– Aphex Twin “Syro”
– Mehliana “Taming the Dragon”
– FKA Twigs “LP1”
– Ray Lamontagne “Supernova”
– Spoon “They Want My Soul”
– Brian Blade Fellowship Band “Landmarks”
– Grecco Buratto “Essas Coisas”
– War On Drugs “Lost in the Dream”
– Little Dragon “Nabuma Rubberband”
– St. Vincent “St. Vincent”
– Damien Rice “My Favorite Faded Fantasy”
– The New Pornographers “Brill Bruisers”
– Flying Lotus “You’re Dead!”
– Killer Be Killed “Killer Be Killed”

– Edge of Tomorrow (by Doug Liman)
– Locke (by Steven Knight)
– Guardians of the Galaxy (by James Gunn)
– Jodorowsky’s Dune (by Frank Pavich)
– The Lego Movie (by Chris Miller & Phil Lord)
– Frank (by Lenny Abrahamson)
– The Raid 2 (by Gareth Evans)

– Dinette (Echo Park, CA)
– Sunrise Coffee (Henderson, NV)
– Kazunori Nozowa (Downtown LA, CA)
– Dinosaur Coffee (Silver Lake, CA)
– UFC Gym (Henderson, NV)

With all the technology today, having to play along with all of today’s loops and sequenced drums demands a certain level of perfection. However, nowadays there are many software applications that can fix and clean up sloppy performances.

I wonder if all this attention to “playing to the grid” or “replacing the programmed drums” takes focus away from developing an original style. I am a fan of all the drummers over the years who had the capability to nail a studio drum take, but also maintained a distinct personal style. Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Hal Blaine, Al Jackson Jr, Bernard Purdie, and on and on.

I do not think that I have a preference between playing in the studio and playing live. They stimulate and satisfy two different interests. Live playing is more of a “performance” in front of an audience. How well can you rehearse and execute a song or a show? Studio recording is about “creation.” How well can you make an interesting and functional drum part? I prefer to have a healthy balance of both!