< PreviousModern Drummer February 2022 18 A t a time when many retailers are facing difficulties maintaining their businesses, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania’s Pocket Percussion is not simply surviving, but thriving in the challenging and crowed space of retail-drum shops. In 2019, owner/operator Keith Szczesniak saw the need for a great local drum store. Originally operating out of a small portion of an existing store, he eventually rented more retail space to accommodate the expanding business. In January 2022, he relocated to a larger space outside of Philadelphia. His shop is not only an excellent place to acquire both quality vintage and new drum gear, but it also serves as an unofficial collective where drummers can comfortably congregate, play, and share ideas while shopping. The store also has plans to host rehearsal and practice rooms, and Szczesniak is a huge supporter of the many locally made percussion brands. His extension knowledge of drum and percussion equipment, combined with his ethical business sense and friendly, laid-back demeanor instantly puts people at ease—making Pocket Percussion a must-stop destination for local and touring drummers. What has been your drumming journey, and how did you come to own a drum shop? I started playing drums when I was about 12. My friend played bass, and he asked if I wanted to learn to play drums and join his band. I said, “I guess I could do that.” My aunts and uncles all played drums and accordion, and my aunt had an old MIJ black diamond pearl kit up in her attic. They gave me that set, and I learned to play by listening to records. I never had any lessons. When I was in high school, my mom would go to flea markets to sell stuff. I kind of learned to be scrappy like that—selling stuff. I’d buy and fix up drums and sell them. Later, I did that with bikes. Then, I had a friend, Ian, who sold bikes, and I’d sell drums in the same shop. I did that and it took off. I also drum teched for years. I was always a tinkerer. I saw the need for a drum shop because I was trying to find parts for stuff I was restoring. So, there was a good opportunity to start something small, grow it, and see how people would receive it. It just kind of worked out to be this. Have you noticed any trends towards players looking for specific gear? For a while the trend was smaller bass drums—16" and 18" jazz sizes. I get a lot of guys who don’t want to take a lot of gear to a gig. But now, I’ve been having a lot of people asking for 26" bass drums. What advice would you offer players who aren’t sure about buying new gear or vintage equipment? I really don’t sell a lot of new gear. I tend to steer people towards used kits— especially if it’s a first-time drum set for a kid. It’s probably better to buy used for value, and if they like it, they can use it longer. If they don’t like it, they can sell it again and get some of their money back, so that you’re not spending thousands of dollars. That’s always my advice. In addition to being an excellent place to acquire new and used gear, I find your shop to also be extremely conducive to the exchange of percussion-related ideas. It’s really comfortable to be there and hang out. In this place I have a couch, a chair, and a record player. It’s a hang spot. I don’t want it to have that cold, corporate feel. It should be warm and inviting. You should want to hang out. I have people come in like you, or David Uosikkinen from the Hooters, or regular customers. It’s cool to walk into the shop and not know who’s going to be there. Maybe it’s a local drummer with killer chops that you may learn something from. It’s just a cool atmosphere, and that’s what I wanted. It’s like a collective. Last year, you delivered a Fibes snare to Eric Singer from Kiss when the band was playing in town. You get a nice balance of hobbyists, along with working and touring drummers. Yes. That’s why I try not to have all vintage drums. I have new stuff here as much as I can. But it’s fun to see people like Eric into cool, vintage drums. He’s playing high-end Pearl stuff on stage, then he In the Pocket Pocket Percussion Expands Its Groove By Rich ScannellaFebruary 2022 Modern Drummer 19 buys an old Fibes, you know what I mean? Johnny Rabb reached out, as well. I think I sold him some old Rogers stuff. When I was a kid, I watched his videos and I got his Johnny Rabb Rhythm Saw sticks. Now, he’s asking me questions on Instagram. Most drummers don’t have the stigma of being a “star.” I’ve done stuff with Dave Grohl, Dave Weckl, and the Beach Boys, and most of those guys are just normal dudes. It’s great. You also offer plenty of great budget kits—which are excellent solutions for drummers just starting out. And they are super affordable. Stuff is getting so expensive nowadays—even stands. I have hundreds of older Pearl and Tama stands that are all under $35, and there’s nothing wrong with them. It comes down to what someone actually needs—not what you want to sell them. In the long run, if someone gets what they need, and not just what you sold them, they’ll come back. What experience would you like drummers to have at your place? I just want people to be happy—that’s the main thing. I have people who come in once a week and never buy anything. If you can walk out of the door happy—and it made your day a little bit better to come to the shop—that’s all I really want. If you have good will, good will will follow you. What can people expect when walking into Pocket Percussion? If you’re looking for parts or something, you’ll probably be able to find what you’re looking for. And if you’re not looking for something specific, you’ll find something cool. I like to have a wide range of stuff—tons of cymbals, tons of hardware, and tons of old kits. I have beat-up player kits, and high-end vintage kits. I just try to handpick things and get cool stuff. You’re not just going to find a bunch of Pearl Exports or ZBTs. I always try to keep stuff less expensive. I buy stuff knowing my price point and knowing what my customers want to pay for things. I’m not going to gouge people. Can you talk about your support of local percussion brands? I try to carry a lot of local stuff. Mike Mongiello is a cymbalsmith in Philly, and I have a few of his handmade cymbals. KickBlock is from another local Philly guy. KickBlock is a block that stops the kick drum from moving. It’s awesome. I wish I would have thought of it. Croaker Percussion is in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, and he makes things like cajons, shakers, and brush boxes. Chris Carr, the owner of Bucks County Drums, makes amazing shells—which we’re going to be showcasing here. He makes phenomenal drums and people need to play them. They’re some of the best drums I’ve ever played. Then, there are companies like Headhunters Sticks in Canada. I just got distribution with them, and their sticks are amazing. They make all kinds of rute sticks— just great stuff. Those are the kinds of things I want to have at the shop—stuff you didn’t know about, but you need it (laughs.) Rich Scannella is the drummer for Jon Bon Jovi & the Kings of Suburbia and Tonic. He teaches drums privately and at Rider University. He can be reached at richscannella.com. Keith Szczesniak in his shopModern Drummer February 2022 20 W hen Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Ricky Byrd released Sobering Times in 2020, it celebrated his own 30+ years of being clean and sober, while also reaching out to others in recovery through rock and roll. This is a mission the former member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts has happily undertaken since 2018, as a drug and alcohol counselor and recovery coach. Who knew a global pandemic would descend that same year, and expand the album’s outreach to others dealing with anxiety, depression, and hopelessness brought on by COVID. Perhaps partly because of his commitment to encouraging sober lifestyles, Sobering Times is one of those albums that will resonate truth for years to come. Making such an impactful theme album requires the songs, performances, and production to coalesce in a listening experience that brings people deeply into the work. Of course, groove is critical, as well, and we wondered how Byrd and co-producer Bob Stander worked with drummers Steve Holley, Liberty DeVitto, Rich Pagano, and Thommy Price to create the right sound to get the album’s message across. When you write an album with an overarching concept—such as Sobering Times—do you have a game plan or script for the session drummers, or do you let them interpret your songs and devise the parts they feel are best suited to the material? Byrd: First of all, I wanted to use a few of my pals on drums this time, and once I had the songs written, I kind of had an idea who I wanted to play on what. Steve Holley played on the majority of the record—as he had on the last one. I give them an idea of the feel I want and I let them do their thing. I may have some specific places I want fills, but they know what they’re doing. If they don’t agree with me on something, I simply say, “Convince me.” How did you capture the sonic signature of each drummer? Stander: We had some of the best drummers on the planet, but the common thread is the drum set we used—a 1971 Ludwig kit in Psychedelic Red, with the exception of the bass drum, which is a 1967/68 22" shell in the same color with a double tom mount in which I added the appropriate hardware. Basically, it’s a 1971 Super Classic set that I got new when I was 13. My grandmother A Message of Hope Ricky Byrd and Bob Stander Look Back at Creating Soundscapes for Sobering Times By Michael Molenda Bob Stander Ricky Byrd and Rich PaganoFebruary 2022 Modern Drummer 21 paid for it as a holiday gift. I still have the 1971 Ludwig catalog I ordered it from. The toms are 13", 16", and 20" with a 5x14 Supraphonic snare—all original stands and hardware—and the cymbals are Zildjian. There’s a 20" medium ride and a late-’60s 18" crash that I traded a 22" ride to get from my drum teacher in 1972. Steve, Thommy, and Lib used the 13", 16", and 22", and Steve switched off using my 6.5 Supraphonic and his famed Tama 6.5 chrome snare—the Ian Hunter snare that’s on all of his records—depending on the texture we needed for each song. Lib and Rich played my 5x14 Supraphonic, and Thommy used the 6.5 Supra. This particular drum set has been with me forever. I started out as drummer and then gravitated to guitar and bass. By accident, I became an engineer/ producer, and now a studio owner of Parcheesi Recording Studio. Many well-known drummers have all played on what has been called, the “magic drum kit.” What about the recording setup? Stander: Although each drummer came in on separate days, I used the same mic setup for all the drum sessions. All mics went through API 312 and 212 mic preamps. Some drum tracks were recorded on my Soundworkshop Series 40 console until it failed. I replaced it with a brand-new API 32-channel API 1608 console with automation—which was the one used to record and mix most of the album. For “Just Like You,” how did you cast the percussion parts and overall dynamics to lift the song? For example, did you do an acoustic track and then listen to determine where the percussion impact points might fall, or was there another approach? Byrd: Some things are revealed once I put down some guitars and a scratch vocal. Sometimes, I can see the parts as I’m writing the song. But I always ask the drummer what he would do first. What inspired the punches and short rolls on the choruses of “I Come Back Stronger”? You could have “John-Bonham-ed” through the part and the chorus would be awesome, but you decided to let in some air and open things up dynamically. Byrd: I love air and space in some of my tunes, and, sometimes, I like to fill it up to the brim. A lot of the time, I’m not sure what I want, but I know what I don’t want. Holley knows what to do. Do you sit down before a drum session and determine what type of drum sound you want for each song? Or it is a matter of miking up a kit however the engineer likes to do it, and then letting the drummer do their thing? Byrd: Bob is the sounds guy. I just reference drum sounds I love on my favorite tunes—which I think might be good for what we’re working on—and Bob knows how to get it. Occasionally, after the drums are done, we have to adjust the EQ on a snare or tom if it doesn’t work after all the music and vocals are added. Did you have basic guitar tracks completed for the Modern Drummer February 2022 22 drummer to play to, or would you track live along with the drummer? Byrd: Because I don’t have a band, it’s easier for me to just put a basic guitar with a scratch vocal to a click, send it to Steve or whoever is playing on it, and let them live with it for a bit before coming into the studio. They usually come in with some sort of chart to follow. It would be lovely to sit around in the studio together and do it live, but I don’t have that situation right now. Do you feel it’s important for a drummer to understand the concept behind a song, or do you want the drummer to provide the right groove whether or not they know if the song is about chipmunks or world peace? Byrd: I play with cats that play for the song, and groove is all important—whether it’s a slow one or a rocker. I don’t know if they are playing to the lyrics or the music. Interesting question... As a lifetime rock and roller, what is most important to you about a slamming drum sound? Byrd: It depends on the song. I have a tendency to ask the drummer to make it snap like Charlie Watts [laughs]. I just want to feel it— which, to me, is more important than hearing it. And it needs to move the story of the song along, as well. Do you have any songs where you feel the drums let down a great song? Maybe they were distracting or not powerful enough or not sensitive enough... Byrd: I can say 99 percent of the time, we get what we wanted and expected before the drummer leaves the studio. Trust me, I can be annoying—like, “Can you try it one more time and do this?” Only once did someone have to come back in. As someone with a lot of history in various eras of rock and roll recording techniques, what do you love about drum recording in the ‘70s and ‘80s as compared to drum recordings made today? Byrd: Sometimes, things sound too damn good these days. “Hey, let’s get the rattle out of that snare.” I might go, “Uh no, that’s a good rattle.” I love ‘60s and ‘70s stuff. The drums on Bowie records or Faces songs or Exile on Main Street or those early soul records. There’s something to be said for having to make decisions on the spot and not fixing it later. I’m always telling Bob, “Screw it up a bit—it sounds too good!” Drummers on Working with Ricky By Billy Amendola Liberty DeVitto “When I think Rock and Roll guitar and vocal there is no one better than my buddy Ricky Byrd. I was honored to play drums on the track “Starlit Night” on his latest album Sobering Times. “Ricky is always helping others recover from substance abuse through his words and music by passing on love, hope, and encouragement. On “Starlit Night,” I sat behind a vintage four- piece Ludwig kit and was coached by Ricky. I played along to his lyrics—which is mostly how I like to cut my drum parts—and we recorded this drum track in 20 minutes.” Steve Holley “What a pleasure to be a part of Ricky Byrd’s Sobering Times. His songs resonate with truth—about a problem so many of us have had to deal with. And what a treat to share the drum chair with three of the world’s greatest drummers “Liberty DeVitto, Rich Pagano and Thom- my Price. The album was recorded by Bob Stander at his Parcheesi Studios in Huntington New York. I mostly played his vintage Ludwig Psychedelic Red drums, with a few of my bits and pieces. A great performance by everyone involved.” Rich Pagano “Ricky is a musician I have known for more time than he’s known me, so it’s always great to either share a New York stage or record with him and experience what makes him so re- vered as an artist. I have been following Ricky’s music and I feel that Sobering Times is his best and most introspective work with a wonderful mix of compelling confessional acoustic songs and, of course, great rock and roll. “Ricky asked me to play drums on ‘Quittin’ Time.’ Being that we are both fans of British blues—plus with the rough demo having a bit of a Faces nod in mood—I put on a Kenney Jones hat with an oval groove and falling- down-stairs fills. Co-producing and recording the record was the great, Bob Stander at his Parcheesi Studio on Long Island. The drum set was a vintage Ludwig Super Classic, and although I tend to be in the trenches with most engineers on mic placement with regards to how I tune drums, I knew that in this situation, I would defer to Bob who would then suss out the sweet spots and honor my sonic approach with perfect placement. “I gave the drums a quick tune—reso-tom heads pitched a bit lower for lots of tone—and I added slight damp- ening to the snare which was my own Slingerland Buddy Rich, eight-lug ‘60s-era reissue. I then pulled out my handwritten chart/ road map and we were off. “Ricky had put down a really good scratch guitar and vocal, making it easy for me to react and get dynamics. I think we did three takes and only took a bit of time in between one of them to talk ‘Geoff Emerick’ studio techniques until Ricky saw that Bob and I were starting to geek out a bit much and reigned us in. We listened for the choice take and I left them to continue tracking. “I love the way ‘Quittin’ Time’ ended up sounding vocally and performance-wise as another great Byrdman rocker with a deeper message. I am grateful to be in the company of the roster of drummers also on this body of music. Steve Holley, my friend, who has the silkiest backbeat one can find, the legendary Liberty DeVitto who has influenced all of us and who’s drumming I would know anywhere, and Thommy Price who knocked me out when I saw him with Joan Jett years ago.” Thommy Price “Before I even get into my fellow drummers on this record, I have to say that Ricky has hit it out of the park with Sobering Times. Every song on this record is excellent. I may be biased since Ricky and I go way back to being Blackhearts in Joan Jett’s band, but I don’t think so. This is just straight-up great rock and roll at its best. “Ricky managed to pick the best man for the job—selecting which drummers to play on which song. On ‘Quittin’ Time Again,’ Rich Pagano sits in that pocket like cement. ‘Starlit Night’ features my friend Liberty DeVitto, who knows how and when to add color and drum fills to make it sound like a hit single. I didn’t do too bad either playing on the ‘Together’ and ‘The Bottle Let Me Down.’ Ricky picked me for ‘Together’ because he knows I eat feels like that for breakfast. I can play that sleazy feel all day long. Steve Holley picked up the rest of the record and added what he does best—groove all the way home! It was my pleasure to work with Ricky and dig into what he throws at me.” Thommy Price Steve HolleyModern Drummer February 2022 24 Gallery of Groove Photos from the 2021 Modern Drummer Festival F or the second year in a row, the global pandemic chased the Modern Drummer Festival to an online venue. But w e were unbowed. P resented by the MD team and produced by Thom Mozloom’s crew at M Network, we were able to unleash one of the most diverse festivals ever. Play-throughs, product demos, seminars, drum duels, song premieres, tributes, and more—all presented by players of various ages and styles—populated this year’s three-hour, on-demand video show. Drum-community supporters included Sweetwater, Vic Firth, Zildjian, Crabby Tools, Autumn Hill Records, Mapex, Got Pocket? Apparel, DW Drums, and Drum Channel. The Modern Drummer staff was extremely heartened that, at a time with continued uncertainty and angst in the music community due to COVID, so many artists, educators, celebrities, and drum manufacturers rallied around the festival and presented us with such thrilling video content. If you haven’t yet experienced this year’s drum party, you can still get a ticket and watch the big show at your leisure at moderndrummer.com. Here’s a gallery of screen captures from the actual festival to illustrate what went down. Rick Latham did a seminar on triplet licks. Steve Jordan and Mix Master Mike kicked off with “Venom GT” from their Beat Odyssey 2020 album. The video was directed by Anaka Welch and produced by Hart Perry.February 2022 Modern Drummer 25 “Welcome to our brothers in rhythm— the bass players. We’re together at the back of the stage, but in the front of the groove. Where we rule.” — Stewart CopelandModern Drummer February 2022 26 “To all those kids with dreams just like me—we’re the next generation of drummers and we have to keep the art form alive. One day, we’ll be on the cover of Modern Drummer!” —Felipe SantosFebruary 2022 Modern Drummer 27Next >