Dustin Perle Interview Continued From The July 2010 Issue of Sick Drummer Magazine

Dustin: We felt that we’d be hurting ourselves by making our album available exclusively through one service. The more options for people to download our album legally… the better. People who've never heard of us are more likely to find us if we are spread throughout the digital market.  Not everyone uses the same music services to download their music. iTunes is the leading source for legal downloading, but they take more than they should from artist… like 35% of the artist profit. They charge buyers such a ridiculous amount for a piece of mp3 shit. You can buy an actual hard copy with hi audio quality, artwork, and layout with lyrics for practically the same damn price We’d be hurting ourselves to not make the album available through their service… but we encourage support for sites like Reverb Nation and Tunecore.
 

SDM: Out of the eleven songs on the Reciprocal cd, what song was the most intense and difficult to record?

 

Dustin: Aeons of Ruination. The double bass is mainly 16th note triplets played very fast throughout the song. It’s hard to nail every note. I would rest at the points where there is a break in the music… then go back and do it over again… and again. The X pedals made playing stressful. The Longboards I have now with the e-kit triggers smoke those X pedals.  The next album will be just as sick… if not sicker.
 

SDM: Tell us about filming the video for "Aeons of Ruination"? Where was it located and how many "takes" did it take to do?

 

Dustin: It was filmed at a small sound stage at a place called Sound Arena in Hollywood in 2007. It was directed and edited by our friend Stosh Jackecki, known for his work with Halford and Judas Priest. We used the track we recorded exclusively for the SickDrummer Brutal Beatings compilation. We played over the song for a total of 10 takes, with 2 cameras. No budget, no bassist, no plot, no b roll footage. It’s just us playing the song, and friends having fun. Stosh put his signature touch on it.  It came out pretty sick.
 

SDM: I see that you use the famous gravity blast, which is also used by Lord Marco and John Longstreth. What is your take on the gravity blast? What can you tell other drummers out there who want to incorporate this technique into their drumming?

 

Dustin: They can take your music to another level. You can hold rhythms with your free hand while keeping a constant gravity blast underneath. It’s another way of making the music sound more interesting. The most helpful advice I can offer would be to relax and let gravity do the work. If you don’t know how to do it, then check out “gravity blast“ on youtube. You’ll get the idea on the basic technique and it will come with practice.
 

SDM: How do you manage to keep the one handed blast going so long in the song "Below"? (author note: Amazing Blasting!)

 

Dustin: Don’t lift the stick too high off from the rim. Keep the center of the drumstick close to the rim. You can’t make it louder by force… so don’t try. Get snare trigger if you want it louder. Also, I noticed smaller snare sizes make gravity blasts a bit easier. 14” snares have great power and full sound, but they do lose a bit of bounce in the center of the snare where the tip of the stick usually ends up. Stay slightly off the center if you use a 14”.  I stepped down to 13” snare and noticed that right away. I know Marco Pitruzzella likes using a 12” snare. You’ll notice more tension in all areas of the head. It makes the stick bounce like crazy.
 

SDM: How often do you practice?

 

Dustin: Not enough. 4-8 hours a week… if that. We took February off to reorganize. We’re now writing new material.  We’re an independent band, so all of us have the responsibility of handling matters that labels and managers should handle. We’re booking shows and saving up for our US tour in June. We have our responsibilities outside the band as well. Everyone has been swamped. May is the month for us to really get ready for the road.