Todd Sucherman here!

Andreas,

Really, I was called for a session with them in '95. One song-- and I went in, met them, and I was done in an hour. I said goodbye and that was it. They called me again about 10 months later to do another song and I felt something was brewing. They called me a week later and asked if I was available for a 4 month tour. We rehearsed for about 3 1/2 weeks or so and began the tour. I knew all the songs and it was very natural feeling. As I've said before, it was a balance of honoring what came before (insofar as the parts) and then adding my spices without changing the flavor of the material. I did my best to update a lot of the parts and that's really it. Glad to hear the trad grip thing is working itself out.

OK! There you go-

Sirwill---

Sorry you missed the gig. I also did a clinic that same day at the university for Craig Allen's drum shop. As far as the new kit (that's actually 2 years old now) goes, I really adore it. Fat sounding with a strong fundamental tone. Inspiring every night. (pic below)

Cheers-
Todd


WOW, Todd, what ride cymbal is THAT on your new kit?? That doesn't look like a Precision Ride! lol

Are you mainly using Vault V crashes on stage or do you occassionally have the AAX Xplosion Fast Crashes now? I see them on your setup on Sabian.com.

Speaking of gear stuff, I gotta kick my local Guitar Centers and other retailers in the butt and get your ProMark sticks in stock. I can't find them ANYWHERE in-store.. I might have to order online.. Although my local "mom and pop" store said they can order me some. Would love to try them out!

Best,

Dominick
 
Hi Todd!

I watched a clip from youtube just now(the pro-mark video just before your MD performance),
and their you say that your favourite recording you've done was a song with Into The Green.
What song was it, and how do I get it?

Cheers from sweden
 
Dominick,

Which pic do you mean? If it's the double kick live rig--it is indeed the Vault Precision ride. I'm using mainly Vault and AA crashes live but have the Fast Crashes on the recording rig...so I do use them all. Thanks in advance for getting your shops in line, and getting them to carry the stick. But, you can always order online.

Thanks, man.

Larta--

You know, I was kind of caught off guard by that question. I don't know if that's truly my favorite but it's one of them, and was a memorable session for me. I read this chart down live during the session 13 years ago and it still holds up in my opinion. I actually found a link to purchase it here:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/intogreen

Or, a clip from it is on the audio page of my website here:

http://www.toddsucherman.com/albums_intothegreen.html

It's kind of "Seal-ish" overall....and I think I played on 4 tracks on that record, produced by the multi Grammy Steve Rodby. Hope you're entertained.

Thanks!
Cheers from Phoenix,
Todd
 
Hey Todd thanks for chatting with me at NAMM 2010 in Anaheim.Myself at almost 56 I have listened to Styx since the first album.Todd you will be noted as one of the greatest all around drummers of all time......Thanks for taking the photo with me Chuck

The highlight of my 44 yrs playing drums.Thanks again.

tn_DSCN0573.jpg
 
Hi Todd!

I ordered the Into the Green cd, and it should arrive in sweden...well sometime in the future. Looking forward to it!
Anyway, just watched your M&M dvd(again), and when you talk about your gear you say that you'll have a new kit comming. What will happen to the old kits now?

I hope our roads cross eachother someday!
Btw, I just voted for you in the MD Readers Poll "Best Rock Drummer".

Cheers
// Larta
 
Todd, Got to see you guys in North Charleston, SC a few months back and your playing was awesome! We were seated in one of the boxes with our backs up against the wall
and every one of your bass drum hits vibrated the wall, but the bass guitar was back in the mix.
When REO came on it was the complete opposite. Tons of bass guitar and very little kick drum for Brian Hitt.
Is this done or purpose or at the discretion of the guy on the board?
It was fantastic either way, because there was a lot of slam and depth in your kicks.
 
Chuck--

It was a pleasure to meet you at NAMM. Thanks for coming by and saying hi---and thanks for the kind words! They are appreciated.

Larta--

I hope you enjoy the CD. Like I said, that was done a long time ago but that was a memorable session. I had two Masterworks kits made in 2000 and one was on the road and the other was the home rig which I used for the DVD. The "new kit" I received in late '07 and is still on the road, and the "old" kit is now in our "B" rig on the road. We have fairly identical rigs, so we can do a show in Boston and then fly to LA and do something there and the gear is basically the same. Thanks for your support in the MD polls!

b4z--

Glad you enjoyed the gig. You know, arenas are often difficult acoustically and vary from venue to venue. Our house engineer is really great and goes for a clean mix over head crushing volume. That being said, maybe he felt the venue was brutal on bass and it was down a touch---or perhaps 200 feet in another direction in the venue---the kicks were soft and the bass was crushing. That can happen where in different locations other things are predominant or lost. I can't speak for REO's mix, but it's interesting you had different sensations. And again thanks for coming and glad you enjoyed the gig!

Cheers,
Todd
 
Awesome!
Todd, I have more questions(it never ends)! I would be thankful if you would answer some more questions as well.
I want to try to make a living playing music, and I don't care where in the music scene it is.
Just as I long as I can make living doing something with music(it's a dream I have, and dreams make you keep going).
Right now I'm studying jazz at a music school in sweden. One of my teacher is Roy Okutani, and he was actually a teacher at Berklee for 11 years(1983-1994).
He's a great teacher and I get to play with him, just the two of us, once a week during my time at the school.
_______________________________________________________________

Anyway, I have plans to start to get to Stockholm(swedens capital) to begin a career, and I would really appreciate some tips
on how you started to get into the whole music scene. How it was like in the beginning.
Did you take a regular day job and tried to play with as many as you could during the rest of the day, or how did you do?
Did you pick up ads fom different bands in chicago and just made your way through?
I have some experience in singing on funerals. I know it sounds pretty sad, but it's actually very rewarding
considering that those near and dear to the one that died gets a good last farewell and all that. And I like that.

Btw, I wrote a letter to you to your homepage asking all the questions from my first posting on this forum,
and I didn't know that you answered my letter, thank you for answering it both on your site and on this forum.

ps.
I think that it's pretty cool that I can write to you lik this, considering that you're one of my absolute favourite drummers
(you share the 1st rank with Mike Portnoy, who get me starting playing drums).
It means a lot to me.

Cheers from cold sweden
 
Larta--

Everyone's experience is different and mine was somewhat unique. I've been playing professionally since age 6 starting out with my older brothers. Have older brothers as musicians meant that I was able to meet other older musicians through their networking as well and I've been working steadily as a musician since age 13 and never had any other job for a day. I've been quite fortunate in that regard.

I know you have my dvd, and in the "For the right reasons" section, you know that I've said that everything that has accelerated my career has come from the recommendations of other musicians. So you need to have some money set aside to go out a lot in Stockholm and meet other musicians. This means having money to pay cover charge, food and drinks, parking, etc. You need to play with as many people as you can and be patient as you become acquainted with certain circles of players in town. Take every gig and treat it seriously. Be early, be ready, and leave everyone happy that you were there---musically and personally.

That's my best advice for now!

Cheers from cold Texas,
Todd
 
Hi Todd!

The advice was really good! Thank you.
Now I'm starting to make phone calls(trying to make friends), make a budget for when I leave to stockholm!
I can't thank you enough!

But I do have some more questions.
I was on your site, checking out more stuff on your Audio section, and I checked out the Incidental Film music. Now thts sounds awesome! could you tell me more about it?
I also want to know more about your relation with Jerry Goodman and your version of Tears of joy. That version isn't the original version from his cd Ariel. How did you get that version?
And the songs you play on clinics, how do you get them without the drums?

Cheers
 
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Hey John--

Thanks, and hope all's cool with you!

Larta--

Regarding the incidental film music here: http://www.toddsucherman.com/albums_incidental_film.html

These were a few pieces I wrote with my engineer and guitarist JR Taylor and my Styx bassist Ricky Phillips for submission for the Boondock Saints sequel. I'm friends with Troy Duffy, the writer/director of The Boondock Saints---and thought these pieces might fit in for action scenes or whatever on the sequel that came out last October. They weren't picked for the film but I popped them on the audio page anyway because they were fun to do.

Jerry Goodman is a friend of mine and I just commissioned him to record that track for me. Simple as that. And for any other recordings I might have I simply have the engineer make me a drummless mix. Couldn't be easier.

Thanks!
Todd
 
Okey, awesome!
Is it possible to get the songs from incidental films somewhere?

Todd, you have your cymbals pretty high up. and your ride cymbals looks like it's kinda far away. what is your approach to how you set up cymbals?
 
Larta--

Nope, those songs are just on the site......they are not even songs but just pieces really. My ride looks high but my shoulder is down and my arm is comfortable. My cymbal set up is where everything is reachable and comfy. That's it really.

Cheers,
Todd
 
I have some Spring Clinics coming up---come out and say hello if anyone lives in these locations!

Cheers-
Todd


Saturday March 6th @6pm with Jimmy DeGrasso
San Jose Pro Drum
Location-Willow Glen High School Band Room
2001 Cottle Ave. San Jose, CA. 95125
tix: $15

March 17, 2010
Just Drums (In-Store Clinic)
137 Willowdale Avenue
North York, ON M2N 4Y3
(800) 565-6676
Tme: 7:00pm

MARCH 18, 2010
Long & McQuade
Venue:
The Hellenic Community of Ottawa
1315 Prince of Wales Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K2C 1N2
Store Address:
2631 Alta Vista Dr.
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 7T5
Phone: 613-521-5909
Time: 7:30PM

MARCH 20, 2010
MUSIQUE GAGNÉ ET FRÈRES
302, Rue Durocher,
Quebec, QC G1K 4W9
Phone: 418-525-8601
Venue:
Salle Jean-Paul-Tardif
950, avenue Joffre, Québec, G1S 1V2
Does open @ 5*:30pm

March 21, 2010
Steve’s Music Store
Corona Theatre
2490 rue Notre-Dame west
Doors at 3pm
E-Pro Live / Korg Wave drum demo 3:15- 4:45
Isaac Dumont 5:00 pm
Flo Mounier 5:30
Todd Sucherman 6:30
*
Thursday April 1st @7PM
Resurrection Drums
The Bienes Theatre of the Arts
* (at St Thomas Sr High School)
2801 SW 12th St
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33312
(954)513-2272


Monday April 5th @ 7PM
Tickets $10 in advance $12 at the door
TJ's Music
347 South Main St.
Fall River, MA 02721
Call 508-673-9100 for more info
www.tjsmusic.com


Tuesday April 6th @ 7pm
Husson University Gracie Theatre
One College Circle Bangor, ME 04401
Tickets are $10
Contact Mark's Music for more info @ 207-989-6658

Dicenso's Drum Shop
Wednesday April 7th @ 7pm
Venue is at Hajjar's
969 Washington St.
Weymouth, MA 02189
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door
For more info call Dicenso's at*(781) 331-3333
www.dicensos.com
*
 
Hello Todd...

A real quick one:

Something I frequently stumble across in your xpad-section...what's the difference between the 6d and the six-rolls (Para-Diddle-Diddle...etc.)? I guess I'm missing something. Sticking is the same, right?...is it the time ... the triplet-feel? The accentuation, maybe?

As always...thanks, man!

Cheers,
Andreas
 
Great news, looking forward to the Dicenso's clinic. Can I get a picture with you? :)
 
Ok, Todd...thanks for your quick reply.....I've got to bug you some more though. I hope you don't mind:)

See: I watched the section again. My bad...I meant what the difference was between the six-rolls in the sextuplet-rate and then the next thing you mention, the 6B (which is of course the Chaffee-thing) in the compound-stickings-part of the xpad-session? Respectively, why did you seperate them?

I'm just being a faithful student and trying to get all this valuable stuff together, Todd! ...

Really -- your personal, additional stuff on this forum and all sort of comes with the Dvd...I understand that... But I already got the feeling I owe you a lot more than that, man:)

Cheers,
Andreas



Ok-ok....I got it now! ..It's basically that the 6B and the sextuplet-six's have different starting-points and accents...RLLRRL for the sextuplets and respectively RLRRLL for the Chaffee....

That's it...or is it?
 
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I have some Spring Clinics coming up---come out and say hello if anyone lives in these locations!

Cheers-
Todd


MARCH 18, 2010
Long & McQuade
Venue:
The Hellenic Community of Ottawa
1315 Prince of Wales Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K2C 1N2
Store Address:
2631 Alta Vista Dr.
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 7T5
Phone: 613-521-5909
Time: 7:30PM

Awesome, Todd! I will definately be attending. I've been waiting for a clinic of yours to come to town ever since I saw you at the Montreal Drumfest. Very excited. I will bring my copy of your DVD (which is great) to hopefully get signed. This is great news.
 
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