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I've been into drumming since I was an egg. My uncle introduced me to Buddy Rich while I was still in shorts, and I was hooked. I listened to a lot of jazz music and big band stuff, mainly because these were drummers that drummers talked about. However, while I could appreciate the musicianship the music in my view had no energy, so I started listening to rock music. At first I was a little disappointed. Most of the drummers sounded alike, with the majority of the beats based around the bass drum (or two), snare and hi-hat despite having huge arrays of drums around them. That was until divine intervention took place in the shape of a Mr Neil Peart.
Now here was a DRUMMER!!
This man had a monstrous kit, and used every bit of it to incredible musical effect. This man was putting rock drumming well-and-truly on the map! I had to see this man play just to prove to myself that he indeed only had two arms and two legs. However, once I saw him play and confirmed that he was 'human', I was overcome with thoughts of how much I'd get from selling my gear. The man was awesome and I could not see how I could be THAT good in only one lifetime. Thankfully I held on to my kit, and after months in rehab I decided that 'The Professor' would be my main inspiration and set out to emulate his playing as well as I possibly could.
After leaving school, I got together with schoolmate Lindsay, a life-long-Lifeson follower (try saying THAT without a tongue), to churn out Rush songs. We did this for some time, searching desperately for a good bassist who could ideally sing notes which were only audible to dogs. Unsurprisingly, the search ended fruitlessly we were drawn into the world of 'proper-job-mediocrity'. Fast-forward through 20 years of normal life, and a few abnormal bands (at least the 'drum' bug was never completely cured) to 2002. Can't say for sure if it was an early 'mid-life crisis' or a 'quality of life' injection, but I found myself in a rehearsal studio with that man Lindsay again, playing Rush songs.
This time, however, it all started to come together with arrival of the multi-talented Mr Roach and Anthem was born. We still had a difficult time finding the right vocalist but 3 years and 4 vocalists later we can safely say our line-up is 'complete'. Anthem is now a force to be reckoned with and I can't wait to share what we have going with as many people as possible!
See you out there……….
Mick's Tech Bit
Question: I notice that you used to use Roland electronic drums in Anthem, is there any reason you used these in preference to an acoustic kit?
Mick: In all honesty that wasn't my preferred set-up, but the electronic kit did provide the means to produce the myriad of sounds that Mr Peart uses without the need for a huge amount of equipment or space. Until recently, the venues we had played offered relatively small stages, so the floor-space tended to be at a bit of a premium. The Roland kit needed less space than my acoustic kit and it also removed the mic'ing-up problems (by the brain being DI'd into the PA).
Question: So you're back to using an acoustic kit. What set-up do you have?
Currently I use a DW Collectors Series kit with a black finish ply and gold hardware. Shell sizes are as per the diagram below. I use a DW 'Neil Peart' 30th Anniversary edge snare which has a great tone and weighs about as much as the rest of the kit put together. Cymbals are mainly Paiste 2002 (6" splash, 8" splash, 14" sound-edge hi-hats, 15" crash, 2 x 16" crashes, 17" crash and 18" china) and a 20" power ride cymbal. Rack and hardware is mainly Gibraltar. Double bass-drum pedal is a DW5000 Delta-2. I still use the Roland SPD-20 percussion module from my electronic days for the multitude of effects required, as I can fit an entire percussion shop into two square feet. For those of you who haven't nodded off to sleep, I also use Vic Firth '2b' sticks and keep everything safe with 'Hardcase' moulded cases. Is that snoring I hear? Oh, then there's the micszzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Question: You previously used Tama acoustic kits why the change?
Mick: I've had several Tama kits, but it's never been an exclusive relationship. My first 'proper' kit was a 6-piece Premier with 4 mammoth concert toms (very Phil Collins!) which I expanded with some Roto-Toms. I also tried a Pearl kit but I found the finish pretty poor. I had a real hunger for a Yamaha kit for a while after hearing a few kits in 'live' situations…their tone was awesome. However, when I went looking to replace my kit my current Tama kit became available at a price I couldn't refuse so I took it. I like the kit a lot, but it doesn't have the warm tone I'm looking for. My disillusionment grew after hearing Mr Pearts new DW kit on the R30 tour and a new hunger developed. This time I've taken action and I've now got my new DW Collectors series kit. Sizes are pretty much the same as the old Tama kit, though I've replaced the 14" tom with a 15" tom.
Question: So what is it about Anthem that you enjoy?
Mick: I've been in various bands through the years, but I can honestly say that this is the first time I've been in a situation where everyone has the same mindset. Rush music is exciting to play and is always a challenge, but we never tire of trying to improve what we do. Maybe it's the fact that we all grew up on this stuff and playing it takes us all back to a great time in our lives. Whatever it is, we seem to flourish on it, and audiences seem to get caught up in it too. It's the greatest buzz I've had in music!
Question: As Neil Peart is probably one of the most complex drummers around, do you have a special approach to learning new tracks?
Mick: I've been listening to Mr Peart for over 20 years and the key to learning tracks for me is that I have to understand the song structure, and recognise the repeating cycles in the drum parts. For his own entertainment, Neil never likes to repeat a pattern, or end a drum phrase the same way twice in a song. My approach is to write out a short-hand version of each drum part which forces me to listen to the track many times and commit to paper where the phrasing appears. Going through this process is a great aid to committing the part to memory. I then basically use my written parts in rehearsal, gradually weaning myself off them with each run-through.
Question: Do you have any influences besides Neil Peart?
Mick: Mr Peart has definitely been my main influence where rock music is concerned, but there are many talented drummers out there. The ones that stand out for me are Simon Phillips, Omar Hakim, Mike Portnoy, Dennis Chambers and Thomas Laing, though if it wasn't for the likes of Buddy Rich and his peers there'd be a lot less of these guys around in my view.
Question: What sort of trainers do you wear?
Mick: Dunlop 'Brown Flash' of course! They're the future!
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