Is Axl Rose really a crazy, ego-maniacal pain-in-the-rump? Not at all, at least according to drum-meister Josh Freese, who chats about his 2-year stint in Guns N’ Roses:
Everyone always baits me to give them a crazy Axl story. I don’t really have any. I spent two years in a studio with him [and] I never saw any mood swings. He was never not cool to me. So, I am always quick to defend the guy, even though I know his reality is different than mine. Then again, everyone has a different reality.
Motown legend and Funk Brother Uriel Jones died today after suffering complications from a heart attack. The 74-year-old drummer had created the beats behind just about every classic tune you ever wished you could have played on, including “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg.” Jones and the rest of the Funk Brothers were featured in the excellent 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. A little bit of Jones in action:
We gave you a heads-up about Sabian’s “One of 100″ cymbals way back in January, and now the time has come to pony up your cash. The heavily weathered Artisan rides are going for 800 bucks each, a pretty serious price tag to be sure, but one that also apparently gets you access to a Sabian factory tour in 2010….Assuming, of course, that Bill Zildjian hasn’t had the company liquidated by then.
If you manage to snatch one of the dirty beauts, be sure to send us mucho cymbal porn.
[Press Release]
Today, Sabian announces pre-sale availability of the anticipated “One of 100″ cymbal collection. Buried in an undisclosed location near the Sabian cymbal factory in Meductic, eastern Canada, 100 cymbals are undergoing eight months of dry, wet, hot and cold soil conditioning, as part of the company’s “One of 100″ program.
These buried Artisan Medium ride cymbals are the result of hundreds of annual queries from drum enthusiasts regarding the aging of cymbals by burying them in the ground. Sabian’s Peter Stairs, VP of Sales, notes: “Anecdotal comment indicates that aging the cymbals by burying them in soil actually helps shape their sound. We anticipate they will be dirtier looking, and if what the legend says is true, they may be dirtier sounding as well.”
The cymbals in the “One of 100″ collection will be available to the first 100 eligible buyers who submit a purchase submission form on the Sabian Web site. Once dug up, the cymbals will be sonically approved by the Sabian Vault Team, then individually packaged in a deluxe wood box, complete with official documentation of authenticity signed by master product specialist Mark Love. Additional benefits for “Owners of The Hundred” include an invitation to visit the Sabian factory in 2010 to meet the founders of Sabian and tour the factory, early access to new product and printed information from Sabian, invitation to participate in a Sabian focus group and access to an exclusive “One of 100″ forum which includes direct access to Sabian product specialists.
The purchase window for these cymbals opens at 9:00 a.m. A.S.T. on Thursday, March 5, and more details can be found here. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity.
As part of the rhythm section, you’ll likely spend a lot of time being grouped in with the bass player. The guitarists and singers of this world get to solo on their flaming amps and stand around as a queue of hot chick or hot dude sluts forms to blow them, but you and your four-stringed partner have to “hold it down” or “keep it in the pocket” or some such bullshit. You’re like a less racially transcendent Defiant Ones, working together to make sure your Puddle of Mudd cover is a hit at Skeezer’s Bar and Grill next Tuesday. So here are some basic rules to keep the peace:
1. Remember, there is a good chance your bass player is a failed guitarist. This means he either feels rejected or he’s a little dim. Neither scenario is ideal. If it’s the former, make sure you help him sow a deep-seated hatred for the guitarist. Then when you’re asked to just play a woodblock for a song, you can unleash your attack dog. If it’s the latter, just smile and nod when he tells you about his plans to chug a shit ton of Robitussin.
2. It’s highly unlikely you’re going to get more respect than the prick guitarist and dickbag singer, but you’re probably going to be more popular than the bass player. Don’t be a slave to your pity, though. At some point he’s going to say you’re playing too fast or not keeping a steady tempo and you’ll have to remind him that you’re using all four of your limbs while he’s playing with one fucking asshole finger.
3. If your bass player tries to make a “drummers get drool on their SATs Haha”-type joke, try to laugh along. Remember that bass player jokes don’t really exist for the same reason jokes about accountants and civil engineers don’t exist.
4. If your bass player asks you to “get a little funkier” and he is not Flea or a certain crazy motherfucker named Bootsy Collins, you’re in trouble. If you can’t fire him, quit.
5. Don’t ask your bass player to turn down. You should focus on building a solid rhythmic backbone and it can only happen with both of you knowing what each other is doing. But definitely ask him to stop playing the fucking root note on the 1 for every goddamn part.
6. Help your bass player break down and move his equipment for the first few weeks. It’ll be a little inconvenient, but he’ll be so happy someone’s paying attention to him that when you ask for assistance in tearing down and moving your drums he’ll be more than willing to lend a hand. Just make sure he doesn’t start unscrewing your tom heads or anything. Remember, he’s probably a little dim.
Ah, just in time to take advantage of recession-era economics, Pearl has unveiled a limited-edition shell pack that retails for $3,399—or about 1,100 extra-value meals at McDonald’s. But, hey, who needs food when you can score a sweet 4-piece in African mahogany? The available drums, all finished in a red mahogany fade, include a 22″ x 18″ bass drum, 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 9″ toms, and a 16″ x 16″ floor tom. The toms feature chrome super hoops, aluminum optimount tom holders, and Remo clear ambassador heads. Only 30 of the shell packs will be available in the U.S., so start tightening your belt.
