BDK Focus Feature #1 - Dave Grohl

I've decided that every 50 posts or so, I am going to do a feature on a drummer that can't really be defined by one album (or one band). I already have my next few selected (Questlove, Josh Freese) so don't bother submitting someone to me for a while, I've got my plate full. First up is the man who actually inspired this blog. Dave Grohl.

Like him or not, Dave Grohl is King Shit of Drum Mountain*. He gets to play with whatever band he feels like (seriously, who is going to turn down Dave Grohl?), he can get any musician in the studio he wants to record with (hence why the Probot record exists) and he played in one of the most important bands in the last 25 years, Queens Of The Stone Age (HA!).

I mean think about it, one of the first records Dave Grohl played on went on to change everything within the music industry. That's a lot of pressure. Shit, my first few records are sitting in boxes in closets across Nova Scotia, I was happy to sell 100.

He came into the drumming world with some snare flams and kick drum stomps, and he has been a important and powerful figure of it ever since. So lets find out why.

*Not an actual mountain.

1993 : Nirvana - In Utero

Sure, Nevermind changed the world, but In Utero is a better record. Especially for Grohl. This album should be in the drumming hall of fame for the Scentless Apprentice beat alone. Grohl had the same fury as Nevermind, but his parts felt a little more refined and thought out. He plays with dynamics better (the shift between quiet/loud on Frances Farmer... is obviously a grunge staple, but it just sounds better when Grohl plays it).

He can hold back for Cobain's feedback freakouts (Radio Friendly Unit Shifter) and he can come right up front with powerful, well placed cymbals and tom work (Serve The Servants), and he can spastically start and stop his playing (Tourettes). Grohl was out to prove that he wasn't just another burnout Seattle musician, he had talent, he had stamina, and he had chops. You don't have to be a drummer to notice these things, but if you are a drummer, picture yourself playing these songs for the first time live, and think how euphoric it must have felt.

1995 : Foo Fighters - S/T

After Kurt Cobain died Dave Grohl could have collected his money, moved into the mountains never to be heard from again, and still been hailed as a drumming icon. Instead, he dove headfirst into making his own music. While Foo Fighters' first record isn't my favorite (that would be The Color And The Shape) it's the only one where he played every part, and that's a hell of a feat. Writing every part is one thing, playing them is another. Even with the massive task of making every part feel natural, he still managed to pull off some impressive stuff behind the kit.

One thing I notice is that he seemed to begin to incorporate his kick drum into his drum rolls a lot more. He does it in This Is A Call and Alone + Easy Target and it's something that became more prevalent in his drumming as time went on. He also gets to experiment a little more with different drumming styles on this record, For All The Cows has a swingy, jazzy beat through the verses, and Big Me was a sort of Lemonheads-ish pop rock song, no big rock out parts like the rest of the songs.

While his drumming for Foo Fighters started out as being similar to his drumming for Nirvana, he really started to carve out his own niche with further albums (The beat for Hero is a good example, or the 7/4 beat from Times Like These). If anything, Dave Grohl proved himself to be a viable songwriter as well as drummer, and even after Foo Fighters became bigger and bigger, he never stopped turning down offers to play drums.

2002 : Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf

Alright, now we're getting to the good shit. After proving himself as a critical and commercial success, Grohl had it made. He had sustained his popularity through the changing musical climate and he was pretty much free to do whatever he wanted, so why not just join awesome rock bands that you love?

Queens Of The Stone Age had just released Rated R, one of the best rock records to come around in the last ten years or so, and with a lot of underground buzz surrounding them, they enlisted Grohl to helm the drum kit for their third record, Songs For The Deaf.

This is where Dave really shines, his rhythms are much more robotic and precise, blending his previous angry style with a more refined textural one. I could try to explain it, but basically he just does cool shit all over this record.

His tom beat in the kick off track You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar makes it the perfect driving song, his flam rolls in the chorus on No One Knows are crazy, and the ending to A Song For The Dead is one of the greatest drum parts I have ever heard. Dave plays like he is comfortable, as if he has been playing these songs for years.You can tell he didn't just go into this project and half ass it, he really gives the songs their own unique spin.

It's awesome that Dave Grohl took time out to record this record (and do the subsequent tour), it shows that he really enjoys playing drums, and not just making money by playing drums.

2003 : Killing Joke - S/T

When Killing Joke re-formed in 2003 to make a record, they had the idea of getting a few of their favorite drummers to play on it. After Dave Grohl heard the material, he asked if he could just play on the whole damn thing. He refused to be paid for his performance, possibly due to the fact that Killing Joke was a big influence on him, and possibly due to the fact that Killing Joke didn't pursue legal action when Nirvana blatantly ripped off their song Eighties when they recorded Come As You Are. Maybe Dave felt like he owed them a little something.

One thing is for sure, he sure as hell didn't hold back on his playing. He keeps things straight and punchy, playing off the guitars a lot more than the bass. The half time beat he does on Total Invasion drives the song, its dark and punchy until the chorus rises up into a beat with more cymbals, but with scattered toms thrown in. Asteroid and Implant are faster, and his beats jarring (especially the seemingly off time beat in Implant). Industrial metal is a lot more percussion driven than most rock music, and Dave keeps everything going, his time is perfect. He comes out of rolls perfectly, starts and stops are on a dime and he never feels rushed, even when hes blazing along.

Dave would continue to play around with metal drumming on his Probot record, but while that record found him emulating the styles of his favorite metal bands, this album is all Grohl.

2004 : Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth

Trent Reznor has awesome taste in drummers. Josh Freese, Bill Rieflin, Ilan Rubin, whoever he puts behind the kit is willing and able. In 2004, when he seemed to cheer up a little, he recruited Dave Grohl to play on his new record. It turned out to be more of a pop record than a dark, industrial one. It showcased Reznor's arrangement style more than his other records, and the songs were a bit more upbeat (and some were even in major keys! wow!). Grohl, instead of drumming the way he did with previous metal bands held back a little and let Trent's talents shine through. That isn't to say he doesn't have his moments however.

The double kick powered song You Know What You Are? has the drums moving at a frantic pace, faster than the vocals and guitars, and then the chorus' kick in with some classic Dave Grohl rock outs.

Songs like The Collector are mid tempo, and Dave alternates between some staccato snare shots and pop rock open high hats. The Hand That Feeds has Dave playing a sort of disco-ish dance beat (kick on 1 and 3, high hats on 2 and four), something you don't hear very often from him.

The shining gem would have to be Getting Smaller, it's classic NIN, loud mechanical guitars and powerful drums. Dave throws in a little time skip every measure, and it keeps you from being able to predict his playing. Along with some killer rolls and some tom/kick drum action, Getting Smaller is still one of my favorite examples on Dave's ability. Pairing up with Reznor was one of the best things he's ever done.



Well, there you have it. This took me forever to finish, I listened to about 12 records Dave played on, and while there are still some cool records I didn't add (Probot, The Prodigy), I think these five give a good snapshot of what he is capable of. Sorry if it gets a little tedious, it's really hard to talk about the same drummer 5 different times and keep it fresh and interesting, but I didn't do too bad for my first shot at this new feature. I give myself a 70.

Out of 130.

Retribution Gospel Choir - S/T

Eric Pollard is one of the finest drummers I have had the pleasure of meeting. After seeing Retribution Gospel Choir play an incredible show at St Matthews Church, I went up to shake his hand and talk briefly about Halifax, other acts he plays for (Sun Kill Moon for one) and general small talk. He was very nice, soft spoken, and polite. You would never think he was such an animal on the drums.

His playing is fairly cymbal heavy (They Knew You Well and Breaker especially) but because of the lo-fi drum sound it's never too over bearing. His rhythm on Take Your Time is pretty unique and universal. It could work in Hip Hop or Jazz with just a few adjustments.

The best part of his playing on this record however, is his drum rolls. He seems to squeeze in more hits than you think is possible. It always feels like he's never going to come out of it on time and them BAM he nails it. The end of Take Your Time has the best one towards the end, it sounds like a train blowing by.

Live he is even more powerful, working in crazy bursts of energy between his rhythms (like the end of Holes In Our Heads, but on every song). I had thought I had seen everything, but I had never seen anyone play drums like him before. Once everyone realizes how great this record is, I'm sure people will start trying.

Audio/Visual evidence: This is the only decent live clip I could find (everything else sounded too shitty), this one sounds shitty too, but at least the camera is on Eric most of the time.

Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die

This is how I picture Tortoise was formed, in my head. It all started with a conversation between John McEntire and Doug McCombs.

JM: Hi, Doug.
DM: Howdy John.
JM: I have this idea.
DM: Well golly John, what is it?
JM: We should start a band.
DM: Gosh John, but we're both drummers.
JM: I know, but we're awesome drummers.
DM: We sure are.
JM: Exactly, and you know how we always seem to think up really original, cool rhythms on our own?
DM: I sure do.
JM: Well what if we could like, do THAT, and then, we could just get a bunch of our awesome musician friends to like, join our band, so then we can have different line ups, and work stuff out with our favorite musicians.
DM: That sounds like it would be swell, who did you have in mind?
JM: Well, you like Slint, right?
DM: Well sure. Doesn't everyone?
JM: Ok, so like, we could maybe get that guy from Slint, you know the one that plays a bunch of instruments?
DM: Yeah he's awesome.
JM: Well, maybe we could get him to play on maybeeeee, I dunno, our second record?
DM: Let's do 'er up.

Later, after getting David Pajo from Slint to play on Millions Now Living Will Never Die, this is how I picture John and Dave's conversation going as they are sitting on the couch in the studio, listening to the final master.

JM: Oh man, this sounds great.
DM: Sure does.
JM: I really like the way it kicks off with like this huge epic, twenty minute song.
DM: Yeah and its got that really steady krautrock beat, and all of those cool effects on the drums.
JM: I call those my science.
DM: Your science is awesome.
JM: Thanks. I really like what you do* after that, you play that half time beat with this hip hop-ish kick drum pattern. Genius.
DM: Yeah, I sure am glad I thought that one up.
JM: Oh here comes Glass Museum, I love how dark and cavernous the drums sound on this one.
DM: Pfft. It's nothing compared to those sixteenth notes you got going on in The Taut and Tame.
JM: I forgot about those, those were awesome.
DM: Sometimes, I forget what a good idea it was to make this band, then I remember how talented we are, and how fun this is, and then I get so excited I almost pee in my pants.
JM: It's a good thing we're awesome drummers, because this could have sounded horrible.
DM: Yep, but it doesn't.
JM: We're totally BFF.
JM: Totally.


*I actually have no idea who is playing what.

Audio/Visual Evidence: Glass Museum, Thirty minute live set.

AC/DC - Back in Black

I am so tired of people ragging on Phil Rudd.

Back in my Prog Rock days I had a Mike Portnoy instructional VHS, and on it he demonstrated something by playing a simple straight ahead rock beat. He sarcastically added at the end of it "this beat is so simple, it could be an AC/DC song."

Shut up Portnoy.

Just because Phil Rudd doesn't play odd times, or poly rhythms, or other complicated stuff doen't mean that he can't. He plays what suits the songs he is given. I always secretly hoped that Phil Rudd would come out with some abstract free jazz record full of all the stuff "real" drummers want to hear, just to shut them up.

Phil Rudd is a genius, and here is why. He found a band where all he had to do was play drums in a way that made dudes with mullets pump their fists in the air. Turns out the best way to do it is mid tempo hard rock and roll. While it is easy to play, it guarantees that Phil could get piss loaded drunk (something he did probably way too much in the eighties) and still play perfectly. If that's not brilliant I don't know what is.

Millions of people that don't even know how to play drums will air drum to Phil Rudd. Who doesn't air drum the snare/cymbal hit on the 2 of You (BAM!) Shook Me All Night Long when you hear it on the radio. It's timeless and it will be heard by more people for more years than most rock music.

Just think of how many awesome drummers that are going now. I guarantee you that at least 70 percent of them early on drummed along to AC/DC records. It's a crucial stepping stone that they have laid. It's like an introduction to rock music class rolled into a discography. Sure it's not deep, introspective rock music, but it's not supposed to be. AC/DC make music to drink beer and fuck girls to, and I'm pretty sure they do it better than everyone else (yes, even KISS).

I'm not even going to talk about the drums on this record because if you havn't already heard every song on Back In Black then you're a moron and get the hell off my blog.

There, I'm done.

Audio/Visual Evidence : Shoot to Thrill, Hells Bells, Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

Listen.

I love The Moon & Antartica. It has two of my all time favorite Modest Mouse songs, Paper Walls and Tiny Cities Made of Ashes. I can understand why people claim it to be Modest Mouse's masterpiece, but there is just something I don't get. Most of the people that are so quick to praise TMAA are quicker to dismiss the next album, Good News For People Who Love Bad News as anything less than an equal. Their favorite argument is claiming that Modest Mouse catered to a more mainstream crowd with it, they tamed down the weirdness a little bit to appeal to radio. That's ridiculous. Listen to Dance Hall or The Devil's Workday and tell me those songs aren't a little weird. I like to think that Modest Mouse were always slightly ahead of their time, but they stayed together long enough for the time to catch up to them. Good News... is an example of a right record coming out at the right time, and anyone who doesn't think they worked hard enough to get to where they are is an idiot.

Despite being similar to TMAA in a lot of ways, there is one major difference. The drums on Good News... are clearer, louder, and Jeremiah Green had finally perfected his style of loose, in the pocket drumming with a touch of spastic, punk rock fury.

It takes two tracks for him to come in, but he does it with a smooth rolling snare/high hat fill that makes your head start to bob instantly. The beat for Float On is straight rock in theory but Green has a way to meld time with his sticks, and it feels like it has a slight swing.

Once the cymbals come in on The Ocean Breathes Salty Green layers them at the perfect level, it all feel very airy, and he does these snare trills between hits that really help the song dynamically.

Every song has something cool to it, even when Green is holding back. My favorites would have to be Bury Me With It, where Green alternates between a kick/high hat rhythm into a loud, crashing rock beat every eight bars or so, and The View where he plays a tight dance beat with some disco high hats, a pumping kick drums and some awesome snare work.

Green has really forged his way into an interesting area of rock drumming, he walks a fine line between loose time and tight rhythm, and he does it with an original sense of dynamic.

My lovely girlfriend was awesome enough to gt us tickets to see Modest Mouse next week, so basically, I can't wait to watch this guy play drums this upcoming Monday, and while I had other albums lined up in my head to post on here, I've been brushing up on MM for the show and I thought I would share it with you.

Neener Neener Neener.

Audio/Video Evidence: Satin In A Coffin, Ocean Breathes Salty, Float On

Kings Of Leon - Because of the Times

Kings of Leon are one of the only bands going right now who have attained a certain level of super stardom and deserve it. While their latest record, Only by the Night, is topping the charts, Because Of The Times set them in the right direction, and it is probably the best thing they will ever do. It's noisy, it's soulful, it's charming and its bloody impressive. Cool bass lines, fuzzy guitars and unique vocals are good to have, but they are better when your drummer is a good as Nathan Followill.

It starts with Knocked Up (or as I like to call it, Ghost Notes: The Song). Nathan keeps his touch light on the snare drum through the verses then wails on it intermittently during some loud dust ups. His snare work is really what makes this record so great. He throws in trills and ghost notes after his initial hits, sort of creating his own echo. He does it in Knocked Up, he does it in On Call, he does it McFearless, he does it in Black Thumbnail, My Party, and Ragoo too. Half of this record is impressive just because of his snare drum.

Now lets talk about his kick drum foot. During the chorus of McFearless he alternates quarter notes between his kick and snare, the pattern seems to change each bar, but he repeats it each chorus. Does he need to? No, but he does it to entertain guys like me. He can be light and jazzy like on The Runner, or he can keep it rocking like on On Call.

Nathan is one of those guys that is just a cool drummer. He's way cooler than me, and he's way cooler than you. Let's just listen to his records and embrace it.

Audio/Visual Evidence : McFearless, My Party, Knocked Up

Indie Spotlight - Be Bad - Vision Correction

Musicians in Halifax talk about certain golden periods in its history. The Sloan/Thrush Hermit years. The Burnt Black/Dependent Music era that brought us bands like Wintersleep and eventually Holy Fuck. The North of America/The Plan/Equation of State math rock years. Everyone has a time they get nostalgic for. Their own golden years. They talk about bands they miss, venues they miss and how everything is different. I'm no different than them.

I miss Be Bad.

I was lucky enough to see them four times at various stages in their short lifespan but it was enough to take in the whole of Be Bad before they broke up. I was at Reflections when they did this. I was at the Seahorse for one of their last shows at Halifax Pop Explosion. I saw one of their early shows at the One World Cafe. Every time I went, it was for two reasons. To see a great band and to see if maybe tonight is the night Will Erving finally explodes while he is playing drums. I'm not kidding, I was convinced that could actually happen.

Will played with more energy than only the best and most focused drummers can even dare to muster. Somehow he managed to look like he was having a migraine, hit the drums as hard as possible and still have perfect time and play cool shit. He played drums like he was trudging through a musical swamp, except instead of the usual frogs and salamanders he is encountering those deep Sea monster fish with huge teeth and glowing eyes.

His tom work is awesome (especially on Dead Head and Primer Grey Erection), they sound great and he has a real guttural way of playing them. He also plays lots of cymbals ( I mean style wise, I don't know how many he owns), but tonally they really change the dynamic, It's not a huge mess. Erving knows what he wants to sound like, he is a master at organized chaos. I find that he seems to have more of a relationship with the guitar than the bass, and it gives the record a spastic, jarring quality. Along with sounding fantastic (thanks to engineer J Lapointe) Will's drums always sound interesting, they never regress into punk rock/psych conventions.

It was a short career but god damnit, it was awesome.

Audio/Visual Evidence : Primer Grey Erection, Battledick