Favourite Australian Drummers

[Carlos]

I reckon we are blessed in Australia with some of the best, most unique drummers in the world.

I'm a player myself, but i'm not a massive tech head so i'll avoid mentioning the likes of Virgil Donati, Jon Zac and all those psyco hired gun dudes (feel free to though!) as they just dont do it for me.

I'm much more into some of the dudes behind the chops of some of our better local bands.

IMO, the most tasteful and musical player with the best mix of chops and character is Ross Hetherington from Melbourne's Body Jar. Now whether you're a fan of the band's tunes or not, this dude is just a dynamite player who is always right oin the money. Has some of the quickest hands going around, is completely ambidextrous, knows how to support his band's songs yet still manages to give them all alot of life and personality without bamboozling you with bullsh*t chops just for the sake of it. The guy's energy has to be seen to be believed, he is a natural showman and is an awesome guy as well!

Pete Kostic from Front End Loader and of late Regurgitator is another really original player. Manages to do a heap in the context of the songs, without ever sounding too busy and ruining what are very well thought out and well written pieces of music. Very very creative, in the Stuart Copelane mould, but definately with that Aussie thing that only our players have. Also a really cool guy!

Adam Pedretti who occupies the stool for Killing Heidi is on of our most under0rated players. Not necessarily for his work with KH, but if anyone ever had the pleasure of checking out the origainl Non-Intentional Lifeform line-up or Pencil Neck would agree that you would have seen one this counrty's best examples of raw power, speed, precision and control, very much in the Igor Cavalera mould but with that unique Australianess that our best players have. And he is one of the funniest dudes you'll ever want to have a beer or whatever is going with!

Tom Larkin from Shihad/Pacifier is another really solid and tastful
player. Has all the tricks but is one of those dudes that impresses you with what he isn't doing, and instead concentrates on being musical and supporting the killer tunes of his band.

I could go on, with the likes of Trav Dempsey formerly of the Living End, Russell Hopkinson from You Am I, Matt Skitz from Damaged (absolute psycopath!!), Jon Coghill from Powderfinger (back when they tried anyway!), Adrian Matt from Testeagles, Matt Coffee from Henry's Anger, Clint Hymen from Something For Kate (gees that bloke deserves a better band than them!) and of course the legendary Rob Hurst from the Oil's and Jon Farriss from INXS. We have so many great players supporting the grooves of our many awesome local bands. Who are some of your favs?

 

[Hank Jones]

Scott (tocs) Nadebaum from Where's The Pope? absolutely craps on Adrian Matt from the Testeagles.

Scott went to watch Midnight Oil with us one night and said he thought Rob Hirst 'hit the drums like a girl'. Tocs was absolutely brutal on the drums.

 

[Carlos]

Originally posted by Hank Jones
Scott (tocs) Nadebaum from Where's The Pope? absolutely craps on Adrian Matt from the Testeagles.

Scott went to watch Midnight Oil with us one night and said he thought Rob Hirst 'hit the drums like a girl'. Tocs was absolutely brutal on the drums.

Havent seen or heard of "Where's the Pope" except on here, but this dude is certainly talking the talk. Hope he can walk it.

 

[Hank Jones]

Originally posted by Carlos

Havent seen or heard of "Where's the Pope" except on here, but this dude is certainly talking the talk. Hope he can walk it.

Macca saw us live, he can tell ya. The drummer from 'Rancid' was heard to remark that our drummer (tocs) was an animal on the drums. Mind you I still think that Matt from Damaged is the most brutal drummer I've ever seen.

 

[Carlos]

Originally posted by Hank Jones
Macca saw us live, he can tell ya. The drummer from 'Rancid' was heard to remark that our drummer (tocs) was an animal on the drums. Mind you I still think that Matt from Damaged is the most brutal drummer I've ever seen.

I'll agree with you on Matt. Obviously you'd be aware that there is more to being a good drummer (muso) than sheer power, speed and brutality, but that dude just aint human!

I heard the story that the Napalm Death dude litterally bowed to Matt after seeing him play the first time in support of ND and handed him the crown of fastest everything (legs, arms, deep heat!) in the world! Too much!

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Definitely Ross from Bodyjar would be right up there - sensational drummer.

Trav Dempsey is a big loss for the Living End and will be tough to replace. One of the few drummers where you can actually tell the difference in the band before and after he joined. Even his improvement from the 1st to 2nd album was pretty amazing. I still remember the gig they played at the HiFi in November 2000 where he had a double kick.

Kram from Spiderbait deserves a mention just because he sings as well!

 

[S.J Rollin]

Rob Hirst from Midnight Oil was probably the first drummer I took notice of. Don't know if he is anywhere near as energetic these days but he was awesome back in the 80's.

 

[Defender]

Donati by a country mile ..absolutely on fire

next up is a geezer called Klaus Krispin who has been in a variety of cover bands and travels back and forth from Europe - played in Melb metal band Bloodstone with Joe Cool.

Matty Skitz is very quick and fast

Darren Mc Mastersmith - ex Hobbs Angel of Death and BigDeal (covers/originals)

Pavel from metal band Kymera/Arkaya now called Black Majesty

Sham - ex Nothing Sacred

I personally reckon there are lots of crap drummers out there today..

 

[hotpie]

Lindy Morrison from the Go-Betweens

"Cattle and Cane" is a classic and that is mainly due to her drumming.

Also Rob Hirst

 

[vanders]

Trav Dempsey and Adam Pedretti for me.

I'm not sure of her name, but theres some aussie chick drummer that alot of people seem to think is pretty darn good, which i like to hear, chick drummers rule

 

[Carlos]

Originally posted by vanders
Trav Dempsey and Adam Pedretti for me.

I'm not sure of her name, but theres some aussie chick drummer that alot of people seem to think is pretty darn good, which i like to hear, chick drummers rule

I cant remember the chick from the Mavis' name but she goes alright. Theres also Melbourne girl named Tania Cavanah who is awesome and a really nice girl as well.

And of course there is Damain from Motor Ace!

 

[Hank Jones]

Originally posted by Carlos

I cant remember the chick from the Mavis' name but she goes alright. Theres also Melbourne girl named Tania Cavanah who is awesome and a really nice girl as well.

And of course there is Damain from Motor Ace!

The chick from the Mavis's does not go alright. She's a hack!

I would like to also add my weight to Russell from You Am I, as I've had the pleasure of watching him drum in various bands for years. He is very correct technically and is able to play many styles. When I first met him he was in Vicious Circle and playing hardcore punk. He may be playing crap music now, but he is a damn good drummer.

 

[Hawks_Fan]

He's probably not a good drummer (because I know nothing about drumming), but Aaron Hewson who drummed for 'The Mark of Cain' for the 'Ill at Ease' CD rocks pretty hard. Great drumming for a great CD.

 

[Hank Jones]

Originally posted by Hawks_Fan
He's probably not a good drummer (because I know nothing about drumming), but Aaron Hewson who drummed for 'The Mark of Cain' for the 'Ill at Ease' CD rocks pretty hard. Great drumming for a great CD.

Aaron is a better guitarist than drummer, but he did drum nicely on that album. The drummer before Aaron (Campbell) was a better drummer but had many personal demons to deal with.

 

[happy_in_hell]

here is a drummers joke for you:
(and b4 you rip on me, i too learnt the drums for a couple of years (i'm pretty crap tho))

What do you call a drummer who split up with his girlfriend?

Homeless

 

[The Hippie]

Come on Carlos, tell the truth, you've just started this thread in the hope someone mentions your exploits.

For me, Rob Hirst. But then again, I don't get to see many bands live so I'm not familiar with a lot of them.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

I'd throw my weight behind Virgil Donati as the best in the business ... BTW, where is Virg playing nowadays, anyone know ?

Also, Glenn Maynard ex-HaveANiceDay & Pollyanna belts them as hard as anyone in the game.

John Prior (ex-Matt Finish) always had a lot of polish.

Rob Hirst has always been a family favorite around here.

Kram Spiderbait works as hard as anyone.

 

[M29]

Daryl Sommers.

 

[SydneyBomber]

Originally posted by Carlos

I'll agree with you on Matt. Obviously you'd be aware that there is more to being a good drummer (muso) than sheer power, speed and brutality, but that dude just aint human!

I heard the story that the Napalm Death dude litterally bowed to Matt after seeing him play the first time in support of ND and handed him the crown of fastest everything (legs, arms, deep heat!) in the world! Too much!

Yep - Matt gets my vote too.

Cannibal Corpse were so impressed they videotaped him at the Sydney show. High praise from a band that has probably played shows with most DM bands of note throughout the world.

Apparently Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel) was impressed too.

Steve (can't remember surname) who used to play in Sydney metal band Mortality was great too - very heavy but inventive.

For mellow stuff, I was always impressed with Terepai (sp?) from DIG. Nice guy too - met him a couple of times.

 

[Carlos]

Yeah agree Sydney Bomber, big fan of Terepai Richmond. Got all the tricks but has some really nice grooves and makes it all look really easy and relaxed, which one of the signs of a great player IMO. I really respect his willingness to experiment and push boundaries in regards to drum sounds etc.

And yeah, he is a real good dude as well.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Originally posted by M29
Daryl Sommers.

HAHAHAHA!!! Very good.

Another couple of drummer jokes:

What did the drummer say before he was sacked from the band?

"Hey guys, I just wrote some new songs"

And how do you know when a drummer is at your door?

The knock gets faster and faster.

 

[Darky]

Originally posted by Carlos
Clint Hymen from Something For Kate (gees that bloke deserves a better band than them!)

But that's how Hymen got his break. Besides, I reckon they're a CUNextTuesday of a band to listen to, so it's pretty apt.

Originally posted by Hank Jones

Mind you I still think that Matt from Damaged is the most brutal drummer I've ever seen.

Great drummer, pity that mob don't have much clue about melody and songwriting.

I will back up Defender's big rap on Pavel from the band formerly known as Arkaya. Usually at gigs I watch the guitarist(s) first and foremost, but the Czech is a friggen machine. Only a little bloke too, as if Animal had escaped his Muppet uniform.

 

[Stealth bomber]

Take this with a grain of salt, because I am a drummer myself and am extremely opinionated on the subject

With a few exceptions, I think the art of good drumming is lost these days. Of course, it is hard to find music anymore where the drumming isn't programmed, sequenced, or looped, but that's another topic.

After the 80s excess, the 90s was one whole decade of less-is-more, where everyone threw out the double kicks and went back to four piece kits and stopped playing fills altogether. While there is something to be said for minimalism, I think that it has gotten a bit boring. I miss those obnoxiously huge 80s kits with a zillion toms and the chimes and the gong

Seriously though, I don't believe there are many players out there anymore who really have a creative, musical approach. They seem content to just sit there and bash it on 2 and 4, with heavy quarter notes on the half-open hi-hat or ride, without adding anything to the mix or playing for the song. Or, they play so many ghost strokes in every measure that they lose the effect.

I am also sick and tired of the same production and drum sound being used on what seems like every rock recording made since 1992. Hardly anybody uses any reverb or effects on drums anymore, it is all completely raw and open. Every snare is played wide open with maximum ring, cymbals are thick and heavy. That's fine if that is the sound you like, but to me that sound has almost become something of a cliche.

The thing about a lot of the bands I love from the 70s and 80s, is that I can identify the drummer and the band just by the sound of the drums. Guys like John Bonham, Neil Peart, Stewart Copeland, Terry Bozzio. I can hear their playing on a record and immediately identify them; they all make that impression.

Ask me who plays drums for bands like Creed or Incubus or Nickelback or whatever, well, they might as well all be the same guy, because none of them does anything to stand out.

These are things I see mainly because when I listen to music, I listen to the drums very closely, and all of the idiosyncracies about them stand out a lot more to me than they probably would to most people.

 

[bragg]

Originally posted by GhostofJimJess


Also, Glenn Maynard ex-HaveANiceDay & Pollyanna belts them as hard as anyone in the game

and Cliff Grigg - V Spy V Spy
Also Ross filled in for Violotine in between Bodyjar gigs and did an exceptional job

 

[gPhonque]

Australian drummers?

Chris Tabone (The Badloves) - MR TASTE!
Dr Ugg - (The Brown Hornet) - MR WEIRD-ASS!

Both of those guys at least do something different. I could pick Ugg's playing a million miles away. He's not neccesarily perfect but always inventing and creating new fresh grooves.

Not really many others that are any good. The guy who used to play with the Melb cover band 'Grunt' always rocked. (Cameron somebody........Carlos would know him i'm sure.) He'd probably still be the best Aussie rock drummer i've seen. (Rob Hirst is great too but he's always seemed to have a "stiffness" to his playing that i find weird..........but he still rocks.)

As for all the punk/metal guys............pffft.

(and i thought the old Pollyanna drummer was better, well, certainly more interesting, than Glenn Maynard.......Maynard just makes them sound like every other boring pop band with rockin drums. No imagination. But then, he's a drummers drummer....)