Avenged Sevenfold recently announced on their website that they will be recording their next record with Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater. A7X’ s former drummer, James “The Reverend” Sullivan, was found dead in his home early this year. Mike was Jimmy’s favorite drummer, hence why he will be doing the next record. The Reverend was a fantastic drummer, and an influence to many. Click HERE for a full article on the matter.
Q: How long have you been playing drums?
A: I have been playing drums for about 11 years. My mom played drums while she was pregnant with me. That may have affected my need to be a drummer.
Q: Who are your current endorsers?
A: Sabian and Tama
Q: What drums and cymbals do you use and why?
A: These companies have great products, and great people working for them. It’s great to be endorsed by big companies, because they usually have a setup similar to mine wherever we play. Most of the time I am not playing my own personal gear. If I ever need anything from these companies, they are always there to back me up.
Q: Did you receive any professional training?
A: I took drum lessons throughout my high school years. After that I enrolled into the Musicians Institute. That place opened my eyes as to how hard you need to work in order to be great at what you do.
Q: What was it like auditioning for someone like Selena Gomez, and how did it feel getting the gig?
A: Auditioning for Selena was great. By this time I had put myself through enough uncomfortable situations to feel pretty relaxed during the process. The only way to get better at something is to do it. No matter the outcome, you will learn from the experience and move on. I was honored to get the gig, and still am. It just makes you feel like you are doing a good job at what you do. It has definitely boosted my confidence.
Q: Before your first show, how long did you rehearse for?
A: We rehearsed for about two months before the first show.
Q: Were the rehearsals laid back, or regimented?
A: As long as everybody remains professional, the rehearsals are light and fun. You know you show up on time, come prepared, and brush your teeth. Loren Gold was our jump start musical director. He has worked with a lot of bands, and is a great musician. We all put our faith and respect into his method. It was awesome working with him.
Q: I saw you on Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve. Does that rank at the top of your list of experiences with Selena so far, and are there others that stand out as your favorites?
A: It seems like every show we do is the coolest thing I’v done. I take so much away from the experiences we have. New Years Eve was for sure one of the coolest. It’s really neat to witness all the behind the scenes action for TV shows especially.
Q: Has playing with a major label artist altered you perspective or outlook on the music industry, or your place in it?
A: Playing at this level has made me realize how complex the industry is, how much of a small world it is, and how much of it has nothing to do with actually playing your instrument. I keep in mind that even though this is the coolest job ever, I have a job to do. Drums are my livelihood, and are because I am incredibly passionate about the whole thing, and am always striving to get better. The moment you settle on your level, you start sucking. There’s always room to grow. It doesn’t matter who you are, or whom you play for.
Q: What lies ahead for Selena Gomez and The Scene?
A: It looks like we’re doing a promo trip to Europe in April, followed by more tour dates at the end of summer. Selena is the hardest working human being I know. She is a great role model, and I am very fortunate to be able to play drums in a band with her.
Check out Greg playing with Selena on the Ellen show
The Pearl Drum Corporation posted on their Twitter account this morning that Ray Luzier is the newest Pearl Drum endorser. Ray, who spend most of his drumming career with OCDP, semi recently switched to DDrum. He has now left them, and joined the Pearl family.
Ray is a fantastic drummer, and is most known for his playing in Korn since 2007. He previously played with Army of Anyone with Filter Frontman Richard Patrick, and Stone Temple Pilot’s Robert and Dean DeLeo. He was also a recording and touring member of the David Lee Roth band from 1998 to 2003, among many other things. Below are a few videos of Ray for your viewing pleasure.
Korn Medley From Clinic
In Studio – Performance with Solo
Audition for Korn
So Drumchannel got a bunch of former Frank Zappa drummers together to have a big ol’ jam session/interview. I still haven’t seen the entire thing, but the parts I have seen were fantastic. How can you go wrong with such legendary drummers as Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, Ralph Humphrey, Chester Thompson, and Ruth Underwood. Below is a little preview of the jam, and below that I have linked part 1 of the round table interview with these amazing drummers. Enjoy!
Click HERE for the link to Drumchannel’s interview with these guys
Drumchannel also released a DVD of the amazing performance/interview footage. Click HERE to go to Amazon where you can purchase it!
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s day I have posted a video of the Hanover Lancers Drum and Bungle Corps Drum Line playing “The Turkey.” These guys have still got it! Don’t forget to wear green today people. Hope everyone has a great day!
I rarely use stick tricks when I play, but every so often I will come across an artist that wants some showmanship from the band. If I am in a playing situation, and given the freedom to amp up my stage presence, I find that it’s nice to have a stick trick or two to throw into the mix. Stick spins, and twirls can also be great if you have to take a solo, and want to throw in a little extra flash to get the crowd going. The following video demonstrates three stick spins / twirls that I like to do on occasion. Hope you can learn something, and possibly use them in your playing!
It was announced this month that Tommy Clufetos has been replaced by Slipknot member Joey Jordison as Rob Zombie’s new touring drummer. Joey has signed on to do a handful of 2010 dates/tours with Zombie including the “Gruesome Twosome” tour with Alice Cooper, and the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with Korn. Thus far, no word has been given on the reason for the switch, or whether its permanent. Click HERE for a full article on the matter.
Tommy Clufetos has been the touring drummer for Rob Zombie for several years, and has been featured on a few Zombie records including Educated Horses, Zombie Live, and Hellbilly Delux 2. Tommy has also played with legendary guitarist Ted Nugent (and was featured on his Full Bluntal Nugety DVD, Craveman, and Love Grenade records) and Alice Cooper (with whom he recorded the record Dirty Diamonds.) Tommy is an awesome drummer, and a showman himself. He inspires energy and intensity with his signature hand raise before every backbeat. He’s a solid, hard hitting drummer, and was an amazing part of the live Zombie foundation. Click HERE to be linked to Tommy’s website to learn more about him. Now enjoy a couple of videos of Tommy doing his thing!
There are about a million different types of bass drum beaters out there. They come in just about every color, shape, and composition you can imagine. There are a few standard materials that the vast majority of beaters are made out of, so let’s explore the options, and take a look at the differences between them.
The most common materials used to make bass drum beaters are hardened rubber/hard plastic, felt, and wood. Other materials you may see include acrylic, foam rubber, metal, and even skateboard wheels. The type of beater I use depends on the style of music I am playing. Most of my gigs are in either the pop/alternative rock, or singer songwriter vein, so I find that hard rubber, and hard felt cover just about everything I do.
The type of beater you use (in my opinion) is determined by the amount of attack you want out of your kick drum. The harder the beater, the more attack you will get, the softer the beater, the less attack and more tone you will get. Other factors such as shape, and weight will also affect the sound, so below I have listed different types of beaters, and their features.
Hard Rubber/Plastic
Hard rubber/Plastic (I grouped these together as they are very similar) is, from what I have observed, one of the most widely used beater types. This is my favorite beater type, as it gives me an excellent balance between attack and tone. For the majority of the music I play, I like to achieve a lot of attack, and enough low end to punch through the mix, and this gives me just that. Most plastic beaters are two sided (or more) and also have a hard/pressed felt side to give the player multiple options. I will cover multiple sided beaters separately later in the post.
Felt
Felt beaters are also extremely popular, and will also give the player a decent amount of attack versus tone. For this category I will only cover hard/pressed felt, and cover all of the softer, more fluffy beaters later. This beater will give you a nice resonance with a more delicate slap. I use the felt side of my beater for softer singer songwriter stuff, or more folky music in general to give the kick drum a nice presence, but not an overpowering boom. It allows me to be more subtle, when the drums are not supposed to be up front. These beaters are also great for jazz, and country.
Wood is a less popular, but still widely acknowledged beater material. I have not had much experience playing wood beaters, but I know that they give you a huge sound, with lots of attack. They are heavy, and allow the player to kick extremely hard, while the hard wood surface gives you that powerful “slap” that most rock/metal drummers love.
Multiple Sided
These beaters are available in many different combinations, and made by many different companies. They are great for the player who needs many options available to them, because they save having to buy, and change out multiple beaters for every gig. The most common multiple sided beater is the aforementioned two sided hard plastic/felt beater. Lets focus on some less common options. Mapex makes a great three sided beater consisting of wood, plastic, and felt. This gives you the best of every world, and allows you to cover most styles of music with one beater. Pearl makes a 4 sided beater that is similar to the two sided felt/plastic beater, but also gives you a curved, and flat side for each. The curvature of the pedal surface also makes a difference in the sound.
Longhaired/Fluffy
Longhaired beaters can give you an amazing sound in the right situation. They are fantastic for jazz, and when paired with a properly tuned 18″ or 20″ kick drum, can give you that ideal “bump” you need for swing. They obviously give you almost no attack, and all tone, so tuning is especially important here. These beaters can make a great bass drum sound phenomenal, and sing the way its supposed to. They are also essential for cajon playing (if you play with an internal or external pedal) as they will not damage the plate, and give you a nice “thud.” One company that has some cool options for these beaters is Danmar (linked HERE) They also make great wood, and decorative beaters, so definitely go check out their site.
Everything Else
There are a few other options for bass drum beaters that are predominantly decorative. These beaters are mainly just for looking good, so sound can be secondary here. I’m sure that they will still give you a decent sound, as most of them are made from acrylic, metal, or foam, and will be similar to plastic, or felt. Once again Danmar Percussion makes some awesome decorative beaters, so look to them if this is your thing.
So which stick is better, wood tip or nylon tip? I recently realized that I had never honestly asked myself this question. I used to be an avid, and devout wood tip user. I had simply never wandered into the nylon tip realm, and was fine with that. My Vater 5B Wood Tips have always worked for me, and given me a great sound, so I never considered that nylon tip could be any better. Of course, as with any other product, it comes down to personal preference. People are going to play what they are comfortable playing, but this is not to say that one can’t explore the benefits of both, and make them interchangeable.
I recently booked a session, and in the conversation I was having with the producer, he requested that I bring a few pairs of nylon tip sticks. when I asked why, he said he likes the way they record better than wood tips for certain things. I went out, and purchased a few pairs of Vater 5B Nylon tips, not thinking it would make a big difference in the sound or feel of the recording. I was shocked at the difference I noticed. The stick definition was outstanding, and consistency between strokes was very easily achievable. Below I have listed a few differences between the two stick types, and a few application recommendations I have come up with over the course of using both of them for various situations.
Wood Tip
Wood tips tend to be more delicate than nylon. They give you a much warmer, and more earthy tone making them great for jazz, singer songwriter stuff, or anything else you don’t need the punch of a loud backbeat and cutting ride for. They can definitely darken up your sound for anything you want to add a more dirty, gritty vibe to. Some complaints of wood tips is that they are much more fragile than nylon. It can be annoying when tiny pieces of the tip break off, completely deadening that part of the stick. This can definitely effect your sound, and create inconsistencies between strokes. This is not to say they aren’t great for loud, heavy playing, but you will go through them much faster than nylon. If you play wood tips, try exploring the different types of wood available out there. Most sticks are available in either Hickory, and Maple woods, but other woods such as Japanese Oak, and Rosewood are used as well. Each one of these woods has a different weight, and balance structure, and will give you an entirely different sound, so explore them and see what works for you.
Nylon Tip
Nylon tips, above all, are durable. They last extremely long, which makes them great for touring, especially if your not endorsed. The tips have been known to break off, but they will not gradually chip away like a wood tip. They give you a much brighter, more tinny sound making them great for any type of rock, pop, or metal drumming. Some complaints of nylons is that they leave marks on your cymbals, and even break cymbals faster than wood tips. Some also say that they dent, and wear out heads faster (I tend to believe that this is more a result of how you hit the drum) ultimately costing you more money. Also now in the nylon tip family is the entirely synthetic drumstick. Drum stick company Ahead, has released a synthetic drumstick with a plastic tip. They are geared toward metal drumming, but having never played them, I can’t comment on them.
