Ginger Baker

(from 9/22/09)
I keep hearing about Ginger Baker and thinking "wow, a female drummer back in the early days?" No, I'm dumb.

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker was the drummer in Cream.

"Baker's drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship, and pioneering use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single bass kick drum. As a firmly established jazz drummer, he dislikes being referred to as a rock drummer. While at times performing in a similar way to Keith Moon from The Who, Baker also employs a more restrained style influenced by the British jazz groups he heard during the late 1950s and early 1960s. In his early days as a drummer he performed lengthy drum solos, the best known being the thirteen-minute drum solo "Toad" from Cream's double album Wheels of Fire. He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the "flam", a drum rudiment where both sticks would attack the drums at almost the same time to give a heavy thunderous sound."

Here he is talking about drum technique (love those black socks!):


And playing a drum solo in 1969:


And played White Room with Cream in 1968 (strangely, this video shows more of Baker than Clapton):

Travis Barker

(from 9/3/09)
It's interesting and weird the musical groups that I know about and don't know about. I paid alot of attention to alternative pop in the late 1980s and early 1990s...but after that lost track. I also am aware of some 70s music...mostly radio rock and pop....because I had teenaged brothers at the time.

I recently "discovered" Green Day, which lead to looking into Blink 182, which I'd been lead to believe was the same genre. Last night I read an interview with drummer Travis Barker. And today I finally took a listen to their tunes.

Last week I almost bought their drum tab book, but decided against it when, looking at the music, it didn't seem that hard. I figured I might as well just give the tunes a listen and, if I liked them, learn them by ear.

So far, I like their music, but...yeah...the drums aren't anything complicated, though he seems to have a solid technical background. Maybe after I give more of a listen I'll think differently. Maybe he's respecting those spaces.

UPDATE: Just saw that Barker's best friend died of an overdose this week, DJ AM.The guy apparently made $3.5 million per year. How does that HAPPEN that a DJ makes $3.5 million a year???? I clearly do not understand commerce.

Fluke Holland

(from 8/25/2009)
Johnny Cash's drummer, W. S. "Fluke" Holland. Fluke was the first drummer to ever play a full set of drums on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry when it was still at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

George Hurley

(from 8/2009)
For the last few weeks I've been trying to learn the drum part to the Minutmen's Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing:

JG keeps saying "it's such an easy song!" and I keep saying "the drums aren't all that easy" and then JG says "yeah George Hurley did some interesting things"

In truth, the drum part for that song isn't THAT hard, just different from what I'm used to, and I've just about got it nailed down now. We played it last night and it went ok.

RD posted about the Minutemen this week too...so I guess all of the signs are telling me it's about damn time that I took a look at George Hurley.

Myspace

Tre Cool

(from 7/6/09)
I never paid much attention to Green Day. I knew they existed and I vaguely knew what they sounded like. I knew that they were "good." Better than average. But for some reason, I just never paid much attention.

A few months ago my drum instructor told me that "Dookie" was a really good album, and he started teaching me "When I Come Around". I bought the disk, and not long after, a play-along booklet for drums of Green Day's greatest hits.

I sat down with it for the first time pretty seriously this weekend. It seems hard at first, but once you get the pattern down, it isn't so bad. The drummer has a very definite style, and it is just a matter and getting that style. It is a style I like and that highlights bass drum independence, which is something I really want to work on. He's also pretty sparse on the crash cymbals, and that's what I prefer. I banged out "Longview" in no time...and I'm on my way to getting "Basket Case" down. Once I get "Basket Case," I think "When I Come Around" will come easier.

So here he is...Tre Cool.

Dan Leali

(from 6/8/09)

Dan Leali currently plays drums for Poi Dog Pondering, one of my favorite bands (though I listen to them less and less these days)

Dan Leali's homepage

He also plays with Tributosaurus, which I'm long overdue to see play.

Stewart Copeland

(from 5/29/09)
Okay, I wasn't going to do three in a row, but I might as well dispatch Stewart Copeland too.

Dispatch is too strong a word...because I think it will take me longer to determine how useful Copeland is to me.

Here's a quote from the Wiki:
Copeland is known for his precise, energetic, and creative rock drumming along with a reggae and jazz influenced style. His distinctive sound centers on a hard, high-pitched crack on a snare drum or rimshot, subtle hi-hat work with understated flourishes, while often playing only hi-hat with bass drum. Copeland is a master of the syncopated beat, and his distinct approach consolidates his position as an important drummer on the world stage, subsequently influencing generations of drummers. His credit on Curved Air's Airborne album was "Heavy Artillery" rather than "drums."

Copeland is also noted for his heavy emphasis on the groove as a complement to the song, rather than displays of technical prowess. He once drove this point home at a drum clinic: Copeland announced that he would show the audience something "that very few modern drummers can do," and proceeded to play a simple rock beat for two minutes. Nonetheless, his playing often incorporates spectacular fills and subtle inflections which greatly augment the groove. Compared to most of his 1980s contemporaries, Copeland's snare sound was very bright and cutting. Another novelty was his use of splash cymbals. He also is one of the few rock drummers using the traditional grip rather than the matched grip.

I like that joke about drummers not being able to hold a groove. It may be the only thing I'm good at. And I do luvs me some splash cymbals. So I'll need to spend some time with Copeland and see what he's about. I've certainly listened to and enjoyed his drumming for years unconsciously.

Roxanne: