Rich Redmond Interview

You’ve since played with some of the best names in the business including Jason Aldean, Bryan Adams and Jewel. What are some of your personal highlights to date?
A big accomplishment for me was getting to play with the “One O’ Clock Lab Band” at the University Of North Texas. It’s a world-class big band and we would play these charts that were fifty pages long, which could be problematic when you’re ‘spang-a-langin’ at 400bpm and the wind starts blowing. That was a really cool experience for me and we went to Portugal to cut a live record in 1994 which was the first time I traveled internationally.

Since then, in 2003 I was signed as an artist with my band Rushlow to Lyric Street Records. We had two top forty hits and we toured eleven countries in fourteen days to play for the us military. We were on a big naval jet with a full crew and got a chance to make a difference in the peoples lives who bust their butt for us. It was a real thrill to do something like that.

When I got to hear our first single, “I Can’t Be Your Friend,” on the radio that brought three grown men to tears. That was such a highlight for us because you have these dreams and you chase them and when they come to fruition there’s kind of like this emotional catharsis. I was with my rhythm section and we just started bawling. We said, ‘That’s us on the radio… we made it!’

More recently, I’d have to say playing on Jason Aldean’s number one hit, “Why.” That was awesome! Playing with Bryan Adams recently was also a real thrill. I watched him on MTV everyday so getting to meet this iconic figure was amazing. Everyday it’s just a great thing, whether your shooting a music video or playing an awards show or just cruising on the bus. I say to myself, ‘What is this reality that I’m in?’ Well, It’s a reality that I’ve created for myself but I try not to ever take for granted. What a great life this is playing my instrument and trying to affect people in a positive way – It’s such a great way to make a living.

What do you try to do to stay busy and at the top of your game?
Every time an opportunity is presented to you, you have to be overly prepared. If an audition comes along and they tell you to learn five songs, learn the whole catalogue. Really focus on those five songs and if they say, ‘Hey, do you know such and such from my first album in 1976?’ you can say ‘Yeah, no problem!’ You’ve got your little recipe cards and it’s all there. They’ll be thinking, ‘No one else took the time to dig that deep into my catalogue, I really like that your this passionate and prepared.’

Do whatever you need to do to give yourself an edge and remember it’s a business so focus on your health, be professional, have a good attitude, keep your gear in good shape, and dress stylishly… these things are all factored in. Nobody’s going to put the drummer with the old clothes in the video!

You don’t necessarily have to play the best, you just need to have a good package. Bandleaders will always choose the guy who plays well, gets along with people and is fun to be around over the monster drummer who has no social skills. When you’re riding down the highway in a 45 foot tube people skills really come into play.

So, I just try to stay mentally sharp, get my exercise so I can feel good about things, keep my attitude in the positive and then every time I sit behind my drums play them like it’s the last breath I’m ever going to breathe.

When I was younger I was always dreaming of the ‘fat cat’ with the cigar coming into the club, seeing me play and saying ‘Hey kid, come with me I’ve gotta gig for you!’ So I was always prepared, I was on time, the drums sounded good, I was dressed well and I was trying to play my ass off. It’s the same thing now. I’m thinking, ‘I’ve gotta play these same fifteen songs every night but I better play the s**t out of them because there are 12,000 people out there who paid there hard earned money to see the act.’

As a drummer you have so much power because if your attitude is not in the game and your performance is not in the game then it effects the whole band. If the band doesn’t sound good then it effects the artist and if he doesn’t do as good of a show then the fans go, ‘Ah, Jason Aldean wasn’t as good this time.’ It spreads like wild fire and before you know it, the records aren’t selling, there’s no more videos and you don’t have a paycheck.

The recording industry has changed a lot in the last decade, what’s it like in Nashville right now?
In Nashville, we have so many great drummers who stay busy but there are probably twenty drummers who work all the time. It’s a healthy scene but massively competitive. It’s not like it was 15 years ago when I moved to town when there were three times as many records being done. Let’s face it, the music industry as a whole is at an all time low. With the drop in sales there are fewer records being cut and everything trickles down from there. Fewer demos are being cut, fewer people are getting their songs published and fewer publishing deals are getting handed out. This really affects the working drummer.

For guys like me, everyones having to re-invent themselves. Yes, we’re playing drums but guys are also opening up there own drum tracking facilities in their homes, producing, writing songs and doing clinics. In this economy you have to come at it like a multi-tasker.

I seem to be able to play the drums everyday but that’s only because I juggle sessions, producing, teaching, clinics and working the road. I’m doing five different things so I’m OK but the guys who are doing just strictly sessions, it’s definitely affected them.