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Life Away From The Kit Pro Drummers Feeding Their Muse by “Pistol” Pete Kaufmann
Luckily I learned that living, eating, and breathing drums isn’t always the best approach—in fact, it can seriously limit our improvement at the instrument and the depth of what we have to say on it. When a songwriter writes a song, he or she probably wrote that song because of an emotional or personal experience, rather than just focusing on the notes and the music. Drumming should be looked at no differently: When we drummers create, we should be expressing what we feel inside, and what we feel inside is determined to a large part on what happens to us on the outside. Inarguably, life experience helps shape a person’s musical personality. Your upbringing, hobbies, relationships, and personal life play a huge part in what you sound like at your instrument. In fact, we thrive on the creativity that we experience in other aspects of our lives. Largely, it’s what keeps us going. We’re married, divorced, or single…we have kids, we don’t have kids…we pay mortgages or we live at home…and we have to deal with the ups and downs of life, just like everybody else. These days I do plenty of other things when I’m not touring or when I have some downtime away from the drums—like exercise, read, and hang with my six-year-old daughter, Chloe. As I write this article in a café, I’m getting ready to pick her up from kindergarten. Does it get more real than that? I believe that in order to fully understand the way artists perform, we should know more about what motivates and inspires them. This article is an attempt to discover what makes the drummers we love and respect tick (besides a metronome, that is). To do that, we asked each of them the same question: What interests or hobbies do you have, besides the drums, that help keep your playing creative and fresh?
Jason McGerr Death Cab For Cutie When we finished our last tour in 2006, I knew it was going to be nine months before we would begin work on the next Death Cab record. At first I planned to use my time practicing and writing music, since I hadn’t done much of either during the last two album cycles. I was in great physical shape to play, but had very little creative energy to fuel any time behind the kit. I don’t think I spent more than a few hours on my drums before I discovered I just really needed a break. Over the years I’ve become more and more interested in the engineering and recording process, and I found myself looking at pro audio gear rather than drums and cymbals. I felt like the more I knew about what went into making records, the more my playing would benefit. I had a small studio and practice space in my back yard, but it was too small. Once Death Cab went on break, I found a vacant building for rent not far from home, and I decided to check it out. There was one dividing wall in what used to be a cabinet shop, but somehow I saw a studio. I think I just needed a project or something. When I was a kid I always asked for tools for my birthday because I loved to build things, and once again, it was time to build something. With the help of some friends, we put up extra-thick walls, double doors, and multi-layered windows. We stained concrete, put down carpet and floated wood floors, wired and ground the building, painted, plastered, and trimmed. I was involved in constructing the studio every day, and I had no time to practice. At one point, the sessions started happening while I was still making changes. A band would show up to record and I’d be hanging a door, wiring a light above the console, or taping an extra laminate of glass to an existing slider. I’ve also been a fisherman longer than I’ve been a drummer, and most of that time I’ve spent fly fishing. I used to tie the flies in my box and would obsess about the quality of feathers vs. synthetics and who manufactured the superior hook. Nowadays, out of convenience, I buy my tackle, though I still have boxes and boxes of materials. In the Pacific Northwest we have some excellent river fishing for salmon and steelhead (the hardest-fighting fish I know), and whenever I get the chance I head out to the river either solo or with a friend. In a way, casting a fly rod is like executing a giant Moeller stroke, except you’re throwing a line up to 100 feet in front of you at a moving target (the fish in the water), instead of a rimshot between your knees. I can’t even begin to tell you the level of detachment and relaxation I feel when I’m on the water. I don’t even need to be successful at catching any fish if the environment is right, and the focus required brings great rewards. You might think the sport is reserved for doctors and lawyers, but it’s for anyone with patience and an appreciation for the rhythm of a river.
Josh Freese A Perfect Circle, NIN A lot of things make up my personality, which obviously infiltrates my playing and any music that I make. I feel that my style has just as much to do with the things other than playing drums that I like as it has with actually playing and practicing. When I’m not playing drums, the majority of my creative time is spent writing music. Recently I’ve also been experimenting with iMovie on my laptop while on tour, making bizarre little videos that I upload onto YouTube—not for money, but for fun and the love of it. Heroes and influences of mine outside the music world would be Walt Disney, John Waters, Volvos, Hunter S. Thompson, my kids, Japanese food, Howard Hughes, David Lynch, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, magic, Crispin Glover, Miami, San Francisco, the South, practical jokes, and Disneyland. Most of my musical influences are songwriters; my favorite is probably Paul Westerberg. I don’t have many hobbies, other than music and film (listening to and making it, which is my first love and what I do most). I also like restaurants, hanging out at home with my family, traveling…did I mention Disneyland? I’m really into Disneyland. And the movie Wild At Heart.
Brian Chase Yeah Yeah Yeahs I practice Ashtanga Yoga regularly, about five days a week. Ashtanga is a pretty vigorous style designed to cleanse and purify in a spiritual as well as physical sense. Through yoga, I’ve been forced to confront fears and emotional blocks that make themselves evident during the process of “opening.” And that’s why we play music, right? To be open and honest and to share our life experience with everyone else in order to make the world a better place. I also enjoy calling up friends to go on excursions “eating” our way through New York City, especially in Brooklyn and Queens.
Claude Coleman Jr. Ween My time spent when I’m touring is best described as a veritable tsunami of creative, industrial, and life-oriented pursuits, mostly having little to do specifically with playing drums and more to do with the grand art of living, and having an unquenchable thirst for its experiences. In between full-time everyday renovation of my 200-year-old colonial home in rural Hunterdon County, New Jersey, of which I’m doing all the carpentry and construction work for, I’m constantly writing and recording new music on every instrument for my group Amandla, doing Web/graphic design for myself and others, teaching rock to the whiz kids at the School Of Rock in New York, continuing physical therapy and bodywork from a near-fatal car accident six years ago, and taking as many trips as possible with my beautiful wife, Ila, back to New Zealand, the place of her birth and home of my extended family. The drumset is a musical instrument dictated by its inherent physicality, and is similar to wind instruments like sax or trumpet, where the body and soul is the sound, the voice, and the character of the music you create. I am a firm believer in having a wide range of skills, talents, and life experiences to incorporate into the voice of my drumming. Get all your fingers dipped in many pies!
Steve Smith Vital Information I enjoy reading, and I’m always in the middle of at least one book, sometimes two at a time. I enjoy many different subjects, everything from spy-type novels to classics to biographies. I also love spending time with my wife, Diane. When I’m not on tour, we’re inseparable. We try to take a walk in Central Park every day that we’re in New York City. And we enjoy watching movies and going out for a good meal. My life is so active, with constant touring all over the world, that it’s quite nice to slow down when I’m not on tour and just enjoy some simple pleasures.
Eric Singer KISS, Alice Cooper I’ve found over time that you need balance in your life. It can’t be only about drums! Finding hobbies or outside interests is a great way to contribute to that balance. I love sports, collecting watches, working out at the gym, eating good food, and shopping in other cities around the world. Somehow there is a relationship with everything we do to drumming. Life itself has a rhythm, whether it’s the pace of walking, or running to the watch ticking on our wrists. Sometimes life is all about timing, after all…“right place, right time.”
Zachary Alford Gwen Stefani To keep my drumming fresh I actually like to listen to a lot of older music, in particular stuff like Zeppelin or Al Green, and early soul and R&B stuff I haven’t heard before. A lot of those old recordings have a sound and finesse that I find very inspiring. Those guys had a great feel too, and that’s what inspires me most. I’m also an artist, and I tend to spend a lot of time drawing and sketching on my time off. I don’t know what it contributes to my playing, except time away, which lets my mind clear out. I also think having interests other than music helps you to be a more interesting person to be around. There’s a lot more to life than any one thing—and not nearly enough time to enjoy all of them—so my philosophy is, Get all you can! Another great thing for any musician is to compose original music in your spare time, or analyze albums you like. When you step away from your drum stool, you think more like a producer, who needs only the essential elements in a drum part. There’s no room for overplaying when you think about the song as a whole, and that helps you to mature as a player.
Chad Wackerman Allan Holdsworth That’s a really big question, because I think everything going on in your life affects your art and the way you play. I’ve got a family and I have two kids. That affects the way I play. My son, James, has a disability called Fragile X Syndrome, and that affects the way I look at everything, including music. Years ago when Peter Erskine was playing with Joe Zawinul, he came back from a rehearsal and Zawinul told him, “You can’t play music until you’ve had kids!” What I think Joe meant was that it really makes you look at things differently. It actually makes you play differently; it can help you see beyond yourself and appreciate the bigger picture. In terms of hobbies, I’ve got a very nice road bike that I like to ride. I’ve been exercising a lot lately, going to the gym maybe three days a week. It makes me feel better in general—keeps me less stressed and puts me in a good headspace. And I’m always composing for my solo recording projects. But it’s really the everyday moments that inspire the way I play and write music.
Marcus Baylor Yellowjackets Growing up, my brothers and I were all very involved in sports. We played baseball, basketball, and football. Today, sports are still a major part of my life. I belong to the local YMCA and go regularly to exercise and play basketball. I even hit the treadmill for a mile or two. I also enjoy spending time with my wife, Jean. We go to church together, and we enjoy going to the movies to relax. Church is important for me because it’s the place where I get spiritually replenished. In concerts you’re always giving out spiritually and emotionally to the music and fans. When I come off the road, I need to be spiritually and mentally replenished, and hearing the minister speak always refuels me. One of my favorite things to do is play my Playstation and Nintendo Wii. I’m addicted! I play at my friends’ houses and online with people I don’t know. For me, life isn’t always about playing and listening to music. It’s about being around family, friends, God, and people of other cultures. I do think it’s very important to find a hobby and something you love to do outside of music. It enables you to come back with a fresh mind and be musically creative. You’d be surprised what kind of inspiration you can get from just taking a break!
Chad Smith Red Hot Chili Peppers I’m a water man. Surfing, scuba, sailing, diving, swimming, skiing, fishing—anything to do with being on, in, or under the water, I’m in. I love the sound of it. Hell, I just love to look at it! It’s so peaceful and balancing to be near water. It’s very calming for me, and I need that. And drink it, too…it’s good for ya!
Kenny Aronoff John Fogerty I’m really intense about trying to be as healthy as possible without being completely neurotic. I still drink wine and like to have fun, but I’m into staying fit and in shape. I focus on seven areas: cardio, lifting weights, stretching, maintaining a good diet, taking supplements, drinking lots of water, and getting good sleep. Those are my big seven (though I suck at the sleep part!). On a regular basis I’m always thinking about staying healthy. I’m into sports in general, but the NFL is my thing. I’ve been to eleven Super Bowls, and I used to fly with the Indianapolis Colts when I was with Mellencamp and I was in Indiana more often. Also, I totally look up to and respect Lance Armstrong. That guy is a living hero to me. He survives cancer, overcomes that, and wins seven Tour De Frances? Not one. Not two. But seven. So he’s my hero, period!
Stanton Moore Galactic When I’m not drumming or doing music-related activities, I enjoy hanging out with my young daughter. This includes playing Legos, Wiffle Ball, Thomas The Train, finger painting, Play-Doh, teaching her to ride her new bike—or whatever she’s into that day. For myself, I go swimming or skateboarding, ride my bike around my neighborhood and along the Mississippi River, go to dinner and drink wine with my fiancé, read, watch some of our favorite shows on DVD—like Arrested Development, Flight Of The Conchords, CSI, Law And Order, Lost, Entourage—watch movies, and go to the beach or the spa.
Liberty DeVitto ex–Billy Joel You need a break from what you do. You need to clear the cobwebs out so you can create new stuff. When you do the same thing over and over again you stop creating. Since it takes a lot of stamina to play the drums, I ride a bicycle about twenty-five miles every day. I had an aerobics instructor that told me that what I had to do was something that was harder (physically) than drums. When you do something harder in your aerobics exercise, playing drums will become easier. You become like a musical athlete. Exercise helps me hit hard night after night and be consistent.
Dena Tauriello Antigone Rising It seems as though my life is non-stop Antigone Rising, which vacillates between exciting and stressful! Obviously, being distracted and stressed does not serve us well as musicians. You can shed all day long, but tension will affect your playing. It’s essential for me to have daily distractions, ones that allow me to clear myself of mental and physical stressors. First and foremost, I go to the gym. I spend 60 to 90 minutes there each day, alternating between cardio workouts and strength training. These workouts also serve me well while on the road, helping me to withstand grueling travel and scheduling demands. Anything you can do while touring to preserve sanity and strength will greatly help your playing! I’ve recently begun to dabble in home improvement work—nothing major, mind you, but I have learned some new skills in the past few months. The process of learning new skills, taking pride in executing them, and feeling creative in a new forum has given me something else to feel good about Any chance I have to feel great away from the drums makes me feel (and play) even better once I’m behind them.
Peter Criss ex-KISS I go to the gym four days a week. I do forty minutes on the track and then I do some weights and stretching. In those two hours I’ll listen to all kinds of music. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of classical music. I’ve especially developed a passion for Mozart and Beethoven—I can’t get enough of it. It just soothes me. I also love to take long walks, like five miles, especially along the water. It helps me think clearly. And I enjoy bike riding—I’ve been riding my whole life—and I love the cinema; I love watching and studying black and white film. I’m also a voracious reader, especially biographies. Right now I’m reading about Jimmy Stewart’s life. I like reading books about life—not necessarily about God, but spirituality. I’m also a Catholic, and I go to Church every Wednesday. It helps my soul, and it gives me foundation in life. These days I’m more involved with the world, and my energies are more directed towards it. It helps me not be so involved with me.
Gene Trautmann Eagles Of Death Metal Like other artists and creative types, I need to keep a constant flow of new experience coming in to create and facilitate a freshness and newness in my approach to playing. Beyond private instruction and free-play with other drummers, I try to approach things from a holistic perspective. For me this means spirit, mind, and body. I do it in that order because I find, “As within, so without.” In other words, whatever I’m going through internally, on a spiritual and psychological plane, manifests on the physical plane, i.e. my playing. I try to enlarge upon my spiritual life through meditation and reading books from a variety of disciplines. I try to be mindful of ways in which I might be of service to others both within and beyond the music community. Part of this is accomplished through private instruction, which is a way of giving back, but other service I look for in an anonymous way. I try to take the time to have an experience of walking in nature or at least in solitude, and I make an honest effort to keep an open mind to other people’s spiritual practices. I have also made changes to my diet and lifestyle, which have improved my sense of well-being. I’ve dropped weight, and I’ve improved my breathing, which hopefully translates to better performance. I have spent time trying to listen as often as possible for the intuitive voice of creativity within. This may take the form of a rhythm playing from a passing car, the pattern of a person’s footsteps, or the cadence of a coffee percolator. It may come simply from the experience of being completely engrossed in the activity that I’m involved in, without the accompanying mental static that can often invade the process.
Brooks Wackerman Bad Religion One relatively new hobby that has actually become more than a hobby, due to my commitment to it, is yoga. I’ve practiced this art form for the last three years—I usually get three practices in a week—and it has really helped my posture, patience, stamina, and overall focus. Obviously these four results have contributed to my becoming a better drummer. I practice yoga in my hotel room on tour, which is great because I loathe going to the gym. I highly recommend to any drummer to at least look into this. It takes time (just like anything), but you’ll like the muscles that you’ll develop. Also, my wife really inspires me; she’s foxy.
Ira Elliot Nada Surf I believe that not only drummers but musicians in general, especially young ones, often sacrifice a lot of time to their instrument while not realizing that while technique will certainly improve your playing, ideas can be just as influential. Think about the great jazz players of the ’40s and ’50s for a second, or The Beatles: Their music was not separate from the world, it was part of it, a response to it. Art, literature, fashion, politics—all informed their music, and they brought their insight and intelligence back to their compositions. In my early twenties I was really trying to get a handle on singing and playing the drums at the same time, which seemed overly difficult for some reason. Then it dawned on me that I had never learned to breathe properly while playing. I’m self-taught and never had a teacher tell me to simply breathe and count out loud while practicing, a method that would have saved me years of frustration. So after analyzing myself a bit, I realized that I would grab a quick breath, hold it, play play play, grab another breath, play play play, and so on, which makes singing a note in pitch completely impossible. It didn’t help my timekeeping that much, either. Not breathing naturally while playing will just cloud your head. So I slowly trained myself to simply breath calmly while rocking out, which was not an easy thing to do. I still wrestle with it, but both my singing and drumming improved noticeably as a result. And playing the guitar is something I’ve always loved to do, if just to be able to pick up an acoustic and sing a Beatles song. But it also gives me a perspective on how a guitarist feels the rhythm of a song, chordal construction and movement, the space between sung phrases, and so on, which all helps me when I decide on drum parts.
Torry Castellano The Donnas I like to run and lift weights because it gives me energy, which helps when I’m playing. I also think that listening to different kinds of music, anything with a good rhythm, helps me look at drums in a fresh way. And sugar helps everything!
Denny Seiwell ex-Paul McCartney My main interest at this point of my career has definitely become teaching. It keeps me inspired and fresh more than anything else. Having to stay current with today’s music and search out examples to use in teaching makes me explore music that I might have missed. Students always bring in a piece of music or a CD that I might not know, and then we both benefit. As for my hobbies, I’m an avid golfer, and I try to play once or twice a week. The game sharpens my hand/eye coordination, my timing, my strength, my imagination, and hell, it’s played with sticks! When you’re playing well, it’s like when you’re really into playing music—almost an “out of body” experience. The other aspects are the fact that you have to maintain a high level of discipline, and make perfect strokes in all kinds of different situations. Many good drummers enjoy the game of golf, and are usually quite good, especially with chipping and putting, because of the touch and feel that are needed. It’s also a game that requires a very high degree of timing, which falls right into the drummer’s world. Golf has evolved to the point that it’s become a great game for everyone, and drummers are especially cool when they play.
Lewis Nash Jazz Great When I’m not traveling, working, or otherwise engaged in music-career activities, there are several things I enjoy doing. Being with my family is probably the most important non–career related activity that I enjoy. This August my wife Teresa and I celebrated our twentieth anniversary, and we have two beautiful, intelligent, and talented daughters, Kalena (eighteen) and Sarita (fifteen). When I’m home, I make an effort to be fully present and involved in their lives and activities, not preoccupied with other things I might want to do. In this period of my life, I get inspiration from my wonderful parents, Walter and Willie Mae Nash, who celebrated their sixtieth anniversary this past March 15! I call and talk to them from all over the world, and I marvel at how they still laugh together, cook together, go fishing (their favorite pastime) together, and continue to love and provide counsel and advice to me and my siblings. (I have four sisters and a brother, who, along with my parents, live in my home town of Phoenix, Arizona.) I enjoy exercising and working out. I prefer jumping rope for cardio. (I’ve been traveling with a jump rope for over twenty years.) I’m fond of “body weight” exercises, like pull-ups or push-ups. When I do lift weights, I train with my friend and personal trainer, drummer George Gray. I also do yoga and other stretching exercises. Being a drummer is in many ways very similar to being an athlete. Body conditioning, knowing how to pace yourself, getting enough sleep and rest, and good nutrition are very important to me. I’ve been a strict vegetarian for thirty years now. (I can still remember my “epiphany” as a college student at Arizona State University back in 1978!) I’m also a sports fan (particularly NBA basketball) and enjoy watching all great athletes perform. I make an effort every day to remain spiritually grounded. Making time for daily prayer, meditation, reading of spiritual texts, and reflection is something that I try to do on the road and at home. I also love reading (or watching) the biographies and life stories of inspirational people, past and present. The stories of Paul Robeson, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Ben Carson, and Immaculee Ilibagiza (the African woman who survived the massacre in Rwanda) immediately come to mind, but I also like the timeless stories of the triumph of the human spirit (i.e., Anne Frank, Gandhi, Dr. M. L. King Jr.).
“Pistol” Pete Kaufmann spends his time between New York City and Los Angeles. He has performed with jazz legend Houston Person, vocalist Melba Joyce, David Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar, and Robbie “Sea Hag” Mangano from Sound Of Urchin, and has toured America with Claude Coleman from Ween’s own band, Amandla. Pete has performed all over the world, and is currently touring internationally in heavy metal duo Evil Beaver. He is also a professional speaker and owner of Rockin' Lifestyle International. For more on Pete, go to www.myspace.com/peterkaufmann. |
