He started off playing the piano, but thanks to his uncle, he later got totally absorbed by drums. He has been playing music since he was 6 years old and has played in dozens of bands over that time. He played with Miro Šmajda (from the SuperStar TV show), which opened the way to large stages for him. These days he’s the drummer in Sebastian and since summer 2020 he’s been a part of our TRX family, so we had to ask him a couple of questions.
- What is the story of you getting to play drums?
When I was little, my family kind of forced me to play the piano. And I had this uncle who had a passion for KISS. Every time he was raving to me about them, I was staring at the drummer, quite transfixed. His set consisted of about 9 tom-toms and 4 bass drums, and, being a 6-year-old boy back then, I found that profoundly impressive. And so, eventually, I decided to try the drums myself.
- How long did it take you to drum your way into Sebastian? What other bands had you been a member of before that?
Well, it took me about 23 years to get to Sebastian. Before that, like almost every other musician, I used to play with those bands “who tour the bars for a pint and a sausage instead of wages”.
Now that I think of it, as for the bands I got to play with, I count myself very lucky.
The first band I played with was called H4S, we played blues-rock and they were all really good musicians. I have very fond memories of those days. It was a great experience and it gave me a lot. And by the way, the vocalist, Sabina Křováková, later won the SuperStar.
Another band I stayed with for about 14 years was Night Ravens. I started the band myself with Johnny, the guitarist of H4S. Our playlist was quite heavy, we even used to perform covered in warpaints. Of all the bands I have gone through, Night Ravens were closest to my heart. We usually played for quite large audiences as well, about 400 people every gig. I think it was because the band was able to deliver the music along with a show that was comparably well handled for our country. Unfortunately, we disbanded.
Next one was Black Jack. We were well recognized in our region, especially for quality musicians and our vocalist, Apač, whose name must ring a bell with any rocker from Ústecký region. He used to sing with the Motorband for example. Of all the bands, playing with Black Jack probably gave me most. The bass guitarist was Ilja Haas, who also played with Iveta Bartošová’s band, BALET, and wrote the famous song “Hej pane diskžokej”.
Well and after that I was very charmed indeed! I was offered to substitute with Miro Šmajda’s band. I couldn’t possibly pass on that one, my mom adored him. Luckily enough, a mere substitution turned into a 3-year full-time contract. I was introduced to a lot of musicians, found out what it all works like, made friends in show biz and that was it.
- What other bands are you playing in these days?
We are so busy with Sebastian at the moment, that it wouldn’t be possible for me to play in any other bands.
- How did you find TRX cymbals?
I had known about TRC cymbals from some drumming videos I spend hours gaping at on YouTube – all those unbelievably good drummers and most importantly the brilliant sound they have! Unfortunately, there was nowhere to try these cymbals out around here and I didn’t even know what cymbal lines they offered. Anyway, about a year after TRX.EU had been established in the Czech Republic, I found that my mate and colleague, Šimon Bílý of MIRAI, was playing them, and I said to myself: “Blast, where did he get those?” So, I texted him and he told me there was a guy from Ostrava who had started distributing them in Europe. I contacted Jarda Sivák and got in 🙂
- What do you appreciate about TRX cymbals?
Well, the most important thing for everybody is always the price; so it’s the price and then the large selection of different series, sizes and sounds. I never had a 22’’ crash before 😀
- What made you choose TRX CLS and NDK?
Both these cymbal series are really quiet and soft, which is exactly what I need with my dynamic play style. I’m totally excited about them, because this is the type of cymbals I’d been after for ages.
- How do you select your cymbals for live performance and how about those for use in studio?
I use the quietest cymbals for live actions because I hit them real hard, much to our sound engineer’s frustration (he doesn’t even use the overheads any more :D). In studio we use anything at hand. It’s all about what that particular song needs.
- Which songs on Sebastian’s playlist do you enjoy most from your drum stool?
As I grew up listening to heavier genres, I enjoy the heavier songs most – and we have a couple of those on our playlist. It’s Bestseller, Kroky and I can always beat a bit of metal into Polety 😀 I’ve got to say, that although we play pop, I hit just like I would if we played metal!
- Guitar players often boast about their sets of effect boxes; which part of your gear do you feel particularly proud of when talking to other players?
For me it’s my drum stool by Porter and Davies. I’ve got to say, it’s the best thing in the world a drummer could ever wish for and I would never play without one again! And then it’s the TRX cymbals, of course.
- Which drummers have inspired the way you play?
I see every drummer who has something to show as an inspiration. I mostly watch black drummers like Aaron Spears, Chris Coleman, and so on. But I also enjoy Thomas Lang or Aaron Gillespie.
- Is there a piece of drum kit you dream of getting one day?
I’d really like to get my hands on one of the TRUTH or SJC drum sets.
- And a quick one before signing off: Do you use rim-shots when playing on snare?
I always play rim-shots and with no dynamics to it whatsoever 😀 come on, only drummers from music schools strike the heads without touching the rim!
