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Birmingham Drumfest 2001
| Sunday 28th October 2001 Venue: Birmingham Conservatoire Artists: Jason Bold Russ Miller Nicko Mcbrain Jojo Mayer Steve Smith Birmingham Drum Company is now in the fourth year of presenting the drumfest.
This was my first visit and boy what a day! |
| First on was a young drummer, new on the scene and Pearl and Sabian are raving
about him, Jason Bould from the band "Pitchshifter" a very tight and
powerful performance from a drummer I am sure we will be hearing a lot more
about. He started off by playing along to a couple of tracks showing his arsenal
of powerful single strokes and double bass drum control. Pitchshifter are a
speed metal band that play along to a lot of loops and Jason showed us examples
off playing along to loops as well as treating everybody to some double bass
drum exercises. What impressed me the most about Jason was his power and speed
as nothing was below about 150 beats per min. Although I was glad I took my
earplugs! Next up from L.A. Russ Miller sponsered by Yamaha and Zildjian. This was one of the most educational clinics I have seen. For those that don't know who Russ is, he is a session musician working with artists such as Mick Jagger and Toni Braxton and has just returned from Paris where he was recording Lionel Ritchie's new album. He is also responsible for writing books for Warner brothers and currently has a couple of videos in the shops. If that wasn't enough he also invented the Russ Miller Yamaha Wedges (which I reviewed last month, look under archives to find). Although he was only on for 45 minutes he covered so many good topics that got you reaching for your sticks as soon as you got home. He showed off his arsenal of grooves and fills in various styles while playing along to various tracks. He covered accents, dynamics, playing to a click, Brazilian patterns swapping between match and traditional grip with so much ease.Before today I did not know a lot about Russ but after today's performance I only have total respect and if you get the chance you must check him out. |
| After a break we were treated to the tricks of our compare Nicko Mcbrain but this time in a familiar role behind the kit. Nicko didn't disappoint anyone with his performance, playing along to some old and new tracks with his customary power and speed on his Premier kit and Paiste cymbals, my only criticism of Nicko is that he was such a good compare that it almost out shone his playing (I mean that in the nicest possible way). I don't think it will be long before we see him hosting the holiday program or big breakfast! |
| Next on was a man that, over the couple of days I had the honour to spend some
time with, Jojo Mayer playing Sonor drums and Sabian cymbals, I was already
prepared because I knew what Jojo could do but there were a few dropped jaws
after he completed his first track. I heard somebody behind me saying to his
mate 'bloody hell look at that left hand' and that is an understatement.
When I was 14 Years old my dad took me to see Buddy Rich for the first time
and he totally blow me away, his power and speed I felt numb for days and that
is how watching Jojo makes me feel! For those who don't know about Jojo he is now living in New York and he is a cross between a drummer and a DJ. He uses no electronic pads everything is from the kit. He explains and plays the DJ/dance culture from brake beat rhythms, house and two step. Like all great drummers they know their history and come from a background of playing jazz. He does a great thing on his 18' bass drum were he plays his pedal with his right foot and places his left foot on the bass skin and dampens the head giving different tones. This is a old trick that Baby Dodds did back in the 30s.He also uses the drum pattern to the James Brown track 'Funky drummer' to explain different effects you can get out of your kit using pitch, decay and dynamics but all from playing different servers and pressure on the pedals. Jojo is currently working on a series of videos, which we will keep you posted about and advise you to buy. What made it worse was Jojo was a bit down afterwards when I asked him why he replied' that he didn't play well' what! |
| Finally a man who should need no introduction Steve Smith. I have been a fan
for over 15 years, I have seen the videos, listened to the albums from Journey
to his own band 'Vital information' and read the interviews but I
have never seen him in clinic. He sets his Sonor drums and Zildjian cymbals up side ways, which he has done for the past 10 years so you can see what he is doing. He chose not to use backing tracks but play some solo compositions including the old Max Roach track 'the drum also waltzes'. Steve was not only very inspiring but also very educational and does a great history of the drum rhythms where he starts off playing an early bop rhythm and takes you through the decades to present day. He also had the audience clapping various beats while he played over and across the time (hands up all those that stayed in time?) and for his finale he brought his hi hats out the front and played various patterns at various tempos which was excellent. For a drummer who has been around at the top for so long and has worked with so many great musicians he has so much enthusiasm and passion for music, and this was very refreshing. I was not disappointed after all this time seeing the great man himself. Overall this was a great day, the performances were not only technically great but were educational too, something that I think gets lost in some clinics these days. All credit to Andy and Craig and his team at Birmingham drum company for a well-organised event, Jerome at Sabian /Vic Firth, Ian at Sonor, Gavin and Brad at Yamaha and Louise and Pat from Rhythm and anyone else involved. The drumming public would like to thank you for putting these events on. Keep up the good work. M.D. |
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