Drum-Off Regional Winners
November 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The regional finals for Guitar Center’s 2007 Drum-Off took place November 14, and the four winners have now been announced. The final finals are happening in BDT’s own backyard–Hollywood, baby!–on January 5, and we plan on being there with as much clandestine recording equipment as will fit in our really tight emo jeans. Keep an eye out for our behind-the-scenes exclusives and possible pube pics.
Sepultura’s Drummer Has Something to Say
November 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment
…but we don’t know what the bloody hell it is, because the interview is in Portuguese.
Oh wait, scroll down a bit and there’s a translation.
[reading….reading….still reading….]
Hmmm, we liked it better when it was in Portuguese.
Alex Van Halen Hasn’t Throttled Diamond Dave
November 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Yet. And the brothers Van Halen (count ‘em three strong now–Alex, Eddie, and Wolfgang) seem to be getting along well enough with Roth to extend their tour into 2008.
Somewhere in hell there’s a snowball laughing.
[update]: Here is Rolling Stone’s review of Van Halen’s Madison Square Garden gig. Par for the bloody fucking course, not a thing is said about Alex’s playing.
Ray Luzier Cooks With Korn
November 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment
A maxim: good journalists do research, but great journalists steal from the competition.
That’s why we are happy to report that Drummerzone has reported that Ray Luzier is sitting on the throne for Korn on the group’s 2008 European tour. As you certainly remember (because you’re all a bunch of drum nuts), Korn has had quite the game of musical drum chairs lately. Luzier will be taking over for the studio-bound Joey Jordison who took over for the fired Terry Bozzio who took over for the hiatusing David Silveria. Who will be on the hot seat once the tour is over? Maybe one of you fuckers. Just be sure to give us an interview when you’re famous.
Want to Play Drums With Franz Ferdinand?
November 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Now this is fuckin’ cool. Albanian artist Anri Sala’s newest exhibit combines the two things we love most: drums and James Joyce. Oh, and Franz Ferdinand of course. Three things, then.
When you enter Sala’s exhibit, called Ulysses after Joyce’s great novel, you’ll hear the melody of a new song by Franz Ferdinand, also cleverly called Ulysses. Visitors are then led downstairs, given a “score” (i.e., a set of verbal instructions like “bootless” and “lickitup” and”rolywholyover”), and invited to sit at a kit and create the tune’s drum part. The catch is that you have to remember the song’s melody…and follow that verbal score for hints. Every visitor’s effort is recorded, and if you’re lucky, you’ll end up on a CD release of the project that’s scheduled to drop before the Glasgow lads’ official disc.
Finally. A place for performance-art, Franz-fanatic, Joycean drummers to call their own. The world is complete.
Neil Peart and Chris Adler Talk Touring
November 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The good folks at Blabbermouth have posted two drummers’ touring tales. Neil Peart recounts the 15-date European leg of Rush’s latest tour. That’s all well and good and fine enough. But the juicy part is where he expresses dismay at being voted the second worst lyricist in rock….Sting edged him out for top honors.
Chris Adler also talks about Lamb of God’s stint on this past summer’s Ozzfest tour. You know, the one you could get into for (gasp) free. If you’ve seen MD’s 2005 festival DVD (and of course you have), then you know Adler is a thoughtful guy. He doesn’t disappoint here, where he chats about having to navigate between being a genuine musician and being a breadwinner. Rarely, it seems, can the two meet.
Ringo Starr and Levon Helm: Old Drummers Releasing New Music
November 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Ringo’s new disc, Liverpool 8, will drop on January 15. I can pretty much guarantee it’s not going to show up on anyone’s regular playlist rotation here at BDT (bloody Christ, not even Paul’s new albums can infiltrate that inner musical sanctum), but we love Ringo anyway. Just on principle. ‘Cause if that guy could get laid, there’s some hope for the rest of us butt-uglies.
Levon Helm, former drummer and one of the vocalists for The Band, is also dusting off his sticks and knocking the rust from his voice on Dirt Farmer. The Band truly was the best bunch of workmen musicians who ever clawed and crawled from the bar circuit. Helm’s disc deserves a listen for that reason alone, but like Ringo’s, I’m pretty sure it’s not going to get much of a workout.
?uestlove Talks About the Roots’ New Album
November 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
A little bit anyway. It’s apparently heavy on the synths, and its title–Rising Down–is cribbed from William T. Vollmann’s 3000ish-page book Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means.
Heavy synths? Sounds like it’s some heavy shit all the way around.
How to Play Drums: Volume 2
November 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Oh, how I love to get something other than overdue bills in the mail, and today did not disappoint. Much.
The good folks at Enter Music Publishing (full confessional: I was in the company’s employ many moons ago) have shipped the new volume of How to Play Drums, their one-off publication for beginning bashers. It weighs in at a feather-heavy 64 pages but does come with an instructional DVD that features performances by PIT instructors. I’ve had only a moment to flip through the magazine so far, and at first look, it’s slightly better than the first volume…but not nearly as good in terms of design as their flagship DRUM! and the truly superb TRAPS. I’ve got some years under my sticks though, so I’m not really the target audience of the publication.
Anyone out there who is smitten with this thing? Keep your eyes out for a full review on BDT.
Meg White Is Getting Her Shit Together?
November 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment
One of the few bands we actually wanted to see before 2007 went out with a dismal whimper, The White Stripes recently canceled their remaining tour dates because of Meg White’s “acute anxiety.” We won’t make any comments about her drumming (because, really, she’s great for the Stripes), but we never expected any sister-spouse of hard-ass Jack White to go all Streisand on us. Very disappointing. We’ll give her a pass, though, just this once because a Canadian rag is reporting that the duo are back at work again. Plus she has a couple of remarkably redeeming assets:
