Sunday, August 2, 2009

MAX LEE OF L.A. ROCKS


Max Lee is the brilliant 18 year old drummer for the musical duo ‘LA ROCKS’, along with his younger brother Dillon Scott (just 14) on guitar. They are intent on making their mark in the music scene with a fresh style and unique sound. One of the most interesting and unique aspects of the fledgling artists is that are just a two-piece band; drums and guitar (a la White stripes).

Max started drumming when he was eight years old, while growing up in Hollywood, California. His musical journey has quickly spanned from family jams in the living room, to playing gigs at the historical ‘Whiskey-a-Go Go’, and other venues on the LA strip. Max and his brother have also been knocking out larger audiences, being the opening act for their father, also an excellent drummer, and one of the funniest guys out there; Mr. Andrew Dice Clay.

Max tells the Drum Dungeon "What initially made me want to play drums was always seeing my dad behind his kit. So when I asked him to teach me one day it was initially just a little kid seeing his dad do something, and wanting to emulate him. For the first couple of years, it was just about playing for fun and enjoyment. Then, as I got a little older and started to really develop some skill, I began taking my drumming more seriously".

Other than grabbing some chops from dear old dad, Max has had a few other teachers of note. Legendary drummer Carmine Appice is one in particular that Max credits with impacting his technical ability and playing style tremendously. “I gotta be honest; Carmine really helped me with my drum reading. We went over how to read and feel different time signatures. We went through the Ted Reed book ‘Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer’ and applied it to both our feet and hands. Carmine also taught me some straight up cool rhythms that he made up and also showed me the difference between simply hitting a drum and really cracking it (and by that I mean giving the drum a rim shot).”

Max has had many influences that have attributed to his love of drumming. Some of his classic favorites are Ginger Baker, John Bonham, and Keith Moon. Max says “I really think of Steve Adler as one of my more contemporary influences, since the sixth grade I have been listening to Guns n Roses, Led Zeppelin, and everybody rocking hard in between. I just love the energy and excitement."

The Dungeon asked Max what his thoughts are on his own style of drumming, and drums and percussion in general:

“The only thing that matters, other than keeping the song tight, is keeping up the level of energy and excitement. I'm not a fan of ‘perfect drumming’, I mean in that case, you might as well listen to a drum machine, nobody remembers or gets excited by text-book drummers. John Bonham and Keith Moon are two classic examples of what I mean; they were raw, gritty players, which is why to this day people are still talking about them. They created the excitement! And that’s what I strive to do, create excitement. I'm a rock and roll drummer, and not by simple choice. It's just who I am."

The Drum Dungeon thanks Max Lee and LA Rocks and wishes them all the best in their musical careers. You can keep up with this high energy rock band by visiting www.myspace.com/officiallarocks

No comments:

Post a Comment