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RAY LUZIER
Gretsch Maple 2016 drum kit
Hitting hard with nu-metal pioneers Korn
interviewed
Jimmy Brown
UB40
Stix Zadinia
Steel Panther
Bernard Purdie
Session legend
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welcome! It’s all about the gear this month…
Chris Burke, Editor
Chris.Burke@futurenet.com
Twitter @RhythmMagazine
It’s that time of year again when the world’s drum manufacturers showcase their latest product lines and innovations at the Winter NAMM conference in Anaheim, California. I’ve just got back from the show, and I can confirm that as always the companies have excelled themselves again in pushing our instrument forward with new lines, ingenious tweaks to what is after all a pretty classic instrument, and new products that will rock your world in the coming months. Check out our round-up of new gear unveiled at NAMM from page 30 this month, and of course we’ll bring you exclusive hands-on reviews of this gear as soon as we get hold of it over the coming months. But more than that, this month we celebrate the classic designs of iconic drum gear that has shaped the modern drumset, with Rhythm’s vintage gear guru Geoff Nicholls revealing the stories behind it! We also have an exclusive interview with one of our favourite rock drummers, Korn’s Ray Luzier. Ray is a beast behind the kit, and he reveals all about his gear, approach to the drums with the nu-metal pioneers and more from page 46. Plus Pete Riley breaks down Korn’s recent, brilliant track ‘Rotting In Vain’ featuring Ray on page 79. Speaking of Pete, we’re pleased to be able to bring you a brand new tuition column from him called Technical Difficulties, which aims to help you get to grips with some of the trickier technical issues you may be facing. In our newly expanded Lessons section, aside from our regular columns from Erik Stams, Pat Garvey, Kyle Cullen, Colin Woolway and Jason playlist Bowld, we have the first of a handful of guest lessons from Pumping on UK session ace and Siouxsie drummer Rob Brian on page 70 our stereo... this month, and we have a full video playalong of The Police’s dumb blood ‘Driven To Tears’! Enjoy! vant You lot voted Greenie from VANT Best New Drummer of 2016 a couple of issues back, and his band’s debut proves you were right!
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signing off
This month’s experts rob brian
Rob is no stranger to the pages of Rhythm – he’s been featured many times as a player, and as one of the UK’s finest educators, he delivered an ace guest lesson series for us back in 2009. We’re pleased to be able to welcome Rob back to our Lessons CD – find his new guest column on the disc and on p70 this month!
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rich chamberlain
One of Rhythm’s top writers, Rich has had a particularly busy month, speaking to Ray Luzier from nu-metal veterans Korn, Stix Zadinia from hair metal geniuses Steel Panther and Jimmy Brown from Brum reggae legends UB40. Find his interviews with those guys on pages 46, 44 and 58 respectively!
PETE RILEY
As editor of Rhythm’s free Lessons CD, Pete’s the man responsible for bringing you some incredible drum tuition videos, as well as pulling together all the lessons from our team of expert tutors, each month. This issue, aside from breaking down Police and Korn tracks, Pete starts a brand new series, Technical Difficulties!
ub40 After reading Jimmy Brown’s story with the Birmingham reggae collective (this month’s Rhythm Interview), we were moved to put on UB40’s first, genius album. ‘King’, ‘My Way Of Thinking’ – great stuff.
KORN
the serenity of suffering Ray Luzier’s best album since joining the nu-metallers a few years back, this one from last year has some great moments like ‘Rotting In Vain’ see our playalong on p79) and ‘A Different World’.
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Contents
Issue 265 March 2017
46 ray luzier Hitting hard with nu metal pioneers Korn
Regulars 06 beat
All the latest news from the drum world, hot gear, classic sounds and more
18
introducing
The bands and drummers you need to have on your radar this month
22
reviews
gear special
30 Hot new products and classic drum stuff
New stuff from VANT, Manu KatchĂŠ, KXM, Suicide Silence and more
58
Jimmy brown UB40 drummer on his career with the Brum reggae outfit
44
56
stix zadinia Steel Panther man on his essential drum albums
the workshop How to drill your cymbals for rivets
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67
lessons
85
gear reviews
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Highlights
People | Music | Gear
8Allnews the top stories from
around the drum world
18 introducing Meet the drummers of Jess Glynne and The Bad Touch
“I was stoked to get inside the mind of Matt Cameron, Lars Ulrich, Aynsley Dunbar and all the other drummers of the songs we covered!�
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22 reviews New stuff from VANT, Manu Katché, KXM and more
Arejay Hale with Halestorm, fronted by sister Lzzy Hale
Arejay Reanimates!
Halestorm drummer takes on Lars, Josh Dun and more on new EP ■■It sounds like every drummer’s dream – picking out some of your favourite bands and heading into a plush studio to recreate the killer drum parts on one of said bands’ top tracks. The dream is very much reality for Arejay Hale, whose band Halestorm have just recorded their Reanimate 3.0 EP. The collection is the band’s third extended player of cover versions, and this one has some absolute belters on there. The EP features tracks by Whitesnake (‘Still Of The Night’), Twenty One Pilots (‘Heathens’), Metallica (‘Ride The Lightning), Joan Jett (‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’), Sophie B Hawkins (‘Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover’) and Soundgarden (‘Fell On Black Days’). But how did they choose this fine selection? “We had a bunch of songs we liked, our record label and management had songs they’d like to hear us remake, our producer, friends, family and fans all threw in suggestions,” Arejay explains. “It was a really big batch of songs we had to choose from.” And now we come onto that piece of fantasy drumming, as Arejay got the chance to climb into the shoes of Messrs Cameron, Ulrich, Dunbar et al. “I was stoked to get inside the mind of Matt Cameron, Lars Ulrich, Aynsley Dunbar and all the other drummers of the songs we covered!
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‘Ride The Lightning’ was a real challenge for me because you can’t deviate too much, you have to stay true to Ulrich’s drum parts. His parts are all strategically planned out and repeated as certain sections come back around. Plus, their songs are usually eight to 10 minutes long. If I were to change a bunch of the parts in that song, Metallica fans would most likely stone me!” Amongst the classic acts there’s a newer name in there in the shape of Twenty One Pilots and drummer Josh Dun. Arejay is effusive in his praise of the chart-bothering pop rock duo. “I honestly really like Twenty One Pilots and have a lot of respect for them, especially after learning and performing ‘Heathens’,” Arejay says. “I think Josh Dun is a slammin’ player! One thing I’ve always loved to play along to on drums is hip-hop and R&B music and this song had a feel and groove like that. He plays with a lot of pocket but also a lot of energy and power. I got mad respect for his style and also for their songwriting.” Reanimate 3.0 acts as a welcome appetiser for Halestorm fans as the band works up a brand new record. Arejay reveals that they’re hard at work on that right now. “We’re currently writing for our next record and are predicting to start recording in March. After that I’m sure we’ll be hitting the road. As for me, I’m writing as much as I can, trying to keep my drumming, guitar playing and singing chops up and I’m in the middle of building a full recording studio at my house in LA. As I see it for the future, the possibilities are endless.”
Carmine’s Cover “My favourite cover from another artist was from when I was a kid and my dad played me a video of Vanilla Fudge performing ‘Set Me Free’ by Leela James,” Arejay says. “I loved the energy of Carmine Appice and from that point on I wanted to learn how to spin my sticks.”
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Beat! People | Music | Gear
Go-Go-Gojira
Metal titans’ unstoppable rise continues ■■We’re big fans of Mario Duplantier and Gojira here at Rhythm HQ, but even we were slayed when the band blasted through the UK’s largest arenas at the back end of 2016.
They did so while supporting seasoned arena rockers Alter Bridge, and Mario and co were more than up to the job. “It was a really cool experience, the venues were huge and the crowds were bigger,” says Mario. “It was challenging for us however, Gojira’s music is quite different from Alter Bridge, but still a great fit. We had an opportunity to reach out to new fans who
would have otherwise probably never come to a Gojira show.” Mario adds that jumping from arenas to clubs does require a little changing up of his style. “When I play in arenas my movements are amplified, I’m hitting harder, and try to be a bit more visual with my playing. There’s always that thought in my mind that the bigger the venue, the more spectacular the show has to be. As far as my drum kit goes, the settings are virtually identical as they would be in a club setting.” If 2016 ended with a bang, then Gojira’s 2017 is about to come roaring out of the blocks as the band kicks off a UK tour this month. “We are so excited to be coming back to the UK so soon, and to deliver a headline Magma concert with our full production. It’s been a while since we have headlined in the UK so we are really going to do everything we can to make the experience as memorable as possible for our fans here.” And that’s not all that the French tech metallers have coming up. There could also be an almighty celebration on the horizon… “We are nominated for two Grammy awards for Magma,” Mario explains. “I would love more than anything to see Gojira winning one of them. Aside from that, we are really just looking forward to bringing our headline show over to Europe and all over the world.”
Alphonse Mouzon RIP Jazz master passes away at 68 ■■Rhythm is saddened to report that Alphonse Mouzon has passed away. The jazz great died on Christmas Day at his Los Angeles home. He was 68 years old. Mouzon had been suffering from neuroendocrine cancer, and his son Jean-Pierre Mouzon confirmed that cardiac arrest was his father’s cause of death. Mouzon was born in Charleston in 1948 and began what would become a long and successful career in 1970. He was part of Weather Report for a short stint in the early ’70s and released his first record as a band leader in 1972. As a sideman, he recorded with the likes of Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Al Di Meola, Larry Coryell, Miles Davis and Roberta Flack. Meanwhile, he hit the road with pop and rock titans such Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. As the news broke tributes began to flood in, including this from Questlove: “If you were to ask JohnBonham of Led Zep who his drumming hero was,” the Roots drummer wrote on Instagram, “he’d no doubt declare the great Alphonse Mouzon the fairest of them all. And that is a correct statement. I can’t even BEGIN to tell you of his influence on me drumming. Rest In Beats Alphonse!” Mouzon’s influence in the drumming world can ■ be seen in the array of sticksmen that paid tribute. ■ Rock titan Glen Sobel was another to offer a heartfelt
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Late, great jazz legend Alphonse Mouzon
online post, saying: “RIP Alphonse Mouzon. A true ■ drum hero that even had praise from the likes of John Bonham. I first saw Alphonse play when I was 16. It ■ was the Queen Mary Jazz Festival with his own band. That one performance had a profound impact on ■ me and I then checked out a lot of his early work ■
and solo albums. I got to know Alphonse just a little ■ bit in recent years. Always a kind and super nice guy that was paying attention to the ever changing world ■ of drumming.” We would like to pass our condolences to Alphonse’s family and former bandmates.
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Hopkins hits the road
NEWS SPLASH
Irish drummer announces clinic tour
Lardner joins Sakae
■■Seasoned sessioneer Graham Hopkins has announced a six-date clinic tour. The Irishman will perform in Belfast, Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Westport and Cork between 21 February and 9 March. Hopkins is currently the drummer for The Frames and The Swell Season. His past credits include Therapy?, Dolores O’Riordan, The Cake Sale, Gemma Hayes and Glen Hansard. He is also a respected educator and will be imparting wisdom built up from his eclectic career at these shows. But what exactly can we expect from the dates, we ask. “Well, obviously a hell of a lot of drum talk,” Graham tells Rhythm. “I’ll be talking about the gear I use, my musical influences and my drumming career to date, ■ both live and studio experiences. I’m also going to play various grooves.” The shows are being billed as ‘drum hangs’ rather than clinics, and Graham explains why. “I’m more comfortable with a relaxed ‘hang’ than a flash exhibition, I suppose,” he says. “I like to keep the energy more relaxed and informal so it’s more of a two-way experience and a chat amongst friends. I’m ■ not into sitting there for hours just doing fills and twirling the sticks!” For more information and full dates head over to ■ www.grahamhopkinsdrummer.com.
Play at the O2 Arena! Your chance to play a memorable gig and support a good cause ■■It’s surely every drummer’s dream to some day play at the O2 Arena. Well, here’s your chance! Iconic London music store Footes along with the British Drum Company have announced a huge charity drumming event which will see 75 drummers perform ■ at the venue. Drummers On Top takes place on 23 February in aid ■ of the Roll Out The Barrel Trust. But why Drummers ■ On Top, we hear you ask. Well, performers will actually ■ be playing on the walkway across the top of the O2 – pretty cool, right? Tthe drummers will get a couple of minutes to ■ show their skills and take advantage of the wonderful backdrop for a photo opportunity. Each of the performers will be asked to pay £30 to register for the event, with the money raised going to the Roll Out The Barrel Trust. The Trust distributes 30-litre water rollers throughout the developing world. These simple and robust barrels can transform the lives – and life chances – of whole families. Further funds will be raised through competitions and auctions. Items up for grabs include a signed Nick Mason drum head. For more information on both the event and the ■ Roll Out The Barrel charity, head over to www. rolloutthebarrel.org and www.benefitgigs.com/ drummersontop.htm.
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Jeff Lardner has joined the Sakae artist roster. The Van Morrison/Kylie/Strictly Come Dancing drummer, said: “It’s an absolute privilege to play and endorse Sakae drums. I really love their vintage sound and incredible build quality. The Trilogy drums cover such a variety of musical situations and as a gigging musician, one couldn’t ask for more. I’m very proud to be associated with the legendary company.”
Blade heading to Ronnie’s Brian Blade is heading back to the UK for a pair of shows at Ronnie Scott’s. The London venue will welcome Blade on 5 and 6 March. The seasoned pro will be performing with the Wolfgang Muthspiel Qnt.
Menza cause of death revealed Graham Hopkins’ six-date tour begins 21 February in Belfast
TOP train drama David Garibaldi struck by train before gig ■■As Rhythm went to press, legendary funk drummer David Garibaldi was recuperating in hospital after being hit by a train. Garibaldi and Tower Of Power bandmate Marc van Wageningen were struck on 12 January by a passenger train in California while crossing the tracks. The band had been due to perform that night at the nearby Yoshi’s venue. Both men survived and are expected to make full recoveries, but were hospitalised in serious conditions. A statement from Tower Of Power bandleader Emilio Castillo said: “I was at the hospital last night and saw David but Marc was in intensive care and I wasn’t able to see him. Dave’s head and face were pretty swollen and bruised but he was lucid and expected to recover. Marc came through surgery well; his internal bleeding was stopped and they were waiting for him to stabilise in order to do further testing. The doctors were cautiously optimistic. We appreciate the responses and prayers from our former bandmates, friends and fans and we all remain hopeful and in prayer.” A crowd funding page has been launched by drummer Tommy Igoe at gofundme.com with the aim to raise $35,000 to help cover the cost of Garibaldi and van Wageningen’s medical costs. For more information keep an eye on www.towerofpower.com.
Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza’s death certificate has been issued with his cause of death revealed as heart disease and high blood pressure. Menza passed away while performing at the Baked Potato in Los Angeles on 21 May, 2016.
Mangini gets artistic Mike Mangini is the latest A-list drummer to team up with SceneFour and release his own art collection. Rick Allen, Chad Smith, Matt Sorum and Carl Palmer are among those to have previously collaborated with SceneFour. For more details head over to www. mikemanginiart.com.
Abbruzzese slams Hall of Fame Ex-Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese has called on his former bandmates to make a stand over his exclusion from the band’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Writing on his social media pages, Abbruzzese, who played on the Vs and Vitalogy albums, said: “Pearl Jam has always seemingly had a perceived level of integrity and has been known to stand their ground and fight the good fight, but it seems the allure of being given this trophy is just [too] important for them to take a stand.” The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is inducting Pearl Jam on 7 April, but only Dave Krusen and Matt Cameron have been included by organisers.
Absolute clinic Pete Cater and Austin Lane are teaming up for an evening of drums at Absolute Music. The duo will perform and share stories from their varied careers at the Bournemouth music store on 28 February. Tickets cost £10 each.
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Beat! People | Music | Gear
Matt Starr played on Ace Frehley’s new album and has his own DVD out
Matt Starr
Ace Frehley/Mr Big
Ace’s star drummer welcomes Rhythm to the studio in his head… What drum sound were you after for your tracks on Origins? “I grew up on KISS and one of the songs we did was ‘Rock And Roll Hell’ off Creatures Of The Night. To me, the drum sound on that record is the best ’80s drum sound, like Bonham on steroids. It’s huge but it doesn’t sound processed. I had an opportunity to record with Dave Bianco, one of the engineers on that record. I said, ‘How did you get those sounds?’ He said, ‘We put the drums up on a riser then we were piping the drums into the bathroom and the hallway, so there are so many different rooms on those reverbs but they’re all natural reverbs captured with a microphone.’”
Were you faithful to the original parts? “That song has that ‘Pat-Boone-DebbieBoone’ drum fill all over it. It sets up the verse, the same thing every time, I said, ‘Maybe I can change that up.’ I tried doing it and part of it
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was the KISS fan in me wouldn’t let me, but part of it was like, ‘That’s how it goes, man!’ It’s like changing the intro to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’. Those are the notes, buddy. There were times when I changed around some of the patterns but that ‘Pat-Boone-Debbie-Boone’, that’s how it goes. I love that I played on an Eric Carr song because as a drummer and as a KISS fan I just love Eric’s drumming, especially on Creatures… He played incredibly and it was really nice to honour that.”
What do you hope to convey with your DVD, Producing And Recording Drums With Matt Starr? “This is how you get hired and buy cars and buy food through playing drums. Producer Warren Huart asked me if I would be interested in doing this and I was very much, because I love giving back and explaining, peeling back the layers. You could go to music school but that’s not the same thing as being
the drummer in Slipknot, it’s just a completely different world.”
What’s your approach?
Out now
Origins, Vol. 1 Ace Frehley
“Basically, you’re spending a day with me in the studio inside my head. It’s not as frightening as it sounds. We go in, we pick the drums, pick the microphones, why we made those choices. I hear the song for the first time. We do multiple takes, then I listen and give my feedback on what I just played and how that sounds coming through the speakers. I’m stopping all along the way, really getting into detail. One thing I talk about is, you’re going to play a fill but make sure that the snare hits on the ‘4’. And if you’re doing a longer fill make sure it hits on the ‘2’ and the ‘4’. I learned that from Bun E Carlos and Mickey Curry. That’s a way that you can keep the energy up but keep the song supported. It’s great for drummers that want to make better recordings and get work.”
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Beat! People | Music | Gear
2010 TIME MACHINE!
DAVE GROHL ■■A moment of musical history in Rhythm, seven years ago to the month, when we featured Them Crooked Vultures, and this shot of drumming legend Dave Grohl playing with Led Zep bass legend John Paul Jones.
The supergroup – which also featured Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme on guitar and vocals – came about through Dave asking his hero JP to jam. “I was presenting Zeppelin with an award in London and I think by then my nerves had gone away, and I realised I could consider him a friend,” Dave told Rhythm. “I rang Josh from the airport and said, ‘Hey man, I’m going to ask John Paul Jones if he’ll jam with us.’ “John has such a cool history; he had two careers even before he was in Led Zeppelin. He was a touring musician at 17 and then he became one of the hottest studio musicians in London. And then he joined Led Zeppelin. He is a tireless musician and it doesn’t matter if it’s heavy rock or avantgarde, experimental, improvisational, or bluegrass. He just wants to jam.” When it came to the sessions, it seems that it gelled straight away between the three rock stars. “I sat down and started playing, John locked in, Josh joined in and that was it – we knew that we had something. John is an incredible bass player, but he also has this ability to adhere to your groove that instantly creates a rhythm section. He and I started passing things back and forth within 30 seconds of playing together.” But if Dave felt any pressure at playing with the man who once formed a rhythm section with John Bonham, he didn’t let it show. “I relieved myself of the pressure of playing with John by thinking, ‘Okay, obviously I am not going to be the best drummer he has ever played with; I’m not even going to try to be!’” explained Dave. “Honestly, while we were recording or jamming, I just wanted to entertain the other guys and do something that might make them laugh, might make their jaws drop, or might take them by surprise. With Them Crooked Vultures there were absolutely no boundaries or rules. Just three people who are multi-instrumentalists, who have all written, recorded and produced albums of their own. We’ve all had successful careers and the only reason you have for doing it is the pure love, joy and thrill of collaborating with the other people in the room. Because of that I wanted to do some crazy stuff that I’d never done before.”
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