Was that an attitude you had going in or did that develop over time?

It’s something you develop over time. The more you do something, the more it becomes comfortable. When I first got in the group, I was quite nervous. I thought, this must be a mistake. (Laughs.) It just fell into place. David likes to see what happens. Just get there and figure it out. When we do the big shows, I do think, wow, this has touched so many people. This is important to so many people.

So, you go from big shows and a fairly set program of songs night to night with David Gilmour to Steve Postell and his Night Train Music Club, where you may not know who will be showing up or what songs you’ll play. The other guys may have chord charts and sheets. How do you handle that as a drummer?

Basically I’ve played with Steve a couple of times before and I kind of know what the vibe is. Some tunes I don’t know and some are standards. Instinctively, I can play the tunes. And, I listen and watch for cues. It’s pretty loose in that way. That’s what makes it fun.

Tell me about your experience with Chris Robinson.

He had a band called New Earth Mud. Speaking of Aspen, I was up there with CPR, and Chris Robinson was there. Chris sat in on a tune and it was really great. Afterward, I was chatting with him about being such a fan of the Black Crowes. He was a super nice guy. About a year or so later, he gave me a call and asked if I wanted to be in his band over the summer. He was putting a new version of New Earth Mud together. I jumped at the chance.

What effect did that have on your playing, if any?

The experience maybe greased up my playing a little bit. It made me re-evaluate. Working with Chris Robinson and the New Earth Mud was similar in the looseness to Night Train Music Club with the exception of knowing some of the tunes from the records but we played a whole lot of tunes that I never heard before. Chris has a unique way of creating an environment that allows for a ton of creativity and improvisation which made it new and fresh every night and also kept us on our toes. Chris is the real deal and so passionate about what he writes and plays. There was so much I learned about my own playing working with that band.

How was life on the road with Chris?

We had a lot of fun. We had this Nerf basketball hoop in the back of the bus. He and I would have games of horse. He’s such a big basketball fan. That was a great summer.

You have a jazz project coming out soon that you have suggested may appeal to the jamband community.

It’s a quintet with piano, guitar, bass, and saxophone. I just wrote on a piece of paper who I wanted to do this with, and they were all into it. On sax, there is Paul Carman, who played with Frank Zappa. Just a fantastic player. Mark Massey is a phenomenal jazz piano player. Carl Verheyen, from Supertramp, is a high-profile session guitar player. And Kevin Axt, who is one of the premiere bass players, he’s unbelievable. I booked Simon Phillips’ studio in Van Nuys, and we went there and tracked live. We cut four tunes in one day, and came back and did four more another day. There’s a lot of interaction. I hear a lot of the jamband element in it. Maybe we can play some jamband festivals down the road. I’m very proud of it.

Do you have a name for it?

I really like the name Solar Flare. I’m still working on the title of the record, but I’m open to suggestions.

Pages:« Previous Page