Michael Derosier

scottlyons65

Junior Member
I love this site SO much, but where is Michael Derosier? I can't think of any drummer who has influenced me more in terms of stylish and tasteful playing. I will go to my grave believing that the drum fill in the middle of Magic Man (Heart) is the catchiest input from any drummer ever. Please get his story on here and some of the samples of his playing with Heart.
 
There are a lot of drummers who are not represented here. It's up to Bernhard who makes it on here. I would agree that Michael Derosier should be on here, just for his involvement with Heart. Come to think of it, I don't know if he ever did anything else.

The only thing that irritates me about Michael Derosier is that he is (was) such a Bonham wanna-be, that he had the nerve to use Bonham's same exact set-up, including gong and tympani's! Hell, he even copied Bonham's hairstyle! His playing ripped Bonham off too. Listen to Barracuda, and tell me he didn't rip off the beat to The Immigrant Song. Just one of many examples.

Look, I know Bonham influenced thousands of drummers, including myself. Bonham himself was influenced by Rich, Krupa, Baker, and others, so nothing Bonham did was new, but he made it sound like you were hearing it for the first time because of his unique feel. But, influence is one thing, blatantly ripping off another drummers EVERYTHING is another. Maybe that's why Bernhard has not included him on Drummerworld?
 
part of the reason that the drums sounded like Bonham is because Ann and Nancy wanted it that way- that is what I have read anyhow - and the rest of the band was infatuated as well I am sure, but if you listen to a lot of other classic Heart tunes, you will not find Bonzo style playing there at all, but a lot of very individualistic and tasty stuff - Magic Man (the triplets on the hi-hat in that drum track are the perfect touch) and Crazy On You come to mind, but there are plenty of examples. "Straight On, Even It Up, Dog and Butterfly...

and who cares if he wanted to use the same drum set-up are Bonham - lots of people have used that setup and have ripped off Bonham - that is not a reason to dislike or leave a drummer off this site. Shoot, when I was up and coming I always wanted to have Roger Taylor's Luddie setup from the liner of the "Jazz" album. That triple rack tom with rotos over the floor toms just made me drool. Everyone emulates their heroes to a certain extent.

As far as other work goes, Michael also payed with Alias and Orion The Hunter, both very unappreciated groups, not to mention the work he has done with Roger Fisher in Clever Bastards - a fantastic band. These are not top 40 groups to be sure, but then again neither was Heart for the most part.
 
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MD is one of the drummers that I grew up with, and he doesn't get the credit he deserves. I totally agree that Derosier should be included here on Drummerworld. No doubt!

Maybe we can start a petition. you can start with me.


1 vote here for Michael Derosier's inclusion on Drummerworld.

For everyone in agreement, say I.
 
I!

Michael is an awesome drummer that definitely deserves some recognition here. I think we just need to add him to the Wishlist secton and hope for the best.

I actually had the privelege of meeting Mike a couple times when I lived in Seattle. He still lives there and occasionally shows up at Donn Bennett's drum shop. He was a very cool down-to-earth guy.

For the trivia fans, after Heart he played with Alias (remember the ballad, 'More Than Words Can Say'?) and I think he played on a few tracks for one of Richard Marx' records. Last I knew, I thought he had a local gig going on with Roger Fisher as well as the occasional teaching at Donn's.
 
Yeah, I had forgotten about the Richard Marx work, but the work he did with Barry Goudreau should not be forgotten. Perfect pop phrasing and very NOT John Bonham - that is why he is so good. He plays for the music.
 
I agree that he might have taken less from Bonham and been better off, but he does have a very sweet feel and sounds totally in control of his beat placement. I like the way he took Bonham's looser feel and made it more solid. Sonically they may have been very similar but feel wise, they were very different.

We went to the same high school and had the same band teacher (MD was probably 10 or 15 years ahead of me). I used to hear about what a rocker he was in the jazz band, but that he was a natural talent.

One day as a teenager ('82?) me and a friend walked up to his house and knocked on the door. He was really cool about it and chatted with us for 15 minutes or so. I would never do that now, and I cringe at the memory of it!

(I had a friend in the Navy who was a huge Rush fan who drove to Toronto, found out where Neil Peart lived and did the same thing - HUGE mistake! Neil ripped him a new one!!)
 
I really dig MD, and I LOVED the maple kit he had in the Barracuda video with the gong and North toms and the bell tree with the curved holder.....

He had the Bonham set up, but so did a lot of people back then (which was the Krupa/Rich set up before that...). I see the similarities, but all of Heart were Zep fans big time.
One of my favorite licks of his is in Bebe LeStrange in the second verse on the live version where he does the snare/cymbal/hat thing. I always dug his solo on Heart's version of R&R too. Ann's screeching on that song is kind of irritating on that one, but usually she's really good.
Mystral Wind is cool too--& very Zep too, but most of their stuff wasn't like that.
As for his sound, it sounds like REAL drums, that are big without a bunch of processing or tape on them.

I bought the Richard Marx concert video ONLY because of Derosier--he played great, and the band is good, but the songs and the stage presence of Richard Marx is very American Idol (before there was AI haha!). Uck.

The kit he used on the Richard Marx thing is one he used with Alias (light blue with white and black swirl paint), and it had those bad ass curved hanging cymbal stands.

My band opened for Alias in Detroit, and I was bummed that he didn't have those stands (so I could look them over!). The tech said those stands were a PITA.

I was able to meet him and he was real nice which was cool.
 
Glad to see people remember a great under rated drummer! Derosier also played drums on a album called ORION THE HUNTER in 1984 the backround vocals were sung by the late BOSTON vocalist Brad Delp also the guiterest was BOSTONS rythem guiterest Brarry Gudrow, I was there in the city of boston on there opening night at the time i was playing with the bass player for the band BOSTON It was a great memory for me I was only 20 years old and i was sitting with the singer for BOSTON and the bass player when they came on stage. Before Derosier went on tour he was practicing with the band at a place called the boston music complex I was also rehearsing at the complex and I met Derosier what a drummer, he played BARRACUDA on my drum kit. That is a memory I will never forget.
 
He's an awesome drummer - definitely one of the more underrated rock drummers. And if you wanna classify him as one of the many Bohnam rips (which there are many more blatantly guilty), then he's one of the groovier with more soul than most imitators.
 
MD was one of my early incluences. Bonhams effect on players, especially during the 70's, was inevitable and MD carried JB style in a most powerful way. Unfortunately dating one of the band leaders was a time bomb but you know he's got some sweet memories from that period! Baracuda indeed!
 
I really dig MD, and I LOVED the maple kit he had in the Barracuda video with the gong and North toms and the bell tree with the curved holder.....

He had the Bonham set up, but so did a lot of people back then (which was the Krupa/Rich set up before that...). I see the similarities, but all of Heart were Zep fans big time.
One of my favorite licks of his is in Bebe LeStrange in the second verse on the live version where he does the snare/cymbal/hat thing. I always dug his solo on Heart's version of R&R too. Ann's screeching on that song is kind of irritating on that one, but usually she's really good.
Mystral Wind is cool too--& very Zep too, but most of their stuff wasn't like that.
As for his sound, it sounds like REAL drums, that are big without a bunch of processing or tape on them.

I bought the Richard Marx concert video ONLY because of Derosier--he played great, and the band is good, but the songs and the stage presence of Richard Marx is very American Idol (before there was AI haha!). Uck.

The kit he used on the Richard Marx thing is one he used with Alias (light blue with white and black swirl paint), and it had those bad ass curved hanging cymbal stands.

My band opened for Alias in Detroit, and I was bummed that he didn't have those stands (so I could look them over!). The tech said those stands were a PITA.

I was able to meet him and he was real nice which was cool.

Oh come on now. You had to like Richard Marx a little...he's right up there with Rick Springfield....
 
Can anyone here tell me the sticking pattern MD used on "Crazy on You"?...I keep hearing extra right/ride hand strokes (beyond the single strokes on the 4/4)...I considered that it could be double-tracking or studio-produced effects, but I'm not sure...thanks...
 
Magic man wasn't Mike unless your talking about a live version

???? Where'd you get that???

Check this out for Magic Man. A nice solo at the end as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75jPR5yB31s&feature=related

Note the Rogers tom mount, and ride cymbal holder :)

A couple other gems on KUMZ just to check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_GpxCUg9Vo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7aefw-PrsM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_w6os7Gs3I&feature=relmfu


When bands could really play and sing......

The whole KUMZ performance is awesome. A good dvd pic up, and it's usually pretty cheap. ....or, since I found it....free to watch here :p
 
HAHA he even ripped off the way Bonham choked a cymbal with his whole arm! I dont think John came up with that, but that was one of his early moves
 
I!

Michael is an awesome drummer that definitely deserves some recognition here. I think we just need to add him to the Wishlist secton and hope for the best.

I actually had the privelege of meeting Mike a couple times when I lived in Seattle. He still lives there and occasionally shows up at Donn Bennett's drum shop. He was a very cool down-to-earth guy.

For the trivia fans, after Heart he played with Alias (remember the ballad, 'More Than Words Can Say'?) and I think he played on a few tracks for one of Richard Marx' records. Last I knew, I thought he had a local gig going on with Roger Fisher as well as the occasional teaching at Donn's.

I think any member with at least a couple of hundred posts should be allowed to start and sign a petition for Berhnard to consider. I know he is open to putting up more drummers. Keeping a minimum requirement of a couple of hundred posts ensures that people with a minimal commitment to drumming and the forum are giving informed input and it wouldn't be strictly a popularity contest.
 
Can anyone here tell me the sticking pattern MD used on "Crazy on You"?...I keep hearing extra right/ride hand strokes (beyond the single strokes on the 4/4)...I considered that it could be double-tracking or studio-produced effects, but I'm not sure...thanks...

He didn't actually play on the studio version, that was done by Kat Hendrikse. Derosier only recorded White Lightning & Wine and Sing Child on that album as he came in toward the end of the sessions. And yes, I think that is double-tracked.
 
???? Where'd you get that???

Check this out for Magic Man. A nice solo at the end as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75jPR5yB31s&feature=related

Note the Rogers tom mount, and ride cymbal holder :)

A couple other gems on KUMZ just to check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_GpxCUg9Vo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7aefw-PrsM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_w6os7Gs3I&feature=relmfu


When bands could really play and sing......

The whole KUMZ performance is awesome. A good dvd pic up, and it's usually pretty cheap. ....or, since I found it....free to watch here :p

It's true, Dave Wilson played on the studio version of Magic Man. Great drumming on that song.
 
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