Pick Withers

What I heard of PW's drumming seemed ok to me, but it seemed a strange time to quit the band(D Sts)as they were high & still on the way up.
Did he have a boot mark on his butt or was it his choice?
 
He left D/S on his own accord. From what I understand he wanted to pursue playing jazz, and more importantly spend more time with his family.
 
I love his cymbal sound, especially on the song "Sultans of Swing". Anyone know the specs of his cymbals on the first Straits album?
 
I believe he was already using Paiste cymbals at that time. Couldn't tell you what models though.
 
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One of my favourites and inspiration. Yes Dire Straits changed dramatically after Pick Left. I dont know howmany times I listened to "One up on a time in the west", excellent Drumming from start to finish with changing the snare patterns, thats what I want to see in songs other than the same old time keeping, Pick's style is not flashy with 20 plus Toms and 30 plus Cymbals which inspires me tremendously and the chops are way complicated for me to copy!
The drum sound in "Communique" is awsome!

If you havent, check out Terry Williams playing in "Alchemy Live" during Once up on a time in the west song, I dig that drum sound as well.

Here is Pick in the middle with his old band Primitives!

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...Pick+Withers&start=36&ndsp=18&um=1&hl=en&sa=N
 
I love his cymbal sound, especially on the song "Sultans of Swing". Anyone know the specs of his cymbals on the first Straits album?

Hi,

This is Pick's wife here. He tells me that he used Paiste 60 series cymbals on the first DS album, with 14 inch hi-hats.

He is starting his own website in the New Year. If you are interested in seeing him play, he is touring with the Gary Fletcer Band - dates on Gary's website of same name.

All best
 
What I heard of PW's drumming seemed ok to me, but it seemed a strange time to quit the band(D Sts)as they were high & still on the way up.
Did he have a boot mark on his butt or was it his choice?

Hi,

Pick left DS to pursue jazz and to be with his family - I am his wife so I should know! He was unhappy in the band towards the end and has only ever played for love and would leave any project if it became unenjoyable for him in a musical sense. He has never been motivated by money or fame - he's a true artist and master of his craft.
 
Well, he's a damn good drummer. I thought Dire Straits went into the toilet when he left the group. The drummers after pick just sound so vanilla. I think Knofler hates drummers.
 
Hi all, as you can see I'm new.
I've just a question what is the snare drum (size - depth - material) he uses with the dire straits? I'm becoming mad to achieve that sound...

Actually I'm playing in a DS and MK tribute band, I'm already addicted to paiste and reading about his cymbal set-up has threw me in a worldwide scale "60 series" searching :D but I miss the snare setup and also like the "pss pss" of the hi-hat in sultans of swing the snare drum sound change the song from a good song to a great performance.
I've a 14 x 5 hand-crafted maple snare with hazy300 and a G1 but I think a 14 x 6,5 steel is better for my purpose... or not?

Bye all
 
Hi all, as you can see I'm new.
I've just a question what is the snare drum (size - depth - material) he uses with the dire straits? I'm becoming mad to achieve that sound...

Im guessing its an Eddie Ryan snare drum as he used Eddie Ryan drums with Dire Straits not sure on the size - depth - material but this guy http://www.youtube.com/user/looping800#p/u has a lot of high definition hour long Dire Straits concerts on Youtube with Pick on drums if that helps
 
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Oh tnx! this video is unknown to me and it enlightened me, around 17.20 when he goes to the ride it continues to chick the hi-hat and along whole song it stops the stick over the snare and, I've tried now, it produces that stopped sound letting vibrate the snare wire.
Yesterday I've recorded a demo using a 14x6,5 DW snare drum with a puresound wire and a loose batter head and the sound is much closer to the Pick's sound.

I think that will be my way when I must choose my new snare drum... when I Play DS, for other purposes I've other 2 snares, also he could used something like this
http://www.eddieryancustomdrums.co.uk/images/14x6 Snare3.JPG

This video has good shots of Pick at 17:00 mins is sultans of swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDzzGXk-hg4

Here there's a nice interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwQ8nLnk7as#t=8m24s
 
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Love Picks feel for the song.He inspired me with the way he hits the balance between keeping it simple but not being afraid to get busy when it works.
I have to confess I owe him some credit for the style I play with today in my band armchairpilots.
Sadly living in Galway on the west coast of Ireland I never got to see him play live.
Of course there are many others I love e.g. Brian Downey,Reni,Charlie Watts .
The beat goes on .
Thanks Pick for the inspiration.
 
Love Picks feel for the song.He inspired me with the way he hits the balance between keeping it simple but not being afraid to get busy when it works.
I have to confess I owe him some credit for the style I play with today in my band armchairpilots.
Sadly living in Galway on the west coast of Ireland I never got to see him play live.
Of course there are many others I love e.g. Brian Downey,Reni,Charlie Watts .
The beat goes on .
Thanks Pick for the inspiration.

Hey Jpilot, good call mentioning Reni, another incredible drummer, very underrated, there seem to be many many rumours of what happened to him after the Stone Roses packed it in.
 
This is Pick's wife here. He tells me that he used Paiste 60 series cymbals on the first DS album, with 14 inch hi-hats.

I'm assuming this means Formula 602 cymbals. There were no "60" series cymbals by Paiste, as far as I know. I've been dying to know the exact hi-hats (sound-edge, medium or heavy, or possibly a mixed set?) he used on that album.

Here's his website ... http://www.pickwithers.co.uk/ which gives an email address to contact him.
 
Hey Jpilot, good call mentioning Reni, another incredible drummer, very underrated, there seem to be many many rumours of what happened to him after the Stone Roses packed it in.

Howdy,according to an Ian Brown interview interview in Uncut magazine a few years ago.....(you had better sit down to take the shock out of this) Reni walked away from the Roses ,but he later gave permission for Brown to use some drum loops he recorded on Browns debut called unfinished monkey business.In my opinion the loops were decent but let down by the recording quality that was very 4-track cassette based.Brown and Mani hinted that Reni did not play drums much for a couple of years after a loss of confidence in his playing after seeing a young kid in New York that blew him away.Brown felt Reni was the best drummer of his generation and almost as good on guitar.After 2005 he did a short tour under the name The Rub I think it was called,a band playing original material that he sang and played guitar on,I think it lasted a year without much success as far as I know
.Bass player Mani has been saying he would love to hear Reni back on drums anytime,he was so good would draw enough people to fill an arena gig just on his own playing drums.
 
JPilot thanks for the info, deflating as it it may be, hopefully he'll pick up his sticks again one day.

Take care
 
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