When I met Matt Garstka I was getting his signature at the G4 experience and he said, " Are you sure you want me to sign this? I'm just the drummer." LOL "JUST THE DRUMMER"
Drummers get fucked on all the time. No one usually gives a shit about us unless they're drummers too. It's all about the dude/dudettes playing guitar/vocals for most people. It's always surprising as a drummer when someone recognizes you or knows music you've composed on. That's why we get paid less than other members too. We're kind of hidden behind a kit at the back of the stage and our stage presence doesn't go much further than stick tricks and headbanging.
@@Southboundpachyderm I'm a rhythm guitarist in a band and I can tell that without an appropriate bass and drums for a certain genre, there's no life in it. For bass, the riffs wouldn't sound heavy without them. For drums, personally, it wouldn't be djent/progressive metal without their feel they compliment the guitar with. It won't be the song we envision with, or will sound lifeless, without the drums. and the drums also helps us to be in sync together. If the guitar messes up, it's salvageable, but the drums? everything will go wack. I have big respect for all the drummers out there, especially on this genre, where jazz and metal is in harmony. just my opinion.
@@tomugetsu5947 Well, thank you! I feel the same way about rhythm guitar though too! (I'm definitely biased from playing as a rhythm guitarist in a metal band for a couple years) Rhythm in general is so fucking important and it sets the tone in every way for the songs! Lead guitarists and Lead vocalists may get all the love, but it those of us in the rhythm sections, whether it be bass, guitar, or drums, that are actually running the show! Actually the biggest reason I love metal, hardcore and punk so much is because they're all percussive and rhythm based for the most part. TBH being a touring musician these days pretty much is the worst way to get rich or famous anyway, and most of the people you meet in the scenes are stoked when they find out I'm a drummer that can also play other instruments. The one benefit of being a drummer or a bassist is that it's a lot easier to find bands and you can be a lot pickier. In general I just think musical ability in any way is a kick ass superpower that I wouldn't trade for anything.
@@user-id2dx4qd6j You're wrong. Anybody can play fast if they practise enough. To be interesting and musical is far more difficult than playing fast. Matt garstka has the perfect balance between being technical and musical. That's what makes him such a good drummer. Nevertheless, George Kollias is a beast.
I had that same *exact* reaction whenever I saw my dad playing Crazy Train on guitar when I was a kid! AAL and Chon give me that overwhelmingly inspired feeling in my adult years.
and you gotta love how metal drumming has taken influence from funk drumming with all the syncopation and ghost notes on the snare, i always find these kinds of stylistic connections to be so interesting
+bodaris99 Nailed it. After one of his clinics here he signed the snare head he used to hang at the store. He also circled the wear mark in the middle, no bigger than the size of a quarter.
+Anthony Ghazel The only thing I don't like in this video is that his snare is so dried out, it does not resonate. It's like hitting a piece of cardboard lol, but it probably makes it easier for recording purposes.
+jaydoode15 I looooove it. Means you can here ghost notes much clearer in a mix, especially when you're playing live. Sounds snappy, funky and groovy as hell. Just me anyway :)
After watching I get all excited and inspired to play my drums, then once I run to my drum set and start playing for few minutes all I can think about is "damn I suck".
Roger That Red! Me and "Ringo" r in same boat with ya, Lookin' for 70's (type)concert line-up, featuring ,Rush, Blotted Science and Animals as Leaders, @ "House of Blues"!, How Cool would that be? Jus sayin...⚡️
Some people think you pick up sticks and you are a drummer. You have to invest time, not just money. If you suck it indicates the amount of time you have invested.
@@triptychlux Well, it's because it's nowhere close to jazz in terms of harmony and melodic construction. The rigidity of metal is another thing that jazzmen dislike.
vetlerradio jazz is not as energetic. and not as uplifting for me. I like the jazz elements being used in metal but why the fuck does everytime it has to be about jazz? and saying jazz is simply superior in some terms is not right. not under an animals and leaders video. there are many subgenres as well as a ton of uninspired shitty jazz bands with good technique and bad writing
I think drummers love what they do most out of all instrumentalists, you can always read them by their gnar faces mid-song and this dude fucking loves drumming
Crazy stuff. He's getting better and better on his improvising. Each new live performance, new stuff comes alive, the playing looks more organic than ever.
+Mark Juliano The K-customs are amazing! I'd recommend them to anyone. Where I'm from they're only about $300 ish per cymbal, vs. about $480 plus for Meinls. (crashes)
+Brando S Where the fuck are you buying meinl cymbals from? where I live I got a Meinl byzance 16-17-18 in inches for around £700. Zildjian has costed way more.
+MintahDrums Check out Agean. Thats what I went with, handmade in turkey and sound great for way cheaper than most other brands. Their B25 alloys sound amazing.
oh my god the amount of people in this generation that will learn SO MUCH when they are at a very young age. the internet is a wonderful gift of knowledge.
Matt Garstka is one of my drumming heroes. I remember hearing Cafo for the first time and I was blown away. Not only because of the guitars, but also the drums. Matt, you have inspired me so much, and I hope you become more well known in the future.
Not just his technique mind blowing but his musicianship to contribute to the artists' material makes Matt such a complete freak team player. Also after watching another youtube drummer....Luke somebody...playing along...Matt is just confirmed as Total Boss!
Matt has so much energy, feel/groove and creativity whenever he plays the drumkit! The time signatures, paradiddles, fills, ghost notes, dynamics and whatever else I may of missed he has such amazing control, flow and creativity! As a drummer and guitarist, seeing Matt's videos inspire me to try harder and learn something new everyday no matter the instrument! Thanks for the inspiration Matt, you're a legend!
I honestly think this man is the hands down best drummer of this generation. The variety and depth to how he drums, the crisp cleanliness, the literally perfect timing of every single note, it just goes on and on. There is not a single fault with his drumming.
I'm 39 and have been drumming since I was 10, grew up idolizing guys like Steve Smith, Steve Gadd, William Kennedy, Virgil Donante. But a couple years ago I found Animal as leaders, and I gotta say out of all the great drummers ut there I'm more blown away when I listen an watch Matt do his thing! Honestly he's probably my favorite drummer period. From the first time I seen him, the only word that comes to mind is BEAST!
No, that is the sound of the 18" Byzance extra dry china which Matt is using in his setup. Therefore he must have done multiple takes to include this visual error
no triggers just raw power. this dude was born to drum.The power and articulation of every hit all the way through is awesome. Those sticks are beefy too so the sound is just BOOM!
All I see is arms moving and sticks flailing, but and sounds amazing. He has the ability to just add one or two notes where there shouldn't be any and make it sound perfect
Awesome performance, actually!) Great fills and rhytm patterns, thanks for the video; and also for the mics specifications posted! I'm sure it was a great pleasure and experience for studio engineer to work on this project.)
I loveeeee this vid. Favorite drummer by far nowadays. Cymbals sound great too. Love the stack on the right but couldn't help but point out between 2:01-2:02 he hits the 20 inch dual ride crash but you hear the dry China. Lolllll.
+s razo lol nope that's not it. The original doesn't have a china hit there. Prolly played the track a couple times and edited it a tiny bit. At the end you hear him say "that's the one!" But that takes nothing away from garstka. A lot of RU-vid drummers use tons of editing to make it look flawless but garstka can play this song in his sleep but he chooses to improvise and adds different dynamics each time, each set, each show so he just picks which ones he likes the best. Love this video though. I'm a fan of anything garstka does.
mehn!!!! Matt is such a beast!!! on the animals as leaders toontrack live in Chicago video, I didn't hear the tomes between 0:48 & 1:18. because there was no drum cam on that show, I thought his chops were ok!! but here I see the complex stuffs he really did.....combining the double kick, marching snare with cymbals and the Tom rolls in between each passing bar.......dude is just off the chains!!!! hats off to you boss, this right here is historic for real!!! dude is extremely serious.....now I know why he is the right guy for the group, and why they pick him!!!!! thumbs up drumboss!!!
3:12 he had such an opportunity to continue transmuting every single note in the observable Universe into a chaotic fill, yet chose simplicity amidst a lack thereof. BRILLIANT.
I love Matt's grooves more than his chops. I don't like 13" hi-hats but those extra drys were crispy, crispy sex. The resonance of those Tama Star toms got totally fucked by moon gel though. Any studio with Neumanns in their collection should be able to make an 8000 dollar kit sound better than the literal garbage that comprises a street performer's rig.
+Eleutherarch Garstka muffle fucks his entire kit. I understand muffling the toms if they ring out too much, but that snare has no tone, it sounds like the cheapest snare you can find at your local music store. But I think he does it so that you can hear the ghost notes more.
+jaydoode15 I think it's to do with it being a drum showcase (which is kind of ironic/weird considering it makes the kit sound worse than normal) - but this is a showcase of both his playing (mainly) and the kit. He probably wanted the audience to be able to hear all the notes he was hitting - that's my theory, probably wrong :P
You make being a legend look easy. I hope I can meet you one day and personally shake your hand as thanks for the excellence on the kit you've bestowed.
Those cymbals probably last him years. He's and educated Berklee drummer, with proper technique, you can make one cymbal and a pair of sticks last a long time.
I've replayed it 10 times and watched exactly where each stick went. He hits the left crash but the china sound appears instead. None of the other cymbals (china, right stack, small left stack) moved at all. That's weird.
