Web Version - Drum Workshop

etween the runs. It’s equal; it’s a balance
I have. Really, I do a lot of drumming and
I enjoy doing it because it keeps my chops
up, but after a certain period I get the
longing and get inspired to produce and
make some new music.
BD: Right, you’ve got to mix it up.
DJ: Exactly.
BD: Since you’re so influenced by Hip
Hop, Gospel, and Soul music, do you feel
that you bring a lot of those elements to
the Jack White gig, or is it strictly a Rock
performance for you?
DJ: No, I believe he hired me because he
liked what I brought to the table and my
style is a combination of all the things that
I listen to, from Soul and R&B to Jazz, it’s
all of that in one. I think he was looking
for me to bring that type of element in this
situation and that’s why I got the job.
BD: So, you didn’t have to adjust much to
play in this band.
DJ: No, it was cool.
BD: How did you get the job? Did you
audition?
DJ: There’s a Hip Hop artist that I work with
from Detroit named, Black Milk. And,
you know, Jack is from Detroit, as well.
I played on Black Milk’s last album and
Jack had heard the track called, Deadly
Medley, which has a real Rock-type of
vibe to it. I think that made Jack kind of
excited. He produces these 7” singles
with his company, Third Man Records, and
he wanted to collaborate with Black Milk.
Since I was touring with him, he didn’t just
go down and do the project with Jack on
his own, he brought the whole band. That
allowed me to meet Jack and to record
with him. We also did a performance at
Third Man (they host live shows, as well)
and I’ll never forget it. We played a song
called, Losing Out that has a drum solo
in it. After I played that solo, Jack ran up
to the stage and yelled, “Yeah!” like he
was blown away. A few months later, he
contacted me to see if I wanted to come
down and do a session for a collaboration
he was doing with RZA from Wu-Tang
Clan. I was excited and flew down there
but, unfortunately, RZA had to cancel at
the last minute. However, it turned out to
be a blessing because that actually started
Jack working on the solo project. He felt
bad and didn’t want to send us home, so
he said he had a couple of tunes we could
mess around with and record. One of the
songs ended up being Trash Tongue Talker
from the Blunderbuss album. So, that’s
how we ended up working out the first
tunes for this record.
BD: Can you talk a bit about the two
different bands that are on the road for
this tour? There’s either an all-male or
an all-female band (The Buzzards and
The Peacocks) that will play the show.
How do you guys decide which band is
playing?
DJ: Y’know, we don’t have control over
that. In fact, we don’t find out who’s
playing until the morning of the show.
They want to have a surprise for the
audience, and that’s the vision that he has,
and that’s what we signed up for. All of
the gear is covered up and, y’know, one of
the things that can give away which band
will be playing is the drums. Literally, right
before we hit the stage is when everything
is unveiled to the crowd.
BD: Wow, so you need to be on your
toes. Is the set list the same from night
to night?
DJ: Well, there is no set list. [Laughter].
Sometimes we’ll get some curve balls and
we’ll have new stuff added right before
the show, so you never know, and we
have to be watchful. But, I’m playing with
really good cats; everybody was hired for
a specific reason. Everybody holds their
weight and I’m thankful to be a part of this
scenario.
BD: Well, it’s probably a learning
experience, too. I’m sure you’ll look back
at this someday and you’ll have stories.
There aren’t many people that can say
they’ve played a tour that’s set up like this.
DJ: Yeah, it’s cool. I’m just glad that he’s
allowing the drummer to have a ‘shine
point,’ even with the set-up. Usually, the
drummer is way in the back, but with this
stage plot, the drums are right up front and
he really allows me to express myself. I
mean, I play the songs like the records
but I’m allowed total freedom if I want to
switch it up. In this scenario, if we want to
express ourselves, it’s embraced. I just try
not to take advantage of it and add some
flavor when I can.
BD: I’m curious about your set-up. Aside
from you being at the front of the stage,
allowing for some of the spotlight, your
kit itself seems downright wacky. I mean,
the angle of your toms and cymbals really
stands out, but that appears to allow you
to play full-throttle on them. Was this a
natural progression from a standard traps
set-up or have you played the kit that way
from the beginning?
DJ: No, I’m always experimenting, I’m
always growing. Y’know, as drummers
we always evolve. Within the past seven
or eight years, I’ve been doing a lot of
Hip Hop stuff, and in that community it’s
important to have an identity. Something
that’s going to separate you from the next
person. I’ve always been that type of
creative person, switching things up, so I
made that sort of transition around 2005.
I started experimenting, moving things
around with the toms, and it just worked
well with my style. I can be kind of a neat
freak at times and I had my snare tilted, so
I thought, “What would happen if I tilted
my floor tom?” It ended up looking cool
and, of course, I adjusted to playing it and
I just kept adding to that. It works well
for me.
BD: It works well for the audience, too.
It’s great, man. You make it look like
you’re driving the kit; you play it like you
own it. It’s unique, for sure.
DJ: Thanks! The way I sit is very high, so I
like to dominate the drums. I like to come
down on them from the throne, and I try
to perform from my heart and soul, so it
just works for the way that I play. I’ll do
some showmanship stuff but it’s more or
less like a ‘feeling’ thing, y’know? Like,
if I stand up and play it’s because that’s
what I’m feeling at that moment. There’s
an energy that I want to give out to the
audience. That’s important to me.
EDGE 10 ||| DWDRUMS.COM 59