In The Studio - Session Drummers Julia Day and Holly Thomas
By Nat Grant. Originally published in Drumscene Magazine in 2019
Julia Day photo by Tracey Yarad Holly Thomas photo by Carlos Cruz
Being a session musician takes a particular set of skills: coming in to someone else’s project and being able to fit in or take the lead, bring ideas or lay down a set part – or a combination of these depending on what the artist wants on the day. Julia Day from Sydney and Holly Thomas from Melbourne are seasoned session drummers, both with a string of impressive records under their belts. Here, they share some of their experiences and leaned wisdom as session musicians across three states for the past 15-30 years.
Julia Day (Sydney) has been drumming for more than 30 years. She started learning the drums privately in 1981, and began playing professionally in 1987. The majority of her playing is as a session musician, working mainly with songwriters, so she’s rarely working on just one project at a time.
“My attraction to the drums started quite early” says Julia, “early 70's in fact. My earliest memory of intrigue for the instrument was about 1974 at age 5. There are no other musicians in my family, however I was blown away when I first saw Buddy Rich on a variety TV show. I knew I wanted to play then and there. It wasn't easy for a girl to learn the drums 40 plus years ago in Australia. When you live in suburbia, who do you go to? How do you find a teacher? I finally convinced my mother that I was serious in 1981. She caved in to my constant badgering and booked me in to a multi- instrumentalist teacher a few streets away from my high school, a catholic ladies college. It was a big deal because we didn't have a lot of money for extracurricular activities. Needless to say, I was not encouraged at my high school to play a non-traditional female instrument. I ignored the negativity and pursued the drums with an obsessive fervour. I've never looked back.”
Holly Thomas hails from Adelaide and is currently based in Melbourne. She’s been drumming for the past 15 years. „I’m not really sure what initially drew me to the instrument” she says, “other than potentially love at first sight?! I saw them sitting in the music room during my primary school days and wanted to play them SOOOO BAD!”
She thrives on a diverse range of gigs, with a background in jazz and experience across indi, fold, alt country, rock and psychedelia. “I’ve stirred a lot of different pots I guess! In the past I’ve performed in professional, touring musicals such as ‘Ghost – The Musical’ and ‘Dusty – The Musical’. I’ve worked in Cabaret, performing with artists such as Courtney Act, Bob Downe, etc and played in orchestras backing the likes of Tkay Maidza, Eddie Perfect and Leo Sayer.”
Both drummers agree that collaboration is one of the joys of being a musician, and vital ingredient in a good session. “I enjoy collaborating with songwriters on arrangements” says Julia. “I love the process of bringing skeletal ideas to life. There's something pretty special about that to me. Just working on grooves and tempos is a universe in itself ... The greatest form of collaboration for me is improvisation. To trust the other musicians and trust in the music itself is like catching a wave. The vibe is electric. With regard to collaboration with songwriters, all writers are different in what they like and or expect. Some know exactly what they want and can verbalise that easily, and others need the expertise of the seasoned musician to guide them and/or to expose them to the possibilities for rhythm section backing and arrangements. For Holly, “Working with other musicians is one of my favourite parts of being a musician …. I love seeing what other bring to the table and learning from them and their experiences” she says.
For Holly, getting in to session playing “was a fairly natural progression after studying at Adelaide University and gaining experience recording and playing with various bands and artists.” And these experiences have changed her approach to playing in a live setting: “Achieving unique, but suitable snare tones for each song is something you can spend so much time on in the studio, but I’ve really been paying particular interest to trying to replicate those sounds without the luxury of a drum tech and 30 snares! Ie, Steve Jordan, etc. There are so many more variables live, but it’s fun experiment and see what works.”
Julia has a similar take on the evolution of her playing and listening between studio and stage. “I think every studio experience forms you as a musician because no session is ever the same. You are thrown in the deep end with the expectation from the artist or producer that you can and will deliver. Every session opens you to your strengths and weaknesses. When listening to playback, you hear ALL the nuances. This does translate to live performances too. For me, it provided a benchmark platform to refer to, but of course, studio and live are polar opposites. Studio sessions provide you with a safety net of a second take. Live work is one take. Both situations complement each other in the sense that the ultimate goal is capturing the moment.”
Adaptability is key in the studio: “I play in most genres and like many musicians, I have to be fairly fluent in styles at a moment’s notice” says Julia. “I feel I bring a raw and emotive interpretation of the music. I wear my heart on my sleeve when I play, I don't hold anything back. I like to give as much as I can to the band, the music and of course, the audience. I'm very much a supportive player, I enjoy entertaining people but never at the expense of the song. I know it's not all about me!” Holly agrees: “I’m a fan of the session drummers who have unique feels and musicality that aren’t as clinical some of the monster drummers out there” she says.
For Julia, “My first studio session where I earned serious bucks was at Alberts Studios in Neutral Bay, Sydney. I guess it was my first ‘break’. My dear friend, Alberts Recording Engineer Kathy Naunton recommended me. I was required to play some big tom fills on my brand new 1992 Sleishman Custom Drumset (made by Don Sleishman himself.) The gig was for Channel 9 with Ch9 Producer Paul Zorsi. He could program drums quite well but needed a drummer to play fills that sounded realistic and ... of course, musical. It took me all of half an hour to earn $400.00. That was BIG bucks in the 90s. It was a pretty cool feeling to hear my drum fills on Channel 9 TV ads. I had done sessions before this, but for private clients only.”
Holly and Julia have both experienced what they call the ‘evolving landscape’ of being able to make a living playing and recording music in Australia. “I’ve always made a living from music in various ways” say Holly. “It seems to be continually changing for me with various music-related income streams. Striking a balance between paying the bills and playing the kind of music I love is a delicate balance, but I feel I’m working towards that.”
"It's not much of a living but it's a hell of a life!" Says Julia. “That's the reality for most musicians now. The work isn't there in the same way as it was in say the 80's and 90's. However, I've adapted because I've had to. I've done a mixture of teaching and gigs for years now. Ultimately, my studio is my slice of heaven. I love playing live of course but studio work is the absolute bomb for me. I love it.”
Asked to recount a favourite memory from the studio, Julia says: “earlier in the year, I had the honour of playing live with Do Re Mi. First gigs since the band split 30 years ago. We played on huge stages to huge crowds. Two of those shows were recorded live to multitrack. Glenelg Beach in Adelaide and The Corner Hotel in Melbourne. Both those shows were stellar. The recordings are ridiculously tight. We only had a few rehearsals to pull it all together, but listening to the masters now, I’m so happy with my own playing, and of course the band as a whole, and I owe my satisfaction and pride to my grounding in studio session work. There is a beautiful feeling to be able to count in songs without a click track, knowing that you’ve nailed the original album tempo. To be able to play relaxed whilst under pressure with attitude is a wonderful skill. All because of a history of studio sessions.”
Holly: “One of my favourite recording experiences to date has been recording the next Husky album at Woodstock Studios in Balaclava, VIC. We recorded all the beds live to tape and had limited tape room, so we either kept the take or erased it, no comparing which take we liked better. All or nothing! It was such a fun and rewarding experience and I think it comes across in the music.”
Julia Day (Sydney: currently playing in Do Re Mi and Girls on the Avenue)
Previous partial discography:-
*Merran Laginestra (Berlin)
* Charlie McMahon/Gondwana - 'Ride' from the album Travelling.
*Jacqueline Amidy- Safer than a baby
* Tania Bowra- Place in the Sun
* Kate Rowe- The Simplest of Things; Nature's Little Game; Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons
* John Moran CorpEration - 8th of May; Trainride
* Sistermadly- Naked
* Buck and Deanne - Demons Passed
* The Faraway Eyes - The Faraway Eyes
* Fiona Leigh Jones - You Keep Askin'
* Chris Gillespie - Unnatural Light
Album Launches and tours (partial):-
* Jacqueline Amidy- Safer Than a Baby
* Hubris - The Autonomous Collective of Hubris
* Geoff Achison - Sydney Souldiggers; Classically Blue
* Butterfly 9 - One for the Birds tour
* Tania Bowra
* Kate Rowe
* Bluehouse - One More Kiss
* Robyne Dunn - Songs from the Belfry
* John Moran CorpEration
* Sistermadly - Naked
* Ursula Yovich - Garma Festival 2010
* Van Park the musical 2013 with Steve Kilbey, John Paul Young and Steve Appel
* Jeff Duff Orchestra - regular live television appearances and many many gigs.
* Sam Hawksley
* Pugsley Buzzard
* The Field
* Wendy Matthews
Holly Thomas (Melbourne: currently playing with Husy, Quivers, James Kenyon and Georgia Knight)
Previous sessions and tours:
Courtney Act
Tkay Maidza
Leo Sayer
Bill Chambers
Eddie Perfect
Todd McKenny
Peter Combe
Rob Mills
Henry Wagons
Darren Hanlon
Recent Record/Singles:
“You’re Not Always On My Mind,” (2019) by Quivers (Single)
You, Me and The Velvet Sea, (2019) by Emily Davis (Album)
Easy Dazy, (2018) by Fraser A. Gorman (Album)
Live at The Merri Creek Tavern (2018) by James Kenyon (Album)
Whiskey Man (2018) by Eric Santucci (Album)
