Stevie Fury of Jeremy and the Harlequins, Less is More

I’m here today to talk to you a little about my band’s recording process and my drum setup. For both our debut record, American Dreamer, and our follow-up record, Into The Night, we recorded analog to tape. What does this mean as a drummer? A few things. For one, you have to know how to play your instrument. There’s no way to correct mistakes by moving hits around, like you can with digital recordings. The drums on the record are one straight take, recorded live with the rest of the band. Following the drum track, I can track additional tambourine, claves, vibraslaps, claps, snaps, and the bleeps, the sweeps, and the creeps.

And as nobody is perfect, it’s, in my opinion, the little accents, tiny miss hits, and slight sways in tempo that add a little spice to the recording. If every hit sounded exactly the same, it would sound like a drum machine. And in a world where beats are being made on computers, it’s a good thing to sound like a real drummer.

Let’s talk about my drum setup. I really adhere to the thought of “less is more.” My drums consist of just a kick, snare, and floor tom, with a hi-hat and crash-ride for cymbals. No fancy splashes, China cymbals, or triple bass pedals for me. I’ll leave that to the professionals. And I don’t have time for that anyway; I like playing straightforward beats to drive the songs. My small kit is also great for touring.

So remember kids, learn your instrument, less is more, and check out the new album, Into the Night, coming out as we speak. Click the links to hear the tracks now!  Watch Jeremy and the Harlequins “Right Out Of Love” video from their previous record,

Here’s the new single “Into the Night,”

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