Hey, guys. My name is Matt and I play drums in a band called Make Do and Mend. I’m gonna talk a little bit about our new album, my new drumkit, and my style.

We recently wrote, recorded, and put out a new record called Everything You Ever Loved. I am more than proud of this record. It’s the best thing I have done musically and I couldn’t be more fond of the experience of writing and recording it, as well as how it came out.

About six months ago I hooked up with my dream drum company, C&C drums. We worked together and customized my new kit, which I’m completely in love with. I’ve always loved big, loud drums and deep tones. When we play live I completely smash, so I needed something to suit my style. I went with a 9×14 rack tom, a 14×18 floor, and 16×24 kick. It’s a maple kit with mahogany stain and centered abalone inlays. Not only does it sound unreal but it looks equally impressive. I saw this kit as a real step up for me as a drummer, so I was really psyched on it.

I’ve always been a very simple drummer, and I’m more about the song than I am about the drum part. I think that comes from always playing in bands; I’m all about simple fills, big beats, and just playing into the song. If you listen to our new record (which you should), you will quickly see this. I have found that smooth transitions are one of the harder things about writing a drum part for a rock song. You need to move with the flow and make sure it doesn’t put off the listener. Advertisement

With the new record, we had the great opportunity of recording it out west in Seattle with producer Matt Bayles. He’s a legend in his trade, and we were all honored to work with him. We were also able to record the drums for the record in Seattle’s legendary London Bridge Studios. Multiple Pearl Jam records, a few Soundgarden albums, and an Alice in Chains record were all recorded in this studio, so I completely felt like I was a part of something. I also felt a strong pressure to perform well just because of the history of what had gone on in that room.

The live room was massive, so we were able to grab some incredible natural tones from it. I felt like I was playing in space. I couldn’t believe I was recording my tracks in this room—they sounded HUGE. My C&Cs sounded deep and strong, and Matt was able to use six rooms mics just to grab all of the sounds being thrown around the room. They really added a layer to the drum tracks and gave them a unique sound. I felt like I was able to use the pressure and run with it. I ripped through my drum tracks in three days.

So check out Everything You Ever Loved, which is out now, and listen to what we created. Thanks for reading, and keep ripping.

 

For more on Matt Carroll and Make Do and Mend, go to makedoandmend.me.  Photo by Hilary J. Corts.