This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the December 2015 issue,
which is available here.

Gearing Up

One Stage And Up Close

Johnny Radelat

As much as we love checking out giant kits, it’s nice to see someone walk on stage in front of thousands of people and make some incredible music with nothing more than three drums. Gary Clark Jr. drummer Johnny Radelat welcomes us to the Iroquois Amphitheater in Louisville for a tour of his kit and shares why he transitioned to fewer and smaller drums. “The bare minimum always makes me play better, because it makes me focus on the snare/kick/hi-hat groove—the meat and potatoes,” he explains. “Throughout the [show], I switch out the crash. I’ll switch it out from song to song sometimes. That’s something I got from watching Steve Jordan. People always ask, ‘Why don’t you just set up another stand?’ Well, the more things you have up here, the more distractions, and the more likely I am to tinker and do more than I need to be doing.”

Check out the video tour below.

Miguel Monroy

For the complete article, check out the December 2015 issue, which is available here.