Hey there, my name is Jake Wehn and I play drums in Outer Heaven and I also have the privilege of playing live with Cynic and Exist! I’m only a recent addition to Outer Heaven and haven’t been on any released recordings yet, but we’re cooking up some heat right now.
Coming up in the Philadelphia area scene, I cut my teeth with my high school/college band Relapsed (sludgy death metal) and really honed in my sound with them. My only full length release thus far is a Relapsed release called, “Take Back the Reins,” but I’m super excited to share some other stuff I’ve been working on soon.
Band Links:
https://www.instagram.com/outerheavendeath
https://www.instagram.com/relapsed_band
https://www.instagram.com/exist_band_official
https://www.instagram.com/cynic_official
https://open.spotify.com/album/1r8HNGBbLzoCivoSaBIjOl
https://open.spotify.com/album/7nlCdxD34W4gjQmCx6Dive
Jake Wehn Interview:
SDM: How old were you when you started playing?
Jake: I think it was 4th grade when I joined the school band playing snare drum and then I really got into playing the full kit in either 7th or 8th grade.
SDM: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Jake: I played in pretty much every school band I could’ve! I was in the orchestral band in Elementary, Middle, and High School as well as jazz big bands and combos in Middle and High School.
SDM: Who are your top 5 metal influences?
Jake: There’s SO many but lately I’ve been leaning heavy towards:
SDM: Who are some of your other favorites?
Jake: My other favorites lately have been:
- Tony Williams
- Elvin Jones
- Billy Cobham
- Nate Smith
- Gary Husband
- Morgan Simpson
- Bill Bruford
- Louis Cole
- Ash Pearson
- Kenny Grohowski
- Tyler Coburn
- Chris Pennie
SDM: Let us know 5 bands in your current personal rotation.
Jake:
- Defeated Sanity
- Mahavishnu Orchestra
- Car Bomb
- Imperial Triumphant
- Sumac
SDM: What do you do to warm up before a show?
Jake: Usually my warm up is about a 30 minute ordeal. I’ll strap on some 2.5lb ankle weights and just tap 16th on the floor while running some rudiments with my hands. My big focus with the hands is just to loosen up my singles, doubles, triples, and flams as well as focusing on the musicality (even on a singe surface practice pad). I’ll usually do this until about 5-10 minutes before showtime and then I’ll hop up and down for a bit with the ankle weights just so I feel light as can be when I take them off for the show.
SDM: Do you read music? Whether you answered yes or no, please tell us how it might have affected your playing.
Jake: I do… I think the ability to read and transcribe stuff I’m hearing from other drummers has really helped me develop my own language around the kit. I’ve also found it super useful especially with the Cynic gig because there’s just so much going on with Reinert’s parts and I can really figure out exactly what/how he was playing and how to execute it.
SDM: Can you tell us about the gear you use?
Jake: Right now I’m rocking a pretty goofy setup in my practice studio:
Drums:
- 1976 22” Ludwig Vistalite kick
- 10”, 12”, and 16” PDP concept series toms
- 3.7” x 14” Ludwig Carl Palmer Venus snare
Cymbals:
- 15” Sabian AAX medium hats
- 18” Zildjian A Custom crash
- 10” Sabian HHX Evolution splash
- 21” Zildjian K Projection Ride
- 20” Zildjian K Sweet crash
- 14” Zildjian A Custom Mastersound hats
- 18” Meinl Classics Custom Dual China
Other gear:
- DW9000 pedals
- Vic firth 3A sticks
SDM: If you could give one piece of advice to younger drummers, it would be…
Jake: Study all genres of music!! In my experience, it’s way easier to find your own way of playing and develop your sound when you have such a wide variety of influence to draw from. It’s all about being a student of the craft.
SDM: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Jake: Black Midi! Watching Morgan Simpson’s crazy flow and expression on the kit while interacting with the rest of the band was a total game changer for me.
SDM: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?
Jake: When I’m not playing or studying drums, I’m either playing disc golf, collecting/listening to records, or watching football or hockey.
