Keep up with Matt here:
My name is Matt Kilner, I’m currently fifteen years old, and I’ve been playing drums for about three years, with only half of that being serious playing. My brother got a drumset for his birthday when he was seven or so, and I really liked to bang on it a lot (at the time I was three, so I was no good, but whatever haha). That drumset fell apart though and was forgotten, as were my drumming aspirations, until we got a new drumset five years ago. For a couple years I continued to senselessly beat them until I realized that there’s actually a lot of cool stuff to do with the drums. I started to get a bit of a handle on the drums and just played idly for a couple more years, until the summer of 2007, when I discovered drummers like Derek Roddy and Charlie Zeleny and really began to push myself.
My band, Euphornatic, formed earlier this year and since then my playing has been pushed to my old limits of speed, groove, and independence. This has been the biggest help to my drumming by far. I hope to continue to drum, to push myself, and to make music for the rest of my life!
Matt Kilner Interview:
SD.com: How old were you when you started playing?
Matt: I’ve been banging on drums since I was three or so, but I actually started playing when I was fourteen.
SD.com: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Matt: Well I played trumpet and snare drum in my little tiny school band for a couple years, but nothing that’s really worth mentioning.
SD.com: Who are your top 5 influences?
Matt: Oh man… Probably Derek Roddy (not the speed side, mostly the groovey/independence focused part), Charlie Zeleny, Sean Reinert, Chris Pennie, Tim Alexander
SD.com: Assuming that influences doesn’t mean favorites, who are your favorites?
Matt: Some of my favorites include of course the aforementioned, but also John Longstreth, Elliot Hoffman (Car Bomb), Tomas Haake, the drum programming in Direwolf and Genghis Tron, Mike Peterson (SEAN), Marco Minnemann, etc…
SD.com: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation
Matt: Currently Beyond the Lands of Human Existence by Direwolf, Piano Rags by Scott Joplin, I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die by Gaza, anything and everything Genghis Tron, and Viscera by Byla
SD.com: What do you do to warm up before a show?
Matt: For the most part I just do some singles/doubles/paradiddles with my hands and feet, maybe some polyrhythms, and stretch a bit… That’s about it, I don’t really warm up a whole lot honestly.
SD.com: Can you remember a night you think was your best playing ever? If yes, when and where?
Matt: Everyone has their ups and downs, I can’t remember any specific time I played better than ever before, but I remember REALLY liking it hahaha.
SD.com: Do you have a favorite brand of drums or cymbals?
Matt: Well I pretty much only use Sabian, I just like the way they feel, you know? As for drums I really like Sonor and Gretsch.
SD.com: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be…
Matt: I honestly don’t think I’m qualified to answer this quesetion haha. But whatever, just the usual… Practice!
SD.com: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Matt: Oh man, Charlie Zeleny REALLY blew me away each time I’ve seen Behold… the Arctopus, also John Longstreth, man… It’s a really close call between those two.
SD.com: If you had to stop drumming, what would you want to do with your life?
Matt: That would realllllyy be lame, but I’d continue writing and playing music in anyway I could, learning how to play new instruments, making instruments, etc.
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