Ashley Davies is regarded as one of Australia’s most innovative drummers. Eight years ago he teamed up with blues guitarist Matt Walker and together they became a highly sought after live act. Their energetic and unique style of improvised performance landed them supports with Bob Dylan & Patti Smith, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and The Cruel Sea, as well as opening for Gomez, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Cowboy Junkies, ZZ Top, Cold Chisel and Junior Brown. In 2001 their album ‘Soul Witness’ took out the Australian Record Industry Association award for Best Blues Album.

Throughout a career spanning 2 decades, Davies has toured Europe, the USA and Australia, and has recorded, toured, played live and released more than 20 cd’s with a diverse range of artists and styles of music including rock n roll, blues, rhythm n blues and alternative (jeff lang, chris wilson and the crown of thorns, black eyed susans, steve lucas – member of Australian cult rock band x and the energetic tribal rudiment inspired rhythms of his own band mighty servant) country (lisa miller, mark c halstead) ballad (abbie cardwell – winner of jjj unearthed 2003, rory ellis) funk/soul (ray vanderby).

He has done sessions with tex perkins and the late dave mccomb (triffids) and locally filled in for some of melbournes finest musicians including tim neal and his Hammond extravaganza, andy and pete baylor, miss Dorothy, david Williamson and many others

Able to adapt to many styles of drumming in 2000 he had the unique opportunity to be a part of the music as medicine world music project and work with native American, Tibetan, maori and Australian aboriginal people to record the cd “welcome to the people”.

In 2001 Davies launched his CD and live show of ‘Ned Kelly’, which he produced with noted historian Ian Jones. This project tells the story of the legendary Australian outlaw and bushranger. The album won the 2001 Best Australian Debut CD in Rhythms Magazine Reader’s Poll. When the live performance premiered at the Apollo Bay Music Festival it played to packed houses and was voted the highlight of the festival by the Melbourne Age newspaper. It has since toured to several Australian festivals including the prestigious Perth International Arts Festival.

Ashley Davies has also composed music for VCA student films and had music that he has co-written appear in major Australian film releases, “Australian rules” and “Somersault”. Mia dyson, barb waters and matt walker have also performed songs written by Ashley davies on their cd’s

He currently is putting the finishing touches on his next solo cd entitled “muscle drum music” and is awaiting the release of the new jeff lang / chris whitley cd which he played on as well as filling in for rob hirst of midnight oil famein the backsliders.

Ashley Davies has well and truly cemented himself a place in the Australian music scene as one of the country’s finest drummer/songwriters.

Playing drums is about playing music. Making the drums sound good makes the musicians you are playing with sound good, which makes the music you perform together sound even better.

There are no real rules to drumming but there are basic techniques, rudimentary studies and practices that all drummers should learn. These will guide you and help make you into a great player. It’s important to remember that all drummers are different. Some like rock and roll, some jazz or then there’s hip hop, punk, speed metal or marching drums. Within each style you will also find differences. No two drummers in the world play the same. Some sit high, some low, heel up or heel down, traditional grip or match grip and if match grip is it French or German? All these methods work, what you have to do is find out what works best for you.

The two crucial characteristics of a good drummer are technique and feel. Technique can be taught, feel can’t. You use technique, (theory and rudiments applicable to the style of drums you want to learn play) to make you sound good and to give you control over your fingers, wrists, arms and legs. You practice technique so that it becomes second nature and you don’t have to think about it while you are playing. When you have mastered technique it frees your mind up to allow you to get into the sound of the grooves you are playing, to get in to the sound of the drums and bring out the feel of it, the music of it.  Feel is the spark that defines the great drummers.

My drum lessons are about incorporating these ideas, concepts and practices and passing them onto the student. I teach that the drums are a musical instrument as well as percussive. I use rudimentary studies not just as exercises but as an integral part of playing and I encourage students to learn various styles of drumming in order to improvise and to enhance one’s own individual style.

Subjects covered in Drum lessons

Hand technique, bass drum and high hat technique, snare drum rudiments, co-ordination and independence, rock, rhythm and blues, funk, jazz, latin, hip hop, and linear beats. Also work on improvisation and developing your own style and creativity.

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