Page 39 - Sick Drummer Magazine Issue 29 - Hannes Grossmann

SDM: Did you study under Rod Morgenstein at all?No, but I did get to study with Mike Mangini for a while, who is obviously an expert in technique and he’s an amazing teacher. He knows the human body and the muscles that relate to drumming better than anyone I’ve ever met. I also got to study with many other amazing players, so it was a real eye-opening experience.SDM: Most all the drummers I know who went to Berklee have ended up with amazing gigs. One of whom just joined up with Trivium a few weeks ago.Who would that be?SDM: Paul Wandtke [Mike laughs. no shit!] and his first gig was in front of 40,000 people in Mexicoa few weeks ago. Then you look at Ray Luzier and Jason Bittner etc.. The school produces people who seem to enjoy longevity.It does, and that’s a very valid point. Part of the curriculum at the school is the music business and managing yourself as a professional musician. They teach you about networking, money management and other types of similar attributes you might not get if you were in another school or program - not to say those programs are bad at all, just different. It’s all really about what you put in though, as there are a lot of really great drummers who went to Berklee that would say it sucked. These are the guys who didn’t sign up for extra activities though, they just did what they had to.SDM: I know a guy who shall remain nameless, who left there because he said it was impossible to find somewhere to practice by himself on a full kit. Is it like that?I lived in an off-site building that had five practice rooms, so I lucked out. This is shady, but [laughs.] I sold my R.A some cigarettes from home, as they were much cheaper here than in Boston.SDM: [Laughing.] That’s not shady! You’re from upstate NY, that’s just making a deal and hooking someone up. hahaYea, and it worked out in my favor, because I got to keep my kit in one of the practice rooms right there where I lived. Plus, I met the people I now play with in Turkuaz, and others in my social community, so it was a great place and a great experience for me. Not to mention the bond we all have as alumni now, is a very strong bond, almost like a fraternal order.SDM: Have you ever spent any time at The Collective in NYC?In terms of living in NY, we are on the road 200 something days a year, so not really. When I’m home I’m sleeping and eating meatballs! Just recharging, you know. No loud music and that sort of thing.SDM: Harvey Mason or Lenny White?Harvey Mason. I actually got to take a lesson with him! No offense to Lenny at all. he’s the man.SDM: I knew you were going to say that, and no offense at all to Lenny. But when someone asks me who my favorite funk drummer is, Harvey is the answer, no question.He’s the real deal. There’s five or ten I would consider the best and he’s definitely up there. He just has a killer groove and really cool ideas about being conversational with groove. I mean, you can play a pocket beat all day and you’ll keep yourgig, but Harvey has a way of being able to speak through his drums, almost like a horn player. He can leave the groove to do something different, but never leave the groove. A lot of what he showed me in just that one lesson, I still hold very dear to this day. Turkuaz is a groove-based band and he taught me to build my fills around the groove, but to not ever leave the groove. It’s really powerful and adds color without changing the scene in a sense.sub Headline interest text