Ron Wikso Interview

Q: Where did you grow up and who helped you to develop your skills as a young drummer?

RW: I grew up on Long Island. A little town called Islip Terrace about 40 miles east of New York City in Suffolk County. I went to East Islip High School where I was involved in all of the various band related activities (Jazz/Stage Band, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Pit Band for the school musicals, Marching Band etc.). I also participated in the N.Y.S.S.M.A. (New York State School Music Association) competitions from the time I was in 5th grade until I graduated which led to my participation in the All-State and All County bands.

The man who is most responsible for my success as a musician from the time I started studying with him through till the present would have to be Larry Ramsden. I started playing drums when I was 7 years old and initially started with the local elementary school band director, a guy by the name of Tom Kanas who continued to be one of my band directors all the way through high school. When it became apparent to Tom that I needed more specialized instruction (he was really a trumpet player!) he referred me to Larry, who took me on as a private student. I studied with him from around 4th grade until I graduated high school. He was also largely responsible for my being able to attend Berklee College of Music. He had gone there himself and had reccomended it to me and then helped me to prepare for it.

Q: Which groups or drummers did you like to listen to when you were growing up?

RW: As far as my favourite drummers and early musical influences, that's a very mixed bag and continues to be today. I just can't decide what I like best! I listened to alot of different kinds of music growing up, mostly because my friends and I liked alot of rock stuff and Larry Ramsden was turning me onto jazz and fusion stuff. Plus I was playing so many different kinds of stuff with the school bands and whatever other bands I was participating in outside of school. I listened to Led Zeppelin, Yes, Jethro Tull, The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Chick Corea, Billy Cobham, Don Ellis, The Beatles, The Who, The Marshall Tucker Band, Billy Joel, Lenny White, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and the list goes on and on! I really can't remember all of it! The funny thing is that I never was as aware of the drummer, in particular, as you might think. It was always the music that I really was interested in. That's not to say that I didn't know who the drummer was or that I didn't try to learn what he was playing, it's just that I loved the songs first and therefore wanted to learn to play them. Some of my favourite drummers from then (and still to this day were John Bonham, Buddy Rich, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Gadd, and all the Motown guys.

Q: Tell us about some of the interesting musical experiences you've had touring.

RW: With Foreigner (1995-present) we had the Doobie Brothers out with us for awhile and I got to sit in and play with them several times. We went all over the world and I saw some really great places and met some really great people. I guess the funniest gig was a festival we did in Michigan. It was called "Nudestock '95" and it was at a Nudist Colony! I would say that that takes the cake for strange gigs!!

With The Storm (1992-present), our first tour was as the opening act for Bryan Adams in North America. That was alot of fun hanging out with Mickey Curry and those guys. Playing with Gregg Rolie is a treat too because in addition to our stuff we played some of the Santana and Journey material that he sang, including Black Magic Woman, Just The Same Way, Anytime and Feelin' That Way. By the way, there is a new album from The Storm coming out next month. It will be released in Europe initially on the Music For Nations label and only availabe in North America as an import, but it will probably be released in the rest of the world (including North America) in the not too distant future. I co-wrote 2 of the songs in addition to playing on the album.

David Lee Roth (1994) was cool in the sense that the other guys in the band are friends of mine which made it a good hang. We had a great Beatles tour in Liverpool, London (Abbey Road Studios) and Hamburg (The Kaiserkeller etc.)! Also, when we played Hammersmith in London, Jimmy Page came and sat on the side of the stage for our whole show! Our keyboard player had played in the Coverdale/Page band and Jason Bonham was in the opening act. Then the next night, Paul Rodgers came! 2 legends in 2 nights, cool!

Cher (1989-1992) was a completely different thing in the sense that it was more of a show. There were dancers, special effects and such and that had implications in terms of what I had to play. We did an awful lot of stuff though, including a TV special which is now out on home video, the MTV Music Awards, Prime Time Live and lots more. I also met all the Bon Jovi guys there (Richie Sambora was dating her at the time) and they would come and sit in from time to time.

Also, 1992 was an interesting year since I wound up doing more or less 2 tours at the same time. When I joined The Storm, I quit Cher's band. She wound up getting someone to replace me but towards the end of the European tour she had a falling out with him and she called me to ask if I could finish her tour. As it turned out, the dates she had left were in North America and fell into the exact times when there were breaks in The Storm's tour so I did both! Rock-It-Cargo had a field day shipping my drums all over the country between the 2 tours and I had a field day trying to remember which band I was with and which songs I was playing!

Q: What did you learn from the David Lee Roth gig?

RW: Patience! No seriously, I think what I learn from every gig is that I am really fortunate to have been exposed to a variety of musical styles. I have had to draw on those things in virtually every band I've played with. Plus with Dave I was stepping into Gregg Bissonette's shoes after having followed Steve Smith in The Storm. I really had to stay on my toes!

Q: What are the key musical elements that you focus on when playing with Foreigner?

RW: Lou's vocals and Mick's guitar. They are, and always have been the essence of Foreigner's sound. In terms of the actual drum parts, there are a few things that are sort of signature fills or patterns, but I am mostly concerned with making it feel good.

Q: What type of kit are you currently playing ?

RW: Currently I am using a Sonor Designer Series kit (Maple Lights/Stain Green)as my primary kit. On the road it consists of 2-22" Kick Drums, 10", 12", 14" and 16" Rack Toms (with the 10", 12" and 14" mounted across the front and the 16" mounted to the left of my Hi-Hat), and 16" and 18" Floor Toms. The hardware is all Sonor Designer Series which is awesome stuff. My bass drum pedals are Sonor Protec Chain Drives. As far as cymbals go, that changes a bit more frequently in terms of sizes and placement, but they are always Zildjians. In general I have a 20" Rock or Ping Ride and 16", 17", 18" and 19" crash cymbals of various types (A Customs, Rocks, Mediums etc.). I sometimes use either a 10" or 12" splash cymbal and I generally use 14" Quick Beat Hi-Hat Cymbals. I also use Remo Drumheads and it's always Coated Emperor Heads on the batter sides of all the drums and Ebony Heads on the bottoms except for the bottom snare head which is an Ambassador Snare bottom. My drumsticks are made by Rimshot drumsticks and they are 2B Longshots.

Q: What setups do you like to use in the studio?

RW: I will alter the setup of my drums as the situation dictates. In the studio I will usually scale it down quite a bit unless the music calls for a larger kit. It seems a bit easier in recording situations to get a good sound using a smaller kit. It will generally be one bass drum, 2 racks (12" & 14") and one floor (16") with a ride, maybe 2 or 3 crashes, hi-hats and a snare drum. It's certainly easier on the engineer in terms of inputs and sympathetic vibrations from other drums. Also, when you're doing a session, more often than not people want to work efficiently. Time is money and the larger the kit, the more time has to be spent tweaking and, therefore, not recording. This is especially true for jingles and TV/Movie dates.

When I am not using my Designer Series kit I also have 2 Sonor Hi-Lite Exclusive Kits (one in Black Diamond and the other in Black) with very similar configurations. Some of the drum sizes are different but I can achieve the same basic thing with either of these kits as I can with the Designer Kit. As far as Snare Drums go, I have about 15 that I can choose from depending on the situation.

Q: How do you approach creating drum parts for new material?

RW: I am interested first and foremost in playing what's right for the song and making whatever it is FEEL good. It's really important, if possible, to hear what the singer is doing (or melodic instrument if the song is an instrumental) so that you don't play a bunch of stuff that steps all over that. Some of the greatest tracks ever recorded have drummers using little or no "chops" in terms of intricate fills etc. and I really think that this kind of playing is the primary job of all drummers. That's not to say that you should never play anything that requires using some chops, it just needs to be right for the song.

Q: How do you feel about electronic drum gear, sequencing, sampling etc?

RW: How can you FEEL anything about something that has no feel! I don't have a problem with any of it when it is used to enhance or improve a song. I just don't think it can ever replace a living, breathing, human feeling drummer, or bass player or keyboard player for that matter. I have used it quite extensively and continue to but I try to use it as musically as I can.

Q: What are some of the most important things that you think young drummers should focus on or practice to improve their skills?

RW: I think that young drummers should do mainly 3 things.

First, I think that they should concentrate on developing a great feel and great time. Your chances of getting a good gig or any gig for that matter are greatly increased if you can play with a good feel. More often than not a guy with a good feel and no chops will get a gig before a guy with tons of chops and no feel. Second, I think it's important to develop at least a basic ability to read music. This may sound unimportant but I have found it to be a very valuable skill when I have to learn some songs for a new band or an audition. I can listen to a song once or twice and basically be able to write it out. This speeds the learning process, helps my ears to tune in to what I really need to be listening to and gives me something to refer to if necessary. This also helps in a session situation when you are not given a chart and you must learn it by listening to a tape or a guy playing it to you. Everything goes alot smoother and faster and people are impressed with your ability to get your track done so quickly. It also makes it possible to be hired for gigs where reading is a requirement. If you can't read you are automatically excluded from that potential work. The third thing is they should listen to as many different kinds of music as they can. They certainly won't like all of it, but the exposure alone should help to contribute to a well developed musical roundedness and sensibility that will certainly help them to hear different things to play in the various musical situations they may find themselves in.

Q: Do you like to solo? If so how do you approach it?

RW: As you may have gathered by some of my earlier responses, soloing is not at the top of my priority list. I feel that there are alot of guys who do it so much better than I do that it's not really something that is going to showcase my strengths. After I hear Vinnie Colaiuta or Steve Smith or Simon Phillips or Dennis Chambers ...well you get the idea, it really doesn't make me want to try and improve upon that. I try to keep my strengths as a drummer in perspective and stay within myself. I feel that I am doing both myself and my audience a service if I do. It may sound like I don't believe in having any chops or that I myself don't have any. That's not true. I do think you need chops in order to be able to play alot of things that you may be asked to play so, therefore, I have those chops. I just don't think you need to use them all the time and, if you take that approach, the chops you do have will stand out a bit more when you do use them because they'll sound more fresh.

Q: Who are you favourite drummers and why?

RW: Vinnie Colaiuta and Steve Smith for their sheer musicality and diversity. Ringo Starr for playing in The Beatles and playing on some of the greatest music ever written and recorded. John Bonham for his feel and creativity. Mickey Curry and Kenny Aronoff for their feel. Ricky Fataar for those Bonnie Raitt tracks and for being in The Ruttles! Alex Van Halen because his sound is so identifiable. There are so many more, but this will take me all day if I keep going!