Gowan's Criminal Mind with Styx/Todd

[Todd Sucherman]

Jerry is unique in all the world. He's a character too, and I know a lot of funny stories through Gowan! But really, he doesn't think like anyone else. I always loved him but it went deeper when I had to replicate his parts on the Strange Animal record. It really was a challenge. Check out the track "Walking on Air." The opening feel that starts the tune---and happens a few times---is nuts. I had to play the cowbell part with my left hand, snare with the right, and how the bass drum relates to it all is looney. I had to slow that way down to internalize how everything fit together. Also, there are a few fills in the end ride out of "Cosmetics" that are just beautiful---classic Marrotta. I remember hearing Peter Gabriel "Plays Live" when it came out, and that was a landscape changer for me. Deep, hip, unique, real deal stuff. So to go back to that period in his playing and learn the Gowan stuff from '85---I considered it an honor. What fun!

Happy new year, everyone-
Todd

[Matus]

Absolutely classy. Gotta love that sharp eq/gated reverb kind of sound with a modern twist. Really gets you in the mood
Thanks for the insight Todd, great playing as always and HNY!

[Tombo 7/4]

"Plays Live" is such a great album and was my introduction to Gabriel's music. So intense. Peter is a very unique artist and surrounds himself with unique sidemen.
I liked to play "I go swimming" in a band I had. A very good song which only appears on this live album.
Listen to the hip 6/4 groove and how Jerry builds intensity towards the end with no cymbals (cool bass lines by Tony Levin too):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5QLD2-WLPQ

Another version by Tony Levin's band featuring Jerry Marotta:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRfNLD9AeLY

[Clint Hopkins]

Not to hijack but Jerry is indeed the man! The guy puts his unique stamp on everything he plays on. Love his quirky grooves and weird over the bar line fills. From the Gabriel stuff to Joan Armatrading to Tony Levin to Hall and Oates he does it all.

He's also not a bad singer:

[Todd Sucherman]

[youtube][/youtube]All great stuff......

There's also a great version of Back in NYC by Francis Dunnery. He's a great singer/songwriter who was actually in the running to replace Phil Collins when he left the band in '97. Great version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRu-YnpCYGM[youtube][/youtube]

[Patrick Tiglao]

This is great...Like Genesis' "Mama" great....awesome utilization of the the toms to create the "riding" pattern..Very Jerry Marotta but more so very YOU ...Awesome Todd.

[Jeremy Smirnoff]

Love the snare tone in Todd's version. I think from the compositional standpoint, breaking out of the comfort zone is important, and what better way to do this than to avoid playing the rock groove to a rock sounding tune and try to embellish the music in other ways. The orchestration around the drum kit can be a very fun yet challenging experience. My first exposure to that was when I saw what M. Mangini would do in parts of Steve Vai's Fire Garden Suite - not the studio version, but the stuff he does in clinics and during the live performances of that thing - it blew my mind - from following melody lines of the piano player on the toms, to utilizing rims to accent certain passages.

[funkydrummer]

An incredible performance all the way around. I remember when I first stumbled upon that one, I was geeking out with all my drummer friends. Todd Sucherman, you are absolutely the man.