Hi, modern drummers! My name is Frederik Bokkenheuser. Greetings from Webster Hall in New York City. I am currently touring with Joshua Radin.  We have been on the road for over two months now, in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and now back in the U.S. It’s been a great ride so far; sold-out shows, great-sounding band, lots of Maker’s Mark and fun…even though it’s sometimes hard when we have to get up before the crack of noon.

I know I am unfamiliar to many of you, so here’s a little bit about me.
I’m a thirty-one-year-old drummer from Copenhagen, Denmark. I started playing drums at the age of seven, when my mom got sick of me banging on pots and pans and sent me to music school. I played my first professional gig at fourteen and have been playing ever since. After gigging and recording for a decade and a half in Denmark and Europe, I needed a new challenge and inspiration, and I moved to Los Angeles in March 2007. Since then, I’ve been very busy with a whirlwind of touring and recording.

In the past year I have been on full U.S. tours with Jay Nash and Greg Laswell. And, in my downtime, I’ve been squeezing in one-offs with Meiko, Caitlin Crosby, Jes Hudak, and Rob Giles of the Rescues, a U.K./Portugal tour with Tristan Prettyman, and a session for Lionsgate with award-winning composer John Frizzell. When this tour ends in late January, I will be going into the studio with Joshua and his fantastic band. So things are good, and I am very grateful for how my playing and my career are evolving. Advertisement

When I moved to Los Angeles I didn’t bring any drums or even sticks with me. I have always played vintage drums, and, of course, I needed a kit, so I decided to buy separate drums that I liked and have them wrapped to match. I ended up with a 24″ 1936 Slingerland Radio King kick drum, a 13″ 1962 Slingerland rack tom, and a 16″ 1970s Ludwig floor tom. Since, I have expanded my set to include an 18″ 1970s Slingerland floor tom. And, for different gigs and sessions, I have three additional kick drums: a 20″ 1962 Slingerland, a 22″ 1973 Slingerland, and a 26″ 1932 WFL. All of my drums are wrapped in gold satin, by Chris Heuer at Heuer’s Drum Lab in Los Angeles. As it turns out, it was a cheep and fun way to build a kit, and it’s the coolest kit I’ve had in my life. On this current tour, I’m using a Heuer Drums 7×14 mahogany snare (that Chris built for me totally vintage style) and, as a spare snare, a 6×14 1959 Slingerland mahogany. I am endorsed by Paiste and use 14″ Light Dark hats, an 18″ Traditional Thin crash, a 21″ Light Dark ride, and a 20″ Traditional Light ride with rivets.

Well, enough about me and my drum nerding. I hope all you guys are having a good time and having fun playing…I know I am.

All the best,
Frederik “Freddy the Dane” Bokkenheuser