Kevin Gillespie

Keep up with Kevin here:

www.myspace.com/oceansaregraves

I think I started out just like everyone else, covering shitty Metallica songs for grade school talent shows then moving on to the high school metal circuit and finally graduating to extreme metal. I didn’t really take the drums seriously until high school and even then I wasn’t that crazy about getting better. I figured I was good enough and didn’t need to practice. I was really wrong about that.

I finally started trying to improve my playing and technique during my senior year of high school. After years and years of playing drums without actually considering how it was affecting my body I had to reverse all the bad habits I had acquired over the years. Big thanks to Mr. Carroll from St. Pats and all the great teachers I had at Musicians Institute. Right now I am drumming for Oceans Are Graves, we are embarking on our first tour to support our new EP release. Check it out!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYVHoqnfPpU&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VwIpM2lZcg&feature=channel_page

Kevin Gillespie Interview:

SD.com: How old were you when you started playing?

Kevin: My dad showed me a couple of patterns when I was 8 and I haven’t stopped playing ever since.

 

 

SD.com: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?

Kevin: I spent four years studying Jazz in high school and then went to Musicians Institute for a semester last year. The Jazz & Big Band music really influenced me quite a bit.

 

 

SD.com: Who are your top 5 metal influences?

Kevin: Drummers – Derek Roddy, Mike Portnoy, Marco Pitruzzella, Gene Hoglan, and Charlie Benante. Bands – Vile, Pantera, Between The Buried And Me, Megadeth and Mastodon.

 

 

SD.com: Who are some other of your favorites?

Kevin: Drummers – Art Blakey, Dennis Chambers, Rob Carson, Tomas Haake, and Nick Menza. Bands – Three Six Mafia, Head Automatica, Rick James, Van Halen and The Beatles.

 

 

SD.com: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation

Kevin: The Faceless – Akaldema, Van Halen – Balance, Minus The Bear – Menos El Oso, Pain Of Salvation – Remedy Lane, and The Red Chord – Clients.

 

 

SD.com: What do you do to warm up before a show?

Kevin: A practice pad and DC-10 drum corps sticks are all I need. I basically just run through singles, doubles, triplets, quads and then try to get my arms super loose by playing with only my wrists at 250 bpm for about 3 minutes. That usually enables me to stay comfortable for the entirety of the set. My feet usually only need paradiddles and some heel toe warm-ups before they work at optimal speed.

 

 

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

Kevin: I can read music a little bit, I’m not exactly pro with it but I have a grasp on it. It used to mean a lot more to me when I was playing Jazz and we had to learn the songs by sight-reading, but even then I just kind of played my own interpretation of the song. I’m not really into mimicking someone else’s entire part. It hasn’t exactly hindered my playing but I haven’t exactly needed it as part of my career yet.

 

 

SD.com: Can you tell us about the gear you use?

Kevin: Drums – Pacific LX maple 8”, 10”, and 14” toms, 22” kick. Spaun 14” 9-ply maple snare. Cymbals – Sabian AAX 22” Metal Ride, AAX 18” Explosion Crash, AAX 18” Dark Crash, AAX 18” Chinese, Paragon 19” Chinese, and 14” AAX Stage Hats. Hardware – Pearl, Pedals – Pearl Eliminators, blue cam, fully tightened spring tension, and wood beaters about 3.5 inches away from the batter. BUT, I just went out and ordered a set of Axis longboards. I’ll keep you updated on the switch. I am endorsed by Silverfox Percussion and use their 5A sticks.

 

 

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

Kevin: Don’t give up if you can’t play as fast as some of the big death metal bands out there right away. The only way to get faster and better is by PRACTICING your ass off every single day. If you haven’t broken a sweat playing drums today then you aren’t working hard enough.

 

 

SD.com: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?

Kevin: Strapping Young Lad and Meshuggah went on tour together a few years ago, just the two of them. They rolled through Chicago and between Gene Hoglan and Tomas Haake they crushed the entire crowd for four hours.. Those two are truly incredible musicians and are very dedicated to their craft.

 

 

SD.com: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?

Kevin: I enjoy running, biking, lifting weights, reading, writing, drinking beer, and spending time with friends and family.