< PreviousModern Drummer May 2021 38 tribute like this, what did you keep in mind? Seiwell: We wanted the vibe. All the tracks had to have that vibe. But we allowed the RAM ON artists to be true to themselves. For example, a vocalist didn’t have to sound like Paul, or even phrase like he did. MD: You have a lot of fresh, young talent breathing new life into the songs. Seiwell: You’re stepping into some big shoes when you try to do anything Paul McCartney sang and played on. For example, on “Monkberry Moon Delight,” we had several guys try to cop the vibe Paul had on the record. You could blow your voice out just in one take! MD: MD’s Editor at Large, Billy Amendola, guests on “Another Day.” Seiwell: Billy is one of my dearest friends—even though he has never put me on the cover of Modern Drummer [laughs]—and he’s a very fine drummer. I wanted to find a spot for him on the project. When we were cutting “Another Day,” I realized that the telephone-book overdub I did on the song back in ’71 might be right for Billy. We sent his engineer, Butch Jones, the track, and Billy laid it down at his place. MD: Could you fill our readers in on your father’s Leedy 7 1/2x14 snare drum that you used on the original recording? Seiwell: That drum was played on both the original Ram and RAM ON. My dad was a drummer who played with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. He had this old Leedy Broadway model with thin hoops. One day, he painted it black. Why, I don’t know. But he let me use it when I became a session drummer in New York City. I went to see my buddy Frank Ippolito, who owned Professional Percussion Center in Manhattan. I asked if he could remove the black paint and replace it with a natural wood stain, and they did a beautiful job of restoring the drum to its original condition. It was perfect for the Ram album, and it remains one of my prized possessions. MD: It still has a punchy sound? Seiwell: You can do anything with it—tune it up or down. Put a good microphone on it, and it’s killer! MD: What studio did you record your drum tracks at? Seiwell: We used one studio, which was Fernando’s Reseda Ranch. It’s a couple of miles north of L.A. in the San Fernando Valley. MD: What were the inherent challenges concerning this tribute? Seiwell: The biggest question was, “Why would anybody attempt to make another version of a masterpiece?” I must say the premise was a little daunting. But the way we looked at it was, “We’re not trying to replicate Ram, but instead pay tribute to the younger generation, and how they feel about this timeless music.” Also, it’s so much more music than anybody else was putting on a record back then, and it stands the test of time. A lot of people say Ram is their favorite McCartney solo album. Denny Seiwell uses DW drums, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, Innovative Percussion sticks, and Beato drum bags. Fifty years is not only the celebration of Paul and Linda McCartney’s Ram album, it’s also a celebration rarely seen in the world of rock stardom—Denny and Monique’s 50-plus years of marriage.www.GibraltarHardware.com Stay cool with Gibraltar’s AIRTECH Thrones. Featuring a durable, breathable dry-mesh design for cool comfort & long-lasting support. Choose from round or deluxe contoured models designed for all players and styles. 9808ARW 9608MW2T 9708AST 9608RW2TDirty Honey Beats the Odds By Billy Amendola Alex SolcaMay 2021 Modern Drummer 41 S o-called media pundits can blather on and on about rock music being dead, but all a true believer needs to do to put the lie to such talk is bring up Dirty Honey. This is a rock band that didn’t even need a record deal to score a number-one hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. In 2019, “When I’m Gone,” which appeared on Dirty Honey’s self-titled debut EP, became the first song in history by an unsigned artist to reach the top spot. The follow-up single, “Rolling 7s,” didn’t do too bad, either. It landed into the top five. Soon, Dirty Honey was opening concerts for the Who, Guns N’ Roses, and Slash, and the band’s own headline tour was a complete sellout during the first two months of 2020 BL (before lockdown). That’s a pretty mammoth eruption of popular acclaim and achievement for a band whose music of choice should be facing commercial extinction. Furthermore, not even COVID could do much to slow Dirty Honey’s roll. While “Rolling 7s” was continuing to rack up YouTube views—hitting more than 5 million eyeballs to date—the pandemic was messing with the band’s plans to record a full-length album to follow the success of their smash singles. Everyone wanted to work with producer Nick DiDia again—especially as he had done an undeniably successful job on “When I’m Gone” and “Rolling 7s”—but flying to DiDia’s basecamp in Australia during a worldwide health crisis wasn’t going to happen. However, Zoom and other collaborative technologies came to the rescue, allowing Dirty Honey to record tracks at Henson Studios in Los Angeles with engineer Tom Syrowski, while DiDia beamed into the sessions virtually from La Cueva Recording in Australia. The result of these labors, Dirty Honey [Dirt Records], reveals some clues as to why vocalist Marc LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone are hard to stop. The music has swagger, depth, and commitment, and the drum performances are artfully constructed—sparse and grooving when they need to be, and boldy intense with some nice surprises tossed into the mix when it’s time to crank up the rock and roll emotion. Coverstone, born on September 12, 1988, in Oregon, began somewhat of a rock lifestyle early on, spending a lot of time on his grandparents’ farm riding dirt bikes and motorcycles at just five years old. His commitment to expanding his music chops motivated him to relocate to the entertainment mecca of Southern California in 2009, where he still resides. MD: It must have been strange to record the new album during a global pandemic with your producer in a studio two oceans and a couple of continents away. Coverstone: Honestly, it worked pretty seamlessly. Being in the same place with Nick would have been ideal, but we worked out the technology with Zoom, some laptops, and our phones. He could see each of us, and he also had views of the control room and the studio. Finally, an audio feed was routed into the recording console’s talkback mic so we could hear Nick in our headphones. MD: What was the recording setup at Henson Studios? Coverstone: We tracked all of the songs to Pro Tools through an SSL console. We used a click track for everything. The drum miking was pretty straightforward. My toms were miked top and bottom with Sennheiser MD 421s, and there was an AKG C414 set to an omni polar pattern and placed between the kick batter side and the bottom of the snare. One thing I thought was interesting was that they used Shure SM58s on the hi-hat and ride cymbal. [Editor’s Note: SM58s are renowned as vocal microphones.] Another interesting choice was using a stereo pair of Shure SM57s as room mics. I think the drums sound awesome, nonetheless, but there are usually other mics you see in those roles. It just goes to show that it’s not always about using the fanciest, craziest, most-expensive boutique mics. It’s about knowing what you’re going for and capturing the right vibe. MD: What kit did you choose for the album sessions? Coverstone: The core of the drumset on the entire record was my maple DW Jazz series kit, which consists of a 22" kick, 10", 12", 14", and 16" toms, and a 7x14 snare. The cymbals were assorted Zildjians, including a 23" K Prototype ride I borrowed from a friend. On the first single, “California Dreamin’,” I used Zildjian New Beat hi-hats from the 1970s that were in the studio. MD: How did you and the band first get together? Coverstone: It all started, randomly enough, with Justin and I doing a country gig about eight years ago in front of no people. We were both session musicians Alex SolcaModern Drummer May 2021 42 at the time, and we met through a country artist for whom we were both doing this one-off show in Hollywood. Five years later, Justin called me out of the blue to sub for what would later become Dirty Honey. At the time, it was mostly a cover band. This was the first time I’d ever played with Marc. Shortly after that gig, Marc reached out to me about doing another gig with them. The band was called the Shags at the time, and it included John. Weirdly enough, we played on the street, in front of a weed shop in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles. That was the birth of the current band. MD: Who were some of your early influences? Coverstone: My influences growing up were the drummers who played in the bands my parents listened to. My mom really liked Aerosmith, and my dad was obsessed with Van Halen, so it was Joey Kramer and Alex Van Halen. It was my dad who first got me thinking about music and drumming. He’s not a musician, but he knew Eddie and Alex were special. I remember being in the car with him, and he pointed out the drums on “Hot for Teacher.” I think what stood out to me was they had a voice of their own within the music they were playing—it wasn’t just drumming in the background. I listened to Joey’s playing on A Little South of Sanity a lot, Alex on pretty much every Van Halen record, and also Neil Peart on 2112. I also used to love watching their music videos to see their kits, and I would try to set up my drums the same way. MD: Any newer influences? Coverstone: I’m always cycling through different drummers I love. I’ll spend some time digging deep on their playing for a while, and then move on to the next one. Lately, it has been Tony Williams—in particular, his playing on Herbie Hancock’s Empyrean Isles. That’s a great record, and a big source of inspiration for me. Also, Roy Haynes on Chick Corea’s Now He Sings, Now He Sobs—especially the song “Matrix.” But there are so many drummers I love. Zach Danziger has been a huge influence on me, as well as Matt Garstka. Matt and I actually have practice rooms across the hall from one another, so I’m always hearing him, and it pushes me to practice. He is devastatingly sick at the drums. If I wanted to draw some lines between guys like Alex Van Halen, Neil Peart, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, and the other drummers I love, it would be the nuances in the music they play. There’s a richness to it all. You can hear exactly how they’re hitting the drums. You can hear the ghost notes, and the little flams and slight imperfections, as well as the way they feel the time. I like paying attention to the choices they all make. That stuff is really beautiful. MD: When you moved to California from Oregon in 2009, you sought out some excellent drum teachers. Coverstone: I studied with Nate Morton, who is the drummer in the house band for The Voice, and he also played with Cher and Paul Stanley. There was also Mark Stevens, who played with Ry Cooder and Rickie Lee Jones, and Kevin Kanner who was with Michael Bublé. I took a course with bassist/ keyboardist Jamie Faunt, as well. Nate was my first serious drum teacher. Studying with him was eye-opening. I met him when I was 18 years old, and I had already been playing in different bands in Portland, and doing a little bit of recording. But studying with Nate was humbling. He was the one who exposed me to a lot of new music—jazz, fusion, Latin, and all of the great session drummers. I would fly or drive down to Los Angeles—sometimes, my dad would take me in his 18-wheeler—and do these jam- packed, six-hour marathon lessons with Nate. Then, I’d go back home to Portland, practice for a few weeks, and come back down to L.A. for another lesson. Eventually, Nate saw I was serious about drumming, and he would take me to his gigs around town. He’d take me to the TV shows he was playing on, his big-studio sessions, or his home-studio gigs, and I learned so much Grasshopper, Master, and Brother By Nate Morton I am a big fan of martial- arts movies. After a contest, the victor might say to a defeated opponent, “Thank you for letting me win, master.” It’s a phrase I also hear used in chess and tennis as a show of respect—often for an elder. It strikes me similarly when Corey Coverstone refers to me as his “teacher.” I met Corey in 2007, at a drum clinic at the Seattle Drum School. He lived in Portland at the time, and six months later, he moved to Los Angeles and was knocking on my door for drum lessons. Corey absorbed everything I threw at him—technique workouts, independence challenges, groove exercises, Latin patterns, and jazz patterns. We even discussed stage presence and showmanship. Very quickly our lessons became less about patterns and exercises, and more about life—how to approach an audition, what to expect from certain musical situations, or deciding between gig A or gig B. Since then, it has been a joy and a privilege watching Corey put into action the information he has gained from me and others to get a point where I now call him and ask, “Hey man, break down that fill you played.” Corey is a drummer who is as comfortable playing odd-meter fusion at the Baked Potato as he is bashing out high-energy rock music on an arena stage. The range of his musicianship goes from a profound understanding of subtle nuance to melt-your- face-off power. On top of it all, he couldn’t be a more self-aware and humble dude. He still refers to me as his “teacher.” Getting to write this piece in Modern Drummer about him is yet another experience I am proud and honored to be a part of. Grasshopper, turned master, turned brother. Alex SolcaMay 2021 Modern Drummer 43 from seeing him play in all these vastly different scenarios. He was not just a drum teacher, but almost like a life coach. He taught me how to navigate and prioritize the various aspects of being a professional musician in Los Angeles. He and I are still close, and I always reach out to him for advice. I will always consider myself his student. As for Jamie, his was the most transformative and amazing course I have ever taken. Without him, I would never have had a chance at a career playing drums. MD: What was your practice routine when you first started playing? Coverstone: It was playing along to records the best I could. Later, Nate helped me out with a lot of coordination stuff. I had never played a samba groove until I met him, for example. Jamie taught me things that were seriously next level—not in terms of Yoga and Drumming By Corey Coverstone One of the benefits of yoga is that the physical practice of it is an extension of meditation. When I’d practice yoga regularly, I would notice that I was just sitting and being—I wasn’t thinking. Now, this is a good thing if you’re playing and not thinking. You are just being present in the moment. However, the catch-22 is once you become aware that yoga or meditation practice can make this spontaneous presence of being in the moment happen, you may start searching for it. That means you’re basically thinking again, and you’ve lost it. Aside from slightly better posture and occasionally finding myself to be more present, doing yoga and moving your body are healthy. If you’re sitting at the drums constantly, it’s good to move out of that “shape” of sitting at the drums. For example, I play with two floor toms, so I’m finding myself always twisting to the right. But when I do my yoga practice, I emphasize twisting to the left to balance things out. Any stretching I do to loosen up after rehearsing or working on the practice pad comes from my background in yoga, as well. These days, I don’t do the intense level of yoga that I used to. I’d sometimes do four-and-a-half hours of yoga a day—plus martial arts. I was obsessed. In fact, I was going to quit music and become a yoga teacher. But I had really great teachers, and I still hear their instructions in my head. Modern Drummer May 2021 44 complicated drum sh*t, but in developing a thorough and deep understanding of time, rhythm, and music. I studied with him for three years before he passed, and it was absolutely life-changing. MD: What about your practice routine now? Coverstone: I’ll hit my pad to keep my hand-technique fresh. When I’m on the road, I bring a complete practice pad kit in a separate hardware case. MD: What type of exercises would you do on the pad? Coverstone: I try to loosen up, and make sure I’m feeling connected with the sticks. I go slow at the start—wrist strokes with control, and then finger strokes, each finger at a time. I do a bit of the Moeller technique, as well, combining groupings in either hand simultaneously to add a coordination element. Once I feel warmed up, I start to crank up the tempo, change subdivisions, and improvise. I try to come up with little themes. For example, maybe I’ll start out with 16th-note singles, add flams as I choose, and improvise with that for a bit before adding doubles in sextuplets. Then, it will evolve into something else. Maybe I’ll add rests here and there. Throughout, I make sure everything is locked to a click. MD: What about on the kit? Coverstone: There are tons of things I work on. One is coordination. I think about coordination as top/bottom, side/side, and diagonal, and I flip all of those to get every combination. I always make sure my limbs are in sync, and, hopefully, playing with a good feel—even while working on tricky stuff. One simple but very effective drill is something I got from combining two Dan Weiss ideas. You start out playing a shuffle in the hands, then go through groupings of 1,2,3,4, and add paradiddles with the feet. It’s shuffle in the hands and singles in the feet—then doubles, triple strokes, four notes per foot, and paradiddles all against the shuffle. I move the patterns to every other possible combo between the limbs. I love how simple it is, and yet it uncovers some sticky spots in my coordination. The flip side is to work on linear stuff. I have also been experimenting with contrasts. Namely, pitch at high/low, dynamics at loud/ quiet, and rhythm either resolved or syncopated. It’s pretty “un-drumistic,” which I love, because it gets straight to the point— music. MD: What is your approach when you’re practicing alone, as opposed to rehearsing with the band? Coverstone: When I’m practicing with Dirty Honey, it’s about turning off the analytical, perfectionist side of my brain and just playing the music. I listen to what John and Justin are doing, and I try to make something cool happen with them, as opposed to thinking, “Did I rush that fill?” When I practice by myself, I can totally nerd out and spend hours on whatever I want. MD: Do you have any advice for how a musician should work for success within a band? Coverstone: I think you have to treat it like being in a relationship. You have to learn to make compromises, and to be flexible. Dirty Honey is definitely four very different people, but everyone works together to create music that we all like. My personal motto is that Dirty Honey Track by Track By Corey Coverstone, as told to Billy Amendola “California Dreamin’” This was one of the last songs—if not the last song—to come together, so the drum parts were more “winging it” than with the other tracks. When you’ve played a new song on the road 50 times, you know it so well that you can get into the studio and just kill it. I would have found all the nooks and crannies to put nuances in. When you don’t know a song that well, it’s more of a broad strokes approach when you’re recording it. The intro and breakdown before the solo are very Gadd inspired with the cymbals and hi-hat splash. The ending is exaggerated, but influenced by the stutter kick that Alex Van Halen played live and on 1984. “The Wire” This was the first song we tracked at Henson Studios, and I was familiar with it, because we had been playing it live. I think it was the first new song to come together for the new album. There are some fast fills that Nick [DiDia, producer] really liked. One thing that’s kind of interesting, is as we were getting comfortable in the studio—dialing in sounds and headphone mixes and so on—I grabbed a pair of Vic Firth Modern Jazz Collection 1 sticks for some reason. I didn’t use them on any other song because they’re too light. Normally, I play with 2Bs, which are pretty much the biggest, heaviest drumsticks you can get. “Tied Up” I used those ‘70s Zildjian New Beat hi-hats on the song. The ride cymbal reminds me of a “Love in an Elevator” vibe, because Joey [Kramer, Aerosmith drummer] goes to a shuffle thing before the guitar solo, and the bell of the ride is very pronounced. “Tied Up” reminded me of that part, so I used the Zildjian 23" K Prototype ride, because it’s pretty beefy. Marc [LaBelle, vocalist] said this was his favorite drum performance of mine—simple and tasteful. We’d played the song a bunch, so I found little spaces to add things. For example, in the second verse, I play a fill into a hit with Justin [Smolian, bassist] on beat two. Each of us looks for little moments where we can add our own flare to a track, or make it a bit hipper. Also, this track was fun because it’s the only triple-feel song of ours. “Take My Hand” I used a 6.5x14 Ludwig Copperphonic snare drum, Alex Solca Owen CoxMay 2021 Modern Drummer 45 because this is an aggressive song, and I thought the metal snare would be more fitting. That’s also my main snare on tour. Weirdly, during the mixing process, this drum didn’t cut as much as I’d hoped. “Gypsy” I used the Ludwig Copperphonic snare again, as well as a very broken 22” Zildjian Constantinople ride, because I loved it on the demos we did. It just sounds out of control, and it has a nice spread. This song is probably the hardest for me to play, because it’s a quicker tempo than the other songs, and the way I play it can be physically demanding. I’m kind of stealing a move from Tony Williams, keeping my left foot on the hi-hat, and stampeding away with 8th notes throughout the whole thing. At a quick tempo, that approach is kind of challenging. I had to make sure I was warmed up before we tracked it, and John [Notto, guitarist] kept wanting us to play it faster [laughs]. “No Warning” I used the broken Constantinople ride again. Once upon a time, that was my most coveted cymbal. But, because I played it all the time—particularly in contexts it wasn’t meant for—it broke. But it has a cool sound, and I did a lot of our demos with it. When we worked out the chorus groove, Nick was hearing it differently from how I was feeling it. I was naturally gravitating towards a swampy vibe that you’d hear Levon Helm from the Band play. But Nick wanted the ride cymbal to feel straighter, more rock. You can hear me half-accenting this off-beat 8th-note thing—which is how I was feeling it—and half-trying to get at what Nick was suggesting. Ultimately, I think the compromise turned out interesting. In the second and third choruses, you can hear John, Justin, and I reference a Steve Miller tune. We did it as a joke once in rehearsal, and we decided it was subtle enough—and it actually fit the tune—so we recorded it for real. Things like that add a lot to the fun of playing. We can all look at each other in those little moments and have a laugh. “The Morning” I was excited about this song, because it’s really cool, and it’s one we workshopped before going into the studio. I spent some time trying to find places to put in cool fills and things like that. But it’s a fine line, too. For example, choosing to play hits with Justin and John, or playing a fill across the hits. I really learned a lot about the arc of a song on this track, and how to keep things building throughout. A lot of times, the sh*t I thought was cool while tracking didn’t translate when listening back. On the pre-chorus, I do an exaggerated open hi-hat on the back beats—à la Queen’s “Somebody to Love”—just for fun. Everyone seemed to like that. There’s also a fake double-kick thing at the end, which is actually the kick and floor tom alternating. “Another Last Time” This song was about trying to be tasteful. I love Steve Gadd’s playing, so I tried to approach it with his mindset as best as I could. I used the broken Constantinople again. We had a hard time deciding whether to swing this song or not. When we were demoing the song, certain versions swung unintentionally, and while tracking it at Henson, we had to focus a bit to not swing it. I really love how it turned out. I’ve always believed my craft as a drummer—my musicianship— should be the guiding force that leads me to wherever I’m going to wind up. I always focus on trying to be the best musician I can be. MD: Are you involved in the songwriting process for Dirty Honey? Coverstone: Yes. Pretty much everything is co-written. Marc writes most of the lyrics, although I’ve taken a few stabs at it. Our writing process is usually one of two ways. The first is that something will come out of a jam, whether it’s at a rehearsal or a soundcheck. That’s how “Take My Hand” started—as a spontaneous jam. Then, we sculpt the riffs and the structure. Basically, we’re all throwing out ideas, and we’re kind of self-producing in the moment while we’re jamming. The second way is that someone will come up with a riff—usually John or Justin—and we’ll jam on it in the band room. The lyrics usually happen last. MD: Interestingly, your solo projects are often not informed by classic rock. Coverstone: I cut a jazz-quartet album, A Human Experience, in 2014. It’s not the most profound playing on my part, but there’s some decent moments here and there. It was dedicated to Jamie, who passed away unexpectedly in 2013. I followed up that release in 2020 with my EP, Punch the Shaman, which displays a bit of my metal and angst-ridden teen influences. It’s an ode to some personal challenges I was going through at the time. MD: Another of your outside interests is yoga, and you were so into it that you thought about giving up playing drums professionally to become a yoga teacher. Coverstone: Yeah, but I stuck with drums. My yoga practice over the last couple of years isn’t anywhere near the level it once was, but it still helps me with my posture. I have horrible posture when I play, and when I practice a lot of yoga, I really focus on alignment— which I think sometimes gets overlooked—and I definitely feel myself sitting up straighter at the drums. MD: Did you miss touring in 2020? Coverstone: I’m a total homebody, but I did miss it. When a tour is six weeks on, one week off, and then another six weeks on, it can make for a very grueling schedule. But it’s all worth it when there’s a dad and his son in the front row, and the kid is air drumming the entire time. Then, I’ll go down after the show and hand him my drumsticks. It totally makes that kid’s day. It’s awesome, because I remember when I used to be that kid, and to be part of that full-circle moment is surreal. I also missed being in different cities and having experiences you would normally never get if you weren’t traveling. MD: What advice can you offer MD readers about the music business? Coverstone: The business side is not always about music or playing, so I’d say, “Just focus on the craft.” Starting out as a 20-year-old kid in Los Angeles, and learning from all these great players and teachers, my view is that their constant efforts to be great musicians is what led them to have success. I’ve always believed musicianship is still the most important thing. Mis GreylandB rooklyn, New York’s Thommy Price has spent the large majority of his career playing and touring with a diverse array of iconic bands and artists. His four- decade career spans countless gigs and recordings from Mink DeVille to Scandal to Billy Idol, and throughout his long-time association with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Price’s drumming highlights rock anthems such as Scandal’s “The Warrior,” Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and “Eyes Without a Face,” and many Joan Jett and the Blackhearts classics, including “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and “Light of Day.” His vast catalog of studio credits lists sessions for Blue Öyster Cult, the Psychedelic Furs, Roger Daltrey, Steve Lukather, Debbie Harry, Peter Wolf, Enrique Iglesias, Ronnie Spector, Ric Ocasek, Ron Wood, Sylvester, the Waterboys, and others. Price even found pockets in his busy schedule to form a band with Kasim Sulton (Price-Sulton), and, more recently, launch an album with Downtown Phantom. Recently relocated from New York City to San Antonio, Texas, Price’s career shows no signs whatsoever of slowing down. In addition to numerous recording projects cutting drum tracks in his home studio, he is working on a coffee table book of his many drum kits through the years, and he is still writing and producing music for himself and others. In addition, he is included in Dan LeRoy’s forthcoming book on rock drummers of the 1980s who have played on hits featuring drum machines. Price’s dedication and solid playing show what it means to support a song with an unwavering pocket, and he does this all while maintaining his own unique style, feel, and perspective. Thommy Price Rock and Roll Hitmaker By Rich Scannella Courtesy of Blackheart RecordsNext >