Would you be interested in new music at this time? This is going to happen.’  I didn’t play anything for my wife until pretty close to the final mix because one critical word from her could have taken the air out of me. Could you tell me a little more detail about that? I wish I weren’t responsible for the damage around me’. Todd Sucherman Gives The Ultimate Masterclass! We need music more than ever, especially during this time of social distancing where we might actually have more free time and, perhaps a greater emotional need, to listen. If you dial it in just right, it will just give some overtones to go with that. Right now, we’re living in the most absurd times ever. The album is not a flurry of prog rock drum tracks as one might expect but passionate and varied pieces composed by Todd and his creative partner, J.K. Harrison, with Todd on lead vocals. Drummer’s vocal chops are featured on the project. Was this to reflect the title track, Long Flight Home? I tuned the snare drum down low and went for big swinging Ringo-type fills. I used my father’s old 20” K. Zildjian and a really dry Sabian 20” Raw Dry Ride with ProMark Hot Rods, making a hypnotic ticking of the clock sound to go with the piano. I used an Udu clay drum, clave and a shaker. Here are quick clips from all 20 songs in sequential order that we played in Escondido, CA. This past May, STYX drummer Todd Sucherman released his debut solo album, "Last Flight Home", via Aqua Pulse Records.The official music video … I was still largely conflicted, so I went to my social media channels and posed the question, ‘I have this record. His father, Arnold J. Sucherman was a doctor by day, and a big band drummer by night. He wants to be good and wants to be faithful but just can’t, and it kills him. We add the string quartet, an Ebow guitar, and more guitar layerings. Enjoy! The line you mentioned, ‘Somehow my shadow beats me there,’ might be interpreted as your reputation precedes you but in a negative way. Maybe a guy meeting a woman that might be the end of him. I thought we could bring it into the realm of a Brian Wilson vibe. On May 2, 2020 (Todd’s birthday), Todd took his career one step further and released his first solo album, “Last Flight Home”. That become the end piece. I take it one day at a time. I can’t let her go’. I also used Sabian Tollspire chimes twice on that cut. I wanted something with a little more throat slap to go with the deep sound, so we added my 14 X 6.5” Stanbridge/Sucherman Empyrean segment shell drum on top. There’s not a drum fill like that on the whole record. For the album, we turned that into a romantic notion. Todd Sucherman grew up in a musical family. I think that any great band from the 60’s-80’s will always have an audience because their audience put on headphones, sat, and held the record. Like you’re in a vampire club, somewhere in the Bayou. I actually came up with this title in 1992, the last time I dabbled in psychedelics. Should I wait for brighter days or go full speed ahead?’  The response was 99.9% overwhelmingly yes, release it now. While Taylor was aware of the project, I didn’t play her things until we were well into it. One is two snare drums, an 18” floor tom, and a gong drum that comes in the middle of the song. It’s like taking a charcoal sketch and making it a technicolor movie. J.K. has a library of songs, sections, nuggets and bits. Last Flight Home. He came in with the lyrics pretty complete when we started working on it. I’m just looking forward to getting back to normality, playing live with the band, and seeing what comes next. Todd Sucherman grew up in a musical family. I never got rid of it. Japanese Plum Tree) with a stave shell made out of Sakura (cherry blossom), and a 14 X 5” Solid stave maple with hand-rolled steel hoops. This was just a little side project and a grand experiment to see if I could do something I wasn’t sure I could do. I used my Pearl Masterworks kit. I’ve been having so much fun with Taylor and Teagan, pulling out records, and putting them on display near the turntable. I knew several characters like that in LA. I can’t screw this up. I was thinking, ‘It would be nice to do some sort of “Smile”-era Brian Wilson arrangement with all the moving harmonies in the chorus. Last month, STYX drummer Todd Sucherman released his debut solo album, "Last Flight Home", via Aqua Pulse Records.The official music video for the disc's latest single, "Ad Lib Everything", can be seen below. To me, it signified that these are all the days on the road and this (color photo) is the day that you are going home. It alludes to 6/8, but it’s not. There’s also a shaker and a tambourine in there. Ultimately, if the story has a happy ending, then you think, ‘How lucky am I?’  I know that’s how I felt, anyway. TS:  “This was another song that was lyrically complete when I started working on it. I wanted it to be more like Radiohead meets Oasis where it has heavy guitars at the end. In this episode, he breaks down a cool section from Todd Sucherman’s drum solo recorded during one of his visits to Drumeo. Chances are that you’ve already seen drum solos from such great drummers as John Bonham, Phil Collins, Neil Peart, and so on and so forth, but what’s shameful about that is the fact they most people haven’t seen drum solos from some of the more underrated drummers that are just as good, if not better. It almost sounds like a large talking drum or something. I’ve always respected singers and have been lucky to work with many great singers. The loop begins at the first chorus and stays underneath main drum part when it comes in on the second verse. How did you decide to work together on this track? CH1030B cymbal arms. The snare was a Dunnett titanium 14 X 6.5’ with rolled titanium hoops and claws. I recorded a plastic tub for a bass drum part, foot stomps on the studio floor, my father’s old fishing tackle box that I shook, some old shells which I crunched on the floor, and a tambourine. One of my oldest friends is Nicholas Markos, and sometime in the 90s I wrote this piece at the end of one of his songs called ‘Don’t You Cry’. BC:  ‘I Can’t Use Them Anymore’ is another great track. This is one where I re-did the original drum track. Please tell me about the lyrics and how you came up with these killer vocal parts. It just ended up that way, unplanned. For those who try to structure their lives, that’s fine. The snares were a Pearl Reference Bell Bronze 12 X 6” and a Provenance 14 X 5.5” Stave Purpleheart built from the old West Pier at Brighton, England. TS:  “The record was mixed, mastered, manufactured, and sent to the house – then COVID-19 hit. That was a hard one. It’s basically a renaissance time, a madrigal piece about a forbidden love, and he’s going to be executed  because of it. 20 songs in under 12 minutes. It has that sort of crestfallen, give-up mood and sounds like maybe they’re separated because of it. I started hearing a percussion part one day that kind of weaved in and out through the piece. This one has a sort of Genesis ‘Trick of the Tail’ vibe on it. You hear the last verse: ‘The silence and the waiting and the rush of all aboard, Fifty souls to a carriage and I’m trying hard to be ignored, Then my telephone shakes into life and I see your name, And the wheat fields explode into gold either side of the train’. They go from very low to very high. I even over-dubbed my 1978 Premier concert toms over all the toms I recorded on the main Pearl Masterworks kit. TS: “Yes. TS: “This was largely J.K.’s nugget that he had. Designed and Developed, Last Flight Home - Todd Sucherman's Debut Solo Album, http://www.toddsucherman.com/snare-gallery/, ← Transcription of Jimmy Cobb's performance with Miles on Ah-Leu-Cha, Instant Download Drum Books from Hudson Music →. TS:  “I try to live in the moment to the best of my ability. Since 1988, a treasure trove of info about vintage drums, custom drums & legendary drummers, All rights reserved. Todd Sucherman grew up in a musical family. I wanted to try to do it myself. I could see Michael sort of looking at me, not exactly approving. The entire end section that we put together didn’t exist on the Elbow song. I used 3 Joyful Noise snares on that track. I also thought about Jeff Porcaro playing simple 6/8. It stuck with me, and I knew that one day it would be in a song or the name of a song. It’s no easy task. On the Elbow version, there are these “front porch” looped sounds, and I wanted to emulate that in a different way. Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at fallendrummer@me.com. He has also manned the drums behind Lawrence Gowan (Styx keyboardist, vocals) on his Gowan solo tours. I layered two snare drums, the first being a 14 X 8” Evetts Tasmanian blackwood with blackheart sassafras veneer inside and out. BC:  So what’s next? We took that concept and made the character a womanizer and friendship betrayer. It kept me busy and positively focused for the last several weeks.”. For me, the CD and this interview will definitely be a page in my Sacred Book of Favorite Days. TS:  “We actually recorded 12 songs for the record but knocked it down to 10. Could you tell me more about how this song was written and recorded? BC:  I wish to express my sincere thanks to Todd for taking the time to chat about his new album. I’m dying to know what thoughts you and J.K. were trying to convey. I’ve been a professional musician since I was 6 years old. BC:  ‘The Damage’ follows an upbeat ballad and comes across as a sharp contrast with a darker sound. This includes going back and ensuring you have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of drumming. Not only is today the 51st birthday of STYX drummer Todd Sucherman, it's also the release day of his highly anticipated debut solo album, "Last Flight Home", via Aqua Pulse Records.CDs, high-resolution audio WAV downloads, and limited-edition signed and numbered 180-gram vinyl LPs are available now on all digital outlets as well as his official web site. BC: “Now, I’d like to dig into the album a bit. So, who knows? I asked Nick, ‘Hey, could I use the part of that song I wrote on Don’t You Cry?’  He said, ‘Absolutely!’  I told him that I’d love for him to play the electric guitar part on that, which he did. During that time he worked with Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr., Sophie Tucker, Joe E. Lewis, Jack Benny and countless others. Todd’s award-winning Methods and Mechanics I & II DVD’s are essential for every drummer’s library. I think that bands of the last 20 years with CD’s, downloadable music, or just tracks for somebody’s playlist will have trouble gaining the traction to have a multi-decade career.”. TS:  “Kindling is a song by a band called Elbow from Manchester, England. He would have me learn a Bebop saxophone solo and come in and phrase the solo on the drums. The main snare drum was the Joyful Noise bronze 14 X 6.5” Winged Elite. They need to reinvent themselves. This is another great track, one that you mentioned was vocally challenging. There are 10 great tunes, carefully sculpted and crafted to tease our emotions and draw us in. What was your thought process in creating that part? ), he has anchored the rhythm of the band Styx for over two decades. BC:  There’s a lot of interesting percussion in this song. I played a Red Rock drums, Australia, 14 X 5.5” Victorian Blackwood stave, Special Reserve (#1). But he’s trying. That was an incredible learning process for me. The chorus that J.K. originally had was just a single voice. If you ever do something, you should cover this song.’  That was a seed that was planted in my head right around the time I was getting phone calls from J.K. to do an album. What was the thought behind this? There’s lot of juicy tidbits about the lyrics, song construction, and gear. I wrote and arranged the whole ending section which didn’t exist in his original charcoal sketch of the song. I imagine most people expected a lot of drum fills like that (laughs). On this track, I used a set of A&F/Sabian Ankh 16” bronze hi-hats and a Solid Drums 14 x 6.3” stave snare with a herringbone design made out of Swiss pear and Swiss plum (Chequer Tree). This gave me a great shot in the arm. There are three tribal drum parts on Kindling. That artwork, logo, or photographs are tethered to them for all time. People have time to listen to music now, maybe more than they ever have.’  My wife, Taylor, originally was onboard with delaying the release but over time began to change her mind. I thought that, if I could get one sound, we could sample them and do something. Kudos for pulling that off. Icon Rack System. Fair use allows re-purposing content for educational, critical, and commentary purposes.CategoryMusic I’ve bought a bunch more since. 42. TS: “On that song, I used a Beier 15 X 5.5” steel snare drum and 17” hi-hats, which I believe was a Sabian Vault crash and Sabian Studio crash put together for a really big, chunky sound. A vast array of rhythmic information flows just under the surface of Todd Sucherman’s incredible drumming. Those Premier toms, by the way, are the ‘In the Air Tonight’ toms. To have any aspirations beyond this, in this capacity, I can’t even entertain right now. The Rukus drum I recorded upside down with the snare side up to give it a militaristic sound, with the two other different sounding snares recorded playing the same roll to produce something like a ‘psychotic parade’. I remember reading somewhere that, if you had music now, release it because someone who might be here now to listen might not be here later to hear it. This song was a gorgeous sentiment of a guy who had the trust and love of a girl and screwed it up. On the other hand, the line, ‘And what we’ve left to reap could be beautiful,’  suggests there’s still a glimmer of hope. All the songs are done with my Pearl Masterworks kit with Studio recipe shells (maple/gum 6-ply [4 maple, 2 inner plies of gum]; black limba veneer with a black burst). 1:10:32 - Drum Solo Todd Sucherman will be discussing the mental and physical approach to playing the drums so you can enhance your rhythmic vocabulary. To me, this song is like an old-timey circus or a drunken night at the Moulin Rouge in the 1890s, and maybe there’s a pirate there knocking things over with dangerous women around. They dropped hand grenades at their feet with every step they took. To your second point - the original demo had this cheesy drum machine before the drums come in. This includes going back and ensuring you have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of drumming. On Last Flight Home, I used a Stanbridge purpleheart/pink ivory (segment shell) 14 X 6” wood hooped snare, tuned very low with a big drum dot on it to give a ‘baseball bat in a birthday cake’ sound. (laughs).”. TS:  “That track came about on one of those magical nights between my collaborator J.K. Harrison and myself. One night she said, ‘Hey, are you planning on ever playing this music to me?’  I made sure we drank a bottle of wine before the big reveal. Like I said, I was still shy and sheepish about my voice. I wanted to try belting it out full voice and give it some gravitas. I did a brush part underneath that was done with the Joyful Noise 14 X 5” engraved Blackbird brass snare. I changed the lyrics to sort of fit my wife. He is definitely born to drum” - Ian Froman. He was the house drummer at the famed Chez Parre' in Chicago through the 1940s and 50's. I’ve lived in Los Angeles and known talented people who were socially inept who couldn’t get ahead in the business. His father, Arnold J. Sucherman was a doctor by day, and a big band drummer by night. I also took two 20” crash cymbals, put hi-hat clutches on them, and did one concert crash during the snare roll.”. An unexpected delight, the long-time drummer of Styx has released one of the most consistently satisfying rock albums of the year. Before COVID-19, the legendary ’80s band Styx was scheduled to play several shows in Virginia and Washington, D.C. this summer, as … But, for many people, you have to improvise like a jazz musician through this life and take it one day at a time. BC:  One of my personal favorites on your album is Sacred Book of Favorite Days. The back-cover photo of me was taken by Ronn Dunnett. Aqua Pulse Records Longtime Styx drummer Todd Sucherman's first-ever solo album, Last Flight Home, gets released this Saturday, May 2, on CD, digitally and via streaming services, while a signed, limited-edition 180-gram vinyl version of the record will be shipped at the end of the month.. They blew it. The intro sounds a bit techno, with a drum machine-like of sound. I put a couple of cymbals together as a stack and hit it to make a dry whack. In addition to recording and touring, Todd takes the time to reach out to his fellow drummers to share his immense wealth of drum knowledge live at various clinic,s master classes, and more recently online, partnered with Drumeo. CDs, high-resolution audio WAV downloads, and limited-edition signed and numbered 180-gram vinyl LPs are available now on all digital outlets as well as Todd… A while back, Taylor and I were listening to the Elbow record, “Little Fictions” and the song ‘Kindling’ came on. I moved the release date from May 30 to May 2 with no plan and just went for it. When you add real strings, it adds a certain gravitas to the sound that you just can’t get from sampled strings on a synth. Also, where they end their song on a softer note, I wanted to ramp up into a joyous hallelujah. This song is the copyrighted property of it's owner(s). In recent years, many friends of mine and Tommy Shaw have caught the vinyl bug. I thought it would be fun to record an over-the-top, ridiculous, fast flurry drum fill that would lead into the Casio-sounding drum machine…almost sarcastically. That’s a great recording drum. With tours being postponed and/or cancelled, it also important that we support original music – so buy, don’t bootleg! I think the song title is like the saying, ‘If you want to make God laugh, make plans.’  You have to ad lib everything because everything is absurd. Through the years, I gained the courage to do it within a background situation. He was the house drummer at the famed Chez Parre' in Chicago through the 1940s and 50's. All rights reserved. Phil didn’t switch to Gretsch until 1983. S1030 snare stand How did you decide on going ahead? Taylor and I went to a party right before Teagan was born (2014). All that we electronically looped together and manipulated. It’s been incredibly fun for me. I’ve known him for so long; I could metaphorically stand naked in front of him, sing into a microphone, and just be absolutely terrible. I wanted that to be front and center with the drums just behind it as opposed to the drums overpowering that particular piece.”. What type of sound were you going for? It has that kind of feel. So, at that time, when I was listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, watching all the plants grow and the plants breathe, I thought this was one of my favorite days. Todd is truly one of the most talented and well-recognized drummers out there today. Hardware . On this one, I did a whole percussion part in the intro with two authentic African talking drums that I’ve had since I was about 19 years old. My great friend, J.K., cajoled me into doing a record over the years until I finally relented. TS:  “I’ve always been very shy and sheepish about singing in general, my whole life. Those are those ‘shesha-shesha’ kind of sounds that happen in the intro and re intro after the bridge. I kept all of my vinyl. We used an acoustic guitar where they used a Dobro. I called Michael and said, ‘Hey, can I like rent you and your time? It is truly hard to contain my excitement over Todd Sucherman’s new album, ‘Last Flight Home’. With her, I thought, ‘This is the girl. The love interest that the guy is singing to realizes he is sitting there turning pages in his sacred book of favorite days and that ‘you’re on every page’. It was a musician friend’s place and his studio was on one side and the other half of it was like someone’s basement that you went to in Freshman year of high school. TS: “I think the story needed to shine there. He had one year with Pearl and then went to Gretsch. It was a fun track to play, to layer and build the drum part. There are 10 great tunes, carefully sculpted and crafted to tease our emotions and draw us in. Longo 14×6 solid Walnut shell. 1:10:32 - Drum Solo Todd Sucherman will be discussing the mental and physical approach to playing the drums so you can enhance your rhythmic vocabulary. It was originally called, ‘An Invitation to a Beheading,” but we both thought that was a little over the top. I’ve been doing that, on and off, with a band for 24 years, be it with the Falling Wallendas or with Styx. BC:  You had some concerns about releasing the album (pre-orders were taken on April 14th) during the COVID-19 crisis. The first bass drum hit is his 18” Slingerland with a little bit of muffling. TS:  “I hate to give too much meaning to some of the songs because I think that’s the beauty of music - the listener making it their own. It just took many years to get there. Todd Sucherman is a highly sought-after drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals. The character of the song is definitely not me. I think it really worked well in the song, helping give it that psychedelic feeling.”. I hung out with Ronn for 3 days, and he pulled out his camera and did an impromptu photoshoot in the basement of the music store. BC:   This song has some great creative percussive effects and intense lyrics, like ‘Had a circular saw blade where I should have had a heart.’  I’d love to hear what went into building the percussion and drum tracks and more about what’s behind these lyrics. He ultimately asks the question, ‘Do you know me? Could you come over, bring some tablas, and see if I can do this?’  He came over, and I could not get a sound out of them. I trust her opinion so much. It leaves a lot of space. Designed and Developed by George Lawrence. I thought about ‘It’s Perfection’, and it seemed natural to have her in the vocal blend, and the gang chorus in the end, to add a little female energy. I think I used 18” Sabian Sick Hats. Studio pictures courtesy of Todd Sucherman. This person doesn’t realize why their life is such a mess, but they’re doing it to themselves the whole time. Just about 2 months before COVID-19 hit, I invested in a good turntable (Pro-Ject Xpression in Italian olivewood). I think that the song encapsulates the feeling when you realize, much to your own shock, this is The One. I had this idea of a montage of multiple suitcases. It’s fun to take these and put them together. On May 2, 2020, Sucherman released his 1st solo album "Last Flight Home". I’m just going to hold off.’  As time passed, my musician friends were saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got this ready to go. His son was playing records all night. We took 4 microphones over to the 1978 Premier concert toms and went full Jerry Marotta ‘Lay Your Hands on Me’ Peter Gabriel style on that. Tell me more…, TS:  “This is another one that J.K. had largely together, and we rewrote some of the lyrics. Then there’s a tom part played on the Pearl kit. Paypal, credit cards, Patreon, Venmo, Cash App, Zellepay and personal checks accepted. I also liked this because it has no drums or percussion in it.”. ‘Cause I don’t’. BC: On this track, the drums seem to set back in the mix rather than even or out front. TS:  “I sequenced the songs that way like the vinyl, where it would end with ‘Its Perfection’, which was this love song that concludes on an epic high note. This goes into my Sacred Book of Favorite Days. To be totally honest, I basically borrowed Phil Collins’ drum part from the 1978 song, ‘Snowbound.’  It was such a great way to play a slower song. When I recorded the drums, J.K. thought it would be cool to add the sound of a tape loop starting up, then going into the drum fill, and then going into the Casio-sounding drum machine. Check it out and get some inspiration for your own drum solos! Exotic Macassar Ebony stave 14×6. I wanted to have some tabla drums on the track, but I’d never played tabla. This song is sort of the antithesis of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’, really. Is this song about knowing yourself or about others understanding the true you? Is that correct? They’re a very popular band in England and Europe. I played that part with mallets. The album is not a flurry of prog rock drum tracks as one might expect but passionate and varied pieces composed by Todd and his creative partner, J.K. Harrison, with Todd on lead vocals. TS: “I had seen a couple other artists offer high resolution .wav files. But there’s a glimmer of hope. BC:  Last Flight Home was released in multiple formats, including high-definition digital and old school vinyl LP formats. Todd Sucherman has released his debut solo album. BC:  From the lyrics, it almost sounded like the guy (or you) was shy or intimated by the woman because she was so perfect. We wrote that song in about a half hour. During that time he worked with Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr., Sophie Tucker, Joe E. Lewis, Jack Benny and countless others. It’s one of those glass of wine, everything is wonderful under the sun kind of songs.”. I listened to it in a sequence of the rough mixes, and it didn’t really add anything. The fact that he left one photo in color (all others black and white) was perfect. Original Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnQkDrb07PY\u0026feature=youtu.beCheck out Garey's Online Drumset Artistry school for drummers: https://garey-williams.mykajabi.com/ If you would like to study with Garey Williams go to www.gareywilliams.com or www.drumsetartistry.com Check out my new Facebook group, Drumset Artistry Mastermind. Track 3. To sing in time, in tune, connect with each lyric, and connect all the lines so that you’re delivering the whole story is incredibly difficult to do. I haven’t had a working turntable in 30+ years! A bit of an extreme actually. “The best way to tune a drum is to find the voice in each drum. We changed what was happening rhythmically in the choruses. My first thought was, ‘I can’t release a record during a global pandemic and economic crisis. odd Sucherman has played more than 2000 rock shows -- entertaining music fans around the world for more than 30 years. The 10-track collection features nine songs co-written by Sucherman, who also … CH1030BS cymbal arms - short. It leaves these big giant holes for a 12-string guitar to jangle over, along with a single tambourine hit. He believed in me, and that I could do it, when I thought it was a pipe dream. In reality, I should have played her the music much sooner than I did.”, BC: Tell me about the construction of the song and some of the gear…, TS:  “We did what I call a human loop: a loop that was played live with changing parts. Todd Sucherman grew up in a musical family. I wanted to have a stark, numb feeling about it because the character, in this case me, is continually stranded in airports trying to get home. See 3RD & 4TH drums for sale at www.drumsellers.com, Russell says he has 50 new SPIZZ cymbals in stock - lots of 17 & 19 crashes,21 & 24 rides.New & vintage cymbals & drumsLots of jazzy inventory.russellsmusicworld@verizon.net757 6225568, Drummer Nation Podcast - Where Drummers Talk. For the loop, I used the TKO brass 14 X 6.5” (engraved 10th anniversary, #1/10). I just cobbled that part together. I sent the photos to one of my oldest, dearest friends, Christopher Markos, who is an Emmy winning director and graphic designer. That flavor of music I’m quite drawn to. He sent me a few different designs. Drummer community & drum marketplaceThe first vintage & Custom Drum Magazine, since 1988, A Track-by-Track Breakdown with Todd Sucherman. It starts off pensively, like I’m not really sure, and then yes I’m friggin’ in love (laughs).”. TS:  “I mentioned that I lived in LA for a while. I just feel very fortunate and grateful to be the drummer in the band that I’m in (Styx). H2050C Redline Eliminator hh stand. We didn’t take 4 bars and just loop it over and over again. Have you been planning for this over the years, building up your vocal skills, or were they always there and just looking for an outlet? It just has a nice ‘flop’ about it.”. 41. It would lend itself to it.’  We added the string quartet like we did on ‘Ad Lib Everything’. People sometimes assume those were Gretsch. BC: The drums are tuned a bit low on this song.