rigger Finger and tribulations. Did all the hardship paid in the circles that we travel in. Vinnie Colaiuta
Misc.
off? playing with Faith Hill helped break down
Shure SCL 5 In-Ear Monitors
Direct Sound Extreme Isolation Headphones JR: I can’t complain. When I moved some of those misconceptions.
Pure Sound Snare Wires to Nashville I was living in my truck. Ten
Quik Stix Stick Holders years later, I’ve got a great gig. Those types MM: I remember, I saw a concert with Vinnie
Clark Synthesis Tactile Sound Unit Sub of early struggles build character and make when I was a very young player. I thought to
you appreciate what you have. I think that myself, “I might as well quit playing because
any professional has got to have more going I’ll never be that good.” You soon realized

052
“It either swings
or it doesn’t.”
— Mitch Marine
that you don’t have to be that good, and that
there’s only one Vinnie.
JR: Thank God for that. It’s not about being
that good, it’s about finding your place.
MM: Whether I’m under qualified or
overqualified, I’m there because I bring the
right energy. The people that hire me are
happy I’m there. I’ve done the necessary prep
work. I’ll play what is appropriate and make
it feel good whether it’s simple or complex. I
might just play ride and hats all night, but it
feels great to the band when I’m doing my job.
That means I’m going to work.
JR: It goes back to the country thing, we
might just play 2 & 4, but it’s about the energy
and spirit that you bring to the 2 & 4. The
biggest compliment that I get is when Joe Don
[Rascal Flatts guitarist] is tired from doing
interviews and speeches or whatever, looks
back at me wailing away on the drums, and
feeds off of my energy.
MM: I had a situation recently where there
was a conflict with a Dwight gig. I was asked
if I could arrange things so I could be there
because Dwight really wanted me there. He
wants to look back and feel
relaxed; he knows he can be
if I’m there. That’s a huge
compliment to me! .
DH: When you look
back, are your careers
everything you thought
they would be?
JR: As a kid I wanted to play
arenas, record platinum
records, play shows like
the Grammy’s. I’ve gotten Nick D’Virgilio
to do all of that and more.
Playing music puts you
in an arrested state of
development: it keeps you
young at heart. It keeps you
excited in a way that few
I  .
things in life do.
’ 
MM: Nothing has changed
for me since I was a kid.
That way that you used to
feel when you had that show
NEW
coming up, and it was all
MAPEX ROLLING HARDWARE BAG
about that show. I still feel
that way every time. I was
playing with Smashmouth
recently and we were doing
a gig with Cheap Trick. I
love that band, loved them
as a kid. I was sitting at the
side of the stage watching
them thinking, “How cool is
this?” I also get to play with Dwight Yoakam:
he’s an icon. Literally a country legend!
JR: I know what you mean. We did a private
show on the same bill as KISS and I thought
my head was going to explode. I couldn’t
believe I was working alongside the same
band that first inspired me to play. It was a
full-circle moment.
As I excuse myself and drive away from the
Universal Hilton, I notice that Mitch and Jim
are still standing in the lobby. No doubt they
were discussing the good ole days in Denton,
and the new teaching method for students
that Jim had alluded to earlier. Obviously
these guys live and breathe drums, the very
Carry up to six pieces of hardware including
same as when they were kids. I can’t help
stands and pedals in this convenient, durable
but smile, knowing that the next time some rolling hardward bag. Includes pockets for smaller
naive musician thinks that these two are items and is emblazoned with the Mapex logo.
“just country drummers,” how royally their
ass will be handed to them.
WEBFOOT Mitch MArine
MARINE www.mitchmarine.com
www.dwightyoakam.com USA.MAPEXDRUMS.COM
www. youtube.com
Riley www. jimrileymusic.com © 2007 Mapex USA Incorporated.
www.myspace.com/jimrileymusic
MapexHW07.indd 13 11/16/07 9:09:26 AM
053
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DRUMHEAD ISSUE 7
CD Content
Track Listing
play with the pros
ABCD
01. “Full Count”
02. “Full Count” — Practice
Advanced Technique
03. Chaffee Example 1
04. Chaffee Example 2
05. Chaffee Example 3
Extreme Drumming
06. Mangini Example 1
07. Mangini Example 2
08. Mangini Example 3
09. Mangini Example 4
10. Mangini Example 5
Urban percussion
11. Fratangelo Example 1
12. Fratangelo Example 2
THE DigitAl Domain
13. Wolf Example 1
14. Wolf Example 2
15. Wolf Example 3
16. Wolf Example 4
DRUM U
17. Bernstein Example 1
18. Bernstein Example 2
19. Bernstein Example 3
20. Bernstein Example 4
21. Bernstein Example 5
22. Bernstein Example 6
23. Bernstein Example 7
preview
Trick Percussion
24. “Dawsonism” - Dom Moio
054
Contributors
Gary Chaffee - Advanced Technique: Credited with teaching some of the
contemporary drumming scene’s most successful and influential players, Gary has been earning the
respect of musicians worldwide for more than 30 years. Having served as Chairman of the Perc. Dept.
at Berklee college of Music from 72-76 and more recently in his own private teaching studio, Gary
has worked with many of the industry’s top players, including Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, Jonathan
Mover, J.R. Robinson, David Beal and Joey Kramer, to name but a few. His 4-volume PATTERNS series
and his two videos are considered classics in the teaching of contemporary drum set. His new Linear
Time Playing book looks to follow in the same tradition. Gary is also the inventor of the revolutionary new Gary Chaffee Bass
Drum Muffler. For information on all of Gary’s books and materials, please go to www.garychaffee.com
Mike Mangini - Extreme Drumming: Boston’s Mike Mangini began playing drums
at 5-years old, and by the time he left high school was already a noted young musician. Foregoing
a career in music for college, Mangini programmed software for the Patriot Missile Program while
studying the links between the human brain and body. These experiences would be integral in the
development of his Rhythm Knowledge learning systems. He has toured and recorded with Annihilator,
Extreme and Steve Vai, and In 2000 became an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music,
accepting a full-time teaching position in 2005.
Larry Fratangelo - Urban Percussion: Master percussionist Larry Fratangelo has
recorded and toured with many of today’s top artists. Appearing on many Gold, Platinum and Grammy
award-winning albums, Fratangelo has also had the honor of performing at The White House, for the
British House of Parliament, with the Boston Pops, at the Grammy Awards, the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame Induction Ceremonies, on “The David Letterman Show” and “Saturday Night Live.” He is also
celebrated for his vibrantly exciting performances with George Clinton and the P Funk All Stars, as
well as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Aretha Franklin. A graduate of Michigan State University, Larry
is currently producing several World Music projects.
Steven Wolf - Digital Domain: Steven Wolf a.k.a. Wolf, is a drummer/ programmer/
producer/ songwriter/ remixer who began his career as a touring drummer. Moving into session work,
Wolf found himself producing, remixing, and song writing. He has worked with many talented and/or
famous artists in many different musical genres including Annie Lennox, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears,
Bobby Mcferrin, Chaka Khan, Hiram Bullock, Macy Gray, Pink, Rufus Wainwright, to name a few. He’s
played on stages all over the world, he’s appeared on the Tonight Show, David Letterman, SNL, The
Grammys, VH1 Honors, The Today Show, Later (BBC), and he’s recorded on numerous gold, platinum,
and Grammy winning records. A electronic junkie, Wolf’s touring drum sets always had triggers, pads, samplers, and drum
machines mixed in with his acoustic drums, as well as maintaining a home recording studio with the latest “gizmos.”
Art Bernstein - DRUM U: Art Bernstein has been playing drums for over 20 years, and
teaching for 14 years. As a performer and session artist, his versatility behind the kit has afforded
him the opportunity to perform and record; rock, funk, blues, pop, metal, folk, jazz and country with
both regional and national acts, as well as for musical theater. Art has well over 30 CDs to his credit,
including recent collaborations with guitarist Chuck D’Aloia, Gears, Under the Hood and Christmastime
Is Gears. From his private teaching studio in upstate New York, Art has been inspired by his students
of all ages, whose achievements have ranged from coveted positions with competitive school district,
all-state and college ensembles to international tours with their own bands. During its 2005-2006 season, The Empire State
Youth Orchestra’s Youth Percussion Ensemble featured Art’s composition “Luna’s Lunch, a 2 Drumset Solo,” performed by
two of his students. Art has written books on drumset and snare. He is a Drummers Collective NYC Alumnus, and is proud
to endorse Audix Microphones, Ayotte Drums, Sabian Cymbals and Vic Firth Sticks. More information on session availability,
CDs, clinics, performances, student achievements and Art’s teaching studio is available at www.artbernstein.com
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Play With the Pros

CD TRACKS

01-02
Full Count
Art Bernstein & Chuck D’Aloia
Words and Music, Chuck D’Aloia, Ed Tourge, Art Bernstein
Drums Art Bernstein

056
Play With the Pros

057
Play With the Pros

058
Play With the Pros

059
 Advanced Technique

CD TRACKS

03-05
Longer Phrases with Stickings
by Gary Chaffee Drum Key

Now with a phrase as long as this you know there’s going to be a lot of different ways
that you could put these figures together. I never counted them up, but I bet there’s
five or ten at least. Every time you play it in a different order, realize that you can get
different accents and get the notes coming out on the drums in different places. The
point is to keep trying out different versions until you find the one [that you really
like]. The individual 5-note and 4-note stickings

Now our third example in this section is a sticking example. This example is going to use the same
number groupings (5/5/5/5/4/4), but it’s going to do it with sticking phrases instead of linear phrases. In
this case I’m using what in my system is called a 5A sticking: Right – Left – Left – Right - Right. I’m going to
play four of those, and then a couple of paradiddles for the four note stickings at the end. The paradiddle
version that I use is not the old traditional paradiddle: Right, Left, Right, Right, Left, Right, Left, Left; but
is the version with the double stroke in the middle: Right, Left, Left, Right, Left, Right, Right, Left.

So here we go, four of the fives, and two of the fours.

Now here’s the entire phrase played on the snare drum.

Chaffee Ex. 1 - CD Track 03

Now we’ll take the right hand and place it on the hi-hat to work this into a groove.

In this example, we’re going to add in a bass drum line.

Chaffee Ex. 2 - CD Track 04

In this last example, I’m going to add in a quartner note step hi-hat line along with the bass drum.
Chaffee Ex. 3 - CD Track 05

060
 EXTREME DRUMMING

CD TRACKS

06-10
Moving Systematically
by Mike Mangini

The following system is based on categories and quick thinking. I don’t believe in improvisation. I think that there’s a form of
improvisation, but I don’t think there’s any kind of ‘just make up stuff on the spot,’ without previously putting some of that stuff
into your muscle memory. I really don’t think that new things can just pop out of nowhere, I think combinations can. So, this
system is about combinations. About combining different aspects of the many categories we have available to us.

Time signature - everything seems to have a time signature, unless it’s a kind of Andy Warhol musical thing, like throwing paint against the wall or “free time.”
Everything that I can think of has a time signature, everything that I can think of has a beat that’s divided with something. Be it even or uneven, it’s divided
with some amount of notes. Everything I can think of has a dynamic aspect. Everything I can think of regarding drums needs to be hit with the limbs, when
you’re on a drumset. Everything I can think of has some kind of phrase to it, be it the phrase of the beats, the phrase of the subdivisions, or the phrase of the
patterns. Everything seems to have a pattern to it, be it in the form of a permutation, a figure out of a book like Syncopation or New Breed.

What I want to communicate here is that thinking in simple terms is a way to “improvise” quickly with many different styles of music.
For example, if you’re playing a rock beat, and you know the essence of the sound of rock drumming, you can think simple things. Like if I play a straight rock
beat and I think, “bass drum only,” I just might isolate an instrument and do a fill based on the bass drum. I might do a fill based on a tuplet, like a triplet. I
might be playing a straight rock beat and think, OK, “triplet,” and I’ll do something with a triplet.

This kind of simple thinking is in accordance with our nature. Meaning, you can’t just not think. You don’t just, not think.
So, you have to think on some level. If you’re playing the swing beat and you know the essence of swing, play triplet based rhythms. Use moves like stepping
the hi-hat, buzz strokes, just sticking with dialogue between the ride, snare, kick and hat. You’ll be safe almost every time, without having a full jazz
background. The only reason you wouldn’t sound right is if you don’t sound right. If you haven’t learned the mechanics of controlling the dynamics, but as far
as ideas go, there’s a set amount that work. And if you’re thinking categorically, you can literally say to yourself, “OK, sixteenth notes,” and base a jazz fill in
four notes per click. You wouldn’t want to do it every time of course, but you can do that as long as you have the right sound and the right dynamic level.
As far as Brazilian music goes: Samba, Baio... If you don’t know what those are, bear with me for a minute. Bossa Novas - there’s a couple of easy things
you can do if you stay on the snare drum with sambas or biaos. For instance, you can do just permutations or you can just do patterns, that works great.
So if you’re playing a simple Biao, and you have the right dynamic level, the right subdivision and you’re hitting the right things, you think, “OK, I’m going to
improvise, but I’m going to go to the snare drum and just do accents,” it will work.
So let me summarize very briefly here. You can play with the style of music, think something very simple like a part of the kit, a subdivision, a dynamic
level change, a pattern of some kind or a phrase of some kind. You could be playing jazz but play a mambo for a fill, because Latin and jazz do meld.

My point is: have a simple thought and express yourself that way.
I’m going to demonstrate. What I’ll do when I demonstrate is: I’ll just say the name of one simple move and I’ll use that to improvise. I’ll use that one move
thinking categorically. Very specifically, if I’m playing Afro-Cuban, I know a move that works is to make a tom tom sound like a timbale, because the timbale is
very Afro-Cuban conducive. If I use a tom rimshot, it’s basically going to work every time, provided the other components are correct. That’s what I’m talking
about. Now I’m going to demonstrate, and again, I’m going to blast out the name of a move, and then I’m going to do fills or I’m going to ‘improvise’ based on
that one move.

The Moves
Brazilian Biao. The move for improv - snare drum eighth notes
Mangini Ex. 1 - CD Track 06

Afro-Cuban Songo. The move is tom rimshots

Mangini Ex. 2 - CD Track 07

Basic Swing. The move is dialogue between the instruments that make up the beat: kick, snare and hat
Mangini Ex. 3 - CD Track 08

Basic Rock. The move is a flam, used in a hand foot dialogue

Mangini Ex. 4 - CD Track 09

The Shuffle. The basic move - hand unisons with triplets

Mangini Ex. 5 - CD Track 10

061
 Urban Percussion

CD TRACKS

Djembe Rhythms 11-12

by Larry Fratangelo

Now that we’ve learned that we can place the beat on the ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR in 4/4, or being the ONE, TWO in 2/4, let’s
continue with another practice routine on the djembe.

To start, I’m going to show you two rhythms, one in 2/4 and one in 4/4. We’ll be counting in either two or four. What’s going to be the common denominator
here is that the right hand is what’s holding the beat, whether it’s in two or four. I’ll be playing ONE, TWO, ONE, TWO for 2/4, OR ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR for
4/4. The right hand is going to be the law that lays down the beat, and the left is going to be playing an E, an AND, or an A.

There are two rhythms I’ve found that are pretty ubiquitous and have different names around the world, but have similarities with what we’ve just talked
about, that they do use this E, AND, an A.

One of them is the Ayyoub, which is a Middle Eastern rhythm in two, which gives us a:
ONE - A, TWO - AND, ONE – E - A, TWO – AND, ONE - A, TWO - AND, ONE – E - A, TWO - AND.

The other one is the Puerto Rican Plena in four, which gives us a:
ONE - AND, TWO - AND, THREE – E - A, FOUR - AND, ONE - AND, TWO - AND, THREE – E - A, FOUR - AND.

Fig. 1 - Right Hand Position Fig. 2 - Left Hand Position

The Middle Eastern Ayyoub.

Fratangelo Ex. 1 - CD Track 11

The Puerto Rican Plena.

Fratangelo Ex. 2 - CD Track 12

062
 Gary Chaffee

www.artbernstein.com
CD'S/Book/Videos/Private Instruction/Remote Recording Sessions

Bass Drum Muffler

The Whirlybirds
Also play along tracks now available for Gears, Under The Hood & Private Instruction
Christmas Time Is Gears for Drums, Bass & Lead Guitar Books/Videos/CDs

www.garychaffee.com

Larry Fratangelo Mike Mangini Online

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DRUM
an all percussion group
DEVILS
Taming the Russian Dragon
Live at the Zoo

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Brazilian and Jazz Vocals

Passion of My Soul
www.mikemangini.com
(Get free audio/video clips ranging from ballad jazz to speed metal)

SKE BAND www.rhythmknowledge.com

P-Funk meets G-Funk
• Volume One is about human memory and habit
Reindeer on the Run forming.
www.brotherangel.com • Volume Two teaches drumming from the internal
clock to the making of musical statements.

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All Girls and Mike playing Rock Music with lyrics about
the habits of women and their power over men.

063
 Digital Domain
Amen,
Brother
by Steven W olf
Gimme Five
Drum & bass, jungle, that’s so last decade.
But, last week, I had to program some drum
& bass grooves. Not only that, but I had to
program it in five. Why was I programming
drum & bass in five you ask? Well, I work
on a lot of music for TV and film. It’s a very
common practice for TV/film editors to use
well known tracks by famous artists to score
scenes to while they’re putting together
footage for things like TV commercials, film
scores, and scores for television shows.
If the editor is doing something for, say,
Martin Scorsese, then chances are whatever
track they’re using, the film studio will actually
license for the movie, When the film comes
out, the Rolling Stones track they were editing
to, will still be there usually a big chunk of the
song (this type of music licensing, by the way,
is known as “needle drop”
licensing, as in “put the
needle on the record”...)
But needle dropping is
the exception, not the
rule. The rule is this:
The people making
the film, television
show, or commercial
(also known as a jingle),
will license music
that sounds like the
original. They’ll have a
composer actually come
up with something very
similar, or they’ll look for
another record that sounds
similar, or occasionally, they’ll
go with something completely
different.
Back to drum & bass in five. I
got a call from a composer friend of
mine, and he wanted me to come up
with some grooves that felt similar
to the grooves in the tracks that the
editor for a TV thing was digging. He
sent me mp3s of the tracks. One of them
was by Radiohead, and I listened, and I was
like, “This is bad drum & bass in five.” Sorry,
064
I’m generally a Radiohead fan. Sometimes the
time signature thing gets me, when people
do it for the sake of doing it, and I could be
wrong, but this felt like that.
Oddly Enough
I admit, when I was a teenager, I loved
playing in 19/16, 11/8, 5/4, 7/4, 15/16, etc, you
name it: I did it. I also loved to displace whole
grooves by a sixteenth note. I thought it was
cool. Let me ask you something, do you want
to immediately stop people from dancing?
Just displace the groove by a sixteenth note,
works every time. You want to work in popular
music, get really good at playing regular time
signatures.
There’s a reason certain grooves have been
around for ages, and yes, in certain cultures,
odd time signatures are natural. When you
hear that stuff, it flows naturally, as opposed
to someone who just discovered Dave
Brubeck or the Mahavishnu Orchestra,
and wants to “spice up” their sound
with some odd time signatures.
CD TRACKS
13-16
Seeing Ain’t Believing
I was recommended years ago to audition
for a well known jazz musician. He didn’t
know I was white, I wasn’t just white, I
was white, with long blonde hair, eye liner,
gigantic earrings, and stretch jeans. Very ‘90s
glam rock. He was definitely a judge-the-
book-by-it’s-cover person, and I think he was
expecting someone who looked a lot different
than I did. But I came highly recommended by
one of the musicians in his band at the time,
so he hesitantly asked me if could do play in
odd time signatures and if could I read. Yes,
and yes. He plays me a track and gives me
sheet music. It was basically the “Popcorn/
Cold Sweat” groove in seven. I told him that.
He angrily said, “No it’s not. It’s this,” and
pointed to the music. I said, “Well I can read
the music, and I can hear and see variations
in the pattern here and there, but it’s basically
a two bar pattern based on the James Brown
“Mother Popcorn” and “Cold Sweat” grooves.
I know the drummer who played on your
recording, and I guarantee that he’ll tell you
that’s exactly what he’s doing.” The guy got
really pissed off and said, “You’re wrong. Just
read the music.” So I read it note for note, and
I read every other chart he put in front of me.
I didn’t even want the gig at that point. I was
way past my days of thinking it was cool to
play in odd-time signatures just for the sake
of doing it (plus I knew there was no way he’d
ever have me on his bandstand looking the
way I did). But, just out of spite, I nailed the
audition, and he was kind of stunned. He was
a little more respectful when I was done.
Anyway, yes I’m a purist with groove music,
and don’t ever try to tell me about some James
Brown grooves. This guy obviously didn’t
know who he was talking to, or in the words of
my on-and-off girlfriend, “Do you not know
who I am?!”
More Or Less
My least favorite artist(s) I ever worked
with was the band Tribal Tech. Those guys
are amazing musicians, but I was the wrong
guy for them. I remember our first gig. I’d
just started with them, their drummer had
quit, and I literally had two days to learn all of
their material, which was quite intricate. I had
charts all over the place, and I was going on
no sleep (a theme in my life). I was seriously
jetlagged, and we’d just finished playing a big
festival in Italy. Scott Henderson (guitarist)
took me aside, and said, “Great job,
but don’t play so straight. When
I’m soloing, I don’t want to see

any of this,” and he
moved his hands like
he was playing two and
four. I said, “Wait, are you saying
you don’t ever want a straight backbeat
behind you?” He just hated simple grooves
and sometimes he and bassist/co-leader Gary
Willis (who hated when I’d ride on the crash,
but liked simple grooves) would butt heads.
I remember one night, after a really groovin’
set, we went backstage, and Gary Willis was
happy and Scott Henderson said something
like, “What’s with all the vamps? If I wanted
to play over vamps, I wouldn’t have quit the
f-----g Zawinul Syndicate!” and he stormed
out. Anyway there were very few girls at Tribal
Tech gigs, ’nuff said...
Playing Favorites
At the other end of the spectrum, my
favorite artist to work with was always Grover
Washington, Jr. I worked with him on and off
for years until his untimely passing. He was
the coolest guy, ask anyone who knew him.
While his music was considered to be
simple to some jazz purists, Grover really
knew how to move people, and his stuff was
all about grooving. He used to do an updated
version of “Take Five,” called “Take Another
Five,” and it was in 5/4, but that shit was
groovin’ like a motherf-----r.
But back to the Radiohead track. I told my
friend that it was live drums over a drum and
bass breakbeat in 5. He said, “Are you sure it’s
in 5?” I counted it for him. So he had me do
some drum and bass in five.
Four To Five
Now, I’ll show you, good readers, how to
make a drum and bass groove in five. To do
that, first I have to show you how to make a
regular old drum & bass groove in four.
“To me, it’s cool when music makes
you think, but it’s REALLY cool
when music makes you move.”
The basic drum & bass groove
is this: The “Amen break” sped
up to about 160 bpm, and retriggered from the
downbeat, on “one” and the “and of two”...
For those of you who don’t know, the Amen
break is a drum solo break from the track
“Amen, Brother,” by the 1960’s funk/soul
group The Winstons, and the drummer is
Gregory Sylvester “G.C.” Coleman.
Other breakbeats were also popular in the
early days of drum & bass, but the Amen
break was by far the most popular, making
Gregory Sylvester “G.C.” Coleman the
Clyde Stubblefield of drum and bass. (Clyde
Stubblefield’s grooves were also used in drum
& bass, including the “Funky Drummer”
break, but the Amen break was the most
popular)
The Amen break has also been used a lot in
hip-hop, and at a slower tempo is the drum
loop in NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton.” It’s
a funky groove. Unfortunately for copyright
reasons, I can’t play it for you, but it’s easy to
find online if you look around.
For now I’ll do something like I’ve done
before (make a breakbeat sound-alike). I’ll use
a drumkit from one of my Roland modules,
and program a groove similar to the first bar
of “Amen Brother.” I’ll do my usual thing:
MPC300 and Edirol midi controller. I’ll set
the MPC swing to 52% and the tempo to 114
bpm. I’ll run the output of my Roland module
through my Universal Audio 6176 into Pro
Tools. I set Pro Tools MIDI-clock to run my
MPC (the actual kit is the “Phunque Kit”
from my Roland Dynamic Drums Expansion
Digital Domain
Board in my Roland Fantom XR Module), and
it sounds like this:
Wolf Ex. 1 - CD Track 13
Now, to get the drum and bass vibe, I’m
going to take a bar of my groove in Pro Tools
and speed it up (pitch and speed) to 160bpm.
I’ll use Serato Pitch ‘n Time, it sounds like
this now:
Wolf Ex. 2 - CD Track 14
If I chop the loop up and do the “one” and
“and of two” thing it will sound like this:
Wolf Ex. 3 - CD Track 15
That’s a basic drum & bass groove. If I chop
it up a bit more and set my Pro Tools grid to
5/4, and retrigger on the “one,” the “and of
two,” and the “four” it gets that “Take Five”
[Dave Brubeck] vibe, and that’s a basic drum
& bass groove in five:
Wolf Ex. 4 - CD Track 16
For the record I have a huge MPC library
of “slices” (remember that from an earlier
article?) of kicks and snares, etc. from various
breakbeats (including the Amen break). When
I’m doing drum & bass, I take the individual
sounds in the MPC and just pitch them up
really high, and program drum & bass grooves
from scratch at the appropriate tempo. It
sounds much cooler, but for copyright reasons,
I can’t show you what that sounds like.
I’ll Take Five
Anyway, drum & bass in 5/4 doesn’t suck.
It’s just not as danceable as drum & bass in
4/4. The 5/4 is like the thinking man’s drum
and bass. To me, it’s cool when music makes
you think, but it’s REALLY cool when music
makes you move.
As drummers, definitely don’t overlook
odd-time signatures, it’s a great tool to have,
and when used in a tasteful way, odd-time
signatures can be very cool. Just don’t get
so caught up in them that you forget how to
make people dance.
Can I get an Amen?
065
 Drum U

CD TRACKS

Double Paradiddle 17-23

The Rudiment and The Groove
by Art Bernsten

Welcome back to Drum U. For this lesson, I’m going to demonstrate the use of a double paradiddle as a groove, by orchestrating
it around the kit. Since the double paradiddle is a six-note sticking, it will translate very easily into a groove in six. And since 6/8
is a fairly common time signature, I’ll be using that for the following examples. Remember to first work up the rudiment on the
snare drum. Then, once you’re comfortable with the phrase, apply it to the drumset.

In this first example I’ll play the double paradiddle.

Drum U Ex. 1 - CD Track 17

For this next example, I want to explain what I will be playing by breaking it down into parts. I will play the double paradiddle rudiment with the right hand on
the ride cymbal and the left hand on the snare. I will play the step hi-hat on the dotted 1/4 note, and I will play the bass drum on beats 1, 3, 5 and 6 of the first
measure of the 2-bar repeating pattern.
Remember that where there are the two syllables “di-ddle” within a rudiment, they are both played by the same hand. If we are counting the double
paradiddle, or this double-paradiddle groove in 6/8 time with each stroke played equaling one 1/8-note, then the double-paradiddle rudiment has the 2
syllables (di-ddle) at the end of each measure on, beats 5 and 6.
The dotted quarter note rhythm falls on beats 1 and 4 of every measure, or the the “Dou” and the “Ra.” For example, I will emphasize with my voice: DOUble
paRAdi-ddle, DOUble paRAdi-ddle. The bass drum pattern I am demonstrating falls on beats 1, 3, 5, 6 of the first measure, or “Dou Pa di-ddle” of the first
measure only. If I emphasize with my voice and say the entire rudiment phonetically: DOUble PAraDI-DDLE, DOUble PAraDI-DDLE.
The double paradiddle sticking between the ride and snare drum.
Drum U Ex. 2 - CD Track 18

066
 Drum U

In this example, I will play the double paradiddle between the ride, snare and cowbell. My left hand will stay on the snare drum, while my right hand
will move back and forth between the ride cymbal and the cowbell.
I will start with my right hand on the ride. Every time I come back to my right hand, I will switch.
Please note for the “diddle” portion of the double paradiddle, where there are two strokes in a row with the same hand, I will stay on the same
surface for both of these strokes before switching surfaces again.
Also, I have found that it helps to count the rudiment out loud while air drumming the left hand and playing the right hand part.
Drum U Ex. 3 - CD Track 19

Now I will play the double paradiddle between the cowbell, snare drum and ride cymbal. My left hand will stay on the snare drum, while my right
hand will move back and forth between the cowbell and the ride.
I will start with my right hand on cowbell. Every time I come back to my right hand I will switch to the ride.
Drum U Ex. 4 - CD Track 20

For this example, I will play the double paradiddle between the ride, cowbell, snare, tom 1 and floor tom. My left hand will move from snare to tom
1 to snare to floor tom and will then repeat this sequence of movement, while my right hand will move back and forth between the ride and the
cowbell.
I will start with my right hand on the ride and left hand on the snare. Every time I come back to my right hand, and every time I come back to my left
hand, I will move to a new surface within each of the independence sequences for right and left hand. The right hand sequence being ride cymbal to
cowbell, and the left hand sequence being snare - tom 1 - snare - floor tom.
Drum U Ex. 5 - CD Track 21

067
 Drum U

In this next example, I will again play the double paradiddle between the cowbell, snare, ride, tom 1 and floor tom. My left hand will move again from snare to
tom 1 to snare to floor tom, and will repeat this sequence of movement, while my right hand will move back and forth between the ride and the cowbell.
I will start with my right hand on the cowbell and left hand on the snare. Every time I come back to my right hand, and every time I come back to my left
hand, I will switch to a new surface within the sequence of movement for each hand.
Drum U Ex. 6 - CD Track 22

In this example I’ll play a improvisational medley of grooves and incorporate some of the grooves from examples 2-6.
I will play a new order of the left hand surface orchestration when I move to the toms: The new orchestration i’ll play for left
hand is: tom 1- snare - floor tom - snare.
CD Audio Example Only
Drum U Ex. 7 - CD Track 23

In conclusion, these are just a few simple variations ... Improvise... Have fun with the rudiment. Move it around the kit,
play fills, make new grooves. Most of all, have fun! Now go get your sticks, and let’s play!

Since 1918

G e o . H . Way D r u m C o m p a n y, Va n c o u v e r , C a n a d a Tel: 604-643-9939

W i r e : I n f o @ G E O R G E WAY D R U M S . C A w w w. G E O R G E WAY D R U M S . c a
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068
promark.com
SAY IT WITH YOUR MUSIC
®

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 Working it out

Glute Stretch Calf Stretch IT Band Stretch

Back Stretch Hip Stretch

These examples show self myofascial release
on five different areas of the body. The glutes,
hip flexors, IT Band (iliotibial band), lower
back and calves. Other areas would be the
hamstrings, quads and lats. Place a foam
roller on the floor then place the area you
wish to work, on top of the foam roller. Your
bodyweight alone will be enough pressure to
break up the adhesions in most spots. Adjust
yourself until you find the painful spots. Once

Roll The Pain Away!

you find those tender spots, hold that position
until the pain subsides. The amount of time
will vary from person to person.

by Kevin Thomas Posavetz

I’m sure most have heard the term ‘scar tissue,’ but how many really know to prevent scar tissue from forming, I would
what causes it and why it happens? Whenever trauma takes place and tissue is recommend finding a qualified chiropractor
damaged, instead of new tissue developing, the damaged tissue heals, resulting in or licensed massage therapist who is trained in
the formation of adhesions or scar tissue. Scar tissue forms due to acute injuries Myofascial Release or Active Release Technique
such as falling, blunt force traumas, car accidents or sprains and strains. (ART). This hands-on approach can be of great
benefit, as the therapist’s fingers and thumbs
Chronic injuries that most drummers/ have scar tissue, as most do, then you know can be used to get deeper into the area that
musicians will suffer from occur due to that it can be quite painful and restrictive. needs to be manipulated and broken up. I
repetitive action. Things such as forced Damaged fascia can cause breathing problems, had ART performed on me after surgery and
movements, small rapid movements and headaches, chronic neck and back pain, although it was somewhat painful, the result
sitting for long periods with poor posture can numbness, bad posture, lack of flexibility, was well worth it.
all cause adhesions over time. Any muscle muscle pain and spasms, and sciatica. If you If you have not been operated on, but want
being overused and/or constantly contracted suffer from any of these conditions, and you’re to increase your flexibility and break up those
will have a restricted oxygen supply making not sure what to do, today maybe your lucky painful adhesions caused by sitting behind
it susceptible to adhesion buildup, which day. your kit or computer, then performing self
can take place anywhere in the body. This A massage technique known as Myofascial Myofascial Release with a foam roller should
tissue is now weaker and will be less elastic, Release was developed to treat these conditions do the trick. This is achieved by rolling
creating muscle imbalances and disrupting and help return the body back to balance. different areas of the body over the foam roller.
its normal function. Working out or playing When I first started taking drum lessons, I I recommend doing this over as much of the
sports will make you a prime candidate for was taught that I could always do a drum roll body as possible, with drummers focusing on
these conditions. if I was unable to think of another fill to play. the calves, glutes, hip flexors and back. Due
Besides forming in the muscles, scar tissue In fact Bill Bruford has a book called When in to this being a self technique, you will need to
can form in the ligaments, tendons, joints Doubt, Roll! This same thought process can adjust the angle of your body/muscles until
and fascia. Infections and radiation can also be used when trying to break up scar tissue or you find the spots that need it the most. For
cause scar tissue, with the stomach, pelvis adhesions, and also when trying to increase those of you trying this for the first time, there
and heart being common places for adhesions range of motion. I know people who have bad will be areas that can be very painful. When
to occur. Fascia is the thin web-like soft tissue posture and body pain, and live every day like finding those spots, hold it there until the pain
that runs from head to toe, front to back, and this because they just don’t know how to fix diminishes, then move to another area. Keep
covers the bones, muscles, organs, nerves and the problem. in mind that muscles are supposed to move
blood vessels throughout our bodies. If you do If you have recently had surgery and want freely over each other. When muscles are stuck
together, it can be painful and cause many
Kevin Thomas Posavetz has been a certified personal trainer/kickboxing instructor for 10-years and
a professional drummer for more than 15, with a focus on creating programs that combine; healthy problems. By using this technique and being
eating, exercise and lifestyle modifications to produce optimal performance. Kevin has played, toured consistent with it, you will be amazed at how
and recorded with: The Exposers, Soul Picnic, Edenseed and In Too Deep. Originally from Detroit, he
much better you will feel and move behind
now resides in New York City.
Certifications: A.F.P.A: Certified Personal Trainer, Injury Prevention for the Neck, Back and Shoulders, Developing your kit.
Lateral Speed and Agility, C.H.E.K. Institute: Scientific Core Conditioning, Scientific Back Training Program Design, Equal But Not The Same, References: NASM
Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, MTA 1 Certified Kickboxing Instructor.

070
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 Nutrition Fuel For Thought
Pasteurization
by Kevin Thomas Posavetz
At the end of Part 1, there is the definition of pasteurization taken from
the Encyclopedia Britannica 2007. When I try to figure out my choices, I
get my hands on as many facts as I can. I feel very fortunate because I’ve
gained a lot of knowledge from my mentors when it comes to fitness/
nutrition and also music/drumming. Unfortunately, most people do
not know where to look or who to believe, and decide to believe what
the media tells them. Hopefully what you read in the rest of this article
will be informative.
Some of the best research on raw and structure and their jaws and teeth were
natural foods versus pasteurized, processed perfectly aligned. When they changed to a
and cooked foods was conducted by Doctors modern diet, which included processed foods,
Weston A. Price and Francis Pottenger, two they started to suffer from chronic illnesses
pioneers whose research has been used in and physical deformities. Their teeth had
developing the metabolic typing system. many cavities, their jaws, skeletal structures
Dr. Weston A. Price is also the author of the and facial bones inadequately developed. This
book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, well documented study has many photos to
in my opinion, one of the best books ever prove his findings and like the saying goes, “A
written on nutrition. Dr. Price conducted picture is worth a thousand words.”
investigations of indigenous cultures from If Dr. Price’s work does not supply you with
around the world. His findings are quite enough proof to the value of unpasteurized
amazing and pretty hard to argue with. He foods, get yourself a copy of the book
discovered that indigenous people on native Pottenger’s Cats. Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr.,
diets, which contained raw foods, did not MD conducted his experiment on over 900
suffer from physical degeneration, disease or cats, which he studied over a 10-year period
structural deformities. They had good bone of time. He discovered that the cats only had
optimal health when their diets consisted of
raw milk and raw meat. They had no parasites
or disease, had good bone structure and
teeth, and could easily reproduce.
When the diet changed to include
cooked meat and the heat-
processed milk, they suffered
from physical degeneration.
They had many parasites,
their bones became weak,
and there was an increase in
skin diseases and allergies
from 5% to over 90%. They
also developed a change in
temperament, had thyroid and
reproductive problems, and by
the fourth generation they had
completely died out.
During all my years of playing
sports, my diet contained a lot of
pasteurized dairy products. I was
eating like an athlete was taught to
eat, even today, many still are. While
consuming these products, I had skin
• For more information about raw milk: Fallon, Sally. www.realmilk.com • Mercola, Joseph, Dr., Get Your
Calcium From Natural Sources. www.mercola.com • Wolcott, W. and Fahey, T., The Metabolic Typing
Diet. Broadway Books 2000 • American Fitness Professionals and Associate •
072
Part 2
problems, developed calcium deposits,
allergies, immune problems and ten cavities.
Since I stopped consuming pasteurized dairy
products, these problems have stopped,
including not having another cavity. I wish I
knew this sooner.
Now, I am not saying to run out and
purchase a bunch of commercially raised beef
and chicken and start eating it raw, that could
be deadly. But raw dairy products from healthy
grass-fed cows and goats, along with fruits,
vegetables and nuts, should be consumed as
part of a healthy diet. Dr. Joseph Mercola
(www.mercola.com) is even a big fan of eating
raw eggs, but he knows his food source.
Recently, one of my drum students suffered
a broken arm from a fall. In the past, I’ve
known a few other drummers/musicians
who also suffered broken bones. Bones are
supposed to be strong, and bad diet choices
can make them weak. If you’re on the road
and consume processed dairy products for
your source of calcium, be aware that it is
not a good choice. According to Dr. Mercola,
raw dairy from grass-fed cows and goats is
probably the best choice, and raw organic
fresh vegetable juices are also a great source of
calcium. Vegetable juice is also high in vitamin
K, which acts like a glue and binds the calcium
into the bone matrix.
Processed dairy products are said to be
unhealthy for humans and have been linked
to acne, allergies, anemia, arthritis, asthma,
autoimmune diseases, bone fractures, cancer,
diabetes, ear infections, heart disease,
osteoporosis and skin problems among
several others. If you’re a working drummer/
musician these health issues can affect your
performance tremendously.
If you want to read some amazing articles
and facts on this subject, or want to know
where you can purchase clean raw dairy
products, check out the website www.
realmilk.com. This website is founded by Sally
Fallon who is a leading authority on nutrition
research, and you will not find a better source
of information.
You may be one amazing drummer, but it
is hard to play if you are sidelined with health
issues. Remember only a strong healthy body
makes a strong healthy drummer!
073
 Industry Standard

Words R ober t Boutin, Jr

“These machines...
can create a much
finer, more detailed
profile than would
be possible on a
centerless grinder.”
music store, Vater Music Center, in Norwood,
Massachusetts. With the help of his young
sons, Ron and Alan, Clarry Vater began to
pursue his goal of making a mass-produced
drumstick that maintained the feel, balance
and handmade quality of the original sticks,
joining modern manufacturing with old-
fashioned craftsmanship.
Vater began supplying local music stores
and distributors with high-quality private-
label drumsticks, and the popularity of these
sticks began to grow. Now officially known
as “Vater Percussion,” the company found
Standing at a long black table in the middle of Vater’s second floor of their manufacturing
itself designing and producing drumsticks
facility in Holbrook, Massachusetts, Alan Vater is rolling sticks. His concentration on his
for Vic Firth, Zildjian, Tama and Pearl, as well
drumsticks is unwavering, even with the sounds of howling lathes and machinery from below,
as maintaining the production of specialized
and the constant activity of Vater’s crew: packing boxes, labeling, pairing and shrink-wrapping
private-label sticks for the country’s top
bricks of drumsticks. Downstairs, in the factory, his brother, company President Ron Vater,
drum shops.
is attending to the manufacturing machinery, a complex mixture of old and new, hand
At the end of the 1980’s, this burgeoning
craftsmanship and automation. The controlled chaos of this foot-to-the-floor, high-intensity
company needed its own identity. Encouraged
operation is a far cry from the company’s humble beginnings in the dark, quiet basement of
by Alan Vater, the company launched the
Boston’s legendary Jack’s Drum Shop.
“Vater” line of drumsticks in 1991.
Today, under the leadership of Alan and
Jack’s [Jack Adams’] Drum Shop in
Ron Vater, the tradition of handcrafted quality
the 1950’s was a hub of musical activity
continues in combination with the latest
on the East Coast. Artists like Buddy
technological advances in manufacturing.
Rich, Philly Joe Jones, Louie Bellson,
Vater sticks, while still hand-rolled and
and Elvin Jones frequented Jack’s on
inspected for quality, are also subjected to
a regular basis, becoming attached
a high-tech, computer-driven weight and
to the specialized, hand-lathed
pitch pairing process resulting in the best of
drumsticks that were being turned by
both worlds: a handcrafted product with the
Fred Michaile, Jack Adams’ brother-in-
precise quality control only possible with the
law. A true craftsman, Fred specialized
latest technology.
in high-quality furniture building
According to Alan Vater, this mix of old
and restoration, and his sticks began
and new technology is the cornerstone of
to acquire a reputation among top
the company’s success. “We use back-knife
drummers of the day.
lathes,” says Alan. “These machines produce
In the 1970’s, Clarence “Clarry”
a true turning. They find the center of the
Vater, Jack Adams’ son-in-law, took
dowel, and can create a much finer, more
over the family tradition of stick
detailed profile than would be possible on a
making in the basement of his own
centerless grinder. They require a lot more

074

Vater’s back-knife lathe making the cut
Ron Vater, Chad Smith and Alan Vater
skill and time to operate, but the results are
well worth the effort.”
“Things have changed over the years,”
says Production Manager Billy Clark, who
has been with the family for over twenty-
eight years. “The sticks are still the best.
Nobody can do it like we do, and now we do
it a lot faster.” Clark continues, “All of our
production, sales orders and inventory are
computerized. I can tell with the push of a
button what our orders look like, what we
have for stock and what needs to be turned.”
It’s a long way from the pages of handwritten
charts and order lists that Clark deciphered in
the past. The company is growing at such a
rapid pace that they have recently opened a
new office and distribution facility, separate
from the nearby manufacturing plant.
Today Vater boasts a full line of sticks,
brushes, mallets, specialty sticks, marching
products and accessories, as well as a large,
diverse and influential artist roster, which
includes some of the biggest names and chart-
topping bands in the industry. Drumming
icons like Chad Smith, Stewart Copeland,
Josh Freese, Virgil Donati, John Roberts and
Jimmy Cobb take their place alongside the
Industry Standard
“new breed” of up-and-coming
players, such as Chris Pennie,
Kim Thompson, Derek Roddy,
and Will Hunt, brought into
the fold by Director of Artist
Relations and Marketing, Chad
Brandolini.
“These artists contribute to
Vater’s success, not only from
a marketing standpoint, but
they are integral to the design of
some of our most popular stick
models, as well as accessories
that we’ve introduced in the
last decade,” says Brandolini.
“They are definitely part of the
family.”
Clarence Vater
The company has a keen eye on the future.
“We’re currently working on expanding
Vater’s Educational Division with some of
our great educators like Steve Fidyk and
Dave DiCenso, as well as working with
Pat Gesualdo and his D.A.D. (Drums and
Disabilities) Program,” adds Brandolini.
With their excellent reputation for
“combo” sticks and accessories, the company
has branched out further into the challenging
marching and orchestral field, with a full line
of sticks, mallets and accessories for the field
and orchestral player.
Vater not only embraces new technology
as it pertains to manufacturing, but also
entertainment and music. The Company is
featured prominently in the new video game
Rock Band, an all-new platform for gamers to
experience music, giving players the chance
to rock in the shoes of the biggest guitarists,
bassists, drummers and singers of all time.
The root of the company’s success is their
dedication to maintaining the highest degree
of quality. This commitment is what has
brought Vater from the basement of Jack’s
Drum Shop to the forefront of the drumstick
industry.
075
 Gear

CD TRACK

24
SPOTLIGHT:Trick Percussion Audio Example
Chicago based drum manufacturer Trick Drums™ is well known for making metal drums. They make snare drums from copper, brass, stainless steel (their principle
material) and the material they make all of their drumsets from is Trick’s exclusive AL13. According to Trick’s V.P. of Sales, JT, “AL13 is what sets Trick apart from
all other drum manufacturers, and allows Trick drums to be more consistent than wood drums while providing for endless finish types.” Trick drums are touted
as being impervious to climate changes and weather conditions such as temperature, moisture and humidity. Trick states, AL13 provides all of the characteristics
we know and love in wood drums, but with enhanced resonance, sustain, and durability. When it comes to the environment, and the notion of “being green,”
Trick claims to be the greenest company going. AL13 is derived from one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust, eliminating the need for trees to be
harvested. Additionally, all of Trick’s powder coated finishes produce no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), while offering a pristine finish with industrial strength
protection. Finally, the drums are expeditiously available and very affordable.
www.TrickDrums.com

Zildjian K Crash Ride Cymbals In Brilliant Finish

MSRP: 21” $589
MSRP: 22” $644
The 21” and 22” K Crash Rides feature a Brilliant Finish and a medium-thin weight. These new models now
become Zildjian’s largest crash cymbals available, and offer an explosive crash sound. Both K Zildjian Crash
Rides were developed with Zak Starkey, who has been using them in his setups with The Who and Oasis since
2000. These cymbals help Zak create the “wall of sound” he needs when playing with both bands. While adding
a dynamic visual impact, Zildjian’s Brilliant Finish also helps to smooth out the sound and add extra high-end
sparkle. The K Zildjian Crash Rides open up quickly and are excellent for “shouldering” with the stick.
www.zildjian.com

Zildjian Introduces New Sizes The Avedis Zildjian Co. is pleased to

announce the introduction of new sizes into
To The K Light Cymbal Series its popular “K Light” cymbal series. The 22” K Light Ride, 15”
K Light Hi-Hats and 16” K Light Hi-Hats make available more options to the
22” Ride $644
growing number of rock and pop drummers choosing the darker sounds
Light Hi-Hats:
of the K Zildjian cymbal range.
15” Pairs $722
The new 22” K Light Ride comes in a traditional finish, and is thin in weight.
15” Top $361
It features the same “smoky” sound and excellent stick definition of the
15” Bottom $361
existing 24” model, but in a smaller more controllable size. The 15” and 16”
16” Pairs $798
K Light Hi-Hats offer more volume and lots of “wash” for a “sloshy” feel.
16” Top $399
They feature a traditional finish with a medium-thin weight top cymbal and
16” Bottom $399
a medium weight bottom cymbal. The 16” K Light Hi-Hats are the first ever
16” Hi-Hats offered in the K Zildjian range. Both the Ride and the Hi-Hats
are versatile enough for almost any style of music.
www.zildjian.com

076
077
 Gear

Tama Starclassic Bubinga Cordia

Drums as pictured, other sizes and hardware available:
22” x 20” Bass Drum $2130 10” X 6.5” Tom Tom $680
12” X 7” Tom Tom $770 14” X 12” Floor Tom $1030
16” X 14” Floor Tom $1135 13” X 6” Snare Drum $660
20” X 14” Gong Bass $1450
Tama, the first major drum maker to craft all-bubinga drum sets, continues to be the number one and best-known maker of bubinga drums with their Starclassic Bubinga
Series and Bubinga Omni-Tune Series. Tama was also the first drum maker to utilize cordia in the first Artstar kits in 1983, and drum aficionados have long asked for a
return of the beautifully grained wood. Now Tama has combined its two firsts with the Starclassic Bubinga Cordia series. A particularly attractive feature is fiscal: the new
Starclassic Bubinga Cordia will be the same price as the Starclassic Bubinga Series drums that feature a premium maple outer-ply.
www.tama.com

LP Diablo NEW and Improved LP Matador Timbales

Cowbell: MSRP:
14” & 15” Brass Shells $519
Summoning the 10” & 12” Brass Shells $489
Unseen 14” & 15” Chrome Shells $479
10” & 12” Chrome Shells $429
MSRP: $56
14” & 15” Brushed Nickel Shells w/ Gold Tone hardware $549
Possibly the most controversial and
Many players feel that there is little to improve upon when it comes to the LP Matador line. The marriage of
provocative cowbell in the extensive
attractive finishes, sturdy resonant shells, quality heads and modest price make for a potent combination,
LP collection, the LP Bell Diablo will
and is the reason many discerning musicians prefer Matadors to more expensive, premium instruments
appeal to drummers with attitude. The Diablo will
from other brands. A few slaps on a well-tuned Matador conga tells the story eloquently.
wreak vengeance when summoned, slicing through
When LP designers took a look at our Matador Timbales, they weren’t out to alter a proven attribute,
clouds of volume, with definitive, cutting projection
the tone, what they did want to tweak was the various nuts and bolts that add up to creature
and a raspy, threatening tone. The demonic low
comfort. Accordingly, the newly improved LP Matador Timbales feature their proven traditional
fundamental tone and blood red finish, inscribed
sound for cascara, center-of-head and rimshot applications, but they now come with redesigned
in the blackest black with graphics depicting
mounts, an upper stand post with a superior tilter, and an exceptional cowbell bracket. The
The Horned One, will appeal to any drummer or
latter, incidentally, is not just stronger: it allows players to mount multiple percussion items
percussionist with a pagan sensibility.
on a single post.
www.lpmusic.com
www.lpmusic.com

078
 Gear

Mike Mangini Pearl Signature Snare Drum

MSRP: $499
The Mike Mangini Signature Snare Drum is the only drum of its kind. It features a 6-ply, 100%
birch shell in a unique 10” X 6.2” Golden Ratio size, complete with “Phi” graphic covering.
Mangini, the Berklee professor and international clinician, has always been fascinated with
science and the nature of sound, so it made perfect sense for his Signature Snare to be based
on the ancient architectural phenomenon that is the Golden Ratio. With Swivel Tube Lugs,
SuperHoop II hoops and an included OptiMount holder, this is a snare drum marvel!
www.pearldrum.com

Pearl Primero Box Cajon

List Price: $165
Pearl’s new Primero Box Cajon is packed with quality features at an affordable price. Made
from Asiatic pine and finished in Gypsy Brown matte lacquer, it features fully adjustable
snares that can be played “on” for Spanish Flamenco-style or “off” for Peruvian-style playing. Jimmy Degrasso Pearl
The front plate is designed for maximum bass and super-sensitive snare response.
www.pearldrum.com
Signature Snare Drum
List Price: $649
The Jimmy DeGrasso Signature Snare Drum is
Pearl New Reference Colors And Features For 2008 a 14” X 5.5” hammered brass snare drum with
gold-plated hardware, ideal for loud, amplified
Reference List Price: $4,499.00
music. Jimmy has laid the foundation for such hard
Pearl’s Reference series, the most acoustically advanced drums in the world, offer even more features and rock acts as Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal
colors in 2008 to make it one of the most impressive looking and sounding drumsets available. Six brand new Tendencies and most notably, the multi-platinum
finishes are now available with Reference: Shimmer of Oz, Inca Gold Burst and Ivory Pearl, Black Pearl, Red Megadeth. This striking drum is sure to catch the
Pearl and Purple Metallic will combine with a selection of Masters Premium finishes to give Reference a total eyes and ears of all drummers.
of 27 premium finish options. New for 2008, Reference drums will now come fitted with Remo Clear Emperor www.pearldrum.com
drumheads for the toms, Remo Clear Powerstroke 3 drumheads for the bass drum, and an exclusive Remo
“Window” drumhead for the snare batter drumhead so that the task-specific shell configurations, thicknesses
and bearing edges are all clearly visible. Lastly, Reference drums will now be offered in your choice of Chrome,
Gold-Plated or Black Chrome Drum Hardware.
www.pearldrum.com

Morgan Rose Pearl

Signature Snare Drum
List Price: $499
The Morgan Rose Signature Snare Drum is
a force to be reckoned with. When rocking
with his band Sevendust, Morgan needs his
drum to be loud, powerful and full of attitude.
His mean 14” X 5” steel drum has plenty of
projection to cut through huge speaker stacks
and subwoofers, and has stainless steel tension
rods for incredible tuning precision, and a
nasty green metallic finish with glow-in-the-
dark “Alien” graphic that can’t be missed.
www.pearldrum.com

080
 These
Mics Give
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durabilit
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What more do you need?

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 Gear

Paiste / Nicko Paiste to Launch several New

McBrain Power Signature Series Models
Slave Ride The 16”, 18” and 20” Crystal Thin and the 14” Crystal Hats feature the unique bell
shape that was Paiste’s innovation with the ‘70s Sound Creation Mellow Crash. The
The Reflector Bell Ride is reminiscent
distinctive design allows the creation of cymbals with a beautifully sweet, silvery,
of the Sound Creation Bell Ride, which
warm and silky sound character and a high degree of responsiveness and control.
Nicko McBrain used throughout the
The 8” Cool Bell is a complete re-design of the long running Bell model.
1980’s. The original concept was updated
The 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” and 22” Reflector Heavy Full Crash offers the best of
according to his current specifications and
both worlds for players that were forever caught in the dilemma between the
executed in the Signature Series, utilizing Paiste’s
beauty of a Full Crash and the strength of a Power Crash.
unique Reflector finish.
The 14” Reflector Heavy Full Hi-Hat was designed as a counterpart to the Reflector
In 20” and 22” they feature a full, fairly dark, controlled,
Heavy Full Crash. As such, this very balanced model offers the responsiveness
glassy and shimmering sound character, a clear full ping over a
and control of a medium weight hi-hat, yet features consistent cutting power and
large, deep harmonic wash, and a dominant, strong bell, making it extremely well suited
strength and a fairly dirty, full, barking and piercing sound character.
for the intricate ride stick work that is one of the hallmarks of Nicko McBrain’s playing
The 8” and 10” Reflector Splashes are additions that provides a bright and
style with Iron Maiden. As a tribute to Nicko’s collaborative effort in the creation of this
shiny appearance, with the slightly equalized harmonics and glassiness of the
unique cymbal, the label “Powerslave” and a rendition of Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie,
Reflector Finish.
have been placed on the 22” version of the cymbal.
www.paiste.com
www.paiste.com

Mapex Introduces Mapex Adds New

“Krushed” Glass Glitters
For Orion & Saturn
MSRP: $3,989.99 all-maple Orion
MSRP: $3,059.99 maple and walnut Saturn
These sparkling beauties will have you sounding and
looking better than ever. Choose from the diamond-like
brilliance of Crystal Krush, the breathtaking sparkle of
Copper Krush or the intriguing subtlety of the exclusive
Cosmic Krush. The Studioease component pack includes
a 22” X 18” bass drum, 10” X 8” and 12” X 9” tom toms,
14” X 14” and 16” X 16” floor toms, and a 14” X 5.5” snare
drum. Hardware sold separately.
www.mapex.com
Configuration And New
Finish To M Birch Series
MSRP: $1,869.99 burst finishes
MSRP: $1,689.99 non-burst finishes
The new Studioease configuration includes a 22” X 18”
Mapex Unveils 2008 bass drum, 10” X 8” and 12” X 9” tom toms, 14” X 14” and
16” X 16” floor toms, and a 14” X 5.5” snare drum. The
Limited Edition Orion set includes five pieces of Mapex 550 Series hardware:
Chocolate Burl including a bass drum pedal, hi-hat stand, snare stand,
cymbal stand and a boom stand. The beautiful Hermosa
MSRP $5,799.99 Fade transparent lacquer finish has also been added to
the M Birch line-up for 2008. The Series features 6-ply,
The 2008 Limited Edition Orion Chocolate Burl
7.2mm shells with an exterior maple veneer to accent
drumset will be sold in extremely limited quantities
the series’ hand-applied, high-gloss transparent lacquer
in North America. What sets this all-maple drumset
finishes. The drums are also equipped with the exclusive
apart is its exquisite exterior burl veneer. Handmade
Mapex I.T.S. (Isolated Tom Mount System), designed to
in Italy, the remarkably figured exterior ply is formed
extend the shell’s resonance.
together with six North American maple plies for an
www.mapex.com
ultra-thin (6.1mm), ultra-resonant shell that’s built to
be enjoyed for generations. The set includes a 22” X
18” bass drum, 10” X 8” and 12” X 9” tom toms, 14”
X 14” and 16” X 16” floor toms, and a matching
14” X 5.5” snare drum. All drums feature
all-maple Orion shell construction, luxurious
black chrome hardware and a classic, white
coated front bass drum head.
www.mapex.com

082
Duck, Duck Boom!
Pintech Novelty triggers aren't
just for children, but the child
in all of us. Even the most
serious rocker is a big kid
at heart. John, of course,
doesn't play with these on
his kit, but he can
appreciate the benefit
and fun of these
great new little triggers.

“I believe these triggers are

a fun way to introduce chil-
dren to the exciting world of
drumming. I have one for
my 3 yr old son, who is
showing an early interest in
music and drumming”
John Humphrey

800-445-0506 • www.Pintechworld.com
**No Duckies were harmed in the making of this ad**

083
 Gear
Sensaphonics
Hardwired 3D Active
Ambient™ IEM
System
MSRP: $2,300 (single-driver
earphones)
MSRP: $2,800 (dual-driver
earphones)
Sensaphonics introduces a hardwired version of
its revolutionary 3D Active Ambient IEM System.
Designed as a standalone system for drummers,
keyboardists and other stationary performers,
the new 3DAA-HW Active Ambient uses highly
sensitive, precision-equalized microphones
embedded in soft silicone earphones to pick up
stage ambience with natural sound quality and
accurate directional cues. This binaural ambient
signal is sent to the compact 3D-HW bodypack
mixer, where it is combined with the monitor
feed from the console with zero latency. The 3D
Active Ambient is the only in-ear system that
provides full ambient sound for the performer,
while keeping the ears fully sealed. This allows
the performer to have normal conversations and
hear audience response with the earphones
still in place.
www.sensaphonics.com
084
New Stage Custom Birch Drum Set From
Yamaha Drums
Introducing Yamaha Drums new Stage Custom Birch kit. Perfect for students,
houses of worship and gigging drummers, the kit’s 100% birch shells offer a cutting
low-end, while eight new gorgeous lacquer finishes provide sustain and great looks.
Yamaha’s first mid-priced birch kit also comes with all-new, top-quality 700 series
hardware. The drumsets feature three unique configurations, including a five-piece
with a 20” bass drum, a five-piece with a 22” bass drum and a four-piece with a 24”
bass drum. All toms are in “universal” size depths to provide the most projection
and purest tone.
www.yamaha.com
A Snare Drum For All Seasons: A Premier
Birch And Vintage Vibe
Yamaha Drums will introduce 10 new snare drums that offer a
wealth of sounds, and complement almost any playing style.
The new drums include Yamaha’s all-birch snare in the Stage
Custom line, a new Musashi snare and a new Vintage snare.
Two new series, Loud and Sensitive, make it easier to select a
snare based on its application and the sound that a drummer
seeks. Yamaha’s new warm and punchy Stage Custom Birch
Snare Drums, made from six-ply, 100% birch, mark the first
time Yamaha has offered an all-birch snare drum at an entry-
level price. Configurations include 14” x 5.5”, 12” x 5” and 10”
x 5”. The two smallest sizes come with a tom mount for easy
addition to any drum kit.
www.yamaha.com
DTX-Cellence: Yamaha Unveils Flagship
Electronic Drum Kit
Yamaha Drums has completely overhauled its flagship electronic kit. Introducing the
DTXTREME III and DTXTREME III Special electronic drumsets. In addition to redesigned
cymbals, a new kick tower, and an all-new module, the sets
use the same technology that powers the supercharged
Yamaha MOTIF XS synthesizer. In addition to over 1,000
onboard drum, percussion and special effect voices, the
module includes over 100 General MIDI voices. With the
optional memory installed, 512 MB of sampling allows players
to trigger a large library of custom sounds. Combine the
stacking and layering capabilities of 100 voices with
other advanced features, and the DTXTREME III
is a complete workstation for drummers. Both
DTXTREME III versions include 3-zone drum and
cymbal pads, USB connectivity and an advanced
internal sequencer. The DTXTREME III Special
comes with Yamaha’s new Hex Rack System,
the strongest and most versatile rack in the
industry, which locks drums and cymbals
firmly in place, and offers limitless versatility
for a completely customized setup.
www.yamaha.com
 Gear

Kelly SHU™
Suspended
Microphone
Mounting System
MSRP: $154
Looking for an alternative to the bulky
microphone stand and boom you’re likely using
to support your kick drum microphone? Kelly
Concepts, LLC introduces a suspended microphone
mounting system for kick drums called The Kelly SHU™.
High-strength rubber support cords have eliminated
any hard-mounted contact of the microphone to either
the drum shell or the floor that the drum sits on.
The result is an integrated microphone shock mount system that
reduces mechanical noise, while saving stage space and reducing
clutter. Setup and teardown times are also reduced since the microphone can stay with the drum during transport. The
Kelly SHU™ can be installed internally within the drum shell, or suspended externally on the front of the drum with the
same packaged system. The main mounting unit is made of high-grade 301 aluminum and anodized in your choice of
either Stage Black or Clear-coated Aluminum colors. The mount offers 10 support-cord holes that are each fitted with a
vibration-reducing rubber grommet. The threaded post will accept any standard kick drum microphone, has 2 ½ inches
of adjustment range along the slotted tab, and is outfitted with an oversized jam nut that’s easy on the fingers.
When installed internally, The Kelly SHU™ system utilizes your drum’s pre-existing tuning hardware screws as a means
of fastening interior loops, which become attachment points for the support cords. Internal adjustment possibilities
for microphone placement are virtually limitless, as the mounting unit can be installed vertically, horizontally, sideways or diagonally to obtain your desired microphone
position. Tension on the support cords radiates outward in all directions, holding the microphone mount in position night after night. Simply run the microphone cable out
the sound port in your front head, make the connection and your kick drum is ready to go!
Externally, the Kelly SHU™ will utilize existing tension lugs as attachment points for the support cords. Position adjustments are regulated by the length of the support cords,
and where they are attached around the perimeter of the drum. The company recommends a 6-inch sound port in the front head, which allows room for the microphone
and the slotted tab of the mount. The Kelly SHU™ puts the microphone in the traditional placement one gets when using an old-school microphone stand, but requires
no drilling or modification of the drum for installation. The system is portable and can be moved from drum to drum easily, leaving no indication it was ever installed. By
incorporating your choice of pro-quality microphones with the system, you’ll get a more consistent sound from gig to gig, as well as make good friends with the soundman
since you’ve just made his job easier!
www.kellyshu.com

Hammerax™ Indigo™ Cymbals

MSRP: $370
Indigo 20” Ultra Dark Crash (pictured)
Indigo™ multi-cup cymbals are ultra dark in tone with a super
complex wash. Even greater variety comes from the multi-cup
technology and a new alloy. Drummers can play multiple
points for a variety of ride and crash tones, or play the small
buttons for multiple unique stick tones. The ending washing
is complex and deep without being gong-like. Create giant
"curtain of sound" phrases by moving upward from Indigo™
cymbals into higher or brighter cymbals.
Pictured is the Indigo 20" Ultra Dark Crash with three additional
outer cups with three small buttons. The center cup has quick
attack with good sustain and almost no bell-like tones, helping to
darken the cymbal’s overall sound.
www.hammerax.com

085
 Gear

Bosphorus Rockett Ride

MSRP: $550 / $600
The ultimate hard rock cymbal is coming to a town near you. Bosphorus
has produced the first handmade ride cymbal designed by the man
that lives metal, Rikki Rocket of Poison. This is heavy metal in its truest
sense, weighing in at 3000 grams of hand-hammered potential energy
coiled to deliver arena size volume and cutting projection. The Rockett
Ride features an over-sized unlathed bell that meets a polished lathed
area for amazing volume and high-octane projection. Available in 20˝
and 22˝ sizes.
www.bosphoruscymbals.com

Black X™ Drumheads, Another

X-Treme From Remo®
Remo expands their popular line of Emperor X™ heads for heavy hitters. In
addition to the award winning Emperor X™, now there’s the BLACK X™, which
features focused midrange and warmth, with plenty of attack. In addition,
Remo is now applying its unique suede texturing process to its popular Ebony®
Series drumheads. The Emperor®-weight BLACK X™ is 2-plies of textured
Ebony® 10mm film with a 3mm reverse dot, giving it X-treme durability with
a unique esthetic look.
www.remo.com
Remo
Black Suede™
Drumheads
Remo® Crimplock™ BLACK SUEDE™
Emperor®-weight
Symmetry Conga Heads BLACK SUEDE™
Remo now adds to its World Percussion Drumhead Line the New Crimplock Ambassador®-weight
Symmetry, type 4, conga drumhead. Crimplock Symmetry was created to
Give your kit a unique look with REMO’s
add flexibility in our manufacturing while increasing available drumhead
new BLACK SUEDE™ drumheads.
dimensions. This means Crimplock Symmetry drumheads can fit more conga
Remo is now applying its unique
drum models from various manufacturers. Added to their compatibility
suede texturing process to its popular
list are the following companies: LP, Pearl, Meinl and Gon Bops. Now more
Ebony® Series drumheads. Offered in
percussionists can play Skin-on, Nuskyn®, Skin-on, Fiberskyn® 3, and Skin-on,
Ambassador® and Emperor® weights,
Skyndeep™.
the BLACK SUEDE™ drumheads provide
www.remo.com
focused warmth, and enhanced mid-
range for snare drums and tom toms
without muting their percussive attack.
Available is sizes 10”, 12”, 13”, 14” and
Remo® Expands Vintage A™ With Tom Heads 16”.
The BLACK SUEDE™ Ambassador®
MSRP: 10” - $23.75, 12” - $25.25, 13” - $26.50, 14” - $28.25, 16” - $30.75
drumheads feature 1-ply of textured
Inspired by the overwhelming popularity of the Vintage A™ snare head that was EBONY® 10mm film. The BLACK SUEDE™
introduced for Remo’s 50th Anniversary, Remo now expands the Vintage A™ line Emperor® drumheads feature 2-plies of
with tom drumheads. Vintage A is available in 10”, 12”, 13”, 14”, and 16” sizes. The textured EBONY® 7.5mm film. Both weights
Vintage A™ drumheads are constructed of 2–ply, 7.5mm and 3mm polyester films, are ideal for all playing applications.
and are a reissue of the first Remo Ambassador® drumhead that changed the art of Stand out with great sounding and great
drumming in the late 1950’s. They feature the sensitivity and snare response of the looking BLACK SUEDE™ drumheads.
Coated Diplomat®, the focused mid-range of the Coated Emperor®, and the longevity www.remo.com
of the Coated Ambassador®. These unique features make the Vintage A™ one of the
most versatile drumheads on the market.
www.remo.com

086
 Gear

Gibraltar Expands Gibraltar’s Stealth Vertical

Hi-Hat “Off Time” Mounting System (VMS)
Offer MSRP: Vertical Mounting System $240
Vertical Mounting Package with single tom mount and
MSRP: Hi-Hat Off Time Attachment
UA snare basket $350
(only) $92.50
Side Mounting system $255
Chik Effects Pack (pair) $30
Ultra Adjust snare basket $79
Hi-Hat Off Time Attachment with
Single Ball L-rod with Cymbal Mount $70
Chik effects pack $115
Hardware Transport bag with wheels $130
Gibraltar has expanded its Hi-Hat “Off Time”
Gibraltar’s Stealth Vertical Mounting System (VMS) takes a
offer to include everything drummers need
minimalist approach to mounting hardware by showcasing the
to achieve an offtime, second layer of sound.
kit and removing the cluttered appearance of bulky tripods and rack bars
The Chik Effects Pack creates the “chik” sound
spanning across the bass drum. Best of all, Stealth VMS means you have less to break
when used with the Hi Hat Off Time Attachment.
down and carry after the gig. The Stealth VMS creates a low profile vertical mounting plain for mounted toms and
Want the whole package? The Hot Hat Kit with
the snare creating a rock solid foundation for any set up. This innovative mounting system works with virtually any kit
Chik Effects Pack features everything you need
configuration, and can utilize existing tom and snare mounting hardware no matter what brand or size kit you play.
to create that second layer of sound.
www.gretsch.com
www.gibralterhardware.com

Gretsch 125th
Anniversary Limited
Edition “Rock Legend”
Drumset
MSRP: $7,995
Gretsch’s 125th Anniversary “ROCK LEGEND”
drumset stands as a tribute to rock music’s
legendary players. The Rock Legend set
features classic 6-ply Gretsch-formula maple
shells with 30-degree bearing edges and Silver
Sealer interiors —the same Gretsch formula that was used when rock music was defining a culture all its own.
Other classic features include vintage rock sizes, mounted tom, Gretsch Round Badge, triple chrome-plated
hardware and Nitrocellulose Millennium Maple Gloss finish. The Rock Legend kit is limited to 125 total kits for
2008 production. Sizes: 22” X 16” bass drum, 12” X 8” tom, 14” X 14” and 16” X 16” floor toms, and a 14” X 6.5”
snare drum (20 lugs).
www.gretsch.com

Gretsch 125th Anniversary Ltd Edition Progressive Jazz And Bop Kits
MSRP: Progressive Jazz Kit $6,145 20” X 14” kick, 12” X 8” rack, 14” X 14” floor and 14” X 4.5” 8-lug snare drum.
MSRP: Bop Kits $5,950 18” X 14” kick, 12” X 8” rack, 14” X 14” floor and 14” X 5” 8-lug snare drum. (Shown)
Gretsch Drums proudly celebrates 125 years of “That Great Gretsch Sound” with two limited
production Custom kits. Gretsch’s Progressive Jazz kit, modeled after the classic Gretsch
“Birdland” kit from the 1950’s, was used by some of Gretsch’s past master drummers
– most notably Max Roach – and kept as the house kit at the renowned New York City jazz
establishment. This kit features classic 6-ply USA Custom shells, and features gold-plated drum
hardware. Traditional jazz sizes, mounted 12” tom, Gretsch Round Badge, Cadillac Green finish
and bass drum finished with gold sparkle inlay and vintage T-rods.
Inspired after their eternally classic Be-bop configuration, Gretsch’s Progressive Bop kit conjures
the essence of the many great Gretsch jazz masters. Features include Gretsch classic 6-ply
USA Custom shells, traditional be-bop sizes, mounted 12” tom, Gretsch Round Badge and
Cadillac Green finish. The bass drum is finished with silver sparkle inlay and vintage T-rods.
Each of these two kits also contains a uniquely serialized vintage orange/white internal shell
label and a special 125th logo affixed over the paint - but underneath the lacquer - on the bass
drum shell. 2008 production is limited to 125 total kits for each drum set.
www.gretsch.com

087
Gear

Tycoon Percussion Signature “Grand” Conga Drums

MSRP: $869 to $899
Tycoon Percussion is proud to announce the introduction of its all-new
Signature “Grand” Series conga drums. This series is acclaimed for
its exclusive combination of classic wide-body designs and advanced
handcraftsmanship, which offers high-end performance and tone
quality, not to mention a stunning appearance! The 11˝ Quinto, 11¾˝
Conga and 12 ½˝ Tumba feature hand-selected North American ash
shells in a rich, natural satin oil finish with 10% wider bellies. This
shape allows more air movement and creates a fatter, warmer, more
resonant sound. Additional Tycoon innovations include old-school style
Classic-Pro™ hoops, premium-grade calfskin heads, and the luxurious
look of brushed chrome hardware. Matching requintos, bongos and
djembés are also available to round out any percussionist’s set-up.
www.tycoonpercussion.com

Promark Jason Bonham EC Resonant

Autograph Model Tom Heads
MSRP: $13.45 & Hybrid
Jason Bonham has worked with the design team at Pro-Mark to Drumset
create the Jason Bonham SD531W. Made of American rock maple,
the SD531W is 16 ½” long, .595” (15.1mm) in diameter, and features
Snare Batter
a relatively short taper and a large wood modified acorn-shaped MSRP: EC Resonant
tip for added power and volume. $27 - $47
www.promark.com MSRP: Hybrid Drumset Snare
Batter $92 - $96

Promark Pad Bags Evans brings EC (Edge Control) technology to

resonant heads. The EC Resonant is constructed
MSRP: Small $79.95 / Large $99.95 from a single ply of 10mm ultra-clear film augmented with the EC ring. It attenuates
unwanted overtones and centers pitch, while delivering a desirable mid-range
Promark’s new “Pad Bags” incorporate a
frequency bump. It’s the first head to control and correct the tuning inconsistencies
practice pad permanently affixed to the
of bottom heads, a long-standing roadblock to perfect tuning for many drummers.
exterior of the bags themselves, eliminating
The result is a more resonant, fatter tom that projects a truer pitch, irrespective of
the need to carry a separate pad in
volume levels.
addition to his/her stick bag. Pad
The new Hybrid Snare Drum Batter is durable to the extreme, yet does not sacrifice
Bags are available in both small
sensitivity, a result of two unique high-tensile fibers. The head answers the wishes of
and large (large is equipped
heavy rockers, delivering heightened attack and unprecedented resistance to breaking.
with a sturdy and comfortable
The most durable of Evans heads, it offers an intriguing aesthetic: A layer of Evans’
shoulder strap).
unique “frosted” coating allows the grey twill inner weave to show through clearly.
www.promark.com
www.evansdrumheads.com

Evans HQ Soundoff Universal Bass

Drum Mute
The new HQ SoundOff Bass Drum Mute will be welcomed by drummers who own

Promark Drum Roll Tape a “gigging kit” with a smaller bass drum, in addition to a rock kit with a power kick.
The amazing new mute, with its unique attachment clamps, will fit any bass drum
MSRP: $11.25 per roll within the 16” to 26” range — and provide realistic rebound. Evans Mutes eliminate
penetrating lows and shrill highs while preserving authentic feel.
“Drum Roll™” is a gauze-type material that can be applied to literally
www.evansdrumheads.com
any striking implement. It can also be applied directly to fingers for
hand drummers desiring additional protection. It sticks to itself, but
not the surface to which it is applied, thus eliminating the possibility
of sticky residue, common to some other gripping tapes. Drum Roll™
is available in four colors: red, blue, purple and black.
www.promark.com

088
 Gear

Qwikstix Beverage Holder

MSRP: $42 (includes free shipping)
Qwikstix products provide for easy access to drum and musical accessories,
allowing fast recovery or easy reach. This new product is no different,
providing an innovative new beverage holder that attaches to a floor

AQUARIAN tom. This new product compliments the successful stick holder that
also attaches to the floor tom. The new beverage holders provide no
Tru-Bounce™ more spills, and a fast easy way to access your beverage of choice:

Practice Pad Easy on, easy off, and always in the right position.
www.qwikstix.com
MSRP: $45
With an active neoprene playing surface for
true and accurate response, the Tru-Bounce™
Practice Pad is comfortable to play on without
the “overly-springy” feel of traditional gum
rubber. The result is a more accurate rebound
stick response that helps to develop control,
strength and speed. It makes your practice
work a little harder, but not too hard. Included
with each pad is a pair of Power-Sleeve™
drumsticks, a “teacher approved” list of
essential snare drum rudiments, and two
[BPFM4600THT]

“Fact Sheets” by Aquarian co-owner Roy

Burns, which covers sticking exercises and
tips on snare drum tuning.
www.aquariandrumheads.com

BLACK PANTHER THICK FLAMED MAPLE 14 x 6

the 15-ply extra thick shell features a trditional deep snare bed along with a rounded
bearing edge that provides increased shell to head contact... the result is warm, dark,
Cymbal Swipes full-bodied sound with incredibly soft feel... the flamed maple exterior veneer is finished
in high-gloss, hand applied lacquer which brings out the rich grain of the wood...
MSRP: $18
Cymbal Swipes offer amazing cleaning
power for all of your prized cymbals. Just a
swipe removes years of grime and restores
the cymbal’s original luster and shimmer
without removing logos. Cymbal Swipes
are packaged for easy dispensing and
ready to travel.
www.cymbalswipes.com

SPECIFICATIONS: 12mm shell thickness « Honey

[BPFM4600THT] Maple Burst Finsish « 3.0mm Die Cast Hoops « fully
adjustable throwoff and butt plate « 20 strand snare

“I’ve played Black Panther snares for nearly a decade. There’s no more
versatile snare anywhere at any price.”
Gregg Bissonette «

BLACKPANTHERSNARES.COM
© Copyright 2008 Mapex USA Incorporated

2007_BP_Ad_Series.indd 28 11/16/07 089

8:52:12 AM
 Gear

New Toca Professional Cuica

MSRP: $195
The cuica is a key component of Brazilian music, in particular the samba. It can be heard in a broad range of works such as the
early recordings of Egberto Gismonti, Porthino, and the pop recordings of Paul Simon. The new Toca Professional Cuica succeeds
in nailing the elusive indigenous sound, and protecting it in a durable housing. This shell is actually a seamless piece of aluminum,
produced by spinning a flat sheet into round with no seams to impede resonance. To further free the shell to vibrate, the drum
incorporates a free floating design: No tuning hardware,including lug casings, touches the shell. The head, or rather skin, is
specially chosen natural goatskin. To produce the signature jungle squeak, on the reverse side of the skin a bamboo rod extends
from the center of the head and runs parallel the length of the shell. For a robust squeak, a full-size 10” head interacts with an 11”
shell. The new Toca Professional Cuica is made to last, starting with the one-piece aluminum shell, progressing to the six sturdy lug
tuners in powder black, and finally to the failsafe shoulder strap.
www.tocapercussion.com

Toca Acacia 10 Tambourine

MSRP: $29
The Toca Acacia Tambourine, whether judged by aesthetics or certainly by tone, is undoubtedly one of the finest
tambourines Toca’s made. Constructed of lightweight premium acacia wood, the skinless tambourine is a beautiful
instrument capable of a range of timbres. A double row of nickel-plated jingles delivers dense, shimmering, chiming
tones that will be equally at home live or in the recording studio.
www.tocapercussion.com

Toca Surf Drum: You Toca Freestyle Series Talking

Control the Waves! Drum with Beater
MSRP: $55 MSRP: $345
This infectious drum is going to give a The Toca Freestyle Series Talking Drum offers delightful experiences
lot of people pleasure, and not just in an authentic styled unit priced extremely modestly. Toca Freestyle
musicians! Designed to emulate the Talking Drums provide their signature
sound of waves flowing, ebbing and undulating changes in pitch by means
breaking, when played in a circular of squeezing and releasing any of the
motion, the Toca Surf Drum is multiple chords running the length
remarkably effective. It ‘s a legitimate of the shell, while simultaneously
percussion instrument that can be playing the head. The result of tension
put to good use in lieu of a Foley Stage manipulations are pitch bends, low
or digital samples on motion picture grumbles and babbles, topped by
soundtracks, or to underscore performances shrieks, all resembling the inflections of
by singer-songwriters. And, let’s admit the the human voice.
truth, it’s a whole lot of fun! www.tocapercussion.com
www.tocapercussion.com

NEW Toca Fiberglass Shekere

MSRP: $175
The West Afgrican Shekere has migrated across the waters and mingled with the music of many cultures. In essence, the Shekere is
a hollowed-gourd covered by a fish-net web of string or nylon, intertwined with various beads, seeds or hard objects. The loose fit
of the web allows for a range of sharp to sustained swishing tones, while variations in the size of the gourd afford significant changes
in the fundamental tone. Traditional, indigenous Shekeres are also fragile and cracking is a fact of life. The new Toca Fiberglass
Shekere circumvents the problem with the use of a handmade fiberglass shell. Not only is the problem of durability solved, but also
consistency of tone. Reliable and projecting, the sonority of the Toca Fiberglass Shekere is virtually indistinguishable from its folkloric
counterpart.
The Toca Shekere features a black shell with a new belly shape, exclusive to Toca, which produces a wide range of sounds and,
in particular, low bass tones. Atop the black fiberglass shell sits a web of hand strung black and green synthetic beads. Players
will immediately notice the ideal blend of rattling tones and low-frequency fundamentals. The mouth of a shekere tends towards
fragility, accordingly, the Toca Fiberglass Shekere features a protective rubber ring surrounding this opening. The combination of tough
fiberglass construction, synthetic beads, and a reinforced mouth makes cracking a thing of the past.
www.tocapercussion.com

090

iZotope - Ozone 3
Everything But
The Mastering
Engineer!
The traditional music mastering process requires three things: a well-equipped
studio, a mastering engineer and a deep pocket. But the programmers at iZotope have
cleverly crafted software, Ozone 3, which allows musicians on a budget to achieve a
high-quality end product.
Originally, to master a recorded album,
the engineer started by regulating the
overall volume of the tracks. Since tracks are
recorded at different times, each song needs
to be regulated according to a median volume
level.
The engineer then used the compressor (or
limiter) to ‘brighten’ the songs. By using an
equalizer, he could add specific frequencies
to the track. Depending on the style and genre
of each song, the mastering engineer would
add either low-end or high-end frequencies,
and compress the studio track to fit the
commercial format.
The engineer finished by sequencing the
songs on the record.
Today, most engineers use their own presets
to perform these three basic processes, and
later complete the mastering by perfecting
the songs on a case-by-case basis.
iZotope’s Ozone 3 mastering software
is equipped with 83 presets that fit most
mastering situations. There are also more
presets available to download on their
website. By playing around with them, you
will be able to find the best fit for your tracks.
Once you get more comfortable with the
program, you’ll recognize which presets are
better suited for your desired results, or fuse
several presets using the advanced preset
manager.
“Ozone 3 provides all the elements of
mastering at a very reasonable price [$250],”
said Nicholas Sansano, New York University
Music Production professor. “Considering
a mastering engineer would charge you
approximately $300 an hour, this software
is a bargain.”
Skyline Studios NYC engineer Steve
Geuting, who is not a trained mastering
The mastering process is simplified
to make the software accessible to
everyone regardless of his or her
production experience.
engineer, was able to get what he wanted
from the program in a very short period of
time. “It was not that hard to figure out,”
Geuting said. “I just played around with the
presets and it worked. It also fits right into
Pro Tools, so now we can master CDs here
at Skyline without having to go to another
studio, or to a mastering engineer.”
The mastering process is simplified to make
the software accessible to everyone regardless
of his or her production experience. Instead
of having to sort through separate plug-ins,
Ozone 3 is an integrated system, which will
improve the quality of your final sound.
“The mastering engineer might have a
better idea of what he is doing,” Sansano
said. “But, if you have a decent sound system
Vitals
• Compatible with Windows XP, X64, Vista
and Mac OSX 10.3.9 or later (Universal
Binary)
• Pro Tools 6.4+, VST, MAS, Audio Unit and
DirectX Formatted.
• 64-bit Internal Processing
• 7 Plug-ins in 1 integrated interface
• Analog Modeling
• Digital linear phase modeling
Gear
and you set it up well, this software could take
you a long way.”
Ozone 3 not only covers the basic mastering
tools required to fine-tune your sound, it
provides advanced options that might benefit
certain musical genres.
“Normally, the presets should be enough,”
Sansano said. “But Ozone 3 also includes
harmonic excitation and stereo imaging/
enhancement otherwise known as ‘psycho
acoustics,’ a mathematical distortion in
sound that affects certain areas that the ear
readily accepts. This feature adds warmth,
depth, and an overall pleasing sound to your
songs.”
While the software is equipped with analog
modeling, preferable for a more vintage
sound, it also includes digital precision.
If you find yourself lost in the middle of
your endless possibilities, the manufacturer’s
website (www.izotope.com) has an extensive
downloadable guide and video tutorials to
teach you, regardless of your background in
music, all the tricks of music mastering.
The only real downside is that you do not
have a professional at your disposal with years
of experience to do it for you. But if you are
comfortable in your environment, you will be
surprised at your own achievement.
www. izotope.com
091
Caught in The Act

On the road

Inferno
Artist: Behemoth
Gig: Irving Plaza
Location: New York, NY
Date: November 2007

GearBo x
Drums Cymbals Electronics
Spaun Custom Series Sabian Alesis DM5
Piano Black Lacquer with Black 14” AAX Metal Hats Ekits Triggers
Hardware 20” AAX Metal R ide Korg D888
8” X 8” R ack 14” HHX Evolution China Shure E5 Earphones
10” X 9” R ack 20” AA China Heads
12” X 10” R ack 16” AAX Metal Crash Evans:
13” X 11” R ack 17” AAX Dark Crush Toms - Genera G2 coated top/clear
14” X 12” R ack 18” AAX Metal Crash R esonant bottoms
16” X 16” Floor 18” AAX China Snare - HDDR Y
18” X 16” Floor 17” AAX treme China Kicks - Emads
22” X 18” Kick Hardware Sticks
22” X 18” Kick AXIS A Longboards pedals Vic Firth
14” X 8” Snare Gibralter Rack 2B American Hickory

092
 Caught in The Act

GearBo x
Drums
Pacific Drums
10” X 9” R ack
12” X 10” R ack
14” X 12” R ack
16” X 14” Floor
18” X 16” Floor
22” X 18” Kick
22” X 18” Kick
14” X 5” DW Edge Snare
Cymbals
Paiste
15” Sound Edge Hi-Hats Signature
15” Sound Edge Hi-Hats Signature
Eric Peterson, Andy Sneap and Paul 22” Power Bell R ide 2002
19” Wild Crash 2002
in the studio 20” Wild Crash 2002
19” Power Crash Signature
Paul Bostaph 20” Full Crash Signature
20” China Signature
Artist: Testament
8” Splash Signature
Recording: The Formation Of Hardware
Damnation DW
Studio: Fantasy Studios 9000 Hardware
DW 9000 Pedals
Location: Berkeley, CA Sticks
Date: November 2007 Vater
Heads
Remo
Misc
Yamaha Subkicks

093
 TUNING IN

Mike Portnoy - Dream Theater

Keith Moon
The Who – Live At Leeds
That album is the quintessential ‘live’ album, and The Who
is one of those bands that were never properly captured on a
studio album. As much as Tommy is one of my favorite albums,
it’s Keith’s live playing that gets me. The band’s bombast and The Who
volume, captured on Live At Leeds, is not truly represented on LIVE AT LEEDS | 1970
Tommy or any other of their studio albums. To me Live At Leeds
TRACKS:
totally captures what they were: raw and loud. Keith Moon’s
playing was a style unlike anybody before him and really unlike DISC 1:
anybody since. He was totally one of a kind. He inspired me to 1. Heaven and Hell
play drums because of his personality. When I was a kid I saw the 2. I Can’t Explain
movie The Kids Are Alright, and I just couldn’t take my eyes off 3. Fortune Teller
of Keith. He was exciting to watch visually. He was the front man 4. Tattoo
behind the drums, and seeing that kind of personality made me 5. Young Man Blues
want to play drums. He was just such a manic presence, a huge 6. Substitute
visual personality. The other aspect is his drumming, which was 7. Happy Jack
just so completely over-the-top. His style was not about holding 9. A Quick One, While
down a backbeat, it was about playing around the backbeat, on He’s Away
top of it, underneath it and on both sides. He was like a whirlwind 10. Amazing Journey/
that just steamrolled you. It was a constant barrage of fills and Sparks
a constantly pulsating kick drum, and the cymbals were just 11. Summertime Blues
constantly flying and you know he didn’t typically play a hi-hat, 12. Shakin’ All Over
or a ride, or a china, or a splash. His classic live set up was just 13. My Generation
three crashes. It was just a totally unique style captured on Live At 14. Magic Bus
Leeds, especially the reissued one, which was the entire concert DISC 2:
and Tommy live. Tommy

James Kottak - Scorpions

John Bonham
Led Zeppelin - IV
I played it over and over and over
and over. I had the eight-track tape
and I wore it out playing it round
and round and round. It wasn’t
just so much the drumming, it
was the music, and if you listen to
that album, the music Jimmy Page
wrote was incredible. He’s one of
my all-time guitarists, musicians,
Led Zeppelin writers, producers, everything. How
LIVE AT IV | 1971 the music was all put together and
what John Bonham played to it, is
TRACKS:
what makes it so genius to me. I
1. Black Dog love it. I played to it over and over
2. Rock and Roll and over with headphones on, one
3. The Battle of Evermore side worked, one side didn’t. We
4. Stairway to Heaven have a phrase at our house “It’s been
5. Misty Mountain Hop Kottaked.” Which means: I touched
6. Four Sticks it and it’s half broke.
7. Going to California
8. When the Levee
Breaks

094
 TUNING IN

Akira Jimbo
Steve Gadd
Bob James - One
I listened to One, Bob James’
first album with Steve Gadd.
It was a track called “A Night
On Bald Mountain,” from the
classical piece by the Russian
Bob James
ONE | 1974
composer Modest Mussorgsky,
but this arrangement was a TRACKS:
contemporary jazz style and
1. Valley Of The Shadows
Steve played incredibly. I was so
2. In The Garden
amazed.
3. Soulero
Before I listened to Steve Gadd,
4. Night On Bald
I thought the drums were just a
Mountain
background instrument with
5. Feel Like Making Love
a low profile. But Steve played
6. Nautilus
as if the drums were the main
instrument, and the image
was completely changed. That’s when I decided to play this
instrument. That was at age 16, and I started playing at age 17.
Kind of late, but hearing Steve made me want to play drums.

Gary Husband
John “The Baron” Von Ohlen
Stan Keaton - Today
It’s amazing to think back now and remember this,
but around the early ‘70s in Britain, there were actually
quite a lot of live music shows on TV - “Old Grey
Whistle Test” and others of that ilk included. On a
Stan Kenton Saturday night we had two that I remember distinctly
TODAY | 1972 - “In Concert” and another one called “Sounds For
Saturday.” The featured groups or bands were really
TRACKS:
diverse, but more than anything, I remember in particular some wonderful big band shows filmed in London. (A
DISC 1: lot of the bands such as Buddy Rich, Basie, Woody Herman, Harry James etc. would be touring around Britain back
1. What Are You Doing The in those days, fairly regularly).
Rest Of Your Life Seeing Buddy Rich had been always inspiring, but there was a really fantastic Harry James show featuring
2. Chiapas Sonny Payne that was just amazing. Though, the one biggie for me was in 1972, where I was lucky enough to catch
3. Opus In Pastels one of the most magnificent and exhilerating drummers I have ever heard in my life. The band was Stan Kenton’s
4. Malaguena Orchestra, and the drummer was John “The Baron” Von Ohlen. He was totally captivating - just intense, powerful,
5. Artistry In Percussion swinging like crazy and played with just unbelievable emotion.
6. Yesterdays He wasn’t about ridiculous technique, just about total passion, incredible drive, delicious time playing and real,
7. Fringe Benefits real high drama! Watching him I just knew he was completely “taken” in that music too - just “gone”! John had
8. Bogota a subtle but unmistakable Mel Lewis influence, but with a sound like John Bonham. He had a little black Gretsch
DISC 2: kit at the time - a shallow width 22” kick drum with two Ambassador heads on it. There was no dampening in
1. Intermission Riff that thing, and the two heads were so deliciously loose, he’d play it lightly and it sounded like a timpani. When he
2. Ambivalence socked it, everybody in the place knew about it! I even remember actually trying to emulate that sound a little on
3. Interlude two of Allan Holdsworth’s albums around the mid ‘80s that I played on - Atavachron and particularly Sand - and
4. Peanut Vendor record my kick drum a little that way.
5. Malaga I’m happy to say the record from that very period featuring John and the band (that STILL proves to be one of the
6. Walk Softly most captivating and exciting experiences for me to hear even now) has recently been released on CD: Stan Kenton
7. Take The “A” Train Today is the name of the album, recorded live in London in 1972. That’s Mr. Von Ohlen pumping and driving on
8. Artistry In Rhythm there like no other. And it was through him, at the age of twelve, I discovered exactly why I wanted to be playing
9. God Save The Queen the drums. Magnificent.

095
 Releases

On the Beaten Path: The

Drummer’s Guide to Musical
Styles and the Legends Who
Defined Them
By Rich Lackowski
Alfr ed Publis hin g

L earn to play the most legendary drum beats and

solos ever recorded! T his book is your essential guide
to the biggest and best drummers to ever grace the
instrument, the music they played, the gear they
used, and the drummers that influenced them. T he
book/CD set includes: authentic transcriptions and
easy-to-follow lessons for 85 of the most legendary
beats and solos ever recorded, insight into the
history and development of funk, alternative/
punk rock, metal, progressive rock, classic rock,
jam band, fusion, jazz, and reggae—plus a listing
of essential recordings for each genre, an audio
CD containing all the beats and solos presented in
the book, and dozens of amazing photos.
read all about it practicing the material can play with to help demonstrate the vast array of
authentic percussion to better feel the cymbal techniques and artistry required
exercises in the proper context. in the music from the greatest composers
of the genre.
Tipbook Drums: The
Complete Guide
Hugo Pinksterboer
Th e T ipboo k Co mpany
A handy, accessible, thorough and
convenient guide for drummers who want
to get the most out of their instrument.
T his tipbook offers you a truckload
of information, delivered at the right
pace, including topics such as selecting
and play-testing drums and cymbals,
buying sticks, heads, and hardware,
maintenance, tuning as well as the
history and the family of the instrument,
and a drummer’s glossary. Written in
collaboration with and proofread by
musicians, teachers, technicians, and
other experts, for beginners, students,
and advanced players.

listenup

Contemporary African
Drumset Styles
Book 3 MBALAX
Chris Miller
Lit t le Mar low
Book 3 of Chris Miller’s series takes
contemporary African drumset playing
to a new level of complexity and beauty
with Senegambian rhythms inspired by
Sabar drums, wrestlers, and the Islamic
Wolof language. Mbalax was popularized
worldwide most notably by Yousou N’dour
and his band Super Etoile de Dakar. T his
book contains examples in 4/4 and 6/8
time signatures as well as how to merge
the two time signatures. T he unison
percussion arrangements, Bak(s) (Bawk),
are also featured. T he two audio CD’s
that come with the book, feature a live
Senegalese percussionist playing with
the author on many of the examples.
T he audio also contains a play-along
section with the Senegalese percussionist
without the drumset so that the student
Cymbalisms: A Complete
Guide For The Orchestral Todd Isler
Double Pedal Gold
Cymbal Player Soul Drums
Joe Morton
Frank Epstein Tak ad imi T unes
Hud son M usic
Hal Leo nar d Dr ummer: T odd Isler
Drummer, author and educator Joe Morton
Cymbalist Frank Epstein from the His sophomore release, in-demand session
presents hundreds of challenging exercises
Boston Symphony Orchestra shares a drummer, percussionist and educator Todd
that provide double-pedal players with a
host of musical and magical moments Isler blends his jazz sensibility with three
straightforward, incremental method to
in his experience as a member of this of his influences from world traditions:
developing their double-pedal technique.
great institution. T his book and 2 CD India, Africa and Brazil. An invigorating
T he exercises facilitate the use of single-
package discusses the concepts of sound, showcase of his compositional skills,
and double-strokes in both 16th- and
musicianship, precision, articulation, as well as his considerable drumming
32nd-note bass-drum patterns. T he book
color, balance, and response in orchestral prowess, Soul Drums, is a grooving
includes over twenty solo compositions
cymbal playing as it relates to some of the scintillating release, full of surprises. Isler
for the drumset incorporating the
greatest works in the orchestral repertoire. alternates between exotic hand drums
techniques learned within. Also included
Cymbal players will gain valuable insight like the South Indian Kanjira, Pakistani
is a companion CD loaded with examples
on developing a good sound through Gaval, Hadgini drum and the Uduboo as
of many of the exercises and solos as
the many personally developed and well as the drumset.
demonstrated by the author.
formulated strokes contained within.
T he accompanying CD’s feature over
100 excerpts from orchestral literature
(performed by the Boston Symphony)

dh 096
 Releases

Cinder Road R.E.M. Live CD/DVD David Gahan

Superhuman R.E.M. Hourglass
Car o line R ecords Warner Br oth ers Vir gin R ecord s
Dr ummer: Max Cal varesi Dr ummer: Bill R iefl in Dr ummer: Chris tian Eigne r

Cinder Road knows how to push the
right buttons and tug on heartstrings
to win over the masses. Their radio
friendly collection of songs pairs well
with their charismatic chemistry.
Merging old-school rock sensibility
with a modern, pop metal approach
underscored by a unique flavor of
attitude, Cinder Road’s presence is
reminiscent of the ‘80s arena rock
era. The CD is a mix of High-octane
rockers and heartfelt ballads.
Godsmack
Good Times Bad
Times…Ten Years Of
Godsmack
Univ ersal R ecords
Dr ummer: Sul l y Erna
and Shan non L arki n
Their first live CD/DVD, the 22-track
audio and visual package captures
the band doing what they do best at
a dynamic show at the Point Theatre
in Dublin. Directed by Blue Leach
(Depeche Mode), the set features
songs spanning the band’s 27-year
career, and many studio albums.
Singes included in the set: “(Don’t
Go Back To) Rockville,” “The One I
Love,” “Orange Crush,” “Losing My
Religion,” “Everybody Hurts,” “Man
On The Moon,” as well as many, many
more. Mixing recent and past classics,
R.E.M. Live promises to tide fans over
until their new release.
Dub Trio
Another Sound Is Dying
Ipecac R ecordi ngs
Teaming with drummer Christian
Eigner (Depeche Mode’s touring
drummer), and Andrew Phillpott
(Depeche Mode’s touring
programmer), Dave Gahan has made
an album of startling versatility
and emotional weight. Rather than
a collection of highly stylized and
slickly produced songs, the music
on Hourglass is a direct extension
of the specific emotions Gahan is
trying to express. It is astonishingly
direct, and not at all ambiguous. The
eerily beautiful, gospel-tinged “Saw
Something” quietly opens the album,
his aching voice conveying a chilling
reluctance to be secure in one’s
happiness, for fear of it suddenly
going away. With Hourglass not only
has Gahan intrepidly faced down his
demons, but he’s also identified his
greatest foe of all, time itself, and
made at least a little peace with it.
VaughnCraft has served the
percussion industry for over 30 years with
highly crafted, unique, quality percussion
instruments including solid steam-bent
drum shells, tambourines, temple blocks,
wood blocks, and mallets. Drum sets
are now available in both domestic and
Limited Edition exotic woods.
VaughnCraft Percussion
P.O. Box 525,
602 High Street
Baldwin City, KS 66006
785.594.6776 Fax: 785.594.6777
E-mail: info@vaughncraft.com
www.vaughncraft.com

This 16-track collection is loaded
with career defining milestones,
and seminal Godsmack classics.
Among the groundbreaking songs
included are the band’s clarion call
“Whatever,” their breakthrough #1
rock mainstream smash “Awake,”
among many more. Considered one
of the definitive alternative hard-rock
bands of the modern era, the Boston
based group stormed the music
scene enjoying an incredible run:
selling more than 12 million albums, a
remarkable 16 hit singles, 4 platinum
records, 1 gold EP and 3 Grammy
nominations. DON’T MISS: Drumhead
issue 1 in the CD’s booklet!
Dr ummer: Joe T omin o
Opening with a guitar riff that could
melt lead, you’d be forgiving for
wondering what connects Brooklyn’s
Dub Trio to the 40-year-old Jamaican
style that makes up half their name.
The answer: the riffs, ‘riddims’ and
raw power at the core of the band’s
sound get chopped apart, bounced
across speaker channels and charged
with subsonic frequencies. This is dub
as mixing-board art form. Mostly an
instrumental set, the album features
a return vocal cameo from Mike
Patton.
Custom Drums
Recovering Wraps
The Goo Goo Dolls
Parts - Repairs
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 –
The Singles
The Goo Goo Dolls
Warner Br oth ers
Dr ummer: Mik e Mali nin
The Goo Goo Dolls, one of the great
American rock ‘n’ roll bands of our
generation, have become one of the
most globally respected and loved
songwriting forces in popular music Since
history. With this compilation the band
has gathered up their most-beloved
1961
songs, including their three number
one smashes - “Name,” “Iris,” and
“Slide,” as well as the Top 10’s “Black Precision Drum Company
Balloon,”Dizzy,” “Broadway,” “Here Toll free 1-888-512- 3786
Is Gone,” and many more. www.PrecisionDrum.com
097 dh
 Releases
Missy Higgins
On A Clear Night
Reprise Reco rds
Drummer: Mat t Cha mberlin
On A Clear Night retains the irresistible
melodies and piercing lyrics of Missy’s
critically lauded debut. However, this
time around, the tracks benefit from
the production of Mitchell Froom (Elivs
Costello, Crowded House), and see a more
confident and self-aware outlook as befits
a young woman who is finding her way in
the world. Neil Finn provided extra guitars,
and Matt Chamberlin recorded drums at
Froom’s home studio. The new album will
include an MVI with exclusive behind the
scenes “making of the album,” videos,
and bonus live concert footage.
Enemy Of The Sun
Shadows
T he End Reco rds
Drummer: Danie l Zema n
This is metal, but not with a nice little
box you can put it in. It’s not new school,
it’s not old school, not this, not that...
it’s its own thing. Enemy Of The Sun is
the new band from producer/guitarist
Waldemar Sorychta. A main ingredient
to the eclectic sounding Enemy Of The
Sun is Finnish vocalist Jules Näveri, who
delivers brutality, death and destruction
combined with addictive hooklines and
otherworldly eeriness. For the drums,
Sorychta unearthed a real diamond,
Daniel Zeman, who plays with a force
that will astonish.
dh 098
Mudvayne
By The People, For The
People
Epic Reco rds
Drummer: MATTHEW MCDONOU GH (sPüG)
The new album from Mudvayne consists
of several live recordings, rarities, demos
as well as two new recordings, including
the single “Dull Boy” (produced by Dave
Fortman and recorded in New Orleans), as
well as an incredible cover of the Police’s
“King of Pain.” Aptly titled, it is entirely
fan-generated, from track selection, to
artwork and videos, spotlighting the
disruption of traditional media and the
band’s desire to further connect with
their fans.
Neil Young
Chrome Dreams II
Reprise Reco rds
Drummer: Ralph Molin a
Chrome Dreams II displays Young’s
strengths. Most of the album’s songs were
written recently and came quickly, and
the “live” recording sessions in northern
California were over before they were
announced. The album includes all kinds
of music, and taken together, offers a
complete picture of where Neil Young
is today. Young is joined by Crazy Horse
drummer Ralph Modina, pedal steel
guitarist and dobro player Den Keith, as
well as Rick Rosas. Chrome Dreqams II
was recorded at Feelgood’s Garage studio
near Redwood City, California, with two
vintage gas pumps out front and vintage
studio gear inside.
Pagan’s Mind
God’s Equation
SPV
Drummer: Stian Krist of ersen
On God’s Equation the band presents itself
as a highly dynamic and extremely eager
force that is both sure of itself yet keen on
experimenting. The songs seem effortless
and flowing, but also complex with
multiple layers of heart, soul and intellect.
Bearing all the trademarks of a truely
classic progressive metal album, God’s
Equation features gargantuan guitars,
and a Teflon-like production: intense,
fundamental and outstanding.
Richard Leo Johnson &
Gregg Bendian
Who Knew Charlie Shoe?
Cune if o rm Reco rds
Drummer: Gregg Bend ian
Johnson and Bendian create a new
hybrid, acoustic Americana that merges
rural roots music with urban avant-
garde. Expanding the focus of Johnson’s
previous album, the duo play an entire
salvage yard of instruments and found
objects for 53 minutes. Johnson plays an
assortment of discarded and/or barrowed
guitars. Bendian plays: “a bunch of rather
special found objects” including “lard
can, blocks o’ wood, chunks o’ metal,
washtub water, attic stairs, springs, pots,
pans, bowls, rakes, brooms and brushes,
water jugs, plastic tubs, hubcaps, sheet
metal scraps, little shaker, big drum, tiny
saw & bow, washboard and bells.” In the
hands of Johnson and Bendian these
simple instruments create music that is
sophisticated, accessible, beautiful and
sincere. The album is a joyous celebration
of the music and beauty hidden inside the
most down-home of objects.
Asaf Sirkis & The Inner
Noise
The Song Within
Sam Produ ctions
Drummer: Asaf Sirkis
Composed and arranged by drummer Asaf
Sirkis, The Song Within is influenced by
modern classical music, and in particular
the music of organ composers such as
Olivier Messiaen and Maurice Durufle.
Combining modern jazz and elements
of progressive rock this album melds
classical composing techniques with
the nuances of jazz improvisation. Using
church organ sounds rather than the
traditional Hammond organ sounds, the
trio create music that is rich and unique
in spiritual tone, showing why Sirkis is
one of the most inventive new drummers
and composers on the European scene
today
Tom Scott & Special
Guests
Cannon Re-Loaded: An
All-Star Celebration Of
Cannonball Adderley
Canc o rd Jazz
Drummer: Ste ve Gadd
Cannon Re-Loaded is a brilliantly realized
homage to Cannonball Adderley’s
powerful, thriving legacy by the ultimate
jazz dream team of Tom Scott, Terence
Blanchard, George Duke, Marcus Miller,
Steve Gadd, Dave Carpenter and Larry
Goldings. Produced by famed drummer/
producer Gregg Field and leader Tom
Scott, the collection features fresh, in
the moment interpretations of eight
instrumentals popularized by Cannonball.
The CD also includes a very special guest
appearance by vocal great Nancy Wilson,
who beautifully reprises two songs from
her classic 1961 recording Nancy Wilson/
Cannonball Adderley.

LOOK HEAR
Live Earth: The
Concerts For A Climate
In Crisis CD/DVD
WARNER BROTHERS
On July 7, 2007, 150 musical acts
performed at a series of worldwide
concerts, called Live Earth, to raise
awareness for the climate crisis, and
deliver a solutions-based message to
a global audience. This CD and 2-DVD
package brings together the most
popular artists, best performances,
and the message showcased at this
truly global musical event. Concerts
took place in New York, London,
Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Rio de
Janeiro, Johannesburg and Hamburg,
with special events broadcast from
Antarctica, Kyoto and Washington
D.C. The DVD also includes six short
films from the Live Earth Film Series,
and a documentary on the making of
Live Earth. Breaking records as the
world’s largest entertainment event,
included performances from Genesis,
Foo Fighters, The Police, Linkin Park,
Bon Jovi, Madonna, Black Eyed Peas,
Metallica, Lenny Kravitz, Smashing
Pumpkins, Roger Waters, John Mayer,
Melissa Etheridge, Dave Matthews
Band and many more.
Billy Talent
Billy Talent 666 DVD
and CD
WARNER MUSIC
DRUMMER: AARON SOLOWONIUK
Here is the ultimate live collection
chronicling highlights from Billy
Talent’s would tour supporting Billy
Talent II. This live DVD/CD Billy Talent
666 shows the band at their best,
with 6 songs from three different
shows: Brixton Academy, London;
Phillipshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany;
and the unbelievable Rock Am Ring
Festival, Nürburgring, Germany.
Extras on the DVD include a slide
show of stills from the tour to the
track “This Suffering.” The second
disc is the audio portion of the entire
Düsseldorf concert.
HELLYEAH
Below The Belt
EPIC RECORDS
DRUMMER: VINNIE PAUL
Capturing footage from the day
the band formed, Below The Belt,
includes performance footage from
the making of their debut album
HELLYEAH. Below The Belt covers the
first studio sessions, their world tour
and personal interviews, as well as
a few surprises. Witness a two hour
long view into the band’s life on the
road, including footage from multiple
live performances, music videos, as
well as personal interviews with band
members as they chat about life both
before and after the formation of
HELLYEAH. Other highlights include
snippets of the band’s first recording
sessions at Dimebag’s legendary
Chasin’ Jason studio in Dallas, TX,
coverage from HELLYEAH’s album
release party and backstage footage
from their world tour.
RELEASES
INSTRUCTIONAL DVD
Gavin Harrison
Rhythmic Visions &
Horizons
HUDSON MUSIC
Expanding on the advanced rhythmic
concepts that he introduced in his
award winning books, Rhythmic
Illusions and Rhythmic Perspectives,
and showcasing his incredible
drumming with Porcupine Tree
and others, Gavin Harrison’s DVD’s
illustrate a wealth of new methods
that drummers can use to manipulate
time and create drum patterns and
rhythmic effects in contemporary
playing situations. Taking a musical
rather than a technical approach,
Rhythmic Visions & Horizons are
designed to improve a drummer’s
sense of rhythm, and inspire new
ideas that can be applied to any
drumming style. The DVD’s feature
a variety of interactive lessons,
demonstrations, play-along exercises
and musical performances. On-screen
notation, printable PDF files and
markers at the start of each lesson
make the cutting-edge content easy to
navigate, access and understand.
099 dh
 Face2Face

Mover
& Phillips
Round 2

How lucky was I to have Simon Phillips in SP: That’s Pete playing, he’s a
great pianist. This track was
Skyline Studios NYC for a week of various already done, so this was separate
sessions. As if just being a fly on the wall wasn’t from the rest of the sessions.
The first bunch of sessions
enough, I had to take advantage of his short we did at Wessex, and that was
residency. So, after all the dust settled and the the Octoplus. It was Rabbit

last few pieces of the S.S. Phillips were packed
away, I coerced Simon into a second round of
Face2Face.
Armed with another stack of CDs, I cornerned
him at the console, and as always, he was more
than gracious and accommodating.
And I Moved
Empty Glass
Pete Townsend
1980
JM: It was hard to pick a song
off of this disc. But this groove
and the way your hi-hat lays
inside the piano track made
me choose this one.
[Bundrick], Tony Butler, Pete and
myself. They were the bulk of
the songs on Empty Glass, apart
from the songs that I didn’t do,
that Mark [Brzezicki] and Kenny
Jones did.
Then I got a call later from
Pete, or Chris Thomas, asking
me to come in to Air Studios to
do a drum track. The track was

100

already done with the piano, no
click. In those days there really
wasn’t a click. Just piano with a
delay line, so that was the time.
It was the white Ludwig kit,
single kick. It might have been
just a 12, 12, 13, 13, 16,16.
JM: Wow, just from hearing the
opening drum fill, they don’t
sound like those sizes at all.
SP: Yeah, I do remember that.
It was just a different sound,
but they were definitely double
headed.
JM: I remember in “Let My
Love Open The Door” you had
the Platina Tamas in the video.
SP: Yep, that was the fiberglass
kit, but the recording would have
been on the Octoplus.
JM: How did it all begin?
You had a pretty serious
relationship with Pete and The
Who.
SP: Well, he called me out of the
blue. I don’t know if it was Pete
himself but it was somebody.
He told me he first saw me
play with Gordon Giltrap. Sorry
not saw me, heard me. He loved
Gordon Giltrap, and he just loved
the drums on it.
I did two or three albums with
Gordon. I didn’t play “Top Of
The Pops,” somebody else had to
do the miming, but Pete knew it
was me, found out about me, and
then gave me a call.
I said, “Wow, OK cool.” We
started playing and it was instant,
absolutely instant.
JM: Empty Glass has so much
raw emotion. Not just from the
tunes, but from your playing
as well. It’s so ‘earthy’.
SP: Well, it’s the songs. The songs
really make you play a certain
“We started playing
and it was instant,
absolutely instant.”
way. They worked, you know.
And he was playing there and we
had a great time.
JM: Do you miss not…
SP: Yeah, he is one person I do
miss working with. Sometimes
I’ll get a letter from him, and I’ll
send him a letter back, but not
much contact now.
I’d have to say that’s one thing
I do miss moving over here. He’s
very English. He doesn’t really
like the States that much. Apart
from The Who gig I did in 2000,
when Zak [Starkey] couldn’t
make it, and John [Entwistle] was
still alive.
That was the last time, and
Pete said to me, “You know
what, if I had my way, you’d be
in this band.” But that’s the way
it goes…
The Rings
Elements
Roger Glover
1978
SP: Is this? I don’t know who
the f--k this is. Oh, this is Roger
Glover. Wow! That’s me playing
congas, I did all this stuff.
Ok, Jeffrey Levinson invited me
out to Buckingham to meet Roger
Glover. I was living in London at
the time, and went out because
he wanted to meet me. He met
me on the doorstep and he and
Roger just thought, “There’s no
way, no way a 19-year old, how
can he play?”
So we were kind of hanging
out a little bit, and of course I
was really shy in those days too.
I didn’t really know what to talk
about to these people, these rock
stars, Deep Purple. Roger said,
“Should we play a little bit?” So
we played. He had a drum kit
there and he was like, “Wow.” He
just couldn’t believe it.
Of course at that time I was
doing sessions. I almost didn’t
really know how to communicate
with a lot of people, because I
was kind of young. They were in
their 30’s and I was not even 20
yet. So it was very strange.
He said, “Oh no, absolutely,
I’d love you to come and do it.”
So I went to Munich with Mack,
who’s now a big time producer
out here.
JM: Is that the same guy that
worked with Queen?
SP: Yeah, they worked down
there, all the rock ‘n’ roll guys
started to go down to Munich.
Queen were based out there,
Purple, great place. Used to
get up in the morning, take the
elevator down and be in the
studio. Breakfast at the studio.
They had the first inline
Harrison desk. The engineer,
Martin, he’d never worked on an
inline desk before. I’d say, “Can I
get some reverb in the phones?”
he’d call, “Mack?” Anything
you’d want him to do, he had to
call. “How do I get reverb in the
sends?” “Ah, we need to ….”
JM: Was this his first solo
record?
SP: No he’d already done The
Butterfly Ball. This was another
solo album.
Great experience. I met Rory
Gallagher. We were in just after
Led Zeppelin had done In Through
The Out Door. I think it was that
album… it might have been
Face2Face
another. Maybe it was Presence
and the story is that Bonzo was
amazing, just amazing.
It was a real rock ‘n’ roll time at
Music Land. There were all sorts
of people coming round. People
would drop by all the time, all
these wonderful pop stars.
I was a little out of my depth
socially. But you know, we got on
very well.
Olympia
Animation
Jon Anderson
1982
SP: I have no idea who this is.
(the vocals come in)
Oh, Jon Anderson... and it’s me
playing? Wow, I don’t remember
it. It sounds like an overdubbed
hi-hat. It is me playing, but
maybe they overdubbed the hi-
hat. Is this the one with David
Sancious?
JM: Yes.
SP: F-----g hell, I don’t even
remember that.
JM: Staccato toms, single kick,
small kit.
SP: Definitely a small kit, and
Staccato toms, how do you
know?
JM: A conversation we had
many years ago. You had four
staccato toms.
SP: Yeah, that’s right, 6, 8, 10
and 12. Because I used to use
part of the Octoplus for straight
sessions.
Like a lot of the stuff I did for
Bonnie Tyler, you know those
regular dates - single bass drum,
6, 8, 10 and 12. 6 and 8 on a stand,
10 and 12 on the kick. That way
I could use a lot of drums on the
gig, but in a small set up.
My roadie Terry was always
giving me shit for giving him too
many drums to set up. I thought
101
 Face2Face

maybe that’s what that kit was,
because one of the sessions I did
was that kit.
Is this the first album we did?
JM: No, the first album is Song
Of Seven, you play on one song
on that album.
SP: Only one?
JM: Yes,.
SP: Really, I thought I played on
the whole record?
JM: I might be wrong. I think
just a song called “The Heart
Of The Matter.”
SP: Was that this one?
JM: No, this is off of Animation,
a song called “Olympia.”
SP: It was recorded at his home
studio. We did different sessions
there, at different times, with
different kits. Hard to remember
when that was, if it was an
overdub or if we actually played
it together. I know the first album
we did, and I’m pretty sure I
played on more tracks than just
one track.
I remember being there for
quite a long time. There was an
Italian bass player called Stefano
[Cerri], and the second album
was Jack [Bruce] and David
Sancious.
It was in his converted squash
court with the desk/control room
in the live room. Tape machine
was in the hall and the monitors
and all were set up there and we
were in this part. It was a good
sounding room.
I remember, I was there doing
one of these dates and I did it on
my own. It was after the fact, and
we were sitting there listening to a
playback. And Jon Anderson had
this beautiful wife who comes in,
in the middle of the session and
amenable, “Ok darling, we’ll try
to sort it out,” got up at that point
and walked her out.
Voices
Russ Ballard
Russ Ballard
1984
SP: Russ Ballard. I used to love
this. 1983, the cordia wood kit,
Art Star I. 24” bass drums and by
this time I had mic’s inside of the
drums, since 1980.
JM: You recorded the drums
mic’d from the inside?
SP: Absolutely, you can hear the
front head, the guy loved it. 2-24s,
“My roadie was
10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18. That was
in EMI 3, the Pink Floyd studio.
David Sancious, Mo Foster, me,
Russ Ballard, and his producer
John Stanley.
Toto had played on the original
record. They did the original
tracks here. They told me in
London, “Yeah we started this
record off with the Toto guys,
with Jeff, Luke and Russ and
John.” I remember this distinctly,
they said, “Because everyone was
dancing around the control room,
like really hyping it up,” and they
were going, “Doesn’t sound that
good to me.”
So they decided to come back
to England and do it with us. And
we had a ball, all the songs were
great. We did the whole album,
and wow, it sounds good too. Very
‘80s, obviously the digital verbs,
probably EMT, the Flash Gordon
one, 268, 265, can’t remember.
Yeah it was fun.
Into The Arena
MSG
Michael Schenker
1980
SP: Judas Preist?
JM: Nope, MSG.
SP: MSG, ah, right. I used to hate
this sound too, I remember the
engineer. I f------g hated this!
This was the Tama fiberglass
kit, the ‘live’ kit. This would have
been ’80, just before we went
out on the There And Back [Jeff
Beck] tour. I was experimenting
with using Kepex noise gates
on all toms because it was right
after recording There And Back,
so it was the Ken Scott mode. I
wanted to use pickups to open
the Kepexes a bit quicker, but just
putting them on the head took
it away.
I remember the engineer,
never liked this engineer because
he always got a muddy sound. We
even put a P.A. system in there.
Wessex was not the greatest
sounding studio. This is where
the Sex Pistols did their stuff.
Yeah, great record, it was great
fun to work with and Roger Glover
was producing. But I never really
liked the sound, and I knew going
in, I wasn’t going to like it.
Michael Schenker made a
comment, he said, “I don’t like
the sound of this kit.” I’d used a
little Ludwig kit for rehearsals,
just a single kick, and I said,
“Michael, it’s not the kit, this kit
is very similar in sound to the
Ludwig.”

goes, “Jon, I must speak to you.”
Jon says, “What’s up honey.” She
says, “I’ve decided I just can’t do
without this. There is no way I
can continue without it.”
always giving me
JM: The Ludwigs had the
fiberglass inside by this time?
shit, for giving SP: By that time yeah. I said, “You
know, if it was recorded properly

him too many

I’m thinking it’s something
medical, something monumental.
Then she says, “No I’ve really
decided that I must have the
new Jaguar XKS.” Jon became
it would sound great, but even the
Ludwig kit would sound trashy.”
You didn’t have a lot of say
drums to set up.” sometimes. You try as hard as
you can, but if the guy isn’t doing

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his job, it ain’t going to get better. JM: So it started out as a road JM: From School Days. JM: No
It’s quite amazing, it’s just the gig? SP: Yeah, Billy’s famous very SP Hmm, it’s the Octoplus. Is
way it is. SP: Yeah, we were promoting expensive track. It was very that John Giblin?
whatever his last record was, expensive what Billy charged in
JM: And Michael wanted to which I wasn’t on. But it was those days. Whew, it was a lot of JM: No (laughing)
keep it a band and hit the time for him to do a new studio money. SP: Who is that singing…? Well,
road. album, ‘cause I think he’d done a That was a lot of fun. With it’s got to be around ‘77, ‘78
SP: Yes. I said, “I’m going out
with Jeff Beck.” That’s when he
got Cozy Powell. That was the
one time that Michael, I think,
was relatively sane. We got on
great. Everything I heard about
him afterwards was like, “Are
you sure we are talking about the
same guy?” and people would
say, “Oh yeah,” I’d say, “I didn’t
find that at all.”

Part 3: I Nearly
Went Crazy
Rocks, Pebbles And
Sand
Stanley Clarke
1980

SP: Interesting how very similar

the sound of my kit is, although
they are very different.
Stanley Clarke, Bellingham,
1979, at Randy Bachman’s studio.
A bunch of Mormons. Really,
really sweet people looking
after us, flew all the way over
to Bellingham, it’s like a quarter
mile from the Canadian border.
Dennis Mackay had been working
up there and had recommended
that Stanley come up. We had
been on tour.
JM: With Jeff and Stanley?
SP: No just Stanley, this is when I
joined Stanley’s band, it was just
after the Shah left Iran. Fuel prices
went up, gas lines miles long,
and lots of tours got cancelled.
Mick Fleetwood and Fleetwood
Mac came off the road. We had
to come off the road. The tour
got shortened. It was really sad
actually, but Stanley just said,
“Ok, let’s go into the studio and
make a record.”
live album just before. So he just
brought it all forward.
So, up we went and did it, and
it was amazing. It was a milestone
for me. It was the fiberglass kit,
the ‘live kit’, but various snare
drums.
JM: I remember hearing this
song and thinking, “He just
played Billy [Cobham] better
than Billy!”
SP: I always wanted to play that
song because I loved Billy’s way
of playing it. We actually started
doing “Life Is Just A Game”
because I kept pushing Stanley
for it. I loved it, loved the song.
Dennis MacKay from Trident, because I’m definitely in a Gadd
we’d worked together on a Jack mode, it was kind of a formula.
Bruce album. It was great, a real (listening) Wow… nope, don’t
learning experience. know.
JM: Phil Manzanera K-Scope.
The song is called “Gone
Flying” and it was my favorite
to practice to on that record.
Maybe because of the Gadd
feel?
SP: K –Scope?
Gone Flying
K- Scope JM: Yes, the second of the
Phil Manzanera studio records you did with
1978 Phil.
SP: Ok, now it’s coming back.
SP: F-----g hell, who Wow, I had totally forgotten about
is this? 10cc? that, but now it makes sense.

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 Face2Face
Basing Street, the big studio, the
one upstairs which used to be an
old church.
JM: A year after Listen Now?
SP: Actually the same year, ‘76.
Hmm, could be ‘77. I’ll tell you
why, because I know I did a
couple of albums in that studio
in ‘76 with the same kit, sitting
in the same place. Ray Russell’s
album Ready Or Not and that was
after the Jack Bruce album.
Now I remember. That was
Bill [MacCormick] on bass, OK.
And that was probably Brian
Eno singing there. That would
make sense. What a weird voice.
Rhett Davies and the mahogany
Octoplus.
JM: Black dots?
SP: Not necessarly, I think I
had stopped using them by
that time. They were probably
Ambassadors, or black dots with
the spots pulled off. And I hadn’t
been to New York yet to buy that
snare drum, the Slingerland, so
that’s probably still the [Rogers]
Dynasonic. Now I did have a
Gretsch drum too, which I used
for some sessions, I bought in
‘75, it was mahogany twin lug. So
it could’ve been that, but I think
for most recordings it didn’t work
that well. The Rogers was actually
a pretty good drum for that time
and era.
“I’m definitely in a Gadd mode,
it was kind of a formula.”
JM: How did you get the gig
with Manzanera?
SP: I have no idea. Like a lot
of those gigs at that time, my
reputation was kind of building
and I’d just get calls. Usually from
an engineer or a producer.
I don’t know how Phil got
hold of me. Absolutely don’t
remember. I just got a call
from out of the blue from the
management and once I did that
first record, that was it. He just
104
called me for everything, which
was lovely.
Taurus 3
Crises
Mike Oldfield
1983
SP: Ok, right.
JM: You knew this one right
away.
SP: Really interesting, the sounds
and all. Kind of nice I think.
JM: How do you snap your
fingers so fast?
SP: What?
JM: Those are triplet finger
snaps, and they’re very fast.
SP: Oh shit, play that again.
(Simon does a finger snap roll
along with the song)
SP: Like that.
JM: F-----g hell, ambidextrous
fingers snaps too! (Laughing)
SP: Yeah, that’s it. It took a bit,
getting into it, but yeah, that’s
it. There’s a couple of tracks of
them, and boots. I took off my
boots and played them on the
floor.
JM: To get that Spanish thing
happening.
SP: Yeah, Mike wanted
everything on the track, and he
wanted everything louder than
everything else.
So that was Crises, which
was actually my first real
production, and really my first
time engineering, and working
on a Neve 8108. We had met in
Tony Roma’s in New York in ’82
while he was on the Five Miles
Out tour and I was playing with
Al DiMeola. I don’t remember if
I was with Phillipe [Saisse], but I
was there with a couple of people
and… hmmm, I remember the
girl though (laughing). I saw
Morris Pert, so I went over and
said hello, and he introduced me
to Mike and we kind of had a
little chat.
Then we got together in ’83,
around Christmas time of ’82 or
New Years of ’83. Actually, before
that, I got a call from Richard
Branson and he wanted me to
do something with Mike, but I
couldn’t do it and I had to say no,
which he didn’t take very well.
Richard Branson doesn’t take
‘no’ very well. But I told him I
was going to be out of the country
on tour. I think it was with Jeff
Beck, so probably ’81. So that was
the first time, and then I think it
was Mike who called me, for me
to play drums on this record, of
which all of it was not done yet.
We did “Shadow On The Wall,”
“Moonlight Shadow,” “In High
Places,” and a few of the other
songs. And we got on very well. It
was just Nigel Luby engineering,
he used to work with Yes, Mike
and myself. And I was really
itching to get into production
and either I called him or he
called me to do more stuff and
we were just talking and he asked
about it. And I said, “Yeah, well
actually I do produce.” I had been
producing a little bit. And he said
“Really, because I’m looking for
a producer.” And I went, “Ooo,
OK.” He asked me what I’d done
and I told him I hadn’t really
done anything big yet, and I was
just starting out. But he could
obviously see something, having
worked with me doing drums,
so he said “Why don’t you come
next week and start, we’ll do a
trial week and see how it goes.”
So I then rang Air Studios, to
get a hold of one engineer there
that I knew that could work on
a Neve, because I wasn’t then
really an engineer. So, he turned
up and within a day, he’d been
fired, because Mike didn’t really
get on with him. I turned up the
next day, it was Monday and I
turned up on Tuesday, and in the
meantime he fired the engineer.
He came in with the Neve
manual, slammed it down on
the top of the Neve in front of
me and said, “I’ll be back in an
hour, I suggest you read this.”
(Laughing) So, I’m looking at the
Neve manual, open to the first
page and see AES/EBU (Audio
Engineering Society/European
Broadcasting Union), and I’m
thinking, “You’ve got to be f---
--n kidding me!”
And I had to pretty quickly
learn how an 8108 worked with
it’s digital routing and an Ampex
ATR124, with it’s digital routing,
and that was it. Dropped in the
deep end.
JM: This was up at Mike’s
house.
SP: Yeah, in Chalfont. We’d
already had some tracks recorded,
and he came in and said, “Alright,
I want to play some acoustic
guitar on something.” I don’t
remember what song it was, but
I remember he had just gotten
some of these [Neumann] TLM
170s and he said, “These are some
really nice mic’s, I want to use
this one.” He dropped the mic in
my hand and said, “Best of luck.”
So, I’m in the control room, he
had already routed the mic so I
could hear it, and he showed me,
“Hit this button here, and push
 Face2Face

this button there.” You know it

was like ten button presses before
you could route anything, “And
you should be able to hear me.”
Out he goes, and I could hear
him, but I’m thinking, ‘gain’ and
stuff like that. But I’m looking
around and I see one of the Urei’s
moving, I think “Ah, great, there’s
the compressor,” so I know which
one it is, and basically that was it.
I found the inserts. I kind of knew
how a desk worked because I’d
worked on some simple ones. I
wasn’t a total novice, but it was
still pretty new.
And that’s what that album’s
all about. And this is one of
the tracks that we did later on,
because I remember that was a
small drum kit and it was set up
in a different part of the room,
hence the soun - three toms, kick
and snare.

Space Boogie
There And Back
Jeff Beck
1980

JM: You co-wrote this.

SP: Yep
JM: It’s “Quadrant 4” on
steroids. Is that where it came
from, was it your chance to…
SP: Absolutely. We were down at
Jeff’s house, and Tony [Hymas]
and I soon figured out that Jeff
didn’t write music, he needed a
writer. We had already recorded
six songs with Jan Hammer for
the beginning of that record in
1978, which was done with the
Octoplus in Rampart Studios.
He needed more material, so I’d
introduced Tony to Jeff, because
we were going through keyboard
player problems, and Jeff loved
him. So he came to Japan with us
when we went there in ’78 with
Stanley.
So I said to Tony aside, “Tony,
you and I need to write some
material, because Jeff doesn’t
have anybody to write with, and I
know he doesn’t want to use Max
[Middleton] and he’s even funny
about Jan at the moment. Let’s
get together, we’ve never done
this before and try it.”
The first song we wrote was
“Golden Road.” He came to my
house, I had a Rhodes there, a
little drum kit, and some form
of recording, maybe he brought
his Revox or something, and I
whistled him the melody. He
harmonized it, and he added the
next bit, and we had “The Golden
Road.”
We went down to Jeff’s house
every now and then and we’d play
him a couple of demos. He’d then
send us off and he’d be there with
a cassette machine trying to just
pick it out. Then we’d jam a little
bit.
I’d only taken a little drum kit
down there, but he had a little
Premier kit. We started playing
this boogie, and I got bored so I
grabbed his drum kit and put it
next to mine and we just started
playing like a boogie shuffle. It
was a lot like a lot slower than this,
and then I just started turning the
beat around. So we were playing
in four, and he kind of looked
at me, so we kept in seven for a
bit. I kind of made a mental note
and thought, OK, that’s our next
song. We’re going to do a boogie
in seven, “Quadrant 4,” but in
seven.
We went over to Tony’s house
and did a demo of it, and it’s
the only demo I can’t find, the
original demo of “Space Boogie.”
Played it for Jeff, and he loved it.
JM: So you and Tony did the
demos.
SP: Yes, we would do all the
demos, and then we played it with
Rick Laird. We went to Maison
Rouge and it was a nice version,
but it wasn’t quite right. It was a
lot slower. I have that somewhere
on a cassette, but I can’t find it.
And then we got Ken Scott
involved, went back into EMI 3,
the Pink Floyd room, where we
did Voices and Camel and loads of
records really, and got Mo Foster
involved. Wrote him out a chart,
Tony and I were sitting opposite
each other, he was on his Rhodes,
I was on the kit.
Ken and I got on great. But Jeff
wouldn’t play. He would like play
half the song and stop. Mo has
pages everywhere and struggling
through it. Tony and I kind of

105
 Face2Face
laid the track, it was 1 – 2 takes,
done.
Jeff wasn’t interested, so I said
to Tony, “Let’s go listen to it.” We
were in the control room and Mo
had to do a few fixes and Jeff kind
of wandered in halfway through
and heard it and said, “Boy this
sounds f-----g great, oh yeah!”
So I said, “Ok Tony, out you go,
let’s do the piano solo.” So out
he goes, does the acoustic piano
solo and it was cut live, no click.
We didn’t use click in those days,
same with “The Pump.”
JM: So this is prior to you,
Stanley and he, or after?
SP: It was after the Stanley Clarke
album, and before I went out
with Stanley in Europe. We did
a 1980 tour too, right in between
Michael Schenker and PhD, those
two albums. There was another
record we did there, and “The
Pump” we recorded there.
We spent a couple of weeks in
106
EMI. Kate Bush was in the other
room. “The Pump,” “El Becko,”
“Space Boogie,” “You Never
Know,” - no click – but I redid
the drums on that one.
JM: You redid your own drums?
SP: Yeah, because we didn’t
like the sound. I think there was
another one too, or maybe... oh
that was it: Ken Scott wanted me
to overdub tom fills on “El Becko”
at the end, and I f-----g hated
it and you can hear it too. It just
doesn’t sound right at all, but I
went with him on that one.
We kept the drums to “Golden
Road” because it was a really nice
take and we left Jan [Hammer]on
“Star Cycle.” But Jeff wanted to
put this stupid synth Moog drum
added to the drum groove, and
everyone gets this wrong.
I saw Vinnie playing this the
other day and even he got it
wrong. That’s what they think
the drums are playing, but they’re
not. Jeff put this horrible synth
drum on it, adding an extra 16th
note after the ‘four’. I wanted to
get rid of it, but Jeff had this thing
about it, so it stayed.
JM: Was that the breaking
record for you? In the sense
that the American market and
the rest of world outside of
England took notice?
SP: Certainly in the States, the
States and Japan. It was Rocks,
Pebbles & Sand with Stanley,
and There And Back. I think with
Stanley, obviously, that got to a
different crowd.
I still have a lot of black
musicians that come up to me
and know me from that record,
where they wouldn’t have known
me from Jeff’s. It’s interesting
where that record got to.
Those two records are the ones
that established me in the States
and that’s when I started doing
work in the States, recording.
.
Hey Julia
Sneakin’ Sally Through
The Alley
Robert Palmer
1974
SP: Is this Dana [Gillespie]?
JM: No, but I know a lot of
people wonder what part of
this trilogy you play on.
SP: Trilogy?
JM: “Sneakin Sally Through
The Alley,” Robert Palmer.
SP: Ah yes. I play on this, the
one with the machine. I actually
played on two songs, but this one
made it. The other song was…
“Walking In The Rain” I think is

what it was called, but that one
never made the record, though
it was a really cool song. Yeah,
I did the ones with the drum
machine.
JM: So the trilogy is Bernard
[Purdie] first, then you, then
Richie [Heywood].
SP: Yes.
JM: You were pretty young
when you did this one. Maybe
your first “major” record?
SP: Yeah, I was 17-years old. We
did the Dana Gillespie album at
Island Studios, Basing Street,
downstairs, which is where Phil
Brown was engineering and John
Porter was producing. I guess
it was Phil Brown that must
have mentioned me to Robert’s
producer.
I got the call out of nowhere,
just to come to Basing Street,
for the one track, and that led to
“Nobody seems to set
time anymore, whereas
in those days, that’s
what the drummer did.”
another. It was great, but kind
of strange, because Robert’s
an incredibly quiet guy, very
introverted. So it was mainly the
producer that I was talking to.
Robert didn’t really say a lot, he
just kind of hung.
And it was quite tricky to
play this, because in those days
we didn’t really play to drum
machines, and very rarely did
we even play to a click. It had
only just kind of started, so it was
tricky, it was hard work, quite a
tough one. Kind of pushing the
limit of my experience, because it
was something very different.
JM: Was the other track also to
a drum machine.
SP: Yes, they were both done
in the same way, it was done to
whatever that box was…
JM: A Beat Box, I think.
SP: Right, maybe the old Roland
Beat Box. So it was a little tricky
figuring out how to play to it.
This was 1974, pretty early on.
Clicks really didn’t start coming
in until about 1976, from what
I remember. So it was all really
new. I think that box came out
that year, or maybe the year
before.
No one had really done this
before in the studio, and it was
very hard to know how to play
with it, what to play to it. Do
you play something different,
the same? And also keeping time
with it. For us, then, it felt so
weird. Now it’s almost weird
for people not to play without a
metronome or a click, a loop or a
drum machine.
Nobody seems to set time
anymore, whereas in those days,
that’s what the drummer did.
You sat down and you played a
groove and you’d work on that
grove for hours before taking it.
Take after take after take, you’d
get stoned and do another. You’d
end up with reels of tape full of
music.
And then, you got this piece of
music that was laid to one reel of
tape, the problem was that you
could only have one take. And
dropping-in, in those days was
tricky, because you couldn’t
drop-out. First of all, we were
operating at 15 ips, very difficult
to drop-in on a track. But the
worst thing was dropping out,
because the gap between the
erase head and the record head
was so wide.
Remember they moved them.
Studer moved theirs, and it
wasn’t until that became the
norm, when the other companies
all changed to make that work, so
you didn’t do an awful lot of that.
You just had multiple takes and
made it work.
So working to a drum machine
on one reel of tape was kind of
tough. But I seem to remember
punching on that track.
JM: Did you know that it was
going to be a part of what they
call “The Trilogy?” Those three
songs are joined together,
they’re seamless, “Sailing
Shoes” into “Hey Julia” into
“Sneakin Sally.”
SP: No, I had no idea. I have the
album, but I don’t remember
that.
That was actually the first...
kind of biggest rock album I
played on at the time.
And I bumped in Robert in
1983 in Germany at a festival.
It was Crosby, Stills, Nash and
Young, Mike Oldfield, Robert
Palmer and bunch of bands. We
were in the hotel bar, at the table
with our band, and Robert was
right next to me with his. And
being very British, I thought he
would never remember me.
So I just kind of sat there
and didn’t say anything. And
he was right next to me, but
again, I thought a) he wouldn’t
recognize me, and b) probably
not remember who I was.
And then he leaned over at one
point and said, “I really like your
playing on that Stanley Clarke
album.” I said, “Wow, Robert, you
know who…” and he said, “Of
course, it’s very nice to see you
again.” He was lovely.
Face2Face
JM: What a shame, his passing
away so young.
SP: Yeah, he died way too young.
Drums Away
The Simon Sound / Two
Generations of Phillips
Sid Phillips Orchestra
1972
SP: OK enough of that, don’t
need to hear any more of that
shit.
JM: Come on now, considering
how old you were, that’s pretty
spectacular.
SP: Well, ’72, I was... 15.
JM: I’ve had students in their
30’s, playing for 20 years or
more that don’t come close to
you at that age.
SP: Well, I had been playing in
my dad’s band since I was 12.
And I sat in with his band when I
was eight, I even have recordings
of that. When I was six I sat in
with the band at Aeolian Hall,
at the BBC. Just snare drum and
cymbal, and the other drummer
played bass drum and hi-hat.
JM: Dixieland.
SP: Yeah. Played two songs, we
recorded them.
JM: So you had a bit of studio
experience prior to recording
this full record at 15.
SP: Yes. I started doing the
broadcasts when I was 13. So,
therefore I had had - live to two
track, 12 songs in three hours.
There was a rehearsal for about
an hour and a quarter, quarter of
an hour break, and then an hour
and a half to do 12 songs.
JM: Broadcast, meaning ‘live’
on BBC.
SP: Not a ‘live’ transmission,
but recorded for playback and
transmission later. But that
107
 Face2Face
meant basically one take, two
takes at the most. You know, if
somebody made a mistake, stop
and start again. But, ‘live’ to
either full track mono ¼ inch, or
then they turned into stereo for
BBC Radio 2.
So I had that experience, you
know - red-light experience.
Which in those days, it really was.
The big clock on the wall and
the different colored lights for
recording, ‘ready’ was red, ‘off
the air’, blue light for ‘on the air’.
There was a big slate, and you
didn’t wear headphones for those
kinds of sessions, you had a nine-
piece band.
JM: Everybody ‘live’ in the
room.
SP: Yeah, two mics for the drums,
kick drum and overhead, maybe
something on the hi-hat or
snare, depending on what was
fashionable. And everybody
played acoustically, listening
to each other, no headphones.
And that was it. I had been going
to those sessions since I was a
child.
JM: Was it seeing your father’s
band and the drummer that
got you interested in playing?
SP: Oh, seeing the drummer,
yeah. Whenever my father did
a radio broadcast, if I wasn’t in
school, I’d be there, sitting right
behind the drums.
So I learned very early on, not
to cough or sneeze during a take.
I understood what a microphone
was from a very early age. I knew
recording and how to record, so
that whole concept of a studio
was second nature, that was
108
never a problem. I never really
suffered from that “red-light”
sort of thing, only playing in
front of an audience and getting
it right. Being in the studio, with
the red light and being ready
to record, I was so used to it as
a spectator, that it was a very
natural progression to just sit in
the drummers’ seat and to be the
drummer.
So I had a bit of experience and
I had already done two records
before this one with my dad.
JM: Oh, I thought this was the
very first one.
SP: No, there was one we did
at Chappells Studio, with Sid
James’ son.
JM: You must have been only
12 or 13 years old.
SP: 13, but I would’ve been 14
when I made my first full LP, and
that was a whole three hours. Or
was it a morning and afternoon
session… anyway, a whole day
for a record. And by then it was
multi-track, either eight or 16.
JM: I can’t imagine what it
must’ve been like for your
father’s drummer to be shown
up by a 13-year old.
SP: I don’t think that was the
case. When I sat in with the band
they knew that I could play, but
“It was a very natural
progression to just sit in
the drummers’ seat and
to be the drummer.”
that I was very inexperienced. My
father was having such drummer
problems, many different players
and they just couldn’t grasp that
old way of playing.
I had the advantage in that I
didn’t know any different. That’s
what I grew up playing. Ding
ding de ding in the right hand
- 4 quarter notes to the bar in
the left, together with the kick
drum - accent on the offbeat (2
and 4) with the hi-hat - then read
the chart note for note - do not
waiver, and lay off the cymbals
(laughing).
JM: Those days are gone.
SP: It’s really interesting when
I watch Tony Williams closely,
he comes from that background.
They all did, Art Blakey, Philly
Joe, Ed Thigpen, that’s the way
it was.
JM: Now on this record, one
side is Dixie and the other is
more contemporary.
SP: Yes, because one half of it
was me, much to my father’s
discontent.
JM: Oh really, was it your
demand.
SP: No, it was our managers’
demand. He had a manager then
and he thought it would be a very
good thing to do, from a sales
point.
JM: Was that the last recording
that you did with your dad?
SP: Album recording, yes. But
probably the best recording that
we ever did together, that the
band sounded the best, was the
last broadcast, which was about
a week before he died. I still have
that, and it’s pretty cool.
Done at Aeolian Hall and it’s
really good, it swings. Funny
enough, I didn’t like the sound
of this record. Even then I was
into sound. It was really weird, it
was too wet and sloppy sounding.
I prefer tighter sounding
recordings, but even then, I
remember thinking, “Hmmm,
not a great sound.” But there was
nothing I could do in those days,
it’s just how it was.
Falling in Between
Falling In Between
Toto
2006
SP: (Laughing the second he
hears the two gong drum hits)
JM: Ok, I have to ask you.
Tragically, Jeff passes away,
and the entire world of
drummers is speculating and
expecting - is it going to be
Keltner, Marotta, Gadd...?
Someone in the vein of Jeff,
to take over the seat and get
them through the tour.
Now I’m sure you know why
many artists call you, for your
technique, your style, your
abilities. But you must have
thought that that was the last
phone call on earth you would
ever be getting.
SP: Totally, absolutely. Let me
give you a little history there.
I was in Ibiza doing a TV show
with a guy called Frank Farian, who
is the mastermind behind Boney
M and Milli Vanilli. Incredibly
successful German producer, has
his own studio called (laughing)
Farton Studios, which of course

we all found hilarious.
‘Far’ for Far-ion, and Ton
for ‘sound’ in German,
Far-Ton.
Mike [Oldfield] and I
were doing Discovery
in Switzerland, because
he had to stay out of
England for a whole
year. He needed to find
a studio which had an
8108 board and Westlake
monitors, I think that was
the criteria. And we just
so happened to find this
studio, which was kind of
a private studio in Bad-
Homburg, just outside
of Frankfurt, and that’s
where we went to mix. We
turned up there and that’s
how I met Frank Farion
and his crowd.
And then he asked me to
play on a couple of tracks
for a thing called The Far
Corporation that Bobby
Kimball was a part of too.
He was celebrating, god
knows how many years in
the music business. He rented
a plane, filled it with people,
and flew us all down to Ibiza for
about a week to do this one TV
show, which was great. The other
people there were Scott Gorham
[Thin Lizzy], Michael Schenker’s
singer at the time…
JM: Gary Bardens.
SP: No, not him. Another guy that
Bobby knows. Leif Johannsen the
bass player, and loads of different
artists.
Anyway, I’ll never forget, I was
walking to breakfast... we were
in this remote part of the island
and there was only one phone,
this outdoor phone with a little
canopy, and Bobby was on it... as
I was walking across, he kind of
stepped out, covered the phone
and he told me, “Jeff just died.”
And I went, “What, Jeff Porcaro?”
I was shocked. I was like, “Why,
how, what happened?” And that’s
where I heard it.
So, I finished that, came back
to England, and I was just about
to start the Big Country record.
JM: Buffalo Skinners.
SP: Yeah. I was up at the house,
and I was about ready to leave
to Los Angeles. Had everything
sorted out, visa and all...
JM: Even before the offer to
tour? I thought that maybe it
was the reason for your move.
SP: No, I had been planning that
for a year. I was ready to go, just
kind of waiting to get this record
done, and then my record.
So, it was late at night, the
phone rings and it’s [Steve]
Lukather. I had thought, maybe
he thought I hadn’t heard, or
maybe he wanted to tell me, or
maybe he just wanted to talk to
me. We chatted and I said, “I’m
so sorry… the news” and typical
Luke, straight to the point, he
said, “We’ve got 42 dates booked,
45 people on the payroll and we
were just about to start rehearsals,
there’s a brand new album out
and we want to know if you want
to come play with us.” Stunned, I
was like, “Wow… I need to think
about it.” This was the furthest
thing from my mind.
JM: So it was not an invitation
to join the band, it was - can
you fill in and get us through
the tour.
SP: Yeah, I don’t think anyone
had any idea at that stage for
anything else.
So he said, “Don’t take too
long, just let me know as soon as
you can.” And I said, “OK, I will, I
realize the situation. I have a lot
of stuff going on, so let me think
about this.”
And I put the phone down
and thought to myself, “Hmmm,
Toto.” Because I’d been working
a lot in the States, I really didn’t
know what Toto were doing. I
didn’t realize they were kind of
still touring and stuff. I mean,
like a lot of people in the States,
I didn’t really know what they
were doing.
Then management faxed me
some dates, and I think the next
day, I called and just asked a little
more about it. What size halls
they’re playing, what kind of
shows, etc.
Then I talked to a few people,
because there were a few things
Face2Face
I would have to cancel, I was
already booked. They were my
first calls, and I said, “Look, this
is a bit awkward. I’ve been asked
to do something. You may have
heard of the band Toto,” “Yes,
of course.” “You also may have
heard that the drummer Jeff
Porcaro just passed away,” “Yes,
we heard.” “Well, I’ve been asked
to fill in for him and play the
tour.”
And everyone said, “Wow,
that’s amazing.” And I said, “Yes,
but I’ll have to cancel what we
were going to do,” and everyone
said, “That’s fine.”
And I got about three of these
calls done and everybody was
just so…
JM: Respectful, honoring Jeff.
SP: Yeah. The mention of Toto,
and everyone was very cool about
it.
And they asked if I could come
back and do it afterwards, and I
said, “Yeah, if you’ll wait for me
and still want me, I’d love to do it.
But I’ll be out of touch for about
three months.”
Then a few days later I got
another call from Luke and I spoke
to him a little bit more about it
and I told him, “You know, this is
kind of strange because, I don’t
know if you know this, but I
was kind of leaving anyway and
coming to LA.” And I thought
about it a little more and said to
myself, “You know what, maybe
this is what I should do.”
So I rang Luke back and said,
“You know what, I think we can
make this work, but I can’t come
over until such and such a date.”
He said, “That only gives us three
weeks to rehearse,” and in those
days, they used to rehearse for
a lot longer. Now, we’re pretty
quick, but back then they used
to rehearse a lot longer and the
fact that they had never played
with another drummer, ever…
the band had never had anybody
else in, except for singers and a
bass player. The core had been
together from the beginning. He
was a bit worried about that, but
he said, “We’ll make it work.”
And I said, “Great.”
109
 Face2Face
Bach Onto This
Before I Forget
Jon Lord
1982
SP: Brit Row, the Octoplus,
probably around the same time
as the Bernie Marsden record.
Great fun.
JM: The Glover connection,
was that Roger producing once
again?
SP: No, I was doing a lot with
him, but not this one. Jon was
doing it himself. I even brought
Jeff [Beck] into the studio. It
would have been ’79 then, when
we started to make There And
Back, it may have been ’81. Can’t
remember the engineers name.
Jon was really funny.
JM: Smoking record, the drum
track on this is just ridiculous.
I remember reading a quote
from Jon, about you going into
the studio and knocking this
out. Having a listen and then
completely nailing it.
SP: Pretty wild arrangement.
JM: It was a real challenge
playing to this one with all the
double bass, dynamics, odd
time. You name it, it’s in there.
SP: Gothic rock.
Things To Come
The Wild Places
Duncan Brown
1978
SP: Ok, I know this, Duncan
Brown. Wow, very cool.
JM: I love this track. For me
110 SP Extended
it was a always a lot of fun
to practice to, because the
second half of the phrase is
missing. You don’t play the
four, you play through it. Then
you get dynamically very quiet
in the break down, and out
of nowhere play that shuffle
across the bar line and catch
the accent with the rest of the
band. Fantastic, really great
playing.
SP: Oh yeah, I remember. Wow…
JM: So this was pre-Jeff Beck.
Was this where you first
hooked up with Tony Hymas?
SP: No, no. A lot of people were
saying, “Wow you’ve got to play
with Tony Hymas, you would get
along great.”
Back in ‘75, Martyn Ford, a
fixer (contractor), did a solo
album at Basing Street. It was
called ‘Smoovin’, and it was great.
That was the first time Tony and
I ever played together. And we
just hit it off like that. It was a
great time. He’s a different kind
of player. Mark Warner on guitar,
Johnny Muss. We did that Brecker
Brothers song, “Sneaking Up
Behind You,” - Harvey Mason.
That’s when I first met Tony,
and I introduced him to Duncan.
Around the Jack Bruce time, ‘77
or ‘78 this one.
Scorpio Sound, which is where
Ken Scott mixed Crime Of The
Century [Supertramp] and the
first Stanley Clarke record. They
used to have these great big
Cadacs. Huge Cadac monitors
and a Cadac desk. A little cold
sounding. I remember I went
through my real ‘dead’ phase,
gaffereing up all the toms, a la
Zappa and Chester. And Duncan,
we’d met and done a session
together at Air Studios in ‘74 or
‘75. He was the guitarist on the
session and we really hit it off.
I did an album with him up at
Chipping Norton called Metro, in
‘75, ‘76 with John Giblin, and this
was his solo deal. With the same
record company that Madonna
was with in the early days.
JM: Sire
SP: Yes. This album was great, it
was very involved production-
wise and the engineer was
hilarious. Always late.
JM: Did it go anywhere? I mean
no one ever heard of it in The
States.
SP; No, not really.
JM: Any live gigs or just the
records?
SP: No, just the sessions. I
actually produced him a bit in
the early ‘80s. A funny, really
lovely guy. Of course, he died of
cancer when I had moved over
here, ‘92, ‘93.
JM: And the stuff that you
produced for him never came
out?
SP: Never came out, I still have
it somewhere. Shame. But they
were really fun, those records. We
were there for one or two weeks
doing it, and got paid well.
What Would You
Rather Bee Or
A Wasp?
Back On The Streets
Gary Moore
1979
SP: Gary Moore, it was the
Octoplus, ’79. There were so
many sessions going on around
that time. But that was at Morgan,
Studio 1, where I did a lot of work
at that time. It was only a 16-track
studio there, Chris Tsangarides
was the engineer. He did Black
Sabbath, he did a lot of the heavy
metal bands. He did Japan, he
did all the different heavy kind of
bands, and John Mayall, who was
in Colosseum. Well they were all
in Colosseum at that point, when
Gary [Moore] was in Colosseum
and Thin Lizzy at the same time.
And Don Airy... all live.
And when Gary played, the
snares would buzz, just like Judas
Priest. He had four Marshall’s,
100-watt Watkins Copycat on
each one, screens, drum kit,
screens, bass player (Simon
motioning the layout). It was
amazing.
JM: Fantastic record. I knew
Gary from Thin Lizzy and
Colosseum, but didn’t know of
all the jazz fusion chops.
SP: Yeah, and we got on great
too. He was really fantastic. I
was playing with Jack Bruce at
the time and he was a big fan of
Jack’s.
Then I got the call from Peter
Collins (producer), to do another
of Gary’s albums much later in
the ‘80s at Air Studios. I was like
“Hmm, this music is a bit rough,”
the gothic thing he was into.
We did it and he wasn’t even
there. Gary turned up a bit later
and he was all fabulous and shit.
I was like “Wow, what happened.
We used to get on great, what
happened to him.”
I don’t know, it was really
strange, but that album was
really cool.
Let us Prey
Sin After Sin
Judas Priest
1977
(Once again, Simon has no idea)
SP: It’s the Octoplus. That I
know.
JM: You don’t know?
SP: I have no idea. Not a clue.
JM: Judas Priest.
SP: Ooh. That was Judas Priest?
JM: The opening track off of
Sin After Sin.
SP: Oh f*ck, I just don’t remember
that song, isn’t that funny. I knew
it had to be around that time.
JM: And the call for Judas

“It was quite an experience doing a
record with an icon like Jack Bruce.”
Priest…
SP: Again, Roger Glover. He
just rang me for everything he
produced. He was becoming a
producer then and one of the
records was for a Playboy bunny
named Barbie Benton.
JM: Hef’s girlfriend.
SP: Yeah, I think so. Roger was
producing her, which was one
of the many records, including
Judas Priest that we did. Probably
the same year, or maybe Barbie’s
was a little later. But anyway, he
was producing Priest, and they
needed a drummer. I think Dave
Holland was…
JM: Alan Moore was the guy in
before you. Then Les Binks and
Dave Holland right after.
SP: Yeah, I don’t know what
happened, but they needed a
drummer and so I did the record.
They wanted me to join, but
I was playing with Jack Bruce at
the time, so that was it
. heads it was horrible. But if I put
Times
How’s Tricks
Jack Bruce
1977
SP: Oh, this is Jack isn’t it? This
is off How’s Tricks. Lots of cool
stuff on this. I haven’t heard it
for ages. ’76, probably August,or
September, and that was when
I almost kind of stopped doing
day-to-day sessions, the 10-1,
2-5 stuff.
We went down to The Manor
and recorded. I’d just swapped
from using Black Dots to
Ambassadors because a couple
of the engineers were not using
multi-mic’s, they were just
using three mic’s overhead,
and with black spots and single
Ambassadors on, it gave them
more ring, a bit more projection,
so it worked.
Bill Halverson produced it, he
was a really big guy, I was scared
of him! He was the classic kind
of American, 57s on everything,
even in the bass drums, and I
didn’t like the sound. I daren’t
say anything, he was a big guy,
and I was only 19. He was also
really good too.
I could tell he was a wonderful
engineer, this was the difference
between English sounds and
American sounds. American
sounds, to me at that time,
seemed so small and dead, and
British sounds were like big and
meaty. In some ways they weren’t
as clean, and almost weren’t as
technical.
American mixes were nice.
The way of making a record, the
compression was beautiful. But
the raw sounds, particularly a lot
of records at the time, the drums
Face2Face
were shit dreadful. We always
wanted a lot of tone. So it was
kind of a mixture, and we went
with it.
It was quite an experience
doing a record with somebody
like that, an icon like Jack Bruce.
And it got interesting at times,
but it was great.
Good old Octoplus again,
definitely the Rogers Dynasonic.
JM: The Octoplus was a single
floor tom?
SP: Double, 18” X 16”, double
head.
JM: I mean one floor tom, 6 to
16 toms and 18 floor tom.
Sp: Yes, some times I’d take the
bottom head off, some times I
put it on, kind of always played
around.
JM: I know you hate them, but
I still love the sound of a single
head tom.
SP: Yeah, it’s interesting.
SP Extended 111
 Playing For Fun

Crossword

Across
1. This time, Chaffee
chose
3. From tech to
touring
5. Puerto Rican
Rhythm
9. Wolf’s least
favorite gig
11. He was on a huge
riser
12. Where Collins
cleaned up
13. The best rock ‘n’
roll drummer that
ever lived.
15. Wot? Chester’s
________
16. Duke studio
20. Grease Band
drummer
23. Frank’s funny
‘Sound’ studio
24. When In Doubt,
________.
25. Gabriel III aka
26. The Baron Word Search
27. 50s East Coast hub
of musical activity Find 16 Genesis
28. Phillips production albums that Phil
Collins played
drums on.
Down
2. When not with
Dwight, he’s with
_______.
4. Paul and Page
6. Post Zappa
Chester
7. Paul and Jones
8. Art and the double
10. Mangini does not
believe in_______
14. Broadcast hall for
the BBC
17. Simon’s single
head monster
18. Thompson’s new
digs
19. Riley’s drumset
guy
Bill Bruford

21. Marine’s favorite

teacher
22. The ‘Hottest’
ISSUE 6 ANSWERS

drummer

112
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114
 Mark Anthony • B-52's • Tony Bennett • Blondie • Toni Braxton • Delmar Brown • David Byrne • Jimmy Buffet • Mariah Carey •
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1/3/08 2:40:03 PM
 the REIGN of the
MONARCH
Simon Phillips on his Signature Palette Snare Drum.

Says the master himself of his latest Tama Signature Palette

snare drum: “The Monarch has a very quick response, with a
ring, but a ring that is instant–that is, it comes when you hit the
drum as opposed to a ring that continues after you hit the drum.
A lot of that has to do with its special modified triple-flanged
hoop and ‘stick-chopper’ concept. The Monarch is a lot more
specialized than my other signature snare drums, with a more
complex sound. I’ve been using it live now since the beginning
of 2006, recorded with it a few times and it’s been fantastic.”

The Monarch’s hybrid maple/bubinga shell joins two great tonewoods in an

invincible combination of rich, regal tones and a commanding power previously
unattainable in any other snare drum.

SP1465H “Monarch” Snare. 3ply 2.2mm Maple + 3ply 2.2mm Bubinga + 2ply 1.5mm Maple tama.com
© 2008 Mapex USA, Incorporated.

  EVERYTHING  .

’  I  .

DERRICK FROST
Chiodos

The all new Saturn and Orion Studioease Configuration in new Krush Glass Glitter coverings.
Visit your nearest Desination Mapex Dealer and get behind one.

USA.MAPEXDRUMS.COM | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/MAPEXDRUMSUSA