www.skewsiskin.net May 05

Interview with Andy Schumacher [Drums]

Q:  When did you first hear about Skew Siskin and what was your impression of them? How did your feelings about them develop over time, leading towards you joining the band for the Le Mans show?
A:  The first time I heard about Skew Siskin was in the early nineties,  when I was still living in Freiburg.  I saw an article in a music magazine where Lemmy talked about his personal favourite band,  called Skew Siskin. The singer in my band at that time owned the "Voices of War" CD, and he made me a tape of it. 

In our small tour van,  we would often listen to it because it was real Rock 'n' Roll stuff.

Q:  When the band was hunting around for a drummer for the Le Mans show, how did you get in contact with them?
A:  I got in contact with the band through Randy Black, who plays the summer shows with Skew Siskin. We worked together as drum teachers in my own drum school, called Drumfactory, for 4 years. He recommended me to stand in for him on the Le Mans gig, because he was busy in the studio that day with Primal Fear.

"The greatest challenge for me was the physical thing, giving the songs the energy they need."

Q:  Was there enough time to rehearse? Were you already familiar with some of the songs?
A:  We had about two weeks for rehearsals and we could work very professionally in Skew Siskin's own studio, called Monongo. I already knew a few songs from the radio, but I was not familiar enough to play them straight away. The greatest challenge for me was the physical thing, giving the songs the energy they need.

Q:  Apart from the setlist of the show, were there any other songs you would like to have played? Do you have any favourite songs?
A:  I have two favourite songs. One is "The Goddess", which we didn't play in Le Mans but we rehearsed it a few times. The other is "Jesus of Cool".

Q:  How did it feel for you to play at that show?
A:  Playing in Le Mans was great because Skew Siskin is a band that kicks the crowd’s ass, especially with Nina C. Alice.

Q:  Playing the show in Le Mans, how easy was it for you to adapt to Skew Siskin?
A:  To be the pulse of Skew Siskin, it's amazing. It took me a short while to understand the "time feel" of the band and what kind of drumming their music really needs, but I felt I could make it.

Q:  In your opinion, which Skew Siskin song would you say best describes what the band is all about?
A:  When I talk about "pulse", I would say Skew Siskin is a band with that kind of AC/DC feeling, which is so rare and very special to find. Those fantastic guitar riffs that Jim Voxx plays, those outstanding vocals of Nina C. Alice and the extra solid bass-lines combined with a constant pushing drum.... "Life’s a Bitch" is a song where you can hear this in perfection, and in my opinion Skew Siskin is the best when they play stuff like this.

"Of course I'm influenced by Phil Rudd. Is there a better way to play a solid rock drum and pace a band?"

Q:  Watching you play gives the impression that you're very influenced by Phil Rudd (AC/DC). Is that right to say? What other drummers had an impact on you?
A:  Of course I'm influenced by Phil Rudd. Is there a better way to play a solid rock drum and pace a band? It's not what he's doing, it's the way he does it. It took me a long time to understand what a genius he is on the drums.
My first drum heroes were: Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)and Keith Moon (The Who)...great showman.

Q:  Which other bands did you listen to in your early days? Did you like other music styles other than rock? How did you first start getting into liking R'n'R? And which bands/music do you listen to now?
A: In my early days I listened to Deep Purple, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Black Sabbath, Police. When I studied drums for 3 years in Bern, Switzerland, I listened to a lot of Jazz music and Jazz drummers, but in my heart I was always a rock drummer.
My first rock band was called "Eat Amps Alive". We played 80's metal/hard-rock stuff. We had three CD's out, two of them released in the States. We sold 22000 copies of our first record.

List of the last five records I bought:

AC/DC - Family Jewels
Billy Idol - Devil's Playground
Gluecifer - Automatic Thrill
Skew Siskin - Album of the Year
Danko Jones - We sweat blood

Q:  The bands you listened to, past and present, how do they influence your style of playing?
A:  Every kind of cool music that I listen to influences my style. I played in a lot of top-forty bands, so I had to adapt my drumming to different kinds of music. This was a great help for me to find my own style, and see how drumming varies with different types of music.

I left school at seventeen to be a drummer. Since then I knew, this is what I wanna be!!

Q:  At what point in your life did you decide that being a musician is the career path for you? Did you ever consider any other career?
A:  I left school at seventeen to be a drummer. Since then I knew, this is what I wanna be!! The only other thing I did in my life besides drumming was running a drum shop.

Q:  What other bands have you played in and what did you learn from your experiences with them?
A:  As I said, I played in a lot of different bands, one beings "Eat Amps Alive". I worked together with Rhonda Smith (current bass player of Prince), did some TV Shows in 2004 with Joe Cocker and did a lot of studio work, jingles, soundtracks for television, etc. Between 1996 and 2002, I was the owner of Berlin's legendary drum school and drum shop Drumfactory. All these experiences made me the musician I am now.

Q:  Do you prefer to tour or work in the studio? Or drink beer in front of the TV?
A:  Without studio recordings, it`s rather difficult to get a tour. Listening to your own recordings/CD’s is a great thing…but I prefer being on tour, playing live and kick the audience's ass!! Beer in front of the TV is OK when the concert is over...

Q:  What advice do you have for young bands/musicians?
A: What can I say to young musicians that has not already been said?
Believe in what you do, be yourself, and keep your head straight!!