Big Drum Thump

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Tag: Chad Smith

  • Let There Be Drums! Documentary

    Let There Be Drums! is a new drumming documentary that will be released on October 28. The title feels like part command, part exaltation, and part biblical oratory—all of which are appropriate considering that Taylor Hawkins gives one of his last known interviews in the film. In short, it’s looking like a must-see.

    The documentary also features Jason Bonham, Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland, Chad Smith, Stephen Perkins, Adrian Young, and Tré Cool. And that is very cool indeed.

    If you are feeling brave, you can catch the film in select theaters (I’m still a Covid coward, so no goddamn way), and it will also be available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. I’m not sure, though, if it can be rented or if it is purchase-only at this time. Snag an actual physical DVD, you luddite, on November 1.

    Check out the trailer below.

  • Ask Chad Smith a Question

    Music Radar is taking questions for Chad Smith. Just leave your query in the comments section here, though you do, alas, have to register first on Music Radar. [Update 2022: Looks like the original article has been lost to cyberspace.]

    One of our favorites so far:

    Do you sometimes cringe when you read Anthony’s lyrics and WTF is a rockapotamus ferchristsakes LOL

  • Chad Smith to Record and Tour Soon

    …But not with the Chili Peppers. Instead, he’ll be hitting the road with supergroup Chickenfoot…except that the name of the band featuring Smith, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Joe Satriani probably won’t be fowl related at all. Satriani recently told Billboard that “Chickenfoot” was only a working title Hagar came up with. What’s definitely not in question, though, is Smith’s ability to rock the shit out of their tunes:

    “The material is really slamming, and anybody who has ever been around Chad knows that he is a very huge personality, a very high-energy guy, and his drumming in person is explosive,” Satriani said. “This band really gives him carte blanche to go crazy. I think it’s the best of what you’d expect, that’s the best way to put it. No one is acting out of character.”

  • Winners of DRUM! Magazine Readers Poll 2008

    DRUM! Magazine unleashed its 2008 readers poll awards today. No big Drummie! surprises here: Neil Peart still reigns as everyone’s favorite living drum god, Travis Barker is apparently the best punk drummer on the planet (but only when Tré Cool and Green Day haven’t released an album), and Chad Smith is the youngsters’ funkster of choice. Let the verbal fisticuffs begin.

    Word of warning: under each category, the name presented in caps is the official winner; all the subsequent names under a category are considered by DRUM! to be “runners-up,” not necessarily “second,” “third,” “or “fourth” place winners. Why? We haven’t a clue…

    I. DRUM SET CATEGORIES

    Drummer of the Year
    NEIL PEART
    Stanton Moore
    Mike Portnoy
    Jimmy Sullivan

    Rising Drum Star
    THOMAS PRIDGEN
    Cody Hanson
    Matt Smith
    Spencer Smith

    Best Progressive Drummer
    MIKE PORTNOY
    Neil Peart
    Gavin Harrison
    Danny Carey

    Best Metal Drummer
    CHRIS ADLER
    Jason Bittner
    Joey Jordison
    Brann Dailor

    Best Jam Band Drummer
    CARTER BEAUFORD
    Stanton Moore
    Matt Abts
    Jim Donovan

    Best Jazz Drummer
    STEVE SMITH
    Peter Erskine
    Billy Hart
    Billy Kilson

    Best Funk Drummer
    CHAD SMITH
    Stanton Moore
    Zoro
    Aaron Spears

    Best Urban Drummer
    ?UESTLOVE
    Aaron Spears
    Trevor Lawrence Jr.
    Teddy Campbell

    Best Mainstream Pop Drummer
    TAYLOR HAWKINS
    Neil Peart
    Chad Smith
    Travis Barker

    Best Alternative Rock Drummer
    SAM LOEFFLER
    Brooks Wackerman
    Atom Willard
    Travis Barker

    Best Punk Drummer
    TRAVIS BARKER
    Tré Cool
    Brooks Wackerman
    Bill Stevenson

    Best R&B/Blues Drummer
    ZORO
    Stanton Moore
    Aaron Spears
    Teddy Campbell

    Best Country Drummer
    JIM RILEY
    Paul Leim
    Eddie Bayers
    Ben Sesar

    Best Drum Clinician
    THOMAS LANG
    Jojo Mayer
    Stanton Moore
    Mike Mangini

    Best Studio Drummer
    VINNIE COLAIUTA
    Steve Gadd
    Josh Freese
    Rodney Holmes

    Best Live Drumming Performer
    NEIL PEART
    Stanton Moore
    Jimmy Sullivan
    Mike Portnoy

    II. PERCUSSIONIST CATEGORIES

    Percussionist of the Year
    LUIS CONTE
    Giovanni Hidalgo
    Fausto Cuevas
    Taku Hirano

    Rising Percussion Star
    CESAR ESPINOZA
    Carlos Maldonado
    A.B. Bermudez
    Eric Velez

    Best Latin Percussionist
    RICHIE FLORES
    A.B. Bermudez
    Giovanni Hidalgo
    Poncho Sanchez

    Best Jazz/Fusion Percussionist
    SAMMY FIGUEROA
    Richie Flores
    A.B. Bermudez
    Cyro Baptista

    Best Percussion Clinician
    JESUS DIAZ
    Giovanni Hidalgo
    Alex Acuña
    Valerie Naranjo

    Best Rock/Pop Percussionist
    LUIS CONTE
    Fausto Cuevas
    Raul Rekow
    Jim Donovan

    Best Worldbeat Percussionist
    VALERIE NARANJO
    Zakir Hussain
    Taku Hirano
    Cyro Baptista

    Best Percussion Ensemble
    HIP PICKLES
    Blue Man Group
    San Jose Taiko
    Blue Devils

    Best Drum Circle Facilitator
    JIM DONOVAN
    Valerie Naranjo
    John Scalici
    Chet Doboe

    Best Studio Percussionist
    LUIS CONTE
    Lenny Castro
    Emil Richards
    Robert Vilera

    Best Live Percussion Performer
    MARC QUIÑONES
    Alex Acuña
    Hip Pickles
    Jim Donovan

    III. INDUSTRY AND PRODUCT CATEGORIES

    Best Drum Kit
    DW COLLECTOR’S TWISTED EXOTICS
    Pearl Masters MCX
    Tama Starclassic Perfomer Bubinga/Birch
    Ludwig Legacy

    Best Snare Drum
    BLACK PANTHER THICK FLAME MAPLE
    Tama 13″ Warlord Limited Edition
    Pro-Mark 50th Anniversary
    Yamaha 14″ x 5.5″ Kabuto

    Best Custom Drum Maker
    SJC CUSTOM DRUMS
    Pork Pie Percussion
    The Craviotto Drum Company
    Orange County Drum & Percussion

    Best Cymbal
    ZILDJIAN ARMAND SERIES
    Sabian 20″ HHX Evolution O-Zone Crash
    Paiste Twenty Series
    Zildjian 22″ K Medium Dark Ride

    Best Drumhead
    EVANS EC1
    Remo Powerstroke X snare head
    Remo Vintage A snare head
    Aquarian Super-2

    Best Drum Stick
    VIC FIRTH DANNY CAREY NYLON TIP SIGNATURE
    Vater Limited Edition 2007 Stewart Copeland Standard
    Zildjian Backbeat Series
    Pro-Mark Chris Adler model

    Best Hardware
    DW 8000 SERIES PEDALS
    Tama Iron Cobra Rolling Glide Pedals with Cobra Coil Speed Spring
    Pearl 900 Series
    Tama Stage Master

    Best Percussion
    LP JOHN DOLMAYAN MINI-TIMBALE
    Pearl Travel Conga
    LP More Cowbell Ridge Rider Bell Pack
    Remo Key-Tuned Djembe

    Best Drumming Accessory
    ZILDJIAN TRAVIS BARKER ARTIST SERIES CYMBAL AND DRUMSTICK BAGS
    Vater Safe ‘N Sound Earplugs
    SKB Roto-X cases
    Aquarian Super-Thin Kickpads

    Best Electronic Percussion
    ROLAND HD-1 V-DRUMS LITE
    Yamaha DTXpress IV
    Roland PM-01 Personal Monitor
    Alesis DM5 Pro

    IV. MEDIA CATEGORIES

    Best DVD
    SECRET WEAPONS FOR THE MODERN DRUMMER (Jojo Mayer)
    In Constant Motion (Mike Portnoy)
    Ultimate Realistic Rock (Carmine Appice)
    Billy Cobham Live At 60 (Billy Cobham)

    Best Drumming Book
    ON THE BEATEN PATH (Rich Lackowski)
    Drumming Out Of The Shadows (Jason Bittner)
    Hands, Grooves and Fills (Pat Petrillo)
    Jimi Hendrix: Smash Hits Drums Play-Along

    Best Drumming Album
    HELLYEAH (HellYeah)
    Obzen (Meshuggah)
    Avenged Sevenfold (Avenged Sevenfold)
    Echos, Silence, Patience & Grace (Foo Fighters)

    Best Hand Percussion Album
    THE MAGICIAN (Sammy Figueroa)
    Global Drum Project (Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo)
    Con Alma (Mark Weinstein)
    Raise Your Hand (Poncho Sanchez)
    Marimbula (Luis Conte)

    Best Web Site
    DRUMMERWORLD.COM
    Pearldrum.com
    drumsmith.com
    drumbum.com

    Best Print Ad
    PEARL’S “CHAD SMITH GRAMMY MAGNET / REFERENCE SERIES” AD
    DW’s “My Name Is… And This Is My Custom DW Kit” campaign
    Pro-Mark’s “Say It With Your Music” campaign
    Tama’s “Uncharted Rhythmic Terrain / Blue Man Group” ad

  • Chad Smith and Chickenfoot

    We’ve known since late February that Chad Smith and the Chili Peppers are on hiatus and that he started jamming with super group Chickenfoot—Sammy Hagar on vocals and guitar, Joe Satriani also on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Smith himself on drums. The jams must have gone well because it appears the foursome are going into the studio to track a real-deal debut album. Hagar says:

    We’ve written eight, nine songs….When people hear the music, it’s Led Zeppelin. It’s as good as that. I know that’s a mighty bold statement….We could rival Zep.

    Hmm. We’re hoping Sammy’s playfully sardonic tone was just lost in translation when he said that, but anything with Chad Smith playing drums will no doubt be worth at least a listen or three. Stay tuned.

  • Smith, Copeland, and Barker Demo New Guitar Hero Drum Kit

    Game haters, prepare to get that stick out of your bum. Three genuine drum heroes—Chad Smith, Stewart Copeland, and Travis Barker—think GH’s new kit is pretty slick shit, and there’s even a video to prove it. [Update 2022: Alas, the video has been removed.]

    We experienced some server hang trying to watch it (every 14-year-old drummer on at least four continents is clicking that link right now), but be patient: it’s worth the wait.

    Drumming quote of the day: Commenting on the kit’s durability, Chad says in the video, “If it holds up to me beatin’ on it, it should do pretty good.”

    [via Engadget]

  • Chad Smith Is Taking a Break

    But only from the Chili Peppers. After getting a fistful of Grammy nominations for Stadium Arcadium and touring over 18 months to support the album, the Pepper guys decided to take a well-deserved year off. Smith, though, is keeping busy by jamming with Chickenfoot, recording with Glenn Hughes, and hanging with Dick Van Dyke.

    Presumably he’ll also have some time now to learn his cymbal setup before doing another promo video.