Chad Smith – Big Drum Thump

Let There Be Drums! Documentary

BDT — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 05:05:00 +0000

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

BDT — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:13:50 +0000

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

BDT — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:22:01 +0000

…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

BDT — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:41:35 +0000

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

BDT — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:27:56 +0000

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

BDT — Sat, 24 May 2008 07:35:15 +0000

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

BDT — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 05:59:33 +0000

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.