Keep up with Kevin here:
www.myspace.com/theacaciastrain
I’m Kevin Boutot and I play drums for the band The Acacia Strain. I live in a really small town in Connecticut called Naugatuck. I was born and raised there by the best parents ever. My father played drums for pretty much his whole life and passed it on to me. He was in many bands when I was younger and they all used to practice in the basement. They used to cover Rush, Iron Maiden and many other amazing early metal and rock bands. When I was little, I used to go sit on the steps and watch him play, and thats how I learned how to play drums. He used to also set up pots and pans for to bash with wooden spoons. Once I was in high school my parents sat me down and asked what I wanted to do my drumming. I honestly didn’t know. They pretty much yelled at me to get into a band of any kind, and that i shouldn’t waste my talent and to do something with it. So I did. A friend of mine that was on the same bus as me played guitar and we were both really into Slayer at the time and we learned as many Slayer songs that we could and I would play for at least 3 hours everyday after school.
Then a local band called Among Shattered Dreams lost thier drummer and had seen me play the one show my Slayer cover band ever played and asked me to join the band. That was a good experience, it got me used to the whole “show” atmosphere. That band lasted for about a year and a half when another band that had just gotten signed to Stillborn Records, A Thousand Falling Skies, came home from tour and lost thier drummer. They were also from my hometown and since my father was both of the guitar players boss at the machine shop they worked at they knew I played and that I wanted to better my career so they asked me to jump aboard, and I did. That opened me up to so much more. Going from played the same 3 VFW’s every other weekend to playing real venues in other states with real PA systems was awesome! I also got to do my 1st tour with them. It was a 2 week tour with The Acacia Strain that went all the way to Texas and back. On that tour everyone in my band decided to break up, and The Acacia Strain had Mark Castillo from Bury Your Dead filling in. DL from The Acacia Strain pulled me aside one night and pretty much convinced me to join his band and here I am today, having the time of my life, touring the country and seeing so many things i thought I would never see. I’m pretty much living my ultimate dream, and don’t plan on stopping soon. I plan on becoming a full time studio drummer after this band, hopefully I play my cards right and it all works out.
Kevin Boutot Interview:
SD.com: What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming tour w/ Daath?
Kevin: Talley…..DUH!!!
SD.com: What is your least and most favorite thing about being on the road?
Kevin: I would have to say my least favorite thing about tour is missing home. I mean, I love traveling and seeing the country so much, but there’s no placce like home you know? Theres nothing like sleeping in your own bed. My favorite thing about tour is the traveling and seeing everything that I’ve always wanted to. Meeting new people and making friends everywhere is also a plus. Also getting to play my drums for 40 minutes everynight is pretty much the best thing ever.
SD.com: When did you start playing drums?
Kevin: I honestly don’t remember not playing drums. I’ve been playing for real since I was about 4 years old, and I’m 21 now. When I was still pooping in diapers my father, the reason I play, used to set up Tupperware containers with water and set them up for me from highest to lowest and i would bash them with wooden spoons. My father used to be in many bands when I was younger and they used to all practice in the basement, so I would go and sit on the stairs and watch him play, and began to understand how it all worked. so he gave me a little 5 piece CB-700 kit that played on for about 5 years until he got me a little better kit, a Cosmic Percussion 5 piece, that was made by Latin Percussion. It did the job until I begged him to buy me a Pearl Export that I still use today.
SD.com: Do you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Kevin: I never once was part of school band or a drum corps. I always thought those kids were losers ha, until I realized I probably should of been part of them so I would know how to read music.
SD.com: Have you ever taken any lessons?
Kevin: The only lessons I ever took was watching my father play drums.
SD.com: Who are your top 5 influences?
Kevin: My top 5 influences would have to be 1 my father, 2 Tomas Haake from Meshuggah, 3 Kenneth Schalk from Candiria, 4 Neil Peart from Rush, and 5 would have to be Nikko McBrain from Iron Maiden.
SD.com: Assuming that influences doesn’t mean favorites, who are your favorites?
Kevin: My favorite drummers in order are my father, Neil Peart, Tomas Haake, and pretty much and other drummer that can groove and play polyrhythmic beats. I love technical slow groovy beats that sound easy until you try to play them. Any drummer that can do that is a favorite in my book.
SD.com: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation
Kevin: First of all the best CD to come out last year was Mastodon’s “Blood Mountain.” Thats on constant rotation. Also Dimmu Borgir’s “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia”, and also Behemoth’s “Demigod”. And for old school stuff I’ve been listening to a lot of U.K. and a bunch of old school Rush like “2112”, “A Farewell To Kings”, and “Hemispheres”.
SD.com: Do you practice any specific rudiments or combo’s regularly?
Kevin: Honestly if I knew any, i would practice them regularly. I’ve been having Charn from Job For A Cowboy slowly teaching me the basics on rudiments and how to read music. I really want to learn all that stuff so I can incorporate more technical rolls and such in my drumming.
SD.com: What is your favorite part of your drum kit?
Kevin: My favorite part of my drum kit would have to be my Dorsia Custom Drum Company 6 1/2″ x 14″ snare drum. It seriously sounds like a canon, it’s the loudest snare drum I and many others have heard. It has such a beefyness and crack to it that a lot of snares I heard can’t touch. I also love my DW 9000 series double bass drum pedals.
SD.com: If you could give one piece of advice to younger drummers, it would be…
Kevin: All I gotta say to you younger drummers is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!!!! And learn how to read music and play all kinds of styles of drumming because theres no limits on playing.
SD.com: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Kevin: The best performance I’ve ever seen was Neil Peart when Rush played in Hartford, CT on the Vapor Trails tour. It was the 1st date of that tour and he also performed the drum solo thats on the Rush In Rio DVD. That’s all i gotta say about that.
SD.com: If you had to stop drumming, what else do you want to do with your life?
Kevin: The only way I would stop drumming was if I lost all my limbs in a horrible car accident or something. Other than than that if I had no choice I would probably go crazy and end up a manager at McDolnald’s someday. Or pump gas at a full service gas station and make tips.
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