Re: steve morrison - pro drum tech
Bernhard said:
A nice Picture - actual????
Bernhard
Yup, that picture was taken by Alex Solca(of MD fame) for the 2006 Meinl Percussion catalog/website. It was taken approx. August/September 2005.
ElvinBaRkerDennis13 said:
so since Tommy and Travis both are amazing drummers, do you think that that has something to do with the fact that they both played in lines and were brought up with their set playing aroud the marching band style music, do you think that affected their playing, is that the secret formula??
In my opinion, TJ, that has ALOT to do with why both Travis and Tommy are technically proficient. I am, myself, a product of years of intense marching/corp style training. This type of drumming seems to have balanced the handicap between my left and my right hand. Additionally, as in Tommy's case; playing multi-tenors can help facilitate better movement around the kit. I don't know if it's a "secret" formula, but alot of today's top drummers come from this sort of background. Check out Chad Sexton from 311 as well if you haven't already... talk about chops.
ECVail said:
Welcome again! Always good to have a professional around here for advice.
Couple of quick questions for you:
1) How much time does setup and tear-down take with a monster kit like that and what's the process?
2) How often does Tommy go through heads and sticks?
3) What are the special requirements of the "flying kit" - how do you secure everything?
Thanks for your interest! In response to your questions:
1)Basic setup for me usually lasts about 2 1/2 hours; not including tuning, linecheck, etc. I start setting up T's main rig as soon as the carpenters finish building the drum riser. Kicks go up first, followed by all the hardware, rack etc. The rack sits in custom clamps that have been permanently attached to the riser, so Tommy can stand on the kit if he wants to(and he does quite often). Then cymbals and toms are put up; followed by all my triggers and my drum loom(of trigger cables). Lastly, I set up my electronics world; powering up, loading all the programs and samples I use throughout the show. By that time the flying kits have been forklifted onto the stage and I go over them as well. I usually have a couple of local stagehands assigned to me by my stage manager, so thing usually run pretty smoothly. After all that I tune the drums, which usually takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on my ears that day. Then we line check the kits for my FOH engineer and monitor guy. The strike and load out at the end of the night is similar; just the order is reversed.
2)As far as sticks go, the AHEAD Tommy Lee model he's currently playing lasts a while; considering how hard he hits. We go through probably 3-5 pairs a show, depending on how many he decides to throw into the house... I change heads usually every other show, but most of the time I try to change the toms every gig. The snare batter head usually lasts about 2-3 shows, the bottom head isn't so lucky. He hits with such force that I change the bottom head at least once a day. Kick batter heads are changed every 10 shows or so; the resonant head usually twice a leg(once/every 2months).
3)The flying kits are the easiest part of my job; they stay fully assembled throughout the tour. Both of the kits were designed by Walter Gemeinhardt of Demon Drums. Walter and I spent about a week colaborating on the design and ergonomics during our preproduction rehearsals last January in L.A. The kits are built upon rack system components called Speed-Rail. Speed-Rail is super strong scaffolding that NASA uses on the launchpad around the Space Shuttle. It is incredibly strong. All the Speed-Rail is secured to the 8'x8' grill deck with galv. steel bolts, nuts, and lock washers. All the flying equipment for the gear (and Tommy) is operated and maintained by specialized riggers from Branam Enterprises Custom Rigging(the same company that does all the Fear Factor stunts).
Hope I covered everything.
Stu_Strib said:
I was a huge fan of the early Crue stuff (shout at the devil). As Crue got bigger they got more radio friendly and refined, and I disliked the drum sound. But now he's on that killer DW kit and it sounds really really good. How long has he been with DW?
I agree with you completely about his sound!
In response to your question; I'm not quite sure what year Tommy switched to DW. I just sent him an email to see if he knows the exact date. I'll post it and PM you directly as soon as he tells me. And I appreciate the compliment on the sound of the kit.
***Stu,
...as I was proofreading this post, Tommy replied to my email with:
"I have no idea bro!!!!"
That's funny stuff, but my best guess would be early 90's or so. I'll call DW on Monday and find out for you!***
OK, I think I got to everybody's questions... Keep 'em coming, I love talkin' shop.