What’s going on, MD readers? My name is Alex Dorminy, and I’m the drummer of Viasava. We are a four-piece rock band based out of Atlanta. Founded in 2011, we spent most of 2012 recording and touring in support of our new record, One Year Down. Unfortunately, our van (also known as Deloris) had a breakdown, and has sidelined us at the moment, but with the bad comes the good. Now is the time to start writing our next record, so you can expect the follow up to be released later this year.

Let me share a little bit about my background in music. I started playing drums around the age of fourteen. I was jumping from band to band as most of us did at that age, trying to find a style and, more importantly, learning to play the damn things. I grew up in a house divided by different musical styles—country for my father and heavy rock for my mother, which really opened my eyes to a wide variety of music at a young age and helped develop my passion. No matter the style or sound, I believe there is always something to learn from other musicians, and this is how we continue to grow and innovate this business that we love (and sometimes hate) so much.

I hear a lot people say that an album or song really changed his or her life. I can assure you that this is not an exaggeration. Music can change your life, as it did mine. The first time I heard Guns N’ Roses’ debut record, Appetite for Destruction, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. As drummers, we know that it’s not an instrument you casually pick up and say, “This could be fun, I’ll give it a shot.” It takes time, patience, money, and, most of all, parents willing to let you be extremely loud and sound terrible for a while. Advertisement

Finding a style through all this is paramount to making the drums a part of you. I would say the style of drumming I use for Viasava is really one based on need. What does each song need to take to the next level? I like playing to and setting up the vocals. There is so much integration between vocal melodies and drumbeats that really can change the tone of a song. This style puts an emphasis on the singer/drummer relationship. For our band, writing is a real team effort. Everyone contributes ideas for all the different parts, making for a very cohesive sound.

To create the cohesion, I currently play a Pearl Reference series kit with 12″, 16″, and 18″ toms, a 22″ kick, and a 14″ Ludwig Black Beauty snare. I use Zildjian cymbals, Evans drumheads, Pro-Mark sticks, Pearl hardware, and Iron Cobra kick pedals.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

For more on Viasava, visit www.viasava.com or on YouTube.