Pete Thomas - session work/interview

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johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by johnfoyle »

http://www.mindfood.com/at-under-the-sp ... hooper.seo

Under the Spotlight: Ella Hooper

Australian singer-songwriter Ella Hooper of Killing Heidi fame is back with a new project, The Verses. Her brother Jesse has stuck with her, and the duo are hoping for the same success second time around.

BY Laura Bond | Jul 09, 2010

(extract)

How did you come to work with producer Mitchell Froom, and what does he bring to the album?




We were so lucky to work with him. He has done so much iconic stuff with Crowded House and other great bands. His name was on my radar for a long time, and when we talked to the record label and his name came up we really jumped at the chance. He was on the same page as us and heard a lot of potential in our music. To have him work on the album is just great. 



Mitchell Froom has produced Elvis Costello’s albums in the past and I understand you worked with Costello’s rhythm section for this album? What do they bring to it?



Yes, they were his backing band and just the coolest guys. The best musicians I’ve ever seen, and to have them on my album is just great. They have a pretty international feel and it’s as though the album could have been made anywhere. It’s almost Americana – a real classic sound. Considering these guys have played on so many amazing albums, it’s just great. 




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasons_%2 ... s_album%29
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Jeremy Dylan
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by Jeremy Dylan »

Ella Hooper and the Imposters, eh? Well, I guess I'll have to pick this one up.
johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by johnfoyle »

Out since last October, Pete Thomas has recorded with this Spanish artist -

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... rmd%3Divns

Image


Chords of my day
is the fifth album of Merche, for which several songs are recorded musicians playing while she sings (no mixing, something new for Merche).


Surrounded by some of the best musicians from the U.S. West Coast-guitarist Dan Warner (Nelly Furtado, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna ...) and drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega ...).

The first few days of work were devoted entirely to the pre-production issues to begin on February 15 instrumental production, and a few days later, on February 24, recording the voices, this process was completed on Tuesday 9 March. Then, Merche and the rest of the team, dedicated to bring choirs and make arrangements, completing every single detail of the disc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfRkaiO5 ... r_embedded


http://musica.fnac.es/a398473/Merche-Ac ... &Nu=2&Fr=0
johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by johnfoyle »

A little bit late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S9JPBeC ... ture=share
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Thanks for that. Gosh that was fun. Lovely to see him solo like that. I love his concentration mouth. It also confirms he plays Zildjian cymbals, and in fact a quick search reveals they're from the Avedis Zildjian, a vintage and somewhat worn version of which I play on my kit, and plan to upgrade soon to new ones once I've saved some pocket money:

http://zildjian.com/Artists/T/Pete-Thomas

There's also a nice link to Smiths' Mike Joyce under the same Lexus link. His drumming is nowhere near as complex or interesting (I could do it, unlike Pete's!), but he makes some lovely points in homage to Pete on it. Like me he's 47, but says he's planning to hang up his drumsticks soon, whereas I'm getting more into it than ever.
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johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by johnfoyle »

http://www.tomrothrock.com/

In The Studio with Harper Simon

07.09.11

Tom Rothrock’s currently recording a new album with Harper Simon in Hollywood. Featuring Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson) playing drums and percussion.


(Steve Nieve played on Harper's last album - JF)
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migdd
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by migdd »

Here's another fine example of Pete's skills:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbIvoYyz ... ure=fvwrel
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Emotional Toothpaste
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by Emotional Toothpaste »

Wow, Pete is really laying it down at the end of that video. Enjoyed watching that. Thanks!
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by Poor Deportee »

johnfoyle wrote:A little bit late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S9JPBeC ... ture=share
WOW! I missed this when it was first posted. What a delight. Thanks!!

Of the whole original Costello 'crew' he and Nick Lowe easily come off as the ones who'd be most fun just to hang out with 8)
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johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

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http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archi ... e-boondogs

Sep 14, 2011


Little Rock's favorite husband-and-wife-fronted pop-rock outfit launches a fall tour around Little Rock at 6 p.m. Thursday when they play a preview party of the opening of the new Arkansas Arts Center exhibit "Museum School Faculty: Past and Present." It's open only to Arkansas Arts Center members, though those who join at the door get $10 off membership (which ranges from $30-$80).

Friday, the band plays Brownings, the Heights' favorite new hangout, where owner Steve Davis' daughter Elise Davis — a standout pop singer/songwriter herself — is regularly booking local music on weekends.

Saturday at 6 p.m., The Boondogs play "Whoop-De-Do," a fundraiser on the lawn of the Old State House for the museum that includes a pie auction. Tickets are $25 per person or $45 for couples.

On this mini-tour, look for the band to mix old favorites in with a few songs from co-lead singer/songwriter Indy Grotto's forthcoming solo album. It's already generating a lot of buzz locally among those who've heard bits and pieces. Longtime Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas, who Tom Waits has called "one of the best drummers alive," plays drums on it. The album's currently being mixed, but Grotto's husband and producer Jason Weinheimer said no release date has been set.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Nice Tom Waits quote.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by johnfoyle »

Man out of Time posted this elsewhere -


Pete Thomas
played on six tracks on the 2009 release by Yonder Mountain String Band "The Show". Here is an interview with two of the band (Ben Kaufman and Dave Johnston) from last year which includes a section on Pete's working methods as a session musician:

http://randomville.com/a-conversation-w ... -johnston/

Rv: How did you guys enjoy working with Pete Thomas? I know if I was working with somebody who was that close to Elvis Costello, I don’t know what I’d do, probably freak out. How did his sound add to the sessions and why him? Why not another drummer?


Dave: I think one of the cool things about Pete Thomas is that you get to experience the humor of the English, which is a very dry and wonderful thing. And two; in all seriousness, the guy is just pretty God damned pro. The guy shows up with his sticks and drums and he’s got a little brief case with a note pad in it. I think he was writing down the rhythms that he was going to do. That took him about half an hour or so to figure out; I don’t know how many songs he recorded. He just goes in there, hears the track, writes down what he’s going to do and then he might look at that and records the track, then it’s done. He did something like eight tracks in like five hours. Which is really, really very fast and efficient.

Rv: Is that a form of efficiency that you guys hadn’t seen done in the studio before?

Dave: I can’t recall being in that kind of situation before. Ben do you remember anyone like that, that would just kind of show up?

Ben: Well a lot of guys can do it but it was just something special to see. That’s the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and I guess it still counts for something you know? You see someone like him and it wasn’t only the stories that he had to tell but the toning on the drums or that special way he…you know the simplicity, the “less is more” attitude and seeing it happen in a professional setting it was…I’m a big, big fan of what he does now way more than I was before. I had never listened to Elvis Costello growing up but it’s pretty cool.

MOOT
johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

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johnfoyle
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by johnfoyle »

Over a year old but I've only just seen this -

http://www.drummagazine.com/features/po ... they-want/


Pete Thomas: Give 'Em What They Want

By Sam Pryor

Originally Published In DRUM! Magazine's February 2011 Issue

Pete Thomas is renowned for his spirited skinsmanship on such ’70s classics as Elvis Costello And The Attractions’ Armed Forces, Trust, and Get Happy. But that’s just for starters. Recent work with Los Lobos, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Cash, Pearl Jam, John Paul Jones, and his own band, Jack Shit, proves Pete Thomas is one seriously live wire in the music world.

“I just got this weird call to fly to London and play in a Lexus ad,” Thomas says from Silverlake, California. “They’re like, ’Oh, yeah, we need a drum roll for the new Lexus. And we want you to be a cowboy.’ Somebody Googled ’cowboy drummer,’ and it must have been the picture from Jack Shit that came up. ’There’ll be wardrobe,’ they say. ’Are you sure?’ When they see me they might say, ’This bloke looks older than his picture!’”

Fresh from new recordings with Spanish pop stars Fito & Fitipaldis, platinum selling bombshell Merche, and Elvis Costello (National Ransom), Thomas views himself not as an L.A. session master, but as crafty competitor among equals.

“Because I come from England, it’s hard to get over the idea that the first-call L.A. session drummers are the enemy!” Thomas laughs. “’What did they call him for? I could have done that!’ It’s very hard to say ’Those guys are great. ’Oh, yeah. He’s perfect!’ It’s quite competitive. I exist in this little world where I do what I do. But if I try to play that funky jazz-fusion stuff I just get the giggles.”

What Thomas does brilliantly, repeatedly, is create drum parts that add a sense of lift and energy to every track he is asked to record. And he’s never sounded better than on Costello’s latest, National Ransom, plying his weighty groove and snappy sensibilities on a set of 1940s-era Grestch Broadcasters mixed with his trusty DWs. Though Thomas has never displayed signature tricks or drum fills, his strong, steady, and often excitable groove is hard to miss. Beyond exceptional drumming, Thomas cites one key to working in the L.A. session scene: ask questions.

“You have to get over, ’It’s Paul McCartney!’” he laughs. “I remember doing a session with Elliot Smith, he was a bit f__ked up and introverted. I needed to know the length of this particular gap in one of his songs. The producer said, ’Watch Elliot.’ But I am not going to ’watch Elliot.’ I am going to ask Elliot. When I did he dropped the whole persona, and said, ’Yeah, we should figure that out, you’re right.’ The producer freaked out.”

Thomas also uses concrete methods to make every session work, regardless of the artist’s particular sensibility, vibe or attitude.

“I always ask the artist to send me the demos,” he says. “Quite often you get to the studio and people don’t really know what they want. It’s worth asking ’What do you like? What are you listening to? Have you got any demos?’ Do as much work as you can so you can show up ready to go. Make sure all the drums sound good. Then occasionally some kind of magic does happen. That’s when you get a little bit pleased with yourself. ’Oh, where did that come from? I guess my brain isn’t completely gone.’”

Working a meaty rimshot is a Thomas trademark, as is his mighty, middle-of-the-beat groove placement. But he’s always ready to ride an intricate arrangement shift or listen up if an artist suddenly goes all creative on him. Thomas is also a quick study.

“I always write my own chart for the session,” he says. “I have a fast way of writing an arrangement: If someone plays me the song once I write it out as it goes by. ’Intro: four bars, verse: eight bars, pre-chorus: four bars,’ maybe a question mark if they do a longer bit before the chorus. Usually I can get the arrangement in one listen. If I get the demo I will write it out then gradually add to that as I hear it.”

And that extends to his gear choices. “I once went through all the keys of all of Elvis’ songs, and then I broke down all the notes that are in each key and then I figured out which note occurred the most often in his songs, and that note is D. I found cymbals that could play a D and a G. So when I open the hi-hat it plays a musical note. I’ve got a stack of hi-hats in the garage now! I should return some of them. As far as the groove goes, I like to imagine the hi-hat as a train going through the Wild West. If you can get the hi-hats to sound like (mimics a steam train), then it becomes hypnotic, then you’re in the groove.”

Thomas is as attentive in-home as he is in-studio. A dedicated swimmer, he also maintains a daily practice routine (using massive Japanese Kodo sticks). His goal to keep in shape both physically and on the drum set has paid off. A gym membership (and hard work) has its rewards.

“I play eighth-notes with each hand for 20 minutes in unison,” he says, describing his routine. “I like the idea of being balanced and ambidextrous even though I never actually do it. I do eighths counted out to 100. Then I do a shuffle in unison. Then I play double paraddidles, triple paradiddles, then triplets – three on each hand. Then single-stroke rolls, another 100. If I have a demo of the song I am going to record, I set the metronome to the song’s tempo and practice everything at that tempo. Then when it comes to fills in the session I don’t rush. It makes me more confident.

“I also use that as a warm-up exercise, three times a day,” he adds. “When I awake, at lunch, and before the show. I don’t always want to do it, but when I hit the stage I don’t get that awful feeling like ’my arm doesn’t want to play this!’ I hate that worse than anything. With Elvis it’s one song quickly into the next, often five fast ones in a row, so I can’t have any cramping.”

A fan of Ringo, Charlie, and Mitch, and a staple on the L.A. (and Spanish) session scene, Pete Thomas continues to find new answers to the eternal rhythm questions. And his sights are still set on the future.

“It might sound silly,” Thomas says, “but when I am playing I envision a scene. I’m going through a township in Africa. There’s all these kids playing by the side of the railway. I think about Africa a lot because I’ve never been there, and that is where it all came from. It’s not an out-of-body experience, but I imagine I am watching a film and listening to this music and I wonder, What would I want to hear on the drums? What should be happening? It’s concentrating on something and having the music become the soundtrack. But not concentrating on yourself. Concentrate on what effect the music is having. Immerse yourself.”


Vitals



Bands
The Imposters, Jack Shit
Current releases National Ransom (Elvis Costello), Ariel Rot, Fito & Fitipaldis, Merche
Age 55
Birthplace
Hillsborough, Sheffield
Influences Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Mitch Mitchell “It doesn’t’ get any better than that.”
Gear

Drums & Hardware DW
Cymbals Zildjian
Sticks Vic Firth 5B nylon tip
Heads Remo White Coated Ambassador


Inside Tracks

Elvis Costello
National Ransom
Hear Music/Concord Music Group
(160S)


At the top of the title track, Steve Nieve’s retro organ wheezes, Marc Ribot’s guitar squalls, Nashville aces Jerry Douglas and Stuart Duncan sprinkle Americana sweetening, and producer T Bone Burnett plays a reversed piano part. All of this would be chaos if not nailed to Pete Thomas’ determined pulse. He plays the same in less cluttered moments, never driving hard but rolling steady on the open highway of “I Lost You” as well as busier arrangements. His sound is muffled; a crisp timbre might mask the subtleties of instrumental texture. His purpose during brief entrances on “Stations Of The Cross” seems mainly to drag the tempo with a behind-the-beat kick. Drums are MIA on a number of tracks, the time-keeping delegated on “A Slow Drag With Josephine” to guitar, banjo for a few seconds, harmonica even more briefly. Thomas may be, as Tom Waits has insisted, one of rock’s best drummers; on National Ransom he is but one of many colors on Costello’s palette.


Quick Licks
“Five Small Words”


“Five Small Words” begins as many of the songs do on National Ransom, with a simple fill, before Thomas is off, locked into a groove so solid and unwavering that nothing could get in its way. In fact, the guy doesn't even have time for fills, unless absolutely required by the song. Instead, Thomas is a “feel” guy, as heard in the subtle variations in volume in his right foot (quieter notes are indicated with small noteheads).


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migdd
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by migdd »

Nice article. Glad you found this, JF. Thanks for posting.

Pete is far too humble concerning his abilities as a drummer.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Excellent article, thanks for posting. I often wonder how he can hit the ground running and maintain that stamina so well, and this article answers it! his warm-up routine of 20 mins 8th-beats in each hand, etc. is amazing. And he keeps himself very fit. Makes up for all those years of hard drinking.

The main thing, though, is confirmation that he's a user of Vic Firth nylon tipped 5Bs. Fine sticks. I recently tried wooden tipped ones but they splinter and crack too easily. Nylon for me.

Interesting, too, regarding recording in Spain. Never heard of Fito y Fitipaldis, but just listening to 2009 album of theirs Antes de que Cuente Diez and straight off it's there, the trademark Thomas sound/feel.

A great drummer.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Otis Westinghouse wrote:The main thing, though, is confirmation that he's a user of Vic Firth nylon tipped 5Bs. Fine sticks. I recently tried wooden tipped ones but they splinter and crack too easily. Nylon for me.
Hold on there, young Westinghouse. The significant detail here is that he uses 5Bs not 5As, and then additionally that they're 5BNs (i.e. nylon tipped).

Image

I've always used 5As, thinking the slightly lighter feel suited my style and hands better, but I've followed Pete's cue and tried 5Bs now, and love them. The difference in diameter is 0.03": 0.595" as opposed to 0.565". they feel nicely chunky and have a good sense of power, but there's also a delicacy and subtlety to them. I can totally see why Pete would want to use them.

Now I just need a £3k red DW kit and I can pretend I'm Pete.
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Re: Pete Thomas - session work/interview

Post by bambooneedle »

Oh, men... always obsessed with their sticks....
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