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anonymous 17 July 2003

So let's pony up some names here, gang. Who were they people that made you wanna take a couple of sticks and bang 'em on something (and don't say your older sister!)? I'll go first:

No particular order:

The Classic People Who Made Me the Freak I am Now:
-Stewart Copeland (HUGE)
-John Bonham (HUGE)
-Steve Gadd (HUGE)
-Bill Bruford
-Zig Modeliste (HUGE)(drummer for The Meters, natch)
-Keith Moon

Those I Have Grown to Love:
-Ringo
-Charlie Watts
-Jeff Porcaro
-Omar Hakim
-Manu Katche

Newer People I Think Are Doing the Best Work These Days:
-Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney: if you haven't heard Sleater-Kinney, they RAWK. Three women who have as much rauscious "git down" as any guys I have heard. They should be top of the pops).
-Matt Chamberlain (Critters Bugging. He is apparently the first-call guy these days, did the last Bowie album. Critters is avante-garde jazz fusion, think maybe Naked City, except they forgot to take all the fun out of it, so it's great listening).

Yup, I'm done, Who's Next? (Gee, is that a reference?) Doc

Comments

anonymous Fri, 07/18/2003 - 07:46

This will certainly date me but my first influences were Gene Krupa, Louis Bellson and Buddy Rich. After that Joe Morrello and other mainstream jazz drummers. I love all of the drummers already named. One drummer who was my primary influence in studio work was Russ Kunkle. He had a particular feel with ballads that continues to just blow me away. I've never heard anyone else do what he does with the slow grooves.

drbam

anonymous Sat, 07/19/2003 - 07:21

>Drbam,
Can you tell us more about Russ Kunkle? I love his name. David<

Kunkle was a first call studio drummer in LA for a long time. His peak was during the '70s and 80's. He was one of the players that would be contracted to do the sessions and the follow up tours. He played on most of James Taylor's records - Fire and Rain being a classic of course, and he also worked with Carole King, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, etc. A track that really illustrates the "feel" I referred to in my earlier post is Bob Seger's "Like a Rock." To me its just amazing! Listen to where he puts the back beat in relation to the rest of the drum kit - just behind everything else but never dragging. The result is that it pulls the listener more deeply into the groove. At least that is how I experience it. :)

drbam

Rod Gervais Sat, 07/19/2003 - 07:28

This will date me as well....... but it had to be Gene Kupra and Buddy Rich......and little Rick Arnez as a child - I'll never forget that little boy on his dads show behind a kit........ amazing child he was...... although my mother swears i was hand drumming on everything since i was a baby.......

As far as more modern influences today - David Garabaldi and Neil Peart....... and in that order.........

Rod

anonymous Tue, 07/22/2003 - 18:48

Yeah, I'm old! So what!
----Jazz favorites
Buddy Rich (big influence)
Louis Bellson (big influence, damn dbl kick)
Art Blakey (WOW rhythm patterns)
Philly Joe Jones (classic and classy)
Jimmy Cobb(classic and classy)
Al Miller (Great jazz drummer, great teacher)
..newer jazz faves
Terri Lyn Carrington (style like no one else)
Billy Cobham (sometimes weird always interesting)
Steve Gadd (rock solid, always there)

Rock drummers

John Bonham
Mitch Mitchell
Ginger Baker (okay, but he invented some great stuff)
Neil Peart (always great, but you gotta respect an artist that cares enough to reinvent himself after he reaches the top)
Doane Perry (I just like his style)

----Hand drummers
Mamady Keita (the world's greatest djembe master)
Fomadou Konate (only second to Mamady)
Madou Dembele (catching up to those guys above)
Laurent Camara (makes the difficult look effortless)
Michael "Babatunde" Olatunji (introduced America to West African Percussion and invented a verbal language for it)

I've had the priviledge of studying with a few of the drummers on the above list and I owe them "big time"!

anonymous Tue, 07/22/2003 - 19:55

Originally posted by David_Doc_Herbert:
Whoop, lookout! RTF- a fusion guy. Do you like Omar Hakim? He did a Weather Report stint. David

Actually, I'm mainly a prog guy, so I get into Carl Palmer and Bill Bruford, too. But to me, the epitome of prog drumming seems to be Phil Collins. That's just my opinion though.

As for fusion, I'm pretty much limited to RTF and the Mahavishnu Orchestra (I'd have to break that CD out again to know who was on it). I would like to branch out more here, but I really don't know where to start.

anonymous Wed, 07/23/2003 - 19:10

Originally posted by David_Doc_Herbert:
Billy Cobham on RTF?

Not on the "Romantic Warrior" CD, which is the only one I have. Like I said, I'd like to branch out more...

Phil Collins definitely had some skills.

Indeed. :c: My personal favorite album so far is probably "Selling England By the Pound". Some excellent composition on that album, especially with Firth of Fifth.

Treena Foster Fri, 07/25/2003 - 16:10

Originally posted by drbam:
>Drbam,
Can you tell us more about Russ Kunkle? I love his name. David<

Kunkle was a first call studio drummer in LA for a long time. His peak was during the '70s and 80's. He was one of the players that would be contracted to do the sessions and the follow up tours. He played on most of James Taylor's records - Fire and Rain being a classic of course, and he also worked with Carole King, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, etc. A track that really illustrates the "feel" I referred to in my earlier post is Bob Seger's "Like a Rock." To me its just amazing! Listen to where he puts the back beat in relation to the rest of the drum kit - just behind everything else but never dragging. The result is that it pulls the listener more deeply into the groove. At least that is how I experience it. :)

drbam

He also played with Dan Fogelberg on Captured Angel.
Russ with Linda Ronstadte in 1975
:h: Treena

anonymous Fri, 07/25/2003 - 21:24

Hi Guys Newbie here
all those drummers are great.
when I was about 22 or so (now around 42 or so)
I had the chance to see Elvin jones in a little club in Albany, little 18" bass drum and all,
quite the independence there, as I grew I favored Cobham, (I think now only for the mix on 'Birds of Fire'), I learned that beat that Bruford did on King Crimson's 'Sailor's Tale', one of my fav beats (now I thought I was Bad).
I Liked that kid with Primus, Saw the Kid with Tool - live with my son -very good player, Now I am noticing the drummer with Opeth, I guess it's time to buy that double bass pedal...
any rate thanks for having me.

shaneperc Sun, 07/27/2003 - 20:50

I'm a big fan of Jeff Porcaro. He was one of my first influences, and is still probably my biggest influence. I did like alot of the chops players when I was younger (I still like Vinnie), but Jeff's sound quality and groove were always incredible, and at any dynamic level. Talk about a backbeat groove that could drive nails through a brick wall!

For jazz drumming, I liked Buddy (How in the world could you not?), Dave Tough, Papa Joe Jones, and mostly guys from the Swing era.

anonymous Mon, 07/28/2003 - 01:02

Oh yeah.
DaveB,
Welcome to the table friend. Thanks for confirming my love of Bill Bruford. I wish I could go back and do mixes of the Yes songs with only him, Steve Howe and Chris Squire, allowing a great trio to emerge from the bombast. B.B. had such amazing dynamics and transitions. I understand that some of the Yes albums were done by letting the band jam out ad infinitum, then the engineers would splice together songs from all the noodling. Anybody got info?
Shane,
Porcaro. Wow. His straight/swung feels... Oughtta be a damn picture of him in the dictionary next to the word DrumGod. Huh? Whattya mean that word ain't in there yet??!! Time to start a petition.
El Doktor, David

shaneperc Sun, 08/03/2003 - 14:49

Idiom,
I never saw Buddy on Sesame Street, but I remember his Muppet Show appearance. It's too bad (or is it?) that his most famous recordings (among musicians) are those bootleg tapes of him completely cussing out his band. I heard them a few times, but I'd love to get a copy for myself. Man, that's what I call entertainment! :)

anonymous Mon, 08/11/2003 - 01:57

First off, I started playing drums in the early 90's as a pre-teen so Dave Grohl was my main inspiration. Here are some of my other personal influences. I'll limit my choices to band guys, rock esp.

Ol timers:
Bonham - obviously
Keith Moon - animated and brilliant
Mitch Mitchell - spastic
Ringo - wrote great melodies with his drums
Stevie Wonder - innervisions baby!

New guys:
Dave Grohl - listen to the new queens record
Josh Freese - talk about adaptation as a studio guy
Matt Cameron - definition of style
Zak Starkey - ringo's kid
Isaac Carpenter - up and 'commer, plays in a band called loudermilk, never miss an oppurtunity to mention this kid's name. Think Keith Moon, with the power and discipline of Grohl. Makes me jealous.

anonymous Wed, 08/27/2003 - 12:10

yeah i'd have to say:

- Daney Carrey
was completely hooked on his drumming from the first time i heard it. I dunno what it is about it, it's raw and loud (he's fucking loud if you were to stand near his kit unmic'ed) yet he's pretty damn dynamic for that type of music. wasn't too impressed with tool's latest album - didn't seem to flow right.

- Tim Alexander:
from the old primus, not the newer stuff... Tim plays in a group called "laundry" and started singing in that as well. Their first laundry album was pretty nice, but i honestly really don't like Tim’s vocals hehe - at least it's impressive knowing he drums and sings at the same time!! but damn i used to love older primus albums like "fizzle fry", "sailing the seas of cheese". "pork soda" and "tales from a punch bowl" i can't stand though.. I can understand Tim’s excuse for leaving that band.

- Neil Peart
I got some drum tabs and absolutely love practicing that stuff - I can just barely get "tom sawyer" and "yyz" down - though not nearly as effortlessly as Neil makes it seem.

i think allot of my favs are jazz drummer who i don't remember their names but just jaw dropping. i never understood Bonham, mainly cause i don't know his music - any recommendations?

anonymous Wed, 08/27/2003 - 15:05

by,
I don't know if Led Zeppelin would be suited to your tastes, but I can recommend certain tracks that would highlight the gentleman's talents. To put John Bonham into context- he held it down for one of the most influential rock bands of all time. It would be hard to overstate Led Zeppelin's effect on rock. They established a sound that became a touch-point for just about every act that followed, the parameters for FM hard rock. When punk happened it was a rejection of Led Zeppelin and the Led Zep sound of other "dinosaur" bands (Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull...). I refuse to even think about how many times he has been sampled for hip hop songs.
Bonham was famous for sitting behind the beat and laying down the heavies ("When The Levy Breaks"), but he also had a talent for tossing in interesting delicacies around the big, fat downbeats ("Fool in the Rain"). Frankly, if this topic is going to be tackled properly we're going to have to move it to it's own thread. It will be titled, unconfusingly, "Why John Bonham is Great".
Doc

anonymous Fri, 10/03/2003 - 10:57

If I could get the foot timing of John Bonham, the kick drum "pop" of Lars Ulrich, the cymbal/hat work of Tony Williams or Bernard Purdie, the crazy syncopated tom fills of Keith Moon, and the snare sound of Mitch Mitchell/Stewart Copeland, I would be complete.

and too many others to mention.

BTW Mahavishnu Orchestra was Billy Cobham (i saw them live in 72 DAMM )

For feel, I just love the stones / black crowes backbeat dragpocket thang :)

anonymous Mon, 10/06/2003 - 07:02

I agree with a lot of the guys here, but I'll add a few lesser knowns:

Damon Che from Don Caballero. A very Neil Peart-influenced style, but this guy can get really out there, and the rest of the band is great as well. If you haven't heard this band yet, you should check it out - especially if you're into early prog stuff like King Crimson and Rush.
Check them out here: http://www.epitonic.com/artists/doncaballero.html

Sebastian Thomson of Trans Am (and many more). This guy isn't quite the octopus that Damon Che is, but he's totally rock solid and extremely creative with his drumming. Inspirational.

anonymous Mon, 10/06/2003 - 07:53

I'm AMAZED and slightly disgusted that no one mentioned any of the following AMAZING drummers!! But I see that Stewart Copeland got mentioned WAY too many times. He couldn't carry Earl Palmer's stick bag as far as I'm concerned. Listen to Little Richard's "Slippin' and Slidin'" and tell me who can groove like that!! Stewart Copeland would be fiddlin' with his little splash cymbal with his little tip tappin'! By the way no grown man should have a splash cymbal, they're for little girls.

Levon Helm
Roger Hawkins
Al Jackson Jr
Simon Kirke
Earl Palmer
"Pistol" Allen
Benny Benjamin
Hal Blaine
Clem Burke
Gary Chester
Greg Errico
Mick Fleetwood
Jim Gordon
Jim Keltner
W.S. Holland
Uriel Jones
Shelly Manne
Nigel Olsson
Bernard Purdie
J.M. Van Eaton

anonymous Mon, 10/20/2003 - 02:13

I'm AMAZED and slightly disgusted that no one mentioned any of the following AMAZING drummers!!

This is ofcourse personal. What you like doesn't have to be somebody elses bag of potatoes :)

Recently i have been very impressed by the following drummers:

Steve Smith
Dave Wreckl

I got the Steve Smith DVD and i love it. Can that guy play or not :)

anonymous Fri, 10/31/2003 - 21:08

just from the guys I've heard live:
Phil Collins
Steve Smith
damb...I just had a brain fart
can't remember anyone else...
saw Collins twice live...I really like the snap of his drumming on all his studio work.
and I grew up on Journey...I learned my first bits of odd meter beats from Frontiers and his straight forward beats just flow/float...haven't heard any of his jazz stuff...never see it in any music stores, unfortunately.

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