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

Name
Gracie Mae Smith     ​

Where are you from and/or where do you live now?
I live in Perth currently but before that I lived in Bunbury, a small, chill coastal city in the South West of Western Australia about 2 hours south of Perth. However I grew up and spent most of life in a small rural town called Collie, which all the city people love to talk shit about but love to holiday at and trash on long weekends…. I also lived in Tasmania briefly as well. 

How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument?
I have been playing drums for 15 years now. My brother got a drum kit and I got a bass guitar, as I had always wanted to play bass. But I fell in love with drums and kept sneaking into my brothers room to play when he was out. Then he was really naughty one day and he never played them so Mum and Dad put the kit in my room and I’ve never looked back.
I’m not really sure what drew me to the drums but I was a really sporty kid and I think the physicality and the energy required to play the drums was a natural attraction for me. I remember feeling connected to the instrument straight away and just super excited about them.

Do you play any other instruments?
I also play guitar and enjoy dabbling with sampling and recording. I love vintage tape players so I enjoy recording lofi sounds. I’ve been super into exploring world percussion and other drums and techniques, I just recently acquired some ceramic Moroccan bongos called ‘tbilat’ and I’m super psyched to learn some hand drumming, they sound amazing.

What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now?
I am currently in Adelaide performing as part of the Fringe festival for a rock theatre cabaret show called ‘Ragnarokkr’.  I also play drums for Tangled Thoughts of Leaving (TToL) and we are currently writing an album.

What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)?
I was in literally every ensemble in high school, my first band was a punk band, I joined a metal band called Medusa’s Gaze and a rock cover band called NitroNet all before I was 17, and which remained my main projects up until I relocated to Perth (shoutout to my folks for all the driving to gigs and support!). But I’ve played everything from folk, orchestras and theatre productions. It was great to expose myself to so many styles but nowadays I am choosing to limit my focus and only work on a few projects at a time that I feel passionate about and have the ability to commit to.

Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? 
I am a co-writer for Ragnarokkr, which is based off the Nordic myth of end times, it was written completely from the ground up together and it has been a super fun creating the show. I didn’t know the guys but they heard of my name and emailed me and it sounded pretty cool. I auditioned and joined Tangled Thoughts of Leaving last February and it was straight into tour preparation and learning the set, but it has been pretty exciting to start writing together. It’s very collaborative and jam-based, which is definitely how I love to compose music with others. Composing on computer can be fun but there is a magic to improvising with friends and musicians you respect and having ideas come out of it. I’m super excited to see what we create.

Overall, I’m always writing music and creating in general, it’s a part of my identity & lifestyle and I’ve been trying to write music almost daily. I’ve been sorting thru old harddrives lately and found I’ve got a heap of old material, from nearly finished folk songs where I was living on a farm playing guitar 6 hours a day, to electronica ideas with sequencers, hip hop beats, a lot of guitar riffs, vocal ideas and poems. So I’ve started to revisit old ideas and re-record them and play around.
My main work has been working on a sample based recording project which I started in Europe whilst touring with TToL. It’s just for fun and is just a lot of my home recording experiments stitched together, but I kinda dig it, so maybe I’ll sling it on the webs as a beattape once I get enough material, or maybe I’ll just burn myself a tape and show no-one, also likely haha.

What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run?
I’ve spent most of my life as a musician fairly isolated and unable to collaborate too much. Even though I’ve met and worked with so many great musicians in regional South West WA, I found myself quite frustrated as I struggled to find anyone on the same page who I was able to create with, so it has been very refreshing having these collaborative creative opportunities recently, and I’m very excited and inspired for more. Also, developing friendships and creating art and a common language out of those relationships is incredibly inspiring and nourishing.

Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now?
I’m digging Pulgas and the new Nerve album currently. My tastes vary depending on my mood as I listen to everything. Nadah El Shazly, Jon Bap, Venetian Snares, Machinedrum, Hiatus Kaiyote, The Police, Yussef Kamaal, Tatran, John Coltrane, Animals As Leaders, Despised Icon, Oceans Ate Alaska, Blotted Science, Jazzanova, Vikter Duplaix and Bowie’s Blackstar have all been spun recently. My answer could be quite different next week haha. 

Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why?
I try to take inspiration from everywhere, but recently I’ve been really getting into avante garde and world music, and the focus has been on being more of a percussionist & musician rather than just a drummer so I’m finding that is a factor in what influences me. To be honest I feel a lot of drum set players aren’t really pushing the boundaries of what the instrument is actually capable of, so I guess that’s why I’m looking elsewhere for inspiration. The last drummer I got truly blown away by is Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, a tombak and frame drum player. His technical ability and expression on his instruments is truly amazing.
To name a few though: Jojo Mayer, Jeff Buckley, Maria Callas, Julian Sartorius, Larnell Lewis, Jason Treuting, Phil deGruy, Dan Mayo, Mark Guiliana, Perrin Moss, Cindy Blackman, Zach Hill, Han Bennick, Benny Greb, Ben Aylon, Layne Redmond, Greg Sheehan & Yoni Madar.
​
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 grew up listening to punk and metal and so I like to play with physical intensity and to hit the drums hard; regrettably somewhat, as my plummet into the stereotype of struggling artist has probably been accelerated by my penchant for cracking cymbals lately (joking... but also, NO REGRETS). 
TToL has a lot of noisy textural elements to their music and are fully supportive of me getting creative and expressing myself musically, which was a huge draw card for me to join the band. I also love finding new sounds from op shops. Cutlery, drums, bells, brushes/mallets and weird objects that create unique sounds excite me and I can feel that creeping into my playing. Being pretty bored, isolated and buying a volca bass synth at the Bunno cashies launched me into the rabbit hole of recording, tone creation and electronic & experimental music, which I feel totally transformed my playing style.
However I’m really not sure what perspective or sound I really have yet, I feel like I’m only just starting to get comfortable with my playing. My focus the last year or so has been to try to express myself genuinely through my craft, in the moment. Still very hit and miss and very much a work in progress though.

Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises?
Not really, I usually stretch and just muck around on the practice pad pre-show to get my muscles warm. I actually love practicing so I can’t wait to get home and clock up hours on my craft, I’m going back to the fundamentals currently, so rhythmic permutations, technique and the timetable are pretty important practice items for me.

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 a pretty conflicted relationship with social media. I feel like facebook and instagram have shifted to this ultra-corporate sponsored algorithmic bullshit propaganda playground filled with trash I really don’t care about and I can’t find new artists and inspiration on it as easily as I used to. I ask myself if I actually care about self promotion and a lot of the time I don’t think I do, but I also can’t deny that it’s nice to share work and it has actually brought me some really cool opportunities. When I lived in Bunbury I was starved of drum talk and I’d post some videos on the Perth Drummers facebook group, which is a really cool online community for drummers and as a result I have met some wonderful humans/drummers.
Currently I’m just trying to focus on my craft and my own musical goals and once I’m further along with those I’ll probably look at doing some vids.

Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? 
I left stable employment in 2014 to focus more on music. I loved my job but I found all my energy was spent on my work career and I knew if I never tried to give music a crack whilst I had the chance I’d regret it later, so I left. I also realised time isn’t a promise so I didn’t want to waste it. To be honest it’s been pretty tough recently trying to make it work financially, so I’ve been questioning my path, but tribulations are character building and I feel like it’s forcing me into new experiences which is great anyway, so I’m just riding the tide and we’ll see where I end up.

Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you?
I’m very grateful that music has taken me to some wonderful places. It’s a draw between the Europe tour with TToL and going to the G4 experience and a marching drumline camp the last time I was in the USA. 
​
If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be?
Be yourself, practice more, care less. 
 
Website
Instagram & facebook @graciesmithmusic
www.graciesmithmusic.wordpress.com

​Name
Danielle Hakim aka Dani Damage
 
Where are you based?
Melbourne
 
How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument?
Sometime around 2016. I wasn't really intending to play drums just messing around with friends. I kind of just fell into it!
 
Do you play any other instruments?
I play drums/percussion, keyboard, bass guitar and occasionally do some backing vocals in A+ we swap a lot but in my other projects I just play bass.
 
What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now?
A+ and School Damage. I also did some recording last year for a new project with David Nichols (who has played in The Cannanes and various other projects) but we don't have a name yet and haven't played live!
 
What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)?
I had a brief stint in the Waterfall Person tribute band and also performed as a backup dancer! haha
 
Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about?
I don't write songs as such. I find it hard to start from 0 and work much better collaboratively having someone to throw ideas around with. I write my own parts and am lucky enough to have band mates who put up with my whacky ideas. Have helped organise a few shows but generally they come about through word of mouth.
 
What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run?
It’s interesting having played in a few projects now how collaboration differs in each one. People have really different ideas about what collaboration is. I think everything I do is better when I'm working with other people. I find the energy  really inspiring. 
 
Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now?
I'm obsessed with Cate Le Bon and was completely blown away by her and her band when they played the Croxton recently. I've really been enjoying Tyler the Creator's latest album Igor. I also have been listening to a lot of Marine Girls, The Chills and Michael Hurley. I go to a lot of local shows and some standouts are  The Opals, Ripple Effect Band, Sleeper and Snake, J.Mcfarlanes Reality Guest and Exek.
 
Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why?  
I can't say specifically that I have a favourite drummer. There are so many musicians that inspire me I guess that the question above kind of covers that. They all are inspiring for different reasons though and it would be way too long if I went into detail lol
 
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 guess they come from a diy/punk ethos. I think because I'm willing to try instruments I'm not necessarily proficient in and have been taught 'properly' that  maybe brings something unique. Either because I'm playing in a more minimal way, my technique is different (I still don't really use the kick drum for example), or that it's a bit more free because I just play based on what I hear and feel. People often say I play unconventionally.
 
Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises?
I practice at home using books  if I'm practicing drums  because I don't have a kit to use unless we set up a band practice. Often before a show I put the songs on to run through on my laptop and play along lol
 
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?
Yeah. I'm not very good at it but social media is the only way the bands I play in promote ourselves. We only really post upcoming shows. I guess this is promo too though lol
 
Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise?
Nah. I have two jobs! I work 4 days though so makes fitting in creative stuff a lot easier.
 
Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you?
Have toured a little across some of Australia and had some great adventures. Going for a swim in Beechworth Gorge after playing the Beechworth Music Festival was pretty amazing!
 
If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be?
I don't know if I have any? Im still sticking to my own advice to not learn how to play properly because I don't want to get stuck in a regimented way of playing!
 
Other thoughts/info
In A+ I share drumming with Chad Chan
 
Website
 
A+ facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ayeplusmusic/
 
A+ instagram
https://instagram.com/ayeplusmusic
 
A+ soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/a_plus_music
 
School Damage facebook
https://www.facebook.com/SchoolDamageRockers/
 
School Damage instagram
https://instagram.com/schooldamage69official
 
School Damage bandcamp
https://schooldamagerockers.bandcamp.com/music
 

 Name
Anders Pfeiffer (pronouns they/them)

Where are you based?
​Mparntwe/Alice Springs, NT

How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the
instrument?
I started playing hand percussion (djembes and congas) in 1996 at Earthhaven Festival. I was mesmerised by the sound of the ‘hippy drumming circles’ around the chai tent and asked if I could have a go… the rhythms felt so natural… by the end of the festival I was asked to run workshops for women wanting to learn how to drum.

Do you play any other instruments?
Yes, I sing and play guitar, banjo, bass and have been mucking around with kalimba and cimbalom/hammered dulcimer. I’ve played drumkit in a few projects, mostly theatrical, and am practising my chops to play kit with more band projects. Basically, if it has strings or is percussive I’ll give it a go!

What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now?
Right now I compose and perform with Kirra Voller, an epic First Nations artist and activist. I have a cruisey cafe covers band called Malarkey and a loose punk outfit called DK & A Peeling Ceiling. I’ve recently started jamming with a beautiful bunch of locals under the umbrella of The Eclectic Desert Orchestra - the perfect setting to pull out my more obscure instruments from a seriously growing collection!

What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)?
Bands:
Patterson’s Curse - punk-funk-jazz-metal - guitar/vox
The Homewreckers - all girl Melbourne punx - guitar/vox
Mark Eden Band - roots-rock - guitar/congas/djembe/vox
Crashscene - psychobilly - guitar/vox
Earthquake In Osaka - post-punk - guitar/vox
On The Prowl - punk-metal - guitar/vox
The Barons Of Tang - Gypsy Deathcore - congas/roto toms/darabuka/The Rack Of
Doom (multiple cowbells, woodblocks, cymbals and tambourine)/banjo/vox
The Family Farm Band - Alt country - cajon/banjo/vox
Didgeridoomerang - Central Desert doom - guitar/bass
Wiggle Of Judas - gypsy jazz cabaret - cajon/double bass/air horn/vox
Edi Donald & The Transients - electro-folk-opera - drumkit/guitar/vox
…….. and a bunch of session recordings, solo, duos etc
Theatre Productions ( live musician/composer)
Rubeville - The Black Lung Theatre, kit with world percussion additions
Dante’s Inferno - Sample Theatre - world percussion
Post Mortem - Post Mortem Puppetry - dulcimer/percussion/live sound production
The Package - Packed Theatre - kick drum/banjo/glockenspiel/shakahachi/kalimba
Open! - Katelnd Griffin - drumkit/guitar/banjo

Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have
they come about?
I used to write a lot on my own, solo singer songwriter stuff, and for a couple of the punk/fusion/rock bands I’ve had I was the main music and lyrics writer. Nearly all the projects I’ve been involved in are original music and I’ve had a really active role in writing and developing the shows - I find that collaborating is the most enjoyable and successful music experience for me. The Barons Of Tang was for me the epitomy of what co-operative, democratic collaboration in music creation and bands can do - 7 players/composers creating, editing, sharing and owning all of the music and the energy that a band gives and takes.

What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re
involved in or the projects you run?
It’s the best of everyone involved, if you can come to the table with energy and ideas and flexibility, be ready to let go of things and embrace other people’s input then you can make magic happen.

Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now?
Sampa The Great, Tank & The Bangas, Agatha(206), Taraf De Haidouks, Shovels & Rope, Fela
Kuti, Tinariwen, Electric Fields

Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why?
So many bands and artists inspire me, but I’ve never gotten really obsessed or fanatical about particular artists - music is in everything I do, I’ve played with some insanely good musicians and I try to learn from experience and other artist’s stories to keep happy and healthy and be open to learning and developing my skills all the time.

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’m often involved in projects that are mixing up styles and sound, pushing perceived boundaries and are collaborations of ideas. This suits my varied taste and instruments. I think I bring a melodic percussive perspective to most projects and I have a knack for hearing arrangements that make the most of the ideas floating around.
​
Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises?
Not really, I stretch my hands and arms a bit… I usually rehearse and perform at least 4 days a week so that keeps me in shape pretty well.

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’m the worst with social media - I don’t have any accounts!! I’m fortunate to live in a really small and tight-knit community so word of mouth is easier for local gigs and opportunities. I
recently made an old-school business card to hand out and put around town! Projects I work with usually have facebook presence or I leave it to festivals and venues to promote shows.

Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise?
From around 2011 - 2014, The Barons Of Tang was my only job… we would say “we don’t make a living, we make a lifestyle”. It was nearly sustainable, in a very punk way. These days I perform live, facilitate music and industry skills workshops, teach West African percussion in schools and remote communities, give private instrument lessons, tour/production/site/event/stage manage other people’s events and performances, provide audio description of live performance and do a bit of recording and sound engineering/editing.

Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you?
So many places!! From a viking village in regional Quebec to a crumbling cemetery in Tijuana, Roskilde Festival and Fusion Festival and 5 different Womad sites around the world….. harmonising in caves with baby seals at Golden Bay, NZ and
hanging out in the dirty greenroom of Festival Hall to support The Pogues. The
travel and touring has been more than a dream come true :) So many great people,
places and sounds!

If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be?
Don’t be scared of getting on a drumkit! Some of the boys will support you. Keep breaking
the ‘rules’ of music and mashing up your ideas, it’s gonna take you places. NEVER
stop being a musician, it’s not healthy for you to stop.