The 1st International Edge PDF Now!

into the time machine WITH BERTRAM ENGEL, Brothers in DRUMS: ULF AND BODO STRICKER.
m
a
g
a
Th e O f f i c i al P ub l i c ati on of D ru m Workshop versatile THOMAS
z
i
e
IN T ERNAT IONAL E D GE 1 .0
LANG
AUSTRIA TO
FROM
n
AMERICA
Plus CLOSE UP WITH CARLOS HERCULES, the latest gear & MORE!
INTERNATIONAL
©2010 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
it’s not just a
kit
CUSTOM
it’s aDW.
EDGE 1.0
14
Welcome to the very first edition of Edge Magazine International. To put it bluntly,
this idea is long overdue. We’re fortunate to have one of the best international artist
rosters in the industry and have been waiting for the right opportunity to expose these
accomplished players to the world. Well, the time is now. In these digital pages, you’ll
find articles and features that we hope will entertain and inspire you and in coming
issues, we’ll be featuring artists from other European countries, Asia, South America and
everywhere on the globe. Thanks for reading and, as always, thanks for making us “The
Drummer’s Choice.”
Scott Donnell –Director of Marketing, Drum Workshop, Inc.
08
20
24
jonny quinn | snow patrol
custom shop=custom sound
Mega-selling alternative rockers Snow Patrol are fueled by the beat, big drum
grooves and fat, organic drum sounds. When their stickman Jonny Quinn needs
a certain vibe, he knows there’s only one place to call, the DW Custom Shop in
California. Whether he plays his Collector ’s Series rig or this versatile Jazz Series ™
set-up, he knows that producers and front-of-house engineers will be floored by
the full-tonal spectrum and resonance that he gets from his DWs.
www.dwdrums.com
For more on his Collector’s Series kit and DW Custom Shop Shell Technology,
log on to www.youtube.com/drumworkshopinc
ARTIST FEATURES
14Thomas
Lang
From Austria to California, nothing is impossible.
20
Carlos Hercules
Authentic sound in whatever he plays.
24
Bodo Stricker
Known for his fast feet and intense licks.
IN THIS ISSUE
08 Time Machine: Bertram Engel
12 DW Drum Clinic with Ulf Stricker
PRODUCT NEWS
04 Product Focus: SSC
06 Gear Guide: Factory Accessories
18 PDP Product News: Mainstage Snares,
M5 Drumsets and 500 Pedals
International EDGE Magazine is a publication of Drum Workshop, Inc. ©2011 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For promotional use only. NOT FOR SALE.
>product focus
Many custom drum companies make
some pretty visually unique drum sets,
but how many of them can customize
sound? At DW, we’ve made it our
mission to give drummers the tools to
build their dream drum sound from
scratch. >
>SSC, Sonic a lly Cus tom SSC
First, there was VLT, or Vertical Low
Timbre, shell technology. These were allmaple shells that were laminated utilizing
short grain to put less tension on the
shell. The result was shocking, a much
lower fundamental tone than traditional
7 and 8-ply DW shells. Then there were
X Shells, another foray into the science of
grain orientation, but this time we went
diagonal, and the note went even lower
still. Most recently, we unveiled VLX, a
combination of VLT and X technology that
yields the most fundamentally low and
beefy sound to date. It’s perfect for floor
toms and kicks. All of this grain-oriented
shell making technology has advanced
sonic customization dramatically, but at
the end of the day, it all seemed very
confusing. Drummers really wanted to
know which specific shell configuration
was suited for each tom size and how
they could use this to create the sound
they’d always been hearing in their
head. Combine that with other shell
features such as ESE (Enhanced Sound
Edge), reinforcement hoops, or not, and
even alternate woods, like birch, and the
whole thing seemed undeniably exciting,
but somewhat overwhelming.
To make things easy to figure out, we
introduced SSC. It’s the culmination of
years of Custom Shop shell technology
all wrapped up in one kit. So what
is SSC?
Put simply, it stands for
Specialized Shell Configuration and it’s
the recommended DW shell selection.
For instance, if we’re talking about a
7-piece drumset with 8” through 16”
toms, that would include an 8” X shell,
10” and 12” VLT shells, 14” and 16”
VLX floor toms and a VLX kick. Snare
drums are always completely subjective,
but it’s hard to top a straight-up 10-ply
VLT snare, meaning no reinforcement
hoops. I know what you’re saying now,
then how is this new SSC thing custom?
The DW Custom Shop will still make
shells however you want them, but this
is the default shell selection, the one that
we’ve seen work time and time again for
artists like Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio and
others. Remember, we’ve been doing
this a while so DW artists have already
tested VLT, X and VLX on some major tours
and in some of the world’s top studios.
You’ve probably already heard it and
thought, “Those drums sound killer!”
Now, you know the secret.
We almost left out the best part; SSC
doesn’t cost a cent more than any other
Collector’s Series kit. It’s all about you
telling us exactly how want to sonically
customize your set and we’ll do the rest.
We’re a custom shop, we live for this
stuff. If you’d like to learn more about
the science of grain orientation with Neil
Peart and John Good, visit:
www.dwdrums.com/ssc
COLLECTOR’S SERIES® VINTAGE STEEL
Classic looks for state-of-the-art players.
©2011 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SSC , Sonical ly C usto m SSC
www.dwdrums.com
the snare drum company™
www.dwdrums.com
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 5
A cutting-edge line of drums, pedals and
hardware deserves a cutting-edge line of
innovative accessory options. That’s why
we created DW Factory Accessories. Not
your average add-ons, DW accessories are
thoughtfully designed to give drummers
more custom options and flexibility with
their set-ups.
From a myriad of clamps and arms, to DW
Coated Clear and Clear Edge drumheads,
True Tone Snare Wires, replacement parts
and so much more, DW offers premiumquality accessories for the most discerning
drummer. Take, for example, our new 101R
rubber and 101W wood 2-way beaters. Both
are based on our popular selling 101 plastic
and felt beater design and offer 2 new ideas
to help drummers create new sounds and
find their dream bass drum tone. Also new
is the 2141X, the perfect way to easily and
securely mount a folded hi-hat stand to a
double-bass rig. “Metal and rock drummers
always appreciate a new way to solve and
old problem,” explains DW Director of R&D,
Rich Sikra. He continues, “Older clamp
designs were bulky and hard to adjust, this
one uses an integrated claw-hook clamp to
more efficiently attach to the counter hoop
from both sides, avoiding slippage and the
need to clamp to nearby cymbal or tom
stands.”
Now, DW Factory Accessory brand parts
are available to buy online at:
at
dwdrums.com
nowMORE
than ever
THE DRUMMER’S CHOICE.
Standard equipment on every
Collector’s Series® drumset
is our unique True-Pitch tuning system,
STM (Suspension Tom Mounts),
DW Heads by Remo U.S.A. and
every kit is Timbre-Matched for
optimal sonic consistency and tunability.
With unsurpassed sound and one-of-a-kind looks,
it’s today’s standard in custom drums.
www.dwdrums.com/factoryaccessories
www.dwdrums.com/factoryaccessories
Find everything you need to customize or
repair your kit in one place!
©2011 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Distributor for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux: GEWA GmbH • D-82481 Mittenwald • [email protected]
P r em ium Qualit y
Ac cessories
Bertram engel & dw collector’s series
®
>gear
guide
dw fa cto r y a c c es sori e s
>Time
Machine
BERT RAM ENGEL :
A G erm an- E ng ine er e d C ar eer
interview and photos by Stefan Fischer
Edge: To what extent has drumming equipment
changed in the last 30 years?
Bertram: I believe that the hardware section
has changed, especially.
In particular,
the area of cymbal holders, pedals and
their manufacturing. I believe that the
workmanship has changed overall. PDP
kits have reached a level that high-class kits
by Pearl, Sonor, and Yamaha used to be at in
1980 or 1985.
Edge: Would you say that the sound has
improved significantly?
Bertram: Well, the best sound is with my
DW Drums. I have been playing DW
Drums since 2006 and I have definitely
noticed that this is the best sound for me,
compared to all other companies that I
used to play. I had always wanted to play
DW but it somehow just never worked out
because I had been involved with other
companies. One day, I met John Good at the
Messe in Frankfurt and I could finally play
the Rolls Royce of drums and luckily get an
endorsement (laughs). There are, of course,
sonic differences between the drum sets that
I play now. The best sound for me is in the
“Cadillac-Mint” set that John built for me
back in 2008. With this set, John specifically
catered to my style; he observed my moves
and hits and put together the configuration
afterward. If someone who builds drums
knows you well and has observed you play,
that’s a determining advantage. Up to now,
this is definitely my best sounding kit and
I’m about to receive a new one, just in time
for the next Maffay tour. They also built me
a White Marine FinishPly set with a 26” bass
drum. It also has a 24” but I prefer playing
the 26”. The configuration is the same as
that of the last set. Even John’s idea of the
VLT and the X-Shells, that’s a sensational
progress!
Edge: When did it become clear to you that
you’d like to be a musician? Was there a certain
moment?
Bertram: Yes, there was a certain moment.
I was 8 years old and I saw this film about
the Beatles called “Live at Shea Stadium”. I
remember Ringo played on this unbelievably
high platform. I think this wasn’t just for
show, as the bass drum was directly by
the ears of John, Paul and George. They
didn’t have monitors, after all. It definitely
impressed me that Ringo stood on such a
high platform and that 50,000 people were
cheering for him. That’s when I told myself,
“That’s a good job. That’s something I’d
like to do.” Thereon, I started to take music
lessons which were taught by my father. My
father is really an architect, but also a hobby
musician, so he had a violin, a piano and a
small drum kit at home. I started with piano
lessons, but always liked the little drums.
That’s how I came about drumming. At the
age of 12, I had my first band and it didn’t
take too much longer, because I practiced all
day and all night. At the age of 17, I had the
chance to join Udo Lindenberg and become
part of his “Panikorchester”, because my
older brother knew everybody there; they’re
>T ime Machine: BERTRAM ENGEL
all from around here. I joined their band
practice once and listened to them play.
When Udo said to me, “If our drummer
ever breaks his leg, I will call you”, that
was a strong hint, in a way. When I was 17,
Udo finally called me. I had already been a
huge fan and I knew how to play all of their
songs by heart. That’s when I got the job.
Then, Peter Maffay saw me at the German
Museum in Munich with Udo and he hired
me for his band right away. Since then, I’ve
mainly been playing in these two bands.
and Alvin Lee of Ten Years After, an act from
the 1970’s. So yes, I did a lot of different
things in the last 34 years and covered a lot
of different styles. I’m really a background
drummer and I consider myself to be a
classic rock drummer with soul influences.
In the beginning, I listened to a lot of black
music such as Otis Redding, Bill Withers,
and so on.
Edge: You mentioned that you have been playing
in these two bands for 34 years. Are there any
new challenges?
Bertram: Yes, I’m really quite old-fashioned
when it comes to this, and I always say that
these are the roots for everything nowadays.
Bertram: There are challenges with Peter
Maffay in particular. We have done so
many projects, i.e a children’s project called
“Tabaluga”, featuring a small green dragon.
That was more than just a musical. Then, we
had a project called “Begegnung”. In the
course of this project, we worked with seven
or eight different nations that naturally
played a totally different style of music
than the one I had been used to for so many
years. I also acted as producer in this project
and I had to keep all of the pieces together
which was a challenge, of course. What was
special about Peter Maffay was the fact that
we didn’t always have the same cycle of
tour, album, song writing. We always did
something new. And working together with
Udo has always been interesting because he
often worked with other people. Yet, I wasn’t
involved in each of the album productions.
Nevertheless, I have always been involved
in the live segment and that’s where I had to
learn and be able to play the music that was
created by others. It’s always a challenge
to play pieces live that were created by
others. My musical life has always been
very interesting. From the 1990’s until the
beginning of 2000, I was dealing with a lot
of foreign acts. I played with Robert Palmer,
Joe Cocker and Bruce Springsteen in Berlin.
The latter was for a video recording, it was
a great experience. I also played a tour with
Jimmy Barnes, who is a top act in Australia.
I went on tour through Australia and New
Zealand with him for about 2 months. We
were headlining in Australia and in New
Zealand, opening for Tina Turner. With
Peter Maffay, we often had guest acts. We
played with a multi-platinum Canadian
artist, Amanda Marshall, and Alannah
Myles was on tour with Udo Lindenberg.
This is how I got to know a lot of different
people. We also did a project with Chris
Thompson of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Edge: Do you still enjoy listening to that kind
of music?
At the age of 12, I
had my first band
and it didn’t take
too much longer,
because I practiced
all day and all night.
Everything’s really a fusion of earlier styles.
Young acts play like Led Zeppelin or Free
or Bad Company did in the 1970’s. They
might mix things with hip hop, techno or
electro, which are modern, but they also
contain influences from the 60’s or 70’s. It
was a great time of invention for me. Those
are the acts that I grew up with. I tend to
pull important things from this time, which
has given me my basis. What I mean is that
drummers such as John Bonham, Ian Paice,
Mitch Mitchell, Nigel Olsson, the big names
from that time, were influential.
Edge: In the span of these 34 years, how did you
manage to stay on top of things?
Bertram: I was busy night and day. At the
moment, the music business has declined
a bit. Studios are shutting down and
you start creating your own rooms, and
you even make recordings there that you
can use. I had a house on Mallorca and
recorded people in my studio that no one
even knew. One time, a producer called me
up and asked, “Can you record some drum
tracks for me?” I’d simply send the tracks
as MP3s, and the producer listened to them
and said, “Yes, I like it, but could you open
the hi-hat a bit more in this one area? And,
I’d like to get a different bass drum figure
in the last chorus.” Then, I changed it and
mailed it back again. He said, “Ok, that’s
great!” Afterward, he transferred half of the
payment and I sent the full tracks. Payment
in full was to follow. Another time, I received
a call from a bass player who had played
with Ozzy Osbourne, I think his name was
Bob Daisley. He called me up because he
liked my playing, yet we had never met in
person. Later on, he used my drums for a
certain project. It’s all a bit strange. Playing
together, the actual interaction with friends
and musicians has declined. This makes
being part of Peter Maffay’s band, as we
continue to record albums the old-fashioned
way, even better.
Edge: Do you feel that traditional recording is
much better?
Bertram: Yes, the traditional way to make
music with a combo. The audience is spoiled
by certain sound expectations, i.e. different
rhythmic sounds and samples created by
computers. It’s impossible to create such
sounds with only 4 men in a room. Back in
the day, this wasn’t the expectation because
those sounds didn’t exist. However, there
are some new bands that record garagestyle and for that you need the dirty feeling
and the groove. Kings of Leon are a good
example for this. Some elements may not
sound 100% perfect, but it sounds like it did
in the 1960’s or 1970’s. They are young guys
who live in 2010, but they have managed to
transport a lot of influences from that era.
Edge: How did you learn these skills and
what made you eventually decide to become a
producer?
Bertram: I was asked by Peter Maffay if I
could produce songs with my colleague, Carl
Carton. He was the band’s guitarist. Peter
had heard some songs that we had recorded
in our spare time. We had simply composed
something, Carl on guitar and me on keys.
We played it at practice and when Peter
Maffay heard it by chance, he really liked
it. That was in 1989, we had just produced
“14 Jahre” and that’s when he heard our
songs. It was like an audition, an audition
that didn’t feel like one, because he simply
asked for the songs in the recording studio.
He then asked us if we could produce his
titles in the same way.
At that time, he had just been recording new
song ideas on some sort of a Dictaphone.
Peter was gone for 7 days and we produced
the songs our way. That was pretty much
the door-opener to become a producer for
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 9
>T ime Machine: BERTRAM ENGEL
Udo at the age of 17, I was naturally very,
very arrogant and very self-confident. I set
up an enormous kit and I pretty much got
naked. I sold myself to become famous. I
didn’t have the skills at the time and I don’t
think I would have gotten the job. I wanted
the job, but there was my love of music, too.
It wasn’t the show for the show’s sake. It
was for the music’s sake.
At the age of 18 or 19, I had a little change
of direction because I realized that if I didn’t
stop the show and seriously start dealing
with my drums, I wouldn’t be able to
advance. Then, I really started practicing
and I started thinking about what I really
wanted. I thought, “Do I still want to play
music in 20 years from now?” I remain selfconfident with what I do, and have always
been a backbone for the bands that I play
with. I have that in me.
Maffay. If you are a producer and musician,
you suddenly have a different competency,
which means you have more responsibility.
You aren’t just sidemen who play music.
We produced all of Peter’s albums from 1989
until 2004. Then, we experienced a change
because everybody wanted to try something
new. After 14 years, Peter felt the urge to hire
someone from the outside for the production,
which was totally understandable after
so long. Two years later, I produced the
“Begegnung” album. We even produced the
latest album together, since everybody has
developed really well in the band and we all
have some production skills now. It’s our
40-year-anniversary best of album named,
“Tattoos”. It reached number one and
everybody added to the album; suddenly all
four of us were producers!
Edge: Does playing the piano and other
instruments help with your producing and
would it be more difficult if you only played
drums?
Bertram: Yes, because I see the big picture.
I think I probably would have stayed
a sideman in that case. Naturally, my
drumming is different because I see it from
the keyboard player’s perspective: harmonic
parts, bridges, verses, etc.
Sometimes, I like using completely different
instruments. Let’s take this drum set for
example: I put up different cymbals than
I usually use here, and I put up a tom on
the left side, where I usually have a side
snare. I usually have a hanging tom in front
and I create “my world” around it. And I
might play a side bass drum like this 28” for
example, to have a different sound. It’s not
about double bass playing for me, but the
second bass drum serves to create a direct
connection to another sound. The same goes
with the second snare. It gives me many
sound options without having to use a huge
kit. It still looks like a rock ‘n’ roll kit, not so
much like a heavy metal set-up. You can put
a lot of melodic things into practice with it.
I’m also a singer and I sing backing vocals
with Maffay. So, I’m also a fan of drummers
such as Don Henley or Phil Collins who
can sing at their kit. Back in the day, Ringo
Starr would do vocals for one song and
that’s how I started. Yet, you have to have
a totally different type of independence
for that. It came to me naturally. Other
drummers who try and learn this at a later
point in time sometimes have difficulties.
You really have to play everything straight
in time, and because the lyrics might change
the meter, you sometimes have to shift or
make changes. This means you’re singing
and pushing the beat from behind. That’s
something you have to learn. For me, it
was like second nature because I had been
singing all these years. I’d listen to Elton
John albums and try to play the piano, and
then I’d try to play the drums. Then, I’d
let a friend play the piano, because he was
better at it than me. And that’s how my first
band was formed; we played these Elton
John songs together. Of course, they were
ballads and thus, relatively easy to play. But
even as a 12-year-old, I knew that it was way
more effective to play these songs as simple
as possible, rather than swirling around.
Swirling around has never been my thing,
anyway. I always wanted to play to the song
and these types of songs didn’t demand
any technical insanity. That’s why I have
always been a relatively simple player, but
as the experts say, “Simple does not mean
easy”. I haven’t always been the drummer’s
drummer, but I was the audience’s drummer.
Edge: How did you deal with success at the early
age of 17? And now, 34 years later, what’s your
perspective?
Bertram: At 17, I still had this naive arrogance
because I wanted the job, I wanted to get
there and there were hundreds of others
who wanted the job with Udo Lindenberg.
He was the top act, after all. There was
no Grönemeyer, no Xavier Naidoo, no
Silbermond, all these bands weren’t around
at that time. We were the act in the rock
area. It was as if you became part of U2, cool
and with commercial success. Back then,
Peter Maffay was a bit more unknown and
maybe less attractive with all of his German
popular music. Yet, a few colleagues had
already worked with him and said to me,
“Come over some time. He is planning to
take a different direction, just join us. Have
a look at it and be open-minded, get to
know him as a person first.” When I got to
know him in person, he was totally different
than I had expected. Now, we have put a
career of 34 years behind us. Sometimes,
you have to get rid of your prejudices and
simply go there and listen. When I joined
Edge: Did you begin playing to the click and do
you use one today?
Bertram: I didn’t play to a click because it
didn’t exist back then. Ah, wait, there were
two songs with Lindenberg in the show,
because some things came from tape. Back
then, we didn’t have computers, they’d give
you a click or a metronome and the wind
and string players came from the tape. That
was the first time I played to such a thing.
Udo has always been in favor of this kind
of perfection. He started to loop himself.
He played a groove for 20 minutes and then
he took the best 2 bars and looped them.
He looped complete drum pieces early on.
We’re talking about 1976, which means he
was one of the pioneers of working with
such technical things. He has always had a
perfect ear, which helped me learn to play to
machines. No click-tracks, no metronome,
no setting tempos, just by feeling. We
practiced for such a long time that the
tempos were stuck in my head.
I’m not saying that I have become old
musically, but nevertheless, I’m old now.
I’m mellower, more experienced and can
deal with certain things more intelligently. I
approach things in a different way thanks to
maturity and experience. Personally, I find
the way I play today is
much better.
Edge: You also have a
project called “Rhythm
and Art”, tell us about
that.
Bertram: I developed it with my wife. We
had auctioned an hour with me via eBay
for a foundation called, “Reporter Ohne
Grenzen” (reporters without borders). It
was a charity thing; simply play the drums
with Bertram Engel for an hour. I thought,
“Wow, someone paid 800 euros to spend
an hour with me and play. That’s great!”
My wife said, “We should do this more
often. You could try and pass on what
you’ve learned in 34 years.” So, I tried it
out at the Drums and Percussion Festival
in Paderborn, Germany. It went really
well. Later on, I held a rhythm seminar in
Marktoberdorf in 2008. It was sensationally
successful and I really enjoyed it, too. Most
recently, I was at the Drums and Percussion
Festival in Paderborn with Uli Frost. It was
a one-week recording workshop and you
meet a lot of people, many world-famous
drummers such as Simon Phillips and Steve
Smith.
Niedecken or Helge Schneider, Frank
Zander, Herman van Veen (a Dutch artist)
and internationally, Ronnie Wood from the
Stones, Bob Dylan, Tico Torres from Bon
Jovi, John Mellencamp. There are many
international music artists who also draw.
They do it out of passion and they don’t
even sell their paintings.
Edge: What advice would you have for someone
trying to follow your same career path?
Bertram: If you love music and your
instrument so much that you don’t care
about anything else, then go for it. You
won’t play your instrument as a job, but
more because it’s your calling. It has to be a
calling. Professionally, it means that I make
money with it, to make a living off it, yet,
not everyone has this passion. There are
many professional musicians who simply
play because they can make money with it,
because they found a job that earns them as
much money as being a carpenter or a painter
or a baker. Then, there are people like John
Good, who know how to build great drums
and there are others who see it as a product,
who have it manufactured in factories. That
usually means that the drums aren’t that
good. Everyone should do his job because of
his calling. Even my drumtech does his job
with the feeling that it’s his calling. He says,
“I know I didn’t make it as a drummer, but
I ended here as a drumtech.” Maybe he will
build his own drums one day. Passion is the
determining factor.
So then, my wife had the idea to do
something with art and music. We were
looking for names and at some point, we
had the following suggestions: “Rhythm
and Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Rhythm
and Art”. We googled it and it didn’t exist
yet. “Rhythm and Art”, that sounds great,
we had to do it! “Art and Rhythm” was
some company, but “Rhythm and Art”
wasn’t taken yet. We secured the domains
first and then started looking for a location
to hold workshops twice a month, similar to
the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp they have in
America. You can play with the stars. I also
offer individual lessons if someone
is interested. Certainly not from 9 to
5, as it would be the case in a music S el ect e d D i s c o gra p hy :
school, yet on demand, that’s the way 1975 Jackboot: Angel
I plan on doing it. At the same time, 1976 Udo Lindenberg: Sister King Kong
1977 Peter Maffay: Live
we’ll sell artwork by musicians. On 1979 Marius Müller-Westernhagen: Sekt oder Selters
September 3rd, we start with Udo 1980 Eric Burdon’s Fire Department: Last Drive
1980 Johnny Tame: Indistinct Horizon
Lindenberg, then we host Wolfgang
1980 Gillian Scalici: Hell, I want more
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2010
Average Businessmen: Average Businessmen
Johnny Tame: Untamed
Udo Lindenberg: Udopia
Elephant: Just tonight
The Raiders: Single: Touch me
The Pretty Things: Out of the island
Tony Carey: Bedtime Story
Mark Aubin: Restless heart
New Legend: Deep Colors Bleed
Anne Haigis: Cry Wolf
Jimmy Barnes: Hits
Robert Palmer: Rhythm & Blues
Yothu Yindi: One blood
Lucyfire: This dollar saved my life at Whitehorse
Carl Carlton and the Songdogs: Revolution Avenue
Bruce Springsteen: The video anthology (DVD)
Silver: Intruder
Casanova: All beauty must die
Peter Maffay: Begegnungen
Udo Lindenberg: Stark wie zwei
Peter Maffay: Tattoos
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 11
>drum
clinic
Groups of 3 an d 4 i n d i f f er ent note va l u es
Thomas Lang’s
B y U lf s t r i c k er
In Most of the time hand-foot combinations sound
stiff and boring because the amount of notes
within a group sets the note value, i.e. a group of
3 is always a triplet and a group of 4 is always
16 th notes. Here are 2 little execises to help you
develop fill and lick ideas in different note values.
The first exercise is a group of 4 notes, meaning
right-left-foot-foot. It moves up and down in the
note value therefore I called it a rhythmical pyramid.
The idea is to play the exercise with a quarternote
pulse stepped on the hihat by your left foot. So you
make sure you hear both, on the one hand the hand-
Photos by Stefan Fischer
See it at
www.youtube.com/drumworkshopinc
foot combination on the other hand the pulse. Now
you are able to play groups of 4 in 8th notes, 8th note
triplets and 16th . Once you feel comfortable, add
more values, like 16th triplets, 32nd notes or odd
values like quintuplets. Then start orchestrating it
on the drumkit to find your very own licks with that
TM
The second exercise is the same idea but in a group
of three notes, meaning right-left-foot. Be aware of
the crossrhythm in the 8th and 16th notes. It takes 3
bars to resolve. This is what makes groups of three
interesting playing even note values.
STUDIO
STAGE
SOUND
style
The all-new Performance Series is Thomas’ sound.
Speed, power and fluidity define Thomas Lang’s drumming style. From his mind-blowing footwork, to his
remarkably even single stroke rolls, he has raised the bar for drummers everywhere. To make the cut with
a drummer of this magnitude, a drum set must possess maximum articulation, projection and a full tonal
spectrum. Enter the new DW Performance Series, everything Thomas demands from a kit and more. Why
wait any longer? Make Thomas’ sound yours…what’s your Performance?
TM
www.dwdrums.com
©2011 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
DW Heads by Remo USA are standard equipment on all Performance Series Drums.
the
AS
m
g
n
La
international
o
th
We sat down with the international
drumming phenomenon to find out why
he’s often misunderstood and what he’s
doing to change his stereotype. There’s
no doubt that Thomas Lang’s mighty
chops and powerful persona have taken
the drumming world by storm, but it’s
his very calculated and thoughtful
approach to playing that has kept
him in the spotlight. As a music fan,
he likes everything under the sun and
as a drummer he’s versatile enough to
play it all. As he graces the cover of this
premiere issue of International Edge,
we discover what makes everything in
Thomas’s musical world work out.
EDGE: Before we talk drums, we’d love to
know what’s in your iPod.
Thomas Lang: I’m a fan and thankfully,
I’m working in the field of music. It’s a
big plus. I have a very eclectic mix of
stuff in my iPod; it’s a wide range of all
styles and eras. Recently, I downloaded
the new Deftones, the new Alice in
Chains, the new Avenged Sevenfold,
a lot of Electronic, R&B and Hip Hop,
too. I’m pretty much into anything
that’s hip on the radio right now. I try
to be informed at all times about what’s
happening on the charts because I also
write and produce music. So, I listen to
a lot of stuff on the radio and download
a lot of stuff that I like. I think in the
end, all music is good music, and I find
inspiration in pretty much everything
that’s out there.
nt
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EDGE: How do you find the music? Do
you actively look at download sites?
LANG: I listen to a lot of radio, then I
write down what I like. I put it in my
iPhone and there are also little pieces of
paper lying around with new artists that
I like written on them. I also have alerts
which come up if an artist has a new
release on iTunes, so I’ll go to the store
and get it. I listen to a lot of samples on
iTunes, dig around and actively search
for stuff that I might be interested in.
EDGE: Is it hard to play a gig you’re not
musically into?
LANG: Well, I try not to do those gigs
at all. There’s a lot of stuff that I could
potentially do, or I get offered to do,
but which I’m just not interested in
musically. For me, there are always
three reasons to do a gig, or not: it’s
the music, the people, and the financial
aspect. Two out of those three should
always be fulfilled. If I get along with
the people really well, then I’ll probably
also like the music; I could probably
make a compromise financially. Or, the
money is so great that I don’t care about
the music or the people, which never
happens. Or, the music is just so great,
that I overlook everything else. So, I try
to avoid gigs where I dislike the music.
I’ve done it many times before and
because of those experiences, I don’t do
it any more. Since these days, it’s easier
to make that choice, but I remember the
times when I did those gigs. It’s harder
work, as you say, but at the same time,
it’s still something that I enjoy doing.
It’s still better than doing something
else. Still, when I’m making music
that I really enjoy, there are aspects to
“I feed off
of the energy
of the audience
and the band,
that always
works for me in
the end.”
the job that aren’t enjoyable. But you
know what, I suck it up, because it’s
still good; I’m still playing music for a
living and I still enjoy what I do very
much. So what, maybe I don’t like
that song, but everybody else does and
there’s always an audience. They like
it and they deserve to be treated with
respect and I can pull myself together
and just pour my whole heart into it,
even if I don’t love it that much. I feed
off of the energy of the audience and the
band, and that always works for me in
the end. Even during the times when I
had to play music that I didn’t like very
much, the music was never the real
problem. It was the other aspects: the
travel, the organization, the money or
somebody in the band who wasn’t cool.
It was never really the music, even if it
wasn’t my favourite kind of music, it
was still all good at the end of the day.
EDGE: Do you have different music you
listen to as Thomas the drummer vs.
Thomas the music fan?
LANG: Those are two different things,
two radically different things. Strictly
as a drummer, I listen to very little
music. I don’t get much satisfaction
out of it, it’s not that enjoyable. The
listening process is more analytical and
it’s a more active listening process. To
me, that’s not as enjoyable. I don’t seek
out that kind of music, because again,
it’s not a passive, pleasurable, enjoyable
thing for me. I have to concentrate
more; it’s more cerebral and more
involved. As a drummer, I listen to more
complex, highly complicated stuff of all
styles; that could be progressive metal,
jazz, fusion, whatever. The music that
I listen to as a fan is song-based music,
totally melodic and very simple from
a drumming aspect. The drumming is
completely part of the song and that’s
the music that I enjoy listening to a lot
more. That‘s also the kind of music that
I produce and write.
EDGE: How do you separate yourself from
your drumming career? What defines you?
LANG: There is, of course, Thomas Lang
the man and there is Thomas Lang the
musician. As a person, the things that
define me are, of course, my experiences
in life, relationships, my children and
my family, my cultural background
and heritage, all of those things. All
of that is somewhat related to Thomas
Lang the musician, of course. So, what
defines me as a person also defines me
as a musician, in a certain sense. I think
I’m a creative person and I think I’m a
very diligent person, very productive,
and very focused in general.
EDGE: What would you do if you weren’t
drumming?
LANG: I think I’d either be a physicist
or a carpenter; polar opposites, but I
like both. I like the simplicity and the
productivity of carpentry. It uses such
natural material, it’s such a handson job; very immediate and very
satisfying. I like the natural aspect and
it requires a lot of skill and experience.
I’m also very interested in science. I
dabbled in physics for a while. I find
it very intriguing because there are
mathematical systems that work and
that can be applied to anything. There
is such a massive system, a logical
approach to describing the world,
which ceases to exist at one point.
[EDGE 1.0] 15
EDGE: Part of what defines you is also your
Austrian heritage. Do you feel that moving
to California has changed your drumming?
LANG: Well no, I think my style is
independent from the location. I think
I’d be inspired by the same things if I
were living somewhere else. Of course,
in recent years there’s been a massive
Gospel drumming presence, which
has inspired and influenced most
everybody in the drumming world.
That sort of thing inspires everyone,
regardless of where they live. What
mostly influenced my playing was
the fact that I stopped doing a lot of
session work in London. I lived there
for almost fourteen years and I did a
lot of session work there, working with
many, many different artists, touring
with them, recording with them. I
deliberately left that pop scene because
I was getting bored with the music and
the whole vibe. Quitting those kinds of
jobs and sessions has had a great impact
on the way in which I approach the
instrument. Now I have the time and
the luxury to just sit back in my studio
here in California and write whatever
comes to mind. I get to work with
my band, Stork, and play some crazy
music and join some crazy, fun bands
like Schwarzenator, not thinking about
the commercial aspect. It allows me
to be more selfish, more artistic and a
little more creative again with playing,
maybe that was the result of moving
here.
EDGE: Let’s talk a little bit about your
drumming boot camps.
LANG: I’ve played many drum clinics
and have worked in the drum world
for a number of years, and it all started
to become a little less satisfying for me,
performing for a large crowd of people
for a short amount of time. I wanted
to do the reverse. I wanted to spend
a lot of time with a small amount of
people, to get my ideas across and to
show them concepts in depth. I don’t
teach privately, but this is the closest
thing that I can offer. It allows the
students to have a really ultra-intense
weekend or week. It’s actually handson playing, everybody plays. It’s not
a passive experience for the students.
This is actually hands-on teaching,
where everybody is playing all the time
for eight hours a day: four hours in the
morning, one hour lunch break and
four hours in the afternoon until six. A
lot of these students experience that for
the first time in their lives. After three
days, there are definite results. I want
everybody to walk away being able to
play something that they weren’t able
to play, and to have concrete results at
the end of the camp. By doing that, by
spending that amount of time even just
over a weekend, we can achieve that.
It’s a really intense learning experience.
It’s a small group, so I can work with
each student to correct whatever hand
positions or mistakes they make and
interact with each one of them, like
in a private lesson. Logistically, this
has been a good thing for me, because
when I have a session, then a few days
later, another gig, I can fill gaps in my
schedule with these camps. I may
already be in that city or have some time
off, so I can organize and host a camp
“I think
playing and
practicing are
two different
worlds, and one
influences the
other.”
at the moment. I can take my camp to
the people because it’s a small guerilla
operation.
EDGE: How do readers find out more about
it?
LANG: Well, there’s a website: www.
thomaslangdrumcamp.com
where
you can register for the camp and find
out about camp schedules. You can
even register and pay online. It’s very
inexpensive. I charge much less than I
would charge for a private lesson. So,
I think it’s a very good value for the
money. We offer hotel packages and
travel packages, the whole deal.
EDGE: Do you think that people take
away a newfound discipline that they can’t
experience elsewhere?
LANG: I know it for a fact. I get
emails from a lot of the students who
have attended other camps, but they
say this one has completely changed
their approach to practicing and to
playing in general. They’ve made
huge improvements, because they have
experienced what it takes to do this and
how to be disciplined and focused, and
how to practice correctly.
EDGE: Do you feel that you, as a player,
learned more from practicing by yourself or
by playing with other musicians?
LANG: I think playing and practicing
are two different worlds, and one
influences the other. They cannot exist
without each other. You can’t achieve
the same technical level if you haven’t
practiced by yourself and you cannot
become a great musician if you’ve
never played with other musicians,
so I think you need both. It’s like the
left hand on the fretboard is doing
something completely different than
the right hand when it’s strumming, but
together, the two hands make music.
They’re two different activities and
two different mindsets are required for
either practicing or playing, but doing
the right amount of both creates the
perfect balance. There is a saying that
goes, “Never play when you practice
and never practice when you play”
which underlines that you can’t do the
one without the other.
EDGE: Do you feel that you’ve been
stereotyped in any way?
LANG: Totally, yes.
In the drum
world I’m known as a technical clinic
guy, although it’s the smallest part of
my actual career. I understand that
many drummers are only focused on
drumming. They Google drum solos,
and that’s it.
EDGE: Do you like drum solos?
LANG: They put me to sleep right away.
There’s this mesmerizing thing about
them; no matter how great the solo, it
makes me fall asleep. That includes my
own solos. It’s really weird, but I do like
them, of course. I was always a great
fan of Buddy Rich. I do like drum solos,
there are so many wonderful, classic
drum solos, but it’s not the reason why
I became a drummer. To me, they’re
secondary. In fact, when I’m doing
a clinic tour, after two or three days
of just playing by myself, I get totally
frustrated and it becomes hard work.
EDGE: I think that’s how you’re typecast.
“My approach to instructional products is to pack
as much information in there as possible and that
type of information is strictly technical.”
People think you’re a chops guy and don’t
understand that you’re a musical player.
LANG: I’m typecast as the drummonkey, clinic-titan-whatever-drumguy and it has to do with the fact
that a lot of drummers only know me
from instructional products.
These
instructional products are strictly about
technique. When I release a book
that’s called, “Creative Coordination”
or whatever, that’s what it’s about
and there’s nothing else in it. My
approach to instructional products is
to pack as much information in there
as possible and that type of information
is strictly technical. So, when there are
performances that demonstrate these
technical exercises, a lot of people think
it’s my musical identity, or this is who I
am, but it’s not.
EDGE: That whole thing exists in the guitar
world, too. They have guitar heroes and we
have drum heroes.
LANG: I’m flattered and proud to be
considered that in the drumming world,
but at the same time, it makes me smile
because it’s not exactly who I am. It has
become a valid business aspect in my
career, but in regard to my real ambition
and my actual musical identity, it’s only
a tiny part.
EDGE: You just attended a DW event
with a bunch of amazing players, Thomas
Pridgen, Derek Roddy, Alex Acuña, a
long list of guys. Talk a little bit about the
experience and being part of the DW family.
LANG: I had a ball! It was a great
afternoon and a fun hang. It was great
for me to really meet a bunch of the
guys from my new family in person, not
only to hang and snack on the food, but
also to play and jam and talk drums. I
had a great time meeting everybody
and playing the new Performance
drums. I was blown away by the
quality, the sound, the look and I think
it was a very smart thing to do; to get
everybody into a room. There was such
a variety of different players from so
many different styles of music and it
was wonderful for me, not only to hear
everybody play their very unique and
individual style, but also to hear the
drums like that. It really showcased
the extreme versatility of the kit, the
way it works in all styles of music and
the way it speaks in all languages. I
was amazed at how different the kit
sounds, depending on the player’s
personality. Every drummer sounded
different on the same kit, but it sounded
awesome every single time. The kit
seemed like it would assimilate and
adjust to the drummer’s style so well.
It was projecting and translating to
whatever we did very, very precisely
and uniquely.
EDGE: What do you see yourself doing
musically in the next couple of years? Will
you take the gigs as they come?
LANG: Well, I’ve avoided long tours
for a number of years now because of
my kids and I was concentrating more
on projects, but now they are in school
and it’s all good. Now, I’ll be able to
tour more, and I’m always writing
and producing and working with my
own band. Of course, I’ll continue to
do session work as a side thing. It is
not my main focus now, but I do a fair
amount of sessions.
EDGE: This is the last and the most
important question: Have you heard any
good jokes?
TL: (laughs) Yes, I have heard a few
good jokes, but I can’t repeat them!
(more laughter) How do you know
when a violin is out of tune? When the
bow is moving.
What’s one of the least frequently heard
sentences in the music industry? Is that
the banjo player’s Porsche out there?
What do you throw at a drowning
guitar player? His amp.
What’s the difference between a
drummer and a drum machine? With
the drum machine, you only have to
punch in the information once.
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 17
©2011 Pacific Drums and Percussion. All Rights Reserved. The PDP logo is a registered trademark of Drum Workshop, Inc.
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working in a warehouse. I knew I really
wanted to play the drums, so I decided to
use my savings to go to Music College in
New York, where I had family. I auditioned
for the Brooklyn College Conservatory of
Music and that was the real start for me.
Those were the first intensive lessons. I
learned a bit of Jazz, piano, vocals and
also some music theory. This was the time
when I realized that if I wanted to make
playing the drums my profession that I had
to be professional, too. I had no dreams,
necessarily, about staying in New York,
because I’d met a lot of good players there
who couldn’t get work. I knew that England
would be the place where I could make a
living.
EDGE: Oh wow, what a great introduction.
in through the outdoor
Carlos HERCULES
EDGE: So you came back to the UK. How did
you get into your first professional gig?
As his name would suggest, he’s a Herculean drummer. He’s
had some of the biggest gigs the UK has to offer and remains
a first call touring player to Brit-Pop’s elite. Edge’s David
Phillips met with the big man to talk about his background,
career highlights and what’s on the horizon.
When I started working with DW, it was a
great pleasure to sign Carlos as an endorsee.
He is one of the UK’s most sought after
session musicians, a player who enjoys
the kind of career that drummers can only
dream about. Not only has he been Beverly
Knight’s drummer of choice for the last 12
years, but his music and personal skills
have allowed him to work with some of the
world’s most influential and iconic music
legends, including: Eurythmics, George
Michael, and most recently, Leona Lewis.
Carlos credits his success to hard work,
developing his natural talent and being
honest and gracious. He has long said that
getting hands-on experience with technology
and programming is an important aspect of
any modern drummer’s approach and his
rig is fused with electronic toys of all kinds.
For this inaugural issue of International
Edge, we caught up with Carlos to talk
about touring and so much more.
house and teaching a bit at the moment.
taught?
EDGE: Are you still teaching then?
Carlos: At first I taught myself by listening
to records, playing along and trying to work
things out. I think I may have progressed
quicker if I had taken lessons. However,
while I was listening to Chaka Khan, Earth
Wind and Fire and George Benson, that
kind of stuff, I didn’t realize until later I was
listening to a lot of jazz, the likes of Perdy,
JR Robinson, all the great session guys. I
think this was the big advantage to listening
to a lot of records. This was back in the
early 80’s, when there would have been no
programming, no multiple takes, just start at
the top and record it. Now, I think whilst
I may not have known what a paradiddle
was, I trained myself how to groove, really
making sure the pocket felt right. You really
can’t miss if you’re playing along to those
boys.
Carlos: Yes, yes, just between tours. I like to
keep my hand in.
EDGE: Starting at the beginning, when did you
start drumming?
EDGE: Have you got a few days off at the
moment?
Carlos: I was 17-years-old when I started. I
wanted to play when I was about 7-yearsold but my parents wouldn’t let me because
of the noise and all that kind of stuff. Then,
a neighbour moved in next door to us and
started a band; he was a percussionist. This
was when I started to learn some music,
most of which was Caribbean. My parents
were a little bit more turned on by that, so
they bought me a set of congas as a sort of
compromise. That’s when I got my foot in
the door. Three months later, the drummer
of the band left. The drummer’s spot came
up and I said, “Let me play drums, let me
play drums.”
Carlos: I am self-building a garage for the
EDGE: So, did you take lessons or are you self-
EDGE: How did you then make the transition
into becoming a professional musician?
Carlos: When I was 21-years-old and things
in this country seemed a little bleak, I was
Carlos: When I went back to England, I
started an original band. It was hard getting
work, we just kept hoping we would get
signed; every guy’s dream, you know! We
did this for a while, well you know how
these “sliding door” things happen, the
band decided to do a showcase for some
agents to try to get ourselves some more
work. It so happened, there was a show
band on the same bill that weren’t using
a drummer, they were using sequenced
drums. They saw me, and asked me if I
fancied doing some shows for them. I
said, “Of course, it’s work, why not?”
At that time, I didn’t realize the function
scene really existed. They were working
maybe 3 or 4 times a week, up and down
the country and abroad. I kind of cut my
teeth with them. They had every track
sequenced and a click to play along to.
abe
EDGE: Really? So, a very professional band.
Carlos: It was a really professional function
band. They were working a quite a lot, so
it really was my apprenticeship. Then, I got
a call from a friend whose friend was the
bass player and MD’ing C Lewis, asking
if I wanted to audition. I went down,
auditioned, and got that one as well. That
was my first real pro gig in the early 90’s and
it all spiralled from there, really.
EDGE: It still really comes down to who you
know, not what you know.
Carlos: Yes, it does. It’s all about whether
people can vouch for you. I was on an
agent’s book for absolutely ages, and never
got any work. Then I did a gig with Steve
Walters, the bass player and we got on really
well. He said I should call the agent and
ask for more work. He said, “This time, tell
him I vouch for you.” Two weeks later the
agent called and offered me an audition.
That audition was Beverly Knight. In this
industry, it is all about reputation. People
are always a little cautious when they put
you forward for a gig, if they get it wrong,
or you turn out to be a bit of an idiot, it goes
back to them.
Carlos: That was it. Beverly’s gig was such
a good gig, it was like a showcase for me as
a player.
EDGE: It’s a really great band as well, isn’t it?
Carlos: Yes, and it is very free, so we can
really produce her tracks. Whatever they do
in the studio, we do live. So, we auditioned
on Wednesday and her tour began on
Saturday, it was literally that quick.
EDGE: You had to learn the whole set in three
days?
Carlos: That was one of the best things
about having been to the Brooklyn College
Conservatory of Music, having been taught
to read and score music. I got the CD, spent
a day scoring it, and went to the audition. If
I hadn’t scored it, there was no way I would
“I was 17 years old when
I started. I wanted to play
when I was about 7 years old,
but my parents wouldnt let
me because of the noise and
all that kind of stuff. Than a
neighbor moved in next door
and started a band.”
have got the gig because the music for Bev’s
set was very interesting and full of intricate
little pieces. I didn’t even practice it, we got
to Saturday’s gig, read through it, and we
were on the road.
EDGE: So, what was that first gig like? It must
have been pretty scary.
Carlos: Well, it was hairy because on
Thursday, they decided the bass player they
auditioned on Wednesday wasn’t suitable.
So, they brought another one in on Friday
and he had only one day, so he scored his
part, went on stage and did the gig. It all
turned out really well, and that was the
beginning of it all, really.
EDGE: How long have you been with Beverly
now?
Carlos: 12 years.
EDGE: Are you still playing with her live?
C: Yes, we have some shows coming up in
August. She’s not as busy as all of us would
like, but it’s one of my favourite gigs. For
me, there probably aren’t many gigs where
you get that much musical freedom. She
is very, very up for whatever you come up
with, and if it sounds good, it’s in. That’s all
she cares about.
EDGE: That was the opposite for George Michael
wasn’t it?
Carlos: Yes.
EDGE: I think you had to play exactly what was
on the record.
Carlos: Absolutely. George has great ears, he
spends months doing the recording, getting
it right, so by the time he has decided it is
good enough to go to the public, that he’s
happy with it, he wants the live gig exactly
as he thinks it should sound.
EDGE: How did you get the George Michael
gig?
Carlos: Well, that was a good story as well,
another example of who you know. I had
a gig with the classical quartet, Bond. It
turned out that production and half of the
band was George’s band and production
team. Unbeknownst to me, I auditioned
for the George Michael gig when I was on
tour with Bond. The tour went really well,
it went great and they were happy. I never
even thought about it, because the seat
wasn’t available at the time.
EDGE: So, you were first call when the tour
came up?
Carlos: Yes, basically they didn’t audition
anyone else. It was a case of, come down
meet the guys, and as long as everyone is
happy with you, it’s yours.
EDGE: Talk us through what you had to do on
that gig, because I know that there was a lot of
playing to loops and that sort of thing.
Carlos: That was very interesting, as well.
As a session guy, I’m always intrigued by
everything new. This was a very different
gig in the sense that I had never before
relied so heavily on electronics. I had never
thought so much about trying to recapture
sounds, playing things very much like they
were originally recorded. For instance,
“Careless Whisper” can’t really change
much because all the fills relate to the
song. It’s an iconic song. The drum parts
are synonymous with that track and a lot
of fans know that song inside and out. It’s
one of those anthems that you have to play
as it was recorded. The whole experience
was a good discipline. Even if sometimes
you think I wouldn’t have done it like that,
you have to remember, that song has been
in existence for 20 years. It really made me
think about subtle fills, things that were
a half beat or a beat long, some little snare
drum fills with ghost strokes, splash cymbal
work, that kind of thing.
EDGE: So, just keeping the groove, but perhaps
with some slight additions to it?
Carlos: Very small embellishments that
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 21
didn’t get in the way of what had already
been laid down. Some of the drum tracks
were very interesting to play because
George has a bit of a bass player thing going
on. “Faith” for instance, if you listen to
the programming, it’s incredible, so to try
and relay that in a live situation was very
interesting.
play, you are very exposed; very much part
of the show. With this show, you had to deal
with your ego because you weren’t as much
part of the show. You are playing your part
audibly, but visually adding very little.
EDGE: It was such a big show, with a huge
band and massive stage. Did that make it more
complicated?
Carlos: Oh, that was fantastic! I have to say,
that has been one of my best experiences,
just because they are gods in their own right.
Annie is such an iconic figure and fantastic
vocalist, and Dave Stewart is very eccentric
and extremely clever. He is one of those
genius people. He knows the sounds, how
he wants them put together, and all that
stuff, yet he has the energy of a 10-year-old
boy. He was fantastic.
Carlos: Yes, it did. The way the stage was
designed, you could only see one other
player. So, I could only see the bass player.
There were 15 guys on the stage making
noise, that you could hear, but you couldn’t
see. It’s really, really hard to communicate
or vibe like that. That was a little bit surreal
in the sense that you were part of a show,
but it almost felt like you were in the pit at
west end show. On top of that, you couldn’t
see the show because we were behind the
screens, so it was only when they were
running some video at a sound check that
you could actually see what you were
playing along to.
EDGE: It must have been really weird?
Carlos: When the DVD came out, we all
went, “Wow, what a show!” It was the
first time we actually got to see it, which
was really bizarre. The gig was also very
different emotionally, as well. Most gigs you
EDGE: What was it like working with Annie
Lennox and Dave Stewart?
EDGE: What did you actually do? Was it a
tour?
Carlos: No, we hoped it would end up like
that, because it was kind of a reunion, but
we did do some very iconic things like the
American Music awards and the induction
to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and some
other American TV. It wasn’t a very long
period, but it was significant.
EDGE: I saw you recently on the Leona Lewis
tour. How was that experience?
Carlos: That was brilliant, as well, actually.
We had a lot of fun on that. Last year’s tour,
she wanted it to sound very much like the
record; that was her comfort zone. This
tour, the brief was to make the sound as
live as possible, to have the band involved.
She was really open to what a live band
sounds like. Lots of trust issues come with
this when you’ve been used to doing 3 or 4
years of mostly PA’s with your tracks as they
are on record. Leona could have wanted
everything perfectly the same every night
like George, but she didn’t. With a live band,
you might have a guitar playing lines that
weren’t there before and drums that aren’t
digital sounding, and that kind of stuff can
be worrying to people, but she took it in
stride and said, “Oh my God, this sounds
fantastic!” We were really open on the tour,
really allowed to interpret the music as best
we could, the way we thought we should.
You could see
her grow from
the beginning
of the tour to
the end. It was
really, really
good.
EDGE:
This
time, the band
was right on
the stage and
you could all
see one another
and play off one
another, right?
Carlos: I have never been involved in a
show where the band was so visual. You
could be seen at all times, you could be
flashed up on the screens at all times, and
you really had to consider that. Also, there
were aerial lifts. I had done a show with
dancers but not the full aerial lifts; all that
was going on, it was massive! In the early
stages, you had to learn to ignore it because
it was distracting and you could miss cues
watching something you hadn’t seen before.
We all rehearsed in our own little bubbles,
and then they put us all together to do the
show. The first time you see it all in dress
rehearsal it’s a huge distraction. You had to
be careful. It was only at the end of the tour
that I had a complete overview of what the
whole show actually looked like.
EDGE: How did you go about preparing for it?
Carlos: Well, as always, you get as many of
the songs beforehand to do some prep work.
I also do as much programming before we
go into rehearsals as I can. But obviously,
things change, and that’s what rehearsals are
for. So, you go in and get the new samples
and new versions that you need. Then, we
start to go through it all. Next, the boss
comes in and decides what stays and what
goes. Up until then, it’s all temporary until
you get the go ahead, then you can really
start to lock things down and start to say,
“OK that’s it, that’s the final thing.” For me,
the gig was a good compromise between the
full programming I did for George and the
very little I do with Beverly. Pretty much all
of the electronic stuff that was on the album,
if I could play it, I played it. So, I had pads
and I had a kick trigger so I could kick some
sub-bass sounds or lay off a couple of pads,
etc. Yet, still every drummer will say there’s
nothing like playing a live acoustic kit,
absolutely nothing like it. But, you know, in
these modern times with everybody using
so many sampled sounds, big, weird and
interesting sounds, you need to be able to
do both.
EDGE: How do you change your kit between all
these different gigs?
Carlos: If I’m on a big kit with a big tour
like say, The Waterboys, which is a very
rock- orientated gig, I’ve got a DW kit that
takes care of that: a big 22” bass drum,
13” mounted tom and 16” and 18” floor
toms. On the pop stuff, Bev, George and
Leona, I use a standard 10”, 12”, 14”, 16”
floor toms and maybe two snare drums for
some extra sounds. Now, I find I am also
triggering kicks, acoustic kicks and/or
snare with two kinds of dedicated pads and
an electronic kick. When you are playing
dedicated dance-orientated stuff it makes
no sense trying to reproduce it sonically on
an acoustic kit. That kit is pretty much the
touring kit and it is set up in the same way. I
have two of these rigs going, so if I have one
out on tour and if I have to run back and do
something with someone else, I can always
“You need to be able to play a few styles fairly
competently. then, I think the rest of it is people
skills more than anything else, being a good
person on the road.”
use the other kit. The kits are pretty much
the same; the only variation is the cymbals.
EDGE: Do you find some gigs harder than
others?
Carlos: Not really, they are all different
for various reasons. The George Michael
tour was more disciplined and the actual
concerts were tense because you were
actually playing less, so you had to make
sure that when you did play, it counted.
With Beverly, it’s probably choppier than
the other gigs. Some of the hits are quite
adventurous, but that ups your awareness
on a gig and you are focused in a different
way. Leona was really a mix of both. I had
a couple of solo sections in the show, and
then the rest of it was very groove-based.
Every 4 or 5 songs, you would get a little
four bar blast, where you could really
unleash it. I used to get very excited at
those points.
EDGE: What would you say is your most
memorable live performance?
Carlos: Maybe the American Hall of Fame.
EDGE: With Eurthymics?
Carlos: That was crazy! I was sitting back
stage with Travis Barker and his new wife,
who had just made a TV programme. Then,
I was in the dressing room and Shakira came
and sat next to me, and to the other side of
me was Carmen Electra. I look out on the
front row and there’s Woody Harrelson,
Will Smith, etc. Then, you get up on stage
with Eurthymics, and the response that
they get from such a star-studded audience
reminds you of the significance of what they
have laid down in the industry. I was on
stage playing for them, thinking, “Oh my
God!” Yard was my tech, and I overheard
him talking to one of the production guys.
He had asked him who I was. Yard told him
my name and what I’d been doing. He said
he had heard of me and went on to say he
had been watching me for the last couple
of days and thought I was great. I was
sitting there thinking, “Wow, who would
have thought at 17-years- old this is where
I would be?”
EDGE: Is there anyone who you haven’t worked
with that you would like to?
Carlos: Loads. The ultimate, I think, would
be the Prince gig.
EDGE: Have you met Cora?
Carlos: No, Beverly did a support tour with
them and they did some of the O2. Funny
enough, I was on the George tour and I
missed it. Otherwise, that would have been
my gig and I would have been rubbing
shoulders with the man. They even played
at some of the after show parties he likes to
do. He loved Bev, took her back to America
with him to do some recording, so that
would have been a fantastic experience. I
know of Cora, she’s a great player.
EDGE: Do you have any tips for anyone that
would like to become a session drummer?
Carlos: It’s harder out there, I would say. I
don’t know if being a session drummer is
necessarily the goal. When I was embarking
on my music career, I never thought about
being a session drummer. It kind of evolved
that way. I wanted to be a drummer in a
band. If there are young guys out there
trying to be the next Coldplay, or whatever,
that would be far more lucrative for you
and let you live the rock and roll life. The
session thing is a bit more of a 9 to 5 job,
a bit more hard graft; you’ve really got to
know your stuff. If you do decide that it’s
for you, or that your time has passed for
the rock band, then I would say you have
to try and play all sorts of different music
so you can sound authentic at whatever
you play. You don’t have to know it all
inside out, because you are going to be very
much a jack of all trades. There’s not one
type of music, especially in England, that
will pay your bills all year round. Maybe
some really big rock bands might keep you
busy for a year or two, but on the whole, if
you’re a session player, chances are you’ll
simply be going from one thing to another.
You need to be able to play a few styles
fairly competently, so you have to hone
those skills. Then, I think the rest of it is
people skills more than anything else, being
a good person on the road. When you’re
on the road you have to remember that you
only play for an hour-and-a-half, so it really
is about how you behave off the stage, as
well. You need to have people skills for
people to want to be around you. If you
take George’s show, for instance, there were
about 200 people in the crew. You have to
get on with all of them. Every venue has
a new set of security, every hotel has staff,
you have to be aware of all of this and think
about how you behave. Even if you’re the
best drummer in the world, if you have an
attitude, people will begin to think, “You
know what, this gig doesn’t really need
you.” They’ll take someone who is a lesser
player, but easier to get on, even if you’re
brilliant.
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 23
THE DRUMBEAST
He’s a hard hitting time keeper known for his quick
feet and even faster fills. In this inaugural issue of
International Edge, we proudly expose the world to
a German metal master as he talks shop and gives the
kids a glimpse into his world.
photos by Stefan Fischer
BODO Stricker
Edge: Tell us what’s going on at the moment.
Edge: How long have you been playing drums?
Bodo Stricker: Currently, I’m playing some
shows with my band, Last One Dying, and
we released an album last September. In
between playing shows, we’re writing
new material to record another album
soon. Along the way, I am doing a little
project called Whyteboy, which is sort of
along the lines of Kid Rock and Methods
of Mayhem. We played a couple of
showcases for labels and booking agencies
and stuff like that, but that’s just a little
side project right now.
Bodo: I’ve been playing drums for about
half of my life now, so about fifteen years.
I’ve never had any lessons, I’m completely
self-taught. I just learned by listening
to CDs and tried to figure out what the
drummer was doing.
Edge: How did you come to join the DW
family?
Bodo: That’s quite an interesting story,
actually. I believe it was one of the trade
shows in Frankfurt, probably six or seven
years ago. I was playing DW pedals for
way longer than that. I think I bought
my first 5000 series double pedal with
a single chain about ten years ago. So, I
was playing at the trade show in Frankfurt
with one of my bands and I just wanted
to go by the DW booth and thank the
guys for creating such a good pedal. So, I
spoke to John Good and we hit it off right
away. We decided to stay in touch and he
gave me his business card. We kept seeing
each other at these trade shows and then
eventually, we said, “Hey, how about if
we make it official?” And that’s how that
happened. So there was a friendship long
before there was a working relationship.
Edge: What’s the most interesting show you’ve
ever played?
Bodo: The most interesting show would
probably have to be a festival that we
played in China. I did this little 3 week
tour with a band called Final Virus. It was
sort of like Frank Zappa, with trombone
players and keyboards, jazz and metal all
mixed into one. We had the opportunity to
go to China as a part of a cultural exchange
program.
They brought a Chinese
orchestra over to Europe and a band from
the pool of this cultural exchange was sent
over to China. We were lucky that it was
us! So we played this festival in front of
about 80,000 people, and since it was one
of the major events in China every year, it
was nationally televised. They said there
were almost a billion people watching it,
so that was quite something.
Edge: Do you feel any pressure playing to
larger crowds?
Bodo: To me, it doesn’t make that much
of a difference if it’s 80,000 people or eight
people, because the way I see it, I always
feel comfortable. I’m playing my drum kit,
which looks the same night after night. So,
I don’t really have to do anything different
because my workspace is always the same.
If I was a singer and had to fill big stages
like that, run around and entertain people,
it would be a different thing. Personally, I
prefer playing the smaller shows, like club
shows up to 1,000 person capacity, because
you have much more interaction with the
audience, whereas if you play big festivals
with big stages and security in front of it,
you kind of feel a little isolated from the
audience. I like the smaller shows because
you can get in touch with the audience
and get that kind of feedback.
Edge: Talk a little more about being self-taught.
Bodo: Mostly, I was just listening to
records and playing along. At the time
when I was learning to play, there was this
show on TV, called “Superdrumming”
featuring Billy Cobham, Simon Phillips
and Louie Bellson. So, you got to watch
them play and then you were like, “Ok,
this is how that works and maybe I can
try this out.” And there was this guy
named Gerry Brown who had all these
stick-twirling moves and stuff like that,
so that was quite interesting. I think the
visual aspect is very important when you
are learning drums, because if you are just
listening, it is sometimes hard to figure out
exactly what they’re doing. If you actually
see them play, it’s like, “Ah, alright, now
I get it.” Then it’s just practice from that
point on.
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 25
Edge: Why did you end up being more of a
“metal” drummer?
Bodo: When I began drumming, I started
out playing jazz and fusion and that sort
of thing. I didn’t have a double bass drum
pedal until I had played for five or six years.
I think it had a lot to do with the music that
I was listening to at the time. I shifted my
interest towards the heavier music when
bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and
Soundgarden were really popular. A friend
of mine turned me into Primus, which was
one of my major influences; Tim Alexander,
a great drummer! By listening to some of the
other stuff like Faith No More, that’s how I
got in touch with the heavier stuff. Then I
played in a little cover band that was called
Absurd and we did Primus covers. The
guitarist in that band gave me a CD from
Meshuggah and that’s when I said, “Alright,
I’m really going to start practicing double
bass drumming now” because the stuff I
heard on the CD was just so phenomenal. I
wanted to play like that guy.
Edge: How did you develop your double bass
technique over the years?
Bodo: When I first started trying it, I found it
really hard to stay balanced, because both of
my legs were sort of floating in mid air. So I
took the drum kit and set it up left-handed.
I played the bass drum with my left foot,
the hi-hat with my left hand, the snare with
my right hand, completely the opposite of
what I would usually do. That helped me to
develop the strength in my left foot, which
I needed for the difficult stuff that I wanted
to play. These days, there are all these
people who have tutorial videos on how
to do the flat foot technique and the heelup or heel-down technique. When I first
started practicing double bass, there was no
youtube.com to look all of these things up
and you didn’t know what anything was
called. You just did what was necessary to
play what you were hearing in your head.
The hardest part about it wasn’t learning the
technique to move your foot that fast, but
the endurance to play parts like that over
an extended period of time. It takes years
of practice with a metronome to build up
these muscle groups. A lot of kids ask me,
“How do you set up your pedal? How tight
is the spring tension on your pedal?”, and
I say, “You know what, I can tell you what
I do, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that
it will work for you. You are gonna have to
find out what works for you.” So, you can’t
really say, “Ok, this is what you have to do
to become really fast with the double bass
pedal” because everyone has to do it their
own way.
Edge: Could you imagine living without social
media platforms, such as Myspace, Youtube and
Facebook in the music industry today?
of the time, especially in metal. I find it very
hard because sometimes you have to feed off
the energy of a big guitar riff or whatever,
and you really need to get that vibe going.
If you are just playing drums by yourself
with the click, that feels strange. The first
time that we went in and recorded an EP
was the hardest time to get the right feeling
and the right energy. It was an interesting
experience, trying to play without having
the energy of the band or the crowd.
Bodo: I think one of the biggest steps was
Myspace. It used to be
that when you found out
about a new band you’d
have to go around trying
to find their CD. Then
came Myspace and now,
every band has their own
page and you have their
music on that page. So, you
have access to so much more
music than you had before.
No matter how obscure the
band is, they are most likely
on Myspace and you can
listen to their music. I think
it is a great promotional
tool, especially for smaller
bands that people don’t
know about yet. A smaller
band can be friends with
a famous band and then
people are like, “Ah, if
they are friends with
them, maybe I’ll check
them out.”
Edge: What music do you listen to today? Who
are your heroes?
Bodo: Actually, I listen to a lot of different
music and most of the time it’s not even
metal, because when you are involved in
metal music so much, then sometimes you
just need a break from it. I like a lot of vocal
jazz, like Diana Krall or Michael Bublé, that
type of thing. I’m also a big fan of Sting and
everything that he does. I even listen to some
hip-hop and prog rock, like Porcupine Tree.
Gavin Harrison is one of my drumming
heroes, he’s a great drummer. When I’m in
the mood for some heavy stuff it’s usually
something technical like Meshuggah; Tomas
Haake is also one of my influences. Even
when you don’t listen to metal, let’s say
you listen to Porcupine Tree, there is always
some drumming stuff in there that you can
use and adapt to your own style. I always
try to expand my musical horizons and
listen to new stuff so I don’t get stuck in my
niche and just play metal drums.
Edge: Back to the drums, did
you try a lot of different setups over the years?
Bodo: The set-up that
I have right now, I’ve
been playing that for
about five to six years.
I have experimented
before and this is what
I always come back
to because it feels the most comfortable
to me. I like to have three toms above the
bass drum because I also use a lot of splash
cymbals and bell cymbals for little accents,
and if you play faster fills it’s much easier
to play the rolls if you have three toms up
there and don’t have to move around that
much. So I either play 3 up, 1 down or 3 up,
2 down. Right now, I am using 2 floor toms,
which I just recently went back to. I had
rack toms for the longest time and usually
I play 8”, 10”, 12”, 14”, 16” and the 14” and
16” would always be floating. Recently, I
switched back to the floor toms with legs
because I just like the way they sound. They
have a much fatter sound, especially since
DW came out with the X-Shell construction.
The 14” floor tom sounds as deep as one of
my old, old kits. Every time DW comes up
with something new, you want to try it out
because you know it’s going to be great. I’ve
got one of these kits right now, which they
call SSC (Specialized Shell Configuration);
it’s a mixture of X-Shells, VLT-Shells and
VLX-Shells and that’s how you create your
own individual sound. You can set them
up however you want, in terms of shell
Edge: Can you sum up what drumming means
to you?
construction, to get the sound that you hear
in your head.
Edge: Do you remember your first studio
session?
Bodo: The first time that I did a real studio
session, I had already spent a lot of time
practicing with a metronome, so I was used
to working with a click. A lot of times, you
hear the producer say, “This really young
band came in and they just couldn’t play
with a click and were fighting with the click
and stuff like that,” so it really helped me
to practice with the metronome almost from
the beginning. It wasn’t that I was feeling
uncomfortable, but it sure is different when
you have to play the same song a couple of
times or if there are different tempos in the
song, then you play one part and then you
play the other part. It’s very, very different
from playing live. You kind of feel a little
bit isolated, because most of the time you
track the instruments separately. You do the
drums first and then you do the bass and
guitars, so you’re playing by yourself a lot
Bodo: I think it’s a lifestyle, especially if you
are involved in the metal scene. All these
bands know each other and it’s like a big
community. You see people at festivals that
you’ve played with before, so it feels like a
big family. I don’t go out and do solo things.
For me, it’s always been about hanging out
and having fun with your friends, and it can
also be an outlet if you’ve had a really bad
day. You can get behind your drums and let
it all out! It’s a kind of therapy.
Edge: Do you like the idea of doing clinics or
workshops?
Bodo: That’s one thing that I would rather
leave to my brother because as I said, I’m
self-taught and can honestly say that I don’t
know what I’m doing most of the time. I
am just trying to play the things that I’m
hearing in my head. I couldn’t necessarily
tell you what I’m doing. I can play it for you,
but I’m not very good at explaining what I’m
doing. Plus, I’m not very good at reading
sheet music and I’m always kind of scared
of teaching people something wrong. For
me, it’s always about the music and playing
with other people. I’m not a solo drummer,
so I’ll leave it to the people who can do that
kind of thing.
Edge: Have you imagined leaving Germany to
play drums somewhere else?
“To me, drumming
is an event where
people come
together...”
Bodo: Of course. Wherever there is a cool job
to play drums or a good tour, I am willing to
go. As I said, we did tours in China and all
throughout Europe and we would love to go
to Japan, so sure, no problem.
Edge: You also play ice hockey in your free time.
Aren’t you afraid of hurting yourself?
Bodo: Actually, my wife has been playing
hockey for sixteen years now and we are
both goaltenders so, naturally, we have a
little more protection and padding than the
rest. They don’t have the full face mask
and stuff like that. You don’t really worry
about hurting yourself out there. Mostly,
we play for fun and we play for the same
team, so we get to go to practice together.
She was actually trying to convince me to go
on the ice with her for the longest time and
I always said, “No, I can’t do that, what if
I break this or I sprain my ankle? The boys
will be mad at me if I can’t play.” And then
I actually did break my right arm in a really
stupid accident at a festival. I just walked
down a loading ramp that was apparently
a little too steep and I slipped and broke
my right wrist fifteen minutes before stage
time and we had to cancel the show. After
that, I was like, “You know what? If I can
break my bones by walking down a stupid
loading ramp, I might as well play hockey!”
So, I’ve been playing hockey for a while now
and nothing bad has happened yet.
Edge: Any advice for young, aspiring pro
drummers?
Bodo: First of all, practice, practice and
practice. Use a metronome early on, so that
you get a steady groove going and won’t
have trouble in the studio playing with a
click-track. Also, try to be versatile; don’t
just focus on only one thing. If you are just
a pure metal drummer, then it will be hard
to find a job in that industry because there
are so many good drummers that can play
every genre. Try to play with other people
and, most importantly, listen. I know so
many musicians who are amazing at their
instrument, but if you sit them down and
say, “Alright, now play a song and play
along with this person,” they just do too
much, they can’t listen. So, as a drummer,
it’s really important to listen to what is
going on around you; listen to what the
guitarist playing, listen to what the bass
player playing. It is not about showing off
your skills, it’s about playing what’s right
for the song.
[INT. EDGE 1.0] 27
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