What’s up, MD followers! This is Chad LaRoy from Cavo. It has been a year since the band and I finished recording our first major-label record, Bright Nights, Dark Days, with the brilliant producer David Bendeth. Since then, we’ve been touring the country with Halestorm and Rev Theory. Summertime was an entirely new adventure: an endorsement with Monster Energy, and Crue Fest 2009! Our album dropped on August 11, and in that same week, our first single, “Champagne,” hit #1 on the rock charts. Weeks later, we began touring with the incredibly talented members of Shinedown and Sick Puppies.

Being on the road day after day is intense, and has made me appreciate the smaller things in life, such as privacy and a daily shower. But nothing compares to rockin’ some faces off with my three best friends. Touring has also helped me become a better drummer, practicing for hours a day on our days off, and playing five or six nights a week. However, the biggest learning experience I’ve had was in the studio, during the recording of our album. David Bendeth put me through his very own boot camp, breaking me down to the bare basics of how to be a great drummer. While playing, every time I would miss something, David would pull a drum or cymbal away. I went from playing a six-piece kit to a two-piece in about an hour. It was the first time I actually had some serious criticism thrown at me, but I am better because of it.

Growing up, I never took any classes or training to learn how to play the drums. I watched Lars Ulrich, John Bonham, and Dave Grohl very intensely, and used the clicks of the metronome to practice with. Another great and current influence of mine is Daniel Adair of Nickelback. It would feel incredible to be half as good of a drummer as he is. Advertisement

For the last few months of 2009, we were on the road with Daughtry and Theory Of A Deadman, then enjoyed some time off for the holidays with our families at home in St. Louis. Currently back on tour, we are supporting Daughtry and Lifehouse all the way through June. We recently released our third single, “Let It Go,” off of Bright Nights, Dark Days. You can also hear this song on the Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen soundtrack. Still climbing the charts in the top 10 is our second single, “Crash.”

I am privileged to have endorsements with ddrum, Sabian cymbals, Vater drumsticks, and JH Audio. The customer service is excellent, and the gear is amazing. I couldn’t ask for better people to work with or better products to have.

Thank you, Modern Drummer, for inviting me to blog, and thank you to all the fans for your support! I’m up and running on Twitter@CavoDrummer, so send me some love! Also, check out our brand new music video for “Let It Go” on www.cavomusic.com. Advertisement