Greetings, fellow drummers! Adam Woods here from the Fixx, filling you in on what’s been going on with me and the band, including the release of our new studio album, Beautiful Friction. The Fixx have been touring consistently for the past few years with the same lineup that first brought us to the charts in the ’80s. Because the economics and logistics of touring have changed radically since those days, we sometimes find it makes sense to rent backline at shows. Consequently, I haven’t played my own drums on tour for the past five years! I have come to love tuning and playing a different kit every day, and I’ve learned to appreciate a variety of kits I have met. A new love at every show! It just goes to show that it’s the musicians and not the gear that makes the band.

The Fixx have been writing and recording songs for this new record over the past three years. Around forty tunes were tracked to be finally whittled down to the eleven that appear on the record. We would meet up at Spacehouse Studios in London every four weeks or so and record a few new ideas and perhaps revisit some things previously attempted. Production and engineering was courtesy of Nick Jackson, the owner of Spacehouse.

For the initial rehearsals and tracking sessions, I would use my trusty Roland V-Drum kit. This enabled me to access lots of sounds and at the same time keeps spillage to the vocal and amp mics at a minimum when there was something we decided to keep. As the tracks developed, I would swap the V-Drums for an acoustic setup, clear the room, and then begin to overdub the real thing. I’ve got to say that I never had so much fun making a record as this. Advertisement

We are currently out playing gigs to support Beautiful Friction, so feel free to come and check us out. I look forward to meeting up with drummers who want to swap experiences and maybe offer some tips! For me, drumming is a never-ending study. See you at a Fixx gig!

 

For more on Adam Woods and the Fixx, go to thefixx.com.