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Gabriella Andrews. Where are you based? I live in Melbourne. How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I have been playing and learning drums since I was nearly 4 years old (Gabi is 9 now). My Mum and Dad both played music and they got me a kids drum kit when I was 2. I would jam with my Dad and have loads of fun. When I was 3.5 I started asking them if I could have drum lessons. Do you play any other instruments? No not yet, but I will eventually learn piano so I can write my own tunes one day. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? I’m not playing in any bands at the moment. Just spending my time doing loads of practice at home. I do have my own YouTube channel with around 35 drum videos of my playing. I’m currently working on a fusion tune by Andre Forbes, which will be my next video on my YouTube channel. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? When I was in Grade 1 at school I was the drummer for the year 10 rock band. It was so much fun playing and we did loads of live performances for the parents. Our school also held a “You’ve Got Talent” show which I entered and won. I was also lucky enough to have one of my videos posted by Drum Talk TV which goes out to 150 countries. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? I listen to lots of Jazz/Fusion, Funk and some Rock. My Dad has introduced me to lots of great jazz/fusion players and music from the 70’s. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? Why? Yes, heaps. My favourite drummers are Anika Niles, Simon Phillips, Dave Weckl, David Jones, Virgil Donati, Billy Cobham and last but not least Cindy Blackman Santana. I was lucky enough to meet her about 3 years ago when she came to Melbourne. I love these drummers because they create a powerful sound that sounds interesting. How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? At the moment I am doing lots of reading practice, rudiments and working with my drum teacher on drumless backing tracks by Andre Forbes. Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? I always warm up with a cool singles exercise called the burst. I then do doubles, triples, and some other rudiments. I then warm up with kick drum drills and a few other drills that help me to move around the whole kit to develop ease and speed. Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Yes, my Dad helps me use YouTube and Facebook. I will be using other platforms when I get a bit older. Website https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqIbvreki1V3U6cUSkNtJ-w
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Laura Hobbs Where are you based? Geelong/Melbourne, Australia How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I have been playing drums ever since I was 8 years old, and I was drawn to drums because I was really bad at reading music. Do you play any other instruments? I have recently started singing and used to play piano and violin when I was little, but in the future I would really like to learn trumpet. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? I play the drums in two bands, The Sweethearts and Operation Karma, both of which are all female bands. In Operation Karma we are playing all original music and playing at different festivals and venues and have recorded an album and single which have been released on spotify and all other music platforms. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? I toured Europe with the Sweethearts and played at Montreux Jazz Festival, Porretta Soul Festival and Jazz a’ Vienne. I have also been a part of a band called Backseat Drive and performed and recorded music with them. Do you write music or develop shows? What are they about/how have they come about? In Operation Karma two of my sisters write most of the songs we play however I haven’t ever written a song of my own however I am planning to in the future and hope to release my own original music on Spotify one day. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you're involved in or the projects you run? They are always very educational and usually help me to become a better musician and allow me to play with different people and learn about different genres and how to play them to the best of my ability. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? Tash Sultana, Royal Blood, Jack White, Anderson Paak are just a few of the bands/ artists that I have been listening to recently. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? My favorite drummers would have to be Bernard Purdie and Rob Hurst. Bernade is an amazing soulful, groovy drummer and Rob Hurst’s energy is unbeatable. I also really like Anika Niles and think she represents female drummers well and is really good with experimenting with different fells and time signatures. I also really like Jacob Collier who can play drums but wouldn’t be classified as a drummer just because he is so different and anything he plays is nothing like what I have ever heard before which is really exciting and interesting to hear. 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 projects I’m involved in usually involve Rock (Psychedelic), Soul, R&B, and every now and then some more folk based music. I love playing Soul and Rock because I find I can perform better and be engaging on stage when I play that kind of music and I love to energise a crowd and put on a really engaging performance. Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? I don’t have a set warm up or practice routine. I usually will just go through my rudiments to a metronome and stretch my neck and arms and warm up my hands before a gig and when I practice I usually start with rudiments as well and then get straight into playing. 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 definitely plays a huge role in how I promote my bands. However we also have a billboard for one of my bands ‘the sweethearts’ for promotion but social media is really good at allowing us to make contacts and advertise upcoming events/gigs. Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? At this point I don’t because I’m only 15 and still in school however the plan/goal is to make a living off music in the future hopefully with my band Operation Karma and be able to consistently play gigs and perform and tour. That’s the dream at this point but yes, in the future I would love to make a living from music. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? I have traveled Europe (Fance, Italy and Switzerland) on a tour with Sweethearts and played at awesome festivals over there and met some amazing people which at this point has been the highlight of my music ‘career’. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? You need to stop comparing yourself to other musicians and drummers, you need to focus on your own playing and find your own style and sound and you need to understand that you don’t always have to be the best drummer, just do your best and that's when you will put on a great show!  Photo by Hugo Nobay Name
Riley Jones Where are you based? I just moved to London yesterday but I have been based in Brisbane up until now. How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I started playing drums when I was 15. In Brisbane at the time there were some all ages shows - this is where James, Louis and I (The Goon Sax) first met. I felt a sense of excitement and belonging I hadn’t felt before. I attended an all girls private school where showing any kind of individuality resulted in social execution. Looking back the shows weren’t really all that radical but at the time I felt a huge sense of relief that there was a world where I could be myself. This feeling was echoed by the music I started getting into after that like the Pastels, Heavenly and Beat Happening. That music felt like it was speaking to me and it also felt like something I could do myself. Drums were easily the coolest instrument so I got a $50 drum kit for christmas from my dad and I bashed away at it crudely and relentlessly. My dad said ‘Oh well you’ll either quit or you’ll get better’. Now it’s been 7 years. Do you play any other instruments? I have picked up the guitar in the last few years and for better or worse I’ve been approaching it like a drum. You have to start somewhere. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? At the moment I’m playing drums in three bands, one is called Ghost Bird with my friend Skye McNicol on violin which is an improvised sludgy/doomy/stoner rock phantasy. A band called Angel Dust with Yvette Ofa Agapow and Tim Green which is a part free jazz part brutal noise frankenstein and then there’s The Goon Sax - an indie pop trio. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? In 2017 I formed a band called Soot. It was a love child between me and my friend Tia Wolf - a tribute to the Raincoats, Captain Beefheart, a Brisbane band called Bent and angular No Wave skronk. Tia played drums which she had never before, I played bass which I had never before, James Harrison (Goon Sax) joined and played squarky trumpet and an ‘angel glock’ and we wreaked havoc around Brisbane and Japan. This band was the first time I had experienced total creative freedom - we never questioned anything because we had total faith in eachother - it’s how I worked out how to write songs. That band burnt out unfortunately some love affairs are too hot to last. Now the other members continue under the name Primordial Silt. Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? I started writing my own music and putting on shows with Soot and have continued developing my ideas ever since. In terms of songwriting I like to keep things as impulsive and uncritical as possible so as not to stifle my own creativity. I think this mentality has come from playing a lot of improvised music with my friends like Tim and Yvette and Skye. They’re all trained musicians who actually know what they’re doing. I know barely any theory but I’ve learnt some unspoken rules from them: 1) you never talk during a jam, 2) you never stop until it naturally comes to an end and 3) you don’t really talk about it straight away - not specific parts anyway. It sounds funny, but I find following these rules allows for a deeper sense of knowing, of form and communication. It doesn’t mean you can’t talk about ways to improve or different directions to take at some point but it lets the music speak for itself. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? I think collaboration is magic. For me, music is an illusion - it works when individual parts combine to have an effect far more powerful than the sum of their effects in isolation. The music I have made in collaboration is music that I could never have made on my own. When collaborating we can bring out sides of each other that we never knew existed; it's all dependent on the chemistry of the artists involved. When there’s chemistry the illusion is an infinite world you never have to leave. I’m always amazed by this in the Goon Sax. We have been playing on each other's songs for over seven years, at the same time we have all continued to grow as musicians individually. So when we come back together there’s no way of knowing where the synthesis of all our external influences will take the initial bones of the song, or where we’ll take each other. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? At the moment I’m obsessed with Hyph11e, a Shanghai-based producer. She makes post industrial sort of dance music. It’s like a combination of noise, footwork, gqom, breakcore - it’s ambiguous, dark, hypnotic and all about nature. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? My favourite drummers are Sunny Murray and Elvin Jones. They are both very influential free jazz drummers. They’re my favourite because they sound like they’re possessed by something. They play so powerfully and with such conviction but they sound as though they’re on the edge of their drum stools, like they don’t know what’s coming next but they’re always ready. 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? Hmm.. This is quite a hard question because the projects I’m in vary so much but I guess what ultimately unites them is a sound that is unique to Brisbane. Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? I like to twirl my sticks around seven times in each hand. 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? It does, inevitably. I was quite reluctant at first, and with some more transient projects I try to avoid it completely but I’m starting to get used to using it to its potential, especially with Goon Sax. I think there’s a way you can incorporate it into your creative process and I think you sort of have to - that’s just the way the world is now. Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? At times I’ve been able to live off music but it’s certainly unreliable. I recently studied sound engineering with the hopes it would help me find a job I love and also survive. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? I’m so lucky that music has taken me all around the world. It’s hard to name a coolest place but touring Japan with Soot was hard to beat. Taking the Shinkansen through the mountains all the way up to Sapporo and dragging my bass through the snow is one of most serene memories. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? I wish I had started improvising on drums from a younger age. I think I would have improved much faster or at least developed my own style from earlier on. I would also tell my younger drumming self the same thing I would tell my current drumming self - practice your rudiments! Other thoughts/info Thanks for the interview! Website https://thegoonsax.com/  Name
Nat Gray Where are you based? Currently Based in Townsville in North Queensland after nearly a 4 year stint in Wagga Wagga, NSW. How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I’ve been playing drums since the age of 11, but only really got serious at the age of 15. I thought I would have originally liked to play saxophone, but my school program put me on percussion. I can remember not being too pleased about at the time at the age of 10. I had heard all the sayings that if you’re not good enough for anything else they put you on percussion. However, over the summer break I saw a very talented dude by the name of Jonathon Barbagallo play kit with a band at the local RSL. I was inspired by the sheer skill and co-ordination it took to command such an instrument and how much of a key component the instrument itself was to the music. It could be subtle and in the background, or it could be there at front and centre at certain moments to lift the music. This is a very analytical and educated viewpoint I give now, but back then I guess that this is what I felt and just couldn’t put it into words at the time. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, I went back to school with the inspiration I took from seeing a drum kit played in a band to learning percussion with a can do attitude. Do you play any other instruments? Funny enough, I started on the violin for a few years. It’s still an instrument I deeply respect to this day. At home however I do dabble in a little bass for the purposes of music theory application. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? At the present moment I am working full time with the Band of the First Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR Band), and a member of the Australian Army Band Corps. Im currently working on a few online collaborations and recording projects as well in my spare time. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? While studying at Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (2010-13), I had the privilege to play with the likes of James Morrison, Bob Cousin, and LA artist and educator Jeff Jarvis. My favourite was having the privilege to play a some shows with Jazz legend Don Radar (Maynard Furgerson, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Count Basie, and many more). After leaving university I was involved in some projects that were going to go ahead in Brisbane with Latin music, however, those unfortunately didn’t work out for a few different reasons. Before joining the Army 4 years ago I was involved in a number of groups in the Cairns area, play in the pit for local theatre productions, and would gig regally with a cover band named Careless. That group was something I was particularly proud of as it started as a jam session in a back shed, and within two years grew into a popular and regular gigging group. Whenever I see their gig list on their facebook page and see a list of gigs for the month, this very proud former member goes ‘Yeah! good on ya guys!’. The past 3 years I’ve been lucky to be involved with a number of different shows and projects with The Australian Army Band Kapooka when I was posted there. We did a number of really fantastic themed shows including: Music of Motown, Around the World in 80mins of music, Music of Neil Diamond and Carol King, Music of Adele (which was a huge sing for our vocalist!), Latin Big Band Lunch, On the Shoulder’s of Giants (A tribute to the ANZACs), to name just a handful. While I was there I also had the privilege to support a number of artists as well including the likes of Beccy Cole and Tom Burlinson. I also had the privilege to play for Tom in a civilian capacity when he came through to Albury for a show the following year. Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? It's been about ten years since I’ve written original tunes, however its something I’d like to get back into. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? I think collaboration of creative ideas and knowledge is a really important part of our industry. Over the past two years or so I’ve been learning the art of arranging, particularly in the field of Big Band. Many drum charts give the drummer too little information, too much, or written so poorly that it's too hard to understand at first read without hearing a recording. It was through collaboration on drum charts that got me interested in arranging tunes myself, starting with a salsa arrangement of The Flintstones. For me it’s been a challenging but very rewarding learning process. I was extremely proud to be able to produce an arrangement of Tito Puente’s Oye Como Va for the Latin Lunch concert with Australian Army Band Kapooka in 2019. It was one of six charts I worked on throughout the year and was probably the only one really worthy of being played by a band at the time. But it was a great opportunity to learn about other instruments and how sound can be manipulated to sound clear as opposed too muddy when sounded in the same range. As a drummer, learning about the harmonic series, overtones, and how they can work or not work in a large ensemble I found particularly fascinating. It's one thing to be theoretically correct by how notes are in a chord on paper, but how they sound played at the same time by different individual instruments is another thing. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? Depending on the time of day I’ll be listening to a range of different music. At present moment I am listening to music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and works from the well known Australian composer and drummer Tim Davies. Great band! I’m also listening to Brahms, Sir Edward Elgar’s Nimrod, and works such as Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. The way Shostakovich wrote his percussion parts was particularly beautiful. I also love to chill out to different music too. I was just listening to G-Flip while on my afternoon run. She’s so awesome! Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? I find everyone inspiring to tell you the honest truth. Everyone has their own story, and it comes out in the music they create. My own work colleagues constantly inspire me. And I’m very lucky to work with some pretty awesome men and woman. I just mentioned a few artists in reply to the previous question. I guess I’m inspired by those who create things that move people. I had the privilege to watch Jimmy Barnes and his band at the Red Hot Summer Tour in Cairns a few weeks ago. What a story teller! His band was incredible, and Jackie Barnes is an absolute monster on the kit. David Jones is probably one of my favourite drummers in the whole world. He always approaches the music with such creativity and endless happiness. He reminds us all constantly that it is a privilege to be able to make music, and the little joys it brings to this little planet of ours. 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? Whatever musical project I’m involved in I like to be as authentic as I can be to that genre. If it’s a rock gig, I try to play in the style of the drummers who made that recording what it is. Roger Taylor’s driving snare and bass drum with ever so slightly opened Hi - Hats springs to mind whenever we play Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. At the moment with the Rock/Pop Band at work I’m learning techniques in recording and playing a hybrid kit with sample pads and a half electronic kit set up. I know a lot of drummers are not fans of electronic sounds, but with popular music and technology today there’s no reason why we can’t learn to be more adaptable. I think I mentioned before about those gigs I got to do with Don Radar while at University. His story’s of playing with Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, through to Maynard Furgason and Ray Charles really transfixed my fascination with music history, how we need to honour it, and how we are apart of where it is going into the future. Particularly while playing with the Army Big Band this rings true as you can either choose to include the nuances of the different genres and eras and artists, or you could simply blanket them under one banner and the music would sound the same. In a single show we may go from a Basie tune, to Glen Miller’s ‘In the Mood’, to a Gordon Goodwin Big Band number, to Frank Sinatra. All within the Big Band genre but all very different for a drummer in touch, tone, technique and placement in time. A slow Basie swing has a different has a particular held back flick to the ride cymbal, and Glen Miller swing has that iconic open and closed Hi-hat focus with 4 on the floor. This is again different to Bernie Driesel is a driving pulse and small group like snare chatter in Gordon Goodwin tunes. Without those aspects I guess it would be like ‘In The Air Tonight’ without the Phil Colins iconic drum fill. Another aspect that must also be considered as important is the fact that at the end of the day, you are also not those players. What made them play like that on the original records comes down to their own personal story and background. We can emulate them but we can never be them. And that goes the same for you too. You have your own story to tell and your own path to walk. So, in answer to your question, whenever I play a gig I try to always honour the music and pay homage to the original drummer by listening, transcribing and learning what and how they played, but also have the consciousness to play things with my own spin. That might mean I play a fill with different sticking or voiced slightly differently as long as the nuances are there. Aside from playing stylistically or with covers, when I’m playing my own stuff I’ll play whatever feels natural. And if that means that the styles and techniques I’ve learnt through studying different players and styles is there, well, their influence is apart of my musical story too and I that’s one thing I love about music. Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? Last year I was unfortunate to slip over and land on my left hand at the wrong angle. I needed re-constructive surgery on my little finger which required a 6 month recovery period. During this time I was forced to re-think my approach to playing. Warm ups are extremely important. I’m a fan and an active participant in rudimental drumming. Before a rehearsal or individual practice I can normally be found with a practice pad playing a piece called By the Numbers by Scott Jamison with a metronome set each run through in a different tempo. The first being 60bpm, second being 90 bpm, the third the fastest I can physically go without sounding uneven or out of time. I’ll then take that to the kit and play rudiments around the kit, including the feet, again, all done to a metronome. 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? Not too much at this point in time, but it is slowly starting in increase in Instagram. I like to leave Facebook as more of a private thing for now. Covid 19 has changed a number of things as we all know. I was fortunate enough to be apart of some very cool recording projects for work. One of which included a recording of the tune ‘Solid Rock’ by Goanna. The story behind the project was that originally we were supposed to be heading up to remote communities on the Cape York Peninsula. However, Covid put a stop to those plans. You can read more about the project in the Facebook post connected to the link below. https://www.facebook.com/414146695398665/videos/266867691273179 Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? Yes, being a musician in the Australian Army I’m very lucky to be in a job where it primarily consists of playing music all day/every day. Yes, there is the fitness side of the job as you are in fact a soldier, however, being paid to keep fit and living a heathy lifestyle isn’t such a bad thing. My day at present at my current unit typically consists of 45mins Physical training (PT) in the morning. This may involve, but is not limited to running, sit ups, push ups, gym, or whatever the person running the session has planned. PT is normally followed by 3 hours of Big Band before lunch. Smaller groups such as the Rock/Pop band, Pep band, Jazz Group, duo or acoustic groups for 2 hours or so in the afternoon. After that is normally personal practice until close of business. Depending on what gig is coming up that group may have more focus. but at any time of the day there is always some group going of or there is sectional or personal practice. If there is something I’d really like to work on I typically come in earlier in the morning before PT, or stay after hours to practice. This is something that is very much encouraged, especially if there is a hectic rehearsal schedule in the lead up to a big show or tour. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? In 2017 I had the opportunity to Basal in Switzerland and play for the Basal Tattoo as a member of the Australian Army Band contingent. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? Keep going! Your hard work, passion and drive will all pay off, but be patient with and kind to yourself along the way. You’ll face hurdles, but that won’t stop you. Ups and downs are apart of life. Just be the very best you that you can be. Instagram: natgray92 |
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