The Genius Of Brad Wilk

make sure cameras are rolling 1 2 3 4 just give me a pair of [ __ ] sticks you should not leave your convictions behind in your vocation buk and punk rock FS my fire Brad's turned out to be a godsend R there are a lot of drummers who can play the Metal but there are not a lot of drummers who can bring heaviness to these more Jam oriented pieces the Cornerstone message of all the bands we've been in is that the world is not going to change itself that is up to you Brad is best known as the driving force behind Rage Against the Machine his Innovative style Blends Precision explosive energy and a deep sense of GrooVe his ability to fuse elements of punk metal and Hip-Hop into Dynamic rhythms and drum hooks has solidified his reputation as one of the most influential drummers of his generation he's a true master of his craft and has propelled songs to Greater Heights with his powerful and commanding drumming the join us as we dive into the genius of Brad wil growing up Brad listened to all kinds of music he listened to everything from Black Sabbath and Leed Zeppelin to NWA and James Brown this blend of styles had a profound impact on his sense of GrooVe and overall sound Brad explained that I always had an innate swing in me I also listened to a lot of Van Halen records Alex Van Halen grew up on swing out of high school I ended up going part time to a jazz school called Dick Grove School of Music it taught Jazz AFR Cuban and percussion and I really got into drummers like Elvin Jones I knew that I would never be a jazz drummer I wanted to be a rock drummer who was influenced by Jazz rather than a jazz drummer who might be influenced by rock you start to understand how Brad's versatile drumming style came about when you consider his favorite drummers three favorite drummers of all time would have to be John bonam Elvin Jones and ke it took a while before Brad's funky and loose yet energe and precise drumming found a home though he was playing for the band Greta until he hooked up with the members of Rage Against the Machine the band would go on to hit the LA Club Circuit in the early 90s during this time they signed a record deal with Epic Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1992 which exploded onto the scene in part due to the outspoken social and political lyrics There's a real disillusionment with the status quo which I think that rage is really tapping into cuz that I think that dis illusion when it's wide and it's very deep it seems to have struck a resounding chord Brad style of drumming was immediately an integral part of the band's sound his drumming often revolves around creating tight infectious grooves that are locked in with Tim comerford's baselines he had a strong sense of pocket and Rhythm driving the band's music forward in interesting [Music] ways in the interlude section of the same song he lays down an iconic drum part part it features some trademark elements of his drumming like flams single strokes and Unison hits on the snare in florom and pay close attention to the swing feel here too where Brad's playing Just slightly behind the [Music] beat you do what they told you and now you do what they told you and now you do what they told you you're now you do what they told you you're not going do what they told you you're not going do what they told you [Music] one thing that really stands out in Brad's drumming is how he complements the rest of the band The Track Fistful of Steel is a great example of this where his powerful Unison hits and flams accent the other instruments ringing in a simple but powerful open high hat [Music] Groove Brad's ability to write drum parts that perfectly fit the music is is on Full display in the song Bulls on Parade it the verse section features a drum part that's impossible not to air drum along to and this part is definitely one of the most legendary rhythmic hooks out there from there Brad goes on to lay down a heavy BackBeat Groove throwing in kicks on the offbeat expl sh like get the fu so far we've heard Brad's swing feel on display in a few different tracks and when asked about his bottom like swing he said to me the BackBeat is everything I spent years listening to players who play on the BackBeat bottom is absolutely one of my biggest influences a lot of that whole BackBeat thing has to do with where you put the grace note from the same drum that comes just before the one I really believe that that's something that's more felt than heard we can hear Brad swing field and the track bullet in the head specifically in the verse section where he locks in with Tim comerford's Baseline with a laidback Groove where he also accents the offbeats on the high hatet in nothing about propaganda when the said it was blue when the blood was R this The Rock J yellow whing instead of a SW the nothing about your propa and you can really hear the bottom influence in this [Music] one Brad's versatility and ability to blend styles of music sets his drumming apart in the track Viet now you can hear some of Brad's Funk influences coming through in the verse section he plays a steady syncopated BackBeat Groove but pay close attention to the single stroke roll after beat 3 and the high hat bark on the E of Beat 4 turn on a radio n [ __ ] it turn it off is your only got on the radio n [ __ ] it turn it off turn it off turn on the radio n [ __ ] it turn it off is your only on the radio n [ __ ] it you're sa my Brad likes to make clever use of Dynamics in his drum parts to complement the music he often uses big snare and Tom builds to build tension right before launching into a high-intensity [Music] Groove Brad uses an accented single stroke roll to great effect in the bridge of wake up before dialing up the energy again listening to take the power back you'll further notice how he uses Dynamics to great effect he plays a sparse 16th note high hat Groove with the kick drum on counts one and the and of beat one leaving space for the [Music] guitars bring that [ __ ] in the chorus of this track is another great example of Brad's ability to lock in with the base yeah we got to take the power back come on come on Brad loves playing with the contrast between loud and quiet and this can be heard in the song gorilla radio where Brad builds tension with a simple snare roll before launching into another trademark group [Music] this organic and musical approach is a Hallmark of Brad's drumming style and was actually forged during the early Jams he had with Rage Against the Machine he explained that I've never felt that kind of chemistry before from day one when I jammed with Zach and Tom I remember Zach being this lightning bolt there were so many different influences roaming around in the band and it just all came out [Music] with Rage Against the Machine the bass and drums are always locked in together it's part of the band's DNA and could be heard on their earliest recorded material check out how Brad and Tim lock in together on the track clear the lane off their self-titled demo tape down get down and at the same time come up down this is trying to shut this up I don't give a [ __ ] cu the words and thoughts still hit and like I said it's not a SK the combination of bass and drums is really what makes Rage Against the Machine sound so unique take the verse section from bomb TR where Brad's grooove holds its own even when it's [Music] isolated but when you hear it in context with the rest of the band it becomes clear just how groovy this beat really is every bass drum is played with purpose and the open and closed high hats add further texture and the Le those Su your PE at a level that instead I P my hands the fle the flag so lock down the businesses that the same syncopated approach can be heard in the verse section of wake up Brad locks in with the base on the kick drum but switches up the placement of the snare to add more variety ack radically poetic standing with the fury that they had in 66 and lucky double man the system sh you're still never ready I need a l rically poetic standing with the fury that they had in 66 and the sh and we can't talk about syncopated rage grooves without mentioning the intro part from Freedom where Brad lays down a menacing Groove setting the energy for the rest of the [Music] track come on the track know your enemy is another great example of this and you can hear Brad swinging Groove in the intro that locks in with the Baseline coming back in with another bomb track another element that makes Brad's drumming so effective is how it accents important parts of the music in the leadup to the chorus of the same track he uses the snare and symbol shots to emphasize Tom Mel's guitar RI you're right away [Music] [Applause] [Music] sometimes Brad likes to dial back his drum Parts letting the guitars breathe more to achieve this he pulls sounds from different parts of the kid like the cowbell Groove in the intro of Township Rebellion CU people dwell in Hell SRU are cell is a story I tell Brad knows how to lay down more intricate drum Parts too as you can hear in the song Snake Charmer it's slightly unconventional in that he's riding the snare with his right hand while occasionally moving to the [Music] floor Rage Against the Machine has a unique way of blending different genres together while still maintaining their own sound and style the track year of the boomerang is a great example of this which is played in 54 [Music] yeah it can be tempting to call Brad's drumming simple but in reality it's super effective often stripping away anything unnecessary in the track people of the sun Brad enters with a slick fill ending with a high hat bark before flying into a Groove that propels the song forward yeah we got to turn the base up on this one check [Music] yeah we got to turn the base up on this one check [ __ ] 156 by the time their third album The Battle of Los Angeles rolled around the band had hit its stride and already gone Platinum multiple times over this record Chronicles the class conflicts that were happening in La at the time rage against machine is a band that is a very is a unque product of this city it's band that couldn't have happened anywhere else uh and in the tradition of groups like The Doors and x and Jane's Addiction it's a band that you can hear you know you can hear the city in every note the track testify captures the workingclass anger in both lyrics and music Tom morell's dissonant guitar effects combined with Brad's powerful imposing Groove creates a unique soundscape me me a similar approach is heard in sleep now in the fire where Brad puts down a driving groove on the ride that's embellished with tasty Ghost Notes which compliments the percussive vocals I am s rap Brad's sludger approach to plane can be heard in tracks like calm like a bomb in the chorus Brad's offbeat Groove perfectly compliments Tom Mel's heavy riff while playing off the Baseline and changing orchestration with his right hand what I say watch I say watch I [Music] say only one year later the album Renegades came out and This Record consisted of covers from numerous artists mostly from the West Coast their cover of Microphone Fiend by hip-hop artists Eric B and rim is particularly interesting giving it their own twist Brad pulls off a stripped Down drum part with a broken 16th note high hat Rhythm which works perfectly in contact with the rest of the music e f f e c Smooth Operator operated correctly e f f e a Smooth Operator operated correctly putting together creative cover songs can be tricky but Renegades of Funk a remake of the 1983 Track by Africa bombata is a great example of how a cover can be turned into something truly unique it's hard not to nod your head to Brad's funky breakbeat Groove in the breakdown section which is reminiscent of the funky drummer be and is accompanied by some overdub percussive elements [Music] and if you thought Bruce Springsteen and Rage Against the Machine don't mix well their cover of the Ghost of Tom jod is here to prove you wrong Brad's Dynamic drumming brings new life and energy into the track [Music] Rage Against The Machine's live performances were legendary the intensity of the jumping crowd at the end of this 1993 performance at pink pop reportedly caused seismic sensors in the neighborhood to send out earthquake alarms during his tenure with Rage Against the Machine Brad set up were relatively straightforward but super effective this minimalistic approach on the first album especially allowed him to focus on delivering tight rhythms that complemented the band sound he even replaced the Raton with cowbells saying that for that first record I replaced the Tom in the front with a couple of cowbells just for the challenge while we were working on the music I did it just to see how it would make me play I thought it was cool I was into keeping it like that and playing the album that way these cowbells are prominent in the intro of Killing In The Name making the transition into the verse that much more [Music] unique so for this video we chose to use an 80s Gretch Square badge kit modeled after one of the setups Brad wil played with Rage Against the Machine we have the same symbol setup the same sizes that Brad used the cowbells on the side and the Rage Against the Machine bastrom Head [Music] Brad wil enjoyed a prolific career outside of Rage Against the Machine after de la roacha left the band in 2000 the remaining members formed a super group called Audio Slave with former sound garden frontman Chris [Music] Cornell first time we got together we just jammed together and we decided Well let's just try writing some songs I got there and figured I'm going to know within 10 minutes and within 10 minutes I knew that it would be great there was a Chemistry Between the four of us that was there and that is not an easy thing to find you can find someone who's great but when you put them in a situation if the chemistry is not right it's not going to be good and so I feel very fortunate that one we got one of the greatest singers and two the chemistry worked Brad had to adapt and change his approach to the drums slightly in comparison to his time with Rage Against the Machine he explained that with Chris I realized right away when I would play percussive stuff over his Lush vocals I found myself yielding to the song holding back a little going underground and finding the intricacies of my playing in the ghost notes and Grace notes that was so challenging for me Brad was definitely up for the challenge and the band released three albums in the early to mid 2000s on the track Like a Stone off their first self-titled album you can hear Brad's more restrained but no less musical approach he holds down a solid Groove throughout throwing in more ghost notes in the verse section and accenting the the high out on the and of Beat 4 my I will the God and the [Music] angel but there was still plenty of space for Brad's hard-hitting drumming to shine in the Rock Anthem cois he lays down a heavy and forboding Tom Groove in the intro before flying into an assertive Groove that compliments The Soaring riff in Chris's vocals I've been watching why you been cing I've been [Music] blanking Red's musical approach is evident in the track B yourself in the bridge section he lays down a melodic Tom Groove allowing Chris's vocal to take Center Stage even when you P enough been put upon been H the pay off for this section is When Brad gradually dials up the intensity again with a big snare and floor ton build before flying into a solid Groove in the chorus Be Yourself is all that you can do is Shen Shen you can hear Brad taking a similar approach in the verse section of Doesn't Remind me laying down another melodic Tom grp I like gsy the radio it doesn't me as you all know Brad is more than capable of pulling off busier drum Parts in the track your time has come he starts to unleash around the kid a little bit more than usual I st straight into the Sun and I don't know [Music] I by the time the revelations album rolled around in 2006 the band started to bring an old school R&B vibe to their signature mix of riffs and soaring [Music] vocals in the same vein Brad unleashes a groovy four bar pattern in the track sound of a gun which is perfectly orchestrated around one of the band's trademark Unison [Music] riffs in 2012 Brad received a call from the legendary producer Rick Rubin asking if he'd be interested in playing on the New Black Sabbath album being a huge fan of Bill Ward he knew he had big shoes to Phil saying I grew up wanting to be Bill Ward and trying to learn those records on vinyl playing Parts over and over again the first Black Sabbath record I heard was actually master of reality and I remember hearing the way he played and how he played that kick drum just after the snare drum just after the two count it was so distinctly bill I caught that at an early age and you hear it in Rage songs even though it took a little bit for Brad to get comfortable in this new setting he eventually settled in I remember when I first walked in I just couldn't help but feel like the 14-year-old kid that was you know sitting with the record player listening to the Black Sabbath records oh hell after about a week and a half kind of settled in and realized that they poop and pee just like me the final Sabbath album called 13 was released in 2013 with Brad featured on the entire record the single God is dead stands out with Brad's swung sense of G gr fitting right in with the rest of the [Music] band now where to run now where to hide the track end of the beginning features some really cool drum parts from the slow dark and sludgy Bridge section with thundering Tom rolls [Applause] of the SE through to a more upbeat verse with a heavy yet bouncy Groove from [Music] Brad but the chorus has my favorite Groove with Brad laying down an intricate ride Bell pattern that would make Bill Ward proud if you don't know which way to go now you may feel lost and confused as second chance on the track loner Brad puts on a clinic laying down some high octane drumming in the verse section complete with 30 second o fills around the [Music] kit it takes a special musician to take on drumming for such a legendary band like Black Sabbath but Brad had that unique blend of power and Funk which made the rest of the band feel at ease I've worked with Brad before and he's great to work with it's a tough job drumming in Black Sabbath because there are a lot of drummers who can play the Metal but there are not a lot of drummers who could play the blues and jazz and bring heaviness to these more Jam oriented pieces that are part of what Black Sabbath does Brad's turned out to be a godsend really Brad dipped his toes in many different genres over the years his style drumming lent itself quite naturally to hip-hop and he contributed on Cypress Hills 2000 album Skull and Bones he has a songwriting credit on the track can't get the best of me which incorporates elements of Rage Against The Machine's aggressive [Music] sound Brad also wrote a track for Snoop Dog with Tom Morell and Tim Comerford called Snoop bounce you can hear their fingerprints all over the song with heavy riffs and commanding drums leading the [Music] charge from late 2014 until June 2015 Brad also toured with Smashing Pumpkins filling in for Jimmy [Music] Chamberlain and switch ing gears yet again Brad would go on to join the rap rock super group profits of Rage in 2016 the band was composed of all Rage Against the Machine members besides Zack deoa as well as DJ Lord and Chuck D from Public Enemy and rapper B reel of Cypress Hill in their self-titled track Brad lays down a solid Groove to support the Furious vocals embellishing it with signature 16th note high hat rhythms that fit perfectly with the overdub Shaker part with I hold theice with thce I keep the way of course and I'm keeping sleeping the stage the chorus features some trademark high octane drumming from Brad and here he lays down a punk inspired syncopated Groove that leaves just enough space for the rest of the instruments followed by a fast fill around the kit to keep the momentum high for the the r k like C way C way way way for the take the light in 2017 the band released their one and only self-titled album and the first single is loaded with powerful anti-authoritarian messages poty hit home like a bull Zone check America pul her a death tone division hitting like a bullet to position kill the dream but as the intensity builds towards the end of the track Brad starts turning up the momentum ACC sending shots and riffs in powerful ways that are very reminiscent of the days in Rage Against the Machine I [ __ ] the [Music] world when all is said and done Brad is proven himself as a versatile drummer across a variety of different styles he's been able to adapt and change his approach to the music which is the Hallmark of not only a great drummer but a great musician when asked about how he approaches these different projects he's explained the best thing a drummer can be at the end of the day is a great listener I think it only makes you a better drummer every time you add a different piece to the chemistry in the room it's going to change how I play a lot of it is looking at how we're going to fill or not fill up the frequency chart where will each one of us find our places in it all right there you have it the genius of Brad wil with his Dynamic rhythms and explosive drumming he cemented his place as one of the most unique drummers of his generation his groundbreaking work with Rage Against the Machine and his ability to blend power and groove while writing enduring rhythmic hooks secur his legacy as a true Master of the craft now before you go make sure you leave a comment below and let me know one thing that you've learned from listening to Brad wil and also stay tuned for the next episode in the genius of series which is about the Prague Rock Pioneer bill bruford from yes and King Crimson there's a link down below dro.com trial and you can try Dro free for 7 days and with that thank you so much for watching and I'll see you all in the next video cheers [Music] oh [Music] [Music]

Channel: Drumeo

Views: 267,532

Keywords: brad wilk, rage against the machine, killing in the name, black sabbath, tim commerford, tom morello, zack de la rocha, bulls on parade, sleep now in the fire, drum cover, tim commerford bass, brad wilk drums, brad wilk interview, brad wilk black sabbath, brad wilkerson, brad wilk rage against the machine, brad wilk foo fighters, brad wilk drumeo, brad wilk bulls on parade, brad wilk isolated drums

Id: UIUTYXzPgFI

Length: 28min 44sec (1724 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 14 2024