2012 interview with Ken Lingad about his Drum Gear

WOW! Came across this old interview from February 29, 2012 on Facebook — can’t believe the last 10 years flew by so fast! My selection of gear has changed a little — not too much — but some things never will. See here for current set-up.

Enjoy the following read:

1680 Artists agent Natalia Livingston sat down for a few minutes with Yamaha Drums Artist Ken Lingad to ask about his gear and groove.  Here are some excerpts:

NATALIA LIVINGSTON: How long have you been playing professionally, and how long have you been a Yamaha Performing Artist?

KEN LINGAD: Wow...now I'll sound old [LAUGHS] - almost 25 years making money [LAUGHS]...Yamaha signed me to their artist/clinician roster in '91 - been with them ever since.

NL: What are you most recognized for from a musical perspective by your peers and colleagues in the music industry?

KL: I've always tried to lay down a solid groove for other musicians to springboard off of.  I don't get in their way with a fill every other bar.  I fill according to what I think is fatihfully appropriate to the integrity of the style.  If it is an R&B tune, foundation is everything, not soloing.  If it is a salsa tune, I remain faithful to the established clave' feel. The cats I play with tend to appreciate that.

NL: I've noticed a lot of drummers have attended your recent shows at Jazzbah in Albuquerque.  What do drummers talk about with you when you're on break between sets?

KL: All sorts of secret drummer stuff...[LAUGHS]...usually what gear I use and why do I set up a particular way, how I get my drums to sound the way they do - questions like that.  Other times, we just shoot the shit.  One of my favorite drummers of all time is a local cat - John Bartlit.  He is a few years older than me, but we were in the UNM Music Department at the same time.  I DIG HIS PLAYING! When he shows up, we always talk about the old days and what not.  It is so nice to get feedback from my peers and friends whom I respect as musicians - a real blessing.

NL: So, you hang out with drummers a lot?

KL: Actually, no.  Not at all, unless I'm in Los Angeles or Nashville.  I mostly hang out with guitarists and bass players - always have, actually.  There's a great young guitarist I've been hanging out with - Claudio Tolousse Perez - really dig his sound.  I'm blessed to have my Sez Who bandmates to hang out with, because they are so damned good at what they do.

NL: You mentioned "gear" earlier.  Tell me more about your gear.

KL: I use different Recording Custom and old-school Maple Custom - I never used the Absolute series - Yamaha kits depending on where I am and what type of gig I'm on.  Lately, I've been mainly using a tiny bop kit for the Jazzbah gigs.  It's a small jazz club, so I tried the newer Yamaha Stage Custom Birch drums for a night because I didn't want to ship my Recording Customs from the east coast for two gigs...and ended up keeping them! After spending a few minutes tuning them, they sounded perfect.

For all of the kits I almost always use the Yamaha 800-series mid-weight hardware.  I haven't needed heavy-duty cymbal stands since the mid-80s when I actually used rack systems and cages - mainly because my physical style and approach has changed over the years.  For the smaller jazz gigs, I sometimes use the student model hardware because it is so light, and I am not a "basher" - meaning I don't hit the plates [cymbals] hard.  I have used a variety of kick drum pedals from DW to AXIS and Yamaha's high-end chain drives, but always go back to a mid-level strap-driven Yamaha.  I love the old-school Yamaha pedals, but if the gig calls for it, I'll use a Yamaha 9500-series double pedal.

For plates, I don't religiously stick to one brand - I've played most of them, and had endorsement agreements with most of them at one time or another - but I don't think there is a "one stop shop" for metallic sounds anymore.  I still love my Zildjian K Darks, but I do use Sabian and Paiste Signatures from time-to-time.  My jazz cymbals of choice right now are Bosphorus Hammers - all of them.  No matter the gig, I am sticking - no pun intended - primarily with larger 15" thin hi-hats.

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Don Henley Talks New Album Release, Cites The Dillards As Major Influence

Music luminary, Don Henley, has been fielding tons of print, radio, and television interviews to promote his latest release, Cass County, and I am honored and proud to report he's also one hell of a super fan of the super group I manage and produce: The Dillards.

While noting his intention to explore his musical roots and inspiration with the new album's works - which also features many other artists who were directly influenced by The Dillards: Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Dixie Chicks, et al - Henley continues to highly regard Rodney Dillard and The Dillards, citing the legendary bluegrass group as a major influence in his musical direction, and also that of his mothership band, The Eagles.

...the Dillards did it first. That first album — the Dillards’ album called Wheatstraw Suite, which came out in 1968 — was as a very influential album in my life … as was Jesse Winchester’s first album. I was a big fan of the Dillards. In fact, I drove through a snowstorm to hear them play in Fort Worth back in 1968. … I just thought it was the most interesting song and they were an interesting band.

Read the latest interview with CMT here.

Making American Music History...Again

Really excited to be a part of the production team behind the long-awaited album from legendary bluegrass super group The Dillards! It is truly a passion-driven project, and I'm honored to work with Rodney Dillard - the man Rolling Stone magazine hails as "The Father of Modern Bluegrass and Rock Music".

It started from a statement I made to Rodney, saying "I want to take a reinvigorated Dillards brand to the doorstep of every man, woman, and child on the earth in the way they individually receive information: digital distribution to wireless devices and streaming services, in addition to the traditional brick and mortar outlets, satellite and terrestrial radio, and television broadcasts which have been the standard for years."

Step One, of course, was having content. 

After a few attempts to "jell" with a couple of Nashville producers of varying notoriety and skills, I encouraged Rodney to connect on our mutual behalf with an engineer who had expressed a desire to someday work with Rodney during a backstage conversation the two had when Rodney and The Dillards were being inducted into the International Bluegrass Association (IBMA) Hall of Fame a while back. 1680Entertainment hired the engineer, engaging him to also produce the album. 

And here I am - writing this first blog entry sitting in the studio, while guitar virtuoso Anthony Wray is delivering a smoking banjo solo...

Here are some excerpts from The Dillards' brand-spankin'-new EPK for your enjoyment:

The Dillards 2015

Rodney Dillard – music history legend, recording artist, and speaking talent – is overwhelmingly credited as the “father of modern bluegrass.” Most recognized for his contributions to the world music stage with the band he founded with his brother Douglas – The Dillards – Rodney Dillard remains a significant figure in the fabric of the American Music tapestry.

Noted as being the first bluegrass ensemble to introduce electric instruments in the mid-1960s, they are considered to be one of the pioneers of the burgeoning Southern California Folk Rock, Country Rock and Progressive Bluegrass genres, and are credited with directly influencing artists such as The Eagles, The Byrds, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Elton John, and scores of other well-known acts of the last fifty years. In 1972, Elton John cited The Dillards as his “musical inspiration,” actually requesting the band’s addition to the bill during John’s first U.S. tour.

Rodney Dillard and The Dillards band cemented their place in American popular culture performing musically as members of the fictional “Darling” family on multiple seasons of The Andy Griffith Show, introducing bluegrass music to the vast majority of Americans and audiences around the world who had never heard it.

Today, Rodney Dillard and his wife, noted clawhammer-style banjo artist Beverly Cotten-Dillard, continue to blaze new paths on the world music scene with his unique brand of “DILLARDGRASS,” having recently reunited with fellow Dillards band alum and noted multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Gilkinson. Other Dillards personnel include: noted bluegrass guitar and banjo authority, Tony Wray; double bassist Gary J. Smith; champion fiddle player and mandolin ace, George Giddens; with Ken Lingad handling the rhythm duties, playing drum set, electronic drum loops, and hand/foot percussion.

With over twenty albums as a recording artist, multiple single cuts, two Grammy nominations, and the syndicated longevity of his stint on the Andy Griffith Show, Dillard is currently finishing the long-anticipated new album – a full-length tour de force Executive Produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning Artists’ Manager Ken Lingad for 1680Entertainment, and a handpicked musical posse of the hottest talents.

Look for The Dillards on their upcoming 2016 world tour in support of their forthcoming full-length album release, tentatively titled The Dillards - Old Road New Again.

ABOUT THE NEW DILLARDS ALBUM

Overwhelmingly recognized as the “father of modern bluegrass,” Rodney Dillard is currently putting the finishing touches on the album his worldwide fans have demanded for decades. Tentatively and simply titled The Dillards, the new release will feature the signature sound that Rodney Dillard is known for crafting.

Executive Produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning Artists’ Manager Ken Lingad for 1680Entertainment, the album will feature 12 brand-new tracks cut by The Dillards and a handpicked musical posse of the hottest talents. The music is best described as a “genre-defying combination of the signature ‘Dillards Sound’ and fresh explorations in Americana.” Loyal fans of the legendary group will have their appetites thoroughly satisfied by several bluegrass “burners,” while new listeners will fall in love with The Dillards’ diverse sonic palette.

The rest, as they say, is history – actually, Rodney Dillard and The Dilllards have already made history. Now they’re doing it…again.

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THE DILLARDS 2015 with their Manager/Executive Producer/Drummer, Ken Lingad - Photo: John Brown Photography - Nashville