VIP is made in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com
Today's episode is the second half of me covering my favorite modern drummers over the last fifteen years.
Clips used:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP4fwwHpYZM
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-e4YJ-3Cb0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViHmnR4OXUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqH_jK48slE
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcr2f1l7aDE&t=190s
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYooD58N0Lg&t=231s
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6muS5lg-9B8
“I’m curious how many people are good at saying, “I like this. I don’t like this”, no matter what someone else says.”
It is always a good time chatting with Aric Improta. He’s the extremely energetic drummer for Night Verses and Fever 333 that you may have seen hanging off of speaker cabinets, rafters all while performing backflips and pulling 360’s off his drum throne. Aric is an absolute beast of a showman. Of course, many drummers have watched his Guitar Centre Drum-Off video which was riddled with tricks and stunts.
Beyond the tricks, Aric also has a way of paving his own lane. He has a preference for remaining focused on his own creativity and not taking in very much outside influence. Aric is the kind of drummer who incorporates technology, ingenuitive techniques, radical showmanship, athletics, and then all of the other “normal” stuff we drummers usually do. No one is like Aric. A dedicated craftsman who is among my favorite drummers of his generation.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
Aric and I tackle a lot of stuff that touches on the quarantine and creativity. The whole situation of the lockdown and how that affects creative output is a big topic and it is interesting to think about and have discussion. How does social media change our perspectives on what we create? This is the kind of territory we explore.
Aric and I have talked before more than once and I wanted to create something very unplanned and spontaneous with him here. I know that Aric appreciates that and he would carry the conversation well. So, really this episode is just two dudes having some fun gabbing about some deep stuff.
Song featured is "Copper Wasp" performed by Night Verses - watch the whole thing here
Aric’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
VIP is made in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com
Today's episode is covering my favorite modern drummers over the last fifteen years. This is the first five.
Clips used:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhtcG79kPNw
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlxe3EpJDLk
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oUSvp6qg2A&t=122s
“A lot of drumming fans are just that.”
Chris Paprota is a multi-instrumentalist who experiments with making his own recordings, such as his latest project “Riff Tapes” which is due for release on October 1st of this year. He is also the drummer for the Philly based prog-fusion band “Gnarbot”. Click this link to a sample of their work from a performance at Meinl which was released as a four-song EP titled “Meinl Sessions, Vol 1” which is also available as a vinyl release.
Chris was scheduled to perform this year at the Meinl Festival in Germany but due to Covid it has been canceled for this year. Chris is hopeful that due to the fact that he was invited this year that he will be performing next year assuming that it is in fact happening next year. Chris is a drummer who I feel falls far below people’s radar and I have been asking myself why that is and what makes a drummer rise to fame or social media fame?
It is interesting to hear how he aligns with his own creativity and how people assume the worth of somebody based on their associations and achievements. This is just one aspect of this conversation.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
This is really relatable to anyone who is working hard and their craft and has experienced a slow burn, maybe not being noticed or feeling like you have had some missed opportunities. These events and experiences can be a hard thing to deal with but Chris’s point of view with this is hopeful. It is encouraging to hear such a great musician have a tone of voice that indicates that he believes in himself and that by working hard at his drumming and making moves in the world will bring what he is looking for.
The song in the intro of today’s podcast is a sample of Chris Paprota’s “Megazord” from his Riff Tapes record.
Chris’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
VIP is made in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com.
Opening music by @ianhitsdrums and @elotium
"Creativity stems from the mind. Feeling stems from the heart. When you combine the two together you get character."
Maison Guidry is a multi-instrumentalist who may not be known to many people. He is an extremely advanced drummer who pushes the boundaries of what is possible. He commits himself to thirteen hours of practice per day, however, due to a recent injury to his shoulder he has had to take some time off.
To find a conversation in a podcast with Maison is rare and therefore it is a great honour to feature him here because he has some incredibly compelling thoughts regarding how people may want to pursue their life in order to gain a fuller experience day to day. He is uncompromising with his art. I hope that in the future his name becomes more widely recognized because there is no one else like him.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
I get a lot of emails and messages from listeners who are a bit uncertain about what they want. Sometimes they realize that they love drumming but they aren’t sure it is meant for them as a professional career. What are the influences that bring people to this state of mind? This is one of the biggest takeaways from this episode. It allows you, the listener, to reflect on your own choices and thoughts about what your life could become. This is a common dilemma with some of the drummers I have spoken with who listen to this podcast.
Besides that, this is just an incredibly interesting conversation about life and choices in life. There is also some Star Wars stuff in here too because Maison loves Star Wars.
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra - Pillar (album)
Maison’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
VIP is made in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com
Follow Tim Baltes and check out his Vol.6 Drumless track packs.
Today we are talking a bit about music and whether it was better in the good ol' days. These are just ideas and conversation. Don't take this as gospel.
“You can never forget that a technique book is someone else’s ideas that they actually put on paper. Those aren’t your ideas.”
JT Bates is a drummer from the Twin Cities area, Saint Paul to be specific. He was recently informed that three tracks that Aaron Dessner from The National asked JT to perform on earlier in the year were actually for the new Taylor Swift record titled Folklore. That seems like an opportunity that could potentially heighten JT’s career. So, naturally, I had to feature him on the podcast to discuss this massive opportunity.
But this is just a small part of what JT is about. It is really JT’s skills and fortunate networking situations that made this opportunity possible. JT has the incredible ability to add the human touch of drum set playing to music featuring programmed drums. He is a very conscientious drummer who knows exactly how to fill that space. I also encourage people to check out the drum duets that he has performed with his long-time friend Dave King on YouTube.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
The big takeaway in this episode, in my opinion, is the idea of creating full/complete music or drum parts with very few ingredients. This is one form of mastery that is often overlooked. We often look at adding rather than subtracting to create something that we believe feels finished. While this is a small portion of the episode, I think it is the most interesting concept for drummers to examine and apply in certain situations of playing.
Music used in this podcast comes from JT Bates “Open Relationships”
JT’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
VIP is created in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com
Opening drum clip performed by Dan Mayo
Ambient music for the episode by JT Bates
Today's episode was a bit different. This past week has been triggering a lot of thoughts and feelings about the world we live in. I wasn't sure what I was going to say and this is completely improvised but I ended up talking about....
- My lack of trust within the system
- Will masks be a new way of life?
- Are we being consumed by fear?
- Is social media taking over our lives?
Those are just a few topics in this messy, off the cuff episode. I was listening to JT Bates' ambient tune "Round" over and over while I recorded this. I ended up asking JT if I could use this music in the episode because my thoughts were being driven by the music and I felt that it conveyed the right feeling if the music was included in the podcast. So, huge thanks for JT's creativity fueling my own. I hope that everyone is living well during this uncertain and difficult time.