Hello Drummer: Home

I've had the pleasure of playing drums and percussion alongside John Stewart (with Chris Robley & The Fear of Heights) off and on for the past year and a half. In getting to know him, I can safely say that he's an extremely nice guy and very talented as well. In his experience as the drummer for chamber/folk-rocking Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights, the weird-rocking Sort Ofs, and with arty piano songwriting of Rachel Taylor Brown, and the hook-driven alt-pop of The Imprints, John displays the kind of reliability, versatility and adaptability that every drummer should strive for. 

What made you want to be a musician?

I grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, which is the mid way point between two music Meccas, Memphis and New Orleans.  Music is everywhere down there and it grabbed my attention at an early age.  Life nudged me a bit further towards music when I was diagnosed with arthritis just before starting second grade.  I had to quit playing most sports, so I turned to music instead.  The deal was sealed after seeing my first big rock show in 4^th grade (Rush—Hold Your Fire Tour). 

Why did you choose drums?  My best friend’s older brother had a drum set that I would play as much as possible.  I can still remember sitting behind that kit for that first time and launching into a simple, “Billy Jean” like groove.  I got the biggest adrenaline rush and was hooked…end of story.   It was, and still is, a very intuitive experience.   

How would you describe your current music projects?  Currently, I am only playing with Chris Robley and the Fear of Heights, which is a tough one to categorize.  It ranges from dynamic folk pop to high voltage bash-away rock and roll.  I usually tell people to have a listen for themselves.  I rarely hear the same reaction and comparisons from one listener to the next.   

What’s your pre-show ritual, like a warmup routine, or a cup of tea, yoga, or something else?  For smaller shows with no sound check, I usually set up and go.  I love to fly by the seat of my pants in those situations.  That’s usually the time when I will come up with new ideas or cool variations on old grooves.  For larger shows, I’ll often find a place to be alone with the set list and go over the tempos and transitions that I’m responsible for leading.    

What’s your current live drum kit?  I’ve been playing a four piece DW kit for years now (12” rack, 15” floor and 22” kick).  It has certainly been good to me, both on stage and in the studio.  My snare is a 14” Mojo, made by a dude back in Mississippi (I’m not sure if he’s still in business).  For cymbals, I use 14” Sabian Paragon hats, an 18” hand hammered Sabian crash/ride, an 18” Manhattan crash/ride with rivets and a 20” medium Sabian ride.  I use all of them as crashes and rides regardless of the label.   

What’s your most embarrassing moment as a drummer?  Oh God…that would have to be the time when I forgot my hi-hat stand and played the gig without hats all together.  Fortunately, it turned into a good mental exercise of adjusting on the fly and only a few close friends noticed.  In fact, several of the band members said that they forgot about the missing hats during the gig.  Needless to say, I am compulsive about packing my hi-hat stand ever since then!  

What’s your most memorable moment as a drummer?  My most memorable moments come anytime we genuinely move an audience and create a room centered around the music.  This happened the other night and we got a legitimate encore.  Not the kind that bands plan--walking off stage only to turn around after 30 seconds to play the previously selected “encore” tune.  What I’m talking about is where perfect strangers become fans over the course of an hour and they won’t shut up until they get another song from you.  That always makes me feel good.  

What song have you recorded that you would you say you’re most proud of as a drummer, and why?  There are two and they are at opposite ends of the spectrum.  The first is Head to Head (with the smarts of our leisure) off the record “Anxiety on Parade” by the Sort Ofs.  I just think it is a rockin’ drum part that creates a lot of tension and makes you want to drive your car fast.  The other is a tune called “Vireo” which is on the record Half Hours with the Lower Creatures by Rachel Taylor Brown.  Recording this tune is the only time I have ever thrown my sticks across the room.  It is a really sparse pocket with lots of space between notes.  It stretched me to my limits and I am proud of the results.  

How often do you practice?  Not nearly enough…probably once on a good week.  I’ve been taking lessons lately, so that forces me to make time.  

What’s your practice routine?  I have arthritis, so stretching is huge for me.  I stretch my wrists all the time, especially before a gig.  I may do some rudiments for a few minutes before going on, but I don’t really do it the same way twice.  

Where do you get your drum gear? Any favorite shops?  Trade Up, Rhythm Traders and Revival.    

Charango Song from Kristiana Weseloh on Vimeo.

What music have you been enjoying lately?  I can’t get enough of concert DVDs.   I’m constantly craving one of the following: Concert for George, Stop Making Sense, The Last Waltz, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, Ashes of American Flags, or the Led Zeppelin double DVD.         

What inspires you?  Great songs, great drumming and great live shows.  

What musicians (drummers or non-drummers) around Portland do you admire? Rob Stroup, Matt Cantinelli, Mike Coykendall, John Moen, Fernando, Rachel Taylor Brown, Scott McPherson and, of coarse, the guys that I play with…Chris Robley, Arthur Parker, and Dan Adlaf.  I especially appreciate the first four people, because they are all great songwriters who started on the drums.  Double points for them!!!  

Do you have a single drummer that’s been a primary influence on your playing? 

Neil Peart’s imprint on my brain is beyond repair.  Even thought I haven’t listened to him with any consistency since I was in high school, he was all I listened to from 2^ndgrade through 9^th grade.  I quit formal music lessons early on because I wanted to learn Rush records.  

You do a lot of unusual rhythmic stuff, between clicking the tom rims and playing syncopated parts, which are always super cool, and I’ve stolen some of those ideas for my own playing. So… where do you come up with your awesome, non-traditional ideas?  There will be an occasional song that downloads itself all at once, but most of my parts get molded in stages.  Lately, we have been doing a lot of arranging as a band, which requires patience and flexibility.  I’ve really liked the process of working on a tune for a few hours, putting it down for several days, and then picking it back up.  My brain seems to hold on to the cool shit, forget the garbage and add a few good ideas with each new rehearsal.    

What are your desert island Top 5 albums?

Radiohead-OK Computer

Nirvana - Nevermind

Marvin Gaye - What’s Going on

Pink Floyd - Animals

Beatles - Revolver  

Who are your desert island Top 5 drummers?  Glenn Kotche, Questlove!, Dave Grohl, Steve Gadd and of course Neil Peart.  I’d try and find a way to sneak Jay Bellerose on to that island, too.

The Fear of Heights just finished a residency at the Laurelthirst Pub and at the time of this writing, he's in the studio with Robley & Co, recording yet another album together. Be sure to check out John's drumming with Chris Robley & The Fear of Heights next time you get a chance.

Here's the new song from the Roots. I love this live version of it.

The Roots - "How I Got Over" (LIVE) from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

I met Jeremiah via email through our mutual friend Jake Endicott. After hearing Jeremiah's drumming, I was happy to spotlight him here and get to know the music he's playing (with Kelli Schaeffer as well as wit Drew Grow & The Pastor's Wives). He does really interesting stuff and I think you'll agree that his passion for music comes through in his words and his playing. Be sure to catch him May 30 at Rotture with Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives.

What made you want to be a musician?

I think growing up – like everyone else in Portland music – going to church and singing songs and really wanting to learn to play guitar so I could impress girls was kind of the first step. I think it took a while for me to come into my own sense of what I wanted to do - I just knew how music made me feel. I still follow that emotional thing when it comes to music because it was what I was first attracted to – and on some really simple level, that’s what music is to me.

 

Why did you choose drums?

Drums chose me - but I don’t mean that in a melodramatic way. I actually ended up living in a house with 4 other musicians and we had a drum kit but no drummer. So we just all switched around on instruments for about three years because we just wanted to play music with other people. So I had my shot at drums and just continued to be terrible at them. I couldn’t get my limbs to work independently. When I moved out of that place I moved into a new place with a drummer. Like, a REAL drummer. So, he taught me quite a bit.

I still have a hard time calling myself a drummer and I laugh a little when people refer to me as that. When Drew Grow asked me if I wanted to come along on a tour and play some drums with him – I thought “well, yeah… here’s my shot – but I had better learn how to play now.” Playing with him (and having him cover for my mistakes a number of times) gave me the confidence to just play and have fun with it.

 

You play with the kinda garagey/indie rocking Drew Grow & The Pastors' Wives as well as with the wonderful singer/songwriter Kelli Schaefer - do you approach them differently, as a drummer?

I approach them a little differently. The Pastors’ Wives – kind of the point of the band is to marry these really beautiful songs and melodies and vocal harmonies with some really loud and noisy (sometimes off-putting) parts. It makes drumming pretty fun because I just try to stay in the pocket and stick with Kris (on the upright bass) and let Drew deliver the songs and Seth be kind of this Thurston Moore character. It’s a fun band – we never know quite what is going to happen.

 

With Kelli Schaefer – I haven’t been playing long enough with her to really expand on the parts we write when we’re recording. So we mostly stick to the arrangements. However, I will say – she really is bending what sort of genre she finds herself in – which opens up what I can do. She’s been playing a lot more electric guitar – and she has a real penchant for punk rock. So, I think the approach is getting a lot tougher and freer.

 

What’s your pre-show ritual, like a warmup routine, or a cup of tea, yoga, or something else?

I usually get mad for a little while. Don’t ask me why. I think it’s just nerves (although I was hesitant to admit that for a while.) I’ve mostly figured it out now. One shot of whiskey with a beer about 20 minutes before the set. I take the same beer with me on stage and have one more shot of whiskey. Just enough to calm the nerves and forget about all the people. I usually hide out too – I’m bad at talking to friends at shows even though I always want to. I like to nap in the green room too whenever that’s possible.

 

What’s your current live drum kit?

I have an old Slingerland kick drum and floor tom. I have the rack tom – but I don’t use it. I use whatever snare I have that is the least broken – but I like the dingy low-tuned snare drum – nothing too poppy, just enough to add some high end. I just use one cymbal and hi-hats.

 

What’s your most embarrassing moment as a drummer?

One time I just stopped playing. I don’t remember where I was for the show, but I remember some moment somewhere when I just stopped playing in the middle of the song. I guess I must have come back in somewhat gracefully because it wasn’t TOO bad – but still… stop playing? How ridiculous.

 

What’s your most memorable moment as a drummer?

Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives played a show with Greg Ginn (Black Flagg / SST) and he came up after our set and asked if we would play with his band for a song during his set. We ended up playing this 11 minute jam with him – and I hate jamming – but looking over and seeing Greg there the whole time on the bass just letting whatever happens happen was pretty amazing.

 

What song have you recorded that you would you say you’re most proud of as a drummer, and why?

I really liked doing this song “Company” with DG/PW. Drew and I just played it in live – and I wanted to do a Tom Waits style drum pattern. I wanted it to be really melodic – where the pattern isn’t so easy to figure out, but where each little fill or rest became a hook in and of itself. I think it worked out really well and for a song without a bunch of hooks – it’s pretty catchy.

 

How often do you practice?

I usually practice under the mic. We record all this Amigo/Amiga (my record label for Drew / Kelli) in our basement and I usually just go down there when we’re tracking drums. I work out the song in advance a little bit, but usually we just hit record and work it out that way. Every now and then, if we’re working on a specific song, I’ll crank up the iPod with headphones and woodshed the song. Which usually leads to playing like Phil Collins songs or something too. Then, I realize I’ve spent a few good hours playing and I’m late for work.

 

What’s your practice routine? 

Get coffee and water ready next to the drum kit. I usually just let it go for a while and play really loud and get comfortable – then try to actually work on something more specific.

 

Where do you get your drum and music gear?

Usually from friends. I borrowed Seth Schaper’s kit (from the PWives) for a long time. Our friend Patrick (from Ripcord Studios in Vancouver) hooked me up with the Slingerland toms with the caveat that I complete the kit. So Drew bought me the matching kick drum for Christmas last year. I’ve finally completed the kit – buying stuff from Trade Up. Sticks I just buy in whatever city I’m in when they finally give out.

 

What music have you been enjoying lately?

I got really into that Grizzly Bear record for a while. I think AAN is one of the best Portland bands going right now.

 

What inspires you?

I like music that gets at your soul. I’m not usually inspired by something that makes me forget my life (like dance music or fun music) – while I appreciate those things – what really inspires me is the music that makes me delve in to pull out demons that I’ve buried deep in the place where we are all similar. It’s that Kerouac quote "I want to work in revelations, not just spin silly tales for money. I want to fish as deep down as possible into my own subconscious in the belief that once that far down, everyone will understand because they are the same that far down.”

I’m inspired by people who have a mission and are ahead of the curve. The Martin Luther King’s and the Ian MacKaye’s and Sylvia Plath’s who move forward in their own direction and end up being right in the end.

 

What musicians (drummers or non-drummers) around Portland do you admire?

Bryan Free – so prolific

Bud Wilson – (AAN) – doing his own thing AND it’s gorgeous

Danny Seim – he plays drums like I play drums. I like drummers who started as guitar players – I think we hear the drums differently and it has a melody to it instead of just playing the beat. I always love watching him play.

 

What are your desert island Top 5 albums?

Tom Waits – Mule Variations

Nina Simone – anything with her voice on it…

Flaming Lips – Soft Bulletin

Bazan – Curse Your Branches

Dolly Parton – Best of

  

Do you have any tips or parting words of wisdom for other drummers?

Always keep the song in mind. Tricks are cool – but only if it fits the song.

  

Be sure to check out more of Jeremiah's tour dates at Amigo/Amiga Records.