Gergo: I remember when I found Steve Holmes’ HouseOfDrumming.com. This guy made a website specialized for Vinnie. I’ll never forget when I downloaded a two-minute-long video for two days to see Vinnie and how he played. It was phenomenal!
MD: For your upcoming solo album, The Missing Song, what inspired you to play in the style of your heroes?
Gergo: My main idea was to make a tribute album about nine living American drummers who inspired me. I always wanted to make an album where I’m playing in my heroes’ style. Why not? It’s not difficult to figure out who they are: Billy Cobham, Terry Bozzio, Kirk Covington, Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Keith Carlock, and Gary Novak.
I set up my drums very similarly to what they used on my favorite album of theirs. I tuned them as they did. I played as close as possible to how they played. The “missing song” means it’s the missing song that I imagined they would play. For example, there’s Zappa’s Joe’s Garage. I wish he had more songs on that album. So I wrote one. Of course, my touch is different. And why would I use a lot of 32nd notes with double pedal in the Keith Carlock song if he never did? Why would I use two Chinas in the Vinnie song if he didn’t on Joe’s Garage?
It was a great journey during the recording. I couldn’t imagine that I would write a tune where I only used a crash, a ride, and a hi-hat.
https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/j ... go-borlai/