The Brady Spotted Gum Experience
On Tuesday July 28th the Humdrum crew visited The Spotted Gum Experience hosted by Brady drums at SIR studios in Manhattan. You may be unfamiliar with the name Brady, but I can guarantee that you are familiar with the sound. They are a family run custom drum maker from Australia with a very impressive list of drummers who play their instruments. Check out their artist roster and discography on their site. www.bradydrums.com
Chris Brady’s latest innovation uses extremely thin non-reinforced shells of Spotted Gum (a native Australian wood) to provide a unique mix of attack, depth, warmth and projection. The concept for this new range was to introduce a totally different sound and a considerably lower note (roughly 1/3 of an octave lower than Jarrah) than any of their “traditional” timbers have provided. Spotted Gum is a very strong Eucalypt timber species with an interlocked grain.
Hosted by Kelly Brady, daughter of company founder Chris Brady, New York drummers were invited to come and try out their newest creation. Will Calhoun of Living Colour and was on the kit as we walked in, setting the tone for a fun evening of drum talk and swapping polyrhythms. I also got to meet a very nice gentleman and killer drummer named Michael Faulkner who has played with Public Enemy among others.
It’s interesting getting behind the kit when there are so many heavy players in the room. The word nervous doesn’t really describe it. While I’m sure nobody is really judging you, still…strange thoughts do cross your mind. Eventually, as in any live situation, you have to shut down those thoughts and the people around you and get down to business. Here the business was listening to the drum kit while playing something reasonably competent. I think I somehow managed to achieve both. As advertised they did project a low tone, very solid. Definitely built for heavier music styles but still retained quite a bit of refinement. The rack toms and floor toms, which were tuned beautifully and had no dampening, were very musical, much fun to play. The kick, which also appeared to have no dampening also, projected extremely well throughout the room. Brady also provided a selection of about six snares ranging in sizes including a 16” monster. On top of a great sound, the wood grain finishes on these drums look amazing. I would definitely recommend looking further into this company if you’re in the market for some high end instruments.
Thanks to Brady drums for a really fun and educational evening!