Jazz Drummer Reacts: Matt Garstka-Monomyth (Animals As Leaders) 

Here’s ya analysis: “Where’s one? I’ll tell you where one is. Wherever the fuck Matt decided to yeet it this time.”

I've come to discover that with this type of music, as a drummer, trying to sit there and count it out or put it to a music sheet is utterly pointless. this is the kind of music where you have to just know the song inside and out, from beginning to end and not even think about counting. that's what I did in my band and we had all sorts of crazy time signature stuff going on.

I'm not one to rank artists or give them stupid labels like "greatest ever", but god damn I am tempted to with Matt Garstka. I've been infatuated with his playing for years. He has studied and is capable in so many genres. He has used all of his knowledge to create one of the most original, pioneering styles. He is so damn clean, and funky, and groovy, and powerful, and blazing fast, and tasteful in his playing. His taste in drum tone and cymbals is impeccable. The man is like the perfect mix of finesse, technicality, and originality. Wtf more could you want from a drummer? He's like the Messi of drums in my book. Some drummers are talented, some are hard-working, and some are influential and original. Garstka has all 3 abilities, in spades.

"I'm not gonna be much help on this one" I said pretty much the same thing. When my counting was getting to 10, 11, 12 and I still hadn't heard a pattern reset I knew I was out of my depth rhythmically 🤣 The dude's just a beast on drums with a mind for rhythm on another level.

its sort of the general consensus of the drumming community that matt is just beyond pretty much everyone right now. been following matt for practically a decade now and everything he does still blows my mind

Super glad to see Garret enjoying a reaction again, this made my day even when i'm not a fan of Animals as Leaders.

Matt WTFstka

Thanks for the shout out, buddy! Episode is edited and going live at 3 AM EST!

5:30 Garrett is like fuck it, I am just a viewer too.

Yes, huge propaganghi fan from the UK here "a piece if advice, if you're cast on thin ice, you may as well dance"

A surprising amount of their music is in 4/4 but just like Meshuggah it’s the most f’d 4/4 you’ll ever hear

Yesssss I'm glad you're sharing some Jord! Been a propagandhi fan since around 1997 or 98.

Feels like you're enjoying doing this again man. You love to see it 🙏

I would seriously love it if you started doing an analysis series instead of just trying to figure it out on the spot you have some really great insights and even if its not the entire song or perfect i think it would still be awesome to do on certain songs that you really enjoyed

Matt and Chris Turner are apex metal drummers for me - this was the full package, dynamic, funky and cerebral all at the same time!!

"I'm not gonna be much help on this one, y'all...." I feel your pain, sir!!

That's the difference with Meshuggah though: no matter what they do, like 99% of the time their main groove is just that, a main groove, fourths or thirds (or seconds). Personally I like that more bc you have interesting patterns over a groove that's always just straight and you can feel pretty fast even as a new listener. Meshuggah will always want anyone to know where 1 is, because that is the point.

Lol. "I didn't take enough acid to figure this out on one go" is the realist talk I've ever heard.

I lost it when you said you said Propagandhi is one your fave bands! I immediately left to listen to the podcast... will be back soon for Matt!

Propagandhi is one the best bands out there been a fan for forever and as a drummer I'd love to hear you talk about Jord. I'll check out the podcast

I was never here for an analysis... just fun.

"I did what I could!" Dude, that's the story of my friggen life!

3:52 reaction start

"Don't ask me where one is. I dunno." is T-shirt worthy.

Some Thomas Haake style time signatures in this drum track.

You Lucky sob..Im watching your channel for a while now, and i've heard the name Propagandhi come along a time or two..but dude..!! Didnt know you were a fan! And you've actually met and talked to them!! Big kudos to you .😎👏🏻

Matt makes my head hurt every time i listen to or watch him.

Hell yes, so fucking awesome to find out you are also a Propagandhi fan. They are amazing and are one of the few bands who I have listened to since the 90's and their music has not watered down one bit. They are just bad ass as they were back then. And you are very right about their lyrics. Smart fucking dudes (and dudette, now!). I'll definitely check out that podcast. Your videos are always great. Hope you have continued getting some gigs lately. Take care!!

Dear Mr. Miller, here are my suggestions for future videos. 1. Cryptopsy Damned Draft Dodgers Drum Cover by DavidDiepold -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TJmOLad-kMI.html 2. Lile Cooper Defeated Sanity cover -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7R-G2qK8yT8.html 3. Kevin Paradis - Sutrah -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IISrWUX07C8.html 4. Alex Rudinger - Conquering Dystopia - "Ashes Of Lesser Men" -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wsZjNdIHTqw.html 5. Lille Gruber - Defeated Sanity - Verblendung -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HbmVEd6P9TY.html 6. Behemoth - Slaying the Prophets Ov Isa [Drum Cover] -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R-zczUw3c4s.html 7. Mike Caputo - The Zenith Passage - Holographic Principle (drum cover) -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pUIv5j3ByEk.html 8. INFERI - Within The Dead Horizon -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AJ-qpcDGYhE.html 9. Cynic - Humanoid (drum playthrough) -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bbEght1YYjg.html 10. RINGS OF SATURN - Parallel Shift -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4yL9ONw5Kno.html 11. Nile - The Inevitable Degradation of Flesh Drum Cover by DavidDiepold -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eS8gwlb7tqk.html 12. Lille Gruber playthrough -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qEo98JYhivU.html 13. Alex Rudinger - MINDGAMES (Kaz Rodriguez) -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-o8LoO3M_2-M.html 14. Chason Westmoreland - The Faceless - The Spiraling Void -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZpcRES2870U.html 15. Meshuggah Medley by Troy Wright -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fwx5vXRXk5U.html 16. George Kollias -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9POyvaVywL4.html 17. Archspire Cover -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m6HpxGH7UBQ.html

There’s a rock band drum video on RU-vid for The song, the notes are pretty accurate, I’ve been using it to try learn the sucker.

Gives you goosebumps listening to all these incredible drummers 😳 thanks Garrett

Happy to see you back dude!

T-shirt idea: "don't ask me where 1 is... shrug emoji"

There's tons of people who have crazy good analysis skills but that's not why I follow you, I follow you for your sense of humor and enjoyable reactions. You don't have to be a hard analysis channel, there's already people doing that. Just be you

whoa hey, I'm gonna give Propagandhi a listen now!

I’m not a drummer, but a bass player but after many years of learning theory and such it makes me almost go back to the beginning when I realise that I’ll never be at these sorts of dizzying heights 😂 that’s okay however as there’s not too many pieces of music that make me do that

Looks like you’re having fun with this one. Glad to see you maybe feeling a bit better these days.

I love your reactions bro, always make me laugh. Happy Holidays!!!

"Big little ghost notes!" hahahaha

sick! Glad to see you do a newer AAL vid

"fkn crazy" Say no more. Been listening to AAL for a long time and they still twist my musical brain to the point of almost snapping.

I could so easily hear where 1 was. Right at the very beginning of the song.

I believe that you should react to Gabe Serbian of The Locust! Completely changed the way I viewed drumming, much like Zach Hill did before

YES I was hoping you would cover this & bam! There you is. Nice Job!

Him and Haake meet for coffee at an extra-dimensional cafe outside the bounds of time.

Blotted Science Animations of.... the song Ingesting Blattaria (Hannes Grossman drummer) or Spastic Ink, Ink Complete album Bobby Jarzombek drummer

a fun song to headbang to this one.. haha

Canadian punk rock legends Propagandhi 🤘

I love that you mention the time signature his head is in. I feel like listeners so often gloss over it.

Prop are one of my favorite bands.

Everybody: "WHERE'S THE ONE, MATT!?"

Great to see you again. :) Maybe you can turn up the volume of the videos, you watch a bit ;)

wellcome back dude

Matt is a fucking beast. One of the greatest today!

I'mma start a band called "Big Little Ghost Notes"

Always glad to see your take on this stuff

"BIG little ghost notes" ... ah yes, my favorite kind

Glad you're well, Garrett!!!

I like to imagine his metronome just getting mad and giving up 30 seconds into any song he ever played

For this song I don't even pay attention to the time signature much, I just memorized the pattern for the guitar intro is "1 2 ... 1 2 3... 1 2 3 .... 1 2... 1 2 ..... 1 2 3" XD

I've been a fan of yours for a long time! I would love to see some Alex Bent thrown in here too. He's the drummer for Trivium. Maybe Betrayer - Trivium? He has a playthrough on his RU-vid channel. Although, "Sickness Unto You" has some fun latin beat in the midst of the metal breakdown, there's no video of it yet.

hey man, thanks. sometimes these videos are oddly satisfying.

Oh man you have to check out para mexer drum play through.

Parallax drumming, mental

I'm self taught, and I've never been able to get into counting time signatures; I have made attempts to do so, but honestly it is quite distracting and detracts from the enjoyment I get from playing. The best approach, for me, is to simply memorize every detail of a song (not only the drum parts but what the other instruments and vocals are doing, as well)...as much as is within my ability, anyway. I'm only offering my preference, not implying that it's superior. Different strokes for different folks and all that jazz 😏🥁🤘

After this one, you gotta do Gordian Naught - Matt Garstka playthrough that just dropped. Absolute insanity

It took me a couple listens to hear that the first pattern is basically in 6/4. At least the hands…the feet are obviously based on a pattern that Tosin derived…it’s almost a bit of a palindrome with the “2 3 3 2, turnaround”…at least that’s how I feel it.

Garrett, my man, can I give you some advice? The volume of playthroughs you've been reacting is low.

This is when the kit is used as a lead instrument. If Geddy and Alex are ever wanting to get the band going again...

Yours was the first "drummer reacts" channel I stubled upon, and I have been returning regularly :) Dude! You absolutely NEED to watch MGLA - Exercises in Futility V. Thank me later ;) I wish you a happy new year!

They just uploaded a playthrough of the second single

where's 1?

Here's one for you! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LBBveN8Hou4.html For full context this is part 2 of 3 of one long song, their Plague of Butterflies EP. Being a drummer as well, my initial reaction is how relaxed this guy stays on technical and faster notes. I also had a chance to chat with him before a recent show, but he uses a TON of rim shots, so his set up has to be precise enough to achieve that. Pretty sick!

Bro. As a fan and a “unknown friend”. You need to manage or form a band named Hemiola with that font. Cause that shirt is fucking sick and the name is an incredible band name for a death metal or black metal band. I’d love to see a metal band with you as a drummer. Like instead of blasts and shit i would love to see what you would do with the math core riffs I write for my band. And call it hemiola. Cause if someone hasn’t already- that name is gonna get taken because of your channel

You should react to Morgan Simpson of Black Midi, dude is absolutely bonkers

I came here wanting "where's one?!" and the garstka delivered

The most important question in life......"where's one!?!"

his playing is elegant as math

You are so cool, Garrett!

If you count it by groups it’s easier. 2/3/3 2/2/3

What about 2? Do you know where two is?

🤣🤣🤣 "whaat the fuuuuuck" says it all. Haha such a sik track and amazing drummer. 🤘

I World suggest to react to "panzerballett - take five". It's definitely worth it :)

You gotta check out Takashi Kashikura from the band toe. Monstrous player and I think you'll really dig his style

if you ever comeback, have a listen to The Reign of Kindo - Nightingale. Cheers!

Your reaction just confirms what I already knew a while back: that Matt Garstka is not of this Earth lol

If you like ghost notes, you'll love JD Beck. Especially since he plays with Ghost Note as well XD Also I didn't know Animals as Leaders had new material, time to check it out.

Nah man u just keep doin what you’re doing lol It’s always an honest reaction!

Do Descent of Inanna by Aronious! I feel like you’d enjoy it.

Yes! This song is sick!

Here it is, thanks lol

Please do flo mounier if cryptopsy. Really any playthrough that pops up.

Chris Turner! Triggered!

Love watching your reaction videos, but it is criminal that no one has mentioned Darkside from Mgla, Kriegsmachine. I highly recommend Kriegsmachine residual blight.

You gotta check out Pete Sandoval

HE DID IT!!!!!

If Garrett doesn't know what's happening on the kit, I'm Ralph Wiggum smiling while looking at my computer screen.

Love it

where did your mgla video go?

Please do a wormed playthrough.