Mike Portnoy’s father, Howard, passed away on Sunday, January 4. He was 68. Mike released the following statement:
“It’s with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that I share the news of the passing of my best friend, my idol and my father, Howard Portnoy.
“He passed away this morning [Sunday, January 4] at 3:38 am with his loving wife Trish and myself by his side after a six-month battle with cancer.
“He was an amazing person whose lively spirit was a tremendous inspiration to me and to most people that had the pleasure to know him.
“He will be sorely missed by so many friends and family—but none more so than his wife Trish, his daughter-in-law Marlene, his grandchildren Melody and Max and yours truly.
Mapex USA has announced the release of its first-ever signature snare with the introduction of the Chris Adler Signature snare drum. The walnut-shelled snare drum is inspired by the Lamb of God drummer’s first Black Panther snare, which he purchased for himself in 1995.
The drum’s every detail is meticulously designed to Adler’s specifications. From the thin premium walnut shell, to the signature graphic (designed by Lamb of God designer K3n), to Chris’s personal choice of high-quality Aquarian drumheads (HE12 batter head and CCSN12 snare head.)
The drum’s shell is 12″ x 5.5″, 5.1mm thick, and has 2.3mm Mapex Powerhoops. The drum’s hardware is black chrome plated. The inside of each drum is labeled with a commemorative sticker that identifies the instrument. “The size of the drum mixed with a high-tension, high-energy head creates a unique, high pitched, yet full bodied punch that has become a signature sound in my playing and in the band’s catalog,” said Adler upon his approval of the final prototype.
The Chris Adler Signature Snare Drum (BPML2550BCA) carries an MSRP of $522.99.
…because he digs Stella and can hold his drink, at least according to his new employer, Liam Gallagher:
It was cool when we went out the other night. Chris didn’t chew me ear off, he let me speak. He drinks Stella and he’s not a fucking lightweight. He can handle his beverages and he can play the drums.
Gallagher recruited Sharrock last year to play drums in Oasis, swiping the stickman from Robbie Williams’s band.
The end of the year is upon us, and that means one thing for media sites the world over: best-of lists. Bazillions and bazillions of best-of lists. We here at BDT are by no means immune to this journalistic cancer, and so have put together our five favorite drum albums from 2008. We compiled the winners by checking our iTunes playlists for the songs that got the most spins. After eliminating tracks released before 2008 and ignoring stuff that would surely undermine our badass reputation (e.g., Sara Bareilles and Katy Perry), we came up with the discs you’ll find below. Mind you, these aren’t necessarily the best drumming performances the year had to offer; they are simply the ones that we listened to most often….which, actually, is pretty much the best testament one can offer.
We downloaded this gem of a disc back in March, and it quickly became our Latin-infused jazz standard for 2008. Nothing else new in that vein came even remotely close in terms of number of listens. That’s all due of course to Prieto’s drumming and compositional instincts—textured and nuanced without being intrusive or masturbatory. We love this dude and can’t wait for a 2009 release, hopefully a live recording with his sextet.
We have so much affection for this indie pop debut and have played it so often that Army Navy managed to bust into the top 5 even though it was released just a few months ago. The drumming here is a masterful lesson in tune-conscious playing, so we weren’t shocked at all to discover that Pete Thomas, the longtime drummer for Elvis Costello, cut the tracks.
Hipster darlings, and deservedly so for clever lyrics and catchy rhythms, the band Vampire Weekend made college kids everywhere in 2008 feel the white-washed African beat in their feet. We’ll give drummer Chris Tomson all the credit.
This is perhaps the one true drummy drum album on our list, but even it is primarily an example of what real musicians do with sophisticated, daring compositions. Very few drummers can play as many necessary notes as Thomas Pridgen does here, and the result is stunningly beautiful and monstrous and perfect.
Can we be any more emphatic about our love for Moore? Creative, grooving, and deliciously chop-laden all at the same time, this album has been on almost permanent repeat since it was released in April.
Bill Leikam over at All About Jazz has reviewed a recent Cindy Blackman show and coined a perfectly genius phrase to describe her playing: power-jazz. It’s a style marked by energy and passion, of course, but it’s also one in which the “drums become the lead instrument of the band and the other instruments most often support the drummer as a working unit, together.”
Awesome. Now we just need power-reggae, power-country, and (why not?) power-polka.
Renowned drummer Stanton Moore is pleased to announce the release of his long-awaited signature Titanium snare drum. Stanton is set to unveil the drum at this year’s Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA.
“The whole idea started about 6 or 7 seven years ago when I met drumsmith Ronn Dunnett for the first time and started to become familiar with his incredible drums.” said Moore. “I saw some of his titanium drums and I was intrigued. He explained the sound characteristics of titanium and I became very interested in the sonic possibilities. I asked Ronn if he could make one as a 4″ x 14”. His reply was something along the lines of ‘I’ll give it a shot.’ A few months later Ronn presented me with the 1st prototype. Immediately fell in love with the drum—its sound, its tone and its feel. As I was playing to larger rooms with Galactic, I needed a drum that would be sensitive and buttery enough for the intricate buzz roll work that I do with some of the New Orleans second line grooves, but would also cut through a loud funk band when I smacked a back beat. This drum had what I was looking for. Over the years Ronn and I experimented with various depths (the drum is now 4.5″ in depth), thickness of the shell, depth of the snare bed, lugs, strainers, snare wires, rims, claws and other details, but more than anything we agonized over the badge. Finally over lunch one day I showed Ronn an image of the New Orleans water meter cover (not sewer or man-hole, but water meter!). The New Orleans water meter cover is one of the most beloved and iconic images in New Orleans culture. We were very excited with the idea of modifying the meter cover into the badge for my snare and ultimately I feel like the badge pays homage to the city that my fellow citizens and I are fighting to protect and rebuild.” Although Moore is a Gretsch endorser, he received the company’s blessing for his drum as Gretsch has no plans to offer a Titanium snare drum. “My intentions are to maintain my great working relationship with Gretsch while making this particular snare drum available to the public so other drummers can enjoy this drum as much as I have.”
The aesthetics of Stanton’s drum were inspired by a 20s era snare drum that was given to him by his friend and mentor Johnny Vidacovich. Unfortunately that drum was stolen. “It was 4″ x 14″ with tube lugs and single flange hoops and claws. I always dug the look and feel of that drum. In deciding on the look of my drum I kept recalling the drum that Johnny had given me. I thought it would be cool to incorporate the metal hoop and claw look of an older drum with the modern titanium shell. I’m always trying to blend the old with the new…to modernize tradition. Everywhere I play this drum, drummers, engineers, producers and fans of music alike approach me and ask me ‘what is that drum?’ I feel Ronn and I have created a drum that is special and deserves to be out in the market. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have.”
The Stanton Moore Spirit of New Orleans Titanium snare drum features a polished titanium shell, beautifully minted badge in antique pewter finish, traditional brass tube lugs, Single flange hoops with clips or regular triple flange hoops, the Dunnett R2 snare throw off system with keyless snare wire release, Dunnett Hypervent! adjustable air vent, and Puresound Metrix 20 strand snare wires. The drum will be distributed exclusively through the Bosphorus cymbal company. Price TBA.
A little self-effacing drummer humor, courtesy of a very old Dave Grohl article, to get us in the holiday spirit:
10. What’s the last thing a drummer says in a band? “Hey guys, why don’t we try one of my songs?”
9. How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb? None: they have a machine to do that now.
8. What do you call a drummer that breaks up with his girlfriend? Homeless.
7. How can you tell when the drum riser is level? Drool comes out of both sides of the drummer’s mouth.
6. How can you tell a drummer’s at the door? He doesn’t know when to come in.
5. How can you tell a drummer’s at the door? The knocking speeds up.
4. How many drummers does it take to change a lightbulb? Five: One to screw the bulb in, and four to talk about how much better Neil Peart would have done it.
3. What is the difference between a chiropodist and Ginger Baker? A chiropodist bucks up your feet.
2. How many drummers does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one, so long as the roadie gets the ladder, sets it up and puts the bulb in the socket for him.
1. What do Ginger Baker and canteen coffee have in common? They both suck without Cream.
Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, drummer for ’90s rock kings Hootie & the Blowfish, has tied the knot with Laura Bryan…who used to be married to Hootie guitarist Mark Bryan. No telling whether the Fleetwood Mac-esque bed-hopping will produce a Rumours-like comeback (er…umm…), but it’ll definitely make great fodder for a new Behind the Music episode.
We’re waiting for the marriage photos. Until then, here’s Soni in all of his shorn glory.
Dave Buckner was booted from Papa Roach almost a year ago, but the drummer apparently remained a partner in various companies the band had formed. Now Buckner is looking for his cut of the profits and is asking that Papa be busted up so that he can get them. The suit was filed November 28. TMZ, as usual, has all the goods, including copies of the court documents.
In case you were worried that Tommy Lee wouldn’t have anyone to kiss on New Year’s, breathe easy. He and Pamela Anderson are spending the evening together in Montreal. In Pam’s own words, “How romantic.”
U.K. mag Rhythm just scored a short interview with new NIN drummer Ilan Rubin. The fellow is only 20 years old, but it sounds like he’s got sticks big enough to replace Josh Freese’s…which surely must make Rubin want to defecate in his drawers, yeah?
No it doesn’t. I technically had to fill [Josh’s] shoes a bit since he recorded the majority of Liberation Transmission [his last band’s album], but I’m always a fan of a little competition too!
Shit fire and save the matches! Benny Greb, the drummer dude we here at DC have a big-time groove crush on, is coming out with a DVD in January 2009. Titled The Language of Drumming, it will be a two-disc set produced by Hudson Music (i.e., the production values are going to be top-notch). Check out the teaser trailer and a behind-the-scenes clip below.
at the official Led Zeppelin YouTube channel. The band (or rather its management minions) have uploaded a buttload of bootleg and rare videos, including some shot on spectacularly grainy 8mm. Start off with this performance of “Achilles Last Stand” from a concert in L.A. in 1977.
Yeah, okay, it’s true: BDT loves Top Chef. And now we’re no longer ashamed to admit it because the Foo Fighters love the show too. The band appeared on this evening’s episode, a Thanksgiving special where the competing chefs divided into two teams to whip up a holiday feast for the Foos. Dave, of course, got a lot of face time and did most of the talking, but Taylor busted out with some heretofore hidden culinary wisdom as well:
I love the mac and cheese with the bacon bits.
I don’t like pumpkin foam.
The mashed potatoes were slightly al dente—meaning not cooked all the way.
Questlove and the rest of the Roots survived a major bus crash last Wednesday in France. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. In fact, ‘Love was blogging about the accident only 30 minutes after it happened. Here is the entry from his MySpace blog:
“I used to live life, like there was no manana Now I’m treatin every breath, like it was “your honor” malik b, 1999 “the spark” from things fall apart
well…since we are sitting on the side of the road. what better way to pass the time while the ambulance comes then to….blog.
–actually i spoke too soon….the above was written an hour ago. now im in a roadside motel trying to make sense of this all. the last things i remember are eating 2 pieces of cold pizza and a bowl of rice krispies and watching will ferrel’s nuts dance on top of john c. riley’s drumset in step brothers. because it was the ghetto bootleg barbershop version i was more or less wondering when the guy in the theater was going to say “watch….this is the good part” to me as the movie went on.
as usual i fell asleep. now normally i woulda been working overtime in preparing my dj set for my paris afterparty on friday but something actually said “meh leave it alone”–
i don’t wanna get all deep like it was an omen but those that know me (look at my twit/facebook/myspace/okayplayer/blip history) know that when not onstage i am glued to my computer, doing some sort of activity like converting music or tv shows. but this was a rare occurrence in which i actually went to sleep.
next thing i knew was the most surreal feeling ever…. was i upside down? why am i covered in cereal? oh shit….that coffee pot is coming for my face!!! in reality the crash was all of about 7 seconds….but to do a 360 on the highway and end up ramped up (the van that crashed into ours was UNDER our double decker bus) in the air….is….well… a frigging miracle.
my first thought was not move a fucking inch. i always had fear that we would fall off a cliff while in high mountain traveling like denver or switzerland. i couldn’t tell where gravity began and ended. i felt like i did 3000 crunches so obviously my side of the bus was now on the ground (the only way i can describe the position was imagine yourself on a bus sitting down…..now postion yourself sitting on the left side of the bus….now overturn the bus so that it tips over and falls to the right side. now on top of all that position the front of the bus to stand smack dab in the middle of the air as if a ramp was holding it up 90 degrees.
now add in my drill sgt of a tour manager keith mcphee being keith (which is basically to say no one does intensity or UBER intensity like he does. i ….was……try….ing……to…..rea….ch….my ….ipod so i can channel him out. its like every word he yelled was making this situation much worse than it was…. “……effrom you alive?!?!?!? (yes)……….”frank are you alive!?!?!?”…….frank?!!?!?!!?!? FRANK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!…….—“
it was then i realized the severe nature of the accident and i was NOT in the mood to prep myself on whether or not the remaining 12 people upstairs (i know its a dumb reference but look up the Spiceworld movie on youtube and you can see the type of double decker bus that we were traveling on. i hold court downstairs cause noone can stomach the stench of the urine induced potty in the downstairs lounge. —after 15 mins you dont notice it all that much)—so i was holding court downstairs and the 12 of them were asleep in the bunks. i dont do bunks and this day proves why.
i just wanted someone to calmly tell me the weight of my body was NOT going to push us down a mountainside. then i wanted assurance that the bus was NOT going to explode.
my drum tech d was the first to make sure i was okay and since the Mcpheepanic mode was setting in…the way he was asking me was rather…..panicky (thanks palin) and based on the fact that he was walking on the ceiling indeed let me know that this wasn’t no fender bender i was in…..this shit might be the real deal based on how he managed to spiderman walk on the ceiling.
or….am i now on the ceiling? and why do i have to use every stomach muscle just to sit upright?….wait….. am i upside down? damnit…..im upside down……lemme just shift my body to…..oh shit….just…..wait if i can just….lift this….leg to…. damn. i need something to hold on to to hoist myself up in the air. i grabbed on to the table and somehow forgetting that i am NOT smedium (riiiiiiiiiiiip!) the entire table ripped from its foundation and was now on the ceiling….which is now the floor.
this is also when i noticed that i am covered in coffee and tea and bread and about 3 bags of cereal multiple water bottles and dvds and broken glass. and….oh god….did the bathroom fluid overturn too? (yes….and YUCK) hearing cars outside i now know that i am not going to fall down the mountain side…..were are on the highway. but i can see out the right side of window and i see trees and hills….but i hear car horns and yelling. and where the hell is the ambulance?!?!?
keith is yelling and im begging him “please don’t yell”—but keith dont know calm…..but now he got me thinking something is gonna happen is i DONT get off this bus. problem is the door that i would get out of is now the ground. and i am disillusioned and have no sense of direction. he is telling me i must make my way upstairs and crash my way through the window and escape. im yelling “where is everyone else?!?!” and i am informed that me and the driver are the only two trapped downstairs. now the problem is….im not the smallest person in the world and now i have to use uber arm strength to climb my way out of this bus and figure how to hoist myself without the aid of anything to hold on to.
hard shit indeed.
i made leeway to the stairs when it hit me that all my ID and wallet and lifeline are in my personal bag….allllllllllllllll the way on the other side of the bus. i do the contemplate should i shouldn’t i (“i should” won) now it was “how?!”
the only way i can describe it is that scene in back to the future when doc is in the clock tower and had mere seconds to connect a broken plug that will power marty mcfly’s car with 1.8 jiggawatts of lightening power. and winds up using every body part to ensure this goes down the correct way. so my left arm is hoisting my body up and my right arm and left leg are…..trying ……to …..grab……within……inches….my……bag…..(accidents wind up giving you strength you never knew you had….i carried my bag with my legs while i crawled my way upstairs like i was joe the paraplegic on family guy—all the while keith is being keith
ahmir ARE YOU OK!?!?! AHMIR PLEASE SAY SOMETHING!!!! im like….wait…am i even alive? like what if i “think” im alive when in actually im not like the movies?—-the next 2 minutes proved how alive i was for i managed to crawl through spaces and holes and broken shattered glass like a contortionist blindfolded….
when i got outside…..and looked at what i crawled out of? man. i just couldn’t believe it. i mean….how in the hell did we experience this? how did we manage to….man….. dog we are soooo alive right now. and yes we went through all that shit people go through when they go through accidents. dazed. amazed. grateful. laughing?
of course as i type this its a whole nother story: i think the ambulance workers have caught wind of who we are (ze seed?) and there are about 20 ambulance workers and 10 cops. asking alot of questions in french (we so need tina faris right now)
as i type this we are waiting in line to get examined. (some of us have cuts and neck braces on)—keith is still at the bus trying to salvage what he can (amazingly the uhaul extension is still intact) im a ok. i called my mom and some loved ones. and i managed to twit in the ambulance with artless iphone (wanted to be the first celeb to twit from an ambulance)—i guess im just passing the time and taking advantage of the free “internets” and the worlds best bread (yes….the french bread is all that)
as for the future? if we make it to our slot on the glow in the dark tour in paris that too will be a miracle. til then just wanna let everyone know that we are happy to be alive. and not in that tv cliche way….but man……that was divine intervention. we are so grateful for this outcome.
