Issue 11 - Mark Guiliana - February 2020

INTERVIEWS LESSONS ARTICLES
ISSUE 11
February 2020
online lessons
THE PARADIDDLE
Now available!
ARTICLES & REVIEWS
DO YOU NEED A
QUALIFICATION
By Warren van Wyk
GET INSPIRED WITH
SOCIAL MEDIA
Interviews & features
By Jonathan Ulman
JUDE KENRICK
Easy Freak
RICCO MABUELA
M ARK
GUILIANA
Kwesta
WE ARE ALSO PROUD TO INTRODUCE OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE, REDONE FROM THE GROUND UP

ISSUE 11
30
Mark Guiliana
(Beat Music)
CONTACT US
Let us know who you would like to see in future issues.
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Editor’s Letter
New Year, New Me!
Can you believe that it is a new year once
again? Firstly, we would like to thank every
one of our readers for the incredible support in
2019. We had so much growth from 16 000 new
followers on Instagram and a lot more readers,
so thank you!! We are so grateful for every one
of you that supports us because this would never
be possible without you guys. We are incredibly
excited to take things to the next level in
2020. LET’S TURN UP THE HEAT!!
Have you guys seen the new website? We
worked hard last year to really up our game,
and that came with a whole new website design.
We are so excited about the new look, and
we can’t wait to share the new content that we
have been working on. We are going to work extremely
hard this year on taking the South African
drum scene to a whole new level!
There are some exciting clinics that we will
be working hard on to confirm this year, so
watch this space! If you would like to be kept up
with everything going on in the SA Drummer
camp, be sure to sign up for our newsletter.
We will be putting an extreme amount of focus
on education this year. We have our own
filming studio now, so we will be working on a
lot more online lesson content for you guys.
This issue is packed with a whole lot of
drumming goodness. ENJOY!!
WARREN VAN WYK
EDITOR
WvW
PHOTOGRAPHY: DENEKA PENISTON
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 5

Ricco
Mabuela
The Lion
By Warren van Wyk
8 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

All Photography by:
Samela Sibusiso

Ricco Mabuela
Yo
Ricco. Thank you for your
time! How are things in
your world?
First of all, I’d like to
thank you guys for this interview, highly
appreciated. To answer your question
, my world right now is filled with positive
people around me who support me
and are making sure I’m on top of my
game, mentally, spiritually, and physically.
Positive vibes!
What inspired you to pick up the sticks?
No one really taught me how to play.
I was born with this gift, and coming
from a musical background, it helped
shape my skills. My mother always
tells the story that when music would
come on the radio or tv, I would tap to
the rhythm and, at some point, play exactly
what the drummer was playing.
Crazy right? From there, they knew I
had a gift, so by the time I turned 7, my
uncle took me to his band rehearsals.
That was where my world opened up.
My uncle was a jazz drummer and guitarist,
and it so happened that when he
took me to rehearsals that day, the primary
drummer wasn’t there. My uncle
told me to hop on the kit and follow his
lead. From there, the beast was born. I
knew that playing drums was what I
was supposed to do and be the greatest
of all time. I started playing in church,
and with knowledge of jazz music and
gospel, I infused those two styles in my
playing! So yea, the church has really
helped me sharpen my gift a lot.
Not only do you play drums, but you are
an active composer?
Yes, you are correct. I studied music
composition at AFDA, but I started composing
my own music in high school,
though. My focus is film composition
at the moment.
Who are your influences locally and internationally?
Locally: Joshua “J-Star” Zacheus, Refilwe
“fifsta-the superstar” Mofokeng,
Sabu, Sinikiwe Mabaso, Warren van
Wyk, Tshegofatso Yeni, Nkanyezi “Mr.
Pocket” Cele, Xivo Manzini, Daniel Van
Niekerk, Fundile FD Dlamini and Myself
to name a few.
International: Ronald Bruner Jr,
Tony Royster Jr, Devon Taylor, Chris
Coleman, and Aaron Spears.
When you are watching a drummer perform,
what catches your attention first?
Ooh, being themselves and not trying
to sound like someone else just to impress
me or any other musician watching
them, basically, their presence on
the stage. A bonus would be the drum-
mer knowing and playing the parts
with a little flair!
Who are some of the earlier artists you
worked with that you feel put you on the
map?
There are a few artists I played for that
really helped me get into the industry,
and we are still friends till today. Bucie
(queen of house), Shekhinah, M-Coopay,
Lucille Slade, Thabsi, and Carlo Mombelli.
How did you land the gig with Kwesta,
10 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

“my world right now is
filled with positive people
around me who support me
and are making sure I’m on
top of my game, mentally,
spiritually, and physically.”
and how long have you been with him?
So how I got this gig was through Refilwe
Mofokeng (music Director at that
time). I remember the day before my
birthday, I posted a video of myself
playing on Facebook. I was chopping
the hell out of that song. He was really
impressed, so he called me up and
basically said he wants me to play for
Kwesta. That was January 2016, and I’ve
been with him ever since. Also, shout
out to my big brother Tshego AMG (Almighty
guitarist) for some of the doors
he’s been opening for me too! We on to
something big!
Do you play for anyone else, or is your focus
primarily on Kwesta?
Kwesta has become more of a big brother
to me, so it would only be right to
stick with him. I also play for Kid X
when needed. Other artists I play for or
played for are FlameSA, Sho Madjozi,
Nolo, African Inspired Voices.
I am sure you have traveled a lot and
seen many awesome places playing with
Kwesta?
Yea, at some point, we did a tour where
we flew entire South Africa in 4 days.
Crazy! We’ve traveled to a few African
countries and American states. We just
need to do Europe now! We’ve had opportunities
where we went on tour with
USA rapper T.I and also had the privilege
of sharing the stage with USA rappers;
Wale, Rich Hommie Quan, and
Rick Ross. So that’s one of the highlights
of touring/traveling with Kwesta.
How do you approach playing live with
Kwesta? Does he give you a lot of free-
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 11

Ricco Mabuela
Energies Attract
Energies If you come Attract with
If positive you come energies, with
positive your performance energies,
your and the performance people
and around the you people feed off
around of it, especially you feed the
off artist of and it. band.
12 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

Ricco Mabuela
FOLLOW
RICCO MABUELA
instagram.com/ricco7_drums
14 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

dom to express yourself, or do you focus
on playing the parts that are on the album?
My approach goes both ways. I am required
to play the exact grooves you
hear, altered here and there. That is expected
of me because it makes him and
the band comfortable and makes it easier
to remember where the chorus and
verse is. They also let me do what I love
to do, which is playing on accents and
also playing chops and licks, just to
add character to the song, so it doesn’t
sound like one constant repeating
beat. Power, Speed, and Groove.
Playing hip hop can be tricky, seeing as
the parts on the records are usually programmed.
How do you go about applying
these parts on an acoustic drumkit?
Yeah! Hip hop is very tricky, to those
who think it is. But for some weird reason,
I don’t use triggers or samples. I
just tune my kit to the type of set we
are doing. I play everything you hear
on the record on the drums. I believe it
enhances the drums and makes them
sound big. Sometimes though, I do use
drum pads to add sounds to the set.
This year, I’m working on building a
hybrid kit that will incorporate other
sounds found on the records.
You are incredibly passionate about
drumming, and this comes across in your
playing, which makes you awesome to
watch. How important do you feel it is
to bring this across to the audience and
the people you work with?
It’s very important. Energies attract,
and this is the most straightforward
rule of the universe that people, especially
performers, forget. If you come
with positive energies, your performance
and the people around you feed
off of it, especially the artist and band.
The people receive the energy, and they
send the same energy back. So it’s a
back and forth thing.
But I’m not saying be over the top.
There’s a big difference between entertaining
and “doing too much,” basically
leaving people confused. Be entertaining
but also be professional about
it.
What do you feel are the keys things to
focus on if you are pursuing a career as a
professional drummer, and what do you
think are the things you should avoid at
all costs?
You should continuously learn new
music, work on your attitude and learn
to respect time (always be at rehearsals
or a show 30 minutes or an hour early)
Always be yourself; don’t try to mimic
another drummer or musician. Trust
me, you’ll get praised, but you won’t
get any work.
Respect your craft by investing in
it, research, practice, connect with
people who are better than you at your
craft so you can learn and be better.
Brand yourself! You are no longer
an individual; you’re a brand.
Then, on the other side, you should
avoid learning music on the day of rehearsals,
lies, being Mr or Mrs “know
it all.” and lastly over booking yourself.
Trust me; it doesn’t end well! You’ll be
deemed unreliable!
Any advice that you would like to give
the upcoming drummers out there?
I would say play from the heart, don’t
let anything or anyone stand in the
way of your success and destiny. God
has your back and put your trust in
him more than anything. God can do
what no man can, and only he can open
doors that many men tried to open. -
The lion
The important question. Speckled eggs
or Jelly tots?
Speckled eggs bro! Didn’t even think
twice.
“play from the heart, don’t
let anything or anyone stand
in the way of your success
and destiny. Positive vibes!”
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 15

Articles
Do you
actually
need a
Qualification
When it
comes to
music
By Warren van Wyk
There is always a big debate about
whether you should get your qualifications
in music or not? Did I study
music and receive qualifications?
Yes, I did, but I can honestly say that
I have never had to use them. Do I
think music education is important?
Hell yes, but I don’t feel it is vital
to get your qualifications. That
also depends on what you want to
do, but we will touch on that later.
I have worked with a lot of top artists
in South Africa, and not once
has anyone of them asked whether
I have qualifications or not. I can
guarantee you that if you don’t have
any qualifications in music and you
play better, are more professional,
easier to get on with, and more reliable
then the guy that has the degree,
you will 100% get the gig.
So you may ask why I got my
qualifications when I don’t really
feel the need for them, and that is
a good question. I never wanted to
study music for the piece of paper,
ever. For me, it was more for the material
and the fact that I had a way
to leave school (Yes, I left school in
Grade 9, haha) and follow my passion
at a young age and have a little
head start. I was not too fond of
school; nothing was relevant to me.
I was dead sure at that young age
that I wanted to do music full time,
so getting the opportunity to be
exposed to music education every
day was a no brainer. It was a tough
one to bring up with my parents,
though. They were really supportive
of the fact that I was going to pursue
music as a career one day, but being
normal parents, they wanted me to
finish school first. That was until I
came up with a genius plan:
Warren: Hey, Dad, You know that you are wasting
your money, right?
Dad: You are 15 years old. What do you mean?
Explain?
Warren: So, you know that I am going to do
music full-time when I finish school, and I am
going to go to the exact college that you don’t
want to send me to right now? And, you realize
that nothing I am learning in school is going
to apply in my life as a musician?
Dad: Yes, I fully support you doing music full
time, and I encourage that, but I just think
you should finish school first.
Warren thinks of a better angle (quickly)
Warren: Well, wouldn’t you want your son to
have a head start in life and an upper hand
above anyone his age wanting to do music?
And, don’t you think I will benefit more learning
things that I am actually going to use and
not waste time learning how to cut up a rat in
Biology class?
Dad: Where are you going with this?
Warren: Well, you do realize that if I had to
leave school now and go to a music school that
I would be done by the age of 18. If I had to
finish school first and then go to college, that
would mean that I would only finish when I
am 21, and I would have wasted time learning
things that are entirely pointless for what
I want to do. Wouldnt it be better to instead
focus that time, money, and energy on something
I am going to do with my life. Wouldn’t
you like to give your son a head start with the
career that he is actually going into and not
waste it on school? I will have a 3-year head
start if I go to college now.
Dad: Fine, let’s enroll you at music college!
Haha. Things worked out as planned.
I got my first professional gig at the
age of 18 at the end of the last year at
college.
The reason I told that story was to
show you that not once did I mention
to my dad anything about qualification.
I wanted to have a way
to start music full-time at a really
young age, so it was never about the
qualifications that I would receive.
I never cared about that. That first
professional gig came from another
student that got me to fill in for
his band when he couldn’t make it
and when he left the band the following
year, I got the call to join full
time. That gig came from just being
at college and being around music,
and that was my plan all along - not
the qualifications. The gig was also
like college for me because I learned
so much from the guys in the band.
They were hard on me and shaped
me into the drummer that I needed
to become before I pushed further.
The things I learned in that band, I
could have never learned in college,
it was real-world stuff. No qualifications
can ever give you that real-life
experience, ever. I didn’t need
to do a degree course to learn some
of the most important things I ever
learned. No class, college, or degree
will ever train you for the real world
as the real world will.
So why did I go to college? The
most important thing for me was
to learn and improve my skills as a
drummer, to learn how to network,
learn the business of music, get the
right foundations and techniques,
play with other musicians, learn
from other musicians. It was such a
16 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

killer vibe. The mentorship side of it
was great as well because you were
accountable to so many people. You
always wanted to prove to everybody
that you were one of the serious
guys there that wanted to make
a career out of it and not because it
was an easy way out of school. My
drum teacher’s name was Marcio
de Brito, and to this day, I cannot
thank him enough for the things
he showed me back then. Some of
the things I thought were useless,
but those are the things that I use
all the time now, and I couldn’t picture
not having them. That is why I
wanted to go to music college. The
piece of paper was irrelevant. It was
so unimportant that when I went to
fetch my qualification, the head of
the college even asked me why I was
bothered about it, seeing as I was
already getting very busy with gigs.
Go figure.
“what i have
experienced
in the last
decade doing
music
full-time.”
Now moving onto the part where I said it
depends on what you want to do. When guys
realize that they don’t need any qualifications
to get gigs, they then wonder if it will
be required to teach music. I have run a successful
drum school for the last 10 years. I’ve
taught hundreds upon hundreds of people
to drum. I have given thousands of classes to
beginner and advanced students, and guess
how many times I got asked for proof that I
could teach in the form of paper? Once. Yip,
that’s it! If you build your name, people will
want to study under you because you have
the experience and have a trusted name.
Now, this is where it may become more
tricky. Would you need a qualification if you
wanted to apply as a teacher at a university
or work under another music school? Yes, in
many cases, you may need that, and that is
why I say that it depends on what you want
to do. I have always wanted to work for myself
and build my own brand and business
to the point where people will trust it and
believe in my experience.
The other reason why someone might want
to get a qualification is that they may wish
to immigrate someday. That is fair enough,
but if it is only to get a qualification, then
go and study business or marketing instead.
That will be of much more use to you because
if you have that knowledge and you apply it
to your music business, you will have a huge
upper hand, and that will be so beneficial because,
at the end of the day, you are running
a business.
What we have spoken about so far covers
studying fulltime. Is it beneficial, Hell yes!! Is
going to an excellent private teacher useful?
In my opinion, part-time music training is
one of the best things to do, especially with
how much access to material we have online
today. Your private teacher should
be way more than just a teacher.
That should be your mentor, your
leader, a person who can guide you
and motivate you while helping you
become a badass drummer. These
are things you can’t get online, but
why not combine the two and take
full advantage? Learn from all that
free content you get online and take
whatever you are battling with to
your teacher. Oh, it also costs you
way less than a degree program.
In conclusion, before you make
any huge decisions, make sure you
sit down and really think about
what you want to do. If you are 100%
sure it is music, then sit again and
think about how you want to do it.
If you wish to be a great performer
and get gigs with artists or start
your own band, please don’t spend
years of your life paying to get a degree
in music. That is the most stupid
thing ever. Like I said earlier, put
that money into studying business
skills or marketing instead. If you
want to start your very own school,
then build up your experience and
your name and let that be the selling
point.
I know so many people that spent
years getting their degree in music,
and they got nowhere (in music). If
you are not the entrepreneur type,
which is ok, and you would like to
work for somebody instead, do some
research and find out what the average
level of qualification is required
before you go spend years and a load
of cash.
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 17

Easy Freak’s
JUDE KENRICK
By Warren van Wyk
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 19

Jude Kenrick
Musical Diversity
Incorporating more
than just rhythm to
his playing to achieve
uniqueness.
Jude Kenrick, the beat machine and
other half of Easy Freak, spoke to
us. Touching on being a multi instrumentalist,
doing vocals and just
having an incredible year of growth.
Heyo! Ah, it’s an absolute honour to be
chatting to you guys. Things have been
great on my end. 2019 has been an incredible
year of growth, learning, and
some of the most fun gigs.
It is always interesting to know where
things began. How did your drumming
journey begin?
I grew up in quite a musical family;
my father was a worship leader at our
church, my brother is a phenomenal
guitarist, and my mother is an excellent
singer. So I’ve been surrounded by
music my whole life, and I happened to
take to drums from a young age. There
are videos of me when I was around two
years old playing on pots and pans - the
classic cliché, haha. The most significant
impact on my journey as a musician
has been from my parents. They’ve
always supported and believed in me,
always pushing me to dream bigger and
bigger. I definitely wouldn’t be where I
am if it wasn’t for their belief in me.
Who would you say are the first drummers
that inspired you to pick up the sticks?
20 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY PREVIOUS SPREAD: MARLON DU PLOOY

“EASY FREAK has been such
a fun experience. It’s been
my first real job, first time
going full-time into music,
and it’s been an incredible
blessing.”
PHOTOGRAPHY LEFT TO RIGHT: MARLON DU PLOOY; ABO BOOI
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 21

Jude Kenrick
From day one, Vinnie Colaiuta has been
my absolute favourite drummer! He’s
always blown me away. His ability to
fit into any musical situation and do
it so effortlessly is such an incredible
skill. He’s obviously got the most ridiculous
chops, but he’s also such a musical
drummer - he plays for the music
and, to me, that’s first prize. He’s honestly
just gotten better and better!
pretty fun dynamic writing with Dom
(other half of EASY FREAK) because
the writing process is so varied. Sometimes
he’ll make a whole instrumental
track, and I’ll write a verse or chorus,
and they end up fitting, or sometimes
I’ll write an entire song with just lyrics
and melody, and we’ll take it from
there. It’s always a fun time bouncing
ideas off of each other.
Who are the current local and international
drummers that you are enjoying
and following at the moment?
There are some seriously talented drummers
in SA. I’m honoured to call some
of them my friends, guys like Riley
Ghiandari, Sphelelo Mazibuko, Werner
von Waltsleben, Bruce Baker, to name
a few. Some of the international guys
that I’ve been following for a while are
Matt Garstka, Dan Mayo, Chris Coleman,
Justin Brown, Chris Dave, Richard
Spaven, Kendrick Scott, and Mark
Guiliana. I find a lot of inspiration from
watching these guys.
We usually ask drummers if they play any
other instruments, but it is clear that you
are a multi-instrumentalist with your band
Easy Freak. Can you tell us more about EF
and how it is jumping from the drums to
other instruments?
EASY FREAK has been such a fun experience.
It’s been my first real job, first
time going full-time into music, and
it’s been an incredible blessing. I’m definitely
more of a drummer than anything
else, haha, but I did my music
degree at UKZN, and we all had to have
a basic understanding of theory and
basic keyboard skills. This knowledge
has definitely given me a broad scope
within the writing process.
Are you involved with the songwriting
process?
Yeah, it’s been a really cool experience
exploring the songwriting side of
things. I’d never done that before EASY
FREAK, and it really has opened my
eyes to different aspects of music that
I had never checked out before. It’s a
What plans are in store for Easy Freak?
We’re always writing and producing
music, whether it’s for our projects, for
other artists or for TV ads, that process
of creating is always happening. We’re
planning a couple of trips to Europe
in 2020 and will definitely be releasing
new music as well - exciting times
ahead!
Do you feel that it is important for drummers
to have an understanding of other
instruments?
I do, hey. I think that as drummers,
it’s our job to keep the music together
and to create a solid foundation for the
band. I believe we can do that with more
maturity and insight when we have an
understanding of other instruments.
You can often pick up groove ideas from
the other players in the band if you’re
mindful of it. I don’t think we have to
be able to play the other instruments
necessarily, but having that knowledge
of how they fit into the band and the
musical context is pretty important.
I played for Dilana for one of her SA tours
a while back, and she mentioned that in
Los Angeles, drummers must know how
to sing backing vocals to have the upper
hand in the industry. Have you benefitted
any extra work knowing how to play
the drums and sing?
Yeah, I think it’s 100% a valuable skill
to have. Again, I think knowing how
to drum and sing gives you a different
kind of understanding of the music.
You’re not just thinking rhythmically
but also melodically. I believe that being
able to say to someone who’s booking
you for a session that you can also
22 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY TOP TO BOTTOM: MARLON DU PLOOY; MATT MASSON

“Session playing is something
I will always do. I
love learning new music,
playing different styles
and genres, and creating
new friendships.”
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 23

Jude Kenrick
sing their songs definitely gives you
an advantage. If you can nail the drum
parts and sing backup parts on top of
that, I think there’s a good chance that
you’ll get the gig.
Are you ever booked for any gigs for the
other instruments that you play, or do you
only do gigs on drums?
I mostly do gigs on drums, haha. I can
play “producer keys” - I’m proficient
enough to write songs on it, but there
are other people out there who have
trained for that stuff,who do it 100
times better than I can. To me, it’s an
add-on to my drumming, and I’m super
content with that. Singing is definitely
something that I’m exploring a
lot more now that EASY FREAK is my
main project.
You are also active as a session drummer.
Which do you prefer: Session playing or
playing your very own music?
I really do find so much joy in doing
both, hey. It’s quite a surreal feeling
playing shows with EASY FREAK and
having a crowd sing your lyrics back to
you. It’s so humbling that people like
our music, you know. Session playing
is something I will always do. I love
learning new music, playing different
styles and genres, and creating new
friendships. It’s incredibly rewarding
when the artist feels like you’re doing
justice to their music.
We have noticed that you are playing
shows with Matthew Mole. How did this
happen?
Yeah, it’s been such a good time jamming
with Matt. What a legend! I’ve
known him for quite a while now just
from the music scene; we’ve actually
been friends for quite a few years, but I
guess our paths just never crossed musically
until this year. I moved to Johannesburg
in 2018, and setting up things
for EASY FREAK was the focus, so I intentionally
took a step back from the
session work, but I solidly came back
into the session scene from this year,
and it’s been the best!
Easy Freak
It’s surreal, playing
shows and having a
crowd sing your lyrics
back to you. It’s so
humbling.
24 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY LEFT TO RIGHT: MARLON DU PLOOY; JORDAN MILTON

Are you his permanent drummer?
I’m one of 4 drummers that Matt uses
right now. There’s Craig Durrant (Desmond
and the Tutus), Robbie Spooner
(Opposite the Other) Werner van Waltsleben
(Arno Carstens), and myself. It’s
an honour for me to be included with
these guys; they’re all such talented
drummers! We’re all part of our own
bands, so it’s cool how it all works out
that one of us is always able to do a show
with Matt.
What other bands and artists have you
played for?
I’ve had the pleasure of playing with
some incredible artists. Ard Matthews
(Just Jinjer) has been one of the most
influential people I’ve played with. He’s
taught me so much about music and
the industry, got so much love and respect
for him. I’ve done some really fun
session work with guys like John Ellis,
Arno Carstens, Majozi, Gangs of Ballet,
the Jagermeister Brass Cartel, and Steve
McKellar (Civil Twilight). The tour with
Steve McKellar is one of my fondest musical
memories; he is truly gifted. We
had some beautifully intimate shows,
and I got to explore my drumming and
singing some more with that tour. My
favourite project is my very first band
called Coals of Juniper. It’s a 3-piece
progressive instrumental act with my
brother Joel Kenrick on electric guitar
and Jono Rich (Gangs of Ballet) on bass
and keys. It’s purely about the music,
and we write what comes naturally to
us. It really is a freeing and refreshing
experience. We never released any music,
but we’re definitely going to - possibly
sometime in 2020.
Do you still get time to practice? If yes,
what is your focus?
I don’t physically practice a lot. I do keep
my chops up by doing rudiment work
every week, but I listen to a lot of music
that challenges me. I listen to a variety
of music from jazz, to hip-hop, to
metal, to classical. Right now, I’m really
into movie score music - the music
to Jurassic Park is blowing my mind! I
didn’t have a kit for a while when I was
young, so I did a lot of air-drumming,
haha. I think, in a way, it gave me the
ability to visualize what I was playing.
So to me, if I can see myself playing
something, I’m pretty confident in my
ability to carry that across to a kit.
What was the best piece of advice that
you have ever received in terms of music,
and what would be an essential piece of
advice that you would like to pass on to
other drummers?
Play for the music. It’s something I’ve
learned from playing with the guys
I’ve done sessions for. There’s always
the temptation to play a fill that we’ve
been practicing so we can show it off to
the world, but the music might only require
a simple 4-to-the-floor. If there’s
space or freedom for a fill or to show-off
a bit, then that’s awesome. It’s so valuable
to have those chops on hand if it’s
needed, but always put the song before
yourself.
Know the music, be on time, and be
a nice person to work with. If you do
those things, there’s a big chance you’ll
get booked again :)
The last important question. Do you think
drummers pull more chicks than bassists?
Haha, good one. To me, music is an expression
of who you are, so if you’re a
kind and respectful guy you won’t have
any problems impressing the ladies -
whether you’re a drummer or a bassist.
FOLLOW
JUDE KENRICK
instagram.com/judekenrickg
instagram.com/easyfreakmusic
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 25

SUICIDE NOTES AND BLOODSHOT EYES Composed by: Erick Gerber
RED HELEN
Edited by: Matt Sletcher
Layout by: Louis R. Malherbe II
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China
Crash
Crash 2
Closed
Open
Ride
Ride
Tom 1
Snare
Floor
Kick
Hi-Hat
Hi-Hat
Hi-Hat
Edge
Tom
Drum
Pedal
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MARK
GUILIANA
Taking music to the world one beat at a time
30 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

By Warren van Wyk

Mark Guiliana
Hey, Mark. Thank you so much
for taking the time out to
chat. How did your music
journey begin?
I wish that I had a better answer, actually.
I started playing when I was 15, and
there is no really good reason why, to be
honest. My parents always wanted me to
be busy, so I was mainly playing sports
and doing a bunch of different stuff. As
the sports became more competitive, I
wasn’t that into it anymore because as
it became more serious, it took the joy
away. So I gave music a try, and so far it
has turned out well. I think that I went
in with an open mind with no expectations.
I went to this guy by the name
of Joe Bergamini, who was the local
drum teacher. He is much more than
a local drum teacher. I just got lucky
that he happened to be in town. He is
an incredibly successful drummer and
teacher, and he still continues to be a
mentor for me. His teachings and the
way he delivered the information, and
his passion helped me fall in love with
the instrument and be excited to dive
in from the beginning.
Some drummers take pride in being selftaught
and not needing anyone to teach
them. What is your take on that, how important
do you feel it is to find a good
teacher and mentor?
I can’t think of one disadvantage. Even
if you think about the bigger picture, it
is one thing to have a drum teacher who
can show you the foundations, which is
essential, but the bigger picture is mentorship
and someone to help inspire
you and help you with different choices
and paths to take. I was watching MTV,
and the music I wanted to play was Nirvana,
Red Hot Chilli Peppers, etc. but
when I would see those guys play, it
felt like a whole different world, and I
didn’t feel connected. As a 15-year-old,
I couldn’t imagine any realistic path to
get me from where I was to that level.
My teacher Joe was ten years older than
me and, at the very least, was proof of
this thing being possible or becoming
a reality. It was real, I could touch his
arm and realize this was the guy that
is actually doing it, touring and making
records, and he came from a similar
situation as me.
I think guys miss that. They think of drum
lessons as only being “taught” instead of
it being a mentorship. They almost think
of it as being back at school and not becoming
a “natural” drummer.
Self-taught is still education; you are
learning somehow. If you think for
some reason that a teacher isn’t the
best way to learn, then where are you
learning from because you are learning
from some sort of teacher, whether
it’s a recording or going to see another
drummer that you admire. That is your
teacher. No matter what, you are a student
learning from a teacher, and there
are many different versions of that.
Still, as you say, the biggest thing that
you miss out on is the bigger picture of
a relationship and more of mentorship
by not having a physical teacher.
We can all agree that you are an incredibly
diverse musician. Was this natural for
you or was it hard work?
Definitely hard work, even the natural
stuff is hard work, haha. That is a good
segway because, at my first lesson, I
didn’t have my own ideas and my goals.
I was really a blank slate. To Joe, technique,
and building a strong foundation
of many different styles was really
important. So, right from the beginning,
there was an emphasis on knowing
different styles and being as fluent
as you can be as a teenager. But there
definitely has always been a priority for
that strong foundation. I can’t remember
precisely when this happened, but
the pivotal thing that occurred was allowing
all those things to live together.
When I was younger, they really stayed
in their own place. If I was working on
Jazz, then that was only a particular
part of my brain. If I was playing any
other styles, I couldn’t use any of that
Jazz stuff, or if I was working on rock, I
couldn’t let that enter my Jazz playing.
You have created quite a unique sound
and identity on the drums. Do you feel
this came from having the foundation of
all these different styles?
There were walls between all the different
styles. Over time I tried to get the
courage to allow all of these things to
live together and see what will happen
when they came together. I don’t really
see it as being unique because it is
natural to me, what comes out is what I
hear in my brain and what I hear in my
brain is a result of all these different influences
being matched up. But it wasn’t
until I allowed them to be matched up
that it became “unique.” I think the best
versions of unique are the ones where
it just kind of happened that way. The
times that I have tried to be unique were
not cool and felt forced, haha. You can
almost say that everything has been
done before and there will be nothing
new which in some ways could be sad
or you can think of it like the pressure
is off of you to do this brand new thing.
What will be the new thing is the combinations
of pre-existing things. What
I am saying is that by allowing all of
your influences to co-exist naturally,
no one could ever be the same. That is
what makes us all unique. For me, the
goal is always to support the music and
give it what it needs.
Who would you say was the musician or
band that gave you your first break?
When I was in college, I met a bass player
by the name of Avishai Cohen. I was
going to his gigs when he was playing
with Chick Corea. Jeff Ballard was playing
drums for his band at the time, and
he was one of my heroes. We started a
friendship and starting playing together.
When I finished school, he invited
me to be a part of his touring band,
and that lasted like six years. We made
5 or 6 records during that time. There
were many “firsts” with him, like making
records that someone might hear.
I have made albums before that, but I
don’t know if anybody heard them, you
know, haha. I didn’t have a passport
before that, so it was amazing to get to
32 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY PREVIOUS SPREAD: DENEKA PENISTON

“it is one thing to have a
drum teacher who can show
you the foundations, which
is essential, but the bigger
picture is mentorship and
someone to help inspire you”
PHOTOGRAPHY: SHERVIN LAINEZ
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 33

Mark Guiliana
Naturally Diverse?
It’s hard work. Even
the natural stuff is
hard work.
34 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY: SHERVIN LAINEZ

see the world. It was also about making
the music the priority over all of these
potential distractions, especially when
you are in a new place, and you want
to check so many things out. My mantra
became, “Why am I here?” I am here
to play a concert at nine o’clock. If I do
anything else, would it put me in a better
position to play that show or not? It
was really a learning experience in every
way.
There comes a time to move on from
something so you can grow and go to the
next level. I have experienced where band
leaders got upset with me for wanting to
move on. They expected me to stay with
them regardless of the amazing opportunities
that came my way. How did you approach
moving on in your career without
upsetting or offending anyone?
Yeah, I think that you have to leave with
gratitude the whole time. It shouldn’t
be that you are saying “Fuck you I am
out of here” it is more like “Thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you. I am
moving on to something else.” That is
huge; even if it’s just for yourself and
not because you are trying to make
it easier, it is just a nice way to leave.
Some amazing advice that I got when I
was stressed and it felt like the biggest
deal in the world, was a friend looking
in from the outside saying that it was
OK and that it wasn’t the biggest deal
in the world.
I think money really gets in the way.
Money is one of the most significant
contributing factors that keep people
from moving on. So, if you take money
out of the equation, does the decision
become easier? I would think so. I often
remove money from the conversation
when I am trying to make important
decisions because it can definitely be a
distraction.
Also, if you rely on how you think it
may look on your resume or what other
people might think of your choice, that
can also get slippery. But when you are
playing the music, and you feel in your
gut that you are not really there, you
got to get out of there.
Can you tell us more about your journey
as a composer?
When I was younger I was at the mercy
of playing the music of that band leader
or that group, which is awesome, but
there was also something that I wished
I could say inside of the music. I had
to create the situation for myself. How
would I do that? I would have to start
a band, call up the guys I like to play
with and write some songs. At first, the
songs were truly just a vehicle or a reason
to get together with my buddies and
play a gig and just have fun. So, composition
wasn’t the most natural process
for me, but it was a lot of fun knowing
that I had that goal in mind or a specific
destination.
Everything starts at the piano. I have
enough technique to explore harmony
and study like that. I put the stuff in
the computer eventually, so can I start
layering things to hear how it might
sound, but it is a pretty organic process.
I found that knowing where the composition
will end up helps my creativity,
especially knowing which musicians
are going to play it. So yeah, composition
has really become a passion for me.
If I had ten minutes fifteen years ago, I
would sit at the drums and track some
stuff, but now it’s getting to the piano
and exploring new ideas. It really is a
fulfilling process for me.
“I think the best versions
of unique are
the ones where it just
kind of happened that
way. The times that I
have tried to be unique
were not cool and felt
forced.“
Would you encourage other drummers to
learn the basics of piano and to look into
other areas?
I want to be a musician more then I
want to be a drummer, and I want to
be a human even more then I want to
be a musician. The more you zoom out,
the easier it is to see how different experiences
will, of course, affect the way
that you play.
When we are by ourselves practicing,
we can kind of trick ourselves into
thinking about what might be important.
Still, it isn’t until you get into a
musical situation that you understand
all these different things. So, playing
the piano, composition, anything like
that is evidence of that. By having more
knowledge on the harmonic side you
will change and improve the way you
play with other people.
Can you tell us more about Beat Music
and your Jazz Quartet project?
Beat Music is one of my two main projects,
which is more the electronic side.
The other one is more the Jazz quartet.
Electronic music has been a big influence
of mine over the years and an outlet
for those influences. We put out a
record earlier this year, so this year has
been mostly touring. In terms of composition
and even playing-wise, some
of that influence wouldn’t really make
sense in the Jazz Quartet context. It
was really important to create two environments
instead of trying to cram
them into one place. When I sit down
to write something, I realize that certain
things lean more towards the Beat
Music sound, or it will go towards the
acoustic project.
Is leading a band a completely different
approach?
Nothing changes on stage. My goals are
precisely the same every time I sit down
to play, whether it is my music or someone
else’s. It is always about what the
music needs and whether I can provide
that. My goals never change in that way.
It is all the other things off the stage, the
planning of things, the compositions,
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 35

Mark Guiliana
Musical Diversity
Incorporating more
than just rhythm to
his playing to achieve
uniqueness.
etc. which is all the work that you don’t
see. That’s the biggest difference. I love
playing other people’s music, as well.
I’ll always be a sideman to a certain degree
because I always learn a lot, but being
able to represent and conceive your
own music is rewarding in a way that
can only be achieved by doing that.
Are the guys in the band permanent members
or more session based?
It is more of a community of guys. Beat
Music has existed for maybe ten years,
so over those years, there have been a lot
of different guys. I really think of it as a
family. There are like four bass players
on the record, three or four keyboard
players, so I try to include everybody
on the recording. I definitely embrace
the idea of it being a community, and
if it needs to be switched up from time
to time, then that’s OK.
You got voted as best Jazz Drummer by
Modern Drummer. How did that feel to
be recognized at such a high level?
Yeah, it’s amazing and definitely an
honour. I don’t want to diminish its
meaning, but I want to make sure that
I don’t behave any differently than before
that kind of recognition. Any form
of recognition is always awesome, and
I am grateful, but the whole point is
what led to that recognition. That is the
36 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

“I think money really
gets in the way. Money
is one of the most significant
contributing
factors that keep people
from moving on.”
PHOTOGRAPHY LEFT TO RIGHT: DENEKA PENISTON; JUSTIN BETTMAN
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 37

Mark Guiliana
real thing. It is important to behave the
same way if that makes sense. I found
out less than two weeks ago that the
Beat Music record got nominated for a
Grammy, which is insane. It is in the
best contemporary instrumental album
category; it’s not even just a Jazz
category; it’s just bigger. It couldn’t have
been more of a shock to me. That is just
proof that not once during the making
of the album did it cross my mind to
think about what I could do just to get
it on the Grammy radar. To only make
the nomination is a win, and it is a validation
of by just trying to make something
that I believe is all that matters,
and if the recognition comes, then cool,
but it is all about staying on that path.
More specifically, the next time that I
go and make an album, the worst thing
that I can do is change that path due to
the recognition.
I think that just comes down the authenticity
side of things once again. Some guys
make music because they love it, and that
is their drive; it is who they are. Then you
get the guys that are only doing it to chase
fame and recognition.
Yeah, I think there is a place for everybody.
The idea of music as a single word
to describe it is impossible. There are so
many different versions of that. For me,
it is easier to think of it in a visual art
context where you think of a cartoonist
as an artist. The greatest cartoonist
in the world, whoever that might
be, is a genius, but they have nothing
to do with an abstract oil painter, but
they would be the genius in their field.
I think everyone would agree that you
would never put these two things in the
same conversation. It is OK if someone
is trying to win a Grammy, it may not
be the music that I want to hear, but I
think it is just such different conversations
that can get confusing when
everything is in there together. In regards
to the recognition, there is a fine
line between being really grateful for
the honour and also not flinching and
staying on your own path.
What are your personal and business
goals, what are you aiming to achieve that
you haven’t already?
For me, it is more of the same, to be
honest. I feel fortunate that I am mostly
presenting my own music. I get to play
other people’s music sometimes, and
that’s cool, but I spent the last few years
committing to my own projects more
and trying to build that infrastructure
so that I can rely on that. So really right
now, I am writing music and recording
music and putting it out, and I am
playing shows with the band. I feel like
I am living the dream already in that
way. I would hope that conditions improve
such as more people hearing the
records, people coming to the shows,
staying in beautiful hotels and those
sorts of details. You can aspire to those
things, but it is more of the same goals.
Again, I feel really grateful for how
things are currently, and I am just hoping
to stay on the path.
Thank you so much for the amazing chat.
One last thing: What advice would you
give to any drummer out there that would
like to pursue it as a career?
I touched on it earlier, but I firmly believe
that you just have to play with other
people as much as possible. I think
by practicing the drums, you become
a better drummer, but it is by playing
music with other people that you become
a better musician. That is assuming
that your goal is to play music with
other people. If that is the goal, the
only way to get better at doing that is
by doing it. So that means that at first,
you maybe have to say yes to things
that aren’t ideal musical situations or
not what you had in mind, but the experience
that you will gain from all of
these situations will add to making you
a more complete musician. And maybe
you have to do things sometimes
to learn that it isn’t what you want
to do. The other thing is that if you
find that you are frustrated that no
one is asking you to play in a way
that you want to play or a certain type
of music, then create that type of situation
for yourself. It is easier than ever
to get some musician buddies together.
You don’t need a gig to do that, and you
don’t even need your own songs. You
just need to get that experience and get
the opportunity to say how you would
like it to be and make the statements
that you want to make. You are basically
holding yourself more accountable for
your opportunities. I did a lot of waiting
around for people to ask me to do
things, which didn’t do much good. It
wasn’t until I realized that if I want to
do something, then I had to figure out
a way to do it.
“I want to be a
musician more
then I want to
be a drummer,
and I want to
be a human
even more
than i want to
be a musician.”
38 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020

FOLLOW
MARK GUILIANA
instagram.com/markguiliana
facebook.com/mark.guiliana
PHOTOGRAPHY: DENEKA PENISTON
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 39

GETTING CREATIVE WITH THE PARADIDDLE
By: Warren van Wyk
Paradiddle Grooves
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.CO.ZA
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - PERSONAL USE ONLY

Get inspired with
Social Media, not
discouraged.
By Jonathan Ulman
Wve can all agree that we have a love / hate relationship
with Social Media. No matter what it
is being used for, its at the forefront of our lives
day in and day out and we even have to deal with
our phones telling us just how many hours we
spend on it… Inundated with content every minute, no matter what
steps we take to withdraw, it consumes our lives. A lot of it can be
construed as negative, aggressive and often unnecessary, evoking a
range of emotions that leave us re-evaluating everything we might
have been thinking the day before, but if we step back and look at social
media from another angle, we can appreciate what it is at its base
level. Social media has given us an opportunity to connect with an
entire world of people from wherever we are currently standing.
“You have the whole world in the
palm of your hand” is literally the
most accurate statement in 2020 and
for the foreseeable future.
42 | SA DRUMMER | February 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM GLANZMAN

With that being
said, how does
that correlate to
being effective
in utilizing this
platform to elevate our visibility to the
audiences out there? As a drummer and
artist, I struggled for many years trying
to compete with other people I encountered
on either Instagram or Facebook.
Comparing myself to individuals who
I had never even met with little to no
information on their backgrounds. The
likes, the followers, the videos, the massive
audiences, the creativity that everyone
else was putting into the world and
having to deal with feeling inadequate
to the point of considering hanging it
all up. And for what?? Because I was
discouraged and felt like why should
I even bother, I would never catch up
to what thousands of other musicians
were doing day in and day out. It was
an eye opening opportunity for me to
take a step back and re-focus my attention
on the bigger picture. How can I
channel all these negative feelings of
inadequacy and utilize the content to
become inspired and re-invent myself
to this global audience.
Because of the broadness of this topic,
I think its best to dive into a world
that we are all pretty familiar with,
drums and drummers. I’ve spent the
last 5 years really looking at the content
that’s being put out within the drum
community and the trends appear to
be very consistent. The integration of
chops, chops and more chops seems to
have a stronghold on our feeds, with the
occasional beauty shot of drum equipment
and drummer view photos sprinkled
in. It can all be overwhelming and
in turn forces us to feel compelled to
make more content in order to stay relevant.
This can be a great thing or completely
detrimental depending on how
you absorb all this new material. It’s
inevitable that because of our human
makeup, the initial response to much
of the content we see is to compare it
to what we are individually putting out
into world. This is that pivotal point
this material, absorb it, get inspired by not only can be applied in all aspects of
it and create content that makes us feel life but also within the world of social
good? I’ll start with a personal experience
of one of the most pivotal mo-
we watch new influencers (eye roll) in-
media. The insecurities that we feel as
ments in my career. As a drummer I’ve tegrate into our feeds, witness videos
spent the majority of my musical life with thousands of views, see equipment
that we want that other people
battling of the same insecurities that
we all do. Working tirelessly year after have, and try to comprehend how some
year trying to “make it” as a musician drummer’s have technical abilities that
and watching as my friends catapult make us want to give up all together….
to stardom either with their bands or This can all be channelled into motivation
and challenge us to think cre-
individually. Witnessing my peers that
I’d been hustling in the trenches with atively and outside the box. This is the
for years get their lucky break while I moment that we no longer compare
maintained the same trajectory I’d been ourselves, but dare ourselves to be different
and riding for years and not seeing any indi-
unique.
in which we are given an opportunity
to use this content and challenge ourselves
to integrate our own interpretation
of what we see.
The dichotomy of what exists on the
internet versus what is actually reality
can be the catalyst for how we move forward
with our own content. Social media
has unintentionally exposed each
of our insecurities and forced us to lose
sight of what’s important. The idea that
our creativity can be limited or restricted
for the mere fact that if it doesn’t
cation of it changing in the foreseeable
future. As a session drummer, I’ve been
waiting for that phone call for years, the
one that will change my life, the one
that brings me up to the big leagues
and gives me the opportunity I’ve been
dreaming about. But guess what, that
phone call may or may not ever come
and 5 years ago I came to a realization
in my life that changed the course forever.
I stopped looking at everyone else
with resentment and jealousy and started
looking at what made me unique.
meet our expectations
I soul searched and
for visibility
found that
regardless
we may be inclined
to not even bother.
Why should we put
out something if it
doesn’t get a certain
amount of likes or if
certain people and
companies wont see
it, does it even matter?
This is an unfortunate
and maybe
unintended consequence
of what these
platforms have created.
They have opened
up a global Pandora’s
Box of self conscious
individuals and stifled
the growth of us
all.
So what can we do,
how do we take all of
Follow
Jonathan
to see his words
in action
Instagram
instagram.com/jmudrums
Facebook
facebook.com/jmudrums
of never receiving
that call or making it
to the next level, the
years I spent working,
tweaking, practicing
and refining
myself, were in fact
giving me the confidence
that I had lost
sight of. So I started
focusing on that
and over the last few
years, I no longer look
at the things I haven’t
accomplished but
rather, all the things
I have accomplished
and with that mentality
I began to enjoy
the process and the
journey a lot more.
The point is that this
February 2020 | SA DRUMMER | 43