JUNE 2009 NASHVILLE DRUMMERS’ ROUNDTABLE PART I Ben Sesar Dave McAfee Dave Northrup Pat McDonald Rich Redmond THE BLACK PAGE THE BLACK PAGE JUNE 2009 4 Nashville Round Table Part I: by Jayson Brinkworth When the Pen Hits the Page: 19 by Sean Mitchell 22 Roddy Chops & Coordination by Ryan Carver 23 The Final Word Solo drums, beautiful drums, warm drum tones and full-on exhilarating drums. In this double CD, master-mu- sician David Jones has allowed the drums to shine in all their acoustic glory. Not since Gene Krupa in the THE BLACK PAGE is distributed via PDF 1940s or Sandy Nelson in the 1960s to email inboxes worldwide. have drums been this far out front. To subscribe, visit: David Jones has long been famous www.theblackpage.net for his utilisation of every conceivable Send us your feedback at: [email protected] percussive instrument – yes, even the kitchen sink – to make interesting Sean Mitchell Publisher soundscapes and rhythmic flourishes Jill Schettler Editor in Chief that leave an indelible mark on the Jayson Brinkworth Writer heart and soul of his listeners. Ryan Carver Writer Click Here to visit davidjonesdrums.com.au EARTH FRIENDLY For international sales outside Australia please click HERE. No Paper,m No Ink, No Waste Music In The House Presents The One & Only Kenny Aronoff In Clinic The Exchange 2431 8th Avenue Regina Saskatchewan Thursday June 4 7:30 pm Tickets $10 Available at: Music In The House Saskmusic St John’s Music Email Jayson at [email protected] for more information couple of years ago when I started writing for The Black Page, A I had an idea for a feature article NASHVILLE based around the Nashville music scene and its drummers. They are some of the world’s best and have a wealth of ROUND TABLE PART I knowledge to share. I had a few players in mind but nothing by Jayson Brinkworth concrete. The first player that fell into the mix was David Northrup from Travis Tritt’s band. David was in town for a show and a clinic, and we ended up heading out for a bite and a long drummer chat. The next player to come along was Dave McAfee from Toby Keith’s band. I met Dave when we were out on tour with Toby Keith, and we had a lot of time to exchange drum chat. The next player is no stranger to The Black Page, as he has graced the cover of our fair magazine: Rich Redmond from Jason Aldean’s band. The fourth player was on a recommendation from the first three and is the talented Pat McDonald from The Charlie Daniels Band. The final player is none other than Ben Sesar who plays with multi award-winning artist Brad Paisley. These players make up a fantastic cross-section of drumming in general. They all have great chops, fantastic technique and are very educated in the music industry. With all of these drumming skills in tact it is their skills as musicians that impresses me most. Playing the song, supporting the lyric, and being dynamically expressive are just a few things that will keep these five great players employed all of the time. I hope you enjoy part one of this educational read from five of the busiest and best players in the industry right now. See you next month! To start off with, could you give us a glimpse into your formative years of playing? Say from the ages of 15 to 20? Rich Redmond: I started playing drums at age 8. My early lessons taught me grip, reading, rudiments and basic drum set co- ordination. I am totally a product of the great music education system in Texas. Begin- ning in the fifth grade I participated in sym- phonic band, orchestra, marching band and jazz ensemble every year until graduation. I studied classical percussion and drum set and took it very seriously. I played in a mil- lion fun bands in El Paso, Texas, and lis- tened to tons of music. Some of my faves Rich Redmond were The Police, John Mellencamp and Van Halen. Those were the big influences: Dave McAfee: I was in the high school Stewart, Alex and Kenny. I ended up attend- marching band and the college marching ing Texas Tech University and later the Uni- band at Ohio U. Those years of experience versity of North Texas. By the time I was 25 gave me confidence. In high school, driving I had two degrees and had played tons of a 96 piece band as the only bass drummer musical styles. I tried to pattern myself af- was a great experience in time, meter, and ter players like Gregg Bissonette, who could responsibility. The stars had always been play tons of styles with conviction and also the snare line, but the director talked me had an academic degree to fall back on. into being the bass drummer, who was ulti- mately the leader of the Dave Northrup band. I was president of the band and section leader, and the pressure to run the section and know all the parts was a great teaching tool, and years later, ultimately helped prepare me for the responsibilities of driving a huge show like Toby’s. Ben Sesar: Hmmm. Those were basically high school and early college years. I had al- ready been playing for 6 years by the time I was 15. The goal in those days (as it still is today) was to play, play, play. I sought If you have ever used a out and surrounded myself with people that were like-minded and wanted to play as of- Drum case as luggage ten as I did. College was no exception—the difference there was the additional focus on personal practice. I started playing gigs out on the town within my first semester. Dave Northrup: I began playing in a school program at the age of 12, played all through high school, involved in concert band, jazz band, and select choirs. I competed in Area All State and All State Competitions. At 15 I began playing in rock cover bands outside of school. Began studying privately around 17, however I didn’t really get serious until my early twenties. Pat McDonald: I started out at age 5 or 6 with a toy kit with paper heads. I promptly destroyed them and lost interest. They end- ed up in the attic for a few years. One day, you might be for no apparent reason, I dug them back out and got completely bitten by the bug! I couldn’t play them much because they were a drum geek in pieces, so I began playing to my mom’s 70s soft rock/disco records (The Eagles, The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, John Denver, Bread, Barry Manilow, etc.) The most complete on pillows on the couch, set up like toms all online drum community. around me. I think this was a huge positive step be- cause it developed my ears as well as my hands. I learned to really listen and hear what the drums were doing in the music and, unbeknownst to me at the time, why. I tried to imagine the pillows as my kit and copied what I was hearing. I hassled my mom to get me real drums, and she finally Click here to visit relented, buying me another toy kit but a www.drummerconnection.com little better one with real heads and hoops and small-sized wood sic and they started turn- shells. That kit didn’t have a ing me onto other music. hi hat. It had one tiny bass I got turned onto guys like drum, one mounted tom, a Steve Smith with Journey, snare on a stand and one Terry Bozzio, Mark Craney, cheap cymbal. Vinnie Colaiuta with Frank As I got more into it, I Zappa, James Bradley Jr. knew I needed better drums, with Chuck Mangione and, so by the time I was 12 or most importantly, Neil Peart. so she bought me my first I became a complete Rush real kit. It was one of those fanatic and spent hours no-name Taiwanese junk learning Neil’s drum parts kits, but it had a working hi and licks. High school be- hat and real (albeit cheap) came nothing more than a cymbals. I played them all place to study just enough through middle school and to get by in regular classes kept playing along to re- and spend every spare mo- cords, developing my ears ment in the band room. and hands. At that point, I had be- By this point I had be- come a fairly accomplished gun buying my own records player for my age, and my and left her easy listening parents realized I was really music for more heavy rock into this and they got me a music. I got really into Kiss real kit with real cymbals— and learned to copy all of a Ludwig Chrome-O-Wood Peter Criss’ stuff. By the kit with a full set of Zildjians. time I got to high school I I joined a local band and got into the music programs started gigging in clubs dur- (jazz band, marching band, ing my senior year. When I concert band), met more graduated, the band started Pat McDonald people who were into mu- traveling the southeastern Saskatchewan’s hippest music school. Click HERE to visit www.musicinthehouse.ca U.S., playing rock covers in clubs all over What factors played into you choosing Florida, Georgia and Alabama.