THE BEACHES ’
ELIZA ENMAN-MCDANIEL
Eliza Enman-McDaniel is the drummer for Toronto-based rock and roll band The Beaches . In 2018 , the group won the Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year and the SOCAN Songwriting Prize for their song “ Money .” They ’ ve since played major festivals across the world and toured with or opened for The Rolling Stones , Foo Fighters , Death From Above , Kings of Leon , Eagles of Death Metal , Arkells , Avril Lavigne , and more .
CM : If you compare your drumming on The Late Show LP from 2017 to your playing on the latest Future Lovers EP , is there an evolution in yourself as a musician that you hear ?
Eliza Enman-McDaniel : If you listen to Late Show , you ’ ll notice the songs are a lot more rock-forward compared to the more experimental and modern songs on Future Lovers , and I think that definitely translates in my playing . When I say “ experimental ,” I mean it because I literally used a toaster as a snare drum in one of the songs off Future Lovers .
CM : Can you describe your approach in the studio — when do you come into the writing / composing process and how do you find the right tone and part for the song ?
Enman-McDaniel : We all write songs together in the room and usually one person will have a hook and we all build around that . The process is very collaborative ; I will play whatever feels right for the song at that moment . I like to come up with parts that tie everything together .
CM : Can you pick a Beaches song on which you ’ re most proud of your own contribution ? What did you do on that song that you like ?
Enman-McDaniel : I love my parts on “ Moment ” off of Late Show . It definitely feels like a drum-forward song , and I ’ m especially proud of my part in the bridge .
CM : Over the last year or two , is there any particular skill you ’ ve worked on learning / improving ? If so , how did you approach it in your practice regimen ?
Enman-McDaniel : We always practice together , so my regimen simply consists of playing our songs with the girls .
CM : What ’ s your best advice to other drummers on how to most efficiently and effectively improve on the drum kit ?
Enman-McDaniel : Play with a metronome . It ’ s a great skill to have and it makes a huge difference with keeping the entire band sounding really steady .
CM : When it comes to drum and gear preferences , have there been any significant changes you ’ ve made in recent years ? If so , what led to the change ?
Enman-McDaniel : I ’ ve been endorsed by Sonor , Paiste , and Los Cabos . It ’ s been great to be able to play such great gear and have it accessible whenever I need it .
CM : Lastly , for the gear heads , can you describe your go-to touring kit ?
Enman-McDaniel : My matte black [ Sonor ] SQ2 drums with my [ Ludwig ] Black Beauty Snare and my Paiste cymbals .
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