Canadian Musician - November/December 2018 | Page 52

CAM DUFFIN
Lost Cousins
Gretsch Renown Maple Kit
• 24-in. Kick Drum
• 14-in. Floor Tom
DW Collectors Series 14 x 5.5-in. Copper Snare
Istanbul Agop 22-in. Signature Rude
Zildjian 21-in. Sweet Ride
T-Cymbal 15-in. Hi-Hats
Yamaha Hardware
DW 9000 Series Kick Pedal
Vic Firth 8D Hickory Sticks
Moon Gel
Roland SPD-SX Sample Pad
Shure SM57 or Beta57 Vocal Microphone
CM: The drummer/vocalist combination is a rare and storied one.
How have you approached combining the two to the point that
you can seamlessly perform while singing? Do you ever have to
adapt your drumming to ensure you’re doing what’s needed on
the vocal side or vice versa?
CD: Gradually adding more and more songs that I sing to our live set over
the years has helped me adjust to singing and drumming simultaneously
for long periods of time. I have been drumming for about 13 years, and
have sung in many different choirs over the years, so I think it was only a
matter of time until I combined the two. For most of our songs live, the
drums have been committed to muscle memory and I do not have to
think about them much. I’m just feeling the rhythm and dynamics out
and mostly focusing on keeping my vocals steady. You can always hear
your own drumming on stage, but hearing your vocals at the same time
through monitors is always tricky…

CM: You guys have a knack for successfully blending components
of several different genres into your output. Do you find yourself
exploring and/or playing genres outside of the rock sphere very
often these days, and if so, how does it influence your playing with
Lost Cousins?
CD: I’ve always loved playing jazz drums because I find it an incredibly
difficult genre. I’m not necessarily exploring jazz drummers right now, as
I was more into that sphere when I was younger and was studying jazz.
Right now, I’ve been pretty into experimental ambient music, which I
think influenced the sound of our album and the sounds being triggered
on my SPD-SX sample pad. I’m also heavily into shoegaze right now,
which is totally still rock, but some of the pulsating and constant rhythms
in that genre are central to the dreamy and atmospheric sounds that
are going on. I have really been focusing on playing as consistently as
possible when we play live, and also trying to always be mindful of the
necessary intense dynamic shifts in our music.
CM: What’s the most recent piece of gear you’ve added to your set-
up and how did it earn the spot?  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?
CD: That’s an interesting question because right now I’m actually trying to
simplify my set-up in order to get on and off stage quicker, but my newest
piece would be the Roland SPD-SX sample pad. I’m barely using any of
its features, but it’s so intuitive and easy to use and program that adding
sounds from the studio to our live set-up is a breeze.
  CD: I have been working on playing cymbals differently on stage recently.
I’ve found that if I’m able to play my cymbals with intense energy but not
hit them very hard, it creates a really nice on-stage balance between the
actual drums and the cymbals for whoever is in control of our live sound.
I’ve always been really concerned with how we are mixed live, because I
understand live sound myself.
BRENT
FITZ
Toque, Slash, Gene Simmons,
Various Artists
DW Stainless Steel Kit (A Kit) &
Black Lacquer Maple Kit (B Kit)
• 26-in. Kick
• 18-in. Floor Tom
• 16-in. Floor Tom
• 13-in. Rack Tom
Sabian Cymbals
• 22-in. Legacy Ride
• 20-in. AAXplosion, HHX &
ISO Crashes
• 19-in. AAXplosion, HHX &
52 • C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
ISO Crashes
• 15-in. HHX Hi-Hats
DW 14 x 6.5-in. Knurled Black
Nickel over Steel Snare
Remo Clear Emperor Heads (Toms)
Remo Steve Smith Signature
Powerstroke 3 Clear Heads (Kick)
Remo Coated Emperor X Heads
(Snare)
Big Fat Snare Drum Snare Topper
DW 9000 Series Hardware
DW 9000 Series XF Footboard
Pedals (Hi-Hats & Double Kick)
LP Custom Chrome Cowbell w/
Ridge Rider
CM: You’ve performed with a
very diverse array of artists
throughout your career. Tell me