The joys and pains of auditioning drummers

alanz · Post by **alanz** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:06 pm

I've played that many just to see where the guy's breaking point is.

captsandwich · Post by **captsandwich** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:00 am

We went through drummers like Spinal Tap at one point. Every few months, we needed a new one. Thought we finally had our guy once, awesome timing, tasteful fills, quick learner. Then he messed up a song at a gig and ranted at us after the set that he played it right (No, you did not, that's not how the song was written and I should know because I wrote it) and we should have been able to follow him anyways, etc. Total red faced yelling & spitting rant, while the rest of us just stood their in shock.
After a few more auditions, we finally found a really nice guy who could keep time & knew how to play ska. Such a huge relief to audition a guy that can actually play.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:54 am

A drummer can make or break a band... make a good band boring and make a so-so band sound a lot better.

The first drummer in my old band (he was there before I was) would complain that WE weren't keeping the beat. When I reminded him that HE was the drummer, he really didn't seem to get it. Of course this was the same guy (again pre-me) who got so drunk at a gig (in a ballroom no less) that he fell off his seat. Luckily for the band, he fell backward and so disappeared from crowd view. Unluckily for him his fall included the height of the stage riser.

Thats when the change was made to Connie of 'Connie and the Concubines' fame. Well, almost.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:51 am

How do guitar players park in the handicap spots?

They put drumsticks on the dash.

freshmattyp · Post by **freshmattyp** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:39 am

"another band I auditioned with after about 10 songs I got bored and started packing up my equipment in the middle of a song ..."

That's so unspeakably rude I don't really know what else to say. If that happened with someone auditioning for my band I would make it my personal mission to trash them in the music community.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 3:35 pm

"...any way a good drummer is a bass players best friend..."

I agree, Jeff...I'm a drummer and a bass player, so I guess that makes me somewhat like 'Barf' the 'Mog' on "Spaceballs":

"I'm my own best friend!"

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:07 pm

Quote: "No offense meant Jeff .... maybe its just me but anyone who starts packing up in the middle of a song is a legitimate target for flying stomp boxes and guitar stands."

Ya but it was a lame half assed death metal band ... they played bad music and did it poorly ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:09 pm

There are some drummers I can tell I won't like their playing after 10 seconds of playing ...

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:30 pm

"The sound man is your second best friend".

He is in charge of the "suck" button isnt he????

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 11:56 pm

Here's a little tip from my own personal playbook:

If a drummer uses a torque wrench to set up his kit and then dons sweatbands on his head and wrists, you probably don't want to play with him. Pull a Jeff Rath and begin loading your gear out immediately...

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:41 pm

very wise, grasshopper.

We had this guy come in once who gave everyone the "indian arm grab" and made doubly sure we all knew he was pure blood somethingorother Native American. He brought with him an 'assistant' who proceeded to help him set up. And HELP is what he needed because his drum kit was LITERALLY held together with duct tape and fishing line. Total junk.

..... and then he proceeded to play GREAT! But in the end there were just to many crazy head trips with the guy for us to want him in the band.

The flipside was a guy who was so excited at the prospect of being in a band that he showed up with his BRAND NEW kit. Very nice guy and would have been a great addition to the band if he had been a decent drummer, but alas he wasn't.

If I had to choose between a REALLY good drummer and a REALLY good lead guitarist, I might have to go with the drummer. After all, sane guitarists are easier to find than sane drummers.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:07 pm

the worst drummer that I ever played with was the guy with Beowulf ... he drowned out both guitarists in that band ... he had 2 volume levels too loud and way too loud ...

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:34 pm

When I joined up with George and Joseph, who were the embers of the old North of Malibu, we began to glow again when George saw that he could stretch and didn't have to fill nearly as much (their former "other" guitarist was a bit, er, challenged). We began auditioning drummers after a couple of relaxed months learning each others' styles and getting comfortable.

First guy to turn up had a seven-zillion-dollar set of digital Rolands with a s**tload of weird stuff programmed into the brain...he was technically a very good drummer, and with a gig coming up, we taught him the songs. But after every practice, he would turn on these whacked-out patches, and start banging drums that said, "HEY!!@!" and "WHOA" and "YOW!!!!" and make all of these Wookie noises, while we tried to talk and iron out small glitches here and there.

His last gig was his first. He was good, but just didn't fit--too eager to constantly prove himself. We gave him our own form of hazing--four fast instrumentals in a row, and two extra verses of "Wipeout" to wrap it up. We had to pour him into his truck at gig's end.

I applied one of my observational discoveries in this case:

"Dung beetles with ostentatious horns tend to have smaller testicles" (Harpers Findings, Dec. 2006)

Rick (our current and forever drummer) called George on a craigslist ad we placed and was very laid-back and humble. He said he'd only been playing for 18 months, but would like to give it a shot. He turned up with a set of $50.00 garage sale drums and won us over, not with musicianship the first time as much as with personality. But in the one year he's been with us, he's improved by leaps and bounds (besides buying a nice new set of drums) and we couldn't imagine working without him. He's perfect--always "in the pocket", doesn't showboat unless cued to do so, always appropriate, and flawlessly metronomic. Whatta guy!

End of that story, happily.

sharkboy · Post by **sharkboy** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:44 pm

I've played with some good drummers and even some great drummers. My favorite drummer is a guy that used to be my boss at Apple and is a very close friend. He's extremely musical in his approach, doesn't need to play solos, but can and just makes everything sound better. 5-piece kit, but like many drummers, may evoke a dung beatle essence. We play a song he has always kind of hated, but he makes that song sound great anyway (and has confessed that this is the first time he ever enjoyed playing it.)

He is one of only two drummers I know who can play extremely well at different volumes and tempos. The other guy is a much younger guy who has that bizarre combination of jazz technique with a profound musical groove feel- I'm hoping to play some with him in the future.

For good or not, drummers often "do their thing" to the music, and it becomes a huge part of the signature of the band. It is best to find someone whose sound is in some fundamental way in agreement with the sound and direction of the band. And that's even before getting to personal/professional things.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:56 am

"He's perfect--always "in the pocket", doesn't showboat
unless cued to do so, always appropriate, and flawlessly metronomic.
Whatta guy!"

Very rare Paul.

My old drummer "Brian", wasnt bad, had the electronic Rolands as well, yes, he did the "HEY", "WHOO", "BANG" as well. Sometimes appropriate, sometimes not. I did like how the electronic drums kept our stage volume down though.

We used to have an old saying in the band. "If Brians not happy,,,nobody's happy".