Canadian Musician - November/December 2018

ELIE BERTRAND Various Artists Pearl Vision Drums (Pink & White in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Society) • 22-in. Kick Drum • 16-in. Floor Tom • 14-in. Rack Tom • 12-in. Rack Tom Pearl Reference 14 x 6.5-in. Snare Evans G2 Coated Drum Heads (Snare & Tom Tops) Evans EC Reso Heads (Snare & Tom Bottoms) Evans EMAD Heads (Kick Drum) Sabian 22-in. Legacy Ride or 22-in. AAX Omni Ride Sabian 19-in. Artisan Crash or 18-in. AAX Studio Crash Sabian 19-in. HHX X-Plosion Crash or 18-in. AAX-X-Plosion Crash Sabian 15-in. Artisan Hi-Hats Regal Tip Signature Pink 9A Sticks CM: You’ve performed with a very diverse array of artists through- out your career, and even in just the past 12 months alone. Tell me about your process of preparing for a new gig, regardless of genre or style, to ensure you’re fully comfortable with the material. EB: I listen to so much music all the time. If I am not listening to music that I have to learn for a show, I am listening to different styles and artists. I live in the country so I drive a lot! This is the time I learn shows the most. I still practice many hours every day but I don’t necessarily have time to practice the shows that I am learning, so I make sure that my skills, my techniques, my endurance, and my time are all in check and I keep my ears open at all time. It also helps me to make charts. I have been writing charts at the speed of sound, literally [laughs], and that’s the way I best learn my shows by heart. It forces me to analyze certain parts or transitions. CM: Do you think it’s important to explore and learn different styles? How has playing in a diverse range of applications made you a better and more in-demand session player? EB: I believe it is important to explore different styles and to listen to a lot of music. I think it’s a great way to add flavours and colours to what we’re playing. I do believe that it is important, though, to explore certain styles more deeply and perfect them. I think we should never stop learning and exploring. The beauty of our art is that it evolves as we grow as humans in life. Down the road, all these notions and our interpretations make for our uniqueness as players. CM: Is there anything technical you’ve been working on lately, or that you’d like to start working on in order to further improve your playing? EB: I actually just started taking drum lessons again on a regular basis. I took many masterclasses over the years but nothing was this regular. Once a month I meet up with Simon Langlois … and we play insane rhythms. As a drummer, perfect time is everything. As an example, I’ve been practicing with a metronome that only plays the one while playing a beat a 1/16 th note off. After, let’s say, four bars, I then go back on the regular accent of the time – practicing things like that are absolutely use- less to actually play with people but it improves time and confidence. In my opinion, that’s what makes the biggest difference between someone who’s good and someone who’s extraordinary. IAN CASSELMAN Marianas Trench Yamaha Maple Custom Hybrid Absolute Drums • 20-in. Kick Drum • 18-in. Floor Tom • 16-in. Floor Tom • 14-in. Floor Tom • 12-in. Rack Tom • 10-in. Rack Tom • 14 x 5-in. Snare Yamaha Hexrack Hardware Sabian FRX Cymbals 50 • C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N • 21-in. Ride • 18-in. Crash (x 3) • 14-in. Hi-Hats Yamaha DTX950K Full Kit Vic Firth 5A Extreme Sticks CM: What’s the most recent piece of gear you’ve added to your set-up and how did it earn the spot? IC: I’d say it’s the new Sabian FRX cym- bals. Our sound guy introduced me to them; he saw them in a magazine and neither of us had heard them live yet. We have four vocal mics on stage and cymbals can be nasty in terms of taking over. I’m sure all the non-drummers out there will agree! They cut down the bleed into everyone’s

Canadian Musician - November/December 2018 | Page 50