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you are creating, not the licks you are<br />
doing. There needs to be some sort of<br />
contour or motion throughout, that’s what<br />
gives it life. I tend to think in sections, not<br />
unlike any normal song. I came up with<br />
several points or themes I wanted to hit,<br />
then focused on finding ways to develop<br />
that theme and finally, transitioning to the<br />
next one. I wanted to push my ability and<br />
perform ideas that were unique and out<br />
of the box. I’m usually working on those<br />
very things, so it was easy for me to think<br />
of what to play. The 7/8 clave, the 5/16<br />
intro groove and the independence stuff<br />
were all things I was already practicing<br />
before the <strong>Drum</strong> Off. The competition<br />
just gave me a stage on which I could<br />
play it publicly. PREPARE, BE SMART, BE<br />
MUSICAL, BE YOURSELF. Bam!<br />
8. Greatest rock band of all time? And<br />
why?<br />
Red Hot Chili Peppers. I grew up listening<br />
to them, and I will always go back to them<br />
for the rest of my life.<br />
9. Greatest Jazz drummer of all time?<br />
And why?<br />
Brian Blade. Listen to “Crooked Creek” off<br />
of the Brian Blade Fellowship album and<br />
you will understand. That’s my favorite<br />
recorded drum performance of all time.<br />
10. Bonham, Keith Moon, or Ringo?<br />
I don’t really listen to any of them. I know<br />
they are legends, but I never listened to<br />
any of those bands.<br />
11. Vinnie, Weckl, or Gadd?<br />
Vinneckl.<br />
12. Do you have a “go-to” fill?<br />
Not a whole fill, but a lot of times I find<br />
myself starting fills with an inverted<br />
double between the hands and feet. I try<br />
to avoid it as much as possible, because I<br />
hate falling into a routine.<br />
13. Do you play any other instruments?<br />
I can slap some mean bass. My mom<br />
plays bass. I just try to be like her.<br />
14. Besides yourself, which up-andcoming<br />
drummers should we watch out<br />
for?<br />
It is mandatory that everyone researches<br />
these guys: Matt Garstka, Ian Barnett<br />
(his band is Bear Language), and Zach<br />
Mullings.<br />
15. What’s your favorite drumming<br />
website?<br />
I feel like this is an appropriate place to plug<br />
my own website, www.jpbouvetmusic.<br />
com, where you will find awesome<br />
interviews with people like Thomas<br />
Lang and Cobus, lessons on my personal<br />
theories, behind the scenes footage in<br />
the studio and on tour, play-alongs from<br />
bands, my blog, my email list sign-up and<br />
other awesome stuff, but I won’t.<br />
I grew up on <strong>Drum</strong>merworld.com; it has<br />
all of the best drummers in the world,<br />
their bios, videos, hours and hours of<br />
inspiration.<br />
16. Who do you jam with?<br />
I’ve had some seriously trail-blazing jams<br />
with Helicopria’s bass player, Drew Ofthe<br />
Drew. Electronic drums, dubstep, loops,<br />
samples from movies and every song you<br />
can imagine. If we are doing something,<br />
it is going to be done to the most extreme<br />
state possible. I really like jamming with<br />
people one-on-one, it’s a constant state<br />
of creation and there’s no “comping”<br />
or “soloing.” It’s a constantly morphing<br />
improvisation and it could never be<br />
recreated because it’s an exploration of<br />
these two people’s brains in that exact<br />
moment. It depends how you are feeling<br />
that day. I find it brings me much closer<br />
with whoever it is I’m playing with, as<br />
well. I like playing with key player, Dave<br />
Mackay (www.dave-mackay.com), and<br />
I like playing with progressive-thinking<br />
guitar players a lot, too.<br />
17. Do you tweak your pedals a certain<br />
way?<br />
I usually just turn the ‘awesome dial’ to one<br />
million. I like them not too tight, not too<br />
loose. DW’s 9000 pedals are awesome, so<br />
I don’t really do anything to them.<br />
18. Does your set-up constantly change<br />
or is it pretty consistent?<br />
It constantly changes. I play with several<br />
different groups that all require different<br />
sounds and set-ups. Sometimes I play 2<br />
(rack) toms, sometimes 4, sometimes 3<br />
cymbals, sometimes 84, sometimes single<br />
kick, sometimes double kick and an extra<br />
left foot pedal for clave and an extra right<br />
foot pedal with Roland’s KD-7 trigger. I<br />
like to use different cymbals from gig to<br />
gig, too. A different palette of sounds<br />
inspires different playing ideas.<br />
19. Metal or wood snares?<br />
I usually use a wood main snare and<br />
a metal side snare. And while we’re on<br />
the topic of snares, THE DW BALLAD<br />
SNARE…oh my gosh! It’s a 16” diameter<br />
that’s 10” deep. It’s being delivered to my<br />
new place in NY in three weeks. I have<br />
never been more excited about a drum.<br />
Only DW would make a drum of such<br />
unparalleled awesomeness. Expect the<br />
fattest beats ever, in three weeks.<br />
20. What is your advice for other<br />
musicians/people?<br />
My advice for others? I could monologue<br />
for an hour so, instead, I’m going to go<br />
into a fit of random, fragmented ideas.<br />
As soon as possible, learn to not give a<br />
damn about what other people think. It’s<br />
hard, but the less you are concerned about<br />
other people’s ideas, the quicker you will<br />
realize your own infinite potential. Work<br />
really hard. Really hard, work really hard.<br />
No one has ever become truly great at<br />
anything without working really hard to<br />
achieve it. It’s about music, not chops.<br />
Visualize. Believe in yourself. Be fearless<br />
in every sense of the word. Never forget<br />
why you started playing drums. It was<br />
probably because you loved it and had fun<br />
doing it. Challenge yourself. No matter<br />
how many people rip you up on YouTube,<br />
it will literally never, ever, ever affect your<br />
career in any way. Take it from a guy with<br />
hundreds of negative comments on my<br />
GC video. It stung for a little while, but<br />
now I get called for more gigs than ever<br />
before. Therefore, it is irrelevant in your<br />
life. Think outside the box. Work really<br />
hard. Endorsements don’t get you gigs,<br />
gigs get you endorsements. When you<br />
are being considered for endorsements,<br />
remember, gear is cool, but the support<br />
and the character of the people behind the<br />
business, that’s the important part. Life is<br />
about people and your relationships with<br />
them, so treasure it in every circumstance.<br />
You should also know, DW is the best drum<br />
manufacturer in the world. DW is lead by<br />
a kind, caring, innovative, brilliant family<br />
of down-to-earth people who have worked<br />
hard to create what I honestly think are the<br />
best drums in the entire world and they<br />
have a support system unlike any other. I<br />
feel incredibly fortunate to be able to work<br />
with this company and I love them dearly.<br />
Shout out to DW, Meinl, Remo, and Vic<br />
Firth for their belief and support from the<br />
beginning.<br />
EDGE 10 ||| DWDRUMS.COM 31
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