Kevin Talley

 

Keep up with Kevin here:

http://www.drummerkevintalley.com

www.myspace.com/kevintalley

www.myspace.com/daath

Kevin’s new DVD – Here

 

 

 

 

Born May 21st, 1979 in San Antonio, Texas.  Currently residing in the Baltimore D.C. area. The combination of charisma, showmanship, power, and consistency are elements that make Kevin’s drumming recognizable in the industry today.  More importantly, his professional and easygoing attitude makes him great a person to have around.  Kevin has performed all over the world including the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan and Australia.  He has jammed with many well-known bands such as SLAYER, CHIMAIRA, DYING FETUS, and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER to name a few.  Kevin recently had a 4-page feature article in MODERN DRUMMER in 2006 and has performed at festivals such as download (United Kingdom) and Fields of Rock (Holland). Kevin also performed on the Sounds of the Underground (SOTU) festival tour 2005, which toured across the states and most of Canada.

Talley was in the school band/drum program from 6th to 12th grade.  He is able to read/write musical notation, and is familiar with song structures and time signatures.  Kevin had formal instruction for marching and jazz band and has played in jazz, punk, rock, and metal bands. To read a complete listing of Kevin’s past playing history and current news, visit his website. http://www.drummerkevintalley.com

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Talley Interview:

 

 

SD.com: Precision Drum Company has said they will "officially" announce your endorsement on 10/29/06, could you throw us a bone and tell us a little about it?

Kevin: I am stoked to finally get a new kit and have heard nothing but great things about PRECISION DRUMS.  This is my first all custom kit made from scratch exactly how I want it.  They really hooked me up – I am even getting a 20 ply maple 6.5 by 13 inch snare.  It’s going to rip faces off.

SD.com: I have seen you quite a few times live. My favorite song was always "Pure Hatred" what was your favorite song to play with Chimaira?

Kevin: My favorite Chimaira song to play was between "Pure Hatred" and "Save Ourselves" (track 2 off the self titled release).  They both have similar beats that I like during the verses and PH has a killer chorus. Save Ourselves is not so poppy but has a killer guitar solo.  They are both killer songs to play.

SD.com: Good deal on the tour with Cattle Decapitation! What city are you looking forward to the most? and where do you think you’ve gotten the biggest response in the past? (Domestic & International)

Kevin: Aww man I look forward to all the cities cause I have friends everywhere.  For you readers that know anything about me, you know that I go straight into the crowd to hang out.  That’s the most fun I have. With playing the actual show, I usually don’t see the crowd brutality cause I am too busy.  I just do my thing and put on the same show regardless of the crowd size.  But most importantly, I love hanging out with friends.

SD.com: Who are your top 5 influences?

Kevin: Igor Cavalera, Lars, Dave Culross, Vinny Paul, Slayer’s Paul and Dave

SD.com: Assuming that influences doesn’t mean favorites, who are your favorites?

Kevin: Yes,  All the above.  These are off the top of my head leaving oout some of the obvious… but here are some great drummers you should check into… Pete Sandoval, Travis Barker, Brad Wilk, Josh Freeze, 

SD.com: Can you tell us 3 CD’s in your current personal rotation?

Kevin: New Slayer is Killer.  The DAATH is also awesome but you won’t hear it ’til next year when it comes out.  I am learning the songs.  I can’t believe the cd is this good.  I am always listening to old sepultura – beneath the remains, arise, and chaos a.d.

SD.com: Can you remember a night you think was your best playing ever? If yes, when and where?

Kevin:: Not really, so many nights blend together.  And it’s the worst show I remember.  One night with DYING FETUS in Europe ’98, I smoked some crazy cigarette from this dude and it was laced with something.  I was so paranoid and thought I was horrible.  The rest of the guys says I did okay though.  RULE – Don’t smoke random things before the show… wait til after!

SD.com: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Kevin: Mmmm.  No  I finally started stretching after I pulled my wrist.  It hurt like hell so I never want to do it again.

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

Kevin: Practice efficiently and study the guitar riffs when you listen to records.  Imagine that you have to write a beat over that riff and then compare your beat with the one that is already written. Consider the song by PANTERA "Shedding Skin" opening riff.  Think about the beat you would play.  Now go listen to the song. 

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

Kevin: Tool — Unfucking believable.  

SD.com: If you had to stop drumming, what else would you want to do with your life?

Kevin: I would continue with my Record Label http://www.counterstrikerecords.com/ — I like giving advice and getting bands heard.  

Thanks Ian!

 

 

This last question was sent in by Brian Dyke .

Can you tell us about how long you get to practice the tracks before going on tour with Cattle?

Kevin: I usually just flood my ears with the music I have to learn so right now I am listening to nonstop DAATH and CATTLE.  Fortunately I have a lot of time to prepare for this tour – 4 weeks.  Right now I am making drum notes for all the songs.  Oct 25th I will go to Atlanta and jam with DAATH for about 8 days.  And then I will go do 8 days of reheasals with CATTLE.  Then we will leave for the tour and meet up with DAATH and
play for both bands.

Sometimes I have less time to prepare… Red Chord 2 weeks.  Black Dahlia… 3 days.   Hate Eternal 2 days.  That shit was crazy.  I was just reading straight drum notes during the shows. 

Also, studio work. On average, how long would you say you get to learn tracks, before recording? Usually I have a few weeks but recently I did a grind core thing where I have to listen to the song 2 or 3 times, make some notes, and then bust it out.  This is when it comes in real handy to know how to read and write musical notation.  Writing the music, making notes, etc. — really helps.

Thanks Brian!
Talley