1. what first inspired you to become a drummer?


My brother was always a keyboard player. I thought he got all the musical genes in the family. When I was in primary school, he had a little band that would gather in the bungalow at the back of our house. The drummer would get driven over by his Dad, and I'd watch as they loaded in this bright blue kit. At that point, I wished I could play drums.

A few years later, my daily homeroom call at school was in the music room. One of my best mates was learning the drums and I wanted in on the action  I'd get to school early and have a quick 10 minutes on the drums each morning. It was there that I figured out how to play The Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" - it was the first song that clicked with me - I could hear how a drumbeat slotted together. So from there, I just taught myself.


 
2. anything that you’ve learnt along the way that’s really helped you as a drummer?


That I should have probably gone and got some real lessons!  Just about everything I've learned about drumming has been self-taught. Lessons would have taught me discipline and theory, but I enjoyed playing more than anything.


 
3. who have you and/or who are you playing with at the moment and what are the bands movements?


   Anything to plug?


At the moment (and for the foreseeable future) I'm playing in a band called Matheson. We've just released an album called 'These Are My Horses'. We're playing shows across Melbourne to support the release, too. The next one is at Spenserslive on Saturday May 15.  I can't imagine playing in any other band right now. We just have too much fun.   


We've been quite a few places, too. We've played the Woodford Folk Festival, played at the Melbourne Zoo's Twighlight sessions, and played with some top acts like The Panics, The Whitlams and Paul Kelly.


Plus, I played in a band called Krafty back in high school. We rocked. There's talk of a reunion!   


4. what gear are you using at present?


I've only ever had two kits. For the first 5 years of my playing career, I didn't have a kit!  My first kit was by a company called DRAGON. I bought it from a mate for $200, complete with cymbals and stands. I loved that thing. I scratched off the A in DRAGON on the kick resonator. That left me with a skin that read DR. GON. I've vowed to one day form a band by that name. One day...


But now, I play a Tama Rockstar that I bought off another mate (the one I mentioned earlier who was learning drums). So the kit is probably 11 years old now. It's got a 22" kick, 10" rack tom, 14" floor tom, 14" x 5.5" snare and the cymbals are a mix of things I've collected that I think sound great. I'm on a never-ending quest to find the perfect ride cymbal. It just means I end up collecting rather than trading.


Plus, I'm expanding the range by playing Glockenspeil/keyboards and a bunch of other percussion.


5. what would be your dream gig?


I'd love to be in a backing band for Neil Young at Glastonbury or something equally large. Or I'd like to have BEEN Dave Grohl. He's seen his fair share of cracking gigs in his time.


 
6. favourite drummers and/or bands and why?


Dave Grohl (from all sorts of groups) - he can slot into all sorts of styles, and he's just darned good.  


Glenn Kotche (Wilco) - He's inventive.  Hear him on record and it can sound simple, but watch him play and you realise he's playing so much more (ghost notes and cross-rhythms).  His sound selection is incredible, too.  Really dry sounding gear.


Clint Hyndman (Something For Kate) - Plays with such power.  Some of the patterns he created on the SFK records are amazing.  I reckon I can play 'Elsewhere for 8 minutes' on drums, start to finish - I've listened to and practiced along to that record so much.

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