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Posted by Claudette Cooling on 24th April 2018
As you know we like to bring you guys as much behind the scenes info and news as we can and this month we got to catch up with Meinl, Evans Drumheads and Protection Racket endorsed artist Tom Chapman, who is best known for his versatile drumming portfolio which includes playing various local, national and touring theatre shows such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the UK tour of 'Knights Of Music' with Philip Schofield and playing with The Northern Orchestra. Not only that Tom plays alongside independent band, Cattle and Cane who if you haven't checked them out already...you need to!
When did you start playing drums? What got you into playing?
I started playing the drums 17 years ago at the age of 9 years old (wow that makes me feel old after working it out!) My older brother was having piano lessons at the time, I knew I wanted to learn something but his scales didn't sound too exciting so I chose drums. That’s the official story anyway, if you ask my Grandma she would tell you that we went to see The Corrs and I pointed to the drummer and said that’s what I wanted to do... don't judge!
How did you get involved with drumming within a theatre setting?
My first theatre experience was when I was about 16, my teacher at the time had to turn down a run of Little Shop Of Horrors at Middlesbrough Theatre and he offered it to me. I spent weeks learning the pad inside out and really enjoyed the run, since then I’ve gone from playing at loads of local theatres to depping on National Touring Theatre Shows. A personal highlight of mine is being part of the band for Phillip Schofield’s return to stage over the last couple of years, we do a theatre show called 'The Knights Of Music' which has been lots of fun to tour and a gig I always look forward to in the diary, he's really great to work with.
How often do you practice?
To be honest I'm terrible at practicing; I really struggle to get into good routines. I've been better the past few years but between the age of 18 and 23 alongside gigging I was working as a Peripatetic Music Teacher which made practicing regularly difficult. After delivering maybe 10-15 drum lessons in the day and gigging most evenings the last thing I wanted to do in my spare time was practice unfortunately. Like I say I have been better these last few years!
Do you have a warm up routine that you do pre-show?
It depends what the gig is really (wrong attitude I know!) If I'm working on a bigger show or a festival I find myself spending more time on a warm-up to make sure everything hits the ground running from the off, on the flip side if I’m doing a wedding to a room of drunk punters I probably won't do much more than having some food and drink!
What’s your favourite kind of music to play and/or listen to?
Anything funky or jazzy is generally my bag for listening or playing to be honest. But that said I really can find myself into anything, could be listening to literally anything depending on how the mood takes me.
Do you have any favourite artists/bands at the moment?
I am really enjoying Vulfpeck and all their off shoot projects at the moment (Fearless Flyers etc). Bruno Mars too, I can listen to the 24K album over and over at the moment, it’s brilliant. Oh and I’m also really enjoying going back over old BBC Proms videos on YouTube, some of my personal favourites are the Jamie Cullum and Richard Bona Prom videos.
What’s your top tip for all the aspiring drummers out there?
My ultimate top tip I'd say is to be versatile... so many drummers want to be a ‘rock drummer' or (less commonly) a ‘jazz drummer' but I think unless you're really lucky and at the top top top of your game it’s not going to provide a sustainable income. I think personally being versatile is the reason I was able to leave my full time teaching job and work as a professional musician. This week is a perfect example, I am playing on Priscilla Queen Of The Desert at Darlington Hippodrome every night and in the days arranging orchestral parts for a gig with my originals band, Cattle & Cane with the Northern Orchestra at Middlesbrough Town Hall this summer. This is all at the same time as running a wedding band agency and online jazz backing tracks company! The more strings you have to your bow the more chance you have of sustaining a career.
We’re beyond grateful that Tom took the time to answer some of our questions and we hope this gives all you drummers out there a real behind the scenes insight into the life of a working drummer. Take a look below for more info about drumming Tom's set-up!
Can you talk us through your drum set-up, what does it include?
I have lots, depending on the gig! For times like this week on the theatre show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert I opt for toms, toms and more toms! I have a rather rare Tama StarClassic Mirage which is perfect for this job. On the other hand I have a big band job on Sunday so I’ll be using an Gretsch kit, with an 18" bass drum, 12" and 14" toms ! Like above, I try to have lots of versatile gear to cater for any job; big kits, small, rocky, jazzy, it gives me so much choice and flexibility!
Do you have any favourite pieces of gear in your set up?
I have a couple... I use a P&D BC2 which I probably couldn't live without these days, but I'm also a sucker for the old Ludwig snares. I go between an 1970s Ludwig Acrolite and a 1960s Ludwig 400 Series which now I come to think of it, I actually couldn't live without. I've had loads of top line snare drums through the years but I always go back to these two. I also use SnareWeights by Joe Cox Drums, they're a great product and go hand in hand with my old Luddy's!
We love not only learning about some of the amazing drummers within the drumming community but we love nothing more than to shout about them and support them! So if you’ve liked what you’ve read, we’re pretty sure you should get yourself over to Tom's website and check him out.
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