All the Way Round

All Victor The Way Indrizzo Round Story By: Kelly King Photos By: John Stephens When you see and hear Victor Indrizzo making the promo tour stops on talk shows and radio stations you might wonder, “Where did this guy come from? He’s lucky.” Although Victor might agree that he feels fortunate to be in the position to play drums with so many great artists, he can also tell you that he is not an overnight success. With an impressive and eclectic list of artists that he has recorded and toured with, you’ve definitely heard his playing; you just might not have known that it was Victor. Indrizzo has played across the spectrum with many of the last decade’s most well known artists, and then some. He’s no one trick pony. Look at his discography: Beck, Willie Nelson, Avril Lavigne, Chris Cornell, David Gahan, Sheryl Crow, the list is too long to mention them all. Victor has paid his dues making the transition from “band guy” to “session guy” and finally to “all around guy.” This first call drummer came from meager beginnings and admits to making a mistake or two along the way to get to where he is now. Rarely do you meet a musician who is willing to be honest about his own flaws, while constantly working to better himself. As the saying goes, “The longest journey begins with a single step.” Indrizzo received his first drum at a very early age, but got his first proper drum at around sixteen. Family funds were tight, so each year he would receive another part of the drum set. One year it was a snare. The next it was a hi-hat. In retrospect Indrizzo feels that it was this longing that fostered his drive to play, making him fully appreciate the gear. He comments, “To this day, when I get free drums I can hardly believe it.” The musical diet that his mother fed him was: Sly and The Family Stone, The Beatles, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. As a young boy he’d go to the record store and hang out all day reading the liner notes on the album sleeves to see who played what. Victor states, “Technology has done a lot of great things, but one of the saddest things to me is that it has changed the experience of music. When I was young I could spend hours looking at the artwork and reading the credits. It was a part of what bonded you to a recording. I’d read who played drums on what tracks and who played guitar, who produced, etc. I remember discovering that Stevie Wonder was playing drums on his songs and they were some of my favorite ones. His drumming breaks all the rules, it goes beyond technique to the heart of the music. I can’t imagine missing out on all of that.” When Victor was ten years old the Indrizzos moved to Los Angeles. Seven years later, on the eve of adulthood, Victor ran away from home. He started out on his own in Hollywood and ended up in his first signed band, Redd Kross. “I thought this was it. I’d made it. I’m in a band and we’re signed to Atlantic. Where’s my house in the Hollywood Hills?” he says laughing. “I soon found out that being a member of a signed band didn’t mean I’d make a great paycheck or even be assured of continual work.” Indrizzo then left Redd Kross to write with his then girlfriend (now ex-wife), but the project was not as successful as he had hoped, so Victor took a tour with Circus of Power. His experience with the band on that tour is not what he would describe as pleasant. On the positive side, Indrizzo got to meet Ginger Baker while on tour playing drums for Masters of Reality, who Indrizzo got along well with. In fact, they liked his playing and demeanor so much that when Baker left the group they asked Indrizzo to join. Around this time there was a period that Victor describes as a punk/pop renaissance, which led to a change in trajectory for his career. Indrizzo recounts, “I had already been playing on a lot of demos. I’d do it for some cash, but I’d also do it just to help out and play with different people. This whole punk influence in popular music started happening. I understood how punk is supposed to be played from my experiences in early bands that I was in. It’s not just bashing away like some people think. It’s about bringing energy to a song and knowing what to play. Some of those early punk drummers may not have been technical whizzes, but they knew exactly how to make a song exciting. So I started getting calls to do a lot of records. A lot of times I was ghost drumming, mainly because I knew how to play the stuff with stylistic integrity, but I also could play well with a click. It’s so important to be able to play with a click as well as without a click. If you want to be able to deliver in the studio you must have both of those bases covered. This was the beginning of me staying off the road and becoming a session musician. It’s ironic that this happened because I’m not a schooled player. I learned what I do from playing in bands and listening to the recordings I liked. I never thought I could have a career as a session guy because I didn’t ‘go somewhere’ to study. Turns out I was very wrong.” 038 039.

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