After a phenomenal show at Scala, London, I caught up with heavyweight drummer Dan Kavanagh to talk about the 2017 JAMIE LENMAN tour.
At what age did you start to learn the drums, and
what inspired you to want to play them in the first place?
I was nine years old, my brother brought home the Black album by Metallica on vinyl and it was the first time I connected with music. I became obsessed with that record and band,
and I guess I just wanted to get involved somehow, just listening wasn’t
enough. I also got hold of the videos A
year and a half in the life of Metallica, and seeing all the studio stuff, the
instruments and how something I loved was made, really fascinated me.
What was the first Metallica song that you nailed
and how did you feel when you did it?
I wouldn’t dare say I nailed it, but the first
song I learnt was For Whom the Bell Tolls.
That’s the one where I thought, “I can do this”. It’s obviously not the most complex drum
track, but learning that there was a definite structure, which fill went where
etc., was where it all started.
What is it about Lars Ulrich’s style as a drummer
that you admire?
People
love criticising Lars, but he’s my fucking hero. I think stylistically he plays the song
rather than a drum part, so you’ll get snares and crashes that are a little
weird in the context of a drum beat, but they’re following and accenting a
guitar or vocal melody while still holding it all together - that’s a fine
art. You get that with Keith Moon,
too, but don’t think he’s light on
technique, listen to Dyers Eve or Battery. Some clown on YouTube might lay into him, but has he recorded Master of
Puppets? No, he’s sat in a bedroom
taking a break from Call of Duty and slagging off someone who’s created a
masterpiece.
What do you think about Metallica’s new album, Hardwired to Self-Destruct and are there
any tracks in particular that stick out, which cements Lars as an inspiration
to you?
I love
it, it’s a brilliant record. Hardwired is such a good opener, and Spit Out the Bone is a song only Metallica could
do right. The one I really love at the
moment is Now That We’re Dead. Lars
has been cemented as an inspiration since I was nine, nothing they do or don’t do
can change that.
What other drummers have or do influence you today?
1. There are so many out there today. A big hero these days is Joey Castillo, and a couple of years ago I
toured for a band called Red Racer, promoting a record he’d laid down drums
on. So to be playing his beats (and
deemed worthy to do so) meant a hell of a lot to me. JP Gaster of Clutch is another huge
inspiration, that guy is a joy to watch. And then there’s Dave Elitch, who’s a genius. I had a lesson with him in LA and it was
absolutely incredible!
Do you ever stop learning, and if not, then how
do you continue to work and improve your craft?
Nope, never. The lesson I had with Dave was some technique stuff, working on the way
I was holding the sticks and the angle of attack and it’s made me so much
better, and that’s only a few months on. But even aside from direct lessons, you improve by working with other
people - Jamie has made me a way better drummer, as did working with Godsized,
as did working on a totally different record with Jasmine Rodgers and all the
producers. They all need different skills,
different feels, and different dynamics. The
best thing to do to get better is play with other people and try and do the job
they want.
How often do you practice?
Never
enough, but as much as I can. I’m
usually working on something specific, generally learning songs for a tour or
recording, or the set of skills required (i.e. gonna need to get the double
kick up to scratch), but I love practising just to improve when I get the chance.
In early 2016, you
parted ways with Godsized, after two
full-length album releases and many successful tours over the years. How did
you arrive at the decision to call it a day?
Yeah that was a
bummer. I loved that band, and it was
absolutely nothing to do with the band members and touring crew, I’m still on
good terms with them all.
I didn’t agree with the
direction we were headed with the label, management, live agent, their expectations
of what we should be doing and how the second record was released. They’d tell you a different story of course,
that I was hard to work with and don’t know what I’m talking about, and the
truth is probably somewhere in the middle, I guess everyone’s a little at fault. It really didn’t end well for me
though, all kinds of threats of legal action against me personally and making
me record more stuff etc. It was a long way from playing drums in a rock band.
I’d sacrificed a lot for
that band, and kind of ended up managing it. Tour management, with all the
budgeting and arrangements for a European tour aren’t straightforward,
especially when you’re relying on t-shirt sales to pay for gas. Lots of things in my personal life suffered,
I missed one of my best pals weddings to play a fucking terrible show in the
arse end of Germany, my relationship at the time fell apart and I was not in
great shape, drinking and getting fucked up (mainly with Chris from Godsized
who was in the same sinking boat!). I
was just arguing with people every day, so I just thought, “fuck this”.
What are the highlights
for you when reflecting on your time with Godsized?
Oh
man, it was amazing right until the end. We played some incredible shows and went to some awesome countries and places you
wouldn’t usually visit, and I love the second record. A lot of the cliched rock 'n roll debauchery, but that’s kinda why we all
do it.
What’s the craziest or weirdest thing that’s happened on tour?
Sex, drugs, rock ’n roll and a moody sat nav. There have been a thousand capers, all the
cliches are basically there for a reason - Spinal Tap is pretty much verbatim how it really is. I also can’t really
give you much without breaking all kinds of code! A tour where I had a fractured wrist with
Godsized was insane, I basically had a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and a bucket of
ice to numb it to get by. It was pretty
stupid, but the only way through really.
How do you keep motivated with all the travelling and boredom that
occurs between shows?
It’s a privilege to tour, I wanted to do it for a long time before I got
the chance, so it’s not hard. I like the
travel generally speaking, and there’s always some tunes to listen to, plus I
love my kindle. But my favourite thing
is to just shoot the breeze with the gang and watch the world go by. I’ve
always had a good crew in all the bands. We all have day jobs, and I respect that people have paid their hard
earned money to watch me play, so I’m not gonna bitch about the drive or
waiting around.
Not too long after leaving Godsized you had an accident and suffered a dangerously serious
head injury. Can you explain what happened and how it affected you, both
health-wise and as a drummer?
Random one this! I went for a swim, felt fine taking a shower, next thing I know I’m
being woken up to “Can you hear me? Are you alright?”. I’d fainted and went from standing to falling
full blast on my jaw. The impact broke
my skull, split my chin open pretty badly and I had blood and brain fluid coming
out of my ears. It was fucking brutal,
and I’m lucky to have survived. I made a
recovery but it took a long time for my ears to recover, but there are no lasting
problems. I had a lot of tests on my
brain and heart since and it all looks good, but I guess it looked good
before. Just bad luck I guess, but good
luck to survive. It was a bit concerning
when I couldn’t hear properly, I wasn’t sure where it would leave me with
music, but it healed before that became a real concern. After a few months I sat in with the band
LTNT (who are awesome by the way) for a few shows, and came through that with
no problems, so I knew I was all good.
Jamie Lenman music video still, 2014.
So, you are currently on tour with Jamie Lenman. How
is it all going?
Yeah, it’s been great so far. The show has been well received and
everyone's been really sweet. It’s a
difficult set technically, and there’s lots of backing vocals as there’s only
two of us but it seems to be going down great. The fans have been awesome.
When did you first meet Jamie, and how did you end
up being his drummer?
I
worked at The Rooms Rehearsal Studios, and Reuben (Jamie’s former band)
rehearsed there. We just became best of
pals, and I went out as a roadie for those guys, doing the guitars, driving, selling merch etc. It was amazing and they took
me along for some amazing stuff, I learned a lot and had a great time. Years after they split, Jamie just wanted to
write his album so he put a little band together of his mates, but not to
actually be the band. I never thought I’d
actually be the actual drummer as it was so technical, or if there’d even be a
proper band, but by the time he was ready to record he’d whipped me into
shape. Since then we’ve just kept on
going, I make sure I’ve done my homework and we have a laugh, so that’s
probably why I still have the gig.
How does the creative process with Jamie differ from
that of Godsized?
It’s totally different. I wrote a lot for Godsized, sometimes the
complete track or we’d work it out as a band, whereas Jamie has a completely
clear picture of what he wants drum wise.
He knows a lot of it is mental drumming and he’s mega patient with me so
it’s all good. He’s a decent drummer to
be fair.
So far this year, you guys have released two
incredible singles, Mississippi and Waterloo Teeth. Are you pleased with the
reception they have received?
Thanks! Yeah delighted, people seem to really be into
it, and Mississippi hit number one in the Rock Chart on iTunes, so I’m mega proud
of that.
Are you enjoying taking the new material out on the
road?
Yeah,
it’s really fun to play, and it’s rad to see the guys singing along to the new
stuff.
How do you prepare for a show?
Once
all the soundcheck is done, I either have to eat early or after the show. Preferably early, so I head out for some
food. I have one last cigarette on the
way back to the venue, then it’s time to warm up, and start getting lots of water
in the system. I’ll do fifteen to thirty minutes on
the pad depending on how I feel, working through some rudiments, then the
trickier parts/fills in the show. Then
warm up my vocals (I just warm up to the trickier parts), and try to catch a
bit of the supports while all this is going on - this is a gripe of Jamie and
I, you never really get to watch the supports as we have to prep for our set. Then it’s about getting your head right, I
think about my heroes for a few seconds and try and do them justice. And that’s about it, get changed, me and
Jimbo wish each other the best, and we go and give it our best shot.
Are there any songs in particular that are
challenging to play live?
Fuck
yes! Drum wise, The Six Fingered Hand is
bad news, Fizzy Blood ain’t much fun. On this tour we’re doing the Reuben song Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, which
is fun but hard. Guy is a fucking brilliant drummer and laid down an amazing
drum track on that, and I kinda feel extra pressure on the Reuben stuff. I’m a fan too, and I know those tracks mean a
lot to a lot of people, so I want to do them justice.
Scala, London, 02.05.2017
Has there ever been a tour where you haven’t bled
all over your kit? I noticed in Cardiff that you split your knuckles open...
Haha,
no I don’t think so!
Do you prefer playing live or being in the studio?
I’ve
had brilliant and difficult times doing both. Live is fun because you’re right there with the fans sharing the same
moment, you can really see what it means. And funny stuff always happens, someone fucks up but you blag it,
someone in the crowd is wearing something amusing - things like that. And when there’s a big crowd miles from where
you’re from, singing something you and your buddies wrote, it’s a beautiful
thing. But the studio is magic, absolutely magic. I’ve recorded in some famous places, knowing
you’re where Black Sabbath or someone laid it down is really inspiring. Plus I’m good mates with some producers so it’s
always a laugh, and I love the creative process. If it’s a relaxed environment in good
company, I’d say the studio. You’re just
immersed in creating something with like-minded people, it’s about as cool as
it gets.
What can we expect next from you and Jamie?
He’s
just signed to Big Scary Monsters, so I guess it’ll be about getting his second
record done and out, then presumably more shows, but that’s 100% down to
Jimbo. Nothing is certain in music, I
just focus on what’s in front of me, try and do a good job and hope there’s
more work!
What drives you as a musician?
Usually a fella named Rupert! He’s
a legend. To be honest, the idea of
doing it full- time with a decent standard of living is a dream, but I won’t
compromise the music I make. I just can’t
find a place in my soul where playing on a cruise ship or wedding is anything
other than lame. I mean, you just won’t
find Josh Homme playing Blame it on the Boogie, will you? Not because he has to at least.
I have quite low self-esteem as a drummer to be honest, but I don’t
prioritise my time to practice so I have to accept where I’m at. I’m always trying to learn and be a better player
so that’s pretty much what keeps me going. I also love playing and writing on guitar, I have hours and hours of
music that I should get into shape.
I guess I just want to be someone that made good music and was nice to
hang out with. I’m proud of the records
I’ve made. I’d hand any over to James Hetfield or Dave Grohl and say, “have a go
on this”. I’m happy with that.
Photo: Marie GC.com
Words: Christopher Yeoman 2017
