Log of The Artist Shop/Talk City chat with
Doane Perry of Jethro Tull and Thread
on Sunday, April 12, 1998

 

 

Session Start: Sun Apr 12 21:57:57 1998

<WotanCCC> Ok folks, Doane is here and we will be starting soon. Our good friend Gary Davis from The Artist Shop has Doane on the Phone and will be typing for him.

<WotanCCC> Our guest today is Doane Perry. He is here to talk about his recording effort "Thread". And his time with Jethro Tull. To send a question to Doane use the following format; Type /msg ASKDOANE Your question here. Your question will be put in the queue and asked in the order it was recieved.

<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> ******************************
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . Welcome to tonight's
<WotanCCC> . Artist Shop
<WotanCCC> . Featured Artist Conference
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . Doane Perry
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . Presented by
<WotanCCC> . @Music and TalkCity
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> ******************************
<WotanCCC> .

<WotanCCC> Doane handles the percussion chores for Jethro Tull as well as for his own band, Thread. Also Doane recently produced the benefit album, Something with a Pulse, for his good friend and fellow drummer Mark Craney. Doane, we appreciate you taking the time out to speak with us today. Welcome to @Music and TalkCity!

<DoanePerry> Hello everyone out there in Cyberspace and thanks for tuning in today!

<WotanCCC> Very cool Doane. I'll start off the questioning today... Doane can you start us off by telling us about your album "Thread"? How would you describe the music we'll find on it? And could you talk about the instrumentation?

<DoanePerry> Thread initially began as an outlet for some writing that I was doing with Vince DiCola, my writing partner of many years now. We did a project together several years ago entitled 'Storming Heaven' which, I should say, is still available on a German label called Major MTM records. The title was 'Life in Paradise.' And Vince and I had principally written the music with one other fellow.

<DoanePerry> And we had composed some music that we wanted to record with Storming Heaven, but it seemed inappropriate and some of the others felt it was too left field for Storming Heaven, so Vince and I started a project which evolved into Thread. Very broadly speaking, the music could be described as progressive rock, although I don't like that monicker very much. I think it combines strong melodic elements and a sense of story telling as well.

<WotanCCC> Its definately very eclectic...and displays a very high level of musicianship.

<DoanePerry> And the instrumentation was primarily drums, keyboard, guitar, bass, vocals.

<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> ****
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . For more information on Doane Perry
<WotanCCC> . and "Thread" go to;
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . http://www.artist-shop.com
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> ****
<WotanCCC> .

<WotanCCC> Where does the name "Thread" come from?

<DoanePerry> Regarding the name - we had a lot of names we tried out that we didn't like after a day or two. And Thread had a lightness and also in a figurative sense suggested something about the music in as much as it drew upon fairly eclectic sources.

<AskDoane> roxygirl says: where were u born and raised?

<DoanePerry> I was born in upstate New York in a town called Mt. Kisco and moved to NYC when I was five. So primarily I was brought up in Manhattan. I was brought up and educated you might say in Manhattan - on and off the street (ha, ha).

<WotanCCC> Have you played primarily in "progessive" groups?

<DoanePerry> No, not at all. Piano was my first instrument. All I heard around the house until I was ten was classical and jazz. When the Beatles came along, I started playing drums as well. That's when I became aware of pop music. I played in some progressive bands in high school. When I turned professional at the age of 17 I played every kind of music imaginable that existed in New York at the time. And that includes classical, jazz, pop, rock&roll, folk, celtic - every other kind of ethnic music imaginable. And I enjoyed all of it. And it was great training for playing in Jethro Tull, oddly enough. I was a studio musician and a live musician playing all this different kind of music. And I was fortunate to have very good music teachers along the way.

<WotanCCC> How did you get involved with Jethro Tull? Were they auditioning for a new drummer?

<DoanePerry> Yes, I auditioned for Jethro Tull through Chrysalis records. I had played with Pat Benatar who was also on Chrysalis. And her producer had also recommended me to Ian. And I had heard about it independently of that and had sent off some copies of records I had played on, one of them Maxus, my own band which was on Warner Bros. And tracks with a variety of other artists I had recorded with. I then sent all of this off to Ian and he called me a few weeks later which eventually led to an audition.

<WotanCCC> On what Jethro Tull recordings will we find your work?

<DoanePerry> Starting with Crest of a Knave, Rock Island, Catfish Rising, Roots to Branches, the 20th Anniversary Boxed Set, the 25th Anniversary Boxed Set, Nightcap, Live at Hammersmith 1984 and Live in Concert 1991. That's 10 that I can think of off the top of my head.....

<WotanCCC> I love that box set. The original packaging is incredible.

<DoanePerry> There might be other compilations, but that's the majority right there....

<WotanCCC> Crest of a Knave, wasn't that the Grammy award winner? Any thoughts on that one?

<DoanePerry> And then there's the new studio album (that we have not done yet) but might be out by the end of the year...perhaps.

<WotanCCC> Oh cool. Something to look forward to.

<DoanePerry> Yes, that was a grammy award winner. That had a lot of great music that actually didn't make it onto the album and hasn't made it onto any compilations thus far.....

<WotanCCC> Interesting.

<DoanePerry> I also remember it being as a personally difficult album as my mother died right in the middle of making it. I had to return to the US and deal with that.

<WotanCCC> I'm sorry to hear that.

<DoanePerry> And then go back and finish working on the record. So unfortunately my memories of that album are very much connected to that event in my life.

<AskDoane> evergreen says: when did you join the band? which year and which tour?

<DoanePerry> I joined the band in 1984 for the Under Wraps tour.

<WotanCCC> And were you a Tull fan before you joined?

<DoanePerry> and then for some reason my picture is on the cover of Under Wraps. But it was recorded before I joined the band when Ian had bought his first drum machine....

<DoanePerry> and I can tell you that it was really difficult learning some of those drum machine parts ;-)

<WotanCCC> LOL

<DoanePerry> Yes, I was a very big Tull fan. I loved the band and had seen them many, many times......

<WotanCCC> Me too. Great live band.

<DoanePerry> So it was a great honor to be asked to join the band and be viewing the music from the inside out.

<AskDoane> jlc45 says: What did you think of the Las Vegas concert last year? You didn't play as long as the next night. Did that guy with the flute sticking out of his head scare you off?

<WotanCCC> A flute sticking out of his head?

<DoanePerry> I don't know who he's talking about. Must have been some guy in the audience......

<WotanCCC> Guess it didn't have a lot of effect.

<DoanePerry> No, there was some sort of time restriction set by the venue. We like to play longer. It wasn't our decision and we had to make it shorter.

<AskDoane> jlc45 says: There has been some talk on the newsgroup about a Jethro Tull convention being held on a cruise ship. *Then you guys couldn't get away from us. What do you think?

<WotanCCC> Wow. Talk about devoted fans.

<DoanePerry> Honestly, though, I haven't heard anything about a convention on a cruise ship. We are, however, next weekend playing the Jethro Tull convention in Germany.....

<DoanePerry> but it's only the second time we have ever played at a Tull convention.

<AskDoane> [finn] says: I've just been listening to Bungle In The Jungle (Tull).. what's that ride cymbal? I love it :)

<WotanCCC> That would be before you joined the group no?

<DoanePerry> If this is the original recording, that was Barry Barlow's cymbal and you would have to ask him....unless this is a live version we did recently. If it's the live version, it would be a Paiste signature 20 inch dry ride.

<AskDoane> joemav1 says: <your in a new band, is it in the same vein as Jethro Tull or something different>

<DoanePerry> To clarify, this does not mean I'm leaving Jethro Tull. It's my own band project outside of Jethro Tull. It doesn't sound like Jethro Tull, but I think it is good listening music and I think Tull fans would enjoy listening to Thread's music.

<WotanCCC> Theres certainly a Tull influence.

<AskDoane> ehhh says: What are some other musicians who have influenced you or who you greatly admire? Sorry if this has been asked before but I didn't know this was happening till about 5 minutes ago...

<WotanCCC> Thats ok, you're the first to ask.

<DoanePerry> Well, there could be a Tull influence as much as I play in both bands, but on the face of it, I don't think Thread could ever be mistaken for Jethro Tull. I will give a few, but there are too many to mention from every style of music that has influenced me (styles and composers). Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra....

<WotanCCC> Billy Cobham

<DoanePerry> The Beatles, hmmm, so many bands......Crash Test Dummies, love them, XTC.....James Brown, I don't know, there's just so many....Stephane Grappelli, Yehudi Menhuin...James Taylor, can't forget him, one of my all time favorites! Jimi Hendrix, The Police - Sting, great artists - Peter Gabriel....

<WotanCCC> Any favorite drummers?

<DoanePerry> Way too many favorite drummers to mention. I wouldn't know where to start. These to me are the very unfair questions because I leave out so many wonderful people ;-) I am a great appreciator of all kinds of music if it is well composed and well played.

<AskDoane> mericcc says: for Ina: hi Doane, Ina from Berlin, what do you think about a Doane Perry Website?

<DoanePerry> Somebody's actually starting to put that together for me as I don't have the time or understanding to do that for myself.

<AskDoane> joemav1 says: <how is Ian Anderson>

<DoanePerry> Ian is doing just fine, thank you. And I'll see him in about 5 days.

<AskDoane> mericcc says: for Kula: Do you have any tips for up and coming drummers?

<DoanePerry> Practice - practice and don't get discouraged. Study everything - every still that you can - that interests you. I feel like I'm still an eternal student. I take all sorts of things on the road that I practice before concerts, in the hotel room. Playing music is being an eternal student.

<WotanCCC> Good advice

<AskDoane> kula says: <hat do you find influences you the most when writing material>

<DoanePerry> That depends on if it's the music or the lyrics. The music is trying to create an atmosphere or mood - and that may have something to do with my day to day state of mind....Or something that I've recently listened to. As far as lyrics, similarly it may just be an idea of a story that has been floating around in my head. Or influenced by something I've just read in a magazine or somewhere. Or it could be a title. I keep a working book that has all sorts of potential titles. And sometimes the title inspires me to create something around a really good title or phrase.

<AskDoane> obscene says: Was it hard for you to go from amateur drummer to professional? any tips for amateurs?

<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> ****
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . For more information on Doane Perry
<WotanCCC> . and "Thread" go to;
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . http://www.artist-shop.com
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> ****
<WotanCCC> .

<DoanePerry> I didn't really notice the transition from amateur to professional as these things tend to happen gradually over time. However, I can say that if I had gone from being a complete amateur to a member of Jethro Tull at 17 or 18 would have been very difficult. And for most professional musicians, it is a series of steps from one level to the next which is a better way to make the transition into the professional world of music.

<WotanCCC> On the Thread instert/liner notes you thank C.S. Lewis. While listening to the CD I got a sense of a subtle religous message. Is there an intentional message, religous or otherwise, that Thread is trying to promote?

<DoanePerry> NO! But I love some of C.S. Lewis' writing and in part the story of 'Rainbow Suite' was inspired by some of the events in his life. I'm not saying that there isn't some of that content that he observed there, but I'm not trying to 'promote' any particular message.

<WotanCCC> Probably promote was a poor choice of words. Frankly I liked "attitude" of the songs.

<AskDoane> mericcc says: Ina1 asks: what would you say if I give you a CD with Maxus and Rivets on it (only 3 copies exist)

<DoanePerry> That would be very nice to have it on a CD. I didn't know either one of them were on CD. Although I don't know how they could get both albums on one CD. Regarding the attitude of the songs - thank you very much. I'm working on new material on my own and with Vince for the next Thread record.

<AskDoane> obscene says: By the way, i think you do an awesome work with the skins.

<DoanePerry> Thank you again. I appreciate all the people who are out there listening.

<WotanCCC> Any tours in 98? Tull or otherwise?

<DoanePerry> Not any tours, as such. We've got 5 American gigs booked at the end of August. One night in San Diego, two in LA, one in Seattle and one in Portland....

<WotanCCC> Cool, I can make the SoCal gigs.

<DoanePerry> Between August 30 and September 5. We may have some other Tull gigs, but nothing definite just now. And Thread will be playing around the LA area this summer.

<WotanCCC> I'll keep an eye out for both. Is there anything else you would like to mention before we conclude today? I hope you'll have some time for TalkCity when you're in LA.

<DoanePerry> And I'm leaving on Thursday for a tour of Germany and the Netherlands with Martin Barre between April 30 and May 13 and we'll be playing some of Martin's music and some Thread music as well!

<WotanCCC> Ahhhh....Martins a great guitar player.

<DoanePerry> And that's it for live stuff at this point. I'm sure other things will come in as the year progresses. We'll be doing a major Tull tour to promote the next album next year - '99

<WotanCCC> Very cool. Look forward to it.

<DoanePerry> One thing I'd like to say is that at the risk of shamelessly promoting either project, Thread and the Craney project is available at The Artist Shop at http://www.artist-shop.com/newlabel

<WotanCCC> Well, thank s for your time Doane. Looks like our time is up. I'd like to thank everyone for joining us tonight. Doane, we appreciate taking the time to come and chat with us. We all hope youšll come back to Talk City again soon!

<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . For more information on Doane Perry
<WotanCCC> . and "Thread" go to;
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . http://www.artist-shop.com
<WotanCCC> .

<DoanePerry> We hope this year we will be starting a Jethro Tull website that may be more closely monitored and/or governed by the band itself, but that's still in the planning stages.

<WotanCCC> Finally, thanks to the Artist Shop for working with us on this conference. We especially appreciate the efforts of Gary Davis in giving us the opportunity to speak with Doane Perry. Don't forget to drop by the Artist Shop and explore all of their musical offerings http://www.artist-shop.com . Thanks Doane, and everyone for coming.

<DoanePerry> Thanks very much for signing on on this Easter Sunday and I'll be happy to come back any time an answer questions. Goodbye for now.

<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> .Next on our Artist Shop Featured Artist Series:
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . Wednesday, April 15 at
<WotanCCC> . 6 pm pt / 9pm et
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . King Crimson Sax/Keyboard player
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . Ian McDonald
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . another
<WotanCCC> . Artist Shop / @Music
<WotanCCC> . production
<WotanCCC> .
<WotanCCC> . Right here in the @MusicArena
<WotanCCC> .

<WotanCCC> Have a great Easter all.

Session Close: Sun Apr 12 23:04:11 1998

 

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