VIDEO TUITION on cd
THE UK’S BEST-SELLING DRUM MAGAZINE Summer 2013 | 219
Deap Vally
introducing Julie edwards, one half of the hot blues duo
jeff Hamilton talking dynamics, music & the art of brushes with the jazz master
Joey Jordison NEW BAND EXCLUSIVE! “I’ve played stuff i’ve never done on a drum recording before”
Slipknot’s drummer explores new rhythmic territory with scar the martyr
Also inside… josh eppard
coheed & cambria damon wilson
the temperance movement
the drummers of nashville
part 2
If your CD is missing please speak to your newsagent
interviewed
Jonathan Tuitt
Emeli SandÉ
Alphonse Mouzon
Weather Report
new gear reviewed Summer 2013
PRINTED IN THE UK
£4.99
Cover image: Jesse Wild
HELLO! More influential than Ringo?
If ever there was a drummer most responsible for inspiring budding musicians to pick up sticks (other than Ringo, or maybe last month’s cover star Travis Barker) the title surely must go to Joey Jordison. The legions of fans who voted him the greatest drummer of the last 25 years back in 2009 is testament to that fact. What’s equally inspiring is his work ethic. While his day job drumming with Slipknot has been sporadic at best, he’s been plugging away behind the scenes on a variety of projects. Not only is there a new Slipknot album slowly taking shape, but the double J has been writing for a surprising and diverse new project which he recently revealed as Scar The Martyr. We’ve heard some of the rough mixes and it’s more diverse than we could have ever imagined. The drumming, naturally, is signature Joey, but there are some surprises on there too. Love him or hate him he’s a talented fellow, and in this month’s cover feature he lifts the lid on why this new project is a significant step away from his main gig and explores new drumming territory. Jump to page 73 and you’ll notice we’ve given our tuition section a lick of paint. It’s brighter, clearer and even more geared to improving your playing. We welcome back an old favourite in Partners In Time, your chance to jam with a bass player and improve your rhythm section skills. If you haven’t already I’d recommend you check out Gareth Dylan Smith’s new column, I Drum Therefore I Am, too. In it he looks at who we are as drummers and dispels some of the myths that surround us. In his capacity as Dr Drums, PhD scholar Gareth knows a thing or two about what makes us tick. Enjoy!
PLAYLIST
PUMPING ON OUR STEREO... PB UNDERGROUND
Chris Barnes, Editor
DRUMS AT THE FRONT Pete Ray Biggin takes it back to the old school of funk, horns and all, with this tight ass EP from his own outfit. Opener ‘Little Man’ is a belter.
Chris.Barnes@futurenet.com Twitter @RhythmMagazine
Facebook /RhythmMagazine
MAN OF STEEL
THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS DAVID WEST
A drummer for nearly 30 years, David is one of Rhythm’s top writers. This month David interviewed the mighty Joey Jordison for this month’s cover feature. Under David’s expert questioning, Joey revealed all about his kick drum sound, new musical project and more. Find it on page 26.
WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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CHUCK PARKER
Chuck is an LA-based freelance drummer/ writer. His long-held passion for drums extends to playing, teaching and writing about drums. This month Chuck met up with US drum legend Jeff Hamilton, to get the lowdown on his fantastic career and get his take on playing with brushes. That’s over on page 38.
ALEX SOLCA
For nearly 30 years Alex has photographed rock luminaries such as Alice Cooper, Dio, Machine Head, Dave Weckl and more for the world’s finest music magazines, such as this one. This month, Alex was responsible for shooting brush legend Jeff Hamilton in Los Angeles. See his handiwork on page 38!
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK Hans Zimmer does it again on the drum heavy soundtrack to the superhero mega movie. If you haven’t seen the video featuring Vinnie, Keltner, JR, Sheila E and more tracking TOGETHER, it’s here http://bit.ly/19wzXEx.
THE WHO
QUADROPHENIA It’s been Who fever in the UK as the rockers tour their seminal rock opera plus a deluge of hits. Scott Devours has been filling in for a poorly Zak Starkey. Get well soon Ringo Jr!
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Contents
Issue 219 Summer 2013
44
JULIE EDWARDS Deap Vally
Regulars 06 BEAT
All the latest news and hot gear, plus tips, classic sounds and more
18
INTRODUCING
New bands and drummers you need to have on your radar this month
20
REVIEWS
26
JOEY JORDISON
The Slipknot man reveals his new musical project and the secrets of his mighty kick drum sound
New stuff from Questlove, Magnus Ostrom, Mike Portnoy, Danny Carey and more
110
ASK GEOFF
Your kit conundrums solved by our resident gear guru
JEFF HAMILTON US jazz maestro
38
64
JONATHAN TUITT Emeli SandĂŠ
58
ALPHONSE MOUZON Fusion drumming legend
WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO RHYTHM?
Become a Rhythm subscriber and get a pair of Pro-Mark Joey Jordison sticks, stick bag and drum key, plus save 20%. Head to page 70 for details. www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk 4
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73
LESSONS
93
GEAR REVIEWS
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© Sebastien Paquet
Beat! People | Music | Gear
Ray Luzier (far right) with Korn, and a garden shed
Here ToStay
Ray Luzier on his third album with nu-metal pioneers Korn ■■“I’m still the new guy after six years, I’ll still be the new guy in 10 years,” laughs Ray Luzier as he chats to Rhythm shortly before the band begins the latest show on their European summer tour. The drummer may still be the newbie, but since joining the ranks of the Bakersfield metal pioneers back in 2007, Luzier has made the Korn drum throne his own. Although he admits that even as the release of the band’s new record approaches – the third to feature his playing – there are some doubters: “It takes a lot for these die-hard fans to let me in, there’s a lot of fans who
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won’t accept me. I get it. I’m a fan of Journey, it freaks me out when I see a Filipino guy singing ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. But bands are like marriages.” It seems that the new record, Paradigm Shift, could be the album that showcases the definitive Korn line-up. With founding guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch back, the band is now at four-fifths of its classic original line up, with Luzier in for David Silveria. “We’re really excited to have Head back in the fold, that’s a big bonus. Ever since I’ve been in the band I’ve wanted those four original guys up front, so it was a big deal to have him back.” The sticksman says that the vibe created by the five during writing sessions for the new album mixes Korn’s classic sound with the genre-exploring feel of their latter work. “The sound is the heart of Korn. All five of
Ray’s Roles “Everyone I have played with has been different,” Luzier says of his varied gigs. “When I was in David Lee Roth’s band it was very technically inclined with a lot of double bass shuffles. When I joined the Stone Temple Pilots guys [to form Army Of Anyone], that was a different groove, then the Korn gig was so different. They’re so individual.”
us were in a room off and on for several months. It sounds very 2013, though. It’s a whole other vibe now with Brian back in. We let everything happen naturally. Nothing was rushed. This is the first record I’ve made in years where I don’t want to skip any tracks!” Luzier adds that producer Don Gilmore’s less-is-more approach when it came to gear was a key theme for the record: “Don’s not a big guy on switching drums out. I used a Pearl Reference kit: 10", 13" racks – I love big intervals so you can really hear the tonal differences between the drums – 16" and 18" floors with a 24" kick. I used a Reference snare but also a custom snare that my buddy made. It’s like a Ludwig Black Beauty but with wood inlays. It’s got that crack but a lot of warmth too. Drummers have been tying to fight me for it and steal it for years!” Paradigm Shift is out 30 September.
www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk
7/11/13 11:56 AM
DAMON WILSON
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
Feeder drummer back with a new band Damon, you’re currently playing with The Temperance Movement, how did you guys come together? “It came about with five guys just wanting to play the music we’ve always wanted to play but never had the chance to while playing with other people and other bands. It started with Luke [Potashnik], one of the guitar players, and Phil [Campbell] our singer. And then one day they talked about starting a band together and I’d seen Phil and met him a few years ago and had always wanted to play in a band with him. So I guess it came together once we found each other.”
How would you describe the band? “We are a rock’n’roll band but we try and have some soul in it, probably soul with a small ‘s’. So it’s got swagger to it rather than just being big, brash and loud.”
Is this something you’ve always wanted to play? “Yeah, I kinda grew up on Led Zeppelin,
Muddy Waters, The Band, Little Feat – stuff like that and I think that had always been brewing. All those influences had always brewed with all of us.”
You came to the UK from Australia, how important was that in terms of finding work as a drummer?
Damon Wilson and the Temperance Movement
“Massive. Coming to the UK was a lifelong dream I didn’t even realise I had. Once I came here, everything I grew up on was British – music, film, TV, even art. When you walk around London, when you walk past Abbey Road studios or you record at Olympic studios, you find yourself at places where all this great culture came from. It dawns upon you that this is where I’ve always wanted to be.”
ON TOUR
the band to go back to Skunk Anansie, Chris put my name forward and it’s been really fun. They’re great guys and they’re friends of mine. It was easy, it just kind of fitted easily.”
Any other plans this year?
You’ve previously worked with Feeder, how did that come about? “Chris Sheldon has made a few of their records. He’s a friend and I’ve made a record with Chris. So when Mark [Richardson] left
Temperance Movement are touring throughout August 2013
“I’m still playing a bit with Ray Davies [Kinks]. We’re going to make a record later in the year but the Temperance Movement takes up pretty much all of my time now. We’re on the road a lot, which is what we want – it’s a live experience so we want people to discover us through our shows.”
THIS MONTH AT RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK Highlights from the online home of the UK’s best-selling drum magazine
FEATURE
NEWS
MICKEY HART
The Grateful Dead drummer is the latest sticksman to show his artistic side. Hart has unveiled the Drum Ki collection, pieces which he says have been created with “primal energy”, and involved capturing motions with time-lapse cameras.
STEWART COPELAND
We asked Stewart Copeland to pick his 10 favourite drum albums, he instead picked the 16 funnest drum albums ever recorded. Check his picks - including Slipknot - on the Rhythm blog.
TUITION
DAVID GARIBALDI
The latest in our series of Drum Guru lessons comes from David Garibaldi. The Tower Of Power legend unpicks five-a-diddles for your viewing pleasure.
FEATURES
SIMON COLLINS
This month (on page 18) we introduce you to Simon Collins. Head online and check the drummers that shaped Simon’s playing. Yes, his dad is in there.
PLUS CHAD SMITH IN CONVERSATION WITH THE AVETT BROTHERS, KARL BRAZIL ROBBIE WILLIAMS REHEARSAL CLIPS AND MORE WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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BEAT! PEOPLE | MUSIC | GEAR
INBOX
UR WHAT’S BANGING YOUR NGING YO AT’S BA WH DRUM MONTH… THIS MONTH… DRUM THIS YOUR TWEETS
Wrist injuries are no joke for a drummer
Great to see our advert in @Rhythm Magazine in the latest issue. Great mag and very proud to be anywhere in it. @MyDrum Lessons
Proud of my bro @RobinGuy’s feature in this months @Rhythm Magazine “one of the great heroes of British drumming” @corinhardy
A pain in the… wrist
In the garden practicing!.... 2/4 3/4 4/4 6/8 Massed bands for tomorrow. @TheTh3rdChair
Star Letter
I was wondering if anyone at Rhythm could help me with a problem I have with my wrist. Around four years ago I was drumming with my band and felt a sudden build up of pain in my left wrist. At first I thought it was a sprain and rested it for a while, but the pain has never completely disappeared. I am quite a skinny build, and admittedly at the time I was probably over-hitting and hadn’t warmed up properly, something I always try to do now. Four years on, it has now got to the point where I no longer enjoy playing due to the continuous nagging pain and I have considered giving up playing for good. I should mention I have had my wrist checked out by various people including physiotherapists, chiropractors and joint specialists and none have provided any answers. I even had an MRI and an X-Ray, none of which provided an explanation. I should also mention that I work as a joiner, which leads me to think it is probably some form of tendonitis or RSI that I am experiencing. I dip my wrist in a bucket of icy water before bed, which helps but probably only masks the problem rather then help curing it. If there is anything you could suggest, or if you know of anyone who specialises in these type of injuries then I would be very grateful of your help. Many thanks and keep up the good work at the magazine. Martyn Guy, via email
I own every issue on @Rhythm Magazine with @travisbarker on the cover, May 2002 being first issue I ever bought. Got to get August 2013 now. @punkdrum77
WRITE IN & WIN!
The writer of the Star Letter each month wins a box of Pro-Mark drum sticks and T-shirt
Pete Riley responds: “Sorry to hear of your issues, Martyn. Like most of us I’ve experienced a few aches and pains here and there, sometimes through playing, sometimes with other causes but fortunately always subsiding over time and with some rest. As a result I’m really not in a position to recommend much else other than rest. However there may be an underlying technique-related issue, perhaps a little tension combined with hard hitting that probably wouldn’t have amounted to anything given some time off back when the problem originally occurred, but now it’s been exacerbated by playing in that state and turned into something more serious, or worse, permanent. It may be that someone needs to get in there and have a dig around; Thomas Lang recently had both hands operated upon for Carpel Tunnel issues so it can happen to the best of us.” Has anyone else succumbed to the drummer’s most feared affliction? Let us know your stories and tips for prevention – CB
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GET IN TOUCH
THIS MONTH ON FACEBOOK*
email rhythm@futurenet.com Twitter @RhythmMagazine Facebook /RhythmMagazine
■ Benny Greb 54% ■ Chris Daddy Dave 18% ■ Matt Halpern 14%
Or send it the old way: The Editor, Rhythm Magazine, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Somerset BA1 2BW
* Join the discussion at Facebook.com/RhythmMagazine
THE WRITING’S ON THE WALL To begin, let me just say that I absolutely love the magazine, but as more and more issues came through my letter box each month I began to find myself with a large pile of issues forming in the corner of my bedroom, which made me feel like I was putting the magazines to waste! I spent some time thinking of what could be done to remedy it. I realised that my walls were looking rather bare and I decided to take all of my copies of Rhythm – as well as the 2012
Who is the most innovative drummer of the last 10 years?
found a solution that allows you to continue drumming. I remember when Travis Barker broke his right arm and continued playing with his slave pedal linked up to a snare drum. Unbelievable, but it goes to show that the double pedal’s uses stretch far beyond the usual fugga dugga! – CB
Great to see one of my past students @OllieHowellJazz in @Rhythm Magazine. Talented drummer & lovely guy! His new album is out soon! @Elliotbennett_
DEMO-LITION
#1940s drums featured in this months issue! Great to see this classic kit! #swing @BevinBoys
I’ve been drumming for nearly seven years and have been in a trio playing alt-rock for about three years and we still don’t have a name. Some inspiration would be great! But we really want to start playing more gigs and we’ve found a promoter, but first we need to record some demos. It would be great if you could give us some advice on how to record some demos on a limited budget for a group of 16/17 year olds! Oh and some help with how to think of a band name would be great!
Dominic Briggs, via email
The more you invest in gear and learning the ropes, the less you will outlay on expensive studio sessions in the future and 2013 calendars, a drum ad, and some old drum heads – and I began to take the magazines and calendars apart, cutting out and saving certain pages, ads and articles. Once I’d done this I broke out the Blu-Tac and coated my walls in Rhythm-y goodness! I hope you enjoy the final result!
Ben Ramscar, via email What a cool looking bedroom, Ben. We definitely approve and it’s a great way to recycle old mags. Anybody else done something similar they want to share? I used to have walls plastered with pics of my favourite drummers. Nothing like having your inspirations watching you whilst you practise – CB
■ Dave Elitch 7% ■ Chris Pennie 7%
Recording on the cheap is getting much easier these days. What’s achievable really depends on your budget and your willingness to experiment. Most good rehearsal studios will offer a reasonably priced service whereby they mic you up and record your session. At home, with an adequately spec’d computer, this can be the cheapest way to produce your
A day out in Aberystwyth and my Number 1 goal for the day... Where can I buy this months @Rhythm Magazine - Accomplished! @The_Crates Aug edition of @Rhythm Magazine with great @Natal drums coverage & reviews along with the @RobinGuy feature - #spiritclinictour #spiritseries @Jaseondrums
own demos. It’s also a faster track to learning about recording methods. You’ll need a simple interface with four or more mic inputs. These will often come with a light copy of Cubase or a similar DAW. Four mics on a kit should be fine, two condensers as overheads, one in the kick, one on the snare. There are plenty of great budget mic sets – check out sets from Red 5 Audio, Gear 4 Music, Audix and Sontronics. You’ll need mic stands and leads too, but if budget is tight, look into hiring or borrowing this equipment. You can have a lot of fun experimenting with mic placement and levels and learning how to make your kit shine. If you can get hold of the July, August and Summer 2012 issues of Rhythm there’s some great recording advice from James Hester to help you. Alternatively a good stereo recorder (Olympus, Zoom and Roland all do great models) can produce a good live sound and you can dump these tracks into a computer afterwards. Remember that you can’t change the levels afterwards so experimenting with placement is key. This might seem like a lot of expense up-front but the more you invest in gear and learning the ropes, the less you will outlay on expensive studio sessions in the future and your band will become a self-sufficient demo-recording machine! As for a band name, everyone has trouble with this, even Joey Jordison (read about his band name woes, p26). An online name generator suggests Swamp Puzzle and Democracy Pebble… What about Clap Lamp? No? – CB
You don’t need to go to these extremes to record a demo for your band…
SINGLE VS DOUBLE Double bass-drum pedals are useful if you lose the use of your usual pedal foot. I’ve had a double for years just for more fancy fills, but in recent years I developed osteoarthritis in my right ankle. The double pedal meant that I could use my left foot more during a song to help my other foot out. When I finally had my right ankle fused, my left foot was ready to go it alone, which means I can still gig regularly at 67.
Nigel Jones, via Facebook Cheers Nigel. Pleased to hear you’ve WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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cover feature Joey Jordison
Rhythm talks to the man behind the mask about his upcoming album, the key to playing a great rock groove and why music matters Words: David West photos: Jesse Wild
mongst every generation of drummers, there is an elite group of players that rise above the crowd to define their era and to inspire the next wave of kids to hound their parents for a drum kit. With a series of brutally demanding albums with Slipknot, not to mention stints with Ministry, Satyricon, Rob Zombie and Metallica, Joey Jordison has become a modern drumming icon. With tremendous technical ability and machine gun double-kick fluency all delivered with a relentless, physical intensity on stage, Joey is the standard-bearer for modern metal drumming.
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Now the celebrated and award-winning musician is embarking on a new venture called Scar The Martyr. Joining him are former Strapping Young Lad Jed Simon and Kris Norris from Darkest Hour on guitar, alongside Chris Vrenna, who played with Nine Inch Nails, on keyboards. Joey not only wrote the music but laid down the rhythm guitar parts and bass as well as the drums. He found a vocalist in the form of Henry Derek, the one unfamiliar name in the line-up, and Joey has mixed feelings about calling this band a supergroup. “I can’t really stop people from saying that
because in a way it is,” he says. “It’s a band with some really talented people so I guess it is a supergroup. It wasn’t put together like that, I just wanted to get together with some players that I knew would deliver. If people want to call us that, that’s fine with me.” Scar The Martyr’s debut album is due out 30 September and Joey is buzzing about the music. “I like this time because you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” he says. “It’s that excitement that you never really feel again because it’s so new. That’s what I’m enjoying right now.”
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