DrumChannel have started releasing my drum lessons that I filmed for them at their Oxnard California studios back in 20-something! 🙂
This was lesson #2 and the first left foot ostinato pattern that I learned. I used it a lot in my practice and drum clinics and I now have several that are far more complex and hopefully highly musical too.
Anyway, this was my first and it’s cute watching it again after all these years, I hope you enjoy it!
I am happy to say that the great bod’s at DrumChannel are now sharing my lessons on their YouTube channel. I visited the DrumChannel in 2010 and had a great time hanging out with Don Lombardi, we had some great meals and lots of chats about the mighty Buddy Rich too. I am proud to say that Don still talks about this 3 bar warm up and uses it when he teaches!
They filmed 3 lessons whilst I was there as well as having an hour long show about me and my career hosted by the great Curt Bisquera.
I am happy to announce that I’ll be joining Loreena McKennitt & her band for the first leg of the ‘Lost Souls’ world tour in South America later this year. I enjoyed working on the ‘Lost Souls’ album last August at Real World Studios here in the UK, and to be asked to perform with her again on stage is going to be a real treat.
The tour dates are as follows:
October 30th – Sao Paulo – Citibank Hall
October 31st – Sao Paulo – Citibank Hall
November 2nd – Rio De Janeiro – KM Hall
November 4th – Belo Horizonte – KM Hall
November 7th – Buenos Aires – Luna Park
November 9th – Santiago – Teatro Caupolican
It’s my first trip to South America and I am throughly looking forward to working with Loreena and her fine band.
I am very happy to have played on a new single called ‘Walking’ recorded by a great bunch of friends & musicians, and sung by the amazing Nick Allen. Nick is a good friend and owns NAM Studios in Holt where artists such as Royal Blood, Robert Plant, Siouxsie Sioux, Magic Numbers, KT Tunstall, Van Morrison have rehearsed or recorded. Nick is singing on the track which he wrote, and the line up in the studio was Innes Sibun (Guitar), Christian Pattemore (Bass), Phil Andrews (Piano, Mandolin, backing vox, producer), Jo Nye and Steve Robinson (Backing Vocals).
Check out the video below and keep an eye out for more tracks coming soon!
The new album by Loreena McKennitt is now available to buy and stream from all the regular online stores and sites. I worked on the album ‘Lost Souls’ back in August last year and it was real pleasure to spend time with Loreena and her amazing band of musicians. They made me very welcome and the sessions at Real World Studios in Box went very well. The style of music was one that I had never really ventured into before, but Stuart Bruce the producer recommended me and it couldn’t have been a more pleasurable experience.
The kit I used for the sessions was my DW Collectors kit, I took all the sizes down to the studio so I had the pick of any particular combination. In the pictures below you’ll see the various set ups and vibes that I went for on the tracks that I played. I also got a chance to play shakers and some other bells and hand percussion on the album too, always good to stretch out and play other forms of percussion over the top of your own drum parts. Loreena & the band were a pleasure to work with and I am very proud of the music that was made on this record.
The new album ‘Fatti Sentire’ by Italian sensation Laura Pausini is now available from all the usual online stores. I played drums and percussion on some of the tracks which were produced by the amazing Rik Simpson (Coldplay, Jay Z, PJ Harvey.)
The last record we made went Triple Platinum and was up for a Grammy Award in 2016, so we have high hopes for this new one!
Here are some kit pics from the recording session which was recorded at Riverside Studios near Bath, UK 2017. In the band we had the excellent Charlie Jones on bass, David Rhodes on guitar and Angie Pollock on keyboards/piano.
Last night a new track I recorded with the Italian superstar Laura Pausini was released online, check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/track/4ApVIbmjdoUchkdOG7WXin
The new album will be available on March the 16th 2018 and is called ‘Fetti sentire’ and will be available at all the usual online stores.
We recorded the songs at Riverside Studios in Batheaston last year with: Charlie Jones on bass – David Rhodes on Guitar – Angie Pollock on Keyboards.
The producer on our tracks was the amazing Rik Simpson whose worked with Coldplay, Jay-Z, PJ Harvey, Kasabian. He was a real pleasure to work with and loved my ‘Dooosh!’ snare drum sound that I had sorted for the session. The drum was my DW collectors 14″ x 7″ wood shell snare drum with various dampening techniques, stuff I’ve been working on and trying to perfect for quite awhile. For the studio recently I’ve have been looking into various options other than MoonGel and so on and I think I am starting to get some really interesting quick, in studio, snare drum sounds and effects. If you have been to one of my recent drum clinics you will have seen exactly what I am talking about and how I do it etc.
The hi-hats were two of my 16″ Bosphorus XT Edition crash’s and they sounded awesome too!
In total we played on 4 tracks which are on the album and I am looking forward to hearing it very soon. I am hoping that this album will be as successful as the last one which went triple platinum and was up for a Grammy in 2016, fingers crossed!
BIG thanks to all who came along on Friday night to my Palace Drum Clinic in Redditch. It was a great night and we had a room full of eager drummers all up for a full on evening of drumming!! Thanks go to Matthew Green for organising the event and also for playing a great first set. The ace Craig Fenney from Cympad International was there promoting their great products and Mr. Phillip Beazer was on hand helping with the drum set up, and providing awesome company throughout the day. I look forward to returning to the Palace Drum Club again at some point, it’s a great vibe and provides drummers with a valuable learning experience. I hope to return there again at some point and I look forward to it!
Here are some clips from my performance:
I’m very happy to say that I am now a fully fledged endorser of Cympad products. This company have taken the basic cymbal dampener and taken it to a whole new level, with various sizes for crashes and rides that really control and aid the sound of my cymbals in a ‘live’ & studio environment.
I am using:
* Cympad Chromatics pack White 40/15mm
*Cympad Moderator Set/pack 90x15mm
*Cympad Optimizer – Starter Pack
They are really helping my cymbals in the recording studio, the moderator’s on my ride cymbal are really centring the sound nicely. That along with the Bopworks sticks I use means I am really getting that Tony Williams style sound when I need it. On the crashes they are really controlling the sound and I’m experimenting between the Chromatics and the Optimizers, and I am only just scratching the surface of all the possibilities that they can offer!
A great product and something that all drummers should check out if they are serious about their sound.
I’m now set up to start giving online Skype drum lessons in 2018!!
I am interested in hearing from you if you would like a lesson, write to me at: robert.brian70@gmail.com
I teach from NAM Studios which has had the likes of Royal Blood, Siouxsie Sioux, Van Morrison, The Magic Numbers, KT Tunstall, The Mission, Robert Plant, Charlie Jones, Innes Sibun rehearsing or recording there.
Please contact me for more details.
