Frank Briggs here!

frankbriggs

Junior Member
Hi Everyone!
I am new to the forums here but have enjoyed Drummer World for quite a while. Some of you may know me from a few books and a DVD floating around out there or from the Mike Keneally, Ohm or 805 bands

I released my first solo album this year entitled "China Ranch".
You are invited to stop by my site to take a listen...and please say hello.

I see I am on the "wish list!!:) here at DWorld...thank you.

I am a fan of so many of the drummers I see here. Cliff Almond, Pat Petrillo, Phil Maturano, etc.. I am looking forward to getting to know some of you.

Thanks DrummerWorld!
All the best
Frank
 
Welcome to the site....
Its great having someone here with your experience and expertise....

Stay Active!
 
Welcome Frank. I love your playing with Mr. Keneally on Sluggo! The drum fill there at the very start of "Potato" is very nice, as are those fills at the end of the song too.

So just how did your "charts flew away in tornado"?

And you're on the newest Ohm too? I still haven't picked that one up. Hopefully soon. Chris Poland and the boys are just killer.

Hope you stick around and comment more often.
 
Thanks Guys...
I will try to check in more often.

The 32nd note intro to Potato is basically this.
It starts on beat 3.
1,2, RlrlffRlRlffrlrl The capitol letters are accents...pretty easy.

I was never an official drummer for the band. I did a 5 week tour subbing for Toss Panos.
I never really got the music under my belt either (a ton of hard sh*t) so I was reading from charts Toss had made for himself.

We played an outdoor college gig in Farmingham? Maine arranged by Mike Gaito who I believe was a student at the time.

Anyway the tune "Day of the Cow 2" (yep that is the title) was a one page chart with unison figures and the time signatures changing almost every measure (true).

Just as Mike counted DOC2 off this big wind blew in and took my book right off my music stand. there was no way to fake this tune so I sat it out in embarrassment.

Mike wrote "Potato" that night in his hotel (actually I think it was a "motel")
and Keneally history was made.
The lyrics in the bridge are..
"We went to Maine cause we're friends with Mike Gaito and Briggs' charts blew away in a tornado"

When Mike started recording the album "Sluggo" he said "You have to play on this tune"

I actually have notes from the session...here they are.

Potato Session Notes
or How I Whipped Potato
...(first Published in 1998 Art of Boogaloo, Mel Bay)

Potato is the opening track on Mike Keneally's CD "Sluggo". Mike has been the stunt musician for Frank Zappa, Steve Vai and others. I thought that maybe you would appreciate some information on how this session went down, what I used and how I prepared for it.

Equipment
Drums: Noble & Cooley Horizon series: 22x18 kick, 8", 10", 14" toms
Cymbals: Paiste: 20" medium ride and 14' hi hats (traditional), 16" & 20" full crashes (signature)
Heads: Attack: single ply coated ridge /snare, no overtone /bass drum,
thin skin 2 /top toms, clear thin skin 1 ply /bottom toms.
Sticks: Regal Tip 5A wood tip

1. I got a call from Mike asking me to play on this tune and we set up a morning to go over the arrangement. We went over the song at my house just the two of us and I took notes and made a ruff chart. I also made a tape which would be invaluable later because I lost my original notes. Mike had a few suggestions (like the 32nd note intro fill) but mostly he let me do what I wanted.

2. Next we set up a day to record. I picked out a couple cymbals I thought would sound good and I brought one extra snare, a Noble & Cooley Classic anniversary edition, some extra heads (just in case) and that was it...oh yeah and my chart. The chart wasn't detailed at all it just had the important hits and the structure of the tune. I did not work out any parts before hand. I allowed myself the freedom to improvise within the bounderies of the song.

3. I set up, tuned the drums and we decided on a tempo for the click track. I thought the original tempo Mike wanted was too slow and I am thankful he had an open mind. We found a tempo that felt good for both of us...meaning it flowed for me and I knew I would have no trouble getting a decent feeling take at this tempo. and Mike felt it was proper for the vocal and groove as well.

4. Time to play... we ran the song down just guitar and drums and there were no big problems with it and Mike says "thats it". I didn't want to believe that I got it on the first take, I knew there was nothing terribly wrong with it but I figured I could do it better (and I did drive 2 hours to get here and I wanted to play some more)..so we took a listen. I thought it sounded ok and Mike said "I'm not going to let you do it again" ...that was it.

Session finished.

Mike finished the overdubs later, made a special mix for me without the drums and a dub of the drum track and was kind enough to let me use it for the Art of Boogaloo book. I hope you enjoy it. I had the drum track run off without any music so that you could easily hear the use of ghost notes and the slight swing the groove has...I hope you find it helpful...FB


Potato was recorded at Double Time studios in San Diego, CA
Engineered by Jeff Forrest
Produced by Mike Keneally

*************************************************************************
"Sluggo" and "Art of Boogaloo" are out of print.

More info on me here
frankbriggs.com

Please stop by and say hello and/or join my mailing list. A lot has been going on this year.

Also..keep the questions coming. I am happy to answer them.
Peace
Frank
 
Thanks for the great post. I can understand about needing charts for that gig. Mike Keneally's music is awesome, but so out there. I can't imagine trying to sit in the drum chair. In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of a more challenging drummer spot.

Funny about the "Potato" tempo. I don't think that song would sound right at all going slower.

Anyway, the reason for the post is I just listened to "Circus of Sound" last night. Great CD. Ohm is just SICK good!

Your tracks have a great feel, sweet drum sounds and awesome fills. Ohm's such a busy playing trio and man, you fit in perfectly. (Kofi "Barker" & Joel Taylor are great too. Kofi blew me away when I saw Ohm live a few years back.)

I really like your part on the opening on track 5. And the greasy feel on track 7, though I'm not sure that's the right word. The song feels funky in a super-cool way to me.

Thanks for your part in making a very good CD.
 
Thanks Ekim...
I appreciate that. Yeah Keneally and Ohm were challenging but very fun at the same time. It isn't often that get the opportunity to play at the level those guys are able to.

Both were a growing experience for me.
This year I got to be on 2 albums I was proud of "Circus of Sound" and "China Ranch". If you don't have a copy of my album yet contact me through my regular email address and I will send you one.

Happy Holidays!
Frank
 
Got the CD around X-Mas, but I like to sit and listen to a new CD start to finish without interruptions. So I just got around to that today.

Track by track:
1 Fun intro tune. Very nice bass solo.
2 Love the flickering of the ride in the intro, launching into the hanging-back feel. Nice guitar solos too. Great drum solo part. The fast, soft playing is subtle but sweet.
3 Another good-feeling tune. Another nice bass solo by Mr. Fierabracci.
4 I didn't think I'd like this one after hearing the techno-esque opening. But I like the urgency in the drum part after they come in as well as how the whole band's intensity picks up in the chorus. The guitar lead line is very vocal-ish. I really like some of the guitar chords too. At least one sounds sort of modal to me.
5 Heavier feel in this tune. Rocking! I really, really like your fills with the low toms towards the ending.
6 Fun drum intro! The main drum part is very nicely busy. It keeps my ears going trying to hear all that's going on. Pieces like this one are fun to listen to.
7 Sweet bass harmonics in the intro! More fun busy but soft parts in the middle. Nice acoustic guitar outro.
8 Ahhhhh... a shuffle. I love shuffles. I can see this becoming one of my favorite practice tunes.
9 Funky up-tempo tune. Great guitar wailing.
10 Nice drum feel changes. Nice latin breakdown. More great low tom fills. Those are just so well done. Nice fills to finish the CD up.

Overall, a very good CD. Great drum sounds throughout. From the bass drum to the ride, good clear production on the drums. The production throughout is very good.

Always good to see a drummer writing his own tunes too.

My only suggestion would be MORE HEAVY STUFF! You sound killer rocking out on track 5.

The write up on you and China Ranch on MD's site was a good read. http://www.moderndrummer.com/updatefull/200001710/Frank%20Briggs

A few questions:
1) RE: the MD piece, how much theory do you know? Do you actively use it in your drum playing? If so, how?
2) Can you talk a little more about your writing process?
3) What's "Good Foot" going to be about exactly? I saw the pre-order on Amazon.com.
4 ) Would you your "Jazz Time" Mel Bay book is a good intro to jazz drumming?

Thank you so much for your kind gift. Best wishes to you.
 
The write up on you and China Ranch on MD's site was a good read. http://www.moderndrummer.com/updatefull/200001710/Frank%20Briggs

A few questions:
1) RE: the MD piece, how much theory do you know? Do you actively use it in your drum playing? If so, how?
2) Can you talk a little more about your writing process?
3) What's "Good Foot" going to be about exactly? I saw the pre-order on Amazon.com.
4 ) Would you your "Jazz Time" Mel Bay book is a good intro to jazz drumming?
.

Wow
thanks EKIM. I have played more rock than anything else and i consider myself a rock drummer. China Ranch was more about me as a composer than me as a drummer, weird as that may sound to some. I was more focused on the creative process and song writing than the drumming aspect. The next record will probably have more tunes like China Ranch and Furnace Creek..will see how it wants to go.

I only have time for a couple of these questions.

4. "Jazz Time" is a level 1 jazz book with a lot of really simple exercises. I think it is perfect for someone who doesn't know anything about jazz drumming and wants to test the waters. I would recomend the help of a good teacher as well.

3. The Good Foot is for developing single bass drum technique. All the exercises are practical and very usable. It never sold well even though it made the short list in MD readers poll a few years back. There has been renewed interest and mel Bay is bringing it back in print. The release date keeps getting changed though..not quite sure why.

The other questions require some time and i am short on that at the moment...I'll be back.
Thanks EKIM! and thanks Bernard for all the hard work you put into this great site.
Peace
Frank
 
I wouldn't have thought you were mainly a jazz guy simply because your feel is more jazzy and light than most rockers. (That's not a criticism by any means!)

Thanks for the answers.
 
I wouldn't have thought you were mainly a jazz guy simply because your feel is more jazzy and light than most rockers. (That's not a criticism by any means!)

Thanks for the answers.

I get it..thank you and thanks for the review on Amazon. I am not into labels. They are ok for giving you a ballpark idea of what an artist does or the music they play but, ultimately labels are confining and limiting. I do what I do. I am still not exactly sure what to call it.. it leans to rock I think.

Regarding my writing process:
I do understand basic theory but rarely use it when I am composing a piece of music. There is a quote from Joni Mitchell where she says " You pull the chords from your being". I like that. It validates my approach and process.

I start with chord progressions rather than melody. Some of my progressions are not exactly standard. In some cases they can be difficult to solo over, which was one of the reasons China Ranch has so many amazing players on it. ..I needed them..
For me the melody is in the progression, sometimes it requires some searching, other times it can be in the top note of the chords. I hear harmony first, then the groove.

I usually have a vibe in my head but not always.
On Riverwalk for instance, I had the form and the melody but experimented with different grooves. It turns out that song wanted to be a bossa of sorts. That isn't a style that is totally comfortable for me and I had reservations about the direction. I let the tunes that I composed dictate where they wanted to go, and allowed that to be.

I am happy with the end result. The reviews have been better than I could have hoped for. There are a few spots that bug me but, considering it was my first time wearing "all" the hats it is acceptable to me.

Thanks EKIM
Frank
http://frankbriggs.com
 
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I wouldn't have thought you were mainly a jazz guy simply because your feel is more jazzy and light than most rockers.

Wow... what a dork I is.

That should be "I WOULD HAVE thought you were mainly a jazz guy..."
 
Hi Frank,

Just wanted to say I'm practicing The Cook Book. My Teacher has me play each page weekly, 8 ways. The 6th & 7th way is hard, but it's getting a little easier now with hard practice. :)
 
Hi Frank,

Just wanted to say I'm practicing The Cook Book. My Teacher has me play each page weekly, 8 ways. The 6th & 7th way is hard, but it's getting a little easier now with hard practice. :)

Gretsch dude..
That is great man. It is a good book.
Let me clarify a couple things. I had nothing to do with writing that book in spite of the way it is presented on Amazon and Mel Bay's web site.

The Cookbook is probably 30 years old. I actually never used it myself. My publisher asked me to record the CD due to the fact that John Pickering (the author) doesn't play drums anymore (he is a lawyer God Bless him). I agreed to deliver by a certain date.

Of course as luck would have it I was absolutely buried with work. I was writing and producing music for the launch of a sleeping pill .. I mean... anti-insomnia drug (Lunesta).

I had a multitude of deadlines going on at the same time. Being a man of my word I honored my commitment. I recorded those tracks in one shot having never ever been through the book.

My suggestion is...don't listen to the CD!:)

Thanks for writing
All the best
Frank

PS I did write and compile this one
http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bays-Comp...=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231904507&sr=8-7

Ask your teacher if he thinks you are ready for it...fb
 
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PS I did write and compile this one
http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bays-Comp...=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231904507&sr=8-7

Ask your teacher if he thinks you are ready for it...fb

Hey Frank
Your CMD book is like an encyclopedia of drumming....probably would take all 9 of my lives to get thru it:)

When I watch the DVD that accompanies it, you demonstrate alot of the different rhythms/styles in the book at crazy tempos with precision like its a walk in the park....

Just wondering how did you develop such versatility and what drummers/styles did you grow up listening and practicing to?
 
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Hey Frank
Your CMD book is like an encyclopedia of drumming....probably would take all 9 of my lives to get thru it:)

When I watch the DVD that accompanies it, you demonstrate alot of the different rhythms/styles in the book at crazy tempos with precision like its a walk in the park....

Just wondering how did you develop such versatility and what drummers/styles did you grow up listening and practicing to?

Thanks LinearDrummer!
I listened to rock and jazz in equal amounts. It may seem unusual but the connection for me was the drumming.
I had a live Coltrane album that featured Roy Haynes that I loved and listened to quite a bit. Miles Smiles with Tony Williams was another. The drums are in the right channel on that recording. I would pan it to one side to here the drums more clearly.

I also listened to Led Zeppelin, Sly Stone, Yes, King Crimson, Hendrix, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Return to Forever... what they all had in common besides great music was great drummers.

I was lucky to get an early start playing and had a lot of support from my parents. I practiced all the time and played gigs from 12 on.
Thanks for your kind feedback on the Complete Modern Drumset. There is an update in the works that should be out in 2010.

All the best
Frank
http://frankbriggs.com
 
Hey Frank,

I listened to Len Davis' podcast last night and heard you played on a few tracks for OHM:.
So I just purchased the album Circus of Sound from iTunes. Awesome stuff.

Can you elaborate a bit more on the 2010 release of CMD ???

Thanks

PS, I cant find your interview with Len Davis
 
Hey Frank,

I listened to Len Davis' podcast last night and heard you played on a few tracks for OHM:.
So I just purchased the album Circus of Sound from iTunes. Awesome stuff.

Can you elaborate a bit more on the 2010 release of CMD ???

Thanks

PS, I cant find your interview with Len Davis

The Len Davis interview isn't up yet. There was a buzz in the audio and I guess they are trying to fix it. We used Skype and I had to use a cheap USB mic... I suspect that was the problem.

I am on tracks 4.5.6.7 on Ohm's "Circus of Sound". It is a really good album, Joel Taylor and Kofi Baker are also on it.. I am not happy with everything I did but there are some cool moments. The tracks were live with overdubs. All my takes are either the first or second. I don't think we did more than 2 or 3 takes on any of them.

I can't elaborate on Complete Modern Drumset V2 but, I am listening to requests and feedback. I have a lot of ideas cooking for it. Let me know what you think would be nice to see. .. please send them to me through my web site.

All the best
Frank

http://frankbriggs.com
 
Frank, I found "Boogaloo" on Amazon and it's on its way. If I ever get my drums set up again, I will gladly use the drumless version of "Potato" to play along with. I wish Mike Keneally would release every CD of his (or maybe just a best of) without drums. Talk about woodshedding! That would be years of practice right there.
 
Frank, I found "Boogaloo" on Amazon and it's on its way. If I ever get my drums set up again, I will gladly use the drumless version of "Potato" to play along with. I wish Mike Keneally would release every CD of his (or maybe just a best of) without drums. Talk about woodshedding! That would be years of practice right there.

EKIM
I believe I just signed that copy..
Probably the best part of the Boogaloo book is the Potato transcription which by the way is part of the library at Drummer Cafe. You need to be a VIP member to access it but it is well worth it. There is a lot of info and lessons on that site.

I am planning on having a play along version of China Ranch and have been working on some new music for other artists that will be available as a play along also... with charts.

Thanks everyone
Frank
http://frankbriggs.com
 
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