Antoine Baril

Keep up with Antoine here:

www.myspace.com/augury

Antoine Baril was born on October 21, 1981, in a suburb of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in a family of musicians who quickly sparked his fascination towards music in general. After growing tired of hearing Antoine beat on everything he could from saucepans to garbage bins, his father finally decided to buy the 6-year-old his first drum kit. That day marked the beginning of a great story…

The first 10 years of his young musical career were mostly dedicated to family concerts in the province of Quebec. At the age of 12, Antoine was already playing in clubs as a member of his father’s band. Later on, he went to High School where he registered in a program specifically dedicated to musical studies. In addition to learning different styles of music and mastering the basics, the program gave him the chance to benefit from the private lessons of some of the greatest percussionists in the area.

After several gigs in local bars and venues performing cover songs, Antoine had the opportunity to put his skills to the test with bigger projects. In 2005, he became a session drummer for MAG Project, a guitar virtuoso from Quebec City. This new challenge lead Antoine to tour with great bands such as; Sonata Arctica, Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, Angra, Arena and much more.

Motivated by all these great experiences, Antoine was ready to take his musical career one step further. Indeed, he decided to put together a unique concert to pay tribute to one of his greatest hero; Chuck Schuldiner. Held in Quebec City on December 12, 2007, the show featured some of the greatest musicians who played with Death such as Shannon Hamm, Scott Clendenin, Bobby Koelble, Nicholas Barker and more. This once-in-a-lifetime experience turned out to be more than just a one night success – the show was recorded on tape with a view to eventually release a DVD.

His passion for music pushed Antoine to study in the field of multimedia in order to increase and diversify his skills as a studio engineer. Since he obtained his degree, he has been working full time in a recording studio where he has the chance to make the most out of his knowledge of music and technology.

In parallel, Antoine has recently been offered to be the new drummer of Augury, a technical death metal band from Montreal which was signed by Nuclear Blast Records in January 2009. Now Antoine is ready to spread his passion of music around the world with Augury and a lot of other projects to come…

Antoine Baril Interview:

SDM: How old were you when you started playing?

Antoine: I got my first kit when I was 6

 

SDM: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?

Antoine: In High school, I was in a special music program. Those years were focused on stage bands and classical percussion studies.

 

SDM: Who are your top 5 metal influences?

Antoine:Drummers: Gene Hoglan, Nick Barker, Sean Reinert, Neil Peart and Phil Collins. Bands: Death, Dimmu Borgir, Scar Symmetry, Cynic and Carcass.

 

 

SDM: Who are some other of your favourites?

Antoine: I enjoy a lot of different stuff, not only metal. I grew up with old school progressive music with bands such as: Genesis, Rush, Gentle Giant, Emerson Lake & Palmer, etc. I also really like Jazz fusion stuff like Tribal Tech, UZEB and Weather Report. Musically speaking, I love movie soundtrack and I am still listening to the original Transformers “The Movie” soundtrack; Vince DiCola is a god!

 

SDM: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation

Antoine: Death (Symbolic), Scar Symmetry (Symmetric In Design), Rush (Exit Stage Left), The Transformers the Movie soundtrack (1986), Dimmu Borgir (Puritanical Euphoric Misantropia)

 

SDM: What do you do to warm up before a show?

Antoine: I usually start with paradiddle and stuff like that on my drum throne for about 15 minutes and then I play about 5 to 6 songs with the band unplugged in the back stage. This way, all the musicians in the band can warm up together.

 

 

SDM: Do you read music? Regardless of answering yes or no, please tell us how it might have effected your playing?

Antoine: Yes I do read music. It really helps me to understand music in general. Not only drumming. I think it’s really important to understand the role of other instruments to put better drum parts on the music. It also helps to write riffs when you have an idea and you don’t want to lose it, especially when I’m in a car and don’t have a drum to play on.

 

SDM: Can you tell us about the gear you use?

Antoine:

Drums: Tama Rockstar Custom Mahogany Red

Toms:  10”, 12”, 13”, 16”
Snare: 14”
Kick:  2 X 22”

Cymbals : Sabian

15” AAXtreme Chinese
22” HH Power Bell Ride
16” AAX Stage Crash
15” AAX Studio Crash
14” AAX Stage Hat
8”  AAX Splash
10” HHX Splash
18” AAX Metal Crash
14” AA Hi hat
21” Zidjian Mega Bell Ride
18” AAX Chinese

Gibraltar Rack
Trick V1Pro Bigfoot Pedals

DDrum Triggers (kick)
Roland TD6V Module

 

 

SDM: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be…

Antoine: Believe in your dreams, that’s the key. It will give you the energy to practice and to become a better drummer. Also, don’t wait for somebody else; you are the master of your career. If you really want to play drums in a serious band, you can.

 

SDM: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?

Antoine: Gene Hoglan ; definitely. I had never had the chance to see him play with Death, except on videos, but I saw him with The Almighty Punchdrunk a few years ago and that is without any doubt the best drum performance I have ever seen in my life.

 

SDM: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?

Antoine: I work full time as a studio engineer. I really enjoy producing bands. My life is almost only based on music. I’m breathing music ! I also play the guitar. It’s sometimes easier to write music with a guitar. Aside from music, if I have time left, I like cooking and having fun with my friends.

 

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