THE RHYTHM AUTHORITY
2007 Interview with BXF drummer:
Benjamin Clapp
by Kay Starr
|
|
TRF:WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING?
BC:I first had access to a proper drum set at my buddy Alan's house - I guess
when I was 11 or 12? He had an old Slingerland that I later inherited, but for a
couple years in Junior High we switched off teaching ourselves to play drums
and guitar.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:WHY THE DRUMS?
BC:You know. You get to intentionally bang on things. Who doesnt want to
do that?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF: WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?
BC: From a younger age, I guess I would say Stewart Copeland and Lars
Ulrich. I always loved the music of the Police, and when I became old enough
to buy records, Metallica was putting out stuff I wanted to hear. Both drummers
had such intensity in their playing, and both of those bands absolutely nailed it
for me at their prime. In High School I was turned on to an overload of music
and styles in the music program, and even more so from the bands that would
tour through town and the local bands I got to play with. Dale Crover too. Dale
Crover is my influences.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:WHEN WAS YOUR FIRST GIG AND HOW DID IT GO?
BC:My first live show on drums was in Boise at a classic music venue of the
time at the Crazy Horse. I was of course stoked to have the opportunity to play
there, and open for local faves Dirt Fishermen. Our band was put together from
players in the school band, not extremely well-rehearsed, ended up doing
several originals and a Pink Floyd cover if Iam not mistaken, and never
appeared in that incarnation again. I didnt end up playing with anyone again
after that until the next year when I was thrown in by chance to drum for Boise
punk noisers: Haggis. After just a couple of rehearsals with these complete
strangers, they took me out to Nampa, Idaho to open up for D.R.I. There were
hundreds of people there, no security whatsoever, and plenty of Olympia
stubbies & boozing for all. Our set somehow kicked off the crowd into serious
violence. Within a song or two, our bass player had jumped off stage to rescue
a person from having their head trampled in the moshing mess. By the third
song we were giving warnings to cool out the violence in what was evidently
becoming a riot. I remember chairs being thrown and knives being wielded. It
turned into Heavy Metal Canyon County Dudes Gone Wild!! (Which
coincidentally is my phony band name of the day...) We had to stop playing. I
remember the band that had the slot after us cancelled out of fear for their lives
(and their fancy stage lighting), and the rest of the night was left for D.R.I. to
destroy. By the end of the night, cops had surrounded the place. I was sold on
the whole business of hot rockery from that night on. In celebration we drove
our band van in reverse in circles for at least a half hour. Or maybe thats
because the transmission got stuck in reverse.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:DO YOU PLAY ANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS?
BC:Yeah - public school put me on trombone in 6th grade, and kept me there
right through till graduation. I still play it pretty regularly with a number of
bands, and sometimes actually throw it into the mix when I am drumming. The
only other things I really have a grasp on are the bass and guitar, but like most
musicians, I love to fool around with any instrument that turns up just to see
what kind of sound I can get out of it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:WHAT DOES YOUR DRUMKIT CONSIST OF?
BC:My traditional drum kit is a 5 piece set up: 22 inch bass drum, 14 inch tom,
18 inch floor tom, 20 inch floor tom, and a 14x6 inch - 10 lug custom copper
snare drum made for me by Trick Drums. Then 14 inch hi-hats, and 2 big ride
cymbals. Iam liking it all nice and big and loud. For Skeleton Key I have a
completely different setup. The kit is essentially all trash + metal odds and
ends. The essential bits for the past few tours have been: a propane tank, a
huge US Military soup pot, a half sized beer keg, folding metal chair, metal
grinder, 2 different sized car brake drums on snare stands, an 18 inch bass
drum with a handle mounted on the side, a plethora of broken and abused
cymbals, a big aluminum bucket that gets beaten with 6 feet of chain, a big
diamond shaped industrial "shaker" made out of rebar and junk
(wrenches, broken metal, circular saw blades, etc.), a metal picnic table top,
an aluminum manhole guard railing, and dozens and dozens of oversized
drumsticks wrapped in duct tape. Work gloves and first aid kit are also
crucial elements of the junk kit.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:WHAT INSPIRES YOU AND WHY?
BC:Music. I like music. And beevos. And sleep. I live purely for these few
useless things.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:TELL US ABOUT YOUR BAND:
BC:At any one time for the last dozen years or so, Ive been playing in at least
three bands, if not twenty, with countless musicians. They all have their own
charm and kick down in their own way toward my music habit. In as little as
Ive actually accomplished, Ive made a lot of great friends and experienced
most of the best memories in my life thanks in some way to making music
and touring.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:DESCRIBE EACH OF YOUR BANDMATES IN ONE WORD:
BC:Nocando.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH YOU WOULDVE OF DONE BY THIS
TIME IN YOUR LIFE MUSICALLY , ANY REGRETS?
BC:Cant really say I have any regrets, and I cant really say Ive failed any goals
of any kind I never seriously set any. Easy come, easy go, you know?
Although there was a brief chapter a couple years ago when I was geared up to
get into the Guinness Book of World Records for Worlds Longest Drum Solo.
I wanted to put together a band just for the stunt, and book a one-off 3 day gig
for us here in New Jersey. We would have started into a song, then broke into
a drum solo that would last a couple days. At the end of the run, the rest of
the band would have come back up at the end of the solo, and finished off the
rest of the song with me. It seemed feasible until someone outdid the record I
was chasing by ridiculous excess scaring me away from it. I think they ended
up in the hospital with some major damage to their joints and such. Not really
worth it for a silly Spinal Tap sort of bragging right. Now Iam chasing my next
goal to medal in the Olympics and/or one day manage my own Hooters
restaurant.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A STYLE OF PLAYING AND IF SO HOW
WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT, OR WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT?
BC:What kind of clown creates a style name for their drumming?
(not exactly what i meant by that question! but thats cool!)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD DO WITH YOUR EXTRA TIME IF
YOU WERENT A MUSICIAN?
BC:I would definitely be a millionaire by now. I would also probably enjoy things
like Top 40 music, professional sports, and movies
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRF:WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
BC:I never really get the chance to search out and buy new music anymore.
But some of the recent jams include: PARTY OF HELICOPTERS,
RIFFBROKERS, TRANS AM, VAN HALEN, IGGY POP, OLD MANS CHILD,
QUENTON QUAYLE, VAN LEPPARD.
BACK
|
|
