Hannah Ford

There was a female member on this forum a few years ago who was really critical of Hannah and it came across as jealousy.

I remember her......and her giant ego. Jealousy it was mate, pure and simple. I also remember Hannah Ford reading her rantings from the ivory tower. No wonder Hannah ran for the hills after just a few posts here. I wouldn't have stuck around either.

Yeah she can play. Yeah she's hot.....No shame in stating either fact. But comparissons with Benny Greb?? Well, I think that silliness has been covered nicely.
 
Fair enough.
The influence of whatever... substance I partook in probably had the best of me. Oh well, my appologies.

I'm an old hippie so I geddit :)

I remember the incident you guys are talking about. The female forum member in question made some fair points, just that the intensity of her criticism was inappropriate for a forum that is generally respectful of drummers' talents, even if you don't like their playing style or marketing.
 
Not to beat a dead horse here...but I think what Swexx meant in regards to Hannah is not that she CAN'T play (because she obviously knows how to play), but that there are clearly other factors involved in her getting endorsements from Gretsch, Evans, Vater, Zildjian, etc. After all, those are companies trying to make money, not handing out free gear to the best drummer they hear. She's making a career out of this because she works her ass off to market herself and she's a very marketable asset.

I'm sure Swexx doesn't mean to put down a fellow drummer, but, like many people, he wonders why Hannah gets so much attention when there are ladies like this..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lkHxA57GPk .... who don't get free sticks from Vater. I hear ya, Swexx, I hear ya.

Then again, if Hannah Ford inspires other young women (or men) to play drums, we certainly shouldn't complain.
 
but that there are clearly other factors involved in her getting endorsements from Gretsch, Evans, Vater, Zildjian, etc.
Which is the case with many drummers, male or female, after all. Of course I know
what you mean, but when we think about it - it always takes more than playing abilities.

Benny Greb was mentioned: Of course he can play (and I love his playing), but he's also
great at self-promotion, speaking, teaching, being exposed (with successful artists) etc.
It may not be the look thing as with Hannah Ford (and women in general), but it's not only
about the playing.

And by the way: While we're discussing here, I'm sure Hannah is either practicing, gigging,
or enjoying her free time - so we actually should give her props for making it, because I
know plenty beautiful women who aren't endorsed by drum companies and don't play
in front of many fans. So she must have done something right, right? :)
 
Not to beat a dead horse here...but I think what Swexx meant in regards to Hannah is not that she CAN'T play (because she obviously knows how to play), but that there are clearly other factors involved in her getting endorsements from Gretsch, Evans, Vater, Zildjian, etc. After all, those are companies trying to make money, not handing out free gear to the best drummer they hear. She's making a career out of this because she works her ass off to market herself and she's a very marketable asset.

I'm sure Swexx doesn't mean to put down a fellow drummer, but, like many people, he wonders why Hannah gets so much attention when there are ladies like this..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lkHxA57GPk .... who don't get free sticks from Vater. I hear ya, Swexx, I hear ya.

Then again, if Hannah Ford inspires other young women (or men) to play drums, we certainly shouldn't complain.

Excactly what I was trying to say - though, I frased my opinions wrong, my comments turned out really harsch and the other fellows were right for correcting me.
 
when we think about it - it always takes more than playing abilities.

Benny Greb was mentioned: Of course he can play (and I love his playing), but he's also
great at self-promotion, speaking, teaching, being exposed (with successful artists) etc.
It may not be the look thing as with Hannah Ford (and women in general), but it's not only
about the playing.

+ 1. It seems that Hannah is really living her dream and that she enjoys being a drummer. That's really all that matters.

There is probably not many drummers who are known only for their playing abilities and not for their looks, sexiness, commercial jingles, etc. The only drummer known only for his playing is probably Vinnie Colaiuta..... Or maybe he is known for being a sexy beast too? Jk...
 
We're delighted to have Michele Drees perform at the launch of our new drum series at L.D.S. in October. Her gender played exactly 0% in influencing our decision to accept her kind offer. Nor actually, did notoriety. It was her ability to demonstrate two styles of kit aimed at utterly disparate genre sets that tipped the balance.

Hypothetically, if we'd had the offer of using Hannah Ford, would I have chosen her, --- no. Despite her profile, & consequently her ability to draw attention, she's not the right player, but more importantly, not the right image. Choosing her would detract from the drum's credibility IMO, as it would open us up to accusations of money bred hype.

She's chosen a path, or had a path chosen for her, that includes her obvious good looks as an integral part of the package. An equal blessing & curse IMO. Her looks & novelty almost certainly played the biggest part in her recognition launch, but when she wants to move on from that, she's left with that legacy. Being taken seriously is now a bigger challenge than it otherwise could have been, & getting hired by acts who want to occupy the limelight themselves becomes an issue too.

Having now climbed the obscurity hill, I feel sorry for her, as she now needs to greatly exceed playing expectations way beyond her male peers, in order to succeed.
 
There is probably not many drummers who are known only for their playing abilities and not for their looks, sexiness, commercial jingles, etc. The only drummer known only for his playing is probably Vinnie Colaiuta

I actually do think most of the important drummers throughout history were known only for their playing abilities. I think a few like Krupa, Ringo and Keith Moon had some matinee idol or bad boy appeal that helped their careers along. But I don't think looks had anything to do with the success of most of the greats, like Buddy Rich, Steve Gadd, Elvin Jones, John Bonham, Philly Joe Jones, Mel Lewis, Art Blakey, Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Dave Weckl, Simon Phillips, Jack DeJohnette, etc.
 
She's chosen a path, or had a path chosen for her, that includes her obvious good looks as an integral part of the package. An equal blessing & curse IMO.

Right. It could be a curse, as you say - some people maybe find it hard to take her serious after things like this https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...58891211.13691.111758348891232&type=3&theater .
But on the other hand, sexy photos may get a lot of other people more interested in her. And in today's music scene, getting people's interest is a big part of success.
 
I met her at her drum clinic last year. She was sweet, a good "rock" player in my opinion. Looks way younger than she is (she's 21 I think but looks 16..), and uh guys, she's also engaged to be married. Sorry to burst your bubble. Her father is her manager so to speak, and was there with her, introduced her to the audience, etc. Nice dad. Protective and level headed, the way good dads should be. One thing though, she plays LOUD, I mean REALLY LOUD. Played a Gretsch catalina maple I think. Anyway, great drummer, straightforward. Didn't seem like a technically precise type of drummer who played with nuance. I couldn't see her doing jazz or world music, but she's great nonetheless. She did well with the kids in the audience too. Nice person.
 
I actually do think most of the important drummers throughout history were known only for their playing abilities. I think a few like Krupa, Ringo and Keith Moon had some matinee idol or bad boy appeal that helped their careers along. But I don't think looks had anything to do with the success of most of the greats, like Buddy Rich, Steve Gadd, Elvin Jones, John Bonham, Philly Joe Jones, Mel Lewis, Art Blakey, Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Dave Weckl, Simon Phillips, Jack DeJohnette, etc.
They've been active rather before the times of internet, youtube and drum clinics.
And Vinnie could be much more popular, but he doesn't want to do that kind of stuff.
 
I met her at her drum clinic last year. She was sweet, a good "rock" player in my opinion. Looks way younger than she is (she's 21 I think but looks 16..), and uh guys, she's also engaged to be married. Sorry to burst your bubble. Her father is her manager so to speak, and was there with her, introduced her to the audience, etc. Nice dad. Protective and level headed, the way good dads should be. One thing though, she plays LOUD, I mean REALLY LOUD. Played a Gretsch catalina maple I think. Anyway, great drummer, straightforward. Didn't seem like a technically precise type of drummer who played with nuance. I couldn't see her doing jazz or world music, but she's great nonetheless. She did well with the kids in the audience too. Nice person.


That's a little bit of what I have to say. Hannah is working her image and her skills with a good attitude. She always on time, polite, always smiling, enjoy every moment, never complaint and do what she have been asked. Thank's to dad Dave who manage her correctly and not making her a circus attraction. Obviously she isn't the "best" drummer or even female drummer out there, but she is what she is and she's a good drummer. She's also surely a role model for younger female drummer.
 
I must admit I'm excited about this, being a semi-Prince fan from the 80s. I just read a review that Prince is out on tour being backed up by a three-piece female rock trio called 3rdeyegirl, in which Hannah Ford is the drummer.

What I thought was cool was that Prince is doing some of his older material with this band and everything has a more rockier edge to it (perhaps shades of Lenny Kravitz?).

Has anyone seen this yet? Of course, Prince is so hush-hush on what he's doing and doesn't allow cel phones at his concerts that the only way to see them is with an official video release, but it sounds intriguing. I would love to hear some old classic Prince done by a rock band. And I really don't know much about Hannah Ford (other than what people say here), but I think it's cool she has a band and is playing for an actual big name artist. This is much better than being a YouTube phenomenon, don't you think?

It would be cool if he did a re-release of hits done with this new band. I suppose I'll have to get tickets for a show. Oddly enough, they just played near Disneyland at a place called the Grove, but of course, I'm stuck in the magic kingdom! Gah!
 
How about the "Fired Up" boys? :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8XNqDPXaqA&hd=1

Ok, maybe I'm not quite so attractive as Hanna. I'll get my coat :(


I did see her in a prince video a while back. Sounded pretty good, but who knows how that was generated. Certainly a prime gig for Hanna, that's for sure. Good luck to her :)

Good plug there, Andy ;)

Actually I was thinking of the more esoteric tunes like "Computer Blue" or "Sign o' the times". In fact, on their facebook page, they do a version of Billy Cobham's "Stratus" which I thought was pretty cool - I never heard it as a crunchy metal song before. But the question remains if Prince was part of that recording or not. You do hear two guitar parts going on, but they don't say who's playing what.

In fact, if you want to talk about Hannah's drumming, I actually like it when people just play their parts and put the music first. Everytime I've seen a YouTube video of anybody up and coming (including the few times I've seen Hannah do it), it's always filled with so much of that "bs that they play". Don't get me wrong, I'm like alot of people and I appreciate chops (and wish I could do it myself), but without the context of a song I lose interest in about 45 seconds (sorry to open up that can of worms again, but it's true).
 
Best part of all is that hater girl who came on here a few years ago trashing Hannah about how she doesn't have the skills required of a professional drummer. And now Hannah's got a gig with Prince and the hater girl has vanished into the ether.

I love a good comeuppance.

Knee deep in schadenfreude,
8Mile
 
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