 Photo by Christian McBride Name
Brooke Custerson AKA BrookeCDrums Where are you based? Melbourne, Australia How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I’ve been playing drums since I was a baby (probably 3yo). I’m a third generation drummer, following in the footsteps of my grandfather and dad (and older brother). Dad used to teach us basic things and it was really fun! I guess the rest is history… Do you play any other instruments? When I was younger I (badly) dabbled on keys and guitar at home but I haven’t played them since life became busy with playing drums. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? As a session player I’m kept busy playing for a bunch of different projects/artists, the main one being Xani Kolac. Xani is an incredible violinist/vocalist/songwriter who utilises a looping station to perform her songs live. She’s absolutely epic and I highly recommend checking her out! @xani.k What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? If I were to pick some highlights: I recently played at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for comedian Em Rusciano which was a huge thrill; Bring It On The Musical at the Athaneum Theatre in 2018 & 2019 (I LOVE playing musical theatre); Like A Version for Leikeli47 (American rapper); and my final gig before covid hit which was with D2Drumline at the MCG for the 2020 Women’s Cricket World Cup Final (Katy Perry also played so I’d like to say I played on the same bill as her haha!). Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? Sometimes I develop my own drum parts for the projects I’m involved in but that’s as creative as I get. I’m very happy playing on other people’s projects. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? As I don’t run any of my own projects my entire workload revolves around collaborating with other artists. The level of collaboration depends on the project. Sometimes I’ll be required to create my own drum parts, sometimes there’ll be sheet music, other times I’ll receive verbal cues and other times we’ll just improvise. My favourite aspects of being a musician are the learnings from meeting new people and the camaraderie that forms after creating music together. It’s so fulfilling! Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? I’m unashamedly a pop lover so at the moment I’m spinning Justin Bieber’s new album ‘Justice’. I’m also loving Vulfpeck and Lawrence. Most of the time I’m just listening to the material I need to learn, though. I like to switch off from music in my free time. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? Honestly I’m inspired by any musician that plays with great groove and feeling, whether it’s at a local or international level. If I had to pick a few drummers: Jeff Porcaro, Steve Gadd, Ash Soan and The Pocket Queen. My favourites in Australia are Andy Fisenden, Darryn Farrugia and Gerry Pantazis (I was fortunate enough to learn from Darryn and Gerry at university). In terms of non-drummers, I’m hugely inspired by guitarist Steve Lukather (Toto and session musician KING), but mostly violinist Xani Kolac (who I mentioned earlier and can’t speak highly enough of) and some of my best friends in Royal Drue and Sean Donehue who are incredibly dedicated vocalists. It would be remiss of me to not mention that P!nk has been my idol since 2009. What a badass. How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? And what kind of unique perspective/sound do you bring to these gigs? The music I play varies from pop, soul and R&B to alternative/folk and musical theatre. I see myself as a groove player. I love providing the foundation layer for other musicians to shine over the top of. Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? My practice routine is dictated by how busy life gets. Sometimes I’ll be practicing 2 hours a day and other times I won’t get to practice for 2 weeks. On gigs my warm up routine is usually the classic singles/doubles/paradiddles to loosen up, but in the practice room I love warming up with an improvisation to get my body flowing. Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Do you promote your work in other ways? As a session player I don’t really need to promote myself online as all of my work comes by word of mouth, however I do use the socials to promote certain gigs that I’m excited about. I’m endeavouring to use social media as an accountability tool for my own progress. Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? I make a living from music through gigs and teaching drums. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? I haven’t travelled much with music yet (hopefully soon), though going to Sydney to record a Like A Version was pretty awesome. The coolest venue I’ve played is undoubtedly the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? I would tell myself to embrace being a female who plays drums (I used to get embarrassed). It rocks! I would also encourage young Brooke to continue having fun and believing she was a rockstar while jamming to her favourite songs at home. It was more fun back then! The naivety… Other thoughts/info Thanks for reading this far! Website Feel free to connect with me via Instagram @brookecdrums
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 Photo by Max Moore Name Jemma Jives Where are you based? Melbourne How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I’ve been playing for about 5 years and I started playing to let off some steam. The share house I was living in back then had a drumkit in the garage, and I just started hitting! A friend taught me a basic rock beat and I’m still learning, mainly through playing in a band. Do you play any other instruments? I’ve played bass for about 9 years or so - and I have been a regular hummer for my entire life! What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? I play drums in Party Pest, a post-punk 4-piece, and pre-pandemic times I also played bass in a band called The Jinks, but we haven’t played together for quite a while, so I’ll get back to you on that one. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? I used to play bass in a 60s style garage band called The Reprobettes with four fabulous women, that was my first ever band, we all met online, most of us with limited experience, and somehow it all just worked out! We had an amazing time and formed a bond that’s for life. I’ve also been involved in Girls Rock! Melbourne as a volunteer band mentor, which I highly recommend. Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? All the bands I’ve played in have written music in some kind of collaborative fashion, and I love writing songs with other people. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? I pretty much only do collaboration – I don’t often make music by myself, for me the magic of music is sharing it and doing it with other people, that’s when you feel the spark. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? I’m really enjoying Shopping, Sweeping Promises, and the Lijadu Sisters. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? Why? The people I’m inspired by the most are the people I get to see up close. All of my favourite drummers are people I see playing live around Melbourne, and going to gigs is the best inspiration. People like Kat Byrne (Mere Women), Raquel Solier (Mod Con), Carla Ori (Empat Lima), Julia Watt (Moody Beaches), Nicola Bell (Plaster of Paris). And many more. And also those I work with, my fellow Party Pests Sally Balhorn (who is a never-ending source of excellent song ideas), Julia Watt (the absolute queen of rhythm), and Kate Alexander (multi-talented creative and extreme musician). If your bandmates don’t inspire you, there’s probably no point being in a band!  Photo by Max Moore How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? And what kind of unique perspective/sound do you bring to these gigs? DIY! I think as a mainly self-taught musician, I bring something a little unconventional. As well as plenty of enthusiasm.
Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? I should really do that! I usually do one stretch with the sticks and that’s about it. Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Do you promote your work in other ways? Social media is kind of a necessary evil in the music industry that I try to avoid, for me it’s probably the least exciting part. Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? I most definitely do not! Music for me has always been a hobby, and I think that keeps it feeling like play time instead of work. Having said that, there is a quite a bit of work involved. In my other life I’m a freelance Spanish interpreter. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? Hmmm… we stayed at a nice motel in Hamilton once?! I played a show in Lima, Peru with a band-for-one-night-only consisting of people I had just met the week before, that was probably a career highlight. Probably the perfect band is one that lasts for one night only… If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? Start drumming earlier. Website: partypest.bandcamp.com/releases  Photo by James Cooper-Stanbury Name Salina Myat Where are you based? Sydney How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I’ve been playing for about 8 years now. In all honesty, I started with flute but when I got to high school ,there were too many flautists and not enough percussionists at my school so I was convinced to change. I ended up falling in love with it - I loved maths in high school as was really drawn to rhythm, especially as it started to get more complex. Do you play any other instruments? I did my AMEB in piano and I guess I could get away with playing guitar and singing haha. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? The biggest project I’m currently involved in is the original Australian production of Drummer Queens. There are a few other mixed-skill theatre productions in the works too. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? I’m freshly graduated from a percussion degree from the Sydney Conservatorium of music so not much in the way of professional gigs. I’ve done a few odd gigs here and there, the most exciting ones would probably be playing in the Arias for Troye Sivan, going to Armenia to do an international orchestral project for a world IT event and playing at the Penfolds winery for their 175th anniversary. Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? I originally started in a composition degree at the con so I do a bit of writing still in the Classical Western Art music style. I can navigate DAWs and have done a few freelance gigs writing music for short films and specific requests but nothing significant. I’d love to venture more into this when I find the time and space to. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? I’ve always valued collaboration in music but also across all art forms because I feel most inspired when working with people from different backgrounds with different skill-sets to mine. The times in my life I’ve felt that I’ve grown the most artistically is when I have worked on a project that put me really outside my comfort zone and I’m extremely thankful for those opportunities. I’m learning to overcome my anxiety and learn to say yes to challenging projects and trust that I will learn from the experience and it is always worth it! Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? To be honest my music taste is pretty chaotic - recently I’ve been listening to lots of Snarky Puppy, BlackPink, Brahms symphonies and Kendric Lamar. I’m not sure what you can glean from that... Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? The people who have musically inspired me the most have been my mentors, particularly Shaun Trubiano who was my teacher at the conservatorium, and recently, my musical director for Drummer Queens, Joe Accaria. I have a few drummers that I stylistically like such as Larnell Lewis, Carter McLean and recently I’ve been enjoying watching Senri Kawaguchi’s videos online too. I’m constantly inspired by the musicians around me too, particularly my partner who is also a percussionist and my housemate who is a clarinetist. There are too many people to name specifically but I’m fortunate to find myself now surrounded by musicians with incredible work ethic and such earnest love for the art. How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? And what kind of unique perspective/sound do you bring to these gigs? I enjoy getting involved in projects that go beyond just drumming or music. Based on my training, most of the musical projects I’m involved in are orchestral. I’d say I’m pretty lucky that Drummer queens is my first official professional gig as a graduate of the con. I’m particularly thankful for this opportunity as I was able to incorporate my other skills such as martial arts into it. I look forward to learning more and expanding my skills further. Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? I got into the routine at the con to start all my practise sessions with Wilcoxin Wrist stroke studies on a practise pad, then I’ll just cycle through a few rudiments until I feel like my brain has fully synced into my hand function. Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Do you promote your work in other ways? To be honest I’m not very good at the social media side of things and I think I can only get away with it because I’m proactive enough to seek out opportunities specifically. I haven’t really been engaging in original projects and most of the time I’m jumping onto other people’s work/working collaboratively so it’s easier for me when I’m able to just reshare existing media.  Photo by Luke Parry. Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? Most of my income is related to my skills from training in music one way or the other. I am lucky this year to have enough gigs that a majority of my income is made by performing but I also work as a music teacher and I do front of house work at the Sydney Conservatorium, other than that I am a receptionist on Sundays and maths tutor. I have no qualms needing to work multiple jobs in other industries if it means I get to do gigs that I love and I realise that the reality as a freelance artist requires this to a certain extent. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? To be honest, most of my opportunity to travel has been enabled through music. Most of my international travel was for the sake of a music tour or project. I’ve been to Germany, China, Armenia, most of Australia to embark on musical projects and I think it’s a really rewarding way of travelling. The coolest gig I would have to say is performing in a pop up stage in the middle of republic square in Yeravan in front of the whole city. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? Put in the work and trust the process. I definitely shot myself in the foot being overly anxious about every single major performance. I was also extremely anxious that if I was not the best at something, I would never be able to sustain a living as a musician and that I would have wasted my time and financial resources trying. I realise now how pessimistic and untrue this is and that attitude is everything when it comes to pursuing something you love. My teacher gave me a beautiful piece of advice which is that every performance is just a snapshot of your trajectory and that it doesn’t represent who you are definitively. It helped me let go of a lot of anxiety of needing to constantly prove myself and just enjoy a performance by giving it my best.  Photo by Lara Jane Photography. Name
Ned Wu Where are you based? Sydney Australia How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I’ve been playing for many years, and I was drawn to it because I wanted to rock out! At the time I was well into dance, especially tap dance, so I thought I might have the coordination to play drums! Do you play any other instruments? I also play Taiko (Japanese) drums, which I have been learning since 2013. It involves the whole body and mind and I find that it centres me. Great exercise too! The Taiko community is also super supportive of each other. I have attempted to learn other instruments over the years but nothing ever stuck like drums! What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? I am a cast member of DrummerQueens, we just played some shows at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney and will travel to some other cities within Australia very soon. Also, aside from taiko I play kit for Jeremy Costa, a soul/rock artist who has just started to release the first of 24 singles in 12 months. I also play in country bands The Western Distributors, The Deluxe Bros, and have done a few gigs with Mark “Looch” Lewis. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? I have played in many independent bands and cover bands, and have been very fortunate to be able to tour within Australia and overseas to North America, UK, Europe, Japan with some of them. I played percussion in Tap Dogs in their 2015 tour to China/Macau. I am an original member of DrummerQueens, and since 2013 we have played at various corporate events, leading to the development of the show this year! Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? I have written music in the past but nothing recently. I create my own drum parts for the original music I record with the bands I play in. I would love to be more involved in writing in the future. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? It’s the only way to learn and improve. You become exposed to different styles and different creative processes and it opens you to more possibilities. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? Tool, Sheila E, Prince, Little Barrie. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? John Bonham, Cindy Blackman, Danny Carey are some favourite drummers but I love any drummers who are super passionate about it. Also my teachers Ian Cleworth from Taikoz, and Tubby Wadsworth. My friend Michelle Child who is an amazing sound designer and musician in Wellington – she has no fear when it comes to creating music and sounds! And Joe Accaria, the musical director and creator of DrummerQueens! I also find working with all the cast of DrummerQueens very inspiring, they are all so talented! How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? And what kind of unique perspective/sound do you bring to these gigs? Most of the projects I have been involved in have ranged from heavier rock to folk bands. I feel like DrummerQueens has been challenging as it demands a variety of styles from kit playing to taiko style drumming. I love the fact that I can explore these different aspects of my playing and am enjoying the moments where we can bring a little more theatricality and movement in as well! Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? I try to stretch before playing, especially before Taiko as that can be physically demanding. I have been through periods of wrist and arm issues in the past so try to be mindful of stretching when I get the chance! But nothing really set in stone in terms of warm up and practice. Just some kind of movement or rudiments! Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Do you promote your work in other ways? Yes, the bands I work with use social media to promote their releases and gigs. I have found it especially useful to keep in touch with people to let them know when I’d be playing in their area! Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? This is a bit of a grey zone right now! I have been a health professional for many years so have done that as well as music for a long time. With DrummerQueens demanding a lot of time end of last year and this year the health profession has been put mostly on hold for a while… Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? I have played in Berlin several times and always love it there, I would love to live there one day! (in the summer though haha) Another cool place was playing in a squat in Ljubljana, Slovenia, which was a real art space. And at the Ink and Iron festival which was in Long Beach California, next to the Queen Mary, a haunted ship! If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? Believe in yourself and stop worrying about other people’s opinions, the only person whose opinion counts is your own! And keep practicing! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nedwudrums Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ned_wu_drums/ |
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