DWF Knows Drummers

[DWF]

All are major favorites...nice picks...


Harry James - Great player most will never know. Love his attack. He and Andy Taylor got one of my favorite drum sounds ever on record. Had a chance to meet him on the first tour and had to cancel - they haven't played the States since (my luck).
(7.5)

Ridiculous drum sound







Jason Bonham - There was a time when I wouldn't walk across the street to see him play due to his lack of caring, preparation and being in the game for the party not the music. Over the last 15 years or so, he slowly straightened up, worked on his chops again and made his old man and fans proud in his determination and effort. I've met him quite a few times since and you cannot help but like his outlook and grab the band by the horns approach. Love his work with BCC, UFO, FOREIGNER, CALIFORNIA BREED, his JBLZE and The Circle. His performance with LZ at the 2007 O2 gig is priceless. Great player and a very underrated vocalist. (Have heard him sing his ass off at sound checks.) (9)










Mike Mangini - One of the most skilled players I've ever seen...and a humble good hearted guy. I have no fondness for Dream Theater but I was happy MM got the gig. LOVED his playig in Extreme. (10)

Saw this gig the night it happened... ridiculous solo...freak of nature...








Pat Torpey - Hard working and talented. Beyond underrated. Love Pat. Always treated my guests and myself like family. Terrible shame what he has gone through over the last year or two with Parkinsons. Heartbreaking. Haven't seen him for a few summers... wish him nothing but the best. (9)










Ken Mary - Talk to Ken frequently. Friend since the first HOUSE OF LORDS record/tour. Extremely talented and schooled player. Has worked primarily as a producer in the last 15 years or more. He's getting back into double duty work by producing & playing/recording again. (9)










Steve Gorman - Surprisingly, as much as I love Steve's band/playing, I've never met him. Just a great groove player with minmal frills. Excellent timekeeper - very economical in his approach. Saw him when the Crowes opened for MSG in '89/'90 and I was hooked. (8)

[Hey Man]

Loving this thread.

Ya, Backtreet Symphony is amazing - the band sounds great on that album.


Paul Geary

Phil Varone

Bobby Rock

Fred Coury (considering Andy Johns brought in Denny Carmassi and Cozy Powell to do his drum parts)

Pete Holmes

Steven Sweet

[DWF]

Paul Geary - Deceptively simple approach but a very good player. Sharp guy and a smart business man (been in management
quite a while now. Always liked Paul as a person and player. (7.5)








Phil Varone- No exposure to him other than a few occasions when he toured with Siagon Kick opening for Extreme. (7)





Bobby Rock - Love Bobby. People have him pegged as a big poser type but the reality is he's a very schooled player and excels at jazz, latin, rock, etc. Only drawback is his resume has been 80's hair band acts - deserved a lot better gigs. We still talk every once in awhile. Good guy...been through a lot. Much more talented than the average rock drummmer. (8.5)









Fred Coury- Typical hard rock 80's drummer. We have mutual friends but I was never fan of his 'tude from the exposure I had to him in the 80's (When Cinderella opened for Roth, Jovi, etc) Definitely improved by Heartbreak Station and Arcade. (6.5)






Pete Holmes - First met Pete on the KISS Asylum tour. Nice guy - good solid player. (Not a BNB fan but really like his work with Michael Schenker.) Dedicated to what he does. (7.5)





Steven Sweet - First met him prior to the release of their debut and then again on Paul Stanleys' solo tour for a handful of shows. Never really impressed with his playing...very basic but solid... but he had a strong backing voice. Thought the band as a whole shined on one very under appreciated record (Dog Eat Dog). (7)

[Deleted]

Robert Sweet

Rob Affuso

AJ Pero

Bun E. Carlos

Albert Bouchard

Charlie Benante

Lars Ulrich

[DWF]

Robert Sweet - Actually liked Roberts playing from the debut to AGAINST THE LAW. Live he's hit or miss with meter. Saw them quite a bit from '86 to early 90's. Not crazy about his playing I've heard since...erratic. (6.5)





Rob Affuso (SEE PREVIOUS ROB POST EARLIER TODAY)





AJ Pero - Minimal exposure and unfortunately never met him. RIP Liked his playing with other acts but never a TS fan. (7.5)






Bun E. Carlos - Drummer for one of my all time favorite bands. DEalt with him quite a bit in the 80's and 90's...always polite to me but always on edge, shitty with band & staff, etc. Had Chuck Elias as his tech in the early 90's (also teched for Criss, ironically) Used to tease Chuck about his "luck" in working with those two. LOL Great feel and swing when he was younger and healthier. However, they should have stayed with Daxx since BEC's initital back surgery in the early 2000's. He's been a pain in the ass for years and everybody knows the truth why he's not wanted on tour. Sad. (7)






Albert Bouchard - Never met him or saw him live. Liked his recording work with BOC quite a bit. (7)







Charlie Benante - Not a metal/thrash fan whatsoever but Charlie is one of the finest in the game. Eric Carr was a friend and fan of his playing and I talked to Charlie about him and how missed he was the night of the MTV Unplugged. He's a bit odd.. NYC 'look over your shoulder all the time' odd.... but still a great player. (8)





Lars Ulrich - Personally not a fan and had an extensive visit with him one day that led to me reading him the riot act about being professional and costing others money and time. (Gotta a big smile and an "atta boy that was priceless" from Hetfield for that so it was worth it. ) Never understood the praise... slam bang and speed never did it for me. Awful meter. HUGELY overrated. Just ask album producers. (5.5/6)

[Hey Man]

Jimmy D'Anda

Jay Schellen

Michael Cartellone

Gregg Bissonette

Terry Bozzio

Richie Kotzen - he has played drums on his solo albums. For a guitarist, is he a very good drummer?

[Deleted]

Dave Grohl

Taylor Hawkins

Bill Ward

Joe X. Dube

Jeff Poole

Roger Taylor

[DWF]

Nov 22, 2015 22:32:23 GMT -5 @starchildblade said:

Dave Grohl....etc..

SCB - Please feel free to add your two cents on these players and your views on their drumming. I'd like to see yourself,
Erik and other guys who play chime in on these guys as well. HM started this thread due to my background with many of these drummers but we're digging deeper on some of these guys and would love to hear your thoughts on them as well.

[DWF]

Jimmy D'Anda- Limited exposure but have enjoyed his playing with Bullet Boys and Lynch Mob. Another who I hear is pretty skilled yet plays simply in his band situations. (7.5)








Jay Schellen- Big fan of Jay and his Mrs. Have known Jay since the late 80's. Great chops and great vocals but has never had a big high profile rock gig which is a shame. Have seen him live with Hurricane. He also had a shot at the KISS gig in '91/'92...threw his hat in the ring. (8.5)

Always liked Jay's backing vocals on this...









Michael Cartellone- Great player in an odd gig. Michael is a very straight laced professional player with prog chops playing in Skynyrd for years. LOL He's from the Bozzio/Bruford/Palmer/Peart school and playing Freebird. It's a great gig and he's fantasic at it. We've been friends since '89 (Damn Yankees; had a blast on both tours) and I tip my hat to him for his dedication and precision. We've geeked out over Peart - he's a Rush nut too and toured with Tommy Shaw in the 80's opening for them. He's a heck of an artists too... loves to paint. (9)










Gregg Bissonette- Loved Gregg's work over the years. (Actually dragged he and Chad Smith and a bunch of drum company reps to a killer strip bar in Atlanta. The next day, he introduces me to both Vinnie Colaiuta (!!!) and Billy Cobham (!!!) at a trade show. Of course I was known as the guy who had them go there - as Vinne and Billy are looking at me like I'm the devil. lol A true all around player comfortable in any genre. Loved his work on Roth's Eat Em & Smile tour and Skyscraper tours... very likable guy and extremely easy to talk to. Was bummed to miss him locally on Ringo's curretn tour. (9)







Terry Bozzio- Met Terry for the first time when he started doing clinics after a short lived hibernation post Missing Person's demise. Amazing player. Very creative. Can play anything. He's ghosted on a few 80's / 90's rock records and fits like a glove when needed. Brilliant space alien chops. LOL (9.5)









Richie Kotzen - LOL He's an amazing guitarist/vocalist...perfect... but as a drummer he's a novice (just like Kravitz when he cuts drum tracks). Plays well enought to do basic 4/4 rock tracks - he plays drums briefly on his new live dvd and it looks awkward at best. Good timekeeper but he's a GUITARIST !!! (5)








Dave Grohl - Love Dave's drive, his enthusiasm, etc. Talented well liked guy. As a singer and drummer he's a bit overrated. I like his writing/arranging/producing. He's great as an aggressive garage drummer but he makes my head spin when people have suggested him for Zep reunion, etc.. NO! My 15 seconds of Dave fame: As Nirvana was on the verge of breaking I recommded him to a friend who owns a drum head company. I gave my friend his management contact info etc and a few months later I see adverts with Dave using those heads. The bastard never even thanked me. (7)








Taylor Hawkins - Like Taylor's playing and share a lot of similar drumming influences. Was first exposed to his playing with Allainis M. Has a cool feel in a much of his playing. (7.5)







Bill Ward - Unlike Criss who would claim he was a jazz/swing drummer, Ward actually was and his playing shows it throughout his career. Personally, I love Sabbath (RJD on up) but was never big on Ozzy's vocals, so I had to go back in the 80's and actually acquire a taste for that 70's material (which I did due to the band's great playing/writing). Bill was pretty gifted and unique in his day and I have never met him - and that crushes me even more when a friend recently was talking about his resume and prior to tour managing he teched for Bill during one of the Ozzfest treks...Doh!! (8)







Joe X. Dube - The man who filled in on DESTROYER on bits and pieces - when you squeeze both he and Ezrin you can't get the same answer/details twice. LOL I used to keep in touch with Richie Ranno for years (KISS conventions in the 80's) but had little exposure to STARZ. Good player though - enjoyed his playing on the live record. (7)







Jeff Poole- Zero exposesure to Legs Diamond - can't comment.






Roger Taylor- My favorite singing rock drummer of my youth. LOVE Roger's little hi-hat nuances and tom fills. Basic player who added his own little twists that make him unique. Love a lot of his songwriting as well. Have met Brian May on a few occasions but I'd really love to talk to Roger. Hell of a writer as well. (8.5)

[Hey Man]

David Lauser

Bobby Rondinelli

Anton Fig

Jamie Oldaker

Sandy Slavin

Matt Starr

[DWF]

David Lauser - "Bro"... Everybody loves "Bro". Big loveable kid and good straight forward pocket player. Haven't seen him in quite a few years. (Sadly, he just lost his wife to cancer this year... awful.) (7.5)



Bobby Rondinelli - The tough little Italian. Good guy; amazing player...chops for days. Loved his work with Rainbow, BOC, Sabbath. Saw him live quite a bit over the years. Funny guy - we still keep in touch. (As mentioned before, he's played on albums in the early 80's by the Scorpions and Aerosmith. (9)





Anton Fig - No flash, just a great all around player - constantly in demand studio wise. Digging his recent work with Bonamassa. (9)



Jamie Oldaker - Did well with Clapton but HATED his playing with Ace; especially live. Awful - all over the place. (6)



Sandy Slavin - Loved his playing in Riot as a kid. Met him with Ace and spoke on a few occasions - seemed pretty likeble and pro. (7)



Matt Starr - Great player; good guy. Did a fantastic job filling in for Mr. Torpey on latest Mr Big tour. Versatile player and very good chops. (8)

[Hey Man]

Jan Hammer

Jimmy DeGrasso

Randy Castillo

Alex Van Halen

Corky Laing

Jeff Porcaro

[DWF]

Nov 25, 2015 11:38:34 GMT -5 Hey Man said:

Jan Hammer

Jimmy DeGrasso

Randy Castillo

Alex Van Halen

Corky Laing

Jeff Porcaro

Not much exposure to Jan as a drummer... he's always been a keyboard player to me.

Jimmy, Randy, and Al are huge favorites and friends from over the years...and Jeff was a major influence.

Will get on these over the next day or two while I'm off for the holiday.....

[DWF]

Jimmy DeGrasso - One of the most overlooked hard rock drummers of the last 30 years. Killer chops - great feel. Loved his studio and live work with Y & T, White Lion, Alice Cooper, DLR, Black Star Riders, etc. Also owns a killer drum shop in the Bay area. Good guy..good friend. We keep in touch often but have not seen him play in about 10 years. (Felt bad I had to miss a limited double bill gig with BSR and Europe in NYC that he invited me to last year.) Very versatile and much like Singer, he is a total chameleon. (8.5)








Randy Castillo - Loved Randy. So missed...RIP. Kept in touch with him often from '90 to his passing. Like a few of the others we'd just talk family, sports, etc and not always about the industry. Very kindhearted. His playing was very solid and he actually improved his chops later on years in to the Ozzy gig. He played great and wrote a lot during the NO MORE TEARS era and was very proud of his work. He often would put the word in for other drummers and was also friends with Schellen and Singer which is how he and I connected.

I remember vividly during that tour when I went down to a show to have dinner with Randy prior and as we pulled up to the hotel we heard on the radio that the gig was cancelled at the nearby pavillion - 16,000 sold out and it was a no go. (Ozzy had a throat infection.) So we had dinner and great chat when Randy asked about a popular rock club near us that everybody used to frequent and I told him I could get him there. So they grabbed two rental cars and followed me and my ex girlfriend to the club... while I drove home to get showered up and changed clothes (summer gig) and stopped and grabbed a magazine that Randy and I discussed over dinner. He hadn't seen the latest copy of RIP which had a feature on Sam Kinison after his passing. Sam was one of RC's closet friends and he had said a great little piece on his buddy and was anxious to see it since he missed getting it while on the road. I stopped at a local drug store, grabbed the last few copies for him and proceeded to the club. When we got there RC was upstairs in the dark club sitting at the bar with his bandmates Zakk and Mike as well as a few members of Motorhead and Ugly kid Joe (Ozzy's openers). He introduces us to everyone again and I show him the article. I can still see him holding a lighter so he could read the article as his eyes welled up. He read the whole thing without saying a word then turned to me with tears streaming and gave me a hug and said "I love your brother." Slayed me. A month or two later I was on the phone with DeGrasso and he says, "That was a cool thank you Randy gave you on the album." I had know idea what he was talking about until I got a few copies of a recent album and saw it. One of my first "thank you's" on a major release after all of those years... Very missed. (8)









Alex Van Halen - Al called me in the Fall of '90 and we clicked instantly. Met him in person a few days later and we did photos at his kit and an interview. He proceeded to treat myself and my guests like family and the whole day was so surreal because I expected he and his brother to be guarded and to have their staff whisk them away when we were done talking...but it never happened. We ate together, hung out and watched concert videos, told old road stories and laughed like idiots. Still somehow doubting how "real" he and Ed both were after that first meeting, I assumed it would be a one off and we would never see him again. Thankfully, I couldn't have been more wrong. As we were leaving after the show he and Ed were asking us what we thought of the gig and then Al says, "Aren't we playing a few nights near you next week. I said, yeah. He goes "We'll why didn't you ask to come to that ?" I told him how much we appreciated the day we had and didn't want to push. He goes, "Awww bullshit...c'mon down and let's hang." So we did...and that's what we ended up doing show after show on each and every tour for a decade. (Until they closed up their offices post Cherone / Danniels/ etc and Ed's problems sadly magnified. I unfortunately lost contact info with Al at that point when they closed up shop.) I tried reaching him in '04 whe they reunited with Hagar but one of Azoff's flunkies pissed me off on the phone and I left it be without trying further to get ahold of Al. So we went to the show and "watched from a distance" as I missed saying hello to an old friend and wanted my wife to meet the brothers which she was not around for in the 90's. After 15 years of zero contact, I sent an email to their publicist this past summer and she forwarded it to Alex without so much as a reply to me. A month or so later and a few days before a local show, he calls the house and we pick right up where we left off. Brought tears to my eyes. He wanted me to bring the Mrs. down and say hello pre show. (Which was when we saw him in August and it was just a big thing for me; to give him a hug and chat like the old days. HUGE day for me and to introduce him to my Mrs. Represented a very happy time in my life and someone from an industry where MOST people are not that warm and real. Al was/is all of that and then some. One of my favorite people ever in music and those stories and experiences around he and Ed will always be some of my favorite memories ever. Period.

Alex as a player has always been a favorite from the beginning of their career but he impressed me even more as the years rolled on and he continued to develop and add new influences. (He started drawing more inlfuences from latin, jazz, big band, etc and incorporated that into his style.) Nobody has his snare or tom sound and his attack is just effortless. Great, great player. (9)


Here's Al at 62 doing it better than 99% do at 30....








Corky Laing - Great pocket player. Actually saw MOUNTAIN open for Triumph on the 80's. Good player. (7.5)







Jeff Porcaro - Sadly, I never got to see Jeff play. I collected his albums and videos and loved his playing on Toto and Steely Dan recordings but never saw him in the 80's and Toto focused overseas for years when I could have seen him. Monster player and so influential to many. (10)

[Hey Man]

Great stories DWF. You should really write a book.

I can't remember - was Randy fired from Ozzy or did he leave to join Motley?

[Deleted]

Though I love Alex Van Halen, I was never a big fan of his overuse of the hi-hat cymbals.

[DWF]

Nov 27, 2015 13:59:16 GMT -5 Hey Man said:

Great stories DWF. You should really write a book.

I can't remember - was Randy fired from Ozzy or did he leave to join Motley?

He had a falling out with Mrs. Ozzy (ha) prior to Ozzmosis. (She jerked around the NMT lineup a few times.)
Was brought back after Castronovo did the South American tour. After that tour they fell out again. The Crue tour
was '99 if I recall...last few times I saw him play.

[DWF]

Nov 27, 2015 14:00:52 GMT -5 @starchildblade said:

Though I love Alex Van Halen, I was never a big fan of his overuse of the hi-hat cymbals.

Actually prefer his ride & crash work.

Paiste actually worked with him in recent years to develop a ride to his liking (weight and bell).
The Paiste 2002 "Rev Al's Big Ride". I need to grab one. Sounds great live. He's used it the last few tours.

[DWF]

Love his snare sound...no mistaking it's Al by the way he tunes and muffles.

Always loved the breakdown in this and loved that they brought it back after a few
decades and opened with it this year....a highlight for me along with A SIMPLE RHYME
and ROMEO DELIGHT.

[DWF]

Nov 27, 2015 14:00:52 GMT -5 @starchildblade said:

Though I love Alex Van Halen, I was never a big fan of his overuse of the hi-hat cymbals.

Back track through the list and add your two cents on many of these guys, SCB....

[Hey Man]

Nov 27, 2015 14:17:14 GMT -5 DWF said:

Nov 27, 2015 13:59:16 GMT -5 Hey Man said:

Great stories DWF. You should really write a book.

I can't remember - was Randy fired from Ozzy or did he leave to join Motley?

He had a falling out with Mrs. Ozzy (ha) prior to Ozzmosis. (She jerked around the NMT lineup a few times.)
Was brought back after Castronovo did the South American tour. After that tour they fell out again. The Crue tour
was '99 if I recall...last few times I saw him play.

I dug his Ozzy playing, but felt he was bland on the Motley Crue album - which sucked anyway, so it was probably a Mike Clink thing.

[Hey Man]

Audie Desbrow

Ian Haugland

Rod Morgenstein

Vik Foxx

Blas Elias

Jeff Martin

[DWF]

Nov 27, 2015 14:45:18 GMT -5 Hey Man said:

Nov 27, 2015 14:17:14 GMT -5 DWF said:

He had a falling out with Mrs. Ozzy (ha) prior to Ozzmosis. (She jerked around the NMT lineup a few times.)
Was brought back after Castronovo did the South American tour. After that tour they fell out again. The Crue tour
was '99 if I recall...last few times I saw him play.

I dug his Ozzy playing, but felt he was bland on the Motley Crue album - which sucked anyway, so it was probably a Mike Clink thing.

I had no use for that record either. Not much to it. (only care for parts of the first two, inspite of Vince's voice...and love the entire '94 record with Crabby...)

[Hey Man]

Nov 28, 2015 10:24:07 GMT -5 DWF said:

Nov 27, 2015 14:45:18 GMT -5 Hey Man said:

I dug his Ozzy playing, but felt he was bland on the Motley Crue album - which sucked anyway, so it was probably a Mike Clink thing.

I had no use for that record either. Not much to it. (only care for parts of the first two, inspite of Vince's voice...and love the entire '94 record with Crabby...)

The Corabi album is the best thing Motley Crue ever did. They should have stuck it out with him, because pretty much everything else from Motley Crue has been shit.

[DWF]

Audie Desbrow - LOL Oh boy...Saw Great White a lot from SHOT IN THE DARK in the mid 80's thru HOOKED and into the mid 90's. They opened for a lot of acts I was working with then (Night Ranger, Whitesnake,etc) and later they started headlining a lot in the late 80's when ONCE BITTEN & TWICE SHY took off. Saw them a lot on the double bill tour with TESLA and Badlands opening...great bill and I got to hang with Luccketta and Singer a lot. Fun tour with great material in the sets.

So over the years, I got to be friendly with Kendall and Russell. It was their baby and they were clearly the talent. (Kendall is a fantastic guitarist - very underrated.) Audie is a solid player but he has a vibe that would make me crazy. Cocky and aloof. He sensed that (ha) and we sort of always kept each other at arms length even though I was there to talk drums and get pics. So year after year, we did this back and forth. lol Finally, as the grunge era was full on and GW were back in clubs and supporting SAIL AWAY. I went down to the club to interview Audie and get pics at check... So I'm there early with a colleague and the band is an hour late (they got hung up in traffic). they come in and Jack and Mark are "hey buddy..." etc and Audie sort of nods and give's me a "what's up". He finally comes over before the check and says what all do we need to do. Told him I needed a few pics at his kit and maybe 30 minutes after to chat. "Yeah..yeah..give me a few minutes...we'll do it." Check comes and goes... then they mill around in the office. I see he's got his eye on some blonde and is distracted. So he's stalling and pissing me off. He comes over and has the balls to say, "I'm going to take her back to the hotel and grab some dinner and we'll be back later and do this before the show." I look at him and he thinks I'm buying this - which pissed me off more. I've been here for 3 hours - so far no pics and the chat is later. Then he looks at me and says straight faced, "We can take the pics at the kit AFTER the show." (Sure, with a full house as the crew is tearing down.LOL) Before he could finish speaking, I threw a stack of drumheads (his tech gave me to get signed) across the office into a garbage can and was pealing off my VIP pass and putting it on him. "Thanks, some other time, Audie..." He got all flustered an hit me with, "C'mon bro it's not like that..." blah blah blah. Last time I saw him for 20 years. He was playing a big local festival a few years back and he was breaking his neck backstage and walked by a few times as if he wanted to talk but I just looked the other way...putz. LOL Good pocket player though and heard from a drum company buddy that he's a liitle less self absorbed in recent years... (7.5)






Ian Haugland - Love his playing. (Echoes a lot of the Paice influence.) Never met him though. (7.5)







Rod Morgenstein - Got to meet Rod at numerous drum clinics over the years and he's as nice as it gets. Got to spend a lot of time around him and EC during the HOT IN THE SHADE tour when Winger opened. Extremely talented chops based player. Also a very talented teacher. His Dregs playing is ridiculous. To this day it messes me up wathing a lefty play. Still keep in touch by email and FB...good guy who also sadly lost his wife early to cancer like Dave Lauser. They were a great couple and just really nice people. Anyway, his playing is stellar. (9)

www.rodmorgenstein.com/michele.html






Blas Elias - Flashy but solid. Have not seen or spokent ot him in years, after seeimg him constantly on tours where they opened for KISS, POSION, etc. Heard he's been gigging in Vegas for years (Blue Man Group backing band). (7.5)





Jeff Martin - He'll always be the singer in Racer X. lol Liked his playing live with UFO in the 90's not a big fan of his work on the second Badlands record. (7.5)

[Hey Man]

Great story about Audie. There is a book in you. Write it.

[Hey Man]

Rick Allen

Chris Slade

Kevin Valentine

Allan Scwartzberg

Michael Shrieve

Sib Hashian

[DWF]

Nov 28, 2015 17:10:14 GMT -5 Hey Man said:

Great story about Audie. There is a book in you. Write it.

I've heard that for years... should have done it before sharing it on drum and music forums.

[DWF]

Rick Allen - God bless him. Saw him a few times in '81 and '83 and enjoyed his playing. (Friendly guy - a buddy of mine teched for him for years and we'd go out and see them a lot through the mid 90's.) Since the accident, unfortunately it is what it is. He suits their material and they treated him like a brother...what else can you say? Doubt a drummer on earth doesn't tip their hat to him for what he's had to overcome. I do believe it has held them back drastically musically but I completely commmend them for working with a very difficult musical / personal situation and standing by their bandmate. (6.5)



Chris Slade - Like Chris'playing with Heep, Asia, The Firm and AC/DC. Very happy for him getting a premier gig like that again. Have never met him but mutual friends rave about him as a person. (7)




Kevin Valentine - Kev is funny. Great sense of humor and great player. Sharp business man and works quietly behind the scenes on the production end. Actually doing a few reunion dates with Donnie Iris. Got to know him pretty well during the Shadow King promo period and thru the '95 Official KISS Convention Tour. Still keep in touch. Very good player - one of the talented bunch to play the Cleveland circuit before heading to LA in the 80's to go pro (Valentine, Singer. Cartellone, Torpey) (8)








Allan Scwartzberg - Like his studio work over the years. Was a popular New York go to guy for many years. Never talked to him or met him, unfortunately. (8)




Michael Shrieve - A bit before my time with his Santana era but I loved his work on HSAS and the live vid. (7.5)





Sib Hashian - Love his playing on the early material. His playing on Foreplay/Longtime is excellent. (7.5)

[Cducharme]

Charlie benetant (always screw his name up but from anthrax and sod)
Dave Lombardo
Gene Hoglan