Story by Steven Douglas Losey
Photos by Rick Malkin Page 3

MD: Playing for the song means drawing from lots of influences.
David: I think so, sometimes. I feel as though I'm somewhat of a versatile player. I play most styles and I have a love for fusion, Latin, and more expressive types of music. It's real important for any drummer to be incredibly versatile if they want to be a working professional.
MD: How does a drummer get better doing a forty-five-city country tour with Travis Tritt?
David: I really try to capitalize on my time when I'm on the road. There have always been different things that I recognize and work on to better myself. One is just playing with or without the click. On the road I would record myself on a daily basis, just listening for how I would pocket with the bass player and how I might be pocketing with Travis, whether it was his guitar or his vocal phrasing. There are elements of the live performance that you have no control over, but you always have control over your own playing. I would religiously listen to show tapes for how I could improve my live chops.
MD: Do you have freedom live?
David: Travis is not the kind of artist who micro manages. He expects everybody to do their homework and be completely professional. He wants the licks that will be the most musical for each performance. He's not the kind of guy who wants the same drum fill night after night. He likes consistency mixed with musicality. If you can stretch it and make it a little bit better, that's cool with him. He's a player too, and he likes to be pushed. He wants somebody to give a little bit more each night, because that's what he does as well. The whole band feeds off of that.
MD: How do you prepare for each show?
David: I've been doing this for a long time, but I still take around an hour to mentally prepare for a show. I work rudimentally to warm myself up - do doubles, singles, finger technique, and some hand, wrist, and forearm stretches.
MD: What do you do to stretch yourself musically?
David: When I'm on the road, I try to book a few drum clinics along the way. That allows me to show young people what I can do and try to offer some real-world advice. They see that I can play with Travis Tritt, which is essentially a southern-rock/country gig with some R&B influence. But that's not all I do. I talk about versatility and I offer tips. I also play along with some tracks from Shane Theriot's CD Highway 90, which I recorded.
   Speaking of Shane, when he initially asked me to play on his record, I didn't have much experience with New Orleans grooves, other than working with Jo-El Sonnier, whose music is more Cajun-influenced. He turned me on to the book called New Orleans Jazz And Second Line Drumming by Herlin Riley and Johnny Vidacovich. Shane had certain grooves he wanted me to become familiar with, and that was an opportunity. I did my homework for the session, and I interpreted those New Orleans grooves in a funk-fusuion way that best served the song. It was then that my love and respect for New Orleans music and musicians began.
Frankly, I'm not afraid to do the homework or take on the challenge of a different style. I don't get to play a lot of jazz all the time, but I listen to it a lot and play to CDs every chance I get. Those types of things tend to help you with the vibe. I really strive to become musically fulfilled. It's a need, a necessity, a desire to play and be driven. Your musical DNA is made up of more than one genre - at least mine is.

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