Name: Laura Conway
Age: 25
From: London, England

Current bands: Kennedy, Sandy Chila
Previous bands: (All from London) Candyheads (with ex PIL guitarist Ted Chau); Leo Sidal (Produced by the Verve guitarist and Killing Joke bassist "Youth"); Aquiessence (produced by Sade producers Robin Millar and Mike Pela); sessions for boy band Westlife at The Brit Awards … here in the USA: Lady Courtney Jordan.

Discography: Kennedy "Radical" 7' Limited Edition; Kennedy "Mama Made Me A Pimp" EP; Kennedy "Live" @ Abbey Road Studios w/Jon Brion from "Pink Afros" EP; Candyheads "Mr Bluesky" CD Single; Kennedy video's "Eat The Rich", "Mama Made Me A Pimp" and “Wake Up Motherf***er"; Candyheads Video "Falling Down".

Favourite Beats/Licks: "My Sherona" by The Knack – it’s all about the drums! Someone actually told me that the song was written around the drum part! Nice. "Fool in The Rain" by Led Zeppelin – I love everything about this song. The drums are sooo groovy, so are the vocals, guitar, bass, the Latin breakdown - EVERYTHING! "Can’t Stop till you Get Enough" by Michael Jackson - what a great solid groove! "Say Goodbye" by the Dave Matthews Band - I would love to see this song played live for the drums. If you've heard it you know why…

Email: Lauraconway78@hotmail.com
Website: www.therhythmsolution.com

When you think drumming, Michael Jackson may not be the first name that comes to mind – but that’s where Laura Conway started. Since playing along to Bad and Thriller in her early years, Laura has managed to follow her passion and create a career doing what she loves. Laura’s drumming has taken her from the practice room, to the pub, to the Brit Awards, into the boardroom, and from the United Kingdom to the United States. Set down your sticks and take a moment to read. Laura’s got a lot to share.

DG: What inspired you to play drums, and how old were you when you started?
LC: I have no idea - I wish I did though because that’s what most people tend to ask! All I remember is asking my parents for a drum kit when I was 9 and them telling me that if I was still interested after some time, for my next birthday they’d figure something out. I got my first drum kit when I was 10.

DG: How did you learn to play?
LC: I taught myself. I loved listening to pop tunes from what I was hearing on the radio, and then my dad came home one night after work with the Def Leppard "Hysteria" album - I think I wore the tape out! From then on it was all about me being in a room with my drum kit, my Walkman, headphones and Michael Jackson's "Bad" and "Thriller" albums!

DG: What was your first kit?
LC: My first kit was a white 5 piece "Thunder" kit. I remember going to pick it up from a music shop in Southend-on-sea (by the beach, an hour outside London).

DG: What kind of kit do you play on now?
LC: I'm lucky enough to be endorsed by Peace Drums here in the USA - thank you Kevin!

DG: How long were you playing before you played a gig?
LC: I played in school concerts from the age of 11, so I'd been playing for a year. But I played my first semi-pro gig in a pub called The Globe at 14. It was in a really rough area in East London called Hackney. My parents took me, everyone else in the band was 18-20, we played pop/rock covers for two 45 minute sets every other Friday night, and I got paid 15 pounds!

DG: What style of drums/percussion do you play?
LC: It’s actually the first time I've played a 4 piece kit. It’s the "Babylon" model: 14”, 16”, 18”, and 22”. And I have an endorsement with RhythmTech and Latin Percussion for a separate project that I am working on. They both have great-sounding percussion and I definitely want to begin to incorporate percussion into my kit - Yves (Kennedy's guitarist) has been begging me for cowbell! I always use percussion in the studio though.

DG: What are your favorite sticks?
LC: I'm endorsed by Avedis Zildjian so I play the Mike Mangini signature stick - I discovered them by accident actually, but they are great - really solid, but not bulky.

DG: Do you get intimidated when you go in a drum store?
LC: Sometimes. I had a really off-putting experience in a drum store in London once. The sales assistant was so patronizing I left the store feeling like I had no idea about my own instrument and I was so frustrated.

DG: Have you ever taken lessons? If so, where? Would you recommend lessons to others?
LC: Well, if I'm honest, I was kicked out of music school when I was 11 and it put me off completely. I was the youngest, was given the triangle to play in the orchestra, and so I would sneak into the practice booths after school and got caught - I was so desperate to express myself behind the kit, and the triangle just wasn’t enough for me at that time. When I was 19 though I went to Drumtech, a drum school in London, for a year. I mainly enrolled so I could meet other drummers and get some structure to my playing – i.e., rudiments and concepts. Although I could see how all of the technical stuff could open up my playing, I was hearing most of the students sounding very similar and not developing their own style and sound. I was definitely pleased that I had those two elements to my playing, even if I wasn't as technically capable.

DG: Having started off young and achieving success early on, what led you to enter DrumTech?
LC: I entered Drumtech mainly to learn more about what it takes to be a better all-round drummer, mix with other drummers, check out the business side of things, improve my playing, studio techniques etc - basically see what I had missed out on having been self-taught up until then.

DG: Having the experience of DrumTech, do you have an opinion on formal training? What do you feel the schooling added to your drumming?
LC: Drumtech gave me more focus as a player. I had a lot of compliments about my powerful style as a female drummer and was encouraged by the tutors not to lose that. It definitely gave me confidence more than anything to keep playing how I had naturally up until then, being self-taught. I think with any formal training, you should take out of it what feels right for you and leave the rest behind.

DG: In the business, have you found the Drumtech certification to be helpful in finding gigs or session work?
LC: Actually, it hasn't been useful at all in practical terms, but it was a huge part of me getting an Artist visa! Being certified definitely counts on paper but not at auditions.

DG: Do you think being a woman in a male-dominated profession has been a help, a hindrance, or neither? Why?
LC: In my experience, both a help and a hindrance. When I was in London, I was mostly hired for TV shows for playback - which basically means that they want the visual effect of seeing breasts behind the drums as opposed to a good drummer to play the part…but then when you play a good show and people come up to you and are complimentary about seeing a good female drummer, it feels great. I've learnt that it's about taking what you can get from an experience, making it count, and moving on.

DG: Who are your current influences?
LC: Current influences are John Bonham, Taylor Hawkins, and I just discovered a great drummer from a band called Calexico - I went to see a show of theirs with my girlfriend recently in LA and I couldn't take my eyes of the drummer!

DG: Was there ever anything that kept you from playing?
LC: There was a time in my teens that I just lost interest in playing drums. I hardly ever went into the room that they were kept in and I think I even put them in cases. This happened on and off for about 2 [or] 3 years.

DG: Do you have a day job? If so, what is it?
LC: I have a company here in Los Angeles called The Rhythm Solution. We are a group of professional drummers that take drums and percussion into the workplace and schools and give a rhythm workshop to boost morale and creative potential, help employees manage stress, and lower staff turnover. It’s had amazing response and support from companies and its endorsers, Latin Percussion, Zildjia, and RhythmTech. Everyone wants to bash a drum don't they? I am very excited! Check out the site and let me know what you think – www.therhythmsolution.com. Also, I have started to write for a new drummer's magazine called DRUMMER, mostly about my experiences coming to America and the differences between here and the UK.

DG: What drumming resources (stores, books, teachers, magazines, etc.) do you recommend?
LC: I've never been big on magazines, videos, etc. My biggest inspiration comes from going to shows and seeing drummers and their equipment and sounds, etc. But I highly recommend Drummergirl readers check out Drummer magazine - of course!

DG: Do you have any touring stories you’d like to tell us?
LC: Tours so far for me equal cold, damp, rain, uncomfortable seats, smelly sweaty shirts, McDonalds and no money - but I love to travel! And I would love for my perception to change!

DG: Your resume is extensive. How do you approach entering a new situation, especially where you’re stepping into an existing band, such as Kennedy? How do you keep true to the original recordings or performances yet still infuse your style into the music?
LC: Sometimes it can be tough because the other musicians are used to hearing the drums played in a certain way, but it’s not necessarily how you hear the part - but you just have to be diplomatic and earn your "input" value in the beginning and then bring your own style to the music as a whole. When there is good on and off stage chemistry it’s priceless. There's no explanation for your part - you just play it and it’s what you all want to hear. Kennedy and Yves are great! At the end of the day, we all want hear the song sound as best as it can!

DG: What do you find there is a difference between the UK drumming scene and the West Coast/US drumming scene?
LC: My experience as a drummer here on the West Coast scene has been 100% positive. I feel like I'm in the right place to have a career playing drums. I'm not sure whether it’s my accent or what, but people are much more excited about seeing a female drummer and wanting to point you in the right direction. The London scene felt far too static for me. I'm sure it’s a very personal thing, but I am definitely much happier and feel like I'm making waves playing drums here in the US.

DG: Working in so many different situations, do you ever get stuck for ideas or beats?
LC: Sometimes I think, “This is what I would automatically play for this song, but I'm already playing that same beat for another song.” But for me it’s all about the "feel" for the beat. I think you can make the same beat sound very different in 2 songs purely by feel.

DG: On the business side, what does it take to be a sought-after drummer? How do you put yourself out there or does luck really decide what gigs come your way?
LC: Depending on who you are, I am the best and the worst on the business side of things! I never leave it up to anyone to call me. I'm the one that drives people nuts and makes 10 calls to the same person until I get hold of them to find out if they need a drummer or just to let them know that I'm available for work or invite them to a show or something! At the end of the day, it’s up to me to let people know that I'm out there and worth hiring, you know. So if I don’t do it, who will?

DG: What are your aspirations as a drummer?
LC: I want to have a career playing the drums, have success with The Rhythm Solution, and give back to the important people who have supported me for so long.

DG: What would you be doing if you weren't a drummer?
LC: I'm crazy about animals, especially dogs. I'd love to have my own Dog Rescue Centre.

DG: Is there anything else you'd like to say to all the up and coming Drummergirls?
LC: I would say to all the up and coming Drummergirls, “Pursue what you love in life - and if that’s drums for you, then always make what you do your own. In every industry there are ups and downs and, although it can be tough, the feeling from the ‘ups’ are priceless!”

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Jeffrey Hagan lives and works near Baltimore, MD. He plays guitar and sings in a cover band, but as Laura says, “everybody wants to bash a drum.” And Jeff’s no exception.

© September, 2004 Happy Mazza Media, LLC.
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