Drumrock

Interview by:  Tim Robinson Photos Courtesy:  Todd Sucherman Todd’s Website:  http://toddsucherman.com In trying to come up with an introduction for this interview I found myself, not at a loss for words, but with the unique dilemma of having too many words in too many directions.  So I will make the intro short and sweet. Todd Sucherman is a phenomenal drummer.  One who has been playing drums since a little tot and hasn’t stopped since.  You can check out his bio and an even broader range of information at his website linked above.  He has such a broad range of experience and such a vocabulary when it comes to drumming that I couldn’t even begin to cover the depths of that knowledge in a short interview introduction.   Thankfully, all due to Todd, I don’t have to.  Todd has published two of the most outstanding DVD’s I’ve seen.  Methods and Mechanics and Methods and Mechanics II are a must have for any drummers library.  If you don’t have them – go get them.  But finish reading this interview first.  I am still pouring over the information Todd has packed into these two sets of discs and they are going to be on our recommend DVD list in our education section.  There is a wealth of information in these discs that everyone, from the beginning drummer to the hardened professional, should find useful.

The interview originally started out as an email interview, then Todd and I had discussed doing it on the phone – but what I really wanted to do before that was watch both DVD sets before going into a phone conversations.  Todd surprised me by answering the email interview while waiting for me to get things together for a phone interview.   I was in the process of watching the first Methods DVD set – and ran into the issue, not a bad one, of constant back tracking to watch, or review, the things Todd presents in these discs.  The result was Todd went through the email questions and answered them all. 

So I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

Drumrock:   You started playing at a very early age. How big of an influence was your father and his style on you and your playing?

Todd Sucherman: My father was 50 when I was born, so he was playing in the 30's though the 60's. He was a straight ahead big band drummer and that was his thing. So he brought a jazz background to me at an early age, but I also grew up in the era of rock. My two older brothers were musicians (keyboards and bass respectively) so they were an influence as well. We could have four different kinds music coming out of four rooms at any time. From Count Basie, to Beethoven to Chicago to Led Zeppelin to whatever. All kinds of music all the time. It was a great way to grow up. But I was in love with the drums from the time I was an infant. I became serious around age 4 and played my first paying gig with my brothers when I was 6. So my father guided us, but I also had two older brothers and their friends too.

DR: Do you still get together with your brothers and other musicians from your younger years?

TS:  The last time the three of us played together was at my wedding in 2003. We all live in three different states quite far from each other unfortunately, but we see each other every other holiday season or so. I see them on my own at least once a year through all the touring I do. The internt has made it easier to stay in contact with all my musician friends from various points in my life.

DR: Outside of your father – who else had the most impact on your playing and style?

TS:  My first two drum heroes were Danny Seraphine and Buddy Rich. I used to sit and listen to "Chicago II" over and over again when I was literally a baby. I have a crazy long list of drummers who inspire me. But most profoundly would be Steve Smith, Vinnie Colaiuta, Tony Williams....and I really could go on and on. I could list 100 drummers with ease. I also find inspiration from things non musical, if truth be told.

DR: If you have any single thing you have learned over the course of your career that has stayed with you and is a “core” part of your musical approach, what is it?

TS:  Check your ego at the door and let the music guide your choices. Every note you play is a choice. So play from the heart, and make the music feel and sound good. Then everyone sounds good. We drive the bus, so to speak.

DR:  You do a fair number of clinic appearances – what do you find most fulfilling from doing clinics?

TS:  It's important to me to share useful information, that other musicians can use. That's what I get a thrill from. It's also important to me to give real information to the younger generation, as I think they are distracted by sensationalism and things that will keep them from being employable. But I'll play to a few pieces of music, and construct a solo based on themes and motifs. Then I let the audience steer a majority of what we talk about from their questions. It keeps things organic and different from clinic to clinic. But there really is a lot more to my presentation. The reward is when I talk to people afterwards and they are excited about getting home to the drums, or they might share something I said that resonated with them back to me. It's important to give back to people, and to the next generation of players.

DR:  When you do clinics what do you try to leave the people participating with?

TS:  That being involved with music is one of life's greatest joys. Those moments of practicing alone and having epiphanies, figuring out things, and going through the process of hard work and improving is pure truth. Not playing video games or watching "reality" TV---just the fact that they pulled themselves away from the TV or computer screen to come out to a clinic already says a lot about the attendees. But whether or not they want to play music professionally or not, that it doesn't matter. Be involved with the arts. Participate!


DR:  What inspired you to do the Method & Mechanics DVDs?

TS: Basically for the aforementioned reasons about why I enjoy clinics. I did enough clinics that I could base a project around passing on information based on what I thought was important as well as what I found myself being asked about frequently at these clinics. I wanted to be a loud voice stating things that I thought were critical if a drummer wishes to be employable in real world situations. The first "Methods and Mechanics" was wildly successful, and it was always in my mind to do two volumes as it were. So "Methods and Mechanics II" is a natural progression from the original Methods and Mechanics that came out in 2008. The first one was a bit more lesson based. This new one has those concepts put into action with 15 song performances that have breakdowns of conceptually how I'm approaching each piece of music. Then on some there's technical analysis as well. The full title is "Methods and Mechanics II: Life on the Road, Songs, Solos, Stories and Lessons." There are bits sprinkled through out on touring and traveling to help musicians who want to do this for a living know a bit about what they are in for, and traveling tips to help make the lifestyle easier to deal with. Lots of real life or real world concepts for the working musician---and a lot of these ideas have never been discussed in an educational presentation. So it's unique in the way it was filmed and presented, as well as the contents discussed. It was important to me to provide useful information to my fellow musicians and not have it be a vanity project. The correspondence from drummers all over the world has been beyond what I could have imagined. It's great that these ideas have resonated with so many players out there.

DR:  Does each DVD stand alone or is it of more benefit to absorb both?

TS:  Each stands alone, but there's a reason 1 comes before 2, you know? They would be best enjoyed and digested in sequential order.

DR:  Is there something in either disc for everyone – from the kid just starting out in his garage with his friends, to the guys like me working the bars every weekend, and the guys like you sitting on a stage in front of thousands of people every night?

TS:  Absolutely. I mean, some of the concepts are quite advanced for the beginner, but the career navigational ideas would sink in, as well as just the pure musical enjoyment. Not comparing myself with Buddy Rich when I say this in any stretch, but as I kid I just loved watching and hearing him play---even though conceptually it was over my head. So therefore, younger kids can garner something from the presentation. Without sounding heavy handed or self-important, these DVDs are my love letter to drummers and it's also my legacy. So it's something I take seriously even if I don't always take myself seriously! But the correspondence I received from drummers all over the world has been gratifying, humbling, lovely, and makes me happily feel like my efforts are worthwhile.

DR:  Do you plan on releasing more DVD’s – if so what direction are you considering for your next disc?

TS:  You know, I never say "never" but I don't think I will. Maybe I'll get restless down the road but I feel I've literally given my all with these two DVDs. The "Methods and Mechanics Companion/Transcription book" comes out this month from Hudson Music, and that has been another great experience. Brad Schlueter, my co-author, did an astonishing job with the transcriptions of all solos, songs and lessons and added his insightful text to it. It comes with a CD of all performances and a few play alongs as well. So after all these projects......I'm going to the Caribbean in a couple weeks!

DR:  You’ve been with Styx since 1998 taking over for permanently when John Panozzo passed away. If you could sum up the experience in a paragraph – what would you say?

TS:  It's been 16 years of a trip I couldn't have imagined, quite honestly. I'm happy to be in a band that sings and plays as well as they do---and they're good guys too. One amazing thing as these guys never have a bad show.

There is never a bad show. Never. Some gigs might be more magical than others but it's pretty much nailed each night. Also, the people that come out to the show are great. After all these years they still come out and I never take that for granted. We average about 120 dates a year. It's a peculiar way to live, but it's what we've chosen to do. It's been incredible and I think this band can play as long into the future as it wants to.

DR:  Are you ever overwhelmed by the experience of playing with what some consider one of the most influential bands still playing today?

TS:  Not really, and it's kind of you to say that, but I'm not overwhelmed at all because it's my job---and one I've done for a long time. It's not that I'm not still excited because I am. But I had a few "wow" moments on the first tour but you only get one "first time," you know? I'm all business when it's show time. There is a job at hand and I take that seriously but still have fun at the same time.

DR:  Out of everything you have done – from the time you first picked up a pair of stick, through your formative years, playing with Styx, right up until today – what would say is the experience that has been most impacting on your career as a musician?

TS:  I'm really not sure how to answer that. Hmmmm. Impactful? I suppose just the satisfaction of being successful making my way through life doing something that I love. That's all I've ever wanted. Everything else is icing on the cake.

DR:  If you could share one lesson with kids today with regards to playing drums, above all others, what would that be?

TS:  If you want to do this for a living, or even part time: Be early (never be late), have the right gear, nail the gig, and leave everybody happy that you were there, as I said earlier. But if you really want to do this, you have to do it for the right reasons. You have to love music. You can't do this to seek fame and fortune because the universe rarely rewards that if that is your motives. Serve the music, serve your bandmates, and play from the heart.

DR:  What’s next for Todd?

I’d like to thank Todd for his time in doing this interview.   Even though we didn’t get to have that phone conversation – I’m hoping he’ll make an appearance at NAMM and have a brief face to face chat with him there.

I’d also like to thank Ron Depew at Pearl Drums for helping us with getting the interview. 

Todd endorses the following companies:

Empyreandrum.com