“Drummers are an odd breed. They march to their own beat. I’ve worked with many drummers; some laid back in the pocket while others drove the band like a Benzedrine crazed truck driver. Ken Mary could be whatever I wanted him to be. He’s one of the most versatile musicians I’ve ever worked with. In the studio or in the arena, Ken would be your best bet, a future drummer’s hall of fame candidate!“ – Alice Cooper
Drummer Ken Mary has worked as a session and live player with a list of artists that’s beginning to look like a who’s who of metal and rock, including icons such as Flotsam and Jetsam, Accept, Alice Cooper, House of Lords, Bonfire, Impelliterri, Don Dokken, and Fifth Angel to name a few.
Now, Ken has revealed a new project, titled “The Neil Peart Experiment”. Anyone who knows Ken is aware of his reverence for Neil Peart’s composition skills, as well as Ken’s claim that he would love to duplicate Peart’s drumming, at least in the technical sense, on a Rush track. Well, one of Ken’s drummer friends challenged him to do just that. As an experienced session musician, could Ken remove Neil Peart’s drum track from a Rush song and replace Neil’s parts almost note for note? How close to the original recordings in sound and performance could Ken get? But here were the additional rules the friend gave him: Ken must record the songs all in one pass, with no editing or samples, or any adjustment of any kind. And remember, the original songs were not recorded to a click track, so the time drifted on occasion!
Ken’s friend was essentially asking him to remove the “foundation of the house” and replace it, since all the other tracks (vocals, bass, guitar and keys) were recorded after the drums were laid down. This was not at all an easy task, but being the versatile, talented and experienced drummer Ken Mary is, he passed this challenge with flying colors! Watch Ken Mary’s stunning performance in “The Neil Peart Experiment” and decide for yourself if this is “the ultimate Neil tribute”.
Ken comments: “This experiment was more difficult than I imagined it would be. I had to learn the fills and grooves exactly as Neil played them on the original recordings, as he did change them slightly over the years. I had to rehearse the songs to where they felt natural, and know where the band surged or pulled back at times, so I could lock to the existing guitars and bass. And they didn’t use a click track! If anyone else wants to try this experiment, please do, lol. But remember the rules! I have my individual GoPro video and audio to prove this was all in one pass with no editing or enhancement. I hope Neil would have been pleased with this ‘experiment,’ and the fact that another artist would make the effort to record these songs, and get them as exact as possible using the original methods he used. Maybe the greatest gift I received in this whole process was a feeling of getting a bit closer to Neil Peart as an artist, and stealing a brief glimpse at the moment of these recordings”.
Ken K Mary – Biography
Ken Mary began his career as a professional musician at the age of fifteen in Seattle, Washington. Over the years, Ken’s resume and discography has grown to include outstanding work on an impressive array of recording projects with a wide spectrum of artists. Recordings featuring his talents (that include drumming, producing, and writing) have a combined sales of well over 5 million copies worldwide. Ken has recorded and performed with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Alice Cooper, The Beach Boys, and Gene Simmons of Kiss. He’s been a member of Alice Cooper, House of Lords, Flotsam and Jetsam, Fifth Angel, toured with German metal legends Accept, and has appeared on recordings of multimillion selling artists including Don Dokken, Kip Winger, Jordan Rudess, Impelliteri, Bonfire and many more.
Mega-platinum Producer Michael Wagener, (Metallica, Alice Cooper, Janet Jackson), states: “Ken Mary is a brilliant session and live player. Whether it is blazing fast, precise technical playing or just a great sense of groove you need, he’s your guy. One of the best.”
Ken Mary is considered one of the top drummers in the world, with drumming influences that include a diversity of playing styles and iconic players such as Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Neil Peart, John Bonham, and Jeff Porcaro. Ken’s style can range from very technical, to laying down a solid groove, to capturing that “smooth” jazz feel. He is considered one of the early forerunners of rapid double bass drum fills that incorporate hands and feet and can be heard blazing the trail for the future of metal drumming on some of his early session work with Alice Cooper, House of Lords, and Bonfire. His unique drumming style influenced many drummers in metal today, and many of the fills and techniques he developed are still being utilized.
In Modern Drummer, a review of the first House of Lords album: “A major reason for their (House of Lords) originality, if not the major reason, is Ken Mary’s drumming. Unquestionably, he is the best hard rock drummer in America today. Nobody plays like Ken Mary. Want to learn something? See these guys live, buy this album and pay attention to Mr. Mary.”
Famed producer Andy Johns, of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones fame, was also famous for firing famous drummers on his productions, but praised Ken’s playing. Bassist Chuck Wright recalls: “After Ken recorded a very Bonham inspired drum track for ‘Can’t Find My Way Home,’ Andy grabbed Ken, said to him repeatedly, “You and Bonham, man, you and Bonham.” Ken adds “Bonham was a true inspiration for me, so this was one of the biggest compliments of my life. That and the fact that Andy didn’t fire me!”
Alongside his drumming skills, Ken has developed into a skilled writer and music producer as well.
Ken says, “I was blessed to have worked alongside some of the most famous engineers and music producers in music history, such as Michael Wagener (Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica), Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin), Terry Brown (Rush), Mac (Queen), Mick Guzauwski (Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey), Robert Scoville (Rush, Tom Petty), Terry Date (Soundgarden, Def Tones), Mike Tacci (Metallica), and Desmond Child (Ricky Martin, Aerosmith).”
Ken opened his world class recording studio SonicPhish Productions in 2003. Recent productions include the new Flotsam and Jetsam album “I Am The Weapon” on AFM records, and Fifth Angel’s latest album “When Angels Kill” for Nuclear Blast.
Stay tuned and subscribe to Ken Mary’s new Youtube channel for more “experiences,”
and follow him at:
https://www.facebook.com/KenKMary
https://www.instagram.com/kenkmary
https://www.youtube.com/@kenkmaryofficial
[photo: Shane Eckart]
