Interview de Bobby Alt

source: LA MUSIC EXAMINER

Citation :

Hailing from Los Angeles, and known for their high energy percussion shows, Street Drum Corps who is Bobby Alt, Adam Alt and Frank Zummo, have been called "Soo good" by the New York Post, declared "A rapturous band of misfit drummers" by the Los Angeles Weekly and were featured in Alternative Press Magazine's "Most Anticipated Albums of 2010" issue.

Street Drum Corps will be one of the opening acts this weekend for 30 Seconds To Mars on Friday, May 14 at the Santa Barbara Bowl and on Saturday, May 15 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Your LA Music Examiner recently spoke with singer/drummer Bobby Alt of band while on a short break from the band's tour.

Examiner: The band is on a short tour break what have you been doing?
Bobby: We are just finishing up our record. We are recording three more songs with our producer Howard Benson that we wrote while we were on the road. We got inspired while on the road so we wrote a few more songs that we are adding to the record.
Examiner: How did the Street Drum Corps get started?
Bobby: We just celebrated our six year anniversary in April. The three of us, Frank and my brother Adam. We started the group with pots and pans, trash cans, street percussion vibe playing Magic Mountain in Valencia is where kind of where we got our start from, all the theme parks Disney, private parties, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs all of that is kind of where we got going and we started building it from there to more of a production. Now we now have a Street Drum Corps Production which is called "Bang", which goes out to all the colleges, performing arts centers and theme parks and with Street Drum Corps which is the group, we started with pots and pans and added to it going for a bigger sound we have added more percussion, horns players, guitar players, performers, and bass players. I don't think it is going to stop there. So that is where we are at now. Six years ago we started just playing pots and pan and now it is a full production. It has been a fun ride and nice to do it with family and close friends. That is why we do it.

Examiner: You have a new album coming out this summer on Interscope Records. What can you tell us about the album?
Bobby: We are coming out with a two double CD set. The first CD is called "Big Noise". It is all percussion, old school and back to our roots. The way we describe it is like a sound track to "King Kong" or "Godzilla", a theatrical movie score-esque, big, big drums and the other CD is more real life songs, classic song writing structures, full production which is produced by Howard Benson.

The all drum CD for Street Drum Corps is produced by Jamie Rise who did our first CD "We Are Machines".

Examiner: Your lead single "Knock Me Out" has a catchy beat it reminded me of Adam Ant meets punk when I first heard it.

Bobby: You nailed it right on the head. That was the first song we ever wrote. When we signed with Interscope, we had our first meeting with Jimmy Iovine. He was offering us some advice and I was talking to my friend David who I co wrote 80 % of this record with as well as "Knock Me Out" . He said that your first record was like a hip hop and then the second album was like a dance industrial vibe and we had some friends on the CD. What do you think for this one? I said well we have a major label, we want to add some more members and we are still a drum band. He said well look at a band like Adam and The Ants. The band had two drummers. They took the banshee beat....... Souxsie and The Banshees... actually Malcolm McLaren who just passed away, it was his vision for Adam and The Ants and Souxsie said to keep the banshee beat and put it with rock music. ...so that is how we started being a drum band trying to go pop.... that is what we were looking for.

Adam Ant, what an entertaining guy he is. He is one of my favorites, along with Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction. Both of those guys paid attention to the tribal drums and with all of us being drummers we loved it and that is where we started.

Examiner: The band been touring with The Used, 30 Seconds To Mars, how did those tours come about?

Bobby: We had the time of our life that is what came about, We did two months in Europe, went to sixteen different countries, we did two months opening for 30 {30 Seconds To Mars). We had never did an European tour before... France and Germany. Then we came home and also did a run of the United States with 30 Seconds To Mars. Then when we were coming back from the West Coast to the East Coast to meet back up with 30 {Seconds To Mars}, we did a week with our best friends in The Used. That is always inspiring to be in the road with those guys. It really brings you to reality and you check your head when you are with those guys. Both bands are the best, and the best in the business. It was a lot of fun and we came off the best three months of touring in our entire lives.

Examiner: I saw the band at a Drum Off at the Henry Fonda Theater a while back that Guitar Center sponsored.

Bobby: Yes, We are doing some more stuff with the Guitar Center. They have been great. They include our group Street Drum Corps and Street Drum Corps presents "Bang" in to a lot of their events. They are great and they always include us which is great.

Examiner: I like how you have made it into a brand, as I remember seeing you guys performing on award shows, in movies, and on TV shows, will this new live show be like a "Blue Man Group" type show?
Bobby: Yes that is our goal too. We look at our selves in a Vegas- like Circque de Soleil kind of way. They have all different shows "Love"... and "Mystere". We want to have rock Broadway show like what Green Day is doing with "American Idiot". Street Drum Corps presents " Bang" percussion that you see at all the colleges and performing arts centers. We wrote this show called "Frantic" which is like every thing put together like the Blue Man Group, Stomp, Pink Floyd's "The Wall". We are having a very creative time, the three of us.

Examiner: That is very inspiring for young kids and young drummers and just drummers in general.

Bobby: All three of us were drummers, started playing our drums, all of us being front men in our own right, so we wanted to bring it up to the front like Buddy Rich or like Gene Krupa did. They weren't just drummers, they were front men.

Examiner: Who were your major influences?
Bobby: Gene Krupa and someone we are now friends with Tommy Lee {Motley Crue} who is a show man, bands Jane's Addiction that were tribal breaking barriers. When they {Jane's Addiction} came out doing the metal to grunge thing, they did not sound like any one else at the time.

My brother Adam is a big fan of the band Tool with their drummer Danny Carey who is a big part of that band.
Plus the street performers, cause that is where it all came from pots and pans and buckets... we always said that if it was the end of the world that at least, we can entertain people with the garbage on the street. Then we like the big productions like Stomp and Cirque de Soleil.

Examiner: What has been the best piece advice anyone that has given you about music or in the music business?

Bobby: Kevin Lyman on the Warped Tour 2003 said to me what you put into it is what you get out of it... don't hide on your tour bus, don't hide in your van, when done playing your shows go through the lines and play your drums. He is right ... so now when I think of it....If I want to make a successful record, I have to put my blood sweat and tear on it.

Examiner: Anything you want to say to your fans and any one else who reads the story?

Bobby: I know that it sounds cliche but, dreams do come true and it can happen to you. We really worked very hard and we set our goals. Whether you are in Los Angeles or Nebraska, Finland or Russia, if you want to play music, act,or entertainer , do your home work, do your work and you can live that dream.

Examiner: What happens after the tour. You have two shows left on the tour?
Bobby: We have two shows with 30 {30 Seconds To Mars} one in Santa Barbara and one at The Greek and then we are finishing up our album which will be out this summer and is a double CD. Then Street Drum Corps Production presents "Bang" is going to colleges, theme park and performing. "Bang" is very important to us. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of lawyers, agents, a lot travel and we are having a drive to find more musicians through Guitar Center. We are looking to find more through out the nation actually. Here is where a sixteen years old person who is looking for a summer job can go make a living planning drummer right in a theme park in their home town instead of bagging groceries. We help set that up.

Examiner: Congratulations on all your success. I will be seeing the shows in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
Bobby: Great we can't wait for the shows so let us know what you think of the new production of the show since the Drum Off.

Je suis désolée je cours un peu partout en ce moment, donc si une âme charitable ayant quelques minutes pouvait s'occuper des trad, bah je lui fait un gros calin virtuel! MDR

Sinon bah... Quand je serai un peu plus dispo... Patience est mère de vertue XD