Post by Heather on Nov 5, 2010 19:01:54 GMT -5
DRUMMER TO DRUMMER: STEVE JOCZ, SUM 41
LA: Let’s get the gear over with. What determined your switch from OC to DW drums?
SJ: Orange County was great, and they are great drums, but I always used DW hardware and we use DW when we rent stuff, and I had a deal with them. Like whenever I’d be in the UK, Europe, Japan, it was always for a DW drum kit, and so then I just got a full endorsement from them. I’ve always loved their drums. I think they sound great
LA: Is it a custom DW kit that you’re playing now?
SJ: Well this one is just a rental, but they’ve given me two. I have one at home that I’ve been using for four years now. It’s gold and it’s just custom sizes. There’s nothing strange about it. I mean, some of these drum kits are getting so wacky. Then the new one I just got a couple of weeks ago - that I haven’t even played yet - is just custom sized. It’s pretty much identical to the other one, except the left tom is shallower.
LA: Which one is your favorite one to practice on?
SJ: I don’t really have anywhere to practice. But when I do, I usually bring out the DW one. Orange County gave me a practice kit that we used to bring on the road – standard sized drums, but their depths are super thin, so it fits into a small case. So I use that, sometimes, still, and we’ve used that on a lot of the records, because it has a distinct sound. The ones we take out on tour are all bigger
LA: How did your Vic Firth Stevo sticks come about?
SJ: Oh, well they just asked me how I wanted the name on the stick. Mine is not really a signature stick. It just has my name on it, so when I throw it into the audience, they know who to sue, basically!
LA: Are the sticks closer to the 5A or 5B model?
SJ: They’re all 5As. They’re just your standard 5As, not like a special kind or anything. I used to use 5Bs and 2Bs a long time ago, which were way too heavy, so I just use 5As.
LA: Could you tell us a bit more about your relationship with your drum tech Dan Moyse, who you’ve been faithful to for many years now?
SJ: Well, Deryck and Cone have gone through so many guitar techs. Deryck’s had a steady guy for a few months - Larry. Before that it was another guy. But I’ve had Dan for 10 years! He’s more than just a drum tech to me. Like he was in my wedding party. He’s a good friend. More than just the drum stuff, he does monitors for everybody, and he does the click track for me. So he’s part of the show! To replace him would be really difficult. It’s just worked out really well. We get along really great. He’s practically a member of the band, really! He’s due for a Sum 41 tattoo. It’d be very odd touring without him.
LA: Does he look up to you as a drummer?
SJ: I don’t we’d really think of it that way. He plays in a band. He’s pretty good too. We just sort of help each other. You know, I don’t know how to tune drums – believe it or not! - so I really need Dan Moyse!
LA: Did you teach Deryck how to play drums?
SJ: Well he’s asked me a few things, about how to do stuff, but I’m a terrible teacher! I get really impatient. I’d be like “Do it this way!” and I’ll do it really fast, once! And he’ll be like “Well, can you slow it down?” and I run out of patience, and that’s that! So Deryck figured it out on his own.
LA: Do you and Cone ever do any rhythm section jams?
SJ: No, not really, because Cone doesn’t really know a lot of songs, other than Sum 41 songs that I know. And that’s the same for the rest of the guys. Tom and I do more, because Tom knows how to play a million songs. Larry, Deryck’s guitar tech, and Johnny, Deryck’s previous guitar tech, I used to play with all the time. Dave, our old guitar player, and I used to do these hour-long sound checks after everybody was done. So it’s usually the guitar guys that know the songs more often. It’s easier for me to play with the guitar guys. I don’t really play with Cone in the same sense as other rhythm sections do. I mean I do, and I have Cone in my mix, more than the others I think, but because I’ve been playing with Deryck for so long, I almost play more with the guitar, live. Well I used to play with Deryck more. Actually, I’ve been playing with Tom more, cause I can hear the guitar better than I can hear the bass.
LA: What about in terms of locking in the bass drum and bass guitar?
SJ: Actually I tend to lock in with what the vocals are doing, most of the time. So a lot of the time, it’s not just what the bass is doing. I tend to follow what the vocals tend to do, sometimes,so it’s not 100% one thing in the mix itself.
LA: That’s funny you mentioned Cone doesn’t really know a lot of other songs.
SJ: Well he does! But it’s not like how Brown Tom and Brownsound, our old guitar player, are like song encyclopedias. They just know like, a million songs. They can play any song. Tom can figure it out in his head – he’s got really good pitch where he can figure out what the note is. Cone knows a few. Together, we know ones that we’ve covered together. But aside from those ones, he knows others, I just don’t know what they are.
LA: I enjoyed the Van Halen you guys jammed.
SJ: Yeah, because we used to cover that, we know that together. We know Maiden. But anything beyond that, we sort of don’t know the same things!
LA: What do you think are your personal strengths and weaknesses as a drummer?
SJ: I guess I don’t really think about strengths, and I focus more on weaknesses. Like I’ve got really tight hips so I can’t do the double kick very well anymore. I couldn’t really do it all that well to begin with. My left side too, I also try and work on. I think my main thing is, I’ve sort of stuck in the rock realm in the past, whereas lately I’ve been trying some Latin stuff that’s so foreign and difficult. That stuff is so challenging and fun to play, so when I practice, I tend to practice that stuff, to varying success. Though I don’t really practice that much because I live in a condo in California. I lived in a condo in Toronto, and I just bought another house in California, but there’s nowhere to put a drum kit. I might put an addition on the house, but that’s so much work and effort just to put in an extra room. But in terms of actually getting down to practice, I just like to find new styles and work on my left hand. I like going on Youtube and typing in “crazy drum fill crazy”, or “crazy drum beats” and there are these drum nerds that will walk you through every step. I can’t read music! I can, but it takes forever - I will have to go through each thing like “that’s that, that’s that…” so it’s easier to have a drum dude do it on the Internet. It’s always some guy you’ve never heard of. Just some dude locked in his basement for the last 15 years!
LA: I remember you actually recommended one of them on Sum41.com at some point.
SJ: There’s one - Mike Johnston www.mikeslessons.com - he’s good. You can pay 20 bucks a month and he does like 5 episodes, or 5 lessons a week. He does like 4 a day. It’s actually done really professionally, with cameras, live and everything. So I was doing that for a while, but then there’s always new stuff to learn. I definitely don’t think I’m an advanced drummer. I got my thing, but, it’s better to branch out and try new things, you know? It’s better to be an all-around good drummer rather than just really strong in one style, and completely useless playing something else.
LA: Do you have a particular warm up routine before shows – rudiments or anything?
SJ: I just stretch. Nothing, really. I just do a little stretching. After the show, I stretch more, and that’s it. Doing rudiments would tire my hands out, so I just don’t bother!
LA: Sum 41 has always been a strict click track band. Do you use the click track at practice as often as you do in live shows?
SJ: Yeah, we just use it all the time, because everybody uses it. I’ve heard that some drummers are against it, but I mean, all those drummers play way too fast. The songs are supposed to be distinct - at a certain tempo. For Sum 41 songs, I know what they are, pretty much, at this point, but occasionally Dan will type in more the wrong tempo. So I’ll have like, 220bpm in my ears when the song is like, 88, or something like that. And I’ll have to guess what it is with the wrong tempo in my ear! Usually, I’m always right, because I know what they are by memory, but I can only do that now because I’ve been playing with a click track for 10 years. And it’s easier in the studio. It’s just a part of it. Also when I stop playing, and it’s just Deryck, he’s on time. It’s a way tighter set when we use one.
LA: How would you describe your drumming on “Screaming Bloody Murder”?
SJ: I think it’s very similar to what I’ve done on previous records, but the parts may be a bit more interesting… but there’s nothing really that I can point out as such. I mean, it’s fun to listen to and there are interesting, creative parts, but it’s not like I did this whole other thing. I think my drumming is kind of going in a gradual slope. It’s not like these gigantic peaks, so it’s been really easy to do these records, because it’s only taken like five days for me to finish my drum parts.
LA: How much double bass can we expect on “Screaming Bloody Murder”?
SJ: There is a little, but not a lot. I mean, it is a heavy record but it doesn’t have a lot of that, believe it or not. The last record didn’t have any. This one has got some. It’s just not like “The Bitter End” or any of those songs.
LA: Is there a particular track on “Screaming Bloody Murder” you’re most proud of, in terms of writing?
SJ: I don’t know if any song in particular is the “That’s the one I like for drumming!” My favorite song on the record is one called “Blood In My Eyes”, but the drumming on that isn’t particularly difficult. It’s just fun to play.
LA: Was there anything that was challenging to write for?
SJ: We basically just do the same routine every time. We’ll get together, and then figure out the drum parts for each part of the song, and then in the studio, there’s always like a fill going into the chorus, and you know, those are all just improvised.
LA: You go for fill improvisation in the studio?
SJ: Well we’ll do the one that we’ve practiced, and then with Pro Tools, you could just say “Okay, do ten in a row” so we have variety. Then we pick one, and we do a bunch of those, and that’s that!
LA: Do you enjoy playing your short drum solos in “Welcome To Hell” or “King Of Contradiction”?
SJ: Kind of! I don’t even know what I’m doing. I just make it up every time. All I know is that I kind of just throw the sticks on the drum kit. I mean, there’s no order to it. Well actually, in the last few shows, I’ve been starting it with this double kick thing, and then I just start going. It’s so fast that it’s hard to really anticipate what you’ll do next. Your hands are doing almost anything. How tired you are – I mean determines how well it comes around. Right now we’re all jetlagged and my hands are fucked!
LA: It’s great that it is spontaneous on the night, as it should be.
SJ: Yeah, it’s never the same, ever. When it happens, the beat going into is very fast. When I’m at that speed, it’s hard to think like, “Oh okay, maybe I’ll do a flam or whatever here” It kind of just happens and you hope for the best.
LA: Have you ever done a drum battle or drum duet, or any kind of double drum set up since the 20th anniversary MTV event with Tommy Lee?
SJ: I think that’s the only time I can think of! Not really. I mean, I would, but there’s never really an opportunity. I hardly have enough time to do one drum kit, so let alone two. Even in my apartment, I don’t have an electronic drum kit. I have a practice pad in there I never use. I use it more for the laptop. I’m not really a drummer’s drummer!
LA: I’m not surprised, it’s what I expected to hear out of you!
SJ: I just enjoy the drums, and I think they’re fun, but when I’m at home, I don’t play them! I’d only do band practice. I don’t know how to tune my drums. I have difficulty setting them up. I don’t read any drummer magazines. I don’t really know any drummers. Although, when I’m playing, or not playing, I’ll watch the drummer, and that’s where I’ll steal ideas from. Like we were doing Warped Tour with Josh Freese in 2000, and I’d watch him everyday, and he’d show me stuff. Travis, when we toured with them, I asked him to show me some cool stuff, and he showed me how to do these paradiddle funky beats. And Brooks Wackerman, and other guys that I’ve played with. I’ve asked Tommy how to catch the cymbal in a cool way. I guess I just have the opportunity to play with other, famous and non-famous drummers, and I’ll just ask them how they did stuff.
LA: If you were to play another style of music on drums, that wasn’t rock-related (not punk, rock, or metal), what style would it be?
SJ: Latin music or Jazz. Those always fascinate me - Latin in particular - because each part of the drum kit is traditionally played by one guy in a Latin group. So there’s one guy with a timbal, there’s another guy with the cowbell, and there’s another guy on a snare drum. Each one of a rock drummer’s limbs is one guy – or girl! – and that’s the challenge of it. And the timing is all weird, and there’s just so much going on. So they’re like little puzzles, and they’re fun to put together. Lately, if there’s anything I’ve been practicing, I’ll practice those, cause they’re fun.
LA: Is Brazilian samba familiar to you at all?
SJ: I like some. My favorite stuff to listen at home is like, Astrud Gilberto, sort of - that’s Brazilian samba music?
LA: …more bossa nova.
SJ: Bossa nova - yeah! So I’ll do bossa nova, but samba, sure, I’d play that. Bossa nova is harder too, with the different feel. At home I listen to that with my wife, because it’s nice. The samba - that’s more lively, and those are fun to play.
LA: Hopefully Sum 41 finally makes it out to Brazil after the record comes out, not just to play to your fans there, but so you could check out some samba. I can’t imagine any drummer saying no to seeing the bateria show (live percussion ensembles).
SJ: Yeah, it’d be fun!
LA: Japanese Taiko is similarly appealing: syncopated, layered, complex percussion. And it’s artful too.
SJ: Yeah I’ve seen that on TV.
LA: Sum 41 tours Japan so much, I don’t think it’d be out of reach if it interested you.
SJ: Cool. Okay!
LA: Metallica is Sum 41’s favorite metal band. I’m interested to know what you think of Lars Ulrich’s playing?
SJ: I think Lars is really good! I mean, everybody gives Lars a hard time, but he’s got this weird, quirky way with timing. And a lot of the ideas, I think, of where the songs go, how they switch up, all come from Lars, so I think he’s great. I’m a huge fan!
LA: What was it like meeting him?
SJ: It was very nice. It was a good time when we did the Metallica icon thing. And in that tour, we kept seeing him hanging out and stuff.
LA: You’ve recommended for drummers to check out Refused’s “The Shape of Punk To Come”. Are there any others you look up to in the same way as a cool drumming record from start to finish?
SJ: That guy is really good! That’s an awesome album. I guess that one, and the Queens of the Stone Age record with Dave Grohl. But I don’t really listen to those kinds of records at home.
LA: I know Sum 41 likes it old school.
SJ: Yeah. I don’t listen to heavy rock music, anywhere but at the gym. And when I do that, it’s just Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, or Motorhead!
LA: You’ve mentioned admiring Josh Freese and Keith Moon before. Is there anybody else?
SJ: Josh because I know him and I’ve seen him play up close - he’s just really impressive. Keith Moon, I like for what he does – he’s just all over the place - but I’m not really a big Who fan. I mean I like them, but I don’t listen to him on my own. I love John Bonham but I don’t listen to Led Zeppelin on my own. I guess there are drummers who are obviously really good, but I’m not obsessed with them as such. I like the whole band.
LA: More often than not I think I feel the same way. At least I feel that way about Sum 41. But at the same time, because I’ve played so many of your songs before, it’s influenced my own playing. So no matter how much you bash yourself in this interview, I’ll still tell you I look up to you.
SJ: Thank you!
LA: In Sum 41’s fourteen year-long career so far, what do you think has been most fulfilling for you as a drummer?
SJ: Just the whole thing I guess! I mean, we’d like to still improve and as for the drums, I do think it’s a cool instrument, and it’s fun to play. The whole thing has given me an opportunity to keep trying. I mean, there’s no better place to test your new ideas in front of thousands of people. So it’s been a really cool experience to do this for so long-- for a living!
- Lex Adarme
LA: Let’s get the gear over with. What determined your switch from OC to DW drums?
SJ: Orange County was great, and they are great drums, but I always used DW hardware and we use DW when we rent stuff, and I had a deal with them. Like whenever I’d be in the UK, Europe, Japan, it was always for a DW drum kit, and so then I just got a full endorsement from them. I’ve always loved their drums. I think they sound great
LA: Is it a custom DW kit that you’re playing now?
SJ: Well this one is just a rental, but they’ve given me two. I have one at home that I’ve been using for four years now. It’s gold and it’s just custom sizes. There’s nothing strange about it. I mean, some of these drum kits are getting so wacky. Then the new one I just got a couple of weeks ago - that I haven’t even played yet - is just custom sized. It’s pretty much identical to the other one, except the left tom is shallower.
LA: Which one is your favorite one to practice on?
SJ: I don’t really have anywhere to practice. But when I do, I usually bring out the DW one. Orange County gave me a practice kit that we used to bring on the road – standard sized drums, but their depths are super thin, so it fits into a small case. So I use that, sometimes, still, and we’ve used that on a lot of the records, because it has a distinct sound. The ones we take out on tour are all bigger
LA: How did your Vic Firth Stevo sticks come about?
SJ: Oh, well they just asked me how I wanted the name on the stick. Mine is not really a signature stick. It just has my name on it, so when I throw it into the audience, they know who to sue, basically!
LA: Are the sticks closer to the 5A or 5B model?
SJ: They’re all 5As. They’re just your standard 5As, not like a special kind or anything. I used to use 5Bs and 2Bs a long time ago, which were way too heavy, so I just use 5As.
LA: Could you tell us a bit more about your relationship with your drum tech Dan Moyse, who you’ve been faithful to for many years now?
SJ: Well, Deryck and Cone have gone through so many guitar techs. Deryck’s had a steady guy for a few months - Larry. Before that it was another guy. But I’ve had Dan for 10 years! He’s more than just a drum tech to me. Like he was in my wedding party. He’s a good friend. More than just the drum stuff, he does monitors for everybody, and he does the click track for me. So he’s part of the show! To replace him would be really difficult. It’s just worked out really well. We get along really great. He’s practically a member of the band, really! He’s due for a Sum 41 tattoo. It’d be very odd touring without him.
LA: Does he look up to you as a drummer?
SJ: I don’t we’d really think of it that way. He plays in a band. He’s pretty good too. We just sort of help each other. You know, I don’t know how to tune drums – believe it or not! - so I really need Dan Moyse!
LA: Did you teach Deryck how to play drums?
SJ: Well he’s asked me a few things, about how to do stuff, but I’m a terrible teacher! I get really impatient. I’d be like “Do it this way!” and I’ll do it really fast, once! And he’ll be like “Well, can you slow it down?” and I run out of patience, and that’s that! So Deryck figured it out on his own.
LA: Do you and Cone ever do any rhythm section jams?
SJ: No, not really, because Cone doesn’t really know a lot of songs, other than Sum 41 songs that I know. And that’s the same for the rest of the guys. Tom and I do more, because Tom knows how to play a million songs. Larry, Deryck’s guitar tech, and Johnny, Deryck’s previous guitar tech, I used to play with all the time. Dave, our old guitar player, and I used to do these hour-long sound checks after everybody was done. So it’s usually the guitar guys that know the songs more often. It’s easier for me to play with the guitar guys. I don’t really play with Cone in the same sense as other rhythm sections do. I mean I do, and I have Cone in my mix, more than the others I think, but because I’ve been playing with Deryck for so long, I almost play more with the guitar, live. Well I used to play with Deryck more. Actually, I’ve been playing with Tom more, cause I can hear the guitar better than I can hear the bass.
LA: What about in terms of locking in the bass drum and bass guitar?
SJ: Actually I tend to lock in with what the vocals are doing, most of the time. So a lot of the time, it’s not just what the bass is doing. I tend to follow what the vocals tend to do, sometimes,so it’s not 100% one thing in the mix itself.
LA: That’s funny you mentioned Cone doesn’t really know a lot of other songs.
SJ: Well he does! But it’s not like how Brown Tom and Brownsound, our old guitar player, are like song encyclopedias. They just know like, a million songs. They can play any song. Tom can figure it out in his head – he’s got really good pitch where he can figure out what the note is. Cone knows a few. Together, we know ones that we’ve covered together. But aside from those ones, he knows others, I just don’t know what they are.
LA: I enjoyed the Van Halen you guys jammed.
SJ: Yeah, because we used to cover that, we know that together. We know Maiden. But anything beyond that, we sort of don’t know the same things!
LA: What do you think are your personal strengths and weaknesses as a drummer?
SJ: I guess I don’t really think about strengths, and I focus more on weaknesses. Like I’ve got really tight hips so I can’t do the double kick very well anymore. I couldn’t really do it all that well to begin with. My left side too, I also try and work on. I think my main thing is, I’ve sort of stuck in the rock realm in the past, whereas lately I’ve been trying some Latin stuff that’s so foreign and difficult. That stuff is so challenging and fun to play, so when I practice, I tend to practice that stuff, to varying success. Though I don’t really practice that much because I live in a condo in California. I lived in a condo in Toronto, and I just bought another house in California, but there’s nowhere to put a drum kit. I might put an addition on the house, but that’s so much work and effort just to put in an extra room. But in terms of actually getting down to practice, I just like to find new styles and work on my left hand. I like going on Youtube and typing in “crazy drum fill crazy”, or “crazy drum beats” and there are these drum nerds that will walk you through every step. I can’t read music! I can, but it takes forever - I will have to go through each thing like “that’s that, that’s that…” so it’s easier to have a drum dude do it on the Internet. It’s always some guy you’ve never heard of. Just some dude locked in his basement for the last 15 years!
LA: I remember you actually recommended one of them on Sum41.com at some point.
SJ: There’s one - Mike Johnston www.mikeslessons.com - he’s good. You can pay 20 bucks a month and he does like 5 episodes, or 5 lessons a week. He does like 4 a day. It’s actually done really professionally, with cameras, live and everything. So I was doing that for a while, but then there’s always new stuff to learn. I definitely don’t think I’m an advanced drummer. I got my thing, but, it’s better to branch out and try new things, you know? It’s better to be an all-around good drummer rather than just really strong in one style, and completely useless playing something else.
LA: Do you have a particular warm up routine before shows – rudiments or anything?
SJ: I just stretch. Nothing, really. I just do a little stretching. After the show, I stretch more, and that’s it. Doing rudiments would tire my hands out, so I just don’t bother!
LA: Sum 41 has always been a strict click track band. Do you use the click track at practice as often as you do in live shows?
SJ: Yeah, we just use it all the time, because everybody uses it. I’ve heard that some drummers are against it, but I mean, all those drummers play way too fast. The songs are supposed to be distinct - at a certain tempo. For Sum 41 songs, I know what they are, pretty much, at this point, but occasionally Dan will type in more the wrong tempo. So I’ll have like, 220bpm in my ears when the song is like, 88, or something like that. And I’ll have to guess what it is with the wrong tempo in my ear! Usually, I’m always right, because I know what they are by memory, but I can only do that now because I’ve been playing with a click track for 10 years. And it’s easier in the studio. It’s just a part of it. Also when I stop playing, and it’s just Deryck, he’s on time. It’s a way tighter set when we use one.
LA: How would you describe your drumming on “Screaming Bloody Murder”?
SJ: I think it’s very similar to what I’ve done on previous records, but the parts may be a bit more interesting… but there’s nothing really that I can point out as such. I mean, it’s fun to listen to and there are interesting, creative parts, but it’s not like I did this whole other thing. I think my drumming is kind of going in a gradual slope. It’s not like these gigantic peaks, so it’s been really easy to do these records, because it’s only taken like five days for me to finish my drum parts.
LA: How much double bass can we expect on “Screaming Bloody Murder”?
SJ: There is a little, but not a lot. I mean, it is a heavy record but it doesn’t have a lot of that, believe it or not. The last record didn’t have any. This one has got some. It’s just not like “The Bitter End” or any of those songs.
LA: Is there a particular track on “Screaming Bloody Murder” you’re most proud of, in terms of writing?
SJ: I don’t know if any song in particular is the “That’s the one I like for drumming!” My favorite song on the record is one called “Blood In My Eyes”, but the drumming on that isn’t particularly difficult. It’s just fun to play.
LA: Was there anything that was challenging to write for?
SJ: We basically just do the same routine every time. We’ll get together, and then figure out the drum parts for each part of the song, and then in the studio, there’s always like a fill going into the chorus, and you know, those are all just improvised.
LA: You go for fill improvisation in the studio?
SJ: Well we’ll do the one that we’ve practiced, and then with Pro Tools, you could just say “Okay, do ten in a row” so we have variety. Then we pick one, and we do a bunch of those, and that’s that!
LA: Do you enjoy playing your short drum solos in “Welcome To Hell” or “King Of Contradiction”?
SJ: Kind of! I don’t even know what I’m doing. I just make it up every time. All I know is that I kind of just throw the sticks on the drum kit. I mean, there’s no order to it. Well actually, in the last few shows, I’ve been starting it with this double kick thing, and then I just start going. It’s so fast that it’s hard to really anticipate what you’ll do next. Your hands are doing almost anything. How tired you are – I mean determines how well it comes around. Right now we’re all jetlagged and my hands are fucked!
LA: It’s great that it is spontaneous on the night, as it should be.
SJ: Yeah, it’s never the same, ever. When it happens, the beat going into is very fast. When I’m at that speed, it’s hard to think like, “Oh okay, maybe I’ll do a flam or whatever here” It kind of just happens and you hope for the best.
LA: Have you ever done a drum battle or drum duet, or any kind of double drum set up since the 20th anniversary MTV event with Tommy Lee?
SJ: I think that’s the only time I can think of! Not really. I mean, I would, but there’s never really an opportunity. I hardly have enough time to do one drum kit, so let alone two. Even in my apartment, I don’t have an electronic drum kit. I have a practice pad in there I never use. I use it more for the laptop. I’m not really a drummer’s drummer!
LA: I’m not surprised, it’s what I expected to hear out of you!
SJ: I just enjoy the drums, and I think they’re fun, but when I’m at home, I don’t play them! I’d only do band practice. I don’t know how to tune my drums. I have difficulty setting them up. I don’t read any drummer magazines. I don’t really know any drummers. Although, when I’m playing, or not playing, I’ll watch the drummer, and that’s where I’ll steal ideas from. Like we were doing Warped Tour with Josh Freese in 2000, and I’d watch him everyday, and he’d show me stuff. Travis, when we toured with them, I asked him to show me some cool stuff, and he showed me how to do these paradiddle funky beats. And Brooks Wackerman, and other guys that I’ve played with. I’ve asked Tommy how to catch the cymbal in a cool way. I guess I just have the opportunity to play with other, famous and non-famous drummers, and I’ll just ask them how they did stuff.
LA: If you were to play another style of music on drums, that wasn’t rock-related (not punk, rock, or metal), what style would it be?
SJ: Latin music or Jazz. Those always fascinate me - Latin in particular - because each part of the drum kit is traditionally played by one guy in a Latin group. So there’s one guy with a timbal, there’s another guy with the cowbell, and there’s another guy on a snare drum. Each one of a rock drummer’s limbs is one guy – or girl! – and that’s the challenge of it. And the timing is all weird, and there’s just so much going on. So they’re like little puzzles, and they’re fun to put together. Lately, if there’s anything I’ve been practicing, I’ll practice those, cause they’re fun.
LA: Is Brazilian samba familiar to you at all?
SJ: I like some. My favorite stuff to listen at home is like, Astrud Gilberto, sort of - that’s Brazilian samba music?
LA: …more bossa nova.
SJ: Bossa nova - yeah! So I’ll do bossa nova, but samba, sure, I’d play that. Bossa nova is harder too, with the different feel. At home I listen to that with my wife, because it’s nice. The samba - that’s more lively, and those are fun to play.
LA: Hopefully Sum 41 finally makes it out to Brazil after the record comes out, not just to play to your fans there, but so you could check out some samba. I can’t imagine any drummer saying no to seeing the bateria show (live percussion ensembles).
SJ: Yeah, it’d be fun!
LA: Japanese Taiko is similarly appealing: syncopated, layered, complex percussion. And it’s artful too.
SJ: Yeah I’ve seen that on TV.
LA: Sum 41 tours Japan so much, I don’t think it’d be out of reach if it interested you.
SJ: Cool. Okay!
LA: Metallica is Sum 41’s favorite metal band. I’m interested to know what you think of Lars Ulrich’s playing?
SJ: I think Lars is really good! I mean, everybody gives Lars a hard time, but he’s got this weird, quirky way with timing. And a lot of the ideas, I think, of where the songs go, how they switch up, all come from Lars, so I think he’s great. I’m a huge fan!
LA: What was it like meeting him?
SJ: It was very nice. It was a good time when we did the Metallica icon thing. And in that tour, we kept seeing him hanging out and stuff.
LA: You’ve recommended for drummers to check out Refused’s “The Shape of Punk To Come”. Are there any others you look up to in the same way as a cool drumming record from start to finish?
SJ: That guy is really good! That’s an awesome album. I guess that one, and the Queens of the Stone Age record with Dave Grohl. But I don’t really listen to those kinds of records at home.
LA: I know Sum 41 likes it old school.
SJ: Yeah. I don’t listen to heavy rock music, anywhere but at the gym. And when I do that, it’s just Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, or Motorhead!
LA: You’ve mentioned admiring Josh Freese and Keith Moon before. Is there anybody else?
SJ: Josh because I know him and I’ve seen him play up close - he’s just really impressive. Keith Moon, I like for what he does – he’s just all over the place - but I’m not really a big Who fan. I mean I like them, but I don’t listen to him on my own. I love John Bonham but I don’t listen to Led Zeppelin on my own. I guess there are drummers who are obviously really good, but I’m not obsessed with them as such. I like the whole band.
LA: More often than not I think I feel the same way. At least I feel that way about Sum 41. But at the same time, because I’ve played so many of your songs before, it’s influenced my own playing. So no matter how much you bash yourself in this interview, I’ll still tell you I look up to you.
SJ: Thank you!
LA: In Sum 41’s fourteen year-long career so far, what do you think has been most fulfilling for you as a drummer?
SJ: Just the whole thing I guess! I mean, we’d like to still improve and as for the drums, I do think it’s a cool instrument, and it’s fun to play. The whole thing has given me an opportunity to keep trying. I mean, there’s no better place to test your new ideas in front of thousands of people. So it’s been a really cool experience to do this for so long-- for a living!
- Lex Adarme