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sit there. I think it may be a combination of almost hung up - I thought it was my friend to Melbourne, I thought, “Well, I’ve done this Photo by Robert Carbone Photo by Robert A native of Long what you are exposed to and how you feel a Carl pranking me! before…” Island, New York, Jeff pulse. A connection with your emotions too. Nuno started laughing. He had to prove I took a year off. I didn’t really touch the I also listened to a lot of funk and bands like he wasn’t Carl by reading the letter I sent with drums that much. It was actually the first time Consi has that dis- Steely Dan. That was music school growing the tape. Then my heart drops. I was flipping. since I started playing drums that I took some cernible phat pocket up. When I was 17, I met a brilliant New He’d left Extreme, done a solo record and time off. Eventually, I wound up getting a gig all the groove players York drummer named Lee Finkelstein who now wanted to do a band thing. He had Mike with David Franj. Nuno was producing Franj made my head spin. I was obsessed with his Mangini with Donovan Bettencourt on bass - a when we first came here. He was promoting from the North playing. He’s currently the drummer in the 3-piece. They did a gig together but Mike got his new record and his drummer left. So, Eastern USA seem to original Blues Brothers band. He turned me offered the gig with Steve Vai. Nuno wanted a he called and said, “Hey, come and play!” I have. Now an Aussie, on to Garibaldi and Tower of Power. Sent me fresh player, not a big pro name. They looked started doing gigs with him, but then I also on a whole new path. around Berklee but it just wasn’t happening. started trying to network again. It’s just one Jeff’s backbeats power What was it like growing up and developing So, he flew me up to Boston and I did the of those things. You have to get out there and the Badloves. We your own thing as a drummer in NYC at a audition and that was that. Next day I get a start meeting people. spoke at Wicks Studio time that was arguably the heyday of the message on my phone saying welcome to the How much does the environment differ in session scene? family. Just amazing. Our first rehearsals were Australia from what you saw in the New York A, the Badloves’ My dad was a recording engineer in in Melbourne because Suze (DeMarchi) was area? “other home”… Manhattan. I was young, but he’d take me to rehearsing for her ‘Telelove’ tour here. They The drumming community here is a testament the studio with him. He wound up building were married at the time. It was a whirlwind. to Frank (Corniola). When I first came here an API console in our basement, it was for a What led you to move Down Under? with Nuno, the first drummer I saw was Jeff, tell us how it all began? What inspired friend in the next town. I started doing sessions After September 11, Nuno was moving to LA, Dave Beck with Suze’s band. Immediately I you to become a drummer? there when I was about 12. That was my first and Donovan moved to Portugal. I was mar- was thinking, “What are they putting in the My father was a drummer. It started with him 24-track recording. I didn’t know what I was ried to an Australian and we decided to move water down here? What are they feeding these and then my brother Michael. He would have doing; I was just playing. I loved it. I knew back here in 2002. guys?” Then I realised quickly that Frank was been my first inspiration. He’s a real natural, I wanted to be a session musician. Being in How did you find your way into the scene in feeding everyone. It’s a real honour to be a playing traditional grip. We have photos of him New York, I got to see some of the greats. I Australia? part of the whole scene. playing on the kit when he was 2 years old. saw guys like Steve Ferrone and Anton Fig Well this is something I’ve chatted to other I did find it more difficult to break into the I started playing when my brother would play small bar gigs. Big influences. I set my drummers about because it’s happened about scene here, though. New York was more open. go to school. I’d get on the kit. I was about drums up like Anton at one point! There was a two or three times in my life. I’ve moved to a It took a long time to start getting steady gigs 5. There was a lot of listening to music that lot of learning from players and producers that new city and had to start from scratch. I did it in Melbourne. I just kept at it. was handed down from my brother. There was I worked with. in New York: doing gigs on Long Island, then I have to say, there’s a lot of inspiration always music in the house, everything from You also played with some of the cream of moved into Queens and then I’m doing gigs to draw on here. Players like Davey Porter, the Eagles to EWF, Doobie Brothers, Sly Stone New York City musicians, like the great bass in Manhattan then all up and down the East Peter Maslen and Wato (John Watson). Maz - it was all that - a lot of Jackson 5. When I player Will Lee … Coast. I did the same thing in Boston: when is one of the best songwriter drummers, best think back to it, even before I got into Zeppelin That was because I was sitting in with the I was playing with Nuno, I was still trying to studio sound ever. Wato is just a magnificent and Hendrix, I was absorbing Sly, EWF, Kool China Club house band on Thursday nights. get out there and do other things. When I got drummer to listen to and watch. Then there’re and the Gang. My family had pretty good They’d have this monster band. I was playing musical taste. with a guitar player named Adam Bomb at Was there a lot of formal training? Or was it the time. He was friends with those guys. grooving and playing to the radio. He vouched for me, and they got me up! It The way I remember it, I played the same beat was incredible. I got to play with T.M. Stevens for a few years: a basic rock beat with ghost there, (he was very cool), Benny Harrison on notes that Michael taught me. Then, I started keys. Killer players - I couldn’t believe I was discovering Hendrix, Sabbath, Zeppelin and there! Rush. I loved playing along to those records. Is that what you lead you into a band with the My brother outgrew the drums, so I got into great guitarist Nuno Bettencourt? his cover band when I was about 12 - doing It was around that time, around 1999. I was By Dan Steedman block parties, schools, and birthdays. showing up at these Thursday nights and the At 15, I started getting more serious about band leader mentioned he had another thing playing and started taking lessons at the Long on a Wednesday night at Dark Star. And again, Island Drum Centre. They had a lot of great they’d have all these killer players. It would drummers teaching there, like Dom Famularo. chop and change but was really inclusive. I chose Joe Franco. He wrote a book on You’d think people at that level would look double bass and he had a great Bonham feel. down on you but they were absolutely, “Hey I studied with him for about a year, maybe a man, c’mon get up and play!” - really inviting year and a half. and encouraging. It builds a lot of confidence. He basically got me sight-reading, working Around that time my ex-girlfriend called me on rudiments. We worked a lot out of Syncopa- and said, “Someone from Nuno Bettencourt’s tion. He was a fantastic teacher and a studio band put up an ad in Manny’s Music…” she JEFF pro. I also played in high school marching and was like, “they’re looking for a drummer - you jazz bands. should send something in.” I fluffed about. I You have a very discernible pocket, that feel didn’t know. that a lot of the North East players seem to They asked for an audition tape. Simple to have. How did you get that together? most complex beats. So, I sent it in. I told no Some musicians have told me that’s an one. I mentioned it briefly to a roadie friend American thing, they hear a lot of American of mine. Then I forgot about it. A couple of CONSI drummers do that. I don’t know, I just naturally weeks go by, phone rings, and it’s Nuno. I The Badloves Live Photo by Robert Miles all the greats like Carlo Parisi, Marcus Ryan, more efficiently. I find that I need to write the Oh, man. I guess Leo Sayer - that wasn’t Dave Matthews, (Johnny) Salerno, Adrian intro for each song.

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