Cinderella With Sticks – A New Drum Off Champion Is Crowned

Los Angeles was grooving to the beat of many different drummers Saturday. The Guitar Center Drum Off Championships brought out hundreds of young hopefuls, six finalists and a slew of celebrity judges.

The Henry Fonda was filled with all ages eager to hit the skins, including some barely old enough to read…

Luckily there were free drum kits set up all over the lobby for anyone wishing to take their metered aggression out in a musical manner.

I played drums briefly when I was twelve. Somehow, I was put behind the kit in music class and then graduated to stage band as a chick drummer. Of course, that lasted only a few weeks until my natural inclination to be a front woman emerged and I became the singer. But I always loved playing drums. I begged my parents for a kit and lessons, but was denied due to the fact that our piano sat collecting dust in the corner of the living room.

So I found myself both a bit envious and also amazed at the young kids at the event whose parents wholly encouraged them to make a lot of noise. Celebrity judge and guest performer, Thomas Pridgen, was a winner of this very competition when he was only nine years old. So the bar had been set.

The amount of drum talent in the hall was a bit like a who’s who. The winner being jugged by a panel of today’s most iconic and influential drummers, including Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Kenny Aronoff, The Rev (Avenged Sevenfold), Danny Carey (Tool), and Trevor Lawrence Jr. (Snoop Dogg/ Dr. Dre), Drew Hester (Foo Fighters/Joe Walsh), Atom Willard (Angels & Airwaves), Alan White (Yes), and Frank Zummo (Street Drum Corps).

Also hanging up on the roof before the show were Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Cora Coleman-Dunham (Prince; Drum-Off ’02 Champ), John Tempesta (The Cult), Ray Luzier (Korn), Shannon Leto (30 Seconds to Mars), Jason Sutter (Chris Cornell), Eric Moore (Bobby Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, Suicidal Tendencies; Drum-Off ’03 Champ) and Dale Stewart (Seether).

TC and I stood on the roof contemplating the mass amount of men in sorts in the brisk January air. We wondered why out loud, was it a fashion faux pas that had never been corrected? Phil Jauguiri, Evans Drum A&R stepped in to remind us that shorts are chosen for ventilation. Ah. I guess Tommy Lee never bothered with ventilation – leather shorts wouldn’t have worked for the ladies.

I felt it was my duty to get in that mix and ask a pertinent drumming question…what is the best drummer joke you’ve ever heard? Chad gave this gem:

“Q. What’s the differene between a drummer and a pizza?

A. A pizza can feed a family of four.”

Kenny Aronoff thought that there are no good drummer jokes:

“They all suck”, he exclaimed. But he did recall hearing one about drummers who drool.

SDC veteran and incorrigible flirt Bobby Alt had this joke with a similar theme:

“Q. What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend?

A. Homeless.”

I chime in that I was once that girlfriend. Bobby admits he has most definitely been that boyfriend in the past and then suggests that perhaps we should join forces and shack up…because I need another wayward boarder? However,  as Bobby points out, it wouldn’t be for long because there’s always a tour looming. Hmm, perhaps this arrangement could work out.

Just to be sure, I ask him what his favorite song to air drum to and he crows that it’d be the epic ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins. Hell, I’ve been known to pull over to the side of the road to air drum for that song.  Sounds like a match! I’m clearing out a drawer for you, Bobby.

Rock star coach TC Conroy and drummer extraordinaire Bobby Alt

The show kicked off with a performance by Jason Bittner an then a special dual performance by Thomas Pridgen on one side of the stage and Thomas Lang on the other. The cacophony of relay drumming was outstanding.

Thomas Pridgen

Thomas Lang

Emcee for the evening Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction) kept things light and airy between the rather long set ups that stalled an already tense evening.

Stephen Perkins

At long last, the finalists got to take the stage. Juan Carlos Mendoza (E. Brunsick, NJ), Jerome Flood II (Lawrenceville, GA), Anthony Burns (Saginaw, MI), Ramon Sampson (Memphis, TN), Sherman Arnold (Englewood CO) and local boy Timm Newton (La Mesa, CA) wowed the crowd with their  skills, some concentrating with laser like precision, and others hamming it up with stick tricks and taking a drink during a fill.

The talent on stage would make a decision near impossible. The consensus in the photographer pit was that Ramon had skills plus an undeniable charm. The judges deliberated during a performance by Papa Roah, and when they came to a decision,  the mastery of Jerome Flood II’s performance would bring him the champion title and $25,000 prize.

Jerome Flood II

The 22 year old from Atlanta was overjoyed, if not a little bit overwhelmed by the new found fame and cameras snapping around him.

Jerome got his start at church -  his father sings in the church choir, and Jerome grew up watching the performances. His parents bought him a drum set at the age of 2 (ahem, Mom and Dad!) and he was well on his way. When I asked who he was influenced by, he deferred to name a specific artist or genre, saying that he emulated the church drummers he grew up watching. Though he did say he’s been listening to a lot of Yellow Jacket and Jazz.

If asked to put together a super group, Jerome’s face lights up – he would choose Usher’s guitarist and his cousin Curtis on bass and his friend Tracy on keys. Keeping it in the family…how cute is that?

Drum Off champion Jerome Flood II

And how will Jerome spend his next few days as Tinseltown’s newest Cinderella? Auditioning for a Christian rock band, an appearance on Carson Daly,  and finding a place to live – now an attainable goal since going from near penniless to $25,000 richer (Jerome doesn’t seem like the cliche freeloading drummer that starred in  Bobby’s joke).

Oh, and he might go shopping for some new clothes. A man after my own heart.

Peter Beste, Black Metal, & Spinal Crap

Peter Beste is a very talented music photographer. His greatness lies in his ability to really immerse himself in the world of the subject, whether it be London grime, Houston hip hop, Southern strip joints or Norwegian metal. The result is vivid, arresting photos that juxtapose the subject with a surprising surrounding. Metal star in a safe, white station wagon? Of course.

get out of my bad dreams, get into my car

What I didn’t expect was for his new book, True Norwegian Black Metal, and his Vice VBS TV documentary for of the same name, would be a window on one of the strangest stories in music.

My friend T.C. and I met Jennifer (of L7 fame) and her boyfriend Chris, at the hoity toity restaurant Jar, for drinks beforehand. Sitting at the posh bar amongst a friendly Aussie and a very charming James McAvoy, lulled me into a false sense of Hollywoodland, and made me ill prepared for the metal fairy tale that was about to unfold…

Peter’s Los Angeles exhibit opening was down the block at Zune. Upon entering, it was clear that the walls of photos brought a crowd of black wearing men and women who only come out at night. To rock.

Joan of Ass

Jennifer, T.C. and Chris at the exhibit

The photographs were strange and beautiful, and at times funny or disturbing. The colors and composition made even the most outlandishly dressed gallery attendees fade into the background like wall flowers. Peter was a clear eyed, affable guy, whom you would never think had held the key to the Metal castle, but he did. And he followed the story of Gorgoroth…

photographer Peter Beste

Once upon a time, there was a phenomenon called Gorgoroth. No, not the dead plateau of evil and Darkness in the land of Mordor from Lord of The Rings…the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. They are much more scary than the Tolkien version of Gorgoroth. Sorta.

Gorgoroth was known for it’s members, King ov Hell, Infernus, Tormentor and Gaahl, amongst a revolving cast of shredders. Gorgoroth’s members weren’t strangers to controversy. They had played a show in Krakow, Poland, once the scene of the horrific Holocaust, and displayed sheep heads on stakes, a bloodbath of 80 liters of sheep’s blood, satanic symbols, and four naked crucified models on stage. Awww, cute!

from Peter Beste's exhibit

Other noteworthy incidents included Infernus’s incarceration for assault and rape, and Gaahl’s jail time for torturing a man, apparently focusing his brutality on the man’s testicles. This pretty much ruled out their being booked for parties and Bar Mitzvahs.

from Peter Best's exhibit

Amidst these ‘Behind The Music’ type skids, the band kept up the good fight. For there was a war going on…a war between the Norwegian Black Metal scene and the Swedish Death Metal scene. The Norwegian scene was known for certain members who committed murder, burned down medieval wooden churches, and desecrated graveyards. Despite the Swedish Death metal scene’s attempts to thwart their actions or overshadow it with their raucous, deadly caucophany, the Norwegians held their ground.

Unfortunately, Gorgoroth’s involvement in this Hatfield vs McCoy type battle was cut short when the band split in 2007. This brought another war on, between band mates for use of the name and the trademark. The litigation war still wages on today.

Peter managed to infiltrate this secretive sect of musicians and they eventually allowed him to photograph them and document them for a five part series. Seeing these Norse gods of metal traipse through lush Narnian fields and woods was brilliant – black leather and spikes weighing them down as they climbed steep embankments.

from Peter Beste's exhibit

While the field trips were a bit comical, Peter’s interview with Gaahl became downright eerie in the end. When Gaahl was unhappy with Peter’s line of questioning, he went into a icy rigid state, sitting dead still and staring straight ahead without blinking. While watching this video at the gallery, I thought the video tape had frozen…but the flickering candle in the background proved that this was one freaky dude – he’d make Charlie Manson sleep with a night light on.

Gaahl

As an interviewer myself, I was captivated by this scene. I’ve had my fair share of rock star enfant terribles and one or two who have stepped over the line, into my lap and tried to lick me (or other dog like behavior). However, this was way beyond an inappropriate sexual advance. How did Beste stay seated during this? How did he not run screaming from the room? Any moment the walls could have started bleeding and the windows blown in in some Shining/Amityville styled nightmare. It made me almost swoon in appreciation for Beste’s courage. This video was truly chilling in an Ed Gein, Dahmer sense, which party made me want to know exactly what he did to that man he tortured back in 2002…but then again I’m a twisted soul who keeps a copy of The Stranger Beside Me on my bedside table.

However, the myth of Gaahl unravels a bit here. Though he may be an unstable, psychopath satanist with a cult following, Gaahl’s recent revelations of his personal life betray his monster mask. It was noted in an interview, that Gaahl has been involved with Norwegian modeling agent Dan De Vero since he was eighteen. But not only did Gaahl use his death scythe to hack his way out of the closet, but then revealed that he and De Vero were designing a women’s clothing line called “Wynjo”. Yes, pretty dresses for summer

Oh, and the magazine where Gaahl affirmed his homosexuality? The November 2008 issue of…Rock Hard.

Yeah, Rock Hard. I am not making this shit up. It kinda turns the Tolkienesque bloody tale into a Spinal Crap farce.

True, the music that Beste’s subject matters play would make Marilyn Manson look like Bozo the Clown, but it comforts me somewhat to know that even the most violent men in Norway are still concerned about whether or not hemlines are going up and the difference between a pump and a stiletto.

Ali and TC - metal babe fashionistas

However unintentionally hilarious in parts, the long, strange trip of this heavy metal clan is a fascinating subject. Beste, bless his heart, has captured it stunningly.

Peter Beste’s True Norwegian Black Metal exhibit runs Nov. 21 – December 18 2008 at Zune LA, 8275 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, or visit http://www.peterbeste.com.