Web Version - Drum Workshop

with the band, Parmalee. Their current
single on the radio is called “Musta Had
a Good Time”. We’re also working with
American Idol darling, Kristy Lee Cook
and Canadian country rocker, Lyndsay
Ell. We recorded Aldean’s fifth record last
November and it is being released this
October, so we’ll be gearing up for tons of
TV promos in Los Angeles, yes! Nashville
is in the center of the country, so we use
the Nashville touring model, which means
leaving on a Wednesday night and coming
back on a Sunday. That leaves us with
Monday through Wednesday to crank out
radio-ready projects and write songs for
Magic Mustang Publishing. In the cracks
of this crazy schedule, I’ll squeeze in
session calls for other producers or artists,
do my drum-related events while on tour
with Aldean and finish working on two
books I have in the works. Finally, I have
a drum tracking room in my home called,
Crash Studios. Now, I’m delivering drum
tracks via the internet using my Pro Tools
rig. This technological revolution allows
me to do it all!
EDGE: How do you keep your energy up
with such a hectic touring schedule?
RR: I’m lucky that I’m naturally a highenergy
guy. I know how to pace myself
and I get sleep when I can. I love music
and my career path, so it never feels
like work because this is my purpose
in life. I split my time between touring,
recording, teaching lessons, songwriting,
music production and music/motivational
speaking, so it’s go, go, go! I drink lots of
water, eat a pescetarian diet (which means
the only meat I eat is fish) and focus on
power foods like greens, berries, almonds
and avocados. I get regular exercise,
alternating between running, walking,
cross training, light weights and lots of
stretching.
EDGE: Do you still practice?
RR: I keep everything fresh by working all
of the time and by actively playing music
with other musicians. Between touring,
recording and producing, there isn’t much
time to be alone in a room. I did that when
I was younger (ha)! I like to keep the tunes
I’m playing fresh every night by changing
things here and there. I am so grateful we
have that kind of freedom with Aldean. I
also work on keeping things fresh for my
“CRASH Course for Success” drum events.
If there are specific grooves or pieces I have
to work on for a particular session or guest
appearance, I will focus on those things. I
also make it a point of warming up at least
one hour before every show. That’s at least
three hours of hands-on rudimental stuff
per week, maybe more. Lots of singles,
doubles, paradiddles, flam combinations,
roll permutations and stuff I learned during
my eight years in marching bands.
EDGE: Other than Aldean, what would be
your dream gig right now?
RR: It’s funny you ask. I just had a
drummer pal who I really respect, call and
offer me an audition with one of the most
kick ass of all the classic rock bands, one
of my real favorites. I used to jam along
and even transcribe their grooves, note
for note, when I was coming up. It was a
real eye opener for me and very flattering,
but the timing just wasn’t right. I’ve been
part of building the “Aldean empire” one
brick at a time, so it’s time to enjoy the
fruits of our labor. It’s such an up and
down business, so it’s nice that the gig is
having such success and we can breathe a
sigh of relief for just a moment. There are
so many artists I love and respect in this
business. I truly believe that if you always
play from the heart and are a good person,
then opportunities will literally land in your
lap at the right time.
EDGE: Do you have a hands-on approach
to your gear?
RR: I’ve been a bit spoiled on the road with
my good pal, Ed Turner. He’s a genius cat,
and has been in the biz for over thirty years.
If he gets into a bind, I’ll show up before
sound check and help change heads or do
some cleaning, but for the most part, he
takes total care of me. Because I have that
part covered, I can teach private lessons
and master classes during the day before
sound check and even do some of my
CRASH events at high schools, colleges,
music stores and drum shops. It’s very
helpful to have a great drum tech for that
reason alone! In Nashville, my pal Jim
Handley and the crew of Session Services
Unlimited take great care of me. They set
me up ‘soup to nuts’ for all my recording
sessions and showcase gigs in Nashville.
In LA, I just had a nice meeting with
Dave Drewry at Drum Paradise, very cool
cat. I’m excited about that. I am super
hands-on in maintaining my personal
relationships with all of my sponsoring
companies though. I’m very persistent
about letting them know what I am up to
and that their gear is being seen and heard.
If I am running low on heads, sticks, stick
wrap, cymbal felts or parts, I’m the one
who makes the call. I prefer it that way.
EDGE: What’s your favorite snare drum
these days?
RR: On the road, my front-of-house
engineer, Chris Stephens, and I settled on
a 5x14” all-maple Collector’s Series with
Ruby Glass FinishPly and black nickel
hardware. It has the perfect combination
of snap, crackle, and warmth; it’s just
perfect. Everyone in the band loves it too.
I have the same sized drum in the Black
Ice finish, and also a 5.5x14” aluminum
for back-ups. For the studio, I’ve been
using the black nickel over brass 6.5x14”
that I used for this photo shoot out on
the beach in Malibu. Also, the 5.5x14”
Super Solid (3/8” thickness) in the Ruby
Glass finish and black nickel hardware
is a workhorse; it has an incredibly wide
tuning range and is really warm. When
you mic up these drums, they sound like
classic records you’ve heard for the last
forty years. Playback in the studio goes
“Ahhhhh.” When the engineer, artist
and session musicians all make glowing
remarks about the sound of the backbeat,
you know you have something special!
EDGE: How do you decide on the sounds
you need for a particular gig?
RR: Whether I am playing live or in the
studio, I’m a team player, and always have
tons of sonic options on hand. All of my
DW snare drums sound like they came
from God’s snare drum collection, so you
really can’t go wrong. Many times, the
first drum I pull up is the one we use on
the whole session. I just did a great record
with a killer Rock chick named, Masha.
She’s a special talent. We recorded it
at Blackbird in Nashville with Nathan
Chapman (Taylor Swift) producing, Ray
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