Name 
Alison Fane

Where are you based?
Boon-Wurrung country 

How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? 
I started when I was 8 years old. I grew up in a very musical family who owned a music school so I was always surrounded by instruments. I started having informal piano lessons with my mum from about the age of 4 but quickly lost interest, I never wanted to read the music or use the correct fingering…! I remember seeing the drum kit for the first time and dreaming that one day my feet might reach the pedals! I was always interested in exploring and mucking around on lots of instruments, I used to grab the electric guitar or teach myself the bass guitar and sing along to CD recordings, there was always room for exploration as a kid and I’m so lucky I had the space and opportunity to do it. 

Do you play any other instruments? 
My main focus currently as a musician is percussion and timpani. I love playing drum kit though - it gives me a sense of relief where I can play music for the sake of it rather than it constantly being a monetary association with professional work. 

What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now?
Gigs are very quiet at the moment due to the lockdown here. I have been collaborating with a great composer K. Travers Eira, commissioning and working on proposals for future work. It has been a lovely experience to collaborate with people in different art forms because I think too often, especially in pre-COVID times, we would be too busy to have these interactions. It has also been great to meet other drummers and percussionists through the online medium of ZOOM. It has proven to be a fantastic connecting tool! 

What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? 
Pre-COIVD I was freelancing with Orchestra Victoria, playing in a handful of Ballets and Operas. Since 2019 I have been studying at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) so there is never a shortage of projects, performances and opportunities. 

Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? 
I enjoy collaborating with composers and making sure I am contributing to the literature for the next generation of percussionists and drummers to enjoy! I have recently been working on an upcoming recital (pending lockdown restrictions) which explores the disciplinary society in which we live, where institutional dominance shapes our very existence. The recital pushes the boundaries of the body, focusing on the cycles of trauma and healing as these manifestations of violence are realised and confronted through corporeal meditations. 

Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? 
I love Sufjan Stevens - either when I am going for a run or doing the dishes. I have also been listening to Sampa the Great and Jen Cloher - two amazing artists who always give me hope for the future of non-cis white male music in this country. 

Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? 
My idol when I was little was Cindy Blackman - I met her at an Australian Ultimate Drummers Weekend when I was about 10 years old. I believe that you can’t be what you can’t see and this meeting showed me that I could achieve anything. 

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 have always considered myself an “orchestral musician” but during COVID times I have definitely taken a more holistic approach to my music making - I am no longer categorising and limiting myself to be a specific type of musician. I think it is so important to be a broad, well versed and open minded musician. 

Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises?
Yes! I do weekly Alexander Technique lessons so my daily practice routine is based on this. I begin by writing three pages of long-hand writing to get my stream of consciousness onto a page and then start Alexander Technique exercises and physiotherapy stretches to warm up my body. I believe that my body is my instrument and it needs to be in good shape for me to perform with ease and to an optimal level. I am then ready to start my practice pad warm up which is in three stages: singles, doubles and rolls which break down the basics of playing a drum. I then finish with some light stretches and a semi-supine rest which allows me the space and time to move onto my work day. I also have a practice journal which I have written in daily for the last 5 years - it is a game changer for setting goals! 

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? 
I have actually withdrawn myself from social media during this pandemic - I have found it has given me more space and productivity which has been awesome. I am lucky that the Australian National Academy of Music promotes most of the gigs I am involved in but I think post-COVID I will end up promoting more gigs via social media ;) 

Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise?
​Yes I do - mostly in the shape of performing, from freelancing in orchestras to working at a school as a percussionist accompanist for Contemporary Dance Classes. I love working with dancers, not only because it pushes me to think about the use of my body but the connection between art forms, reminding me why i play and love music. 

Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? 
Definitely overseas - to Shanghai and Singapore but I’ve loved working with people with special needs - I learn so much from other people and I love to share the beauty of music. 

If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? 
Enjoy the journey, don’t be too focused on the outcome, trust your instincts and you can do anything you set your mind to. 



Website
https://anam.com.au/musicians/alison-fane 
https://anam.com.au/life-at-anam/media/music-education-matters-alison-fane 

​

Name Susan Shaw
 
Where are you based? Melbourne
 
How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument?
I have been playing the drums for 38 years! I started with the guitar, but once I had a go on the drums, it just felt right, using your whole body so you are almost inside the music. I started a band straight away!
 
Do you play any other instruments? Yes, guitar, mandolin, and some banjo
 
What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? I am in about 6 or 7 bands, depending how you divide them . I play drums in :
The Exotics
Plastic Section
The Wraylettes
 
I play old time acoustic guitar in:
Flying Engine String Band
Fruit Jar
Johnny Can’t Dance Cajun Band (and vocals)
 
What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)?
Wet Ones
Girl Monstar
and many others, but these are the ones that played a lot/toured/recorded etc
 
Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about?
No, I do not do either of those things. I love being the ‘working class’ of the band and sitting back keeping it all in time. I am very happy to support songwriters by facilitating their ideas and contributing in my own way.   As for shows, I am in bands that play live very regularly (in normal years, not 2020), the gigs come to us, thankfully, because I hate the business side of things.
 
What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run?
I have only ever been involved in collaborative projects - I am and always will be a drummer in a band, it is the exemplification of teamwork. Everyone is essential, and hopefully everyone knows their role. After all these years, I know my role well, and what I can contribute. A good band is more than the sum of its parts. 
 
Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now?
I have actually gone back recently to the albums I enjoyed in my youth, when I was learning to play, such as early B52’s, and Devo, but my perennials are early Rock n Roll, such as Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike and Tina, Rhythm and Blues, Nathaniel Mayer, Nolan Strong,  Sixties garage like the Sonics, Troggs, Standells, Easybeats, I love punk : Stooges, Ramones, Cramps, Sex Pistols, I love disco, funk, Sly and the Family Stone, Prince, I love traditional Gospel , Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Reverend Charles White, Brother Clause Ely, Blues, Henry Thomas, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Howlin’ Wolf, of course, Cajun, Iry Le Jeune, Balfa Brothers, Old time, Tommy Jarrell, Roscoe Holcombe,  lots of soul music, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, where do I stop... I could honestly go on forever, my husband and I have a vast record collection, he is more of a collector than I am.
I consider these my ‘modern’ favourites though, I have nothing against contemporary music but I quite simply don’t hear anything that grabs me. As you can see, I have followed my musical obsessions way back to very early Blues, and String Band and Cajun  music from past centuries.
This is why half the bands I play in are not Rock n Roll, but Old Time or traditional Cajun. There were no drums in those genres, but the music is so RHYTHMIC! I fell in love with it, and took up guitar again, and learned the mandolin so I could be a part of it. However, the role I play in the band is very much like a drummer.
 
Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why?
My favourite drummer is Earl Palmer, he is simple and tough, but so accomplished. He helped to establish what Rock n Roll sounds like with his drumming. Another musician who inspires me is Maybelle Carter, she basically established what country guitar sounded like, and by doing this, set the stage for Rock and Roll as well.
She played the toughest guitar, recorded seminal records of the twentieth century while pregnant or with kids in tow, stayed married while touring the country, and with her first royalty cheque bought a motorbike! Love her.
 
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?
Rock n Roll Rock n Roll Rock n Roll!
I know that I am bringing the perspective of someone who LOVES Rock n Roll, and I am a servant of it. I don’t ever want to play so people can hear ME, but rather that they can feel the Rock n Roll. When I play, I feel like I am saying, “Can you feel that excitement?” “Does it make you want to dance?”  “How’s this creepy, weird bit here - does it make you shiver?” “How good are crazy drunk Friday nights?!” but saying it all with the drums. I love a simple, primitive beat that serves the song well, I don’t like drum solos, because what they are saying is ‘look at me!’ and that is not whatI am about.
 
Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises?
As laid back and rough as I am, I actually always warm up just before going on. It means I am ready to go from the first song, rather than getting  to it after song number 3. I just do some single, double rolls and paradiddles, usually on a chair backstage if I can find one.
 
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?
Ha, no.
 
Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? 
I have at times made a living from music, but I hate having to rely on it. I love playing live  so much, I would hate to have to compromise with what I play, or make it feel like a job.
By day, I teach English to migrants and refugees in a Government program. I love this job very much, it is incredibly rewarding, and balances out the music side of me, but also complements it. Love of music is universal! My students are mostly refugees from Syria and Iraq, and they will drop everything to get up and dance a dabke to their favourite song at 11am on a Thursday morning. They are my inspiration.
 
Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you?
Hmm, rather than actual geographical places, I tend to think of bizarre situations - when I was still a teenager I had to play the part of a drumming fish on an ABC kid’s show. It involved me miming on a drum kit with a giant fish head on. That was weird.
 
Also, about 20 years ago, I joined four of the guys from Beasts of Bourbon to play in the touring band for one of my heroes, Andre Williams.  We played live in a  studio on the ABC in Sydney. Now THAT was very cool. What made it bizarre was I had a 6 month old baby who I was breastfeeding at the time . When the producer called, “Everyone on set” to play live, my milk started to come down! I was wearing a black dress, and when I looked in the mirror, there were these two sprays of white pumping out from my black dress. I was about to go live on national television, playing the drums with milk dripping out!   I just thought, ‘How did I end up here?’ I managed to squeeze my arms against my boobs to stop the flow, but I played with a soaking wet dress.
 
If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be?
You know more than you think you do because you know yourself. Be true to yourself -if  you love simple, pounding Rock n Roll, don’t feel you need to please others by being something other than that.
 
Don’t listen to those dickheads who think they know what you should be doing by virtue of the fact that they are men! (I didn’t really) But honestly, there were very few female drummers back then, and guys who WERE NOT EVEN DRUMMERS would give me drumming advice! Thank God I didn’t listen when they said, ‘get an electronic kit, those big drum kits are so out of fashion!” (It was the 1980s)
 

Website
Check out the bands above on Facebook - they are very much live bands and must be enjoyed in a sweaty crowded pub, so you may have to wait, as we are currently in a global pandemic.

Name
Zela Papageorgiou
 
Where are you based?
Melbourne
 
How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument?
I’ve been playing percussion for about 15 years. My first instrument was the flute, which I played in my primary school wind band. I never took notice of the percussion section until I joined a high school wind band that had a lot more gear (I thought percussion was limited to snare, bass drum and triangle...) The conductor asked the percussionist to play their 2 bar timpani solo in one of our rehearsals - I was so into it that I quit flute and changed to percussion as soon as I could.
 
What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now?
It’s such a weird time right now with the devastation of COVID-19. I’m in the same boat as everyone and have had all projects and gigs this year postponed or cancelled. It’s tough, but the reality is that it needs to be like this for a long time so that everyone can be healthy and safe. I am really inspired by all the artists who have instantly adapted to online gigs and projects - so much innovation!
 
Just before the pandemic, I was very lucky to spend a few days at Head Gap Studio with Ad Lib Collective (directed by Thea Rossen) and Sleep D. We recorded some material for our collaboration that fuses electronic dance music with elements of chamber music. I love electronic music and have always imagined being involved in a project like this, so our collaboration is a dream come true and I am THRILLED to be a part of it. The project is supported by Play On, who put on amazing concerts with back-to-back classical and electronic sets. They asked us to collaborate on a set for one of their shows last year, and it had such a great response that we all decided to keep it going… Hopefully everything that we had planned for this year will happen in 2021!
 
I have also joined Forest Collective this year as their core percussionist. They’re a really great collective of musicians who are all focused on creating an inclusive environment for their audiences, and programming a wide variety of really excellent Chamber Music;  from classical to experimental to pop. We postponed our upcoming concert, but will hopefully be going ahead with the concerts towards the end of the year.
 
What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)?
 I have a duo with percussionist Hamish Upton called 2Hz that is a “forever side-project.” It’s essentially a platform for whatever we want to do together.  So far we’ve used it for a duo recital, improv gigs, and for a research presentation… It’s kind of like an ensemble version of the Room of Requirement.
 
Some highlights from last year include playing vibraphone with Melbourne’s punk band HEXDEBT for their “orchestral arrangement” of Rule of Four, and with Speak Percussion in their concert titled WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO MAKE THE PILGRIMAGE ON FOOT. This concert was co-presented by Inland Concert Series and took place at the Meat Market. It featured a beautiful program with works full of varied percussion instruments and techniques, including bowing marimbas with repurposed bows, the cracking of walnuts into a microphone, an installation of 200 inflated paper bags, microtonal metal pipes, ocarinas, and scratching toothbrushes on contact microphones.
 
Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about?
Creating and developing my own work is very new for me, but it’s something that I’m excited to do more of! I love to connect things and create works that have multiple layers of meaning – kind of like musical essays.
 
I had a month-long Artist Residency at The Australian Tapestry Workshop last year. I attended the workshop a few days each week, spending time getting to know the weavers and staff, and learning about the processes involved in preparing a tapestry prior to weaving. I decided to mimic the process of creating the cartoon (stencil of the artwork), and converting it onto the warp. This is essentially creating the stencil of the image that is going to be woven, and inking it onto the fabric that will be woven on to. It’s a little bit tricky to explain in writing – but at a point in the process, I realized that I could use this method as a way to transcribe an image into rhythm. I also experimented with using various tapestry materials to play the vibraphone, and created a few pieces that can be listened to on my website ☺
 
 
What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run?
Collaboration has always been a vital part of music and art. In regards to my own personal thoughts and practice, I think I’ve learnt even more from my collaborative experiences than my formal education. Along with our musical training and technical abilities, it’s our entire selves that go into our projects and performance. So when we collaborate, it’s not just our varied musical knowledge and ability that we combine with each other, but our full history and life experience.
 
 
Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now?
Dirty Projectors! They just released a new EP titled Windows Open and it is saving me! Very beautiful and timeless - super calming in this time of isolation.
 
 
Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why?
I’m very lucky to have worked closely with the players who inspire me the most. I learnt from some AMAZING women in high school and at uni - Anna Camara and Leah Scholes, and  have also participated in some workshops with Louise Devenish. They are all such incredibly skilled, diverse and beautiful players, and have contributed so much to Australian Percussion! Last year I was also super lucky to have some time with Vanessa Tomlinson at the Australian Art Orchestra’s Creative Music Intensive - I think it would take more than a PhD to write about the major influence that she has had on percussion in Australia, and globally. When it comes to drumming style though, I wish I could play like Eli Keszler!
 
Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises?
My usual approach is to pick a tricky moment in the piece that I’m warming up to play, and breaking down the technical elements into little exercises. Otherwise, when I’m stuck for warm up ideas on the practice pad, I love to just play along to rudiment exercises on the Vic Firth website…
 
Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? 
At this stage, I don’t make a living from music. Maintaining the balance and finding the right mix of work is something that I’m constantly thinking about and reassessing. Before the pandemic, I was working 2-3 days a week in the Box Office for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and a couple of evenings as an usher at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Both jobs are casual, which has been great for easily taking time off when gigs, projects or professional development opportunities come up. 
 
Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you?
China! I went on a short tour with an Orchestra just over a year ago which was pretty fascinating. They have so many amazing concert halls! It was also the first time I ever saw snow… We went from minus 20 degrees in Shenyang, to a humid 27 degrees in Haikou. There wasn’t much time for sightseeing, but we did visit a Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark.
 
If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be?
Worry less about what you think you should be doing, and just have fun focusing on what you want to do. 
 
Website
zela.live