| Who are your favorite drummers/drum recordings/artists/bands? |
 |
 |
 |
|
1. Deen Castronovo: WILD DOGS - "Reign Of Terror"; MARTY FRIEDMAN - "Dragon's Kiss" "Reign Of Terror" is a classic heavy metal drum record that was released in 1987. When I first heard it I was totally blown away. I charted most of the songs note-for-note and used to play along with this record everyday for months. Deen was in his early 20's when he recorded it. There were no click tracks used on these songs and his drumming isn't perfect but there's so much fire and power in his playing - it's incredible. His innovation and ideas that he comes up with over typical metal guitar riffs is amazing! 2. Danny Carey: TOOL - "Anema" and "Lateralus" Danny has the most innovative brain for drumming in the business. His combination of poly-rhythmic patterns and counter-point drum parts while still maintaining the flow of the music is something that amazes me every time I listen to a Tool recording. 3. Neil Peart: RUSH - "Moving Pictures", "Permanent Waves", "2112", etc... Neil's playing was and still is mind-blowing to me. He plays stuff that is interesting to drummers and non-drummers at the same time. That's not an easy thing to do. 4. Dirk Verbeuren: SOILWORK - "Stabbing The Drama" Dirk is the latest guy that I've been totally inspired by. I can't listen to his playing all the time. If I listen too long, I get frustrated, ha ha! He has an incredible (almost hip-hop) groove in his metal drumming. Totally smooth even when playing the most syncopated patterns. 5. Terry Bozzio: UK - "Danger Money" and "Night After Night" The UK records were a big part of my (and my brother Ron's) musical ideas during my early years. Later on when Ron and I wrote the Spastic Ink material, it’s crazy how many times he or I would say something like, "For this section, I'm kind of hearing a “Carrying No Cross” beat but in triplets". Bozzio's playing was fiery and yet musical. 6. Simon Phillips: JUDAS PRIEST - "Sin After Sin"; MSG - "Michael Schenker Group"; JEFF BECK - "There And Back". Simon had the chops, sound, and groove that I always wish I had. I love his complex stuff and his simple laying back stuff. - and of course many other drummers, too numerous to mention. Other artists/bands that I listen to for inspiration include: - Ella Fitzgerald - all, especially the "Songbooks" - Nat King Cole - all the vocal stuff - Frank Sinatra - any of the early Columbia stuff - Opeth - Zappa - mostly the Bozzio, Colaiuta, and Wackerman eras - Bjork - all Country Music - modern and classic |
