Tucson Drummers: Rick Moe!!

Rick Moe, drummer for 35 Summers...now plays "prog/doom death fusion"!

SLIT: How did you get started playing drums? Are you self-taught? What songs did you practice to when you were just learning?

RM: self taught all the way. started on mom's tupperware and up graded to a snare drum in 6th grade. wanted to be pete townshend but first instrument I had access to was drums, so keith moon it was, and thank god for that.

SLIT: What kind of drums do you play? Are you in a band now? What are some of the other bands you've been in?

RM:  i play some kinda maple kit with a green wood grain laquer finish. snare with die cast hoops for extra 'crack'. in a band now called 'Bagman' - doom-prog/death fusion. other bands i've been in. umm...Dennis Mitchell and the Wilsons, 35 Summers, Plunge, the Eddie Gunther Sound, Manteca, Looseleaf, Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios to name more than a few.

SLIT:  What kind of sticks do you use? Have you ever thrown them at a show?

RM:  i use whatever sticks are cheap and/or free. preferably the medium thin sort. of COURSE i've thrown them at a show. wouldn't you?

SLIT:  What's your postion of drum solos? Drum fills?

RM: drum solos/drum fills. well, solos have their place, but I try to avoid them unless the mood calls for it, in which case, more is more. as for fills, try and keep it simple, yet devastating. less is typically more with fills.

SLIT:  What drummers have inspired you?

RM: drummers i have been inspired by - a few: keith moon, john bonham, ian paice, jim gordon, steve gadd, bruce halper, splat, winston watson, john convertino, marx b. loeb III.

SLIT:  Do you think that drummers should get songwriting credit for their creation of drum parts? Or is a song really just a melody?

RM: as for the song thing, i think if a song writer brings a song to practice that is completely written, it's his song. if a song is created by a band of individuals, regardless of melody, etc., the song is that group's. it's not an exact science, but it seems that common sense, not dollars and cents, is the way to go in figuring that one out.

SLIT:  If you were stuck on a desert island, and all you had were your drumsticks, what would you do??

RM:  jesus, i guess i'd keep my chops up ad infinitum. or maybe i'd carve the latitude and longitude of the island on the sticks along with an s.o.s. and set them adrift in the hopes of someone finding them.