Who's going to TUDW this year?

[DoubleBass_Rob]

You better believe I'll be there. Looking forward to Thomas Lang in particular, that guy is a FREAK!!!

[TUDW]

Thomas lang this year for the absence for virgil. That Sonor Bass Pedal is one freaky object. Yes i am going.

[morgenthaler]

You lucky bastards!!
Let us know how it went!

[Christopher]

I saw that sonor pedal. I thought I was in the Matrix or something! :)

Does Thomas Lang use that pedal?

[DoubleBass_Rob]

Does he use it???? He uses the twin effect on woodblocks to play high speed ostenatos.

[morgenthaler]

Yeah he´s quite a bad-ass with that pedal....some would call it cheating, but his hands are also quite stupid around the kit.... look out for that guy!

[DoubleBass_Rob]

I wouldn't call it cheating, in fact he's making things harder! To make ostenatos more busy and complex.

[kirk]

I would not neccessarily call it cheating but it is easier for sure, I have tried the pedal and having 2 beater action with one pedal is easier than having to execute 2 traditional motions, plus Lang does not do alot of traditional double motions with his left he is doing the doubles mainly with the right pedal ala Dennis chambers single with left,doubles with the right, definitely takes more work and effort to BLAZE with one beater than 2, would like to see Virgil with the pedal knowing how advanced his feet are with the traditional motion, he could pull off 3 or 4 strokes with that pedal.

Regards Kirk

[Fat Mike]

I dunno if this is true...but didnt alex van halen do something like that for "hot for teacher"?
if anyone knows the real story behind that...please do tell!

[jimi]

If i was to listen to Lang for the first time, what should i get/watch??

[kirk]

From what I have heard and seen of Lang, what is most impressive(to me) is not his Interdependence or hand speed or overall complexity, I think Virg, Minneman and Mangini are the most advanced in those areas. What stands out to me is his very consistent clean sound which comes from terrific precision, he is very fluid like Virgil he has a real nice finesse to his playing and has some killer feet, again not as overall advanced as Virgil but real clean and consistent and fluid more than technically amazing, there are faster more complex guys but Thomas has great control(again great precision and consistency and fluidity in his execution) with hands and feet and is very musical when soloing but his dexterity and interdependence do not BLOW me away but he is still great in those areas. I think Jeppe could give you more info, I beleive he has seen him recently(months ago maybe). Could be wrong.

Regards Kirk

[morgenthaler]

No Kirk I agree with you pretty much!
I do however think that his hands are pretty stupid, but maybe he didn't display that as much when you saw him...
His strongest point is his execution, in which he is the one drummer getting closest to Virg in my opinion. I think you can't compare their double bass drum work, coz they have a totally different approach. I would love to hear Lang in a musical situation. Have only seen him in clinics.

[jonberg]

I also saw Lang in March this year and i have it on video. Watching back to it, the guy who impressed me the most was Minneman. Langs playing is, as you say, very precise...but I don´t think either that he has the feet of Virgil, or the interdependence.

One cool thing though, that he did on the clinic...was playing double strokes with both hands and feet,but in opposite tempos, one slow and one fast and then gradually switch the tempos, ritardando and accelelerando...and he had pretty good doublestrokes in the feet, couldn´t hear it to well, cause it was a big room, but it looked ok. I think I´ve seen Dennis Chambers do something like that before, not with doubles in the feet though :)

Jeppe,did you buy any of Minnemans CDs on the clinic??
I bought his latest record, "Orange" something, and I was more impressed seeing him all by himself, than listening to the record...it wasn´t my kind of music, maybe I just gotta listen more to it...

[morgenthaler]

I have "Time" but i don't like it very much...
I am not a big fan of his drumming,- though it is very very impressive. Does that make any sence..?

[Holand]

I think it makes perfect sense jeppe. You could listen to a drummer beating the hell out of his drums, but it doesn't mean that what he's playing is cool. It's about musicality.
I wouldn't know anything about Minnemanns musical aproach in his drumming.
The only thing I've heard is an album w/ Freaky Funkin' Weirdoz that I picked up secondhand once. When I listen to it I understand why the guy who had it before me sold it...
I have yet to hear Lang and Rabb play.
I thought I had an exelent opportunity when I heard that they were doing a clinic together, only to find out that they went directly from Sweden to Danmark and skipped Norway ("yay...").
I'll end this post by repeting jimi's question :
If i was to listen to Lang (+minnemann & Rabb) for the first time, what should i get/watch??

[jimi]

Haven'y heard Rabb either but i have a half hour solo of Minnemann from a Rotterdam Expo in '00. It very technical, good ideas, and a bit of wow, wish i could do that(!) but nothing that hooks me half as much as Virg's soloing/music. Ordered his Interdepence book, so maybe that's his best output for the drumming world?

All i've heard of Rabb is he has a good one-handed roll technique.

So any suggestions for what Rabb/Lang stuff Holand and i should watch/listen to???