Seamus Menihane – Drummers I Like Podcast #27

Summary: Drummers and friends, boy are we glad to be back! We can't wait to bring you today's guest Seamus Menihane.<br> Seamus is currently playing full time with Vanna. As well as staying very busy with a number of other artists that we talk a bit about on today's show as well. Seamus is a very knowledgeable drummer and we really can't wait to get into our talk. In the beginning of today's show, we had a fair amount to talk about. I got to express my excitement that Dave Lombardo formally of Slayer will be featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers on December 12-15 at 12:35pm EST. So set your dials and enjoy some Dave Lombardo! Rich then gets into a new social media app that he fell in love with. It's definitely something you'll want to listen for if you manage several social media sites. But enough with all that noise. Let's get on with the show!<br> <br> 14:00 - 17:00: We start things off as we like to do. Getting into how Seamus found drumming and how it all started. It's important to mention what Seamus was in Vienna Austria when he was on the show with us and it was after midnight. He was standing outside of the venue he played that night because it was the only place he could get wifi. So a big shout out for staying up late to go on the show with us.<br> <br> 17:00 - 20:00: Now Seamus talks about some of his early days on the drums. As well as his early influences. From listening to his parents records at an early age. To starting to find a more modern rock in his early teens. As well as his road through drum lessons and drum education.<br> "All of the drummers that I liked, like Travis Barker. I was like, man I don't need to be taking lessons to play like that...But little did I know, I did have to be taking lessons."<br> 20:00 - 25:00: Here we start to dig into Seamus's early bands and how he started playing with other musicians. From starting with cover bands to progressing to creating his own music. Then of course how that ended up leading into the metal and hardcore genres. Seamus hails from the Boston area which is known for its great hardcore scene so he had a great chance to experience some great shows.<br> <br> 25:00 - 29:00: Now Seamus shares how he got into professional drumming. From his early days of booking his first tours. To knowing when he really wanted to pursue drumming as a career. That leads into his playing with VATTNET to how he ended up joining Vanna.<br> <br> 29:00 - 31:00: Vanna had cut quite a few records before Seamus joined with them. So in this segment, we unpack a little about ways to dig into a band's large catalog of music when you are taking over the drum seat. It can be overwhelming to have a lot of songs to learn. Especially if it's in a short amount of time so this can really help a lot of drummers out there that might be in a similar situation.<br> <br> 31:00 - 36:00: Next we dig into where Seamus is now. Playing with Vanna and living the life of a professional touring and studio drummer. He talks about his current European tour with Vanna and some cool stuff he's got to experience on the road.  As well as the logistics of having a drumset to play when over in Europe.<br> <br> 36:00 - 41:00: Seamus plays a pretty simplified kit these days. In this segment, you get to hear him break down how and why he likes that setup. We really like hearing Seamus talk about his acrylic SJC kit. A perfect material for the type of music Seamus plays. As well as his 16" hi-hats put together from crash cymbals.<br> "Broken cymbals make us sad!"<br> 41:00 - 49:00: That morphs into a talk about how we as metal drummers sometimes get enough of an adrenaline rush while playing live. That sometimes it's easy to black out and forget good technique when you're in the moment. As well as a fun chat about the late great Keith Moon!<br> <br> 49:00 - 55:00: Now we talk about some of Seamus's tuning techniques on his acrylic kit.