May 28, 2009 Our very first guest on Stalking the Stalkers is Aaron Cushing. So without any further ado...

This is an international forum. Let’s start with where you’re from.
It’s not as easy a question to answer as you might think. I was born in a smallish city about an hour west of Toronto. Now I live (and call home) just outside of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Where?!? About a 40 minute drive from the Sabian factory.

Do you make your living drumming? If not, what’s your day gig?
I make stuff pretty. By day I’m a graphic artist and photographer for a large engineering firm. By night I do more of that on a freelance basis. I also do some cabinetry and renovation work on the side. And every once in a while someone wants me to hit things with sticks and make it sound nice.

What was your ‘come to Billy” moment?
Reading his Concepts articles in Modern Drummer. Back at the dawn of the internet, I typed www.billyward.com into a browser, and happened upon a lovely community.

Who are your other drumming heroes?
I assume by the wording of this question, it implies “other than Billy”… Kenny Aronoff is a favorite, as well as Levon Helm and Jack DeJohnette. I’d add Steve Ferrone to that list, and Manu and Vinnie’s work with Sting. Ok, I’ll admit it; I never got into Zeppelin, so I’m not terribly familiar with Bonzo, but I totally respect his work, and know that I need to spend some time there.

Are you in a band? If so, what are they about?
I play with my church worship band on a weekly basis, doing the usual fare of CCM stuff. I also play with a local group called the Homeless HouseBand. We do classic roots-rock material like Neil Young, CCR, Stones, Dylan, Tom Petty etc. Everybody involved is a great musician, and piles of fun to hang with. We’ve only been working together for a few months, but already we are playing to filled clubs, some good sized events etc. I attribute the rave reviews to just nice people playing good music well.

What’s your go-to Ride cymbal?
Lately it’s been a Sabian 20” HH Duo ride; it’s got lots of flavors to choose from, plus a great big fat crash. I like to hang a piece of brass ball-chain around the wing-nut for some sizzle.

Snare drum?
I’ve got a Pearl single-ply steam-bent 5½ x 14 with brass hardware. It’s taken many years for it to begin sounding special, but I’m liking it. Any day now I’m expecting delivery of a custom DW drum. It’s a 5x14 VLT, with die-cast hoops, and the finish is to match my DW kit: black/copper flake/black fade lacquer. Yummy. I had very little to do with spec’ing this drum; I totally deferred to Billy and John Good’s expertise on what would go well sonically with my kit. I’m very excited.

Primary crash?
Definitely my Sabian 15” HH Sound Control that I’ve had for nearly 20 years. It was the first “real” cymbal that I ever bought. It’s beautiful; so pure, full, quick, and most important: musical--every time.

What was your first gig like?
I don’t recall the very fist time I played in front of an audience. It was probably one of the first times I ever actually sat at a drumset. I grew up (through junior high and high school anyway, and ever since) playing at church. The drums I played at church were a beat up 4pc something-or-other that smelled like a barn. The throne was a hubcap perched on a very wobbly base.

Do you [or did you] study with a teacher?, If so, what were the 3 main things they taught or instilled in you? If you are self-taught—how did you go about learning and practicing drums?
When I bought my first “real” kit, the music store included a month of lessons. Unfortunately, the instructor was an arrogant arse, who taught me very little. To his credit though, he DID show me how to do a few variations of paradiddles, so I guess I owe him some measure of gratitude. Really though, I call myself self-taught (though even that term is quite inaccurate). I recall spending loads of time either air-drumming or hitting my mattress and pillows while tapping my feet.

Outside of drumming, what are your passions?
About 9 years ago my wife and I purchased a fixer-upper and embarked on a 15-year plan. We’re slogging through some fairly drastic renovations and changes to the house, but it is gradually evolving into home. I like definitely get a kick out of that type of work. My family is very important to me. If they weren’t I would either be out playing more, or I would resent them for preventing me from “going further.”

Go on—show or tell us about your kit.
When I’d only been playing for a couple years, when I figured out that University wasn’t for me, I cashed in my college fund and bought a spiffy top-of-the-line 7pc Pearl kit. I’ve had that bad-boy for about 18 years. Most of the time I set it up as a 4-piece, with the 9x12 tom, 14x14 floor tom (which used to be a rack tom, but I put the legs from the bigger tom on it instead, and converted the 16x16 to be a baby kick), and the 16x22 bass.

This past December, on a whim, I placed a lowball bid on a DW kit on eBay. Turns out I won the thing. It’s from their Classics series, but it’s more special than that. It was originally built for a prominent (and unnamed) Nashville player who is not a DW endorser. He wasn’t happy with the finish, so the local dealer was unloading it. Instead of the typical ply configuration of poplar/mahogany with a finishply wrap, mine are mahogany/poplar/maple, with a lacquer finish. Sizes are 9x13 rack tom on the “banana rail” mount, 16x16 floor tom, 14x24 bass with the shell-mounted cymbal arm. They’re finished in a black/copper flake/black fade; very sexy, classy, and looks GREAT under the lights. They sound incredible: like drums are SUPPOSED to sound.

For cymbals, I’ll pick either some 10” AA hats (hmmm…I wonder where THAT idea came from??!) or some lovely 14” Zildjian & Cie (with a Billy Ward autograph inside them). I’ve gotta have my 15” HH Sound Control crash, and I really enjoy my 17” HHX crash. My 18” Ozone is nice, especially because it’s got Sloggy’s autograph under it; I think that makes it sound better. I have two x-hat arm thingys, and I’m always trying different combinations on those. I went through a phase where I had a few little splashes around, but dealing with all that extra hardware is a pain. I received a 17” Wuhan china for my birthday recently, and that’s a fun wall of sound too. Usually at church I use a 20” HH Classic ride, with a hunk of ball-chain for some sizzle.

What else should forumites know about you, personally or as a drummer?
For those who are somehow unaware, I’ve been Billy’s web-beeotch for something going on 8 or 9 years. If there’s a problem with his website or the discussion board, I’m typically to blame ;-)

**AND THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL** What’s your drumface like?
I think it’s not much different from usual. I try hard to be expressive and visually “there” when I’m playing (without looking ridiculous or like I might need a change of pants…)

Stalking the Stalkers is a regular supplement to the Billy Ward discussion board. Any resemblance to other characters, whether real or imaginary is strictly coincidental. No guitarists were harmed in the making of these interviews. To find yourself featured here, please contact Debbie on the discussion board or send email to stalking@billyward.com for further details.