These players appear in our Winter 2024 Issue with cover stars L.S. Dunes, Wisp, Fall Out Boy x WWWYF, and Chase Atlantic. Head to the AP Shop to grab a copy.
A few hard-working drummers came out from behind their kits to check in with AP about staying in shape, what happens when you lose a stick midset, and their (least) favorite stereotypes.
Read more: 10 most criminally underrated Green Day songs
ARIC IMPROTA (HOUSE OF PROTECTION, NIGHT VERSES)
FIRST TIME YOU MESSED UP ONSTAGE — AND HOW YOU RECOVERED
I remember I dropped a stick toward the end of a drum solo in 8th grade, and rather than try to retrieve it, I just threw my free hand up in the air and finished the solo one-handed with double bass making up for the lost stick. The audience thought it was the big gimmick for my finale and loved it, but I definitely wasn’t planning on a one-handed finish.
FIRST ALBUM THAT YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH
Kerplunk! from Green Day. My dad bought me that cassette tape when I was 4 at a record store in Lakewood, California, and I still have it in my office.
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DRUMMERS
Strive to find a style that is exclusive to you. Just showing you can copy something has a short-term lifespan, but being able to bring something unique to everything you do can go a long way and lead to a very interesting career.
STRATEGY FOR STAYING IN SHAPE
I do a lot of endurance rehearsals, especially before a tour. I do a full set three times in a row without stopping a few times a day, and I’ll usually run that for at least a week. By the time I get onstage, I’m barely ever winded. Nothing feels worse than being exhausted in front of a huge crowd, especially when you can sense the energy dropping toward the end of the set.
VINCE NGUYEN (MILITARIE GUN, MODERN COLOR)
FIRST PLAYER WHO MADE YOU WANT TO DRUM
First drummer I really looked up to was Tré Cool. I loved that he had a style that I could feel, and the idea of a stage name was cool to me.
FIRST SONG THAT YOU LEARNED ON DRUMS
Either “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “All the Small Things,” or “Fat Lip.” The first band I was in was basically a cover band, and that was our set.
FIRST ALBUM THAT YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH
Green Day’s Dookie. I remember hearing Green Day on the radio on my rides to school, and I asked my dad to help me make a burned CD with a mix of their songs. A bulk of the playlist was Dookie, and I remember being hooked instantly.
FIRST SETUP
For a long time, my setup was completely made up of stuff I borrowed from other people because I couldn’t afford anything of my own. I remember using a white PDP 808 kit, a bunch of borrowed cracked Sabian cymbals all too small, and an assortment of random hardware that was falling apart. First kit I came to own was a matte black SJC kit that I won in a battle of the bands, and it carried me all the way up until this year when I finally was able to buy a Ludwig kit.
LONIEL ROBINSON (LETLIVE., PIERCE THE VEIL)
FIRST PLAYER WHO MADE YOU WANT TO DRUM
The player that made me want to take up playing drumming was Travis Barker. Around the time I started playing, I was really into marching band (snare) and listening to Travis’ playing in the bridge section of “Going Away to College.” That snare roll was so clean and fast. It just blew my mind!
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DRUMMERS
1. Practice to a metronome. Your timing is everything! You are the heartbeat of the song, so practice the way you would play.
2. Don’t skip the boring stuff. You’ll be surprised how much of the simple things come full circle.
3. Don’t compare yourself to other drummers online. That’s a fast track to getting discouraged. Do the hard work, and you’ll get there right on time.
BEST DRUM FILL OF ALL TIME
That’s tough. I can’t think of a fill that just sits up on a throne above all the others, but there is this section by another band that had a huge influence on my drumming. Avenged Sevenfold’s “Burn It Down.” The section is from 4:30-4:41. There’s so much to break down in those 11 seconds, and I feel like everything was placed perfectly.
WHAT STAYS THE SAME ABOUT YOUR STYLE VS. WHAT GEARS YOU HAVE TO SHIFT BETWEEN YOUR MANY BANDS
As far as style goes, I don’t change anything. Your style is quite possibly what got you your gig! You do, however, have to listen to the music and know when to let it breathe. The biggest thing that stays the same throughout every artist I’ve worked with is my passion to bring 100% of what I have to the table. That doesn’t mean play 100% of every riff I know — it means being prepared to play little to nothing or playing to the limits of your capabilities.
STELLA WAVE (HELLO MARY)
FIRST PLAYER WHO MADE YOU WANT TO DRUM
Probably my mom because I thought she was very cool and talented, and I wanted to be like her!
FIRST TIME MEETING MIKAELA OPPENHEIMER AND HELENA STRAIGHT
The first time I met Mikaela and Helena, they were 15 and I was 18, so the age gap felt very large, and they were extremely shy. It took a couple of years to break into their inner circle. But I always felt a special musical bond with them from the beginning, so I knew it was worth being patient with the friendship part. Now we are like family.
FIRST TIME FEELING UNDERESTIMATED
When Hello Mary started playing, we encountered a lot of underestimating due to age and gender. We still deal with [it]. There were many times when the headlining bands would barely speak to us or clearly write us off as kids, but then after seeing us play would suddenly treat us like peers.
FAVORITE DRUMMER STEREOTYPES
Honestly, I don’t love a lot of drummer stereotypes — [one being that] we don’t have much involvement with the writing of songs. I can think of a handful of bands off the top of my head where the drummer takes a huge part in both writing songs and getting the band off the ground — Slint, Robber Robber, and Whitney, to name a few.
KALEEN READING (MANNEQUIN PUSSY)
FIRST SONG THAT YOU LEARNED ON DRUMS
“Hatebreeders” by Misfits.
FIRST TIME YOU MESSED UP ONSTAGE — AND HOW YOU RECOVERED
After my first show, I remember laying on the couch crying, focusing on every little mistake I had made. Just getting a few more shows under my belt helped me realize they are a transient experience, and it’s just not realistic to expect things to go perfectly every time or at all.
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DRUMMERS
If you are struggling with something, slow it down! Muscle memory will take care of the rest.
HOW YOUR PERSONALITY SHOWS UP IN YOUR MUSICAL STYLE
I think I’m a very intuitive person, but I also am a bit overly cautious and analytical. This shows up in my musical approach when creating drum parts, as my gut instinct gives me a mostly finished starting point, and then I consider options and refine my parts from there. I’m not above saying my first instinct wasn’t the best choice or overly protective. I think the most limiting musical approach can be that if something doesn’t work right away, it’s a bad idea — especially when trying more off-the-wall patterns. Patience and trust in the universe help.
DANNY EBERLE (LIP CRITIC)
FIRST TIME YOU MESSED UP ONSTAGE — AND HOW YOU RECOVERED
The first time I remember messing up onstage was when I dropped a stick during a song in my old band Strange Land’s set and had to play with one hand while searching for another stick. At 12 years old, my arms weren’t that long, so you could imagine it was pretty tough.
FAVORITE JOKE ABOUT DRUMMERS
Q: What do you say to a drummer in a suit?
A: Will the defendant please rise?
DECIDING TO HAVE TWO DRUMMERS IN LIP CRITIC
Bret [Kaser] initially came to me with the idea of doing a band with two drummers, inspired by a video of Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) and Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) playing together. At first, I thought that idea was stupid, but as we started playing together, it really made sense. Due to Lip Critic being an entirely electronic band besides the drums, double drums add an intense percussive element and an overall extra oomph to our sound, both live and in the studio. My major points of inspiration are the dual guitar playing on Marquee Moon by Television and Drumgasm by Matt Cameron, Janet Weiss, and Zach Hill.
PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER YET
Finishing up Lip Critic’s first-ever U.S. headline tour back in June 2024. It was our longest tour yet — 22 shows — and basically every show was sick, especially our sold-out homecoming show at TV Eye at the end of the tour.
ANTHONY SALAZAR (TEENAGE WRIST)
FIRST PLAYER WHO MADE YOU WANT TO DRUM
John Bonham from Led Zeppelin. I remember seeing a video of his Royal Albert Hall solo when I was 10 and didn’t even know drummers could play like that. I steal his riffs all the time.
FIRST TIME YOU MESSED UP ONSTAGE — AND HOW YOU RECOVERED
In 2015, I was playing in Marshall [Gallagher]’s old band Swing Hero, and my kick pedal came apart in the middle of this crazy important drum build, so I played the part using my hands, flying between the cymbals and the floor tom. Then I fixed the pedal in between breaks of the song and finished the set.
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DRUMMERS
Just play. Play as much as possible and love every moment. Don’t get married to any identity or genre of music. Learn to appreciate all the beautiful creative forces that have touched this Earth and learn to pull from them. Also, don’t be dick. No one is too cool for anyone. Being pleasant to be around gets you gigs more than talent ever will.
THE COSTUMED BAND YOU’D BE IN
Mac Sabbath — as long as I can be the Hamburglar. Cool kids would say Grimace.
MERCEDES LANDER (KITTIE)
FAVORITE DRUMMER STEREOTYPES
I think my favorite stereotype is that we don’t write music or that we’re actually not musicians. Clearly sounds like a guitar player made up these super unoriginal stereotypes.
FIRST ALBUM THAT YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH
I have a tendency to be a bit obsessive about music, and if there is something that I like, I will literally wear it out. I remember my sister and I begging my mom and dad to buy us Nirvana’s Nevermind when it came out. When they finally bought it for us, Morgan and I played it on a loop for months. I have a vivid memory of my mom dropping us off at school with “Breed” blasting at 10. I had pretty cool parents.
FIRST LIVE SHOW WITH KITTIE
I think Feb. 28, 1998 at Call The Office. I had just turned 14, and we somehow got added to the local battle of the bands last minute. I remember my leg was shaking so bad that it sounded like I was playing 200 BPM with my right foot. We were really only playing together as a band for less than a year-and-a-half (and most of the time it was more stealing my dad’s homemade beer than band practice). We did not win. But it was such an exciting feeling that after that point, I couldn’t live without it.
FIRST TIME FEELING UNDERESTIMATED
My entire career. I always felt like I had something to prove, and, unfortunately, I still do. I will, however, tell you the story of another drummer that absolutely crushed me. I was 17 and was on a tour co-headlining with another band that had been around much longer than us and arguably had a ton of success. These were also grown men in their late 20s to early 30s, and I was still a child. The drummer made a point to tell everyone on the tour, except for me, that he thought I was terrible and that he was embarrassed to have to play with us — so I went on his bus and told him that he should keep his opinions to himself. It was so crushing because I looked up to him. Dealing with things like this for the last 28 years has been common. You can only pick yourself back up, keep playing, and carry on.
LOUISE BARTLE (BLOC PARTY)
FIRST PLAYER WHO MADE YOU WANT TO DRUM
I don’t remember massively a specific player, but [there were] certain people I thought were cool. I remember a YouTuber called Assaf Seewi that I found and got obsessed with. He played these cool beats and could juggle his sticks simultaneously. I thought he had a really chilled confident energy and played the drums with such an ease.
FIRST TIME MEETING KELE OKEREKE
I met him and Russell [Lissack] while they were finishing up their fifth studio album, Hymns. They played it for me, and we talked about music. Kele and I sat on a sofa in the studio initially, but I have no idea what we spoke about. I remember it being sweet and gentle, though.
FIRST TIME PLAYING A SHOW WITH BLOC PARTY
I remember it clearly. We were playing in the States at Glass House in Pomona. I was really nervous because I was filling massive shoes, and I wanted to do the best I could. Obviously, the band had been around for a long time at that point, so I didn’t want to let the band or fans down. I felt really supported by Kele and Russell, which definitely helped my nerves. I remember my drum tech John passing me a little glass of white wine to take the edge off. I was too nervous to have the whole thing, but I had a couple of sips because the anxiety was high. Here we are almost 10 years later, and I’m still here doing the thing, which I feel lucky for.
FAVORITE DRUMMER STEREOTYPES
The first one that came to mind was drummers always being late. This one is definitely true for me, but I am working on it.