Drums
The rest of the band is doing things to make the song
exciting. The drummer has to keep time along with the
bass player or the song will break down. Many of the beats that Roger is called upon to play each night are
very intricate. He not only makes the beat for the
entire band but has to know all of the dynamic and
swing changes. This sounds like an easy task but these
changes are all done at the spur of the moment. There
is no set up of the songs other than a start and ending.
The rest of the songs are how the soloist or vocalist are
feeling at the moment. Roger has To read these feelings
and change accordingly along with being joined at the
hip with the bass player. If this sounds like a tough
position... It is!!.. But he pulls it off like he was born to
it.
It gets interesting each night when the lead singer,
Dave, comes to the stage. His special phrasing is such
that if Roger listens to the song as a whole, it will bring
him off the beat. Dave has said that "Roger is one of the
few drummers that he can phrase that way without the
entire band ending up in a wreck". A solid feel for the
music and the ability to read the minds of the other
members is what makes Roger one half of the rock-solid
rhythm section. The reason the band can use dynamics
with so much feeling is because of Roger and Tony's
hard work and love for the music. A very special
connection that everyone in the crowd feels and
grooves. To.
