rhythm.magazine.summer.2014.true.pdf

the uk’s best-selling Drum magazine

Summer2014 | 232

A s h i s s e m i n A l A l b u m l i f e T i m e h i T s 5 0 , w e c e l e b r A T e T h e

j A z z r e v o l u T i o n A r y

i A n m A T T h e w sK a s a b i a n

r o b e r T ‘ s p u T ’ s e A r i g h T

s n a r K y P u P P y

l e e K e r s l A K e

u r i a h h e e P

w i l l i a m st o n y

3www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk� summer 2014 |

This monTh’s experTs

MarMozetscapTivaTe youWe’ve had a sneak listen to Yorkshire

math-rock tykes Marmozets’ new album. Drummer Josh killed it at Download, and on record they’re just as brilliant.

royal bloodroyal bloodEqual parts Muse, Crooked Vultures

and Queens Of The Stone Age, this Brit duo make an ungodly noise, with pounds of groove. ‘Little Monster’ and ‘Come On Over’ are just a taster of this contender for album of the year.

lower than atlantislower Than aTlanTisWe’ve heard early mixes and it’s a

belter. Poppier than earlier albums but with Eddy Thrower’s incendiary beats going full force. You can hear ‘Here We Go’ online now.

playlisTPuMPing on our stereo...

Chris Barnes, [email protected]

Facebook/RhythmMagazine

Twitter@RhythmMagazine

we touched on the thriving British drum scene back in the may issue (rhythm 228), but i feel compelled to revisit the subject after what has been a string of brilliant festivals that demonstrate the uk is a dominant force in drums. First up, the rhythm team headed to Download festival in the midlands. Despite the behemoth american headliners, the rest of the bill was healthily peppered with Brits bringing it behind the drums. matt nicholls killed it with Bring me the horizon, Sikth made their return with the mighty Dan Foord on drums, Jen Ledger rocked it with Skillet and the awesome Ben thatcher picked up plenty of new fans with royal Blood.

a fortnight later at glastonbury the line-up was certainly flying the flag for the Brits. ian matthews was the glue that held kasabian’s mighty headline set together (read about ian’s preparations for the slot on page 42), leaving Lars’ calamitous performance with metallica in the dust. elsewhere we had Jupp with elbow, Beanie with rudimental, John Jenkins (Lily allen), Joe clegg (ellie goulding) and cherisse osei (Bryan Ferry) amongst many, many others, all playing with passion and professionalism. a week later at Sonisphere, and Leo crabtree was having the time of his life with the Prodigy and the inimitable nicko mcBrain rocked knebworth to its core with iron maiden. you get the picture, but when you look at the strength of this country’s percussive offering it shows that we have a scene to be proud of. england may have left the world cup early, but with our stick wielding brothers and sisters continuing to achieve great things, the future looks bright indeed.

Hello!Rubbish at football, world champions at drums…

ajay naikAjay is CEO of brand new Leicester-based music school the

British Centre for Music Enterprise (BCME), and he knows a thing or two about the music business, and the business of music. In his new column starting on page 89 this month, Ajay aims to help equip you with the knowledge you need to succeed.

jake staceyJake has reviewed drum gear for a variety of publications and has

spent much of the last 16 years gigging in the UK. This month, Jake’s back on the Rhythm team and lending his expert opinion on all things gear to reviews of snares by Guru and Angel. Find out what he though of these drums from page 100.

rob monkRhythm snapper Rob has been photographing the great and the

good of the music scene for “too many years more than I care to remember”. This month Rob photographed Monty Python drummer Allan Cox and rock legend Lee Kerslake (Ozzy and Uriah Heep). See his fine work from pages 50 and 70.

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4 | Summer 2014 www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk

Tony WilliamsFifty years since the release of Life Time, we celebrate the life and work of the jazz drumming revolutionary

ian maTTheWsKasabian

lee KerslaKeUriah Heep

‘spuT’ searighT

Snarky Puppy

gear revieWs

lessons

allan CoxMonty Python

beatAll the latest news and hot gear, plus tips, classic sounds and more

introducingNew bands and drummers you need to have on your radar this month

reviewsNew stuff from Ginger Baker, Levon Helm, Gaslight Anthem, Clem Burke and more

ask geoffYour kit conundrums solved by our resident gear guru

Issue 232 August 2014

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Want to subscribe to rhythm?Become a Rhythm subscriber and get an Evans and ProMark goody bag, plus save 27%. Head to page 78 for details. www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk


PeoPle | music | gear

HigHligHts

9 welcome back The Neil Cowley Trio and Evan Jenkins return

12 top five tips Skillet’s Jen Ledger on singing and drumming

“I think Brothers and Turn Blue are my favourites, drum-wise. I like really, really smooth cymbals and the way those ’50s Gretsch kits’ toms sound”

7www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk Summer 2014 |

18 introducing New drummers and bands you need on your radar

Patrick in action with The Black Keys

■■ Patrick Carney, drummer with world-conquering blues-rockers The Black Keys, is well known for his no-bulls**t approach, which raises the hackles of those stars with a looser grip on reality. So when eighth album, Turn Blue, topped the US charts, it follows that he eschewed the coke and Cristal approach for something more down to earth.“i went out with some friends and then my mum and dad came to town,” the drummer tells rhythm. “so i spent the weekend chilling out with my folks, which was fun.”

Describing his family as “hesitantly supportive” of his risky career choice, it was actually carney’s PhD-wielding grandfather who advised him to drop-out of college and take music seriously.

“his advice was to play music for a year or two and see what happened and if we couldn’t figure it out then we would go back to school,” explains the drummer. “so we were both motivated to make things work and, luckily, we did.”

turn Blue is something of an unlikely number one contender. recorded between sunset studios in los angeles and their nashville base, it’s the keys’ most expansive, unrestrained offering yet.

“i think it’s a mixture of the last three records – attack and release, Brothers and el camino – but i think it’s a move forward as well,” says the sticksman. “we were writing songs that i think are melodic, but musically are more complicated than the arrangements on anything we’ve done previously. i don’t really know how i would describe turn Blue, but i think, in a way, it’s our most complete album.”

Fans of Brothers will be pleased to hear there’s a return to those gorgeous drum tones, thanks primarily to a ’50s gretsch round Badge and ’50s zildjian k cymbals.

“i think, of all the records we’ve made, Brothers and turn Blue are my favourites, drum-wise,” he ponders. “i like really, really smooth cymbals and i really like the way that those ’50s gretsch kits’ toms sound.”

Judging by turn Blue’s early sales he’ll soon be able to add a fair few more vintage kits to his collection. reassuringly for the rest of us bottom-feeders, though, he remains appreciative.

“we felt successful when we sold-out the Beachland tavern in cleveland and that holds about 150 people,” recalls Patrick, with an air of disbelief. “we both couldn’t imagine anything more than that. so, yeah, having a number one record, it’s a big deal.”

WHen tWo bag oneBlack Keys turn the Billboard chart blue

Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach

3, 2, 1...“We wanted Number One because Brothers went Number Three and El Camino went Number Two. Then we thought the Michael Jackson record was coming out the same week, so we thought that we were doomed. We would have been happy wherever it charted, but it was more like an OCD thing!”

8

Beat! PeoPle | Music | Gear

| Summer 2014 www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk

■■ “One of the hardest things about being in a band for me is being at home and not being required to do anything. I grew up working my ass off so I’m not good with free time. It’s incredibly dangerous for me.”Luckily for Benny horowitz, when it comes to free time, he’s going to be living off scraps for the next year or two, as gaslight anthem release new album get hurt on 18 august. it’s a record that sees the new Jersey foursome take a sidestep away from their tried and trusted blue collar rock as they embrace new tones and sounds. From the fuzzy, gruff opening riff of ‘Stay Vicious’, fans will hear that this is a different gaslight, and Benny admits this new sound was formed

out of a collective band decision. “the idea to branch out was certainly conscious. we started putting songs together in a different way and maybe we’d mess about with structures compared to how we’d usually do things. But at the same time you need to be able to grow, adapt and get better as a musician to be able to pull that stuff off.”

he’s quick to add though that a new sound doesn’t necessarily mean a whole new approach to his beats. “i’m not a drummer that is all-consumed with the technical aspect of what i’m doing. i am overly consumed with whether i am contributing to the song in the right way. with a band like this, everything from the kick drum pattern to a cymbal to a fill is completely based on what is necessary for the song and where something feels like it needs something and i can’t get that full idea without the vocal melody.”

one area where Benny was eager to experiment was his kit sound, armed as he

was with his Dark Force kit as well as a smattering of Slingerlands and gretschs dotted around the iconic Blackbird Studio in nashville where the record was worked on.

“as far as drum sounds go, my biggest issue with [2012 album] handwritten was that i thought it was a little bit even. i like the sound of the record but it sounds the way it sounds from track one to track 10. Something we wanted to do on this record was make sure each song had a different feeling, i wanted them to be produced differently. that involved a lot of messing around with drums. we did a lot of switching out kits and made use of this incredible echo chamber that they have at Blackbird. they have this crazy 6ft x 6ft room with a 20ft-high adjustable ceiling. you can bring it up and down for how long of a reverb you want. Playing with the sounds in that room was fun. as a drummer setting up the kit in there and playing Led zeppelin beats was one of the coolest things.”

Benny’s BackGaslight Anthem return with album five

Benny Horowitz on stage with Gaslight Anthem

Benny’s Beats“‘Stay Vicious’, the first track, is a blast because I get to play some fun, big beats. I always enjoy that. I’m really excited about the song ‘Underneath The Ground’. I get to just catch this really nice rhythm and groove in that song.”

9www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk� Summer 2014 |

this month at rhythmmagazine.co.uk

How are you hoping new album Touch And Flee will be received?“this album is a new direction for us so there’s a bit of anticipation as to how it will go down – very well, i hope! it’s a more complete record, this one; an important part of making it was that there was a common thread in there. i think neil is looking a bit deeper. he’s got a strong family now and that’s coming out in the writing. when you get five albums down the track, i think you have the right to make the sort of records you want to make. in the beginning you’re a bit worried you’ve got to please people, so there’s a tendency to think about that when you’re writing. we tried to make an album that was a little bit of a journey, so i think that’s what we’ve done. it was a slow process, we originally scrapped a lot of tunes we had for it but we got it right. i think there’s a nice flow to it.”

How does the recording process work with Neil? Does he always lead?“he definitely leads it because he’s such a strong writer. he brings along sketches of a

tune, sometimes they’re more together than others! Drum part wise, sometimes i play what he’s put on the demo because it’s a really nice part. he’s a very rhythmic piano player, i think a lot of the great piano players have that rhythm side of their playing really down, although he’ll often turn up with a part that requires three arms or something! initially the base comes from him but i’m in a lucky situation where he gives me carte blanche to expand on things rhythmically.”

What kit were you using in the studio?“i was using old drums; i’m a big fan of vintage drums so i used two kits mainly. i’ve got a 1965 Ludwig Super classic. i used those on about half of the record. i’ve got an early ’60s rogers holiday kit which is more jazz-sized as you’d know – 20", 12", 14" – so i used that on a few tracks. i added a marching bass drum to some of the tracks as well. i’m now trying to configure it into my kit, which is a bit of a nightmare! ride cymbal wise i used a combination of an old ’50s zildjian i’ve got and a 22" constantinople. i also got a zildjian oriental

Jazz ace returns with bold new album

Highlights from the online home of the UK’s best-selling drum magazine

evan JenkinsNeil Cowley Trio

Evan Jenkins: “I’m probably not the go-to pop drummer”

crash of Doom. i used some old k hats from the ’50s as well.”

Any other plans in the works?“there’s an album i’m making with a band called Jawbone and that’s very blues-based. then another project called king of the South Seas, that’s another crazy line-up, it’s concertina, guitar and drums! i’ve always played on the underground scene. i like playing with musicians i like, and i like playing interesting music. i’m probably not the go-to pop drummer shall we say!”

It’s fair to say session drummer to the stars Kenny Aronoff has had his fair share of gigs. But which was his best? Head to our website to find out.

Rhythm caught up with Jamie Perkins at Download festival, and he tells all about drumming for the Taylor Momsen-fronted rockers. The sticksman talks about recording the band’s new album, playing to huge crowds and more.

Skillet’s singing powerhouse drummer took time out ahead of a recent UK show to share a few tips on how to put on a great show. Which was nice of her.

Kenny Aronoff

Pretty recKless

Jen ledger

Plus chAd smith’s surPrise visit to the institute, the greAtest drumming PerformAnces of downloAd 2014 And more

out now

Touch�and�Flee,�Neil�Cowley�Trio

The Avenged Sevenfold man is a hero to millions, but who are his drum idols? Lars, Ringo, The Rev and more make the cut as he picks out his nine biggest inspirations.

Arin ileJAy

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10



■■ after■a■hugely■successful■2013■show,■rhythm’s■sister■website■for■musicians,■musicradar,■is■putting■on■the■2014■Drum■expo■this■summer.

the■ultimate■two-day■online■drum■event■will■take■place■on■20■and■21■august■and■will■feature■some■of■the■biggest■gear■and■tuition■brands■in■the■world,■the■Drum■expo■2014■will■be■celebrating■all■that■is■great■about■the■modern■drummer.

this■online■exhibition■will■centre■around■a■series■of■‘virtual■booths’■in■which■companies■will■be■showcasing■in-depth■video■demos■of■cool■products.

From■the■second■that■it■all■gets■underway■

on■20■august,■drummers■will■have■all■kinds■of■incredible■content■at■their■finger■tips.■it■doesn’t■matter■if■you’re■in■rio■or■rotherham,■Barcelona■or■Basildon,■you’ll■be■able■to■attend■free■artist■masterclasses■courtesy■of■rhythm■as■well■as■seminars■and■lessons■for■all■levels■of■playing.■the■Drum■expo■will■also■feature■video■interviews,■Q&as■and■more■with■some■of■your■favourite■players.

Finally,■expect■plenty■of■Drum■expo■■2014■competitions,■discounts,■and■offers,■including■a■flash■sale■on■rhythm■issues■■and■a■one-off■expo■subscription■deal.■the■expo■goes■live■on■20th■august■at■www.musicradar.com.■

Drum Expo returnsmusicradar.com’s two-day drum extravaganza is on its way

INTER-DEPENDENCEGrooves to get in unison to…

As■drummers■we■often■have■■to■coordinate■two,■three■or■■all■four■of■our■limbs■to■play■various■parts■of■the■kit■at■the■

same■time.■each■time■we■play,■we■remind■our■bodies■and■minds■that■drumming■is■really■about■inter-dependence■of■our■hands,■feet,■arms■and■legs,■rather■than■about■limb■independence■as■it’s■frequently■and■misleadingly■called.■it■is■worth■paying■attention■to■getting■things■to■sound■at■

exactly■(rather■than■approximately)■the■same■time,■so■that■you■can■be■certain■of■achieving■the■big,■punchy,■‘fat’■sound■that■this■creates.■

this■is■perhaps■an■especially■helpful■skill■at■higher■speeds,■where■discrepancies■in■accuracy■can■start■to■sound■like■intentionally■separate■notes.■in■this■issue■i■demonstrate■a■couple■of■grooves■and■one■easy■(but■highly■effective!)■fill■you■can■use■to■help■focus■on■drumming■in■unison■with■yourself.■

MusicRadar’s Drum Expo is

back this August

Drummer’s tool Kit

Four-on-the-floor, for the maximum dance-ability in your groove!01

Texas Shuffle (swung quavers), playing loudly and quietly at the same time.02

Fill and crescendo (getting gradually louder), playing snare drum and floor tom.03

GareTh Dylan [email protected]

your tutor

Wheredid you record the track?“We recorded at Rak Studios, which wasoriginally owned by Mickie Most. I metMickie on our first day recording, whichwas our first foray into a professionalrecording studio. As usual I was the firstinto the studio by a good few hours. Wewere supposed to be in for 10, which I waswith all of my gear. I sat in the studio TVroomwaiting for people to turn up and that’swhen I met Mickie. We sat watching an oldfilm and he was talking about how hestarted the studio and I fell asleep on hisshoulder. I woke up having dribbled downhis shoulder. I was so embarrassed.”

Whatprocessdid yougo through toget yourdrumsoundon the record?“I already had a drum sound. I’d beenfiguring it out and the only thing weconcentrated on in the studio was gettingwhatever ring out of my kit. I used a 13"

Yamaha snare and I wanted a resonantpopping sound. In hindsight I wish I’d used adifferent one because we ended up with allkinds of dampening techniques to take thering off, so we lost the true feel of the drum.”

What set-upwere youusing then?“I was using a Yamaha Stage Custom kit. Ididn’t have a kit prior to ‘Up The Bracket’

because I was penniless, but when we signedto Rough Trade they put somemoney asidefor us to buy instruments. They put aside£2,000 for me. So I bought the cheapest kitpossible and saved the rest for booze andrent! That’s the kit I ended up touring with. Igot the A Custom series because I thought

Vinnie Colaiuta was a god. Then the way thecymbals were set-up was Steve Gadd.”

How longdid it take for you to comeupwith thepart for ‘UpTheBracket’?“No time at all. Back then we played a lotmore becausemusic was the only thingwe had so playing and coming up with stuffwas a lot more organic and fun. Now that’sbeen convoluted with other peoples’opinions andmoney – lest we forget theother distractions that are apparent with ourband – and I’m sure it’d bemore of a hardslog to come up with anything as organicand simple. I could be wrong, I guess we’lljust have to wait and see…”

Gary Powell remembers recording The Libertines’ hit

‘Up The BrackeT’The LiberTines

“Back then we played a lot morebecause music was the only thing wehad, so coming up with stuff was fun”

Album:Up The BrackeTYeAr: 2002

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12



1 Practise in Private“Spend a lot of time where no one can

hear you practise! For me, i had to spend a lot of time learning what limb goes with what syllable and i had room mates at the time and they could hear me figuring it out, wailing downstairs. it’s embarrassing. try to do it in private if you can!”

2 rise to the challenge

“i’m like, ‘this is too high for me!’ and John’s [cooper, Skillet frontman] like, ‘too bad, you’re gonna learn. So i go to my basement and – exactly why no one should hear me trying to get these parts – i practise singing parts that are way to high for me. eventually my voice has gotten a little bit stronger through the challenges and i’ve been able to do things that i couldn’t do a few years ago.”

3 Be comfortaBle with the mic

“my sound guy and my tour manager tried to push me to do those little in-ear mics that come across your face, and i just felt like a Britney Spears wannabe and i refused to do it. they also tried those mics that come across your head. But because i move so much, the whole thing wobbles so i could never find it! the simple mic on the left is the only thing i don’t break, or i don’t feel stupid. Sometimes i have a hard time getting fills on the bottom tom and still keeping my face to the left but no one will notice!”

singing while drummingBy Jen Ledger (Skillet)

4 have fun with it“i just have fun up there. i really enjoy

playing with my whole body and feeling the music, and i don’t want to get locked up by, ‘the mic’s got to be over here.’”

5 try not to overcomPlicate

“when we’re writing for the record i’ll just think of drums, this last record rise i pushed myself and did more interesting fills and tried to be a bit more creative. i push myself with the drums first, then i figure it all out later. then i go and lay down the vocals separately, and then i’m like, oh my gosh i have to figure out how to do these both at the same time, why did i push myself on the drums because now i have to do harder drum parts with harder singing!”

■hot on the heels of the rapturously-received ride series of the same name, meinl has unveiled a brand new line-up of Byzance Vintage Pure hi-hats and crashes.

hand-hammered in meinl’s turkish factory, these B20 bronze metals are available as 14" and 15" hats and 18" and 20" crashes.

of these new additions, meinl’s international artist relations manager norbert Saemann said: “as soon as we released our Vintage Pure rides we immediately got the feedback from our artists and drummers around the world telling us their demand for matching crashes and hi-hats. those new models will complement that series perfectly and will surely find many fans. they are the next level of dry, so to speak, and are really inspiring for any drummer.”

meinl recommends that these deliciously dry cymbals are best suited to jazz, soul, funk, r’n’b and pop. according to the cymbal-maker, players can expect raw, earthy tones should they add these metals to their collection.

rhythm awarded meinl’s Pure rides a stellar four-star review back in our June issue. keep your eyes peeled for reviews of these new models coming soon.

For more details take a look at www.meinlcymbals.com.

Pure MeinlPure range gets hats and crashes my top 5 tips on…

Meinl’s new Pure hats and crashes

Spend a lot of time practising singing and playing, advises Jen Ledger, but do it where no one can hear you…

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14



■■ Premier■has■long■been■a■flaming■beacon■in■the■British■drum■■world.■with■more■than■90■years’■experience■in■leading■the■way■on■■this■side■of■the■pond■it■is■amazing■that■the■company■continues■to■come■up■with■stunning■new■drums■and■designs■like■the■beauties■found■within■their■one■range.

here■though,■Premier■has■moved■forward■by■taking■a■look■to■the■past.■this■new■modern■classic■series■harks■back■to■the■snare■range■of■the■same■name■that■Premier■launched■in■2001.■

these■kits■have■been■designed■and■crafted■by■Premier’s■drum■■guru■keith■keough■in■conjunction■with■Brit■drumming■don■Steve■white■and■are■available■in■three■configurations■–■the■Bebop■18,■■Bebop■20■and■concert■master■22.■here■we■have■the■Bebop■20■and■concert■master■22.

there■are■two■finishes■available,■and■as■you■can■see■here■we■■have■both.■the■concert■master■kit■sports■the■eye-catching■birds-eye■maple■while■the■Bebop■is■the■stylish■natural■mahogany.■Pretty■damn■gorgeous■on■both■fronts,■right?■if■you■like■the■look■of■them■you■might■want■to■act■quickly,■as■these■kits■are■being■produced■on■a■limited■run.■we’ll■have■a■full■review■of■both■kits■for■you■next■month.■

DRUM KITHot New Gear On The Rhythm Radar

Premier Modern ClassiC seriesFrom £1,980 | www.premier-percussion.com

modern love!

Want more?The range also includes snare drums, available separately lugs

Premier has plumped for these suitably stylish low-mass solid

brass tube lugs

shellsThese stunning shells are

birch-mahogany. The toms are 4.5mm, eight-ply, while the

bass drums are 6mm, 11-ply


PriceThe Bebop 18 kit can be yours for £1,980. The 20" version costs £2,100, while the Concert Master 22 comes in at £2,200

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Sabian HHX OMniFrom £378 www.sabian.com

■■ Jojo■mayer■has■proven■himself■time■and■again■as■a■drumming■innovator,■be■it■for■his■technically■jaw-dropping■playing■or■his■lovingly-crafted■Sonor■Perfect■Balance■bass■pedal.■and■now■he’s■■back■with■another■innovation■in■the■form■of■this■latest■Sabian■hhX■omni■cymbal.■Darker■in■tone■than■the■aaX■omni■series,■these■rides■are■available■in■19"■and■22"■models■and■feature■jumbo■hhX■hammering.■according■to■mayer■they’re■perfect■for■any■setting,■■from■acoustic■jazz■to■high-voltage■rock’n’roll.

ScyMtek JingleSFrom $240 (Approx £140) scymtek.com

■■ the■latest■from■Brian■Spaun’s■drumming■stable,■the■Jingle■crashes■are■available■for■Scymtek’s■Vented■series.■the■specially-designed■percussion■pieces■fit■snugly■into■the■holes■found■in■the■company’s■Vented■cymbals.■once■attached■using■a■hex■key■the■jingles■add■a■whole■new■sound■to■your■cymbal■rig.■the■holes■are■the■same■size■as■standard■rivets,■opening■up■even■more■possibilities■for■your■sound.

cyMbOMuteFrom £7 www.cymbomute.com

■■ Did■the■prospect■of■silent■practice■suggested■by■the■aerodrums■pique■your■interest?■well■this■will■be■right■down■your■street■as■well.■cymbomute■is,■as■the■name■suggests,■an■ingenious■bit■of■kit■that■allows■you■to■play■your■cymbals■at■hugely■reduced■volume.■cymbomutes■fit■around■the■edge■of■your■metals■and■are■held■in■by■their■own■tension.■according■to■its■makers,■this■means■that■you■can■practise■quietly■without■compromising■on■feel.■Sounds■good■to■us.

aerOdruMS£100 www.aerodrums.com

■■ Drummers■and■non-drummers■alike■love■indulging■in■a■spot■of■air■drumming,■but■what■if■you■could■get■the■sound■of■a■real■kit■while■flailing■your■arms■around■in■thin■air?■aerodrums■is■an■air■drumming■instrument■that■runs■through■your■computer■and■recognises■your■movements■through■a■high-speed■camera.■you■even■get■a■choice■of■kit■sounds■for■your■air■drums.■the■supplied■natural■Drum■kit■library■includes■yamaha■and■Pearl■snares,■gretsch■kicks,■zildjian■and■uFiP■cymbals■and■plenty■more.

Another ‘drummer forgets kit’ joke, or Aerodrums!

18



Hard-hitting melodic hardcore with jazz licks!

They may be named after cute tiny monkeys, but the west yorkshire five-piece, whose set, frankly, topped all others we witnessed at this year’s Download, pack a monstrous punch.

their live show is a riot of energy, with Josh mcintyre’s kit antics at the very heart of the movement onstage. or, offstage in the case of a recent Bristol gig we witnessed where he moved his

entire kit into the crowd… “every show for us is different,” says Josh. “Some bands it works for them where they have all these steps and these moves and they all jump together and clap together, but for us we’re not seals, we don’t perform for people… we do perform, but it’s just us, it’s real.”

Singer Becca’s voice goes from convincing hardcore screaming to hayley williams-like (with

their sound consequently crossing into Paramore territory), but there’s hardcore riffs and math-rock rhythms aplenty. Do the band’s more challenging moments require much counting from Josh?

“i have sometimes got used to counting stuff like ‘1-2-3-4-5-1-2…’, like when you do some weird counts, but actually when we do it it’s just in our blood, i just close my eyes and play. it’s just feel.” on the subject of their ‘math-rock’ label, Josh adds, “i think the more music expands the more people try putting

labels on it, like if there’s like one little different beat in a band compared to another band they’ll be like, ‘oh no, that’s not math rock, that’s math reggae rock.’ no, dude, just cut it out, it’s just frickin’ rock!”

marmozets are a family affair – guitarist Jack and bassist will are brothers; Josh, Becca and guitarist Sam are also siblings. “i think it’s a massive bonus,” says Josh of the pros and cons of being in a band with family. “me, Bec and Sam, we’ve all grown up with each other since school, so we’re so flat-out connected. every family, every friend has arguments or whatever but because we know each other inside out and we’re all so honest with each other, we just just laugh it off and go, ‘hey, yeah, you were an idiot, or i was an idiot, and it’s cool, let’s go write a song!’”

on his influences, Josh reveals: “my mum was a christian so i grew up with gospel which is cool, plus the normal ones like nirvana, Big Black – all those guys. and i also like jazz as well from my granddad, so i used to listen to all this music from Justin timberlake to Slipknot. i’m all about feel and groove, i’m not that bothered about playing the fastest beat or showing off, for me it’s about the groove, and i think it’s also shaped because of my rock world – hard hitting, but with some jazz licks.”

MARMOZETS

Sounds like: Shellac, Paramore, Silverfish Key kit: gretsch catalina kit: 12", 16", 24" kick; 14"x6½" gretsch brass snare; zildjian cymbals Download: ‘why Do you hate me?’ Go to: www.marmozets.co.uk

“I have sometimes got used to counting stuff, weird counts, but actually when we do it it’s just in our blood. I close my eyes and play. It’s just feel”

Marmozets with drummer Josh McIntyre

(second from right)

© lo

gana

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www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk� Summer 2014 |

Husband and wife duo carley and Jonathan wolf dub their raucous, raw music ‘stomp and roll’.

carley howls and plays guitar while Jonathan batters the drums. “i started playing drums in marching bands at school,” says Jonathan, whose influences range from rock’n’roll legend earl Palmer to new orleans

master Johnny Vidacovich to rockers Jon theodore, tre cool and Dave grohl. “Lately i’ve been hugely inspired by Daru Jones, who plays in Jack white’s band,” he says. “it’s so important to check out lots of different kinds of players in a variety of styles.”

■ cardiff’s Samoans started life as a math-core band but when frontman Daniel Barnett was laid up while recovering from a broken back in 2012, he started working on a new, more melodic approach to his vocals. the result has opened up their sound

■ Dripping attitude and playing blues-drenched rock’n’roll, Sky Valley mistress, with drummer maxwell harvey william newsome iii, released their debut eP in 2013 and played

ThE ghOST wOlvESA howling good time from the Lone Star state

Math-rockers from the land of songLow down and dirty blues rock

SAMOAnS Sky vAllEy MiSTRESS

the couple started gigging as the ghost wolves in 2011, recording their debut album, man, woman, Beast. while playing in a duo means there’s plenty of room for drums, Jonathan says, “it’s not an excuse to over-play. i do my best to serve the songs. that said, the great part about being a duo is when things do get a bit wild you aren’t stepping on anyone’s toes if you

want to lay into a couple of rad fills.”the stripped-down format gives

them the space to be creative. “we rehearse a lot but we always leave pockets of time in our show where we’re going to make something up on the spot. it keeps things interesting.”

and while Dan can still wail on tracks like ‘a thousand knives, a thousand wives’, he shows his introspective side in songs like ‘apia’. Drummer chris rouse displays an equally impressive range, from a full-on onslaught to wide, uncluttered soundscapes.

Download. now they’re re-recording the material with a newly-added bass player – even as their sound remains defiantly stripped down, fuzzy and dirtier than a ghetto dumpster.

Sounds like: the white Stripes, Jon Spencer Blues explosion, Deap Vally Download: ‘Dangerous moves’ Go to: www.theghostwolves.com

Sounds like: Deftones, mogwai, reubenDownload: ‘Dancing on the Sea Lion’ Go to: www.facebook.com/samoans

Sounds like: alabama Shakes, royal Blood, the Dead weatherDownload: ‘Dirty Blonde Blues’ Go to: www.facebook.com/skyvalleymistress

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“Being a duo, when things do get a bit wild you aren’t stepping on anyone’s toes if you want to lay into a couple of rad fills”

Samoans with drummer Chris Rouse

Sky Valley Mistress’s Maxwell Harvey William Newsome II

The Ghost Wolves’ Carley and Jonathan Wolf

20


| Summer 2014 www.rhythMMaGazine.co.uk

GinGer BakerA Drummer’s TAle

as he turns 75, we’ve got to give it up for the dangerous Mr Baker – this superb career-spanning anthology, produced with fans’ support via PledgeMusic, reminds us what a true drumming great he is.

there’s his work with cream for starters. here for your delectation are ‘sunshine of your love’, ‘white room’, ‘what a Bringdown’, his brilliant ‘toad’ solo and the bonkers ‘Pressed rat and warthog’. with clapton and steve winwood he formed Blind Faith, and here we have ‘i can’t Find My way home’ and the 15-minute jam ‘Do what you like’ that closes out their one, classic album. From his time with the Graham Bond organization comes ‘camels and elephants’. in the ’90s he worked with Masters of reality on the included tunes ‘ants in the kitchen’, and ‘tusa’, about how to make a cup of tea. then check out his

groove on the very psychedelic ‘Mad Jack’ with the Baker Gurvitz army, and his incredible playing with Fela kuti – funky as hell and right on the money on ‘ye ye De smell’. Baker’s love affair with african rhythms started much earlier of course, and his soulful, groovy, african-inspired airforce tracks ‘early in the Morning’ and ‘Doin’ it’ are also a very welcome inclusion here. there’s small-group jazz too of course, with his recent Jazz confusion track ‘why?’ as well as his work with DJQ20 on the tracks ‘coward of the county’ and ‘Jesus loves Me’.

Ginger’s contribution to music and specifically the drums is so much larger than life. this is perhaps the first time all of these great songs have been collected, and it’s a true treat for music fans, drummers or otherwise. (cBu)

Download: ‘Do what you like’Go to: www.gingerbaker.com

italian drummer Davide wants to help you get the sound you desire on your drums. a noble cause, for sure. his delivery is

wide-eyed and energetic, but Davide’s advice is authoritative and right on the money. you’ll find lots of valuable information imparted on everything from what to take to gigs by way of drum tools and spares, to where best to hit your drums and how to tune to the sound you want, to a detailed explanation of the differences in shell type and what that means for your sound. now and again he jumps on the kit to demonstrate what he’s talking about, but if we had one gripe it’s that for much of the 82 minutes he appears to be sat in a cupboard, which visually isn’t all that engaging. (cBu)

Extras: n/aGo to: vimeo.com/ondemand/yourdrumsound

Drummer and drum tech to the stars (Gavin harrison, Billy cobham, thomas lang etc) Mike ellis

has put together an album that mixes rock, industrial dance and cinematic themes – including a 10 minute tribute to Barry Gray, who penned the themes to Gerry anderson’s thunderbirds and stingray. on ‘no harm in Funky’, he lets loose with a deep pocket disco funk groove; ‘hard and Fast’ has deep, industrial beats; ‘Bring it Down’ has gothic metal grandeur; ‘Fame whore’ has a Duran Duran feel to it, Mike’s drumming brash but tight. a bold and enjoyably eclectic album. (cBu)

Download: ‘no harm in Funky’Go to: www.hotfootproductions.co.uk

Wonderful retrospective of old grumpy’s best work

CD

DVD

CD

Sound advice indeed…

Drummer’s labour of love

DaviDe De angeliHow To ReacH YouR DRum SounD

MiKe elliSme/LP V1

Beware of Mr Baker, but embrace his

music warmly

www.rhythMMaGazine.co.uk

the Midnight ramble sessions were one of the late, great Band drummer’s final musical projects. the idea was to create something of a musical event influenced by

the travelling shows levon remembered as a boy, that took in all the music emerging in america’s south back then – bluegrass, gospel, country, rock’n’roll, soul and jazz. so levon gathered together some of the finest musicians he could and the result is a fantastically eclectic and feel-good run through tunes that evoke the smokey bars of

as fantastic as Gaslight anthem’s four previous albums were, there was a suggestion of stagnation beginning to seep in by the time we got to the end of 2012’s

handwritten. on album five, Benny horowitz and co return with an immediate, and surprisingly rocky, return to fine form. opener ‘stay Vicious’ raises an eyebrow or two as it blasts out sounding like Brian Fallon fronting the Black keys after a particularly brutal night on the town. it’s a vibe that runs throughout the record, with more riffing than we’re used to from Gaslight, although that does mean that horowitz’s playing is kept simple and steady for much of the album. that’s not to say that what he does play isn’t impressive, ‘1000 years’ benefits from a wedge-thick groove, while the neat hat work and vice-tight fills of ‘red Violins’ are the record’s drumming highlight. (rc)

Download: ‘red Violins’Go to: www.thegaslightanthem.com

clem Burke, as we know, is a good-old-fashioned rock’n’roller at heart. so, if Blondie’s latest output may be a little too electronic-y for some, clem fans can rejoice at his

contribution to this supergroup. Besides clem, the empty hearts are the cars’ elliott easton, wally Palmar of the romantics and andy Babiuk (chesterfield kings), with ian Mclagen (the Faces) guesting on keys. so, of course, there’s Faces-style rock’n’boogie (‘i Don’t want your love’ and ‘Drop Me off at home’); kinks and who-style ’60s rock, with clem channelling Moonie wherever possible (‘soul Deep’, ‘i see no way out’); there’s flashes of the Beatles, roy orbison and tom Petty too. it’s amazingly fresh considering it’s made by veteran rockers consciously borrowing heavily from the music they love – but then it’s that love of the music that makes it sound like they mean it. (cBu)

Download: ‘soul Deep’Go to: www.facebook.com/theemptyheartsband

CD

CD

CD

Benny’s boys take a left turn

Levon’s superb swansong

Clem Burke’s rock’n’roll supergroup

gaSlight antheMGeT HuRT

the levon helM BanD miDniGHT RambLe SeSSionS 3

the eMpty heartSTHe emPTY HeaRTS

southern america from new orleans to Mississippi. levon and his friends recorded live in his barn in woodstock, ny, and there’s a real party feel to it all. this volume sees elvis costello and new orleans r&B legend allen toussaint teaming up on toussaint’s ‘a certain Girl’, there’s folk standard ‘stagger lee’, Dylan’s ‘simple twist of Fate’ and sam cooke’s ‘ain’t that Good news’. Black crowes’ chris robinson sings on ‘shake your Money Maker’ and levon lends his rich southern tones to al Green’s ‘take Me to the river’, ‘the same thing’ and ‘Drivin’ wheel’, while the drumming throughout drives the tunes with swing and panache – as you’d expect, it’s a masterclass in blues-rock and soul drumming. (cBu)

Download: ‘shake your Money Maker’Go to: www.levonhelm.com

ClassiC albums feaTuRinG…Steve Gadd 1 AjA(1977) Steely DAn

2 One triCk POny(1980) PAul SimOn

3 the lePreChAun(1976) ChiCk COreA

The Dan had their pick of top players and on this album alone they used Marotta, Keltner,

Purdie… Gadd’s only on one track, ‘Aja’ but all the classic licks are here; his ratamacue, sublime cross-stick, incredible use of dynamics, half-time feel… never mind the quantity, feel the width.Key Track: ‘Aja’

His finest moment for Simon may be ‘50 Ways’, but this album’s full of Gadd goodness. Steve’s

four-stick, Mozambique groove on ‘Late In The Evening’ is one that all drummers aspire to be able to play, while the live ‘One Trick Pony’ shows Gadd and Simon’s team of top-notch sessioneers at their best.Key Track: ‘Late In The Evening’

Return To Forever fusioneer’s Grammy-winning jazz classic with Gadd on incredible

form. Where his session work subtly enlivened many a pop recording, here he was at his most complex and technically brilliant. His use of linear jazz-funk grooves is quite incredible.Key Track: ‘Lenore’

22



Being differentWant to work as a drummer? Craig Blundell can help. This month: making an impression…

There are so many facets to being different and standing out that i could fill this wonderful magazine with content and still have space

for more. in this issue i’m going to look at three simple things that i’ve changed personally and, hopefully, these may start to help you stand out from the crowd

it seems that daily, i get added on social media by people that are self-titled ‘Session Drummers’. the phrase goes back nearly 100 years to when record companies had their own in-house bands that churned out record after record. the modern session musician really came to prominence in the ’60s with Booker t and the mgs who were the house band at Stax records. in the ’80s you had the members of toto, each of them a session musician working the La circuit and then deciding to form a band. the truth is, those days are gone now and the session musician spending their life in a studio recording is a bit of a thing of the past, as are the sessions and the title.

the standard of the players that did these jobs day in, day out was quite frankly in a

different league. they could literally play anything in the studio and there are still musicians out there that ‘get the call’ that can and still do. i was calling myself a session drummer when i was doing a gig in a local pub with two different bands then going to deliver fruit and veg the next day. it was on my business card and i played in about three or four bands at the time. in my head that’s what i was but in reality, i wasn’t even close.

if you play in a couple of bands or you do gigs with different people from time to time, you are not a session drummer. it won’t impress the ‘fixers’ and sadly for the most part, you are thrown in a stereotype with thousands of others calling themselves the same. it’s now a massively diluted phrase that doesn’t hold any clout any more.

when it comes to getting a job, getting work in this industry relies on so many different facets, as you’ll see as this series

make money playing drums

progresses. even down to what you call yourself, it can be a fickle place. what are you? an educator? musician? clinician? Producer? Session drummer? teacher? or the whole lot? if you are, can you back it up? tread carefully; each comes with its own set of stereotypes and each will come with demands that may catch you out if you’re not ready or experienced enough. there is nothing wrong with saying, “i’m a drummer.” you’ll be surprised how rare that is!

So let’s look at the first introduction. it could be on the phone or it could be a cV. this is where a lot of people get it so badly wrong, including myself for years. nowadays, most jobs are on recommendations but sometimes you might need to submit a cV. this could be to a drum company, producer, record company or a fixer. these guys still get a Lot of emails and letters each week asking to be on their database or people wanting endorsements. in fact the volume is staggering. and when i say ‘guys’ its invariably one person that deals with a&r and for the most part they are stretched.

keep your cV short; write bullets that get

straight to the point of who you haVe worked with – don’t include tenuous brackets with the sound engineers’ previous credits or who the producer on the album has produced, it’s irrelevant to what you do as a musician. Be honest and try to impress in the first few lines, there is no need to drag it out, even if it’s a telephone conversation.

remember, everyone has to start with hardly any credits to their name. Just be nice and friendly; you’ll be surprised how far that goes. these people want to work with happy, talented and easy-going people; credits for the most part aren’t always relevant.

we live in an age where social media is king. now i say this with my feet firmly rooted to the floor. i realised my profile was starting to grow when my Facebook page started getting a few more likes from people in different countries and when it got up to the maximum amount i changed it to an

craig [email protected]

your tutor

craig is one of the uK’s most well-respected clinicians, and is an in-demand and busy drummer who also makes his own music as dr oKtopus.

artist profile. it was then that i realised i had to change my thoughts from talking about what i have for breakfast and ‘animals do the funniest things’ to content that was relevant to the message i wanted to deliver. i realised i had an interactive community of people that liked my work and it was a bit of a shock to the system how much it continues to grow, especially when i travel abroad. i have to be extremely careful what i post on there. a lot of people aren’t. i’m a normal human being; i have thoughts, rants and videos that make me upset but that stays off my artist profile and ultimately off of the internet. you have to be professional with everything you do. if you love Facebook, twitter and want to have a laugh or share silly videos then do it on another profile. if you have an artist profile, use it as a brand, think about the message you want to put across and take it seriously.

the truth is, most future employers Do check social media and one thing you post or say may undo your amazing drumming video, and that’s that.

the internet can connect you to all parts of the globe in seconds, as can an email. make sure you think it through and get it right. Just like at a Jam night, you never know who’s watching… .

If you have an artist profile on Facebook, use it as a

brand and think about what you want to portray

Calling yourself ‘session drummer’ won’t impress the fixers. It’s now a massively diluted phrase that doesn’t hold any clout

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| summer 2014 www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk

Write in & Win!The writer of the Star Letter each month wins an Evans Level 360 drum head and Pro-Mark sticks

Where next?hey! Firstly, i would just like to say that i’ve been reading your drum magazine since i was nine years old. and as a 16-year-old aspiring drummer i’ve found that there have been some awesome top tips and advice sections which are completely relevant to me. i’ve been playing for just over seven years now and i think it’s fair to say i’ve caught the ‘bug’. i spend a large amout of my time checking out clips on youtube, practising and listening to various types of music (from Foo Fighters to gogo Penguin or Dinosaur Jr to Joe Bonamassa... you name it!) and of course being inspired by the interviews in your magazine. with the drums, i am due to take my grade 8 rockschool exam in just over a week’s time. i also play in an experimental two-piece who write and perform our own original songs. check us out!!! [http://soundcloud.com/bearstheband] we have performed in a couple of Bristol venues at the Fleece and the exchange, taking part in unsigned band nights.

anyway, i really want to play the drums for a living when i’m older. But, i’m writing in order to hopefuly seek some advice. when i leave sixth form at 18, is it my best option to go to a contemporary music college like Bimm or acm or would it be more valuable to myself to get out there straight away at 18 and try to find myself an agent and try to make it as a session drummer? and if so, how would i go about doing that? any words of wisdom would be much appreciated.Jacob Hughes via email

Hi Jacob. It’s great that you have caught the drumming bug and are hoping to make a career of it. The first thing I will say – and please don’t be deterred by this – is that it’s an incredibly tough industry to make a living from and you need to give it serious commitment to

origins of rhythmHi guys, great mag as usual. Being an avid drummer and reader of books about drummers and drumming, I recently read a copy of [Grateful Dead drummer] Mickey Hart’s Drumming At The Edge Of Magic about the origins of percussion, in which he states that only the context separates the striking of two flints to make a spearhead from the whacking of two sticks to make a rhythm. Also that some of the earliest drums were fashioned from human skulls and played in caves to amplify their acoustic properties – fascinating!

Reading about the origins of rhythm reminded me of when I was on holiday in Tobago in the Caribbean, one night after drinking Rum Punch with the locals I called it a night and went to my beach shack which was also on the edge of the forest. I tried to sleep but the jungle sounds and heat were keeping me awake so I decided to relax, listen more intently to what I was hearing; there were crickets that were sounding like a closed hi-hat, other insects like shakers and birds/animals sounding like wood blocks etc – basically to me it was like a drummer playing kit and percussion that only needed a melody added to make a song!

I wonder if the sounds of nature also inspired early humans to come up with instruments to mimic these sounds they were hearing as well as providing the source to build them?Ray Brodrick, Romford

Some excellent points well made, Ray. Drumming is about so much more than just playing a percussion instrument, and nature has surely played a part in man’s compulsion to create rhythm. Mickey Hart’s book is certainly fascinating – his delving into the folkloric origins of percussion, alongside some very groovy explorations of the more spiritual side of rhythm, make it a worthwhile read if you’re looking for something different on the subject of drums. (CBu)

your tweets

inboxwhat’s banging your drum this month…what’s banging your drum this month…

@Rhythm Magazine has blessed Sheel & us with a 4-page feature @Badrabbits

Great article in @Rhythm Magazine about The Heroes of Big Band. Thanks @petecaterdrums & @ralphsalmins, perfect reading for a rockabilly guy :) @Glennydrums

Just seen Sheel from @BadRabbits in @Rhythm Magazine. Everyone needs to go and get a copy!! @Thomas_Guffick

Last month in @Rhythm Magazine I had my first feature. This month my dad @ChrisSlade Drums has one! Snap it up! @IAmJackSlade

@Rhythm Magazine @cleggdrums smashed it out of the park, great player @nicksdrums

Star LetterThe Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart

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make an impact. Before choosing a path you need to decide exactly what type of drummer you want to be. You mentioned sessions, so that’s recording and/or playing live for other artists. How much studio experience do you have? Do you play regularly live with professional musicians? Can you play to a click, or work with electronics? If the answer to any of these is ‘not really’, then you’re not yet ready to tackle the demands of the modern session drummer role and you have areas to work on.

If, on the other hand, you would rather be part of a more traditional band, then you are looking at a completely different and even more competitive route into the industry which involves having great, well-recorded songs, an amazing live act, a decent following and many other

elements that can’t be summed up in a simple soundbite here.

Don’t forget that being a professional musician doesn’t just come down to decent playing either. Getting ahead in the industry is all about knowing and impressing the right people and being a great person to work with. You will also need to be able to manage your time wisely, know your gear inside and out, manage your income, understand and be able to fill out a tax return etc.

As for whether you should go it alone (forget finding an agent – just another person to take a cut of your earnings) or sign up to one of the many excellent music colleges the UK has to offer, it really depends. At 16 I doubt you can honestly say you have all the skills listed above. These can be learned independently, but a music college can provide an excellent foundation in the music business and give you an overview of the skills you will need. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to meet other musicians.

Whichever route you take, neither is a fast track to the top, and determination, hard-earned talent and experience will be your biggest allies. Good luck! (CB)

Keep getting betterchris [Barnes], loved your editorial comments in the June issue. i think you hit the nail on the head. Like you, i was stuck in my comfort zone. Playing the pads and expanding my repertoire is essential for me to get better. rhythm magazine is a great teacher. especially the video examples!

i’ve read all the drum mags at one time or another, but rhythm is much better at fostering expanded playing ideas. thanks to you. continued success!Chris Tomlins

praise for De freitasi was overjoyed to see the excellent and thoughtful feature on Pete De Freitas in the august edition of rhythm. as an up-and-coming young drummer in 1984, i learned how to play the kit by watching recordings of Pete playing with the Bunnymen. a truly

great musical player and, as chris Burke correctly observes, one of the world’s best and perhaps most unsung of drumming heroes who is much missed. a great feature which i hope introduces Pete’s playing to a

new generation of drummers.after reading the article last night i

listened to a lot of Bunnymen material. wonderful stuff. it occurred to me what a great sound Pete de Freitas had and also such impeccable timing. Steve Jansen would be another talented drummer from this period with such a gift. i’ve often wondered which drums and cymbals Pete used as they sounded so great. if chris has any ideas i’d love to know. Mark Clarke, Birmingham

Thanks for the feedback! As a huge Bunnymen fan I felt Pete’s work should continue to be recognised, his contribution to the band and their enduring music was absolutely massive. I must admit though I hit a wall when it came to identifying Pete’s gear; his tech/friend/Bunnymen keyboardist Jake Brockman sadly passed away – also in a motorcycle accident – some years ago so set-up details were thin on the ground. Could any other readers shed any light on Pete’s set-up? – (CBu)

royaL performanCethanks for the royal Blood playalong last month – i saw them at Download and was blown away by Ben thatcher and how they get all that sound out of just two of them!Mike P, Derby

Big fans of the Blood here. Catch our interview with Ben next issue! – (CBu)

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cover featureTony Williams

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words: DaviD West photos: press

w i l l i a m st o n y

i n h o n o u r o f t h e 5 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f L i f e t i m e , r h y t h m

c e L e b r a t e s t h e L i f e a n d p i o n e e r i n g d r u m m i n g o f t o n y

w i L L i a m s , t h r o u g h t h e w o r d s o f h i s f r i e n d s


ony williams was just 17 when he joined miles davis’ band. the trumpeter’s reputation was already titanic with a body of work that included vital albums like miles ahead, birth of the cool and kind of blue, then a teenager came along and changed everything.

williams was born in chicago, 12 december, 1945 and grew up in boston. his father tillmon played saxophone and, after being introduced to the drums at school, by the age of nine tony was sitting in on his dad’s gigs playing hit dance tunes. he studied drumming with alan dawson and possessed an uncanny ability to absorb everything he heard – dawson recalled tony coming in shortly after the dave brubeck Quartet released time out to announce that he could now play in 5/4 before performing Joe morello’s ‘take five’ solo from memory. his talent drew the attention of sam rivers, who invited him to join the boston improvisational ensemble, an experience that fed the drummer’s interest in moving beyond fixed, traditional formats. the youngster frequently sat in with bands that came through boston – max roach joked that he was going to have to stop letting the kid sit in as he was going to take his job. this led to him being spotted by Jackie mcLean, who invited williams to new york, where he cut albums with mcLean, kenny dorham and herbie hancock. then in 1963, he joined davis’s new quintet. his impact was profound. he might have been a teenager, but he was fearless.

“[certain] drummers scare a lot of musicians,” said miles davis in a 1968 interview. “Like tony – a lot of musicians can’t play with him because they’re used to playing on the first beat and he accents on the second and third beats if you’re in 4/4 time.

“ i ’ L L t e L L y o u w h a t i t

w a s L i k e p L a y i n g w i t h

t o n y, e v e r y t i m e y o u

p L a y e d w i t h h i m h e

w o u L d d o s o m e t h i n g

a m a z i n g t h a t w o u L d

m a k e y o u r J a w d r o p ”W a l l a c e R o n e y

sometimes he might accent on any beat. and he might play 5/4 time for a while, and you’ve got to have that. you’ve got to know about rhythms and the feel of different rhythms in order to play with him, because he might haul off and do anything rhythmically. if you don’t have any knowledge of time and different time changes, he’ll lose you.”

o u t t o l u n c hwilliams was instantly in demand in new york, displaying a versatility and maturity far beyond his years. his musical vocabulary was remarkable – he showed his fluency in bebop and hard bop with his early albums with davis but was right at home on the cutting edge with eric dolphy’s influential avant-garde album out to Lunch. “he just simply turned around the art of jazz drumming in that one album, completely revolutionised it, i thought,” says cream and Lifetime bassist Jack bruce. “i don’t think i was alone in thinking that at the time.”

where davis typically played a set of standards live – documented on albums like four & more and miles in berlin – the influence of the avant-garde was tangible in his studio sessions like 1965’s e.s.p. and 1967’s miles smiles. but williams was ahead of davis in that regard. “he was shaping the music,” says cindy blackman santana. “he was changing the mood, the colour, the direction, he was adding incredible dynamics. it’s amazing to study him, to listen to what he did and figure out why he did it where he did it in the music. at first you just listen to this incredible barrage of skill and masterfulness, but when you realise what he was doing musically over a song and what he was doing weaving in and out of somebody’s solo, it’s mindboggling. so inspiring.”

august 1964 saw williams cut his first album as a leader. Life time features five original compositions by the drummer that were conceptually influenced by dolphy, rather than davis, and in many ways provided a thematic sequel to out to Lunch. in ‘two pieces of one: green’, williams’ ride cymbal work is extraordinary as he switches meters from phrase to phrase without ever losing track of the time, dancing around sam rivers’ melodic explorations on the saxophone. one of his trademarks was playing all four beats of the bar with his left foot in the hi-hat, heard on ‘freedom Jazz dance’ from miles smiles. this allowed him to free up his ride cymbal from keeping the time, so williams could improvise with his right hand and react to whatever was happening in the moment and play phrases against the time with the instrument that in bebop and hard bop convention was at the heart of timekeeping.

spring (1965) kept to the avant-garde style. in the same period he recorded herbie hancock’s classics maiden voyage and empyrean isles, and some of davis’ most daring work in nefertiti and filles de kilimanjaro, but the drummer was restless. Life

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time and spring may have explored the avant-garde but they were still in the tradition of acoustic jazz and williams wanted to break out into something completely new. he wouldn’t release another album as bandleader until 1969 but when the tony williams Lifetime unleashed emergency! they shook jazz to its very core even as the drummer’s relationship with davis broke down irrevocably.

P l u g I n , F R e a k o u tin the space of five years, williams had gone from a teenage prodigy in boston to a major jazz star, but his musical horizons were wide and he was a big fan of cream and the Jimi hendrix experience. “tony loved jazz but he had a real affinity for rock’n’roll music and r&b, which i did,” says jazz bass virtuoso stanley clarke. “anybody that grows up at any point is going to be influenced by whatever the music is. that’s why it really cracks me up, especially during the time when [trumpeter wynton] marsalis came on the scene, a lot of those musicians were acting like they never heard an earth, wind & fire record. they were lying. it was for business. they put suits and ties on and go, ‘i’m a purist jazz musician,’ and it’s bulls**t. we were all influenced by Jimi hendrix. there is not a person that’s a good musician who was not influenced by Jimi hendrix.”

“Jimi was revolutionary,” says Lenny white. “i’ve talked to a lot of english guitar players, at the time when Jimi came over there everybody wanted to break his hands. he played stuff that nobody else could play. we didn’t want to do that with tony but he put everybody in the shed, back in the practice room to get to that level. i think tony really wanted to reach for something different.”

williams was on the lookout for a guitarist who could handle the intricacies of jazz but still play with the power and excitement that hendrix brought to the instrument and he found his man in british player John mcLaughlin. while miles davis is often singled out as the starting point for the birth of jazz-rock from his albums in a silent way and bitches brew featuring mcLaughlin, it wasn’t davis that brought mcLaughlin to new york. it was williams, with a little help from Jack bruce.

“obviously i knew John mcLaughlin, he had been invited to join tony when i was making an album of mine called things we Like,” says bruce. “it was meant to be a trio album but John said he needed to raise some funds to get out to play with tony. i said, ‘well, why don’t you play on my record and that will enable you to get out there?’ it suddenly became a quartet album.”

“i first heard tony play in 1964-5 on the miles in europe recording,” says John mcLaughlin. “he blew me away, and even more so when i found out he was even younger than me. he was 18! i’ve

people attribute jazz-rock music to mahavishnu orchestra or return to forever or even miles davis but to me and those who know, tony williams was the guy who actually started that form of music.”

“i attribute tony williams as the guy who really created fusion,” concurs Lenny white. “Lifetime was basically a traditional organ trio that was on steroids. when we heard that music, everything changed in terms of drummers because there were new things that tony brought to the drum nomenclature that were not there before. to play his hi-hat on all four beats, which he had done with miles but not at the level of breaking it into a so-called rock groove that hadn’t been heard before. he brought a new mindset to playing drums.”

mcLaughlin describes playing with williams as, “Liberating. with tony you had to play, and you had to play with him. some drummers are content to let

the soloist play ‘over’ the drummer, but with tony it was constant communication. tony had really big ears, he heard everything and responded spontaneously. he was also provocative in the sense that he ‘made’ you play outside the box. truly amazing.”

I ’ l l n e v e R P l a y W I t h y o u a g a I nit seems davis was impressed with the new direction. “tony told me that from ’68 to february ’69 they were playing at a place called count basie’s, and he said everybody was coming up to hear the band, from Jimi hendrix to marvin gaye,” says wallace roney. “one day miles came and heard the band and miles came every night after that.” davis wanted to record with the trio, which led to a disagreement with williams. “tony said, if you call it miles davis presents the tony williams Lifetime we can do that. miles said, no, i can’t do that. so tony said, i’d like to keep

this, i’ve got something special here. miles said, okay, will you still play with the band? we’ve got a record date tomorrow. tony said sure. the record was in a silent way.”

since williams wanted to keep Lifetime from being absorbed into davis’ band, he asked the trumpeter not to use mcLaughlin and young on the record date, but davis went behind his back. “so tony said the next day they’re in the studio and there’s John and Larry, the very thing he asked miles not to do. he was pissed,” says wallace. “that’s why on the record he’s playing simple like that. people think he was doing that for the music; he said, ‘i was doing that because i was mad.’ at the very end, he told miles, ‘i’ll never play with you again.’ he meant it. he never did.”

“i don’t know if tony was angry, but he wasn’t too happy about it,” says mcLaughlin. “for the record, miles didn’t ask me to join his band until six or seven months later, after we’d recorded bitches brew. miles wanted me for his recordings, and to do concerts with him when i wasn’t playing with tony. it was


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w a s s t i L L h o L d i n g

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y o u a g a i n . ’ i t h i n k

t h a t h u r t h i m

w h e n m i L e s d i e d … ”W a l l a c e R o n e y

always been sensitive to drummers, and tony was just unbelievable. in my opinion, tony changed drumming forever. he was a one-man revolution. not only did he bring an entirely new concept to drums, but he made everyone around him play differently. Listen to how miles plays with tony on this recording. miles is soaring. he loves tony.”

the tony williams Lifetime left acoustic jazz behind in favour of a ground-breaking collision between rock and jazz. the sparseness of Life time and spring was replaced by a maelstrom of music with williams playing like a man possessed and matched at every ferocious step by mcLaughlin on guitar and Larry young on keys. “to me, it all started with tony,” says stanley clarke. “before the record came out he was playing that stuff, they were playing clubs, and i think everybody including miles heard it. everyone was influenced by that. i know many

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perfect for me, but it’s true, i saw subsequently that tony wasn’t happy with miles ‘borrowing’ me since i came to new york at his invitation and not miles’.”

t u R n I t o v e R t u R n s I t u Pthe next step in the development of Lifetime was the addition of Jack bruce on bass, who was fresh out of cream and just starting a solo career. “i was playing at the fillmore east with my own band, it was the opening night of a very big tour all across the states,” says Jack. “tony came down with John mcLaughlin. John introduced me to tony and tony half-jokingly said, ‘do you want to join my band?’ i just said, ‘yes.’ i kind of auditioned for the gig. he handed me a written chart for ‘vuelta abajo’ i think it was, and we just played it. he was amazed that i could sight read it and play it, which is something i can do having studied at college. he assumed i was just this rock bassist who wouldn’t be able to do that but it wasn’t difficult for me to sight-read it. so then i joined up with the band.”

now a quartet, Lifetime released the explosive turn it over in 1970, but despite the incendiary chemistry between the musicians, it was not a smooth-running operation. “i found it a tremendous honour to play with tony and we became very good friends during that time we were playing together,” says bruce. “it was a very difficult period because his management were, to say the least, pretty useless. i would go out to new york at my own expense and sit around for weeks waiting for a gig that very often didn’t happen. i got very tired of that and it was proving economically rather stupid, but it was mostly just a waste of time. i didn’t want to be sitting around at that point in my life. i wanted to be playing. i got fed up so i got my people to put together a european tour which we did and which was actually quite successful in its own way. one problem was that a lot of people knew me from cream so were kind of expecting a cream-type band. when they got Lifetime it was a bit of a shock for some of them.”

many critics of the period reacted negatively to williams’ new jazz-rock. “i think a lot of it was fear because the band was so good and so powerful that the critics didn’t know what to make of it. they were pinned against the wall by this tremendous sound. i think quite a few of them got it wrong, but then when don’t they?” says bruce, who believes that the studio recordings were unable to do the band justice. “we never actually managed to get on tape what the band had because of the equipment and techniques we were using,” he says. “we were playing as loud as a rock band, but as many notes as a jazz band, so the equipment hadn’t really caught up with us yet. there was a lot of distortion and a lot of difficulty in recording because tony wanted to record like a rock band. for instance cream did that, we played very loud in the studio in order to achieve something you felt as well as heard. i think tony wanted to do that but he had jazz people recording the band and i think he should have had rock people, possibly.”

however, the celebrated bassist is unequivocal in his estimation of the drummer’s abilities: “there was something very precise about his playing. if you’ve ever driven a really good ferrari, there’s something about the precision of that so you can drive very

dangerously it would appear, but you’re not actually driving dangerously, you’re driving safely because the car is built to be that accurate and precise. there was something like that in his playing. he seemed to be right on the edge a lot of the time but it was all very controlled, there was never any question of him losing it. if he was pushing the beat or the meter a certain way, you just knew it was going to be right, but he would certainly take it out.”

for bruce, the other bonus about being in Lifetime was working with Larry young. “i could say he was the finest musician i ever worked with,” he says. “he was a genius in the sense that he just was music when he played. it wasn’t like, ‘play this, play that’, he couldn’t read music or anything, it didn’t really matter, but i’ve heard and seen him do things that i’ve never experienced before or since. he played what you should have written, if you know what i mean, so he didn’t need to read music.”

turn it over marked John mcLaughlin’s last album with Lifetime. at the time, williams and mcLaughlin had been meeting with al kooper, formerly of blood, sweat & tears and now the a&r man at columbia records, who was interested in signing


Tony’s drums from The Joy Of Flying now reside at bass player Stanley Clarke’s house. “What’s funny is every drummer that I know, all my good friends, have asked me, ‘Send me the drumset because you know Tony actually wanted me to have those!’” says Clarke. “When Tony died I think Dennis Chambers was the first guy to call me, ‘Hey man, what about that drumset?’ ‘I don’t know, man, what about it? It’s sitting where it needs to be sitting.’ Now I’m wondering what to do with it. I was talking to Ron Carter and Ron gave me a lot of insight, he says, ‘Tony would really be upset if it wasn’t played,’ so I’m in the process of getting it in playing shape and then putting it in my home studio. Then people can come by and play that drumset. It’s a great-sounding set.”

T h e h o l y G r a i ls t a n L e y c L a r k e h a s a s a c r e d

s e t o f t o n y ’ s d r u m s

Says Cindy Blackman Santana of Tony’s work with Miles Davis:

“He was shaping the music. He was changing the mood, the

colour, the direction”

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the band – but with conditions. “one day they had a meeting with al kooper,” says wallace roney recalling a conversation with williams, “and al kooper said, ‘we want to sign you but we want to call the band Lifetime, not the tony williams’ Lifetime.’ tony got pissed, he said, ‘i see what you’re trying to do, you’re trying to sell the white boy in the band. you’re trying to make the white boy the leader. this is my f**king band.’ he kicked al kooper out. there was still a deal on the table and the next thing he knew John was talking to al kooper and that’s how mahavishnu orchestra was born. tony felt betrayed. that’s how that segment of Lifetime ended.”

asked about the circumstances around the break-up of the original Lifetime, Jack bruce says, “it wasn’t really my decision. i think it was more John. we all got very fed up waiting for something to happen. nothing ever happened and i think John was probably approached by certain people saying, ‘why don’t you bring the concept and do it without tony,’ basically. i do know that tony was very hurt for a long time about that. i don’t blame him because that whole idea and a lot of the material was tony and then suddenly it was the mahavishnu orchestra. it was hard for tony, i believe. at one point he said to me he was considering asking miles if he could re-join. i don’t think he ever asked him. but i do think that tony was quite bitter about the fact that he came up with all of that and ended up with nothing of it. he probably thought there was an element of racism in there and he probably was right.”

however, unlike the situation with miles davis where they never played together again, williams

and mcLaughlin continued to make music with williams appearing on mcLaughlin’s 1979 album electric guitarist and the two of them joining forces with Jaco pastorius in the trio of doom that same year. as a side note, the live recordings of the trio of doom feature williams inventing the blast beat on the track ‘dark prince’. for his part mcLaughlin is quick to give the drummer credit, calling williams “personally, critically important” in the creation of jazz-rock. “the great thing about Lifetime, in addition to playing with tony, was that tony encouraged me constantly to write music for the band,” says mcLaughlin. “it was very different with miles. miles would always be looking for a guitar riff, especially if it was funky or like on the recording Jack Johnson, very much in a rhythm and blues vein. i can say quite categorically that most of the preparatory work for the mahavishnu orchestra was done in Lifetime. i can also say categorically that tony was always ahead of the field, a true pioneer in jazz-rock fusion.”

R o c k s t a R I n W a I t I n gwith differing personnel, williams released two more albums – ego in 1971 and the old bum’s rush in 1972, before launching the new tony williams Lifetime with believe it in 1975. at the same time, he was playing on records with herbie hancock, stanley clarke and stan getz. in the second half of the 1970s many jazz musicians were interested in funk and r&b, influences that can be heard on hancock’s 1979 release sunlight, with williams on drums, and increasingly on williams’ own releases, most


One of Tony’s trademarks was playing all four beats of the bar with his left foot on the hi-hat which freed up his ride from keeping time

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prominently million dollar Legs in 1976. at the same time he joined up with his former bandmates from miles davis’ group – hancock, wayne shorter, ron carter, plus freddie hubbard and then wallace roney taking davis’ spot – in v.s.o.p. to prove they still had their jazz chops. however roney says williams was emotionally fragile after the trials and tribulations of the Lifetime years. “on the old bum’s rush, that intro he plays on ‘boodang’, man, every drummer i know thinks that is the craziest intro they ever heard,” says roney. “after …bum’s rush he was off the scene for a couple of years, he thought he was blacklisted. he said that all of a sudden he couldn’t get a job, nobody would hire him. tony was a brilliant man but because of what happened with Lifetime, it messed with him so bad that he had to start seeing a psychiatrist. he used to say to me he couldn’t be on the road longer than three weeks because he had to see his psychiatrist. we thought he was joking but when we did the v.s.o.p. tour we were on the road for six months. one day, after three weeks, he just lost it and he started going off. i stepped back to calm him down and that’s when he started telling me that people didn’t really love him, they just liked what he could do and then he told me, ‘you know i was blackballed? they told John [mcLaughlin] not to mention me. they told Jackie [mcLean] not to say anything about me.’”

asked if he thinks williams was insecure, roney replies, “Let me put it like this, i don’t think he was insecure but of course with all his confidence he had humility. if you look at what happened to him, he single-handedly created what is now called fusion and when he created it the critics blasted him because they thought he was selling out. when fusion became famous, billy cobham got all the credit that they wouldn’t give tony.”

“i think tony had a mission,” says Jack bruce. “Like miles, he wanted to be a rock star. that’s what he

wanted. i think that’s why he sang a lot as well, why he wanted to be a singer, it was all part of wanting to be a rock star, or wanting to be a black rock star, if you like, the ultimate version of that being Jimi, certainly at the time. i think miles wanted to be a rock star too. he had his wah-wah pedal, so i guess there was something in that. we all want to be a rock star, except if you’re a rock star.”

“why wouldn’t he want to be a rock star?” says Lenny white. “i don’t look at it that way. i look at the fact that he wanted to have acclaim for his prowess and what he was capable of doing. people get lauded for playing three chords and singing songs and here’s a guy that elevated drumming to a level that nobody else will achieve, and he wanted to get the same acclaim, that’s all.”

in 1978 tony released the Joy of flying without the Lifetime tag, an album that showed the full range of his influences. the line-up included Jan hammer on keys, rock guitarist ronnie montrose, jazz guitar master george benson and stanley clarke on bass. clarke and williams had first recorded together on stan getz’s 1972 album captain marvel and shared a disregard for jazz puritanism. “my record collection was miles davis, John coltrane, Jimi hendrix, cream – i wasn’t a big beatles fan until later – James brown, Led zeppelin. that was normal,” says clarke. “tony recognised that in me and we didn’t dress like jazz musicians – whatever that meant – we didn’t wear a suit and tie. we had big afros and long hair and we wore bell bottoms and chains around our necks and smoked pot and all that stuff. some of the most fun i’ve had making a record was with tony. that was a great rhythm section, tony williams, Jan hammer, billy connors and myself, that was a great time, i can’t tell you how much fun i had on that record and tony was so helpful and so professional.”

after the Joy of flying, williams wouldn’t release another solo album until 1985 but in

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t h e y w e r e p i n n e d

a g a i n s t t h e w a L L … ”J a c k B R u c e

T h e N e x T G e N e r a T i o N

“The first time I heard Tony Williams is equivalent to the first time I heard Neil Peart or Stewart Copeland and John Bonham in the sense that he completely changed my whole way of thinking as I was listening to him,” says Pat Metheny drummer Antonio Sanchez. “When I saw him live, it was probably the first time that I saw a drummer and thought, ‘Okay, that’s what somebody that was born to do that looks like when they’re playing.’ It was so masterful, so at ease doing this incredibly swinging and hard stuff, it was like a blueprint for me to try to emulate and imitate. Even when he was 17, 18, playing with Miles, he would just drive the band. So much authority and assertiveness and to me that’s what a drummer should be, always commanding but sensitive to what’s going on, very assertive and never tentative, and exciting. Tony had all those qualities built into him.”

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the intervening gap he cut albums with sonny rollins, herbie hancock, the great Jazz trio, chet baker and even played on yoko ono’s starpeace. his return as bandleader, 1985’s foreign intrigue, saw him add electronic drums to his sound. “he was experimenting with it, i think because he didn’t want to lose touch with what he innovated, called jazz-rock or fusion even though we were playing straight ahead,” says wallace roney who played on the record. “i really don’t think the electronic drums fit and i didn’t feel he fully utilised it, because he didn’t need to. everything he needed to do, he could do on a drum, he just wanted to make a connection like, ‘i haven’t given up.’ that’s what i believe that was.”

after miles davis died in 1991, williams, hancock, shorter, carter and roney recorded a tribute to miles in homage to the trumpeter. davis’ death seemed to bring an end to the bitterness williams felt to his former mentor. says roney: “miles was putting together the concert that he was going to do in paris and he said to me, ‘how come tony won’t play with me anymore?’ man, miles was hurt. i made up a little lie, i told him, ‘well, i think tony can’t do it because he has some previous things already booked.’ miles said, ‘yeah, yeah, that’s right.’ miles wanted to believe that but even in 1991, tony was still holding on to that, ‘i’ll never play with you again.’ i think that hurt him when miles died because he didn’t think the game would end that quick.”

l I F e t I m e ’ s l e g a c y in the ’90s williams continued recording new material while still working as a sideman but his remarkable career came to an abrupt end. in 1997 williams died of a heart attack while recovering from an operation. he was 51. his final album, young at heart, was released posthumously the following year.

asked if there will ever be another drummer like him, wallace roney replies, “to be a tony williams, you must understand every part of the music that was before you. you must understand chick webb, baby dodds, max, art blakey, Lex humphries, buddy rich, Louis bellson, gene krupa. that’s what tony had and then you must understand rhythm. these young drummers can play licks but they don’t understand rhythm. they don’t understand what you can play against a quarter note, how to subdivide it and how to subdivide the subdivide. can you play five against the quarter note? can you take that five and accent every other beat? can you make triplets out of it? when you marry the understanding of rhythm with the understanding of music and then have, last but not least, amazing drumming technique then you’re close to being tony williams. i think that era is gone. but hopefully talking about it might inspire somebody and they’ll start to think about it and do it in whatever music they play, be it jazz, gospel, country, rap, whatever it is.”

Jack bruce and cindy blackman santana have worked to keep tony’s music in the public eye with their band spectrum road. “that has been marvellous. we haven’t stopped doing it. two summers ago was the last tour we’ve done and that was great fun. i think it’s important to all of us to try to keep his spirit alive and his name around because

people do forget very easily,” says bruce. asked about playing with cindy, he replies, “sometimes when i’m playing with spectrum road, she just hits a groove and sound and it’s very, very close to tony and then you turn around and look and there’s this supermodel sitting there. it’s a bit off-putting.”

“this music, it’s got all the things that, to me, make music exciting,” says cindy blackman santana. “it’s got edge, it’s got heart, it’s full of feeling and soul. it’s got incredible intellect, it’s got mystery, it’s got the history of the music, it’s got forward thinking-ness, it has everything that i like. tony’s concept is so big and so open that it just leaves a lot of room to morph the music and take it to different places. that is so inviting when you want to create because you need a palette like that.”

tantalisingly, there is the prospect of an unreleased Lifetime recording, unearthed by bruce while moving house. “i’ve always been looking for this live recording i did of Lifetime, which i could never find, at the fairfield hall, croydon, and i found it yesterday,” he says. “i haven’t got the equipment to listen to it, i’m all digital now. i recorded it on a revox, so i’ve got to get it transferred. it might be something of value, because there was very little of Lifetime live that was listenable. i’ve got my fingers crossed. if it’s of any quality at all it will be good.”


“I think he was one of the most brilliant drummers of our time and he changed everything for everybody forever,” says Headhunters drummer Mike Clark. “He took the language that went before him with Philly and Max and Art and he divided it amongst different limbs. He changed which instrument you played on. He changed the way you looked at the hi-hat. He played fives and sevens against the time. He came up with astounding drumming technique playing single-stroke roll blasts around the kit but in time and musical. He came up with a fire dance ride pattern I’d never heard before. He asked me to come to his house one time and play for him and he had that yellow drumset,” says Clark. “I couldn’t help but try to play like him because it sounded so much like him. He went, ‘No, no, man. Don’t play my stuff. Play that funky stuff you played with Herbie.’ I did and he cleaned up the front room and kitchen and afterwards went, ‘Okay, stop. I needed some inspiration to clean this place up.’”

T h e h e a d h u N T e rm i k e c L a r k o n t o n y ’ s p L a y i n g

Wallace Roney: “To be a Tony Williams, you must understand every part of the music that was before you… and then you must understand rhythm”

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hen tony williams joined miles Davis’s band aged just 17, the jazz music world was stunned that such a young drummer could play with such authority and maturity. however the thing that

struck most drummers was tony’s virtuosity; he could play frighteningly fast tempos with apparent ease, he had ferocious single strokes but he also had a seemingly bottomless vocabulary that, whilst born from the greats before him such as max roach, was so incredibly inventive that he sounded like no one else before or since.

undoubtedly his flawless technique was helpful in

P l a y l i k e T o n y !S T y l e a n a l y S i S

g e t a l i t t l e f l a i r w i t h o u r t o n y w i l l i a m s p l a y i n g s t y l e g u i D e

expressing his ideas as his mastery of rudiments appears impeccable with singles, doubles and flams played at speeds and with a dynamic range that must have left respected contemporaries stunned, but he also introduced and developed new level of hand/foot and linear mastery that continues to influence drummers today.

one final captivating ingredient was added as the musically experimental ’60s fused jazz and rock and tony began playing bigger drums and heavier sticks and with an increasing power and physicality normally associated with rock drummers. however his finesse and musicality meant that this was about so much more than simply playing loud, it was about

having a wider dynamic range and tony had the ability to control that like no other drummer.

his impact on the world of drumming has been profound, as so many of today’s top players will attest, though sadly a lot of younger players are only aware of his contribution second-hand from contemporary drummers’ licks and interviews, and with the internet as a resource this is a shame.

the examples below are a selection of motifs used by tony that should offer a flavour of his inventiveness and mastery, although it was really all about the way in which he was able to move between these ideas that would transcend mere licks and chops and prove his undoubted virtuosity.

W

E x a m p l E 5 : O t h E r s i g n a t u r E i d E a s

E x a m p l E 4 : d i s p l a c E d s w i s s t r i p l E t m O t i f

E x a m p l E 3 : O t h E r d O u b l E - s t O p i d E a s

E x a m p l E 2 : d O u b l E - s t O p s w i t h t w O n O t E s O n t h E b a s s d r u m

E x a m p l E 1 : t h E b l u s h - d a a n d E x p a n d E d i d E a s

IntervIewIan Matthews

M a t t h e w si a n

K a s a b i a n


words: DaviD West photos: Will irelanD

AheAd of KAsAbiAn’s triumphAnt

GlAstonbury heAdlininG slot, iAn

mAtthews discussed overcominG

nerves, plAyinG with totAl

conviction, And why jAzz is liKe

murderinG someone very quietly

When rhythm meets ian matthews, kasabian are hard at work in a cavernous west London rehearsal studio where the band is busy putting the finishing touches to

their imminent headlining set at glastonbury. But there are no signs of any nerves about their first time topping the bill. everyone exudes optimism and confidence as they run the show from top to bottom and, despite the fact that the only audience that day is a collection of roadies, production crew and management, ian has a smile on his face from first note to last. there’s a lot to smile about – kasabian’s new album, 48:13, topped the uk album charts in June, and the upcoming glastonbury slot would fulfil a lifelong dream for the drummer who has painstakingly worked his way up the festival’s stages over the course of 20 years. “Being from Bristol, i did my first gig at glasto in ’94 and managed to get in almost every year, playing the Jazz stage or the avalon stage or the Jazz Lounge which i don’t think is there any more,” says ian. “in fact one year i played the hunt saboteurs tent at two in the morning having dragged a drum kit up to play on a small square not much bigger than a table with a couple of

guys from a Bristol band called the moonflowers. there was a stream running through the middle of the tent, bales of hay with these stereotypical hippie people, there was this woman dressed in all tie-dye with dreadlocks with a baby, and there was this woman on a bicycle. she was wrapped in a Baco-foil mini-dress and she was hooked up to the lights and the pa, so the more she cycled the brighter and louder we were.”

this time ian and kasabian will be bringing a little more production power than a girl on a bicycle. “when you get invited to play glastonbury, you’re being invited in the first place because mr eavis knows you’re going to put on a show,” says ian. “that’s the whole reason you’re there. we’ve played the main stage twice as a penultimate band; once before Bruce springsteen and then with the arctic monkeys. Back in 2004 we played the other stage; we were the first band on. it’s an incredible curve to get to this point 10 years later, headlining the main stage. that’s absolutely awesome.”

are you nervous about your first Glastonbury headlining show?“the first time i was told by the manager that we were going to play that main

44 | summer 2014 www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk


stage with the arctic monkeys, i can’t describe how excited i was. as time passed leading up to it, i put it to the back of my mind and then on the coach journey to the site i became so nervous. i don’t really get nervous, i think it’s a bit negative to get nervous, but i got the nerves and i came out in hives on my face in the afternoon, red blotches. when we went on stage i might as well have been walking off a cliff. usually, if you are feeling nervous it dissipates in the first tune, it’s gone. we were halfway through ‘empire’, this forceful tune, and i was on the drum kit thinking, ‘what happens if my arms stop?’ and it ruined the experience for me. if anything that gig taught me about nerve management. i remind myself i’m only there because kasabian want me there because of the way i play; kasabian are only there because of the way kasabian play and the people want them there, and not to be frightened, to be

yourself. one of the biggest learning curves was that first glasto moment because i’d built it up in my head. when we came back and did the Bruce springsteen support, it was like, ‘i’m having you! i’m going to go on stage and rip the s**t out of it.’ to have a third time, to headline, i’m so looking forward to it. it’s going to be fun now.”

Have you added more production?“kasabian’s music is intricate but it’s also got big beats, big anthems. tom [meighan, singer] does not mess around when he’s on stage; he’s one tour de force of a frontman, so whether we’re playing a small club or a giant stage there is a presence in the music and in the personnel on stage. i’m proud of that and i think we’re a powerful band. we’ve always had this idea that if you’re going to play a stage, you fill that stage, and if people are going to come and see a show, you give them a show. we’ve never ever cut corners

on the show. if it means not making any money, we won’t make any money. ever since our first arena tour, we’ve always thought, how about the guy at the back? you’ve got to think of the best way to convey the songs and move the entire audience, so we’ve always enjoyed putting on a big show. we could have gone on with a few lights, bang it out, make a few quid, great. in this case with glastonbury and our Leicester show the week before, the people have given us the opportunity to play these shows and we’re going to do something special as far as we can. we’ve got an ingenious design which is actually very simple. it’s about turning the stage into a white box, so it looks a bit like an iphone, beautiful, perfect simplicity to create a function. technology has moved on. Five, six, seven years ago if people had lasers it meant they had a team of people coming with these huge boxes to put a few lasers up. now, they’re tiny little

boxes so we’ve got, i don’t know how many, down there. the back is all Led screens so technology has given us the means to put on bigger, more dramatic shows.”

Does the size of the venue and crowd change the way you play?“we’ve just done ireland and scotland as a warm up leg as part of our rehearsals to set us up for these big gigs, and we played in derry to 600 people and it was amazing. it was like wow, they were right there, it was like being in a bear pit and it was hot, it was 33 degrees when we came off, and the humidity! you could see the water running down the walls. it was incredible. so i guess there is going to be some deep psychological change in mindset on a massive stage to playing a place like that but i can personally say i push just as much there as i would at a festival or a big arena or stadium. we all do. it’s exciting music to play.”

“we were hAlfwAy throuGh

‘empire’, this forceful tune, And

i wAs on the drum Kit thinKinG,

‘whAt hAppens if my Arms stop?’”

ian: “since our first arena tour, we've always thought, ‘What about the guy at the back?’”


machinery is clattering beneath me, which is also cool because what that does is it pulls my drumming in. i can still swing it and play with some human feel, do some dynamics and play with a bit of drama, some thrills and spills, but the whole thing is pinned together by 808 sub-kicks and 16th-note stuff. sometimes i’m actually playing over the drum pattern again to really reinforce my sound. i’ve got to play really strictly, be careful i don’t flam it and slip around. there’s no having a hangover, you’ve got to be on-point to make it work.”

Do you use any triggers on your kit?“no, on this tour now i’ve got a roland pad and i’m letting off a snare sound on a tune called ‘treat’ off the new album. i’ve never used triggers with this band; it’s me playing a drum kit. some of the tunes have clicks with percussion effects or drums, or 808, 909 sounds.”

You don’t have a hole in the front head of your kick, which is unusual. “there are two mics in the kick drum, a pzm on a cradle and then there’s a direct mic. and the cable comes out of the air hole and it seems to work and looks cooler instead of having a hole and it’s easy for the techs to set up. you just plug it in and go.”

What do you use to get the right snare sound?“i used to use two snares until i got this electronic thing. i want a snare with body and snap and that is dynamic that i can dance around on. some snares don’t let you do that. maybe it’s just the way it’s tuned. i’m using a 1978 Black Beauty that i’ve had for a few years now which is gorgeous and does the job perfectly. we’ve got an a and a B rig, they’re both the same but the B rig has a dw collector’s snare. that’s a wooden shell which is very fat, not so snappy. But the Black Beauty has that fatness with a little more snap and they have that ‘clang’. i’ve got the internal muffler just on the head to control it that little bit. i’ve got a controlled sound head on it with the dot underneath and it seems to be fat as f**k.”

What drums did you use in the studio for the new album?“i had 24", 14", 18" as the main kit and had a 22", 13", 16" as my middle, wild card kit, and i had a little 20", 12", 14" as the little baby, jazzy, funky kit. they were all set up in the room with hardware around them and i turned around the snare drums. i had lots of different snare drums and whatever we fancied, or whatever breakbeat sound we were trying to recreate, i changed the

the studio tracks seem to have a much more processed drum sound than when the band plays live?“actually all the gubbins you hear over my playing in the studio is under my playing live. it’s a slight role reversal but i’m actually playing in the parts. serge [pizzorno, guitarist] loves that techno-crossover, dance music and today’s pop music which is very angular and pro-tooled and robotic. it’s just the way it is, it’s what people like to buy. you can’t always necessarily tell it’s me playing because it’s layered up with sounds and effects and sample beats. on this last record serge had quite a lot of samples and rhythmic ideas that he put together and i actually played them. in ‘Bumblebee’ there’s this drum fill that happens, you can hear it all the way through the changes, that’s actually me playing that and they managed to make it sound like a sample in the studio. it is quite interesting, the marriage between technology and the drums, but when we play live it’s more of a dramatic environment so the drums come to the fore and the

ian in action with Kasabian

says ian of playing with Kasabian: “it's exciting music to play”

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48 | summer 2014 www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk

snare drum. it was either a Black Beauty or a radio king, a hayman that i got for £150, that put in a good innings, there was an old Ludwig Jazz Festival around the studio which sounded good. i found having different sized drums on hand made such a big difference for different tunes. one thing about kasabian from the day i met them in 2001 when they came down to Bristol recording demos, a mate ran the studio, he rang me up, ‘i’ve got these boys coming down, there’s a £100 in it if you’ll come and record,’ from that point we were throwing drums around. serge loves it because every hip-hop track comes with a different drum sound from a different sample from a different era, from a different record, sped up, slowed down. it’s all fun.”

as the songwriter, how much does serge provide direction for your drum parts?“he’s got a home studio so he’s got a drum kit there. serge can play a bit and we’ve got tim [carter], our guitarist, who’s been working with serge on this record. tim had half a dozen lessons off tony williams when he was a kid so tim can play as well. there are a lot of predetermined beats used for serge to write on top of and for arranging so

when it gets to me going into the studio, serge is on a roll, he’s got arrangements down, he’s on the move. i’m coming in and i’m laying the human stuff down as the final thing. there are a lot of predetermined beats and grooves. i still get to flavour it and do my drummer thing, but every band is different. i’ve been in bands where it’s been dictated, i’ve been in bands where you jam it out and thrash it out in a rehearsal room until you get it going. this band works really well with serge doing his thing.”

live, there are a lot of tunes where you just play the ride cymbal, not the hi-hats. Why is that?“maybe that’s just my stylistic thing. that’s a lovely ride cymbal, it’s a 22" k custom and it’s really washy but you can really ‘ting’ it. it’s got a nice bell on it but you can really crash it so there is a lot you can do with it. i can go through a dynamic range with it. For ‘Fire’ i swap it out for a z power ride, the thick ones the metallers use and i use that because it goes ‘ping’. when i’ve broken my k on tour and we’ve put the z up to get

through the gig, it’s so loud even the boys turn around and go, ‘shut up!’ you can’t use a z to wash on. i do like the power of the z, i know it comes with a heavy metal connotation but they’re really nice. the one on my a rig has got a really pure tone to it, so i swap it out for that one tune.”

What’s changed about your drumming since you joined the band?“you always hope that you play to a high level. as a professional musician around Bristol, teaching and playing, i practised my ass off, really worked hard at it, got gigs, i’ve done all sorts of things over the years, you always hope that you play to a level, but actually playing with this band has moved my headspace on in terms of really stepping up. every gig you do, you step up and you play like it’s your last day on earth. i know there are pictures of me with my mouth wide open looking like Jaws about to strike, going hell bent for leather, but it means the same when you’re playing at a low dynamic as well. everything you do must have total clarity and make total sense. people make mistakes, stuff happens, that’s just human error, but the actual atmosphere which you

bring to that stage has to be 110 percent. there is no falling asleep on a wedding gig vibe here. i learned that coming back to Bristol and playing the bars. i could see that other people were more relaxed about what they were doing, shuffling up, plugging in. no, this has got to be on it. it definitely raised my game. i think also being on the bus for years, listening to music, it’s like going to music college in a way, going around festivals seeing so many other players, so many other bands, it raises your game.”

Have you been playing much outside Kasabian?“i’ve been doing some jazzy stuff, i’ve been playing with a very good friend of mine in Bristol called John pearce who is a classical violinist who has turned to the dark side to play jazz and he’s really good at it, and dave newton, the pianist. he’s amazing. i’ve got another friend of mine called James morton i’ve been playing with for years and he plays a lot with pee wee ellis. this is proper jazz stuff, getting out the little jazz kit, a couple of

“where with KAsAbiAn i'm

smAcKinG the s**t out of it with

A bAsebAll bAt, with jAzz it's the

sAme AnGer but suppressed”

ride cymbals, a sizzle cymbal. it’s not terribly modern, it’s bebop-y. it’s interesting because the lessons learned from playing with kasabian, the focus, i take a very similar mindset back to the jazz gigs. where with kasabian i’m smacking the s**t out of it proverbially with a baseball bat, with jazz it’s the same anger but suppressed. it’s killing someone with a baseball bat versus putting a pillow over their mouth so they can’t breathe. it’s the same intent, the same fierceness. it’s angry jazz underneath dave newton’s beautiful cascading piano and John’s violin work, playing with hands sometimes, taking the snare off, playing tunes like ‘caravan’ almost like conga, rumba rhythms. you get to play with tones and textures and zinging around the cymbals, it is different in that respect but i love snake-charming the audience with rhythm, that’s my zone. i try not to bamboozle them. i love charming them. i did a gig at the Bristol Fringe, it’s only a small room, 50 people, when you feel you’ve got the room it’s amazing. if you get passed off into a drum solo and really mess with them – but just keep it moving whatever that tempo is, start boxing around with them rhythmically, using textures, sudden surges in dynamics and then back down – i love that.”

F u n k i n g w i t h P e e w e eLast�year�Ian�played�with�funk�legend�Pee�Wee�Ellis�in�Bristol:�“I�saw�Pee�Wee�waddle�along�the�side�of�the�stage,�calmly�get�up�onstage,�by�that�time�everyone�in�the�band�was�looking�at�him�and�he�just�went,�‘No!’�What�he�wanted�was,�no�one�plays�the�same.�He�doesn’t�want�to�hear�me�lock�with�the�bass�player,�he�doesn’t�want�anybody�to�be�playing�in�the�same�place�rhythmically�at�any�point.�It�blew�my�mind.�I’ve�been�at�this�for�a�while�now,�and�you�know�what?�It�was�insane�but�it�worked.�My�missus�came�to�that�gig�and�she�pointed�out�that�song�as�one�of�the�best�of�the�set.�When�you’ve�got�200�people�in�a�tightly�packed�room�and�you�know�everyone�in�that�audience�is�hypnotised,�it�had�that�effect�and�I�was�smiling�from�ear�to�ear,�it�was�the�best�feeling�ever.”


ian: “every gig you do, you step up and you play like it's your last day on earth”

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TGR257.drumexpo_a4.indd 1 7/10/14 3:32 PM


IntervIewAllAn Cox


words:GeoffNicholls photos:RobMoNk

just As AllAn Cox CelebrAtes 40 yeArs As A pro drummer,he lAnds the python gig At the london 02 ArenA. rhythm

meets one of the uK’s most vAlued show drummers

CoxAllan

Monty Python

aughs Allan Cox: “I‘retired’ when I leftschool in 1974! I’ve beendoing what I wanted todo all my life and now Ihave got to this great

milestone – 40 years of earning a living with a set ofdrums.” Allan is one of the UK’s great stalwarts ofmusical theatre, and theman entrusted with theenviable job of playing the 02 Arena on theMontyPython reunion concerts.Growing up in Croxley Green, nearWatford, Allan

says, “My brother and sister were always playingthe Stones and TheWho, andmy dadwould have

Basie, Ellington and Sinatra. So I had thisdouble-pronged input. I just knew I loved it andsomehowwouldmake it work”.

The Python gig is perhaps the biggest ofAlan’s impressive career, which has seen himhelm countless West End shows, from Evita toWest Side Story. “Show drumming has allowedmeto play somany styles of music with somany sizesof band/orchestra, from trios to a 65-pieceorchestra with the English National Ballet at theRoyal Albert Hall.” Allan’s versatility has also led toTV (Comic Relief, The Royal Variety Performance),and artists ranging from Smokey Robinson toJohnny Cash.

howdid thePythongig comeyourway?“I did an album for themusical director, John DuPrez [aka Trevor Jones], in 2010. He’s a film/TVcomposer/producer and he did ‘One Foot In TheGrave’ which Eric Idle sang. John liked the rhythmsection and this gig came in last November.“I had also done the first tour of [Eric Idle’s]

Spamalot, in May 2010. Getting a tour is always agood omen forme – I alwaysmanage to come backto theWest End from Leeds or somewhere.”

howhas the showevolved?“I was called for dance rehearsals, which is whenyou work with the choreographer – Arlene

L


phillips in this case. the show has 20 dancers.rehearsals normally start about six weeks beforeopening night, with a pianist and drummer. it’ssomething i’ve done a lot of. i did chicago in 1997with a famous american choreographer, annreinking. she would not start a rehearsal without adrummer, it’s an american thing – and thanks verymuch! we had dance rehearsals at the Londonpalladium for three weeks. we didn’t see anypythons for two or three weeks, and on the day acouple of them come in – eric idle andmichael palin– for the dancers it’s a huge lift. nowwe have beenhere at Lh2 [massive facility in north west London]for three weeks, doing 2pm to 10pm each day, sixdays a week. it’s a lot of hours, huge technical crew,video crew, screens flying in and out. But everyone iswalking around with a huge smile, the atmosphere isreally relaxed.”

Relaxedbut busy?“sometimes you don’t domuch and sometimes youcan play for three hours. the choreographer willwant you tomark stuff, might want a boom or a bangand you stick it in the part. it might come out againthe next day.“the first time the five pythons [John cleese, terry

Jones, eric idle, michael palin and terry gilliam] gottogether for a read-through was June 16th. as soonas they started to run some of those sketches, not incostume, just sitting around a table, people werefalling about – ‘nudge-nudge’, ‘albatross’ and the‘arguments’ sketch: “will that be fiveminutes or thefull 30minutes?” they have an autocue butsometimes they leave that behind and verge off intohilarious dialogue. it will be a bit like a jazz gig ithink, different every night. themusic slotsin-between and supports some of the sketches.then there are probably six big choreographedproduction numbers.”

idle is theprimemover and thebigmusic fan?“well he is always wandering around with his guitar,strumming away. he was very pally with georgeharrison. i think he would have been the fifth Beatle!he lives in La and he was tellingme some lovelyringo stories the other day.“themusic is very 1970s strummy guitar and folky

– there’s not a ton of drumming, but you can get itwrong. if i tried to give themmy one bar of dave

IntervIewAllAn Cox

weckl it would be totally out of place! ‘papa’ Jo Jonesonce said you can do a lot of damage with a little bitof technique. i said to John [du prez] there is notmuch on the parts and he said, well, you knowwhatto play. it’s nice to get to the position where you aretrusted. to work i really don’t need chops of steelwith blistering speed. in terms of speed and volume

my chops are nowhere near where they were 30years ago. But i believe that my playing now iswarmer andmoremusical. Building realrelationships with people is key – the python gigcame out of a session years ago. understandingwhat makes anymusical situation work is also key.it’s not about me or the drums, it’s about the biggerpicture. getting a good sound – for themusic, mycolleagues and themicrophones – is reallyimportant. understandingmusic means being agreat listener, getting the drums out of earshot andlistening to the whole picture.”

howdoyougoabout translating everything toamassive arena?“the facilities they have at Lh2mean they can createthe show here, a west end theatre is not big enough.the guy who designed the set does the stones. youdon’t realise how big it is until you see 20 dancers upthere and they’re tiny. the sound guy, rory madden,does tina turner and stevie wonder, so he knowswhat’s needed to reproduce what the guys are doingon stage to the back of the 02. you do get a sense ofbeing a tooth on the cog of a very big engine.there are 19 trucks tomove it all to the 02.”

“It is [a serious business] and they take it very seriously.But you can sit in a dance rehearsal andwork somethingout verymethodically and then one of the Pythons turnsup and everything goes out thewindow! Sometimes youdon’t getmuch done because there is somuch laughing.They are on fantastic form, the five of them together.There is an autocue running and that is the dialoguewe

are all expecting to hear and yesterday John Cleese andTerry Jones just went off on one and thewhole roomwasfalling about and they had to stop the rehearsal. They do asketch called ‘Science Today’ in which John Cleese has towear a bog-standard female wig and Eric Idle couldn’tlook at himwithout falling apart. Eric actually said I don’tthink I will be able to look at you in this sketch.”

A serious businessAllAn on Comedy drumming

Allan has also played inWest end shows such asevita and 42nd street


drumsTiki Classic Maple drums in Black Sparkle: 20"x15" bassdrum, 10"x7", 12"x8", 14"x12" and 16"x14" toms. Yamaha

Anton Fig Signature 14"x6" snare drum

CymbAlsPaiste: 14" Traditional hi-hats, 17" and 18" Traditional Thin

crashes, 20"Masters Series ride

plus:Remo heads – snare: Powerstroke-3 or Coated

Ambassador batter; toms: Clear Pinstripes or CoatedAmbassador batters, Coated Ambassadors resonants (forslightly less resonance than clear); bass drum: CoatedPowerstroke-3 (no beater patch, ever); SmoothwhitePowerstroke-3 front; Yamaha pedals and stands;

Roc’n’Soc throne; Vic Firth 5A sticks; ACS T1 Live! tripledriver in-ear ambientmonitoring system; RolandM48

Live Personal Mixer

“it’s A lot of hours, huge teChniCAl Crew, video Crew, sCreensflying in And out. but everyone is wAlKing Around with A huge

smile, the Atmosphere is reAlly relAxed”

Allan’s Kit

Allan’s Tiki drums set-upfor theMonty Python gig

Allan: “i really don’tneed chops of steelwith blistering speed”


IntervIewAllAn Cox

is themusic bothold andnew?“they knew they were going to build on some of thepython tracks from the 1970s. they have put a clickover the top of them. there is a whole field oftechnicians with fantastic ability to move themusicaround, to whatever video links they are using, etc.

“For cleese’s ‘silly walks’ sketch John du prez anderic just wrote a song called ‘the silly walks song’(http://bit.ly/1mrpmgq). arlene choreographed 20dancers all doing versions of John’s silly walks withbowler hats and canes!“and they just put a click on top of ‘christmas in

heaven’, with graham chapman, who is thedeceased python. a young actor, samholmes, playsgraham, in a white elvis suit and fake tan, angels andsnow flying about. the song comes out of a videothat features graham, then suddenly he is walkingdown-stage singing this song. that was originallydone with a big string intro and then an old rolandbeatbox comes in and sets the tempo. But therewere only two bars, so they have created a click thatgoes through the intro and then doubles up into thenew tempo so we can play with it.”

What is the click?“John du prez likes a cross-stick. we each have aneight-channel mixer and i have tracks for click,drums, percussion, guitar, etc. so i can createmyownmix, including the live python vocals. we evenplay along with the band of the royal marines on onetrack – they’ve clicked that.

“i just got some new acs t1-Live! in-ear monitors,with an ambient mic in the ear mould so you can use

it all day and i don’t have to keep taking them out totalk to someone. drums can be nasty, especially ifyou are playing six hours a day. music has got louder,our hearing is at stake and once it has gone it has

gone. i’m not one of the heaviest hitters and i don’thave any long-term damage, but i do get some funny[ear] noises occasionally.”

What is theband line-up?“Quite small: percussion, drums, basses (electric andupright), guitars (plus mandolins, ukuleles, etc),trumpet doubling flugel, wind player playing three orfour instruments, and two keyboards. keys-1 is the

main piano part and then Jeff Leach plays keys-2 andhas done all the programming – he’s a real whizz.”

sounds like theultimate fun gig to celebrateyour40years. but howdid youget startedondrumsoriginally?“i was born in 1958, andmy brother, who is 10 yearsolder, was the bass player in a band that rehearsedin our front room. their drummer used to leave thedrums underneath our stairs and i just loved them.

“i got to about 12 and wrote to the premier drumcompany asking about teachers and got anembossed letter back suggesting max abrams. i wentto max for about three-and-a-half years. i picked upgigs from about 14 and while at school i was earning£40-plus a week, which in 1974 was goodmoney. ijust knewwhat i wanted to do. i couldn’t wait to leaveschool at 16. i would take any gig. dad would driveme and sit in the car with a flask and wait till one inthemorning. so i was slowly ‘networking’. the firstshow i did was touring with hair – i lied about myage, told them i was 18.

“But i wanted to play jazz, and i went on awavendon allmusic course at the old stables around1976. kenny clare was the drum tutor and he wasalso working with tony Bennett and couldn’t make

the tutors’ final night concert. i was probably thestrongest [student] and so i was asked to do it,playing with John dankworth and cleo Laine! i wasscared but it was fun. i started doing jazz gigs butrealised that wouldn’t pay the bills. my biggest thingwas to be a versatile, working drummer.“i worked on cruise ships for two years – an

opportunity to practise – then came back to Londonin 1982 andmy first west end showwas depping in

evita for £19.50 a show. evita was hard, stuff in 7/8, abig orchestra. stan Bourke, a great english drummerwho did the west end, and Bobbyworth at the talkof the town were two guys who helpedme get myfoot in the door. stan let me dep on 42nd street, abig show.”

so youwerebuilding contacts and trust allthe time?“i got a call for a session in wood green – 20 jinglesto record in one day. the guitarist, graham ather,was with the BBc Big Band. and this is how thingswork sometimes – about amonth later i get a call at8am from the BBc Big Band saying can you get tomaida Vale by 10am? that was the start of a fouryear stint – 1982 to 1986 – playing big band, four toseven sessions a week. Being able to go into thecontrol room and hear yourself back straightawaywas invaluable.”

Now, a thousand shows, gigs and sessions later,youalso teachprivately andhaveahighlyacclaimededucational cD,Meet ThebassPlayer, out.“that came out of my studies with [canada-baseddrum guru] Jim Blackley. i wanted something to work

“it’s not About me or the drums, it’s About the bigger piCture.getting A good sound – for the musiC, my ColleAgues And the

miCrophones – is reAlly importAnt”

Allan: “Understandingwhatmakes anymusicalsituationwork is key [tobeing a showdrummer]”

Allan cox: he’s not theMessiah, he’s a drummer

www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk

howdid youget startedplayingpercussion?“I started at nine years old. It just seemed to happennaturally, I’ve always felt drawn to the instruments. At 18,I studied Percussion at Trinity College ofMusic. Over thepast 13 or so years I’ve been very fortunate to have hadmany playing opportunities in a variety ofmusicalsituations withmany fantasticmusicians.”

howdoesMontyPythondiffer fromother gigs andwhat are the challenges?“I was so delighted to be asked to play for theMontyPython gig. As you can imagine, it has been such fun tobe involvedwith! Any productionmight have itsmomentswith sections you need to have a look at, musically adifficult passage to play,moving from one instrument toanother quickly or changing sticks. A lot of thought has togo into themusical geography of the pad, choice ofinstrument best for themusic, where the instrumentsand themusic are placed in order to play comfortably.You have to think about the venue’s acoustics, projectionand sound of the instrument within the ensemble,hearing the othermusicians you’re playingwith. It’sattention to detail, the use of common sense andswitching on quickly to what’s happening around you.”

What other gigs have youhad, andwhichhavebeenthebiggest career highlights?“That’s a difficult question as so far I’ve been fortunateenough to have had a lot of playing experience.Percussion chairs on sevenWest End theatre shows[currently Charlie & the Chocolate Factory], threeNational Theatre productions and four Shakespeare’sGlobe theatre productions, London Olympics 2012[opening ceremony, album], some recording for film atAbbey Road, playing creatively with fantasticmusicians.Any playing opportunities are career highlights. It’swhat’s taken from the experience and how youmove onto the next one. Hopefully a better andwisermusician!”

What is your set-upandwhichkit is essential?“ForMonty Python: timpani, tuneables, hand drums,

metals, sound effects. Some of themusic has a strongdraw towardsmarching band so I’m playing a bass drumwithmounted clash cymbals. My set-ups depend onwhatthe composer andmusic requires. At homemy studio isfull of all sorts of percussion instruments and sounds. Asa percussionist the doors open tomany instruments, so Istrive to be the best I can to adapt to the situation andadd to themusic competently. Primarily I’m known as arhythm section player but I havemuch experiencewithorchestral playing andworkingwith a conductor.”

Any tips forRhythmreaderswhowant topursueacareer in percussion?“Be openminded, listen to lots ofmusic, play with lotsofmusicians and remember to enjoy and learn fromthe experiences.”

Python percussionistCorrinA silvester Adds timpAni, hAnd drums And more

along with Jim’s material. around themid-1980s ihad been doing a lot of session work, but my handsfelt shocking! i couldn’t equate the two. davehassell, one of Jim’s original uk students, said if youever get the chance, go see Jim Blackley. it tookme20 years, but Jim was great, he put me completelyin touch with myself and a way of playingmusic thatjust felt right.“Jim used the [american jazz saxophonist] Jamey

aebersold cds and i wanted to produce somethingthat i knewwas on themoney, all the tracksrecorded with a click by paul morgan, the greatacoustic bass player, with [guitarist] hugh Burns.there was nothing around with acoustic bass and itprovides a context for that sort of playing. it hasdone really well. adamnussbaum recommends it

for developing your swing. John riley uses it and edsoph at north texas state university. ralph salminsand ian thomas love it. i have some great quotes onmy website.”

You’re passionate about private teachingrather than the college route?“there are a half-dozen really good teachers inthe uk, like paul clarvis, dave hassell, Bobarmstrong. not average, i mean really good,and that’s a muchmore financially competitivealternative than coming out of college with ahuge debt and no gigs. i personally won’t seeyou for more than 10 lessons. if i can’t give youwhat you need in 10 lessons then i am not a verygood teacher!”

corinne: “As apercussionist the doorsopen tomany instruments”


words: Geoff Nicholls

Rhythm’s Vintage geaR pages staRted back in 2006 and we’Ve since featuRed oVeR 160 oldies – some RaRe and Valuable, many moRe modest but equally tReasuRed. so just how haRd is it to find and safely land youR own Vintage pRize? in the fiRst of ouR two-paRt featuRe, pReVious contRibutoRs to Rhythm’s Vintage geaR pages shaRe theiR

expeRiences and know-how

FeatureVintage dRums


mike ellis: “Online auction and sale sites [eBay, Gumtree, Craigslist, Preloved.co.uk etc] are a good place to start. There are a few Facebook trading pages as well where prices tend to be lower.”

pReston pRince: “It’s still the USA where the bargains are. Craigslist is the big one. However, quite a few people have taken chances and lost money due to scammers.”

peteR foskett: “What used to be seen in second-hand shops has been soaked up by eBay. It’s a great source of gear and information. I’ve learned a lot about vintage gear in the last 10 years from simply reading people’s descriptions. Consider the competition on eBay with other potential buyers. So when a kit is described as ‘Ludwig Super Classic 13", 16", 22"’, then you are immediately up against all the Ludwig collectors. So look for gear that has not been well described: ‘Drum Kit’, eg: by an owner who is not sure what they have. That might throw up the odd bargain.”

daVe mcReady: “Try searching different spellings of well-known brands on eBay, Facebook, and Gumtree.”

alan buckley: “The web is one of the last places I would look because you cannot see what you are getting. On the web you have to know what you are buying.”

gaRRy allcock: “Some of the older drum shops still do part-exchanges. and second-hand shops of any sort might have a drum under the counter… You have to ask.”

peteR foskett: “Car boot fairs, charity shops, local auctions – they are unlikely to know the true value and the auction is less likely to attract competition – and even your local rubbish tip and skips! A couple of my best finds came from placing a wanted ad for old or vintage drums in the local supermarket.”

simon wagstaff: “Bargains can be found anywhere. A lot of it is luck. I recently went into a local music shop and picked up a Hayman Vibrasonic for £20! It needed a bit of TLC but sounds great. The good stuff will normally be with existing collectors though, so network!”

RichaRd thomas: “Attend both UK vintage drum shows - the UK National Drum Fair (www.ukdrumfair.com) and Sir Alan’s Vintage and Custom Drum Show (www.siralandrums.co.uk).”

andy youellFounder�of�Drumarchive.com,�the�definitive�source�of�historic�drum�catalogues.

gaRRy allcockBirmingham�big�band�legend,�vintage�drum�collector�and�player,�Garry�is�chairman�and�treasurer�of�the�UK�National�Drum�Fair�(www.ukdrumfair.com).

‘siR’ alan buckleyDoyen�of�British�collectors,�a�true�English�eccentric�with�by�far�the�biggest�UK�collection.�Curator�of�the�Classic�Drum�Museum�and�the�Vintage�and�Custom�Drum�Show�(www.siralandrums.co.uk).

mike ellisDrummer�and�techie,�runs�Blenheim�Drums�specialising�in�vintage�and�modern�Premier�hardware,�spares�and�parts,�drum�repairs��and�restoration�(www.blenheimdrums.yolasite.com).��

peteR foskettFastidious�rescuer�and�renovator�of�modest�British-made�drums�from�the�1950s�to�the�1970s.

daVe mcReadyScottish�drummer�and�Olympic-Premier�enthusiast,�founder�of�www.vintageolympic.co.uk.

Robin melVilleRespected�Cumbrian�drummer�and�long-time�Ludwig�fan,�collector��and�player.

jeRemy peakeThe�‘Fen�Tiger’,�great�enthusiast,�drummer�and�clever�renovator�of�modest�UK�drums.�

pReston pRinceDrummer,�drum�maker�and�teacher,�owner�of�Tiki�Drums,�Hove.�

daVe seVilleFounder�of�the�Old�Drummer’s�Club,�the�essential�newsletter�for�vintage�drum�enthusiasts�and�traders.

RichaRd thomasDrum�enthusiast,�regular�player;�with�wife�Jayne�trades�gear�and�spare�parts�as�‘Boozey�and�Hawkeye’.

simon wagstaffUK�National�Drum�Fair�committee�member,�Slingerland�nut�and��tireless�organiser�of��NDF�vintage�vault.

as RegaRds buying Vintage, oR simply old/inteResting geaR, wheRe would you look, especially foR fiRst-time baRgains?

1 . WHERE TO LOOK?

O n L i n E

O u R E x p E R T s

O f f L i n E

english Rogers kit in Black Pearl, circa 1961/1962



alan buckley: “collect catalogues, they are the only reliable source of information. or sometimes the experts who have been collecting for years. But even so-called specialists do not always know the dates. even i make mistakes.”

andy youell: “on drumarchive.com we’ve got hundreds of catalogues from all the major (and some not-so-major) brands. i might even say it is the ultimate reference source for vintage drums. i don’t do as much on the web as i used to. i gave the asba site (www.asbadrums.com) to a guy in France. i shut down vistalites.com and gifted the domain to Ludwig.”

jeRemy peake: “Forums and Facebook can be helpful, though sometimes people are not as knowledgeable as they think they are. eventually you get to know key people who really know their stuff. often they have an encyclopaedic knowledge of a particular brand and love to share that knowledge. the best resource for catalogues is undoubtedly the irreplaceable www.drumarchive.com. i also enjoy dave seville’s old drummer’s club publications and the websites run by enthusiasts.”

simon wagstaff: “there are plenty of books, some of the best being the slingerland, gretsch and rogers books, all written by rob cook (www.rebeats.com). For advice on dating drums and what to look for, www.vintagedrumforum.com is good. But the best advice is to talk to collectors.”

pReston pRince: “knowledge takes time, you can’t just dial it in. get rob cook’s books. they are wonderful resources with plenty of insights. steve maxwell’s archived listings of historical sets is also good (www.maxwelldrums.com).”

RichaRd thomas: “wikipedia, geoff nicholls’ drum books, also modern drummer and rhythm magazines.”

mike ellis: “the drum Book by some no-hope chancer called geoff nicholls is a great reference tool!”

Robin melVille: “Books on us vintage stuff by rob cook and harry cangany. also, ned ingberman has an excellent website (www.vintagedrum.com) with loads of information. tam rankin runs a website (www.vintprem.moonfruit.com) devoted to Premier/olympic.”

peteR foskett: “try www.vintageolympic.co.uk, the haynes drum manual, by Paul Balmer and guide to Vintage drums, by John aldridge.”

jeRemy peake: “Look for something that you have some knowledge about.”

daVe mcReady: “Everything has a value, and stuff that looks knackered can usually be restored.”

RichaRd thomas: “Clean vintage UK and USA drums. Also some of the old Japanese gear is nice. Not re-wrapped and no extra holes. Cymbals: vintage A and K Zildjians, Black Label Paiste 2002s and old Paiste 602s. Don’t buy cracked or keyholed cymbals.”

andy youell: “I always like to get a complete set. This often involves searching around for matching hardware and other matching items. At the moment I’m trying to pull together a set of (unplayed) Premier ‘Donut’ heads for my early 1980s Resonator.”

peteR foskett: “The easiest projects are where you find a complete unmolested kit that’s been wrapped up in someone’s loft for years. All it needs is a good clean and maybe new heads. Luck like that comes along rarely, and working on a limited budget I’ve focused on British-made drums – Premier, Olympic, Beverley, John Grey, Ajax, etc. They are accessible and if something is missing there’s a chance you will find a replacement part.”

daVe seVille: “Contemporary buyers have the benefit of some excellent sources of information – Mike Ellis, DrumArchive, Rhythm etc. You wouldn’t walk into an antique store and spend big money without doing some research. Swot up from reliable sources or repent at leisure. There will always be villains trying to charge top money for dubious drums, but many are okay and the rest, if not saintly, are dumb rather than malicious!”

mike ellis: “This can be tricky especially with very old items, but www.drumarchive.com is a great resource for ID issues.”

daVe mcReady: “Google it or ask someone in the know. There are plenty of forums on the net. Beware, not all sources are what they claim to be!”

simon wagstaff: “Identifying drums can be tricky, especially with badges/transition periods and no serial numbers.”

peteR foskett: “Beware if you’re making a decision from just a photograph and description. On the whole, sellers are honest. I’ve made some great purchases on eBay. It’s a good source for parts.”

jeRemy peake: “Ask for more photos or go along and take a look. Know your subject or do your research.”

what should you look foR?

how can you be suRe to identify items coRRectly?

2. THE KnOWLEDGE

3. auTHEnTiciTy

WHAT ARE THE BEST SOURCES OF

INFORMATION?DEpEnDaBLE


alan buckley: “Always get the head off so you can see if it has been bodged – the badges changed, or it’s been recovered. People put the wrong strainer on to make the drum work properly. They don’t realise what damage they can do.”

mike ellis: “Check the item is complete, check for any repairs, extra holes, non-original parts. These can be dealt with but will ultimately affect the price you should offer. A multitude of sins can be hidden under coated heads – bodged repairs or ‘Frankenstein’ drums can be caught out with a thorough (inside) shell inspection.”

daVe mcReady: “Check for shell delamination, warped hoops, missing parts. Cymbals for cracks, (centre) key-holing, edge dings.”

jeRemy peake: “The main things to look out for are rust, cracks, warping, water damage, heat damage, dented and scratched finishes, botched renovations, cavalier customisation and missing parts. It is much easier to make an assessment if you can inspect a kit first-hand. It’s amazing how so many kits survive intact. Cymbals need checking for ‘flea bites’, hairline cracks, key-holing – and associated radial cracks – warping, dents, scratches, over-cleaning… and it’s not a bad idea to see if they sound good too!”

andy youell: “It can be tricky when buying online. Some drums have particular issues to look out for, eg: the ‘exploding’ lugs on [1960s] Ajax Nu-Sound kits!”

pReston pRince: “On [vintage] Ludwig drums the wrap should be folded into the scarf joint [otherwise it has been recovered]. Extra holes are a no-no unless what you want is a ‘player’s kit’. And that’s fine – there are some great player’s kits out there with one or two holes, but these are not collectable grade unless super-rare.”

jeRemy peake: “It’s possible to search eBay for past listings and sale prices, but it’s an unstable market – sellers do the same and sometimes take the view that their beaten-up old kit with half its original hardware must be worth as much as the immaculately restored version they’ve seen on a dealer’s website. Similarly, some buyers want to purchase kits that have taken weeks of careful restoration and had a lot of money lavished on them for the same price as a trashed version they’ve seen sell for a few pounds.”

mike ellis: “You really need to have prior knowledge to assess value, but if you like it and want it, and you can afford it – buy it!”

simon wagstaff: “The value all depends on what you’re prepared to pay. Kits from the US hold more caché than British kits, which is a bit unfair as some of the Premier and Carlton 1940s, 1950s and 1960s drums were well made with excellent shells.”

gaRRy allcock: “Ask around, check the Internet. Very often it’s ‘What’s it worth to you?’ If you have a set and found a matching snare you’d probably give a bit more, because you really wanted it.”

andy youell: “It’s what the market will bear. There is often little logic. Brand name is a big driver, American drums especially. Completed auctions on eBay are a good source of [pricing] information. Watch to see how often/rarely particular drums come onto the market. I still check eBay recent listings every day.”

pReston pRince: “Don’t look at a price on eBay and think that’s the price the seller is going to get. A recent ’70s Black Beauty was listed at ‘Buy It Now’ for £1,200. Another seller sold one very similar for £700. Check sold prices on eBay. Sometimes I have a price I think is right due to the drum being rare or unique. Also, if I sell on eBay, I’ll state a price, then list it as ‘Open to Offers’.”

peteR foskett: “Most likely parts to be missing are tension rods, bass drum claws, hoops (blame that on the fad for removing the resonant head), lugs, fittings like tom holders, spurs, etc. Look out for later tom holders that have been fitted to an earlier kit. It was the fashion at some point to beef everything up, but nearly always this required drilling larger holes, or holes in different positions. Collectors hate drums modified in this way. This is a complex but not impossible repair.”

jeRemy peake: “Tom rash on bass drums, battle-scarred wraps and rust. Hardware often has mismatched parts or ruined threads.”

pReston pRince: “Broken strainers, dented shells, wraps delaminating, pitted chrome, out-of-round shells.”

how do you assess foR damage? how do you assess the Value?

what aRe the commonest faults oR damaged paRts?

5. THE cOnDiTiOn 7. WHaT’s iT WORTH?

6. cOmmOn pROBLEmsPremier club kit from around 1980


andy youell: “Cash is king!”

daVe mcReady: “PayPal is good for online. Used notes on a face-to-face deal is probably best.”

alan buckley: “I always paid cash. I did get a lot from the States, but I went over there. I would not buy through so-called dealers. I have to know the person, so if it comes and it is bad you can send it back.”

mike ellis: “PayPal offers buyer and seller protection, but is still open to abuse. I only do bank transfers with people I know. Or good old-fashioned cash-on-collection. Never use money transfers, ever.”

Robin melVille: “I have always bought by credit card from the USA. PayPal/eBay, although safe, can be costly. My purchases in this country are usually from people I know and trust, often collectors themselves.”

RichaRd thomas: “Some people accept cheques, which is still a good way to pay.”

what is the safest way to pay?

9. paymEnT sEcuRiTy

We�ask�our�experts�about�their�personal�Holy�Grails,�their�best�bargains,�the�most�valuable�and�collectable�gear.�Plus�how�to�spot�fakes,�and�who�can�you�trust�with�repairs?�Finally,�is�it�okay�to�actually�play�vintage�gear?

n E x T m O n T H


pReston pRince: “You can post anywhere in the world and insure items as long as the customer wants to pay. They have the responsibility to ensure their new investment is insured.”

RichaRd thomas: “Obtain the postage costs brochures from Parcel Force 48. They’re reliable and honest. Always try and insure. I once sent a Ludwig kit to Singapore without insurance. It never arrived and I had to pay a full refund. Ten months later the drums arrived back on my doorstep in pieces… But I got them back!”

daVe mcReady: “Royal Mail is expensive, but there are loads of courier companies. Everyone has horror stories, but most of the time deliveries go as planned.”

mike ellis: “Always send via a tracked and insured courier service. Check the T’s & C’s, sometimes musical instruments are not covered. However, if you book through a broker, sometimes the broker will offer cover with a courier company that itself does not.”

jeRemy peake: “With so many cheap courier services around, people sometimes risk sending valuable drums and hardware with carriers who clearly state musical instruments are not covered by their insurance. I’ve heard horror stories, but I’ve never had any trouble so far with couriers. I have had problems with people posting things to me in shockingly bad packaging.”

andy youell: “I bought a pristine pair of Asba congas on eBay. They were badly packed and arrived in many pieces! I posted a Premier snare drum in an aluminium flight case. It must have taken one hell of a knock as it arrived with the strainer broken.”

what about postage, deliVeRy and insuRance?

8. safE DELivERy

German-made Trixon 1960s luxus 0/200 kit


IntervIewRobeRt ‘sput’ seaRight


words: DaviD West photos: rob monk

Snarky PuPPy’S multi-talented drummer ‘SPut’ talkS about wanting to be the next Quincy JoneS and why even a grammy

award iS no Shortcut to SucceSS

S p u tr o b e r t

s e a r i g h t


Back in January 2014 instrumental jazz/funk/fusion collective snarky puppy snagged the grammy for Best r&B performance for their version of the Brenda russell tune ‘something’ from their album Family dinner – Volume 1. what makes their win all the more impressive is that the

band does everything independently, with their own record label groundup music, and no big corporation pushing their music on the airwaves. For drummer robert ‘sput’ searight, the trophy for ‘something’ was actually his second grammy award – he won his first one while still in his teens. By any measure, this is a band and a drummer on the rise, reaping the rewards for years of hard work, building a global audience with a tireless touring schedule and an inspiring commitment to preaching the power of music through clinics and educational workshops. snarky puppy was the brainchild of bassist and bandleader michael League. From its origins in dallas, where League was a student at university of north texas, the band is now based out of Brooklyn, new york, although their touring schedule means they mostly live on the road, with different people in and out of the line-up, as many members are in-demand session players.

sput was born and raised in dallas, texas in a family rich in music and faith. “my mom and dad both worked in the music department of the church. my dad directed the choirs. my mom played organ, my dad played the organ and drums, so we had musical instruments in the house. we had a piano and an organ. i think as long as i can remember i was playing drums. i got my first kit when i was four. it was a red sparkling rogers kit. i’ve been playing for a long time.”

growing up in church, sput was immersed in gospel, but he cultivated a broad musical palette from an early age. “i had an auntie who was married to this dJ with a big record collection,” says sput. “they split up and out of anger she gave all his stuff to my dad, so i had access to all these records from the ’70s and ’60s – James Brown, parliament, simon and garfunkel, the Beatles, a wide variety of music. every day after school i used to pick through the stuff and listen to as much as i could to see if i could find something that caught my ear and a lot of it did.”

his musical education continued at the Booker t washington high school For the Visual and performing arts, whose alumni include erykah Badu and norah Jones. “when i was young i wanted to be a scientist,” says sput, who plays both drums and piano. “i was into sports but i didn’t see myself as an athlete. i don’t think the music thing hit me until my eighth-grade year

“ t h e p e r c e p t i o n i s w h e n y o u w i n a g r a m m y y o u b e c o m e s o m e o n e i n t h e i n d u s t r y , p e o p l e s t a r t c a l l i n g y o u , y o u b e c o m e r i c h . . .

n o n e o f t h a t h a p p e n s ”


sput: “in my eighth-grade year i realised that i stood out beyond the other guys that were playing the same instruments”


learning how to put music together and form ideas from scratch. the more you do it the better you get at it. now it’s been 15 to 20 years, i’ve gotten the hang of it.”

at high school, sput became friends with myron Butler, now a successful gospel artist whose 2012 album worship was produced by sput, and they started collaborating. “we always wanted to do things within the school walls that reflected our upbringing, which is the church,” says sput. “we felt there was so much talent throughout the school that if we put a group of people together it would knock the socks off anybody else.” the group they formed won a city-wide gospel choir contest, but then split up. “it’s hard to manage a group as a teenager. we did as much as we could, it kept us out of trouble honestly, because on the weekends we’d

perform at churches or at parks, in malls,” he says. undeterred by the first group’s dissolution, sput put together a new gospel outfit called god’s property with many of the same personnel. “the kids were dynamite, talent-wise,” he says. “everybody could sing, play, everybody was multi-talented. we met kirk Franklin who is a big local artist and he took a liking to us. we got a record deal through him, he signed us and produced a record featuring us called stomp. the title cut featured salt from salt’n’pepa. i was md, i came up with a lot of the arrangements and produced that song as well, and that’s the song that won the grammy.”

however, having a shiny trophy for ‘Best gospel album By choir or chorus’ on the shelf was not a ticket to instant success. “the perception is when you win a

when i realised that i stood out beyond the other guys that were playing the same instruments. i realised i had something i could expand on. then i started saying i wanted to produce, to be the next Quincy Jones; that was my goal. it’s still a goal of mine now to be a profound producer.”

he learned about production, exploring the intricacies of making music. “i would take some of my favourite songs and duplicate them in the midi lab, minus the lyrics obviously,” he says. “i would try to match the live drum sounds with sampled drum sounds and i would use the same basslines and try to duplicate them to a tee, verbatim. some of the songs i did were a few instrumental cuts by mint condition and some michael Jackson cuts. that was the starting ground for me producing. i was

sput: “it’s still a goal of mine now to be a profound producer”


grammy you become someone in the industry, people start calling you, you become rich. none of that happens,” he says. “it was just something that was given to me and life went on. i still had to build my career. a year after that grammy, the group split up.”

Looking for a fresh start, he left dallas for La where he landed gigs with celine dion, snoop dogg, Busta rhymes, p. diddy, erykah Badu, timbaland and Justin timberlake, although on many of the gigs he started out playing keyboards as well as being md. “something would always happen with the drummer and i’d fill in because i could play drums, i knew the music and it was easier for me to play drums,” he says. “now i’m solely a drummer on most of the gigs i play, except for the stuff i produce.”

sput first crossed paths with michael League at a jam session in dallas and the pattern of swapping keys for drums repeated itself. “mike would come down and one day he sat in and played and that was pretty much it for our relationship,” says sput. “that was the start of something really

we’ve really grinded tooth and nail from the states coming over here to europe, we’ve done tours that were non-stop, relentless, just to get the word out and see if people could gravitate towards the music,” he says. “i didn’t expect to win a grammy because that’s the ultimate award but i thought that if people gave this music a shot they would like it. it’s gratifying to see people recognise us, fans – we call them friends. you feel like you know them even when you meet them for the first time. that’s a beautiful thing. that’s the most gratifying part of it, even more so than the awards.”

while the core of snarky puppy is an instrumental group, they often collaborate with vocalists when they want to play a song with lyrics. it was their team-up with Lalah hathaway that won the grammy but in sput’s opinion they don’t see bringing in vocalists as a calculated way to reach a wider audience. it’s just part and parcel of the creative process. “i don’t think we concentrate too much on what the thing-to-do is. we just do what we want to do,” he says. “we don’t compromise. we’re

The�song�that�won�Sput�his�second�Grammy�–�‘Something’�featuring�Lalah�Hathaway.�The�band�loves�to�record�live�takes�with�the�audience�members�sitting�amongst�the�musicians.�http://youtu.be/sCxknUG01as

A�great�performance�of�‘Bent�Nails’,�a�track�written�by�Sput�himself�for�Snarky�Puppy,�filmed�for�Vic�Firth,�and�a�showcase�for�his�open-handed�playing�style.�http://youtu.be/6iXajbpp-7s

Magda�Giannikou�joins�Snarky�Puppy�on�this�performance�demonstrating�the�group’s�facility�for�tackling�music�from�across�the�world,�with�a�great�drum�and�percussion�break.�http://youtu.be/KPHB6hm2wV8

Sput�captured�live�on�stage�with�Snarky�Puppy�at�a�gig�in�Nashville�as�he�navigates�the�dense�arrangement�with�total�confidence�and�a�huge�groove.�http://youtu.be/DBrwalgqErY

s o m e t h i n g

b e n t n a i l s

a m o u r t ’ e s l a

w h a t a b o u t m e

“ i ’ d n e v e r s e e n a c h e e s y , n e r d y l o o k i n g w h i t e g u y p l a y w i t h t h a t m u c h s o u l a n d f u n k

o n t h e b a s s . i t w a s c o o l ”dynamic for me in my life. i’d never seen a cheesy, nerdy looking white guy play with that much soul and funk on the bass. it was cool. we kept in contact and he asked me to come check out his band, which was snarky puppy. i was blown away and i would come and sit in with the band. he asked me to play keys because the keyboard player was from London and couldn’t go on the tour. i learned some of the hardest music i ever learned in my life on the fly, basically. the rest is history. it’s been eight years since i’ve been in the band. the first year i played piano and i’ve been playing drums ever since.”

while the bulk of the band members now live in new york, sput has stayed in texas. “right now there’s no need to move for me,” he says. “we don’t do a lot of shows in new york, we don’t rehearse a whole lot. we rehearse before tours and before records and usually we fly in and do that stuff anyway. i’ve been to new york but i’d rather be at home with my mom and my sisters.”

in 2013, snarky puppy played almost 200 shows around the world, which for sput is the key to their rapidly growing fame and success. “this band works really hard and

not a commercial group, we don’t do things the conventional way. we want to always be creative and play live music and incorporate that in whatever we’re doing, whether that’s bringing in a vocalist or whatever. we don’t do that intentionally to create radio success.”

one of their most daring collaborations saw the members of snarky puppy playing with the metropole orchestra earlier this year. Based in holland, the metropole orchestra is a hybrid between a symphony orchestra and a jazz big band with 52 players joining forces with the 10-piece snarky puppy. “the director Jules Buckley and mike wrote songs, so it was a performance of music written for a 62-piece orchestra playing as a band. most of the time the metropole plays with people, it’s the artist singing their own music then metropole playing around their arrangements, which is cool. they have the best timing in the world as musicians and orchestral players. this particular thing is different because it was written for them and the music is beautiful. it’s one of the most incredible experiences i’ve ever been a part of in my life, actually. it’s hard to go from that to



playing with 10 people now but it’s one of those things i hope we get the chance to tour. it’s going to be a game changer if that happens. i think people would love to come see it. we nicknamed it snarkopole.”

even when he’s not playing alongside an orchestra, sput still shares the stage with nine other people, including nate werth on percussion, so he has worked to develop a sound that complements such a stacked and packed playing environment. his gretsch kit

to build a sound around what works for the gig. For this gig i’ve experimented a lot. i played a lot of shells so i’ve really tried to make sure the toms are deep and big when they need to be. i still have the contrast of the smaller toms, being able to create different timbres and textures. nate basically has everything known to mankind in his set-up, which is congas, bongos, a snare, a bunch of stacked cymbals and a bunch of toys – cowbells, blocks, he has all kinds of

from gig to gig because i play differently when i set up differently,” he explains. “i might play a 14" to the left side or play small to big the traditional way, or i switch and might play big to small. it depends on how i’m feeling but every now and then i like to change the set-up and it changes my style.”

outside of snarky puppy, the drummer is not one to rest on his laurels. “i’m starting a label. there’s a band i started called rsVp which features a lot of young musicians from dallas. i play piano, write and arrange most of the music and it’s a very lively, exciting group. it’s more on the funky side but it has elements of fusion as well. then i have a few artists like my baby sister rachella searight. she sings so i want to do some records with her. there are a few local talented bands in the dallas area, one called the Found i want to produce. they’re a hip-hop/r&B band.”

on top of that, he is planning a trio album with organist cory henry and guitarist isaiah sharkey and an album with a group of multi-instrumental drummers. “we’re going to set up multiple instrument stations, have small kits and play together. it’s going to be a really cool project.” he’s also working on an album with snarky puppy’s percussionist nate werth. “we started it in January and we have another instalment of recordings to do, all percussive instruments. we’re doing a documentary as well. so it’s going to be a pretty interesting year for me.”


d r u m sGretsch�New�Classic�series�in�Gold�Sparkle:20"x18"�kick�drum,�10"x8"�tom,�12"x10"�tom,�14"x14"�&�16"x14"�floor�toms,�14"x5"�&�14"x8"�maple�snares

c y m b a l sMeinl�Byzance�Series:22"�Traditional�ride,�12"�Generation�X�splash,�18"�Vintage�crash,�10"�Extra�Thin�splash,�22"�Sand�crash�ride,�16"�Extra�Thin�Medium�hi-hats,�20"�Extra�Thin�crash

p l u sEvans�heads�–�Level�360�G2�Coated�on�toms,�Power�Centre�Reverse�Dot�on�5"�snare,�Hybrid�on�8"�snare,�EMAD�on�kick;�Gibraltar�hardware�and�pedal;�Vic�Firth�AJ1�and�AJ2�sticks

“ t h e t i m e p e r i o d o f t h e ’ 7 0 s d e f i n i t e l y i n f l u e n c e d

m y s o u n d a g r e a t d e a l ”includes two snares, a 14"x5" and a 14"x8". “i’m a product of the ’70s,” he says. “the time period of the ’70s definitely influenced my sound a great deal. in terms of snares, i like the sound of clyde stubblefield and Jabo starks, the higher pitched snares that were popping but at the same time i like the snares that were deep – al green, george clinton and parliament. i’m such a fan of the deep snare and would play it for a whole gig if i was allowed to. other than that you have

things over there that take up a great deal of space rhythmically. Being able to utilise the sound of the toms allows me to hit them one time and make a difference, so that’s really where i’m coming from when i’m thinking about my sound. i’m trying to create the tones of the ’70s in my bigger toms. then in my smaller toms i’m trying to create the more fusion-y ’90s Vinnie colaiuta toms.”

sput enjoys mixing up his configuration to prompt changes in his playing. “it changes

sput’s Gretsch and meinl set-up with snarky Puppy


From his decades behind the kit with uriah heep to the genre-defining albums he played on with ozzy osbourne, Lee kerslake has been a pillar of British rock drumming since the late 1960s when he first came to prominence in psychedelic rock band

the gods. Born and raised in Bournemouth, Lee started out playing rock’n’roll – elvis, the everly Brothers, the Shadows – in a local band. “i was loving every minute of it on stage and i was loving the girls liking me as well and that was something else,” he says. however his musical career was nearly nipped in the bud by the lure of outer space. “there was a company that was interviewing kids to be involved with space – space shuttles, sputnik, rockets – and i loved all that,” he says. “i was excellent at maths and science so i was halfway there. i promised my mum i’d do the interview, i walked it. So i got the job. i was getting £1, 19s, and 11p a week. then the band got gigs on Fridays and Saturdays. we were getting £25 on a Saturday between us. there were four of us and a bit of petrol, so i was going, ‘hang on a minute, i’m getting a tenner for doing two gigs with this band, i’m going to

be a drummer.’ that was it.” he hit the big time in the 1970s with uriah heep alongside guitarist mick Box, keys player ken hensley, vocalist David Byron and a rotating cast of bassists, before leaving in 1979. he joined ozzy osbourne’s band but relations turned toxic with ozzy’s manager and wife Sharon, leading to a long-running legal dispute. after leaving uriah heep again in early 2007, Lee has been semi-retired but has just released a new album this year.

Was your first recording experience with The Gods?“it was ’67 because i got greg Lake into the band for a bit and we had my 21st birthday at my auntie’s house. that was great. i met ken hensley and saw how clever he was at writing and he had his hammond. in Bournemouth where we had semi-pro bands, all they had was the Vox continental. it was the worst sounding instrument i’ve ever heard in my life, but it’s all we had. when i was working with ken, he had a hammond. wow! this guy i like already! he’s from London, he’s cool, great player. i was a singer and a drummer, the bass player was a singer, ken was a singer, and the lead guitarist was a singer, so we had harmonies. we literally had the beginning

of uriah heep, because we were all singers. gods was phenomenal. we were such a cult band, we sold out the marquee in wardour Street three nights on the trot, for a band without a record deal. then we got a record deal and it fell apart.”

You bounced betweens bands – The Gods, Head Machine, National Head Band, Toe Fat.“i was ducking and diving. i was being offered jobs every which way because when we had the gods we had such a following that the music industry knew me and ken. ken left the band and went off to join cliff Bennett, i managed the gods for a little while but i had to let it go. i couldn’t do it – drumming, driving, management, agent, everything. then i got offered a job to join national head Band, with a very rich backer who put us on a retainer. we wrote an album called albert one which was so ahead of its time. it was phenomenal but it didn’t go anywhere. i met an agent and a manager, gerry Bron and Steve Barnett, and i said, ‘i want you to hear the band.’ they said ‘okay, we’ll get you a gig at thumpers in Leicester Square and we’ll have a listen.’ So i did the show and gerry and Steve said, ‘can we have a word with you privately? we’re not interested in

worDS: DaviD West photoS: rob monk

“It was lIke magIc, there Is no other way oF descrIbIng It. when we

lIstened back to It, I went, ‘thIs Is goIng to blow amerIca oFF the Face oF the earth.’ wIthIn two months

we were doIng our own tour”

The interview

From conquering America with Uriah Heep to almost drinking himself to death, Lee Kerslake tells Rhythm about the best and

the worst of his tumultuous life in rock

Lee Kerslake

The interview


that good. gerry said, ‘you’ll never better that.’ it was like magic, there is no other way of describing it. when we listened back to it afterwards, i went, ‘this is going to blow america off the face of the earth.’ Sure enough within two months we were doing our own headlining tour in ’72.”

This must have been at the start of the era of big arena tours in the US?“well, yeah, but we were still the tail end compared to Deep purple, Black Sabbath – they were three years ahead of us, already in america. we just came in and rounded it off. here’s another band for 37,000 people to come and see. we had two albums in the top 20 in the first year, Demons and wizards and

the magician’s Birthday went through the roof. every town in america, everywhere you went you heard ‘easy Livin’’. it was magic within the five members, we all clicked. i was listening to Sting talking on the tV many years ago about how it clicked for the police. they were fine-tuning and honing their work and suddenly it clicked and they went through the roof. it’s the same as when we were doing ozzy, we were left to our own devices, we were writing, admittedly i only wrote one on the first album but i arranged and co-produced the first album with my

ideas for the drumming, harmony, vocal parts, and i went to Bob and said, ‘if we get the right deal, we’ve got a monster.’ then they asked us to do Diary of a madman, we wrote that, i went, ‘this is another one that’s going to stand the test of anything,’ and it has, it’s sold 60 million.”

Had you heard Randy Rhoads before you joined Ozzy’s band?“i knew Bob [Daisley, bassist] from widowmaker, we were friends. we went into Shepperton Studios, Bob had already sent me a couple of tracks, ‘crazy train’ and ‘i Don’t know’. i’d never heard of randy. Bloody hell, what a player! i was trying to be cool, but i went, ‘wow, that guy’s a genius, he’s out of this world.’ i’ve

the band, we want you for a band called uriah heep.’ i said, ‘i don’t know.’ they said, ‘it’s worth

£100 a week to you.’ ‘where do i sign?’ i met with mick [Box, guitarist] down in covent garden in a rehearsal studio. there was no one else there, just me and mick, so we jammed for two hours. that was it, i was in. i was in the studio within a month. i joined in 1971, 23 november, i was in the studio December ’71, and i was on an american tour ’72. that quick.”

Did you know fourth album Demons And Wizards would be so big?“oh yeah, we knew. i was writing with micky and David. ken would bring his songs in, we were so keen to make it happen because when we played together

we were unbelievable. even when we supported Deep purple, we’d blow them off stage, that’s what we took into the studio, that confidence, kind of an arrogance, but with no ego. we wanted to make it and we would steamroller over anybody. remember, uriah heep had already done Very ’eavy Very ’umble and Look at yourself and it was kind of on its way and then we had this thing about magic and fantasy. it bit like a virus. i remember when we did ‘the Spell’, the fight scene between the black witch and the white witch, one take and we were done, it was

Lee KersLaKe On sOLOing ■■ “I■could■not■go■on■there■with■an■ego,■‘Hey■look,■guys,■I■can■

do■this■for■hours.’■That’s■crap■to■me.■On■stage■I■want■to■entertain■you,■so■I’ll■do■a■drum■solo■that■will■last■maybe■eight■minutes■long■and■that’s■the■end■of■it.■I■can’t■go■on■and■do■half■an■hour.■It■does■my■head■in.■I■can■do■a■drum■solo■and■put■everything■I■know■in■eight■to■10■minutes.”“We had two Top 20 albums in the first year.

Every town in America, everywhere you went you heard ‘Easy Livin’’. It was magic”

“[the doctor] said, ‘if you’d carried on another year with Uriah Heep, you’d have been totally deaf’”


and i felt lost. i went on stage in 2006 and it was coming to a head. i didn’t play well at all. i was so angry with myself, it was stupid. we broke up for the christmas holiday, mick phoned me up and said, ‘this can’t go on anymore.’ i said, ‘no, it can’t. it’s time for me to move on. i’ve got to stop, i don’t know what’s wrong with me.’ i went to the doctor’s, he referred me to the hospital, the guy said, ‘right, your hearing, you’re down 40 percent in one, 50 percent in the other, you’ve got tinnitus, you’ve got arthritis on your knee, on your hip, and you’ve got sleep apnoea,’ when you stop breathing during the night. he said, ‘if you’d carried on another year with uriah

heep, you’d have been totally deaf.’ So i stopped everything. i’m still writing and playing but not on the level where we go to Brazil for two weeks, america for a month, then canada for a month, then australia. i can’t do that anymore. i don’t want to, it’s not my thing.”

And now you’ve got BKB - The Berggren Kerslake Band – are you enjoying playing again?“Fantastic. i love it. i’m laughing at the whole industry. on ‘walk tall’ i went ‘hee hee hee’, suck it all of you, we’ve done it. that’s to the industry, the people who thought we’d fail. we had such fun.

never heard a guitarist like him. i joined, we started writing and we wrote for about four days, the whole album. my forte was vocal melodies and i’d sing a verse and then Bob would write the whole song. it was great. it just rolled out. randy would have a part on guitar, i’d go, ‘no, play this part,’ and i’d sing him a guitar part and it would work. no one said, ‘i don’t want to play that.’ Bob would say to me, ‘Double up on the middle eight.’ ‘all right.’ everything went great and it showed on the album.”

Did you tour between recording the two albums, Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman?“we did one english tour, i think eight or nine shows, hammersmith up to Scotland. then while we were doing that Sharon was on the road with ozzy and she turned around and said we’ve got to do another album. i went, ‘okay, but this time we want some money up front. we can’t do an album unless we’re turning over money, so find us some money and we’ll do it.’ She wrote me a cheque, bounced it on me. it brought me to ruin. and then she got rid of us at the same time. not nice.”

Was there any uncertainty about Ozzy’s viability as a solo artist?“there was no doubt he could do it. he didn’t want to do it, he put every barrier in the way, all he wanted to do was feel sorry for himself, get drunk. But we worked on him. we got to him. he got to us and we got to him. i liked him, i liked the son-of-a-bitch, i really did. i got on well with him. Sharon got her claws into him and i’m not going to knock her for her

talent, she’s a clever, very hard woman. we gave her the first couple of million, set her up, she rolled it into hundreds of millions, but what i don’t like about her is she cheated me, Bob and randy out of our rightful amounts of money. that would have set me up for life like a pension. it wasn’t a lot of ask, a couple of million, but she fought us, the lawyer cost her six million to fight us then they threw it out of court, statute of limitations. i’ll never forgive her for that. i can’t because that nearly killed me. i nearly took my life. i just felt so cheated. what am i doing in this business? i’ve done everything i can by the book, i’ve never cheated anybody, all i’ve done is give them

my talent and they’ve ripped me off. i was doing a good job of drinking myself to death. a good friend of mine said, ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself, get off your a**e,’ and i pulled myself out.”

Your second run with Uriah Heep lasted 25 years. Why did you eventually leave the band again?“i stayed with the band because i enjoyed it. when i lost the case against ozzy i was getting ill and i refused to admit to it. i’m a typical stubborn aries and i was kidding myself that i was okay but i wasn’t. i was getting sicker and sicker. Because i lost the case i felt useless, i felt the industry had cheated me again

Lee on Uriah Heep: “even when we supported Deep Purple, we’d blow them off stage, that’s what we took into the studio, that confidence”

“I was doing a good job of drinking myself to death. A good friend of mine said, ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself,’ and I pulled myself out”

74

The interview


Lee KerSLaKe on record Key aLbumS you muSt hear

we were doing it in his garage and we did the basic tracks in his kitchen and that’s his studio. we

had to get me a flight from London to Stockholm to do two gigs in irish pubs for four hours a night so i had a bit of money in my pocket and to pay for the flight, so i could stay there on Sunday and carry on doing the album. it’s so back to the roots. it’s an honest album. there are songs you can whistle and singalong. it was hard work, some of the time i wasn’t there and they had to do it without me. i’d be on the phone, ‘Do the harmonies five times, 20 times. now it works.’ my phone bill! But i’m proud of it. it just needs a break now, for people to listen to it. it’s a very honest album, a happy album to listen to. i wanted it to be how we did music in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, that style is gone, so bring it back. what’s the best way of bringing it back? a new band, BkB. Let’s hope so anyway.”

As the most experienced guy in the band, do the others look to you as a mentor?“yes and no. Stefan [Berggren, singer] values my knowledge and talent, yes, but i also value his. he may not have been around as long as me and had as much success as i’ve had, but he’s equally as good. he’s a great singer, he’s got a great voice, he plays great keyboards and he’s a good guitarist and a good engineer-cum-producer. he’s got talent. i think we should just go for another album later in the year. i’ve already got six songs ready to go, i’m sure he has as many, and try to do it again but without having to play in an irish bar for four hours. we’ve got to fight for every bit of music we can now, everything’s downloaded. i want vinyl to come back. it’s honest and it’s warm. a cD is heartless. you put on vinyl, there are things in there that make you feel good. if i’m feeling it, you’re feeling it, there must be something in it. i don’t know whether that’s going to happen or not but vinyl should come back. if it does, the record industry will be back.”

Weaving The Magic1972-1980

Uriah heepDemons And Wizards (1972)

MercuryUriah■Heep’s■■massive■fourth■■album,■released■in■1972,■is■an■absolute■classic■of■British■■

rock■by■any■reckoning.■It’s■a■fantasy■themed■behemoth,■from■‘The■Wizard’■through■the■juggernaut■of■‘Easy■■Livin’’■to■the■epic■‘The■Spell’.■Lee■■says■the■fantasy■themes■came■from■Ken■Hensley’s■slumbering■mind.■■“He■used■to■dream■amazing■dreams,”■recalls■Lee.■“He’d■tell■me■what■he■■was■dreaming■about■and■he’d■put■them■into■a■song.”

Uriah heepThe Magician’s Birthday (1972)

MercuryAnother■dose■of■■epic■fantasy■and■■prog■rock,■released■barely■six■months■after■Demons■And■

Wizards.■“Everybody■loves■a■bit■of■fantasy,”■says■Lee■who■describes■■Ken■Hensley■as■“a■genius■writer,■■lovely■words,■and■we■were■the■rock■side,■where■we■would■write■‘Shady■Lady’■[from■1975’s■Return■To■Fantasy]■about■a■bunny■girl■David■met■in■America.■And■a■girl■I■met■was■■‘Sweet■Lorraine’.”

LosT in The BLizzard1980-1981

Ozzy OsbOUrneBlizzard Of Ozz (1980)

epicOzzy■Osbourne’s■■solo■debut■features■the■stunning■guitar■work■of■Randy■■Rhoads■and■the■

masterful■rhythm■section■of■Lee■■and■Bob■Daisley.■‘Crazy■Train’■gave■Ozzy■his■first■solo■anthem,■while■classic■tracks■such■as■‘Suicide■Solution’■and■‘Mr■Crowley’■defined■■the■sound■and■direction■of■heavy■metal■in■the■1980s.

Ozzy OsbOUrneDiary Of A Madman (1981)

epicWhile■Bob■Daisley■■and■Lee■Kerslake’s■names■were■not■on■■the■album■–■the■credits■listed■Rudy■Sarzo■■

and■Tommy■Aldridge■–■their■stamp■■is■all■over■Ozzy’s■1981■opus■Diary■■Of■A■Madman.■The■lawsuit■against■■the■Osbournes■led■to■both■Blizzard■■Of■Ozz■and■Diary■Of■A■Madman■■being■reissued■in■2002■with■the■rhythm■section■re-recorded■by■■Faith■No■More’s■Mike■Bordin■and■Metallica’s■Rob■Trujillo■–■but■a■backlash■from■fans■saw■the■■original■parts■restored.■

on The road again1981-2006

Uriah heepAbominog (1982)

Mercury/Bronze“I■thought■it■was■a■brilliant■album,”■says■Lee■about■Heep’s■triumphant■return.■‘Too■Scared■To■Run’■

still■hits■like■a■heavyweight.■

Living LOUdLiving Loud (2004)

capitol“Sharon■was■giving■us■so■much■grief■so■we■wanted■to■do■our■songs,■our■way,”■says■Lee■of■this■all-star■

project■with■Bob■Daisley,■Jimmy■Barnes,■Don■Airey■and■Steve■Morse■revisiting■songs■they■wrote■for■Ozzy.

sTiLL rockin’2006-2014

The berggren KersLaKe band The Sun Has Gone Hazy (2014)

SoulfoodWith■singer/guitarist■Stefan■Berggren,■Lee■kicks■out■a■set■of■blues-based■hard■rock.■He■proves■he’s■still■got■

his■groove■on■‘Super■Sonic■Dreem’■and■the■stomping■title■track.

Lee: “We had this thing about magic and fantasy. it bit like a virus”

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100 of the greatest drummers of all time interviewed and profiled

Includes exclusive interviews and photos from Rhythm’s 28 years as the UK’s biggest drum mag

Drum heroes discuss their music, playing techniques, gear and career highlights

An essential read for fans of drumming and drummers across all genres of music

100 Drum Heroes

AvAilAble from newsAgents AnD itunes


‘ain’t it FUn’ paramore p82

Get to Grips with…inter-dependence p84

session tools odd times part 3: 15/16 p86

rhythm concepts afro-cuban rhythms p87

hone your career with… the business of music p89

the next step alternative sticking p90

21st century rudiments 13-stroke-7 p91

improve your playinG with snare drum solos p92

the frighteningly talented ilan rubin once again proves his versatility on our playalong track this month. incorporating elements of rock, hip-hop and new

Jack Swing into Paramore’s track ‘ain’t it Fun’, ilan has created a fun drum track that perfectly suits the song. in the first of a brand new column, ajay naik from new music school the Bcme begins looking at the business of music, with great advice for anyone looking to have a career in music, particularly playing drums. elsewhere, erik Stams looks at afro-cuban rhythms, Jason Bowld looks at 15/16 time and colin woolway tackles alternative sticking. Finally, i take another look at utilising rudiments in a snare solo. enjoy!

Combining fun and serious business…Welcome… contents

your tutors

all our Drum Lessons contributors are using what is increasingly being regarded as the standardised system of drum kit notation, as outlined by norman weinberg in his guide to Standardised Drumset notation. this book is published by the Percussive arts Society, and is available from www.pas.org. to gain a full understanding of all aspects of the system, we recommend you check out this book.

standardised drumset notation key

Pete riLeyRhythm’s�CD�editor�also�has�a�

number�of�instructional�books�and�a�DVD�entitled�Technical�Difficulties�under�his�tutorial�belt.

Jason BoWLdRock�School�contributor�Jason�

is�drummer�for�metal�supergroup�Axewound.�He�also�recently�did�sessions�for�Killing�Joke�and�PWEI.

CoLin WooLWayA�professional�drummer�for�30�

years,�long-standing�Rhythm�contributor�Colin�is�originator�of�the�Drumsense�teaching�system.

erik stamsErik�built�up�an�impressive�

résumé�studying�and�recording�in�NYC.�He�is�now�Head�of�Drums�at�Tech�Music�School.

mike sturGisMike�is�a�long-time�

Rhythm�contributor�and�has�worked�with�numerous�artists�including�A-ha,�Asia,�and�Bob�James.�

adam BusheLLAdam�is�a�tutor�at�the�Brighton�

Institute�Of�Modern�Music,�and�has�toured�with�hit�artists�including�Sheryl�Crow�and�Faithless.

Gareth dyLan smithGareth�drums�with�Stephen�

Wheel,�Gillian�Glover,�Mark�Ruebery�and�Kiss�The�Blue�Sky,�plays�in�musicals�and�teaches�in�the�UK�and�USA.�

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Pete Riley rhythm cD editor

aJay naikAjay�is�Chief�Executive�of�the�

British�Centre�for�Music�and�Enterprise�(BCME)�which�offers�courses�in�music�business�and�more.�

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Rhythm - 2 3 2 IT AIN'T FUN - PARAMORE - Mike Sturgis transcription

82

Drum lessons


Full track

‘Ain’t it Fun’Paramore

Paramore brought in ilan rubin to lay it down large for their 2013 eponymous album, and his playing on ‘ain’t it Fun’ combines a rock mentality with a funky

hip-hop flavour.as you approach this chart, there are two

things that you should keep in mind. the first is that all the 16th notes should be played with a definite swing feel. in practical terms this means that the second and fourth notes of a group of four 16th notes should be played as the third and sixth notes of a sextuplet. the end result creates a feel not unlike hip-hop or new jack swing. the second important issue is the use of space within the parts. notice that there are times when the hi-hat is not included in the full kit pattern. this conscious omission of the hi-hat significantly opens up the track for the other instruments. additionally, the kick drum patterns are very sparse in their construction and in keeping with the open feel of the track.

while there are no dynamics to be aware of, the various changes in the patterns create their own musically contrasting sound. in particular, notice how the hi-hat pattern changes from section to section, creating differentiation in texture and feel. again, there is a mentality here in the construction of these parts that less

Blistering rock with a hip-hop feel from Ilan Rubin

is most certainly more.rubin’s work here shows why he is a

first-call session drummer as he adapts his own playing style to suit the needs of the track perfectly. you can hear a different side of his playing with other bands such as nine inch nails.

Notice how the hi-hat is left out here to create space.01

Play the ride pattern on the rim here for a tight, percussive sound.02

From the album: Paramore (2013)104bpm

Track info

MIKE [email protected]

your TuTor

HeaDS UP!new jack swing

Urban hybrid of jazz, funk, electronica and r’n’b music that emerged in the ’80s

through the work of producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam etc.

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83

Full track ‘Ain’t it Fun’ Paramore


The hi-hat is introduced on the upbeats, and the pattern is mostly linear in construction.03

Note the hi-hat openings on each upbeat just like a ’70s disco feel.04

Remove the hi-hat here and bring in the toms on the fills to create variety.05

Words and Music by Hayley Williams and Taylor York © 2012 But Father, I Just Want To Sing Music, Hunterboro Music administered by WB Music Corp, USA. Warner/Chappell North America. UK/EU Reproduced by kind permission of Faber Music Ltd. US/Can reproduced by kind permission of Hal Leonard Corporation All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured

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Rhythm - 2 3 2 Adam Bushell's CLASSIC BEATS ColumnDOUBLING UP

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84

Drum lessons


A composite groove, made of components from Ex. 1 and Ex. 2.03

An inverted paradiddle groove, again with right foot and right hand locked together.02

A paradiddle groove, with the right foot doubling up the right-hand part. 01

As a drummer, the development of ‘independence’ is of course an incredibly important area of study. the ability to employ four limbs

independently of one another is key to success behind the kit. however, that’s not to say there aren’t times where the limbs should revert to locking in together, and play the same thing at the same time.

although this may seem simple (after all, it’s what came naturally at first), there are other factors associated with this approach that must be addressed.

For example, the ability to get any two, three or four limbs falling exactly together (‘togetherness’), without flamming, requires diligent practice and attention to detail. and, as is the case with this month’s examples, the ability to play fast, intricate patterns simultaneously using different limbs also presents a challenge. the study of ‘togetherness’, or dependence, is sadly often overlooked in favour four-limb independence work.

one should never underestimate the

get to grips with…

Forget independence, this month it’s all about locking the limbs together

Doubling up

importance of being able to play a bass drum at exactly the same time as a crash cymbal, or a hi-hat foot together with a ride cymbal note. these skills are often assumed as given, but closer inspection and checking for accuracy may highlight the need for extra practice in this area.

Spend some time working on getting your limbs to fall at exactly the same time

AdAm [email protected]

your tutor

HEADS up!dependence

This refers to an approach where the limbs are working together and playing

the same part. Although we try and break initial dependency and pursue

independence, both skill-sets should be developed and practised regularly.

From the makers of

EXPERT VIDEO TUTORIALS

AvAilAble now exclusively From the rhythm App on newsstAnd

Learn drum maintenance from the pros

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Rhythm - 2 3 2 Jason Bowld'sODD TIMES part 3 - 15 / 16

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86

Drum lessons


And so we progress onto another very odd time signature this month – yes, that old indie stalwart 15/16! Joking aside, this time signature can take a bit

of time to get your head around due to the quick turnaround being of the ‘/16’ variety but upon closer inspection, you’ll see that there are plenty of inner rhythms and phrases within it we can exploit to make rhythmical sense of it. ex. 1 for instance exploits the ‘15’ element by playing five groups of three on the hi-hat. these are of course dotted eighth notes that carry on… forever, basically. another two-bar groove in example 2 has us playing a specific rhythm on the ride bell which spans the two bars of 15/16 in three phrases of 5/8 or 10/16 depending on how you want to count. this creates a polyrhythmic feel between the ride bell and the breakbeat feel of the kick and snare. example 3 finishes off with a frantic one-bar 15/16 groove. here the kick drum plays five groups of three and the groove is really anchored by the first three quarter-notes played on the ride with a linear-type fill finishing off.

Get creative with There are plenty of inner rhythms we can

exploit to make sense of the 15/16 time signature

Odd grooving in the teens with a polyrhythmic edge

Odd times pArt 3: 15/16

Jason [email protected]

your tutor

This drum’n’bass groove is deceptively tricky due to the inverted doubles played towards the end of the groove. although the focus is playing the doubles, try not to overlook the accents that precede them as they help lock the timing down.02

Here, the ‘shape’ of the blues groove in bar one is mimicked by the accents within the phrase in bar two. Keeping this in mind will help your conviction when playing it.03

Two bars of half-time grooving here. at first, it’s a good idea to practise the samba phrase in isolation until it sounds and feels smooth.01

HeAds Up!15/16

Playing in 15 isn’t just about prog metal or jazz/fusion! led Zeppelin’s song

‘The ocean’ is in 15/8 and doesn’t seem odd due to the groove following the

guitar riff.

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Ex 4 Add the "bombo" note (bass drum) on the 2nd note of the "3" side of the clave

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Rhythm - 2 3 2 Erik Stams RHYTHM CONCEPTS – Intro to Applying Afro

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87

Drum lessons


The drum kit is not traditionally used in afro-cuban music. through Latin-jazz and a cross-pollination of styles and culture over the years, drummers are

expected to have a working knowledge of Latin rhythms. over the next several weeks we will be applying some of the most popular and useful afro-cuban rhythms to the drum kit. this generally involves playing the rhythms of two or more instruments of the percussion section simultaneously.

no discussion about afro-cuban rhythms would be complete without mentioning clave. the clave rhythm (played on claves) acts as a rhythmic ‘key’ to the music; an organizing principle that musicians base their phrasing on. you can hear clave in the rhythmic call and response of the melody of most songs, even in modern pop music.

there are two types of clave pattern, Son clave and rumba clave. Both can be played in either 3-2 or 2-3 formats. For the purposes of this lesson we’ll focus on Son clave. think

of the clave pattern as being two bars long. it can then be easily divided into three beats in one bar and two in the other (ex.1). notice the call and response of the two bars. cascara is the Spanish word for ‘shell’. the pattern in ex. 2 is traditionally played on the shell of the timbales. example 3 shows how it fits with the 3:2 Son clave pattern. Play the clave pattern in the left hand (cross-stick) against the cascara in the right. ex. 4 introduces the syncopated ‘bombo’ (bass drum) note on the second beat of the ‘3’ side of the clave pattern. in examples 5 and 6 the cross-stick and tom imitate the sound of the congas (or timbales). examples 7 and 8 illustrate how to play these rhythms in 2-3 Son clave. this is done by literally reversing the order of the two-bar sequence: two

rhythm ConCepts

You will need to play the rhythms of two or more percussion instruments simultaneously on the kit

…and applying them to the drumkit

Afro-CubAn rhyThms

Erik StamSwww.erikstams.co.uk

your tutor

hEADs uP!clave

the rhythmic ‘key’ to the music that acts as the base of all musical arrangements

in afro-Cuban music.

beats in the first bar and three in the second. this music is rhythmically challenging but

very rewarding. Listen to Jerry gonzalez, tito Puente, machito, celia cruz, Los Van Van, michel camilo, ray Barretto, charlie Palmieri, ojos de Brujo and drummers like Steve Berrios, ernesto Simpson, Phil maturano, Steve gadd, Dave weckl, antonio Sanchez and horacio hernandez in order to get an understanding of the flavour and feel of this rich music.

2-3 Son clave pattern.07

Left hand imitates conga pattern/timbale pattern.05

Clave and cascara patterns together.03

3-2 Son clave pattern.01

Full 2-3 Cascara pattern.08

With added tom notes to further imitate congas.06

add the ‘bombo’ note (bass drum) on the second note of the ‘3’ side of the clave.04

Cascara pattern (on floor tom shell, cowbell or ride cymbal).02

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A4 House Ad.indd 1 10/2/13 2:45 PM


Even Taylor Hawkins will admit that sustaining a career in music is tough

Over the next six months, i will be sharing some insights into how the music industry works and, in particular, focusing on how you can go about

making a career in the global music industry. we will discuss the various paths your career could take and the specialities you should explore. along the way, i will bring up some stark realities and dispel common myths so that you can make informed choices in forging a long-lasting livelihood in the world of music (the holy grail!). Some familiar faces will also openly share their own experiences, trials and tribulations as professionals earning incomes from the industry.

Long gone are the days where you could make a living by just being a great drummer and performer; having good technique, groove and pocket are just the prerequisites to getting your foot in the door. we will look at what else you need to do and be aware of, when you’re sat behind the kit, or when you’re on downtime, all with a view to preparing you to make a career in the industry you love.

these days cost management comes first and therefore budgets are significantly reduced; the major record labels operate more as major banks; artists can become a major success over night (by going viral on social media) but their shelf life can often be short; top tunes can be written, composed, recorded and mastered in your bedroom; the industry is much more global in its

nature; technological advances can be a blessing and a curse; astute and targeted marketing and branding can determine success for artists. So, to survive, you need to be open-minded, flexible and roll with the punches! even the likes of taylor hawkins admit that sustaining a career in music is very tough so it’s important that you’ve always got something going on.

in the past, if you worked endlessly on

your playing and then managed to get that ever-important first gig and rung on the ladder, as long as you showed talent, you had a fair chance of making some success.

it is very easy for a young and budding musician to look at their heroes and assume that if they just keep practising and woodshedding, they will get there. hey, if it happens, then absolutely fantastic! But the harsh reality is that less than 0.001% (that’s one in 100,000!) get to the top and land the opportunity to record and tour with rock giants like the Foo Fighters! and that is why these guys and gals are so humble and admit how lucky they are (somehow, though, i tend to find that the harder you work, the luckier you get!).

nowadays, to make a decent living in music, you have to operate in the mindset of a business person, leave those ‘lazy-stupid–unreliable-muso’ stereotypes behind and act like a professional. in any other industry, if you got drunk before going to work, you’d be fired, yet plenty of musicians still have a pint

Hone your career witH…

Making a living from drumming

The Business Of Music

AjAy [email protected]

your tutor

too many before getting on stage or going into the studio. if you’re unreliable, turn up late, show lack of commitment or don’t have the skills to get on with other people, you don’t tend to do well in life. So why should we treat the music business as an exception to this rule? i’m not saying we shouldn’t have fun, or let off some steam every now and again, far from it. But at some stage in your life, to have a career in music you will have to make the choice to step up your game from amateur to pro. the former being all about fun and not taking things too seriously, the latter being about treating the studio, stage and other music environments as your respected workplace (and trust me, you can still have a lot of fun there).

in future issues, we will look more closely at technology and how it drives the music business, how to make an income via recording and publishing, why having a handle on the financial side is so important and the emergence of the ‘music entrepreneur’ (it could be you!).

nowadays you have to leave those ‘lazy-stupid-unreliable-muso’ stereotypes behind and

act like a professional

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Rhythm - 2 3 2 Colin Woolway's "THE NEXT STEP" column

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90

Drum lessons


One of the major concepts in my teaching is the idea of what we call ‘sticking’. this is simply the right- and left-hand choices we make when

playing any rhythm or snare drum line. the most obvious choice is to play hand-to-hand, where you play alternating strokes all the time. But often, if you change the sticking, you can open up a new world. i call this ‘alternative Sticking’, and this month’s lesson is a simple example.

example 1 shows a bar of 16th notes subdivided into 3-3-3-3-4. Playing this

in ‘hand-to-hand’ style would mean that the accents would fall on a different hand each time, but with this alternative sticking, as in ‘right-left-left’, the accent stays on the right hand. example 2 plays these accents down the toms, and example 3 plays the accents on the ride cymbal. in both of these examples, the accents would be hard to play in that order if you were playing hand-to-hand.

the Practice challenge shows a groove

the next step

Simple ways to change your playing

AlternAtive Sticking

Let’s play a groove based on the rhythm and sticking from Example 3. Play on the hi-hat or the ride cymbal or mix it up. Note how the sticking makes the whole pattern easier to play!04

Now apply to the right-hand cymbal…03

Apply the accents to the toms… note the freedom of the right hand!02

A bar of 16th notes, subdivided 3-3-3-3-4, use sticking of R-L-L for the groups of 3…01

CoLiN [email protected]

your tutor

If you change the sticking you can open up a new world…

HeADS UP!hand-to-hand

Alternating each stroke as ‘right, left, right, left, etc’, no matter what

rhythm or timing.

based on the accents, followed by a fill using the alternative sticking, and notice how you can stay on your leading hand to play this… have fun!

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Colin Woolway's 21st Century Rudiment

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21st century rudiments

One can’t imagine that the 13-stroke roll was ever intended to be played in seven – but if you do play it in seven you can roll some septuplets into your playing!

Old rudiment given an odd time…13-StrOke-7

Flow of seven notes, accenting the first.01

Double up the notes between the accents.02

Play your 13-stroke roll septuplets as a fill!03

matched GripBoth hands hold the sticks in the same manner: thumbs on the side of the

sticks; forefinger opposite the thumb; middle, ring and little fingers curled under the sticks; palms held down, facing the floor.

traditionaL Grip the right hand is as matched grip, but the left-hand stick is held differently (vice

versa for left-handed players). the stick is lodged in the fleshy bit between the thumb and forefinger and the fore and middle fingers curl over the stick, while the ring and little fingers curl under to support the stick.

Quarter notesalso known as ‘crotchets’. if a standard bar of music is regarded as a ‘whole’,

then four evenly-spaced notes within that bar are regarded as ‘quarters’, hence the term ‘quarter note’ (in other words, four beats in a standard bar).

eiGhth notesclassically referred to as ‘quavers’. if a standard bar of music is regarded as a

‘whole’ and four evenly-spaced notes within that bar are regarded as ‘quarters’, then eight evenly-spaced notes within that bar are regarded as ‘eighths’, hence the term ‘eighth note’ (ie: eight beats in a standard bar).

eiGhth-note tripLetsthe musical definition of a triplet is ‘three evenly spaced notes occupying

the same space as two evenly spaced notes’. in the case of eighth notes, two would be replaced by three eighth-note triplets.

ostinatoan ostinato is a repeated pattern, usually not very long, often three or four

notes played over and over again. the most famous drum ostinato is the snare drum pattern in ravel’s ‘Bolero’, but contemporary drummers often refer to ‘bass and hi-hat’ ostinatos.

16th notesaka ‘semi-quavers’. if a standard bar of music is regarded as a ‘whole’, then 16

evenly spaced notes within that bar are regarded as ‘16ths’, hence ‘16th note’.

cross-sticKPlayed on the snare by holding the stick at the tip end, laying it across the drum

and striking the rim with the ‘butt’ end, keeping the tip in contact with the head.

rim shotPlayed by striking the head and the rim of the drum at the same time. it makes a

loud, sonorous sound, good for accents in a snare pattern or heavy rock backbeat.

head typesthe ‘batter’ head is the drum head you strike and the ‘resonant’ head is the

head on the underside of the drum that gives it a full and resonating sound.

DrUmming eSSentiAlSWhat you need to know before you start

01

06

07

08

09

10

02

03

04

05

Sitting behind a drum kit for the first time can be a daunting thing. however, once you get to grips with the basics you’ll be playing in no time. and if you’ve never picked up the

sticks before we can help you. head to the links below, and you’ll find the following content just for beginners.

take your first steps into reading music with our guide to drum notation – http://bit.ly/147icLI

Find your way around the kit with our anatomy of a drum kit guide –�http://bit.ly/WGLM7R

Five video drum lessons covering basic rock, funk jazz and the shuffle – http://bit.ly/15pOGx9

Video guides to accompany the drumming essentials above – http://bit.ly/ZJHOZU

GettinG started

get tHe fUll interActive rHytHm exPerienceDid you know that you can get full audio and video of these fantastic rhythm lessons on the cD covermounted with the print edition, or with the fully enhanced digital edition available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch? Follow this link to find out where to get hold of rhythm with video and audio content – http://bit.ly/zkxmre

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Rhythm - 2 3 2 SNARE SOLO - PETE


Drum lessons

Pete [email protected]

your tutor

We’re back to a regular snare solo for this issue and one based around flams and single-stroke rolls. there is however a twist to both stickings

as the flams predominately feature extended flam taps, created by playing groupings of longer than two notes in each. these can be seen in the first line and second ending, while the single-strokes are short bursts of singles that could be regarded as extended ruffs in groups of threes, fives and sevens and can be seen on lines two and three.

Line four, or the first ending, features some challenging hand-to-hand flams that should really give your technique a workout, especially in the last bar. to pull off consecutive flams like this, a down/up contra-motion in either hand can really help retain the dynamics as well as keeping things relaxed and accurate.

as with all of these solos try to use just two stick-heights with strong accents, while the unaccented notes, including grace notes, should be played quietly about an inch off the drum.

Single-stroke and flam workout

Snare Drum SoloS part 10

improve your playing with…

HeaDS up!flam tap

A flam tap is a rudiment where the hand that plays the accented note of a flam then plays a second note before the

sticking reverses.


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NEW gEaR

95

More bang for your buckWelcome!

Drummers are feeling the pinch in these times of financial hardship, so anything that helps deliver quality drums at a cheaper cost

is always of interest. Ludwig has come up with a novel way of helping you keep a few quid in your pocket thanks to its new Signet 105 series.

these ingenious kits come unassembled, meaning that you get to get some early bonding time with your new kit and Ludwig is able to cut out a chunk of assembly time, while passing the cost savings on to you. it’s a win all round, right?

elsewhere this month we’re back checking

out some of the finest British custom work as we put guru’s in-tense snare range under the microscope on page 100.

Sticking with snares we also take a look at some gorgeous looking specimens from angel. Jake Stacey finds out if they really are heavenly on 106.

and that’s not all, this month we also take a look at meinl’s new transition ride, which was developed in conjunction with mike Johnston, and a set of read audio custom ear plugs.

as always, enjoy and we will see you next month when we’ll be back with more beautiful gear for you.

Poor: sub-standard Product average: accePtable but uninsPiring �� good: above average excellent: suPerior Product outstanding: imPossible to fault

star ratings explained

During the review process we investigate three key areas in detailBuild quality Is it consistent? Are components up to the task? Are shells round? And so on.

Playability Does the product convincingly do the job it was designed for?

Value for money Does the price reflect the product fairly, and how does it compare with competitors?

Each area receives a star rating out of five. These ratings are then collated to arrive at an overall Rhythm Rating.

ContentsREVIEW ludWIg signet 105 drum kit 96REVIEW guRu in-tense snare drums 100REVIEW mEInl transition ride 102REVIEW REad audIo custom ear plugs 103REVIEW VEctoR g3 bass pedal 104REVIEW angEl snare drums 106VIntagE gEaR Wfl classic drum kit 108ask gEoff your gear questions answered 110

Look out for theseThe Rhythm Recommends award is given to those products that score four out of five. These are products that, although not scoring top marks, are strong products in their field. The Rhythm Star Buy is awarded to those products that score five out of five for design, construction, function and value.

looking for a Particular review? check out our huge archive of reviews, round-uPs and buying guides at www.musicradar.com

VectorBass�Pedal

MeinLTransiTion�ride

LuDwigsigneT�105�drum�KiT

104

102

96


Gear revieW

A flat pack kit! what a great ikea, sorry, idea (couldn’t resist). well, the Signet is not a flat pack, but it is certainly shipped

unassembled, telescoped into a single weighty box with the bare shells all drilled and ready for assembly. the customer fits together the kit thereby saving Ludwig considerable time and effort, not to mention simplifying shipping. the savings are passed on so that you can now own an american-built rock maple Ludwig kit at a fraction of the normal cost. it’s a bold initiative, but does it work?

Build we have the bigger of the two Signet 105 shell packs, the teraBeat, with 22"x16" bass drum, 10"x8" and 12"x8½" mounted toms and 16"x16" floor tom. alternatively, you can have the gigaBeat which has 20"x15" bass, 12"x8½" mounted tom and 14"x14"

floor. there is no snare drum option. the shells are six-ply american rock

maple, 5.5mm thick, constructed in the same monroe, north carolina factory as Ludwig’s top uSa drums, and we all know they ain’t cheap. although the shells are typical, the ecoXotec (exotic) finishes are new, being eco-friendly alternatives to the usual rare wood veneers. there are three hand-applied thin lacquer treatments which augment the outer grain on top of the six plies of maple. the review kit is indian teak, while alternatives are macassar ebony and alpine Blue. Ludwig’s Product Development manager Josh allen tells rhythm, “they are real wood finishes that give the exotic look without cutting down exotic trees. the veneers are made of sustainably grown hardwoods that are essentially shredded up and dyed, and put back together to resemble the ebony,

£1,399 Celebrating Ludwig’s 105th year, the Signet 105 is a bold new idea which brings USA maple drums within reach of everyone

LUDWIG SIGNET 105 KIT worDS: Geoff Nicholls

teak, and even the alpine Blue finish.” inside, the shells are natural maple,

lightly sanded and sealed, while the bearing edges rise at 45° to a central peak with a slight flat at the apex.

So how about this assembly lark? well, there’s a single instruction sheet, but frankly you don’t need it, the process is obvious. the four bare shells each have a cardboard mount with all the relevant fittings. i started with the smallest tom, mounting the 12 ‘snap-in’ insta-Lite lugs first. i was a bit surprised to find that when you push-and-swivel them into their holes there is some play, so they are a bit floppy. But this is taken up when you mount the head and 2.3mm steel hoop and start to apply tension, as with a normal drum. the slight looseness helps self-alignment, preventing cross-threading.

the triad small tom mounting bracket has two locating holes fixed by two bolts

using a drum key. a doddle. on to the other small tom and floor tom. the latter has the usual three legs which again are fixed by triad mounting blocks, each with two bolts. Finally, the bass drum. it’s the same deal with the lugs and this time there are long tension rods which slot through the lightweight claws over the wooden bass drum hoops. there are also spurs, which presented the only brief moment of head scratching, especially for someone who hasn’t read the instruction sheet! Being impetuous i fixed the first one on the wrong side and had to remove it, turn it round and put it on its correct side. that took two minutes. i mention this because it illustrates just how wonderfully simple the assembly is.

there are 56 lugs, three legs, two spurs and two mounting brackets, so at a leisurely pace it takes the best part of an hour to

SINcE ThE SIGNET’S ShEllS arrIvE complETEly barE you caN Tap ThEm aNd hEar juST how rESoNaNT ThEy arE

CONCEPTCelebrating Ludwig’s 105th year the Signet self-assembly

concept is a revolutionary initiative, cleverly realised


PRICESTeraBeat�(22"x16",�10"x8",�12"x8½",�16"x16"),�£1,399;�Gigabeat�(20"x15",�12"x8½",�14"x14",�£1,199)�

SHELL MATERIALNorth�American�Maple�plywood

CONSTRUCTIONPlywood

PLIES Six-ply,�5.5mm

BEARING EDGESDual�45°�inner�and�outer�with�slight�flat�at�apex

FINISHES AVAILABLEEcoXotic�wood�veneer�finish�in�Indian�Teak�(as�pictured),�Macassar�Ebony�or�Alpine�Blue

SHELL AVAILABILITYTeraBeat:�22"x16",�10"x8",�12"x8½",�16"x16";�GigaBeat:�20"x15",�12"x8½",�14"x14";�also,�8",�10"�toms,�14",�16"�floor�toms�and�22"�bass�drums�available�individually

SUPPLIED HEADSToms:�Ludwig�Weathermaster�single-ply�Heavy�Clear�batters�and�Medium�Clear�resonants

LUGS PER DRUMSnap-In�Insta-lite�lugs

TOM MOUNTSTriad�3-point�tom�suspension�mounts,Stiletto�bass�drum�spurs

CONTACTActive�Music�Distribution020�8693�[email protected]/www.ludwig-drums.com

Essential spec

fiNishThe TeraBeat kit is in Indian Teak, one of three eco-friendly EcoXotec finishes with a natural satin appearance

badgELudwig’s signet ring badge is tiny and lightweight in keeping with the whole Signet 105 concept


Gear revieW

Hands On the Signet’s unique construction should have a direct effect on its sound. the button lugs are effectively ‘floating’ rather than screwed tightly into the shell as is the usual case. (this gives the added bonus of no screws to loosen or rattle inside the shell.) eight lugs – rather than 10 – on a 22" bass drum hoop actually makes tuning easier, while allowing the drum to breathe more freely.

another not inconsiderable bonus is that since you have assembled it yourself you really do know the kit, and the only tool

employed is your drum key. and since the shells arrive completely bare you can tap them and hear just how resonant they are, work out what their fundamental notes are, in Dw ‘timbre-matching’ style.

although all the hardware has been designed specifically for the Signet, the triad tom mounting bracket is a modification of Ludwig’s recent atlas mounting system which replaces the ubiquitous isolation-style suspension brackets. the mount is in two parts, a bridged bracket which is bolted to the shell and the tom arm mount which is

effectively isolated from the bracket (and thus the shell) via two hardened steel pins, floating on elastomer mounts. So again resonance is aided.

in practise though – and here comes the down part – i didn’t find the sound that resonant to start with. Let me explain. the kit came with Ludwig’s own clear weathermaster heads and although the sound was tonally maple-rich, initially it was hard, pingy and i was struggling to get the small toms in particular to sustain as well as they should. the solution, and i’m almost embarrassed to say this, lay in changing the heads for a mix of evans g1s and coated remo ambassadors which improved the sustain and overall sound significantly. the weathermasters worked better with the bigger drums, the floor tom and particularly the bass drum. this unencumbered beast blasted forth, the thin shell reverberating with a short but wickedly dusky sustain.

assemble and rough-tune. no doubt you could do it in half that time if you were in a hurry. the resulting kit feels sturdy, yet lightweight. the hardware is uniformly light in design and construction compared with most heavy metalwork which is normal today. thus the bass drum spurs are even called Stiletto spurs and the claws are decidedly low-mass.

the gigaBeat is a jazz-proportioned kit, while our teraBeat is more of a rock beast, although some might worry it’s insubstantial. Personally i loved the streamlining, but then i am not 22 years old and out playing like a

maniac every night. Josh allen has a spirited response to this:

“in reality, these are probably some of the most durable, gig-able drums you can buy. the design of each component was optimised using Finite element analysis (Fea) software, adding material only where needed to achieve the necessary strength at minimal mass. Designing the parts this way lets us reduce mass mounted to the shell, which allows for greater shell resonance, and makes the drums lighter for transportation.”

VERDICT: Brilliant new self-assembly concept, cleverly, elegantly and successfully engineered, brings UsA-built American rock maple ludwig drums into the middle budget arena. Refreshing to encounter a truly different product.

Build Quality playaBility Value For Money

RAtInG

Also try…

1Jalapeno pack-away seriesWe say: “With�a�full,�cool�sound,�subtly�different�from�mass-produced�kits,�they�sound�the�business.”

2Gretsch renown MapleWe say: “Combines�classic�looks�with�the�sort�of�sound�quality�and�build�standard�that�will�both�appeal�to�and�cope�with�the�energy�levels�of�younger�drummers.”

What is the thinking behind the signet? “The�idea�of�the�customer�assembling�is�pretty�revolutionary.�The�purpose��

of�Signet�is�to�offer�the�unique�sound�of��Ludwig�USA-made�maple�drums�at�a�more�accessible�price-point.�Removing�the�assembly�process�allowed�us�to�achieve�the�price�we�wanted�without�having�to�compromise�on�performance�or�sound.�I�believe�this�is�a�first.��It�is�a�completely�different�approach�to�making�an�affordable�drum.”��

Are there plans to extend the concept? “I�think�there�is�room�for�other�options�within�Signet,�and�some�of�the�technologies�used�on�these�drums�can�be�expanded�onto�other�product�lines.”��

Presumably, a snare drum would be too difficult to design? “We�are�looking�at�that�option�right�now.�A�snare�drum�is�a�bit�more�complex�to�put�together,�as�the�strainer�and�snares�need�to�be�installed�and�adjusted�correctly.�I�designed�Signet�so�my�five-year-old�son�could�assemble�it,�and�I�haven’t�figured�out�how�to�design�a�snare�mechanism�to�that�level�of�simplicity.”

Joshua Allen is the Manager of Product Development at Ludwig, USA

They say…

SINcE you havE aSSEmblEd IT yourSElf you rEally do KNow ThE KIT, aNd ThE oNly Tool EmployEd IS your drum KEy

hardwarEAll hardware is unique to the Signet and while lightweight is strong, beautifully designed and lustrously chromed

shELLsAmerican maple shells are made in Ludwig’s Monroe, North Carolina factory employing Radio Frequency Shell Technology

23 l SONGWRITER23 l SONGWRITER

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GBZ17.hse_tg.indd 23 6/19/14 5:28 PM


Gear revieW

on the shell than standard lug systems, plus promotes full engagement of the shell across a wide range of dynamics”. the attention to detail is such that even the tension rods are bespoke with a finer thread to promote tuning stability. guru’s fastidiousness extends to the use of bespoke internal fixings made from stainless steel, rather than ‘off the shelf’ screws.

the snares feature Dunnett r7 strainers and Puresound Blaster 20-strand snare wires, and ship with a Protection racket aaa rigid case to protect your investment.

Hands On Being suckers for any wooden-hooped drum, we start with the 14" snare with its machined ovangkol hoops. Lifting it onto the stand, its defining feature is a lack of mass – its apparent solidity belies its actual weight, which is very much on the light side. Don’t

let that fool you, though, this is no mere featherweight, but all part of guru’s masterplan – the ultra-light hardware is designed to allow the light solid shell drums to speak without the excessive damping of heavier shell hardware.

the effect of this is immediately apparent. the 14" has a very open voice, warm and woody – the shell contributes much more to the sound than is sometimes the case – and it has a defined fundamental tone, without excessive overtones. the wood hoops enhance the sense that the drum is an organic thing that ‘breathes’ as you play it – without the metallic ring of metal hoops, the sound is all wood. the hoops contribute an amazing variety of cross-stick sounds – a rim click cuts right through, and playing the very edge of the drum with the tips of the sticks sounds almost like a wood block. the 14" responds well across all tunings, without

The term ‘guru’ means master or teacher. it’s appropriate then that these drums come from the masterful workshop of guru

Drums and aim to teach us a thing or two about the current state of the art of drum building. guru is the brainchild of Dean Price and andy crosby, the former a respected craftsman, and the latter an innovator and experimenter. guru’s philosophy is that sound is everything – and their uncompromising approach to this has led to the company rejecting the ‘usual’ way of doing things, and instead finding its own path to percussive enlightenment.

Build the two snares sent to test are from the in-tense series: a 14"x7" drum that features guru’s handmade ovangkol rims, and a 13"x7" with standard steel hoops. the shells

are constructed using guru’s proprietary segmentation process, which machines the shells with angled shoulders according to the diameter and number of segments in the drum. the segments are then assembled in layers, with each layer overlapping the next such that joins are always in the middle of the layers either side. once the glue has cured, the shell is machined to remove the excess, leaving the machined reinforcing rings as an integral part of the shell. the test drums are made from english ash with an ovangkol centre band, and are 6mm thick in the centre. the drums are finished with shellac and a hard wax.

each drum has guru’s own lugs that are designed and manufactured in-house, machined from t6-grade solid aluminium, and ultra-low mass with a view to a minimal footprint on the shell. guru says that this approach “places far less stress and weight

From £870 Is Guru’s low-mass approach a solid thing, or are their latest snare drums merely lightweight?

Guru In-Tense snare Drums

worDs: Jake Stacey

Also try…

1Tiki Monoply Maple snares We say: “Considering how big a sound it produces it is surprisingly nimble and articulate, dealing with variations in speed and dynamics with aplomb – rimshots explode with pinging overtones while cross-sticking is solid and focused.”

2Vk Carbon Fibre snareWe say: “Yet another winner from the UK drum scene, as VK delivers a cracking from-scratch snare.”

ITs DefInIng feaTure Is a lack of mass – ITs apparenT solIDITy belIes ITs acTual weIghT, whIch Is very much on The lIghT sIDe

LUGSGuru’s own lugs are

machined from T6-grade solid aluminium and are

ultra-low mass

wood SheLLSSnares are made from

English ash with a centre band of Ovangkol and are

6mm thick in the centre


VERDICT: expensive, yes, but Guru’s drums exhibit an uncompromising approach to performance. If you are after a superbly-fashioned drum that features the best of Uk craftsmanship, check out Guru.


raTinG

any sense that the drum can ‘choke’ at higher tensions.

the steel hoops of the 13" give it a more controlled, tighter feeling; the rims

contributing a slightly harsher, higher frequency sound to the rimshots that helps it cut a touch

more than its bigger brother. the steel hoops also mean that the smaller

drum is happier at higher tensions, though both drums exhibit sensitivity across the range that means they respond as well to a soft touch as a heavier hand.

PRICEWith triple-flanged hoops: 13", £870; 14", £910; Ovangkol hoops £260 (only available with snares)

SHELL MATERIALWood

CONSTRUCTION METHODSegmented

NUMBER OF PLIESSingle-ply, 6mm with re-rings

BEARING EDGESBatter – half-roundover with 45° inner cut, with flattened ‘R6’ peak; Resonant – as batter with ‘R1’ peak

FINISHES AVAILABLEAs pictured

HOOPS / RIMSTriple-flanged, S-Hoop, die-cast or Guru Ovangkol

SHELL AVAILABILITY14"x5½", 14"x7", 13"x5½", 13"x7"

LUGS PER DRUM10 Guru ultra-low mass on 14” drum, eight on 13” drum

SNARE STRAINERDunnett, stainless

SNARE WIRESPuresound Blasters, 20 strand

CONTACTGuru Drums07824 [email protected]

Essential spec

SheLL conStrUctionShells are constructed using Guru’s proprietary segmentation process

wood hoopSOvangkol hoops contribute a variety of cross-stick sounds; stick-tips on the edge sounds almost like a wood block


Gear revieW

American drummer and drum educator mike Johnston teamed up with german cymbalsmiths meinl to develop

an entirely new hybrid ride. the additional input from the various members of mike’s large on-line drumming community make this collaboration unique. together they’ve created a cymbal which meinl describes as possessing “articulate sticking to wide open crashing”. mike says he wanted a ride that “would have amazing tone, stick definition and would swell into a beautiful crash”.

BuildFirst unveiled at the 2014 namm show, the transition ride hails from meinl’s pro Byzance extra Dry Series. this turkish-made Signature ride is cast from a B20 alloy – a blend used in Byzance cymbals and many of the world’s top pro cymbals. around the entire surface there are distinct areas boasting a variety of textures and finishes - each contributing to the visual appeal and sonic character. the upper surface appears ‘pre-aged’ or stressed by some intensive hammering and flame grilling, while other sections are simply left to oxidise naturally. this graceful ageing process is helped by the mottled patches of green and brown interwoven in between the firm hand-hammered indentations eventually encompassing the raised bell. the underside of this bell is left entirely in its raw state with a gloriously deep red oxide hue.

in contrast, the rest of the underside is highly polished and the fine lathed grooves have been all but smoothed-out due to this intense shining – the lathe scribes abruptly halting as they make contact with the well-rounded, robustly red bell. at a quick glance its hard to spot the numerous logos dotted around – each one understated – and, if you didn’t realise this was a signature model, it would be easy to glance over mike Johnston’s laser-etched signature under the bell. mike believes the cymbal is

suitable for all players of any genre and didn’t want to put anyone off!

Hands Onit quickly becomes evident this cymbal is going to be lively – you can detect it flex under each stick strike, giving it a slightly organic feel. a well-placed tip-strike produces a delicate dry ping followed by a wash with an underlying dark and mysterious turkish tone. By slightly changing the angle of the stick and awarding the edge of the cymbal with a shoulder wallop, it instantly morphs into a very large crash. it’s easy to control, both to crash, ride or both. this can prove useful for filling those gaps, underpinning a nippy middle eight, raising a chorus, pounding into a punky verse or simply to define the end of an eight-bar phrase. Striking at the edge

£420 We check out Mike Johnston’s aptly-named signature cymbal

Meinl ByzAnce TransiTion ride

worDS: DAVE HOLMES

VERDICT: It would be difficult to pigeonhole this cymbal into a particular genre. It is a cymbal with a split personality, easily transitioning from ride to crash and back again, making it highly versatile.


RAting

with a medium blow produces a gong-like bloom and increasing it causes it to burst into a huge crash. while the overall sound is thick and full of substance, it never loses control, allowing each strike to be heard with clarity. even at a peak, the bell is highly capable of penetrating the ensuing sound waves, though always complementing.

PRICEMike Johnston’s Signature Transition Ride, £420

CAST OR PRESSEDCast

ALLOY USEDB20

FINISHHammered indentations with dark charring

HAND OR MACHINE HAMMEREDHand

COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURETurkey/Germany

DIAMETERS AVAILABLE21"

SUITABLE FORIntermediate to Professional level – all genres

CONTACT D’Addario0191 300 3000www.meinlcymbals.com

Essential spec


For instruments that are essentially designed to be attacked, we drummers get quite precious at times about certain parts of our

set-up; cymbals, our snare drums and bass drum pedals are usually on the out-of-bounds list at a kit-share gig. and for good reason, they’re commonly referred to as ‘breakables’. So why is it, then, that we still put the safety of one of our most fragile, vulnerable, and certainly irreplaceable tools in the hands of those little foam buds that we half-inched from the venue? that’s the question read audio is asking, and if you’ve ever reimagined rehearsal room bog roll as rudimentary hearing protection, so should you.

Buildread audio was set up in 2013 to produce custom-made earplugs and in-ear monitors for musicians. if you’re unfamiliar with the concept, here’s how it works. Blue silicon is squirted into your ear-canals; after about 10 minutes it sets and creates the perfect impression of your ear, which is then used to create the plug. inside the plug is a filter which reduces the incoming sound by an average dB-rating. the difference between this and foam plugs is that the filter reduces the sound at a flatter frequency response, rather than simply blocking out all frequencies.

granted, custom moulds are no new thing, but there are a few things that read reckons puts them above the competition. the ’plugs are available in four guises – acoustic, orchestral, amplified and extreme – and it’s the latter two that will be of interest to most kit players, offering 20 or 26dB average attenuation respectively. regardless of which filter you choose, the sets cost £135, but read will supply subsequent spare/replacement pairs from your original cast at half-price. what’s more, it’s a fast process. after taking the mould, read audio can have your plugs (or replacements) ready to ship in 48 hours.

Hands Onwe opted to try the amplified set – offering a high level of attenuation, but if you’re playing heavy rock or metal, you’ll probably want to go for the extreme model. the set

£135 Bespoke protection for your other lugs…

Read audiO Custom EarplugswordS: Stu WilliamS

VERDICT: Overall these are pro-level plugs that will protect your ears and cost you less than one decent crash cymbal – and you can replace those!


Rating

comes packaged in a protective case, and read audio will even include your name/favourite profanity moulded into the plugs. however, we’d like to have had some indication of which is the left/right earplug (yes, they’ll only fit in one, but on a busy stage, it’d be handy). the material is harder than you might expect or be used to, resembling a pebble, rather than Play-doh. despite this, the plugs are still comfortable to wear for an extended time. most importantly, the noise attenuation works well too; there’s still some of that ‘miked-up’

PRICE£135

MATERIALAcrylic

ATTENUATION10�–�26dB

MOULD TYPEEar�canal

COLOURS AVAILABLEClear

MODELS AVAILABLEAcoustic,�Orchestral,�Amplified,�Extreme

CONTACTRead�Audio020�3397�8837www.read-audio.com

Essential spec

attenuation‘Amplified’ earplugs offer 20dB attenuation, ‘Extreme’ model, 25dB

sound you get from wearing earplugs (not necessarily a bad thing), and speech between songs can still get lost in the filter.


Gear revieW

PERCUSSION KINETICS VECTOR G3 BASS DRUM PEDAL

would struggle to cope with such a diagonal slant; the g3 incorporates a spherical bearing into the top of the footboard which moves in three planes, ensuring that the chain always hangs straight and turns smoothly. it is for this reason that the g3 uses a single-width chain – goran reckons that, while it would be possible to fit a double-width chain, it would be sluggish and less responsive. the beater holder can also be slid along the rocker shaft, so wherever the pedal footplate is angled the beater is always hitting the centre of the head. in addition, the pedal clamp can also be moved along its own axis, allowing even more positioning flexibility. conspicuously absent from the g3 are threaded spikes to prevent pedal creep while the footboard angle (up and down) can only be altered in conjunction with the pitch of the beater (ie: not independently). a left-hand version of the

pedal – where the cam and beater holder swap places – is available, while a double version is reportedly under construction.

Hands OnSetting up the g3 i’m struck by how smooth and quiet the action is – in conventional alignment it feels solid, accurate and quick. applying some adjustment – by moving the heel end leftwards, raking the cam (and with it the top of the footboard) to the right and sliding the beater over to the left – it loses none of these qualities. considering how disjointed the components appear – slewed footboard and beater shaft nowhere near the cam – the response is both razor sharp and silky smooth.

But according to Percussion kinetics the whole point of the g3 is that its influence spreads all over the kit. advocates of the pedal speak of an instant moment of

Percussion kinetics’ Vector g3 is a radical new pedal that claims to improve the drummer’s stance across the entire kit. the

brainchild of Swedish-born Berklee college alumni goran kjellgren, the concept is based around his desire to benefit not just the foot action but the playing experience as a whole.

BuildFor years, goran was bugged by what he considered to be his unbalanced playing stance. Being right-sided, he planted his right leg square-on to the bass drum, turning his left side towards the hi-hat. Sounds familiar? to goran, this positioning seemed fundamentally flawed as it inhibited fluidity across the kit, especially on the right-hand side. he felt the solution lay in a more ergonomic stance: what if the right foot could be placed off-centre, allowing the

drummer to face forward with equal access to both playing sides? the Vector pedal is goran’s attempt to solve this conundrum and enable the drummer to place his feet (as on a clockface) at five-to-one rather than ten-to-twelve.

ruggedly handsome, the g3 sits on a polished stainless steel baseplate which widens dramatically at the hinge end, providing the most obvious visual clue to the pedal’s capabilities. it houses a slot which allows the heel end of the footboard to slide through a full 10cm of left/right positioning. adjustment is simply a question of loosening off the single allen key bolt; once in its chosen position it locks tightly thanks to a hefty jaw clutch.

offsetting the footboard on its own is only a partial solution; in order to maximise the effect, the cam can also be slid along the rocker shaft. on a regular pedal the chain

VERDICT: I have to confess that I approached the Vector pedal with a degree of cynicism. Having since spent quality time with it I believe that it offers a genuinely new angle in kit dynamics. Though it’s not cheap, it could change the way you play – for the better – forever.


RaTINg

conversion when everything clicks and falls into place. For me it’s more of a gradual realisation, as though the years (well, decades actually) of my embedded stance and technique can only be unlearned slowly. During my first session with the g3 i catch my foot straightening out (ie: pointing back towards 12 o’clock) several times. it’s only after more prolonged exposure that i feel completely settled with the new layout and am able to concentrate on simply playing; i notice a new lightness in my efforts, an ease of execution that wasn’t there before. Sometimes the smallest of tweaks can reap the healthiest of rewards.

£259 A bass drum pedal coming from a genuinely different angleworDS: AdAm Jones

Also try…

1Sonor Perfect Balance PedalWe say: “The Perfect Balance is a pedal of rare beauty, though at a price. It’s also perfectly named.”

2SleiShman douBle PedalWe say: “Every so often the drumming world faces a new innovation and the Sleishman Twin is a unique answer to the ‘problems’ of conventional double pedals.”

COnSiDERinG hOw DiSjOinTED ThE PEDAL’S COMPOnEnTS APPEAR, ThE RESPOnSE iS BOTh RAzOR ShARP AnD SiLky SMOOTh

www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk Summer 2014 | 105

PRICEPercussion Kinetics Vector G3 bass drum pedal, £259

DRIVEChain

BEATERFelt

FEATURESPolished stainless steel baseplate; ‘Zero’ heelplate hinge; adjustable heel position; wide footboard; adjustable cam position; spherical chain bearing; adjustable beater position; low friction spring hanger; adjustable clamp position; soft case included

CONTACTLiberty Drums0845 0090672www.vectorpedal.com

Essential spec

clampPedal clamp can be moved along its own axis, allowing even more positioning flexibility

designVector pedal is designed to enable the drummer to place his feet (as on a clock face) in a five-to-one position

BeaTeRBeater holder can be slid

along the rocker shaft, so wherever it is positioned the beater is always hitting the

centre of the head

fooTBoaRdFootboard can slide

through a full 10cm of left/right positioning


Gear revieW

Also try…

1Tiki Drums snaresWe say: “Considering the standard of construction and quality of components, they’re great value.”

2HigHwooD HeriTage snaresWe say: “Make no mistake, these are superb drums with a beautiful tone.”

steampunk-looking angel throw, again machined by hand from a piece of solid bronze. the lugs are seated using angel’s ‘secret’ dual-point method in order to promote shell resonance. under each lug is a small hole, the theory being that multiple small holes will vent the pressure in the shell quicker than one single large hole. the snare beds are wide and shallow to promote the greatest articulation, and both drums use Puresound snare wires.

crowning each drum are the unique ‘angel hoops’ – thick, single-flanged steel hoops with hand-welded ‘half-moon’ fixings for the tension rods. Said to eliminate overtones and widen the useable tuning range, the angel hoops are also available as aftermarket upgrades for your existing

snares. indeed, almost the only parts of the angel snares not made in-house are the heads! the finishing touch is the stylized chromed halo ‘a’ badge, which sits proud of the shell on two mounting lugs. retail drums can be purchased with a custom leather snare drum case at extra cost.

Hands On the initial impression is one of heft – the angel hoops plus solid brass lugs and strainer suggest a solidity which could stifle the shell, and so it comes as a surprise that when struck, the initial note is so open and clear. the hoops seem to focus the tone in the way a die-cast hoop can, but it is much less constrained with no suggestion that it is smothering the drum. the hoop forms part

Hungary may not be the first place the typical uk drummer looks when considering purchasing a custom drum.

more often our eyes are drawn to the gaudy riches of the united States, or perhaps our own shores, where we can boast legions of individual drumwrights all happy to sell you a bit of wood lathed, chopped and painted to your exact specifications.

to turn one’s back on the former eastern Bloc nation, however, is to forego the country that brought us the rubik’s cube, the biro and the theory of thermonuclear fusion. to those accomplishments we can now add the work of zoltan angel, the guiding hand behind the eponymous angel Drums. we have been sent two

of zoltan’s finest snare drums to put through their paces.

Build each drum exudes an understated solidity, the satin finish on the shells complementing the grain of the wood. one drum is maple, and the other the less common sapele, a wood more usually seen on high-end guitars. each is constructed by a hybrid segment/stave method, with each piece of wood selected for resonance and shaped to give the best tone. zoltan’s experience as a master furniture craftsman is evident in the fit and finish of each drum – the lugs are hand-turned by angel from brass (chromed on the maple, left natural on the sapele) and each drum also features the almost

VERDICT: Beautifully-constructed and fantastic sounding, Angel Drums’ custom snares marry exceptional quality with genuine innovation and flair. When one considers the amount of craftsmanship that goes into each component, the prices appear more than reasonable.


Rating

of the sound, imparting a slight metallic note – not at all unpleasant – that serves to underpin the woody fundamental tone of the drum. each snare has vent holes directly underneath the lugs to promote articulation, and so it proves – there is no feeling of the drum choking under fast sticking, and the hoops ensure that rim-shots cut through. cross-sticking for rim-knocks produces a clear, bright ‘click’ that penetrates the mix – ideal for those slower numbers where the backbeat tends to get lost.

the sapele drum appears marginally darker in timbre but both respond to a wide range of tunings. with the heads cranked tight it’s possible to get a copeland-esque crack; tuned down, the drums demonstrate their versatility in a rock setting. each responds well to light ghost notes – when backing an unamplified jazz trio it was possible to hear the lightest of touches without overpowering the rest of the band.

the strainer proves easy to use – adjustments can be made using the lever whilst playing, or the dial on top when the snares are released. it’s the work of a second to simply flick the lever and it works smoothly every time. with the snares off, the drums provide a clear and open note – playing across the head and rim gives a convincing timbale impression.

From £462 Keenly-priced custom snares demonstrate their heavenly virtues

angel DRums Custom snares

worDS: JAke StAcey

Cross-stiCking for rim-knoCks produCes a Clear, bright ‘CliCk’ that penetrates the mix, ideal for those slower numbers


PRICESFrom £462 (13"x5" domestic wood) to £1,142 (14"x8" exotic wood); Angel Hoops £156 (raw), £211 (polished)

SHELL MATERIALWood

CONSTRUCTION METHODProprietary stave

BEARING EDGESCustom to your specification

FINISHES AVAILABLECustom to your specification – Satin as pictured

HOOPS / RIMSTriple-flanged as standard, Angel Hoops optional

SHELL AVAILABILITY13"x5" – 14"x8" standard, but custom sizes available

SUPPLIED HEADSEvans

SNARE STRAINERAngel Throw-off

SNARE WIRESPuresound 24

CONTACTMurat Diril UK0203 09 27 932 www.muratdiril.co.uk

Essential spec

LUGSLugs are seated using Angel’s ‘secret’ dual-point method to promote shell resonance

conStrUctionSnares are constructed using a hybrid segment/stave method, with each piece of wood shaped to give the best tone

throw-offDrums feature the

steampunk-looking Angel throw, machined by hand from a piece of solid brass


Gear revieW

WFL CLASSIC KIT Circa1948-52

Around the time this kit was made, william F Ludwig Sr, co-founder of the Ludwig dynasty, was entering a golden

period. having finally got back his company (if not his name, hence the use of the initials wFL) from the conn corporation who had steered Ludwig through the Depression years, Ludwig went on to produce some of the most successful american post-war drums. this kit is the forerunner of the all-conquering Super classic of the rock’n’roll era just around the corner. we’ve seen several of those in Vintage gear, but not an early wFL swing band classic like this. it belongs to tim mason, a norfolk based drummer and vintage drum collector who plays in a band called the Song.

tim says, “all the badges have ‘wFL Drum co.’ on them and that places them somewhere between 1948-52 or earlier, with the exception of the rack tom which has an aluminium badge which probably dates it to the earlier 1940s, as they switched from brass during the Second world war.

“the sizes are 24"x14", 13"x9" and 16"x16", with the 14"x6½" ray mckinley snare.” in the late 1940s Ludwig’s two big cover stars were

Superb early example of the Ludwig style which would go on to define the rock era in the 1960sworDS: Geoff Nicholls photoS: James cumpsty

Buddy rich and the rather less celebrated, but subtly swinging, ray mckinley. ray was actually the more commercially successful ‘pop star’ because of his long association with glenn miller.

“i got the kit from a fellow collector about 10 years ago and the snare drum came from ‘rocking rita’, an american lady who dealt in vintage drums and spares many years ago. i was told by the guy i bought the kit from that he had got it from a blues club in the uSa. i’m not sure if this is true or just a good sales pitch, but it worked. it was great to get an original kit that no one had added to or altered, as many from this era have been modified with new tom holders, spurs, etc.

“the kit has a big warm woody sound and is one of my favourites, due in part to the rounded bearing edges and mahogany shells. combine that with the nickel-plated hardware and wonderfully yellowed white marine pearl finish and the fact that it is a wFL Ludwig kit – what more could you want? as to the value, that is always the unknown with vintage kits. if i had to put a price on this kit it would be around £2,500-plus. maybe optimistic, but i have not seen another like it for sale.”

“The KIT hAS A bIg wArm woody Sound And IS one of my fAvourITeS, due In pArT To The rounded beArIng edgeS And mAhogAny SheLLS” OWner Tim mAsOn

■■BADGEAluminium WFL badge on the small tom indicates this tom may have been made during the WW2 years.

■■tom■holDErBass drum hoop-mounted clip tom holder, the precursor to the more familiar consolette holders of later Ludwig drums.

■■rAy■mckinlEy■nEw■clAssic■snArE14"x6½" snare drum with P87 Classic Streamlined strainer/throw-off and three-ply mahogany shell with reinforcing rings.

vinTAge geAr


lUDwiG■AnD■lUDwiGWilliam F Ludwig and his brother Theobald founded the Ludwig and Ludwig drum company in Chicago in 1909.

wFlIn 1937 Ludwig bought back his company from the Conn Corporation. But Conn held the Ludwig marque, so Ludwig used his initials, WFL, from 1939 to 1955.

rAy■mckinlEySwinging drummer, vocalist and band leader, forever associated with Glenn Miller, the biggest big band star of the WW2 years with immortal hits like ‘In The Mood’.

Need to know

classic kit

in association with…

www.ukdrumfair.com

■■FinishDrums are in White Marine Pearl finish with nickel-plated hardware

■■clAssic■kitKit is a great example of an early swing band Ludwig Classic


Gear revieW

ASKGEOFF

Hi J,what you’re describing here is a scenario that all drummers face at some point – we’ve all been there. it’s a scenario that can be unnerving at best, disastrous and confidence destroying at worst.

Before the gig, you do absolutely everything in your power to get your instrument sounding the way that you want it. But then when you arrive at the gig, the Pa engineer puts up some

microphones and you suddenly become self-conscious about your sound.

Scienceyou say it’s science. well, undoubtedly there is a science of acoustics and there must theoretically be measurable physical-acoustical reasons why the floor tom suddenly develops an excruciating hum. But the variables involved are so unpredictable and different in every location that it would

be a near impossible task to quantify them. you already have all those tuning gizmos – would you be any better off if you took a lab full of oscilloscopes on stage?!

it’s not so much science as the practical craft of adapting and compromising. your point however that there are lots of tips on how to tune from scratch, but little that addresses on-the-spot solutions, is fair. and again, that’s probably because it’s down to experience and the particular situation. Like they say, you only really learn to drive once you have passed your test.

improvisationit’s not that you don’t know how to tune. Quite the contrary – you are a self-confessed tuning geek! So you know what sounds good to you, but now you are faced with unpredictable situations, so how are you going to cope? is this any different from, ‘here’s a new song, what are you going to play’? you can practise grooves and technique all day long, but it means nothing if you can’t find something musically appropriate to play. maybe think of tuning issues a bit like this?

Confidencethe problem is often more psychological – that drummer’s inferiority complex most of us have at times. you have to learn to love your own sound. if you don’t, then why should anyone else? So your snares buzz. everyone’s snares buzz. Don’t be un-nerved by engineers. get on the good foot. go in smiling and make friends – engineers are nervous as hell and are often just passing their own pressures/insecurities on to you. Be positive, laugh it off and find a solution together. you should be a delight to deal with since you are genuinely concerned with sound. Don’t apologise for everyday problems which in the scheme of things are minor. musicians are never totally happy with their tuning, and drummers are no different.

The planwhich is not to say you shouldn’t continually

try to address and improve the niggles. But instead of being overwhelmed and defeated, go through each scenario individually and see if you can’t come up with a bunch of strategies, so you are less likely to panic if or when it happens. Like snare buzzes: loosen them/tighten them; adjust the orientation on the stand a few inches; loosen or tighten the tension rods nearest the wires; apply a smidgen of tape; move the bass rig…

ASKGEOFF

musicians are never totally happy with their tuning and drummers are no different

Hi GeoffI am a tuning geek. I watch videos, read books, use a Drum Dial, Tune-Bot etc, but I still struggle to get the sound I want. Mostly I overthink it, but it is science. I was never taught how to tune and it is an individual preference, but there has to be a reason why things go wrong. Mostly, it only goes wrong when I get to the gig, set up, and get ready for soundcheck, when all of a sudden my snares buzz, a floor tom sounds wonky, something gets an ugly overtone/ring to it, etc. There is a world of information on tuning from scratch, but nothing on last-minute tweaks to fix something when there is no time to start over. How do you know what to fix? J, via e-mail

RhythmgeaR guRu Geoff Nicholls bashes

out youR kit conundRums

do you have a kit question foR geoff?Big or small, there isn’t a gear query that Rhythm expert Geoff Nicholls can’t grapple with. Email [email protected]

How do you know what to fix if your kit sounds off on gig night?

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