My Influences

I'd like to touch briefly on my influences as a drummer. Being in the business now, getting to know tons of local musicians and playing shows all over, I have been lucky enough to be explosed to some of the best drummers in the business, I think. A side note: I'm not necessarily a fan of speed metal, but I will be the first to say their drummers are automatically some of the best in the world simply for what they do. I can't name one of them after Mike Portnoy (if he even counts as a speed metal drummer), or Lars Ulrich (he can't count (figuratively and literally)), but I can appreciate their work as much as anybody.
Regardless, there's an endless amount of drummers I'd love to mention...I don't so much know all their names as I do know their bands, so I'll only say those even if I do know their names:
Boston, Blood Sweat and Tears, Kansas, Grand Funk Railroad, Green Day, Allman Bros., Black Crowes, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Los Lonely Boys, the Police, Primus, Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughn), Rush, etc...etc...etc....There's dozens of bands I can mention here. The number of drummers that have changed and molded rock and roll especially in the last fifty years is unbelievable.
They've all made their mark and done great things, but my four favorite drummers are Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band), Buddy Rich (famous big band drummer, band leader), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Jose Pasilla (Incubus). I definitely draw influence from John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) and Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix), but my favorite drummers to listen to are the four before.
Buddy Rich brought a style to drumming all his own, and was much older than I anticipated he was. He's mastered swing, funk, groove, and soloing. He was once considered the best drummer in the world. He started at age 3 and played his first professional gig at age 9, and was leading a band by age 11. Crazy. This was all in the 30's and 40's when big bands were popular. He continued his career through the 70's and up until his death in the late 80's. Enjoy these links to get an idea of some of Buddy Rich's work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgeX9iYOFSQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgaD54YcXpA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg26mLjoUHs&feature=related

Carter Beauford's drumming career began by accident. His dad, a local jazz musician, had tickets to go see Buddy Rich but was unable to find a babysitter, so brought his son along. Carter was mesmerized by Rich. His dad bought him a set and the rest is history. Although he's directly influenced by Rich, Beauford's style is all his own. He's a pioneer is open-handed drumming, where the hi-hat part is played with the left hand instead of the right, leaving the right hand to play the snare drum (on a traditionally right-handed drumset). Carter takes it a step further to have his ride cymbal (normallly on the right) on the left side of his kit. This allows him more options with both toms and cymbals on the right side of his kit. Carter's long career in jazz, reggae, funk, groove, swing, and rock has propelled him to be one of the best-known drummers in the world. Enjoy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOatIrazULw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHV1PGSpRxE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSwlCtsxt9Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs6ww0VLDS4&feature=related

Chad Smith is the platinum recording-worthy drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He is known for his effortless blending of funk and rock. His creative energy is focused equally in the funk/groove direction as well as the rock direction. It blends perfectly with the rest of the band, but he has also done recording with other superstar musicians such as Van Halen members and guitarist Joe Satriani in his supergroup "Chickenfoot". He is more of a rock drummer, but a jazz influence can still be noted throughout his playing and can be linked back to Buddy Rich. A side note: I set up my drumset pretty similar to Chad's setup.
Check these out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9Nr6kJMvUk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPCYVoZcKfY&feature=related

My last victim, Jose Pasilla of Incubus, continues to impress me with his work and his attention to detail. He's very good at changing time signatures and temps and displays a style all his own, too. Incubus is a rock band with a much more experimental side than any other of the previously mentioned bands. The style follows, too, combining rock, jam, reggae, and funk/groove.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cwfnCyWb-M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJxWVvovGAo&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0z446jFozg&feature=related

There it is...4 of my favorite drummers. Hope you enjoyed the videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plKmwERfO1M