“I’m old school,” laughs drummer Brooks Wackerman. “When I was 14 years old, I was in a band called Bad for Good that Steve Vai produced. We used to be in Metal Edge all the time!” Nearly fifteen years later, Brooks has a fulltime job behind the kit of LA punk legends Bad Religion as well a hot touring gig with the comedy/hard rock duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass – better known as Tenacious D. Promoting the duo’s big screen debut, The Pick of Destiny, and its soundtrack album, the tour took the band to venues as massive as New York City’s Madison Square Garden – a first for the drummer. Known for his fast footwork as well as for being the first drummer in Bad Religion to use a double kick set up, Brooks actually plays a triple kick drum configuration for Tenacious D. You can see Brooks in action in the summer of 2007 when Bad Religion joins the annual Vans Warped Tour. Continue reading An Interview with Brooks Wackerman of Tenacious D→
Gavin Harrison joined British progressive rockers Porcupine Tree in 2002 on the cusp of recording the groundbreaking CD, In Absentia. Since then, the drummer has found time between touring and recording with Porcupine Tree to work on a variety of outside projects, including a globally acclaimed series of instructional books and DVDs covering his cerebral theories on beat displacement and rhythmic illusions. Continue reading An Interview with Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree→
For its fourth full-length album, Funeral For Yesterday, Canadian metal quartet Kittie captured an amazing studio warmth to go with their noticeably evolved, more melodic sound, courtesy of producer legend Jack Ponti (Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Alice Cooper). Although Ponti now works mainly in artist management, according to drummer Mercedes Lander, he “came out of fifteen years retirement to work with us. Jack was a big ‘80s Metal guy,” she continues. “He’s very Old School in his recording methods – which I enjoy. I’m not a big fan of ProTools, which just sucks the life out of everything. Except for the vocals, everything on Funeral For Yesterday was recorded on two-inch analog tape.” Continue reading An Interview with Mercedes Lander of Kittie→
On Saliva’s fourth major label release, Blood Stained Love Story, the Memphis-based metal quintet truly comes into its own. In a move rarely seen in any band that’s enjoyed such a degree of commercial success, Saliva risks loosening its grip on the rap-metal underpinnings that previously brought them platinum sales. Instead … Love Story’s ten dynamic songs find the band moving into an almost ‘classic hard rock’ direction, adding an exciting new edge to its music while maintaining the band’s distinct identity. Continue reading An Interview with Paul Crosby of Saliva→
LA’s Paramour Mansion, better know these days as home base for the Rock Star reality series, has a long and mysterious history dating back to the silent film era. Rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of the original owners, Papa Roach drummer Dave Buckner admits having firsthand experiences with “the other side” when his band spent three months at the mansion to record its latest album, appropriately titled, The Paramour Sessions. But Dave also confesses that his recorded performance had less to do with the supernatural than with his deeply emotional relationship to the music. Continue reading An Interview with Dave Buckner of Papa Roach→
