Gus Rios

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Musician first, drummer second. That’s the response one would receive upon asking Gus Rios to describe himself professionally. An individual who has never rested on his laurels to just get by in the music industry, Gus Rios is always working and learning to better his craft, be it playing the drums or producing bands. Over 15 years of experience goes into every and any project that Gus gets involved in. Gus started out by getting a guitar at age 8. By the time he was 10, he became more and more aware of what the drummers were doing on his favorite records. Gus then got his first drumset, and what would eventually become his love and passion. Having played in bands for 5 years, Gus felt that it was time to take lessons.

Dave Culross was his first teacher who introduced him to proper technique and basic time signatures. Dave had quite an impact on Gus’ playing, really taking him out of beginner status and into a properly trained musician. Upon Dave’s move back up to NY, Gus, wanting to further educate himself, sought out his drum hero, who happened to live in nearby Miami, Sean Reinert. Sean took Gus to another level, developing him into a well-rounded musician, as opposed to just a drummer. Gus studied jazz, blues, latin, and basically anything that he wasn’t familiar with. Currently, Gus is a working live and studio drummer as well as a studio producer and engineer. He has toured all over the US as well as Europe. His absolute professionalism and good attitude make him very easy to work with and very reliable. Gus Rios is also an accomplished guitar player and songwriter. Again, he strives to be more than just a great drummer, but a great musician also.

Gus Rios Interview:

SDM: How old were you when you started playing?

Gus: I was about 10. I learned to play on someone else’s set and eventually got my own when I was 12 or so. Sorry, it’s been a while!

SDM: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?

Gus: No, and that’s been one of my biggest regrets. How much I could’ve saved on drum lessons!

SDM: Who are your top 5 influences?

Gus: Vinnie, for being the consummate pro and a genuinely nice person. Sean Reinert, “human” changed my life and to have been able to study with him and become the great friends that we are to this day, that’s been very special to me. Dave Lombardo, for the being the reason I became interested in the drums, to begin with. David Garibaldi, those “tower of groove” videos where in my VCR daily! Jim Chapin, same thing. His video was very influential.

SDM: Assuming that influences doesn’t mean favorites, who are your favorites?

Gus: Really, the same guys. I can’t get enough of Vinnie’s stuff in particular. I think it’s so amazing to listen to him go nuts with Alan Holdsworth, and then be THE studio wiz with Sting. Ten Summoner’s Tales is still my bible man! That’s what I’m striving for, total comfort in playing any style. I’m a fan of Josh Freese, Steve Gadd, Steve Smith, and the stuff that Derek Roddy doing now is great.

SDM: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation

Gus: err…in my iPod…haha. I have playlists for when I’m in certain moods. I’m digging that Necrophagist, as far as death metal, but I really listen to a lot of different stuff. I usually keep my iPod on shuffle and anything from The Yellowjackets to Slayer to Michelle Branch will come on. I’m a full-time musician and usually work at night, so I’m fortunate enough to have all day to practice. So after some warming up, I’ll set the iPod on shuffle and play along with anything that comes up. It’s really great to play extreme death metal one minute and then soft jazz or pop tune the next.

SDM: Do you practice any specific rudiments or combos regularly?

Gus: I always warm up with singles and doubles, and the kicks playing 16ths underneath. I find myself falling into ruts and playing a lot of the same combos, and I constantly try to break it up and learn new things. I’m looking to work out of David Garibaldi’s “future sounds” book. Those funk grooves can open up a world of possibilities. To me, there are 3 different ways to practice. There’s the sitting alone with a metronome and a practice pad, playing along with cd’s, and playing with other people. I can’t stress enough how important all of these are! But, omit the last one, playing with other ppl, and I feel that you’re left without one huge lesson, making music! You gotta be able to make music, whether that means writing your own or playing covers, it doesn’t matter, it’s all about the music.

SDM: Do you have a favorite brand of drums or cymbals?

Gus: I have been a Spaun drum endorser since 1998 and have been with Sabian Cymbals since 1997. Both companies are run by great people and both make great instruments!

SDM: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Gus: The same singles and doubles regiment. I always put my headphones on and set the iPod on shuffle and play those rudiments back to back and vary the time, like breaking them up into triplets or whatever, along to whatever songs come up in the iPod. It allows me to play them at different tempos without that annoying click of the metronome. I hear that sound enough when I do sessions!

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

Gus: Don’t try to be Derek Roddy out of the gate! Learn the boring stuff on the practice pad first, you’ll most certainly be thankful for it later on. I think that since the drums are such an instant gratification instrument, most ppl don’t take the time to learn it properly. To play guitar, you have to learn first how to tune it, and at least a few chords to make it sound decent, right. Not with drums. Anyone can buy a drumkit, take it home and set it up, and immediately bang on it and sound comes out! Learn how to properly tune a drumkit, play an AC/DC song, and then tackle Mr. Roddy!!

SDM: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?

Gus: Tough one! I saw Slayer recently and that 40something Lombardo was just killing it! Then, on the other hand, I saw Rob Thomas and his whole band was just on fire, what a drummer! I can’t pick one “best” performance man, there’s too many to choose from and many more to come!

SDM: If you had to stop drumming, what would you want to do with your life?

Gus: Die!! But if I had to, I’d just keep on doing the studio production.

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Gus Rios Interview:

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