Reputation, Reputation, Reputation

As a few of you may know in November last year I had the great good fortune to be asked to stand in for Harvey Mason at the 2015 London Drum Show. Harvey had an accident at home and sadly was unfit to fly. The brief was to be first artist on the main stage on the Saturday morning. I had heard a rumour on the Wednesday that something might be happening, but I didn't get confirmation until Thursday afternoon of what was already a very busy week. Too busy in fact to have time to be nervous about the drum show. I did it and it was pleasingly well received. I remembered that all important strategy for this kind of performance. 

There are several hundred drummers out front and all their eyes are on you.
Remember though, that it is highly likely that the vast majority of them have only heard you play on possibly one or two occasions if at all. If they are hearing you for the tenth time the chances are that in their estimation you can do no wrong so that's fine as well.
Bearing that in mind stick to things you know are comfortable, familiar and that you play really well. Don't go too far out on a limb. Because we all know our own playing very well it has a familiarity. Don't let that sense of familiarity fool you into thinking that you might run the risk of being 'boring' to the audience. Don't worry. That won't happen.

In fact, this piece of advice (as my good friend Mike Scott pointed out to me earlier today) is pretty much bomb proof in 90% of musical environments. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times when I have been chastised for 'not being busy enough'. The great Harry 'Sweets' Edison once said I was too quiet (believe it or not) and a bandleader I worked for in a quartet on the QE2 once upbraided me for 'swinging too much'. 

Having said that I did once see a legendary drummer do a clinic which was practically a word for word repetition of his tuition video from a couple of years previously, so if you are working in this sphere of the industry at all regularly it is important to keep things fresh.

Anyway, back to the London Drum Show. In the end the performance went very well and was pleasingly  well received. I was satisfied  to have met the challenge offered and to have delivered something at an appropriate standard . Quite an honour I'm sure you'll agree, but how do these things come about? Why me? With so many great players to choose from why was I the lucky so-and-so whose name got drawn out of the hat?

One word answer: reputation.

What the show organisers were looking for was a London based drummer with a profile, whose gear wasn't in an air cargo depot somewhere, who had plenty of drum show experience without suffering from the old enemy over-exposure, could be depended upon to show up at Olympia at stupid o'clock to get set up and isn't afraid of playing to a room full of drummers, including many international industry heavyweights.

So how do we go about creating a reputation? Some musicians seem to be skilled, proactive and switched on in this regard. It's a quality to incorporate early on and in today's congested and competitive industry it's more important than ever. 

First you need to create the right kind of reputation and having done so you then need to manage it carefully. There follows a selection of dos and don'ts plus a few anecdotes which will hopefully serve to illustrate how the waters can get a bit choppy from time to time. 

Sometimes it's a distinct advantage to just be a safe pair of hands. Do a solid, competent and reliable job. Play the music, it's not a drum clinic. Don't make waves. Don't draw attention to yourself. 
This simple advice will take you a long way until the vagaries of human nature get in the way. I admire the special cameraderie that exists amongst my many brass and woodwind playing colleagues, especially when a great new talent appears on the scene.  When there are four or five players in a section they will make room for new talent whereas a drummer might find himself out of a job if the dep if just a bit too good. Believe me, it happens, so a solid, unfussy job will help you get established without frightening the living daylights out of your peers. 

About twenty years ago I booked a noted UK drummer to cover three big band gigs for me. The gigs came and went, the job got done.
My dep called me to say thanks (nice touch, good manners) and proceeded to tell me that he thought he hadn't played all that well on the first gig but by the third he had come to feel very comfortable in the environment.
The next time I saw the bandleader he told quite a different story. His version was that my dep had done a great job on the first gig but by the third was putting in way too much and constantly overplaying.
You don't need me to explain that one to you do you?

I always advise students to aim to become versatile all-round players. Try not to become too closely associated with a very specific musical genre or playing style. As an aspiring professional drummer you need to take a look at what the industry is going to require from you and do your level best to meet those criteria . It's important to appeal to the maximum number of potential employers. Be prepared to play quite a lot of music you might not like all that much in order to establish a sure foothold in the scene. As Bob Moses said in his very valuable book Drum Wisdom, 'If you know music, you know the drums'. This is exactly what I did over 30 years ago when it became time to break out of the local scene in the Midlands.

In order to go out there, compete and make a living I had to broaden my perspective from being a big band/straight ahead jazz drummer. This involved absorbing other styles and making sure that my drums sounded right for what was the industry expectation of the mid 80's through to the mid 90's. Nailing down working with a click was an absolute necessity at that time, which fortunately I was able to get together very quickly, having been really quite bad at it on my first couple of attempts. Later I got the opportunity to specialise in the music and playing styles closest to my heart but in order to get to that point I served a lengthy apprenticeship which covered a whole range of music. A possible downside of being a specialist comes the risk of typecasting. As your profile increases people will often tend to associate you with the playing style and musical genre that has put you in the public eye. How flattering is it to be mentioned in the same breath as B***y R**h and others of that ilk and to have a profile in the industry for anything is a great compliment, but I think many readers might be surprised to know the wide range of things I have done in years gone by and sometimes still do today. If it pays properly and you're reasonably sure you can handle it always say yes. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 


We all know the timeless anecdotes about some of the great 'character' drummers of times past; Keith Moon, Phil Seamen and all the rest. The stories are legendary and have passed into drummer folklore. Sadly though the lives of these big personalities often come off the rails and end in tragedy.

Once upon a time it was only the 'name' players whose indiscretions came to the attention of a wider public. Also the laws of supply and demand have made the shelf life of the hooligan muso a great deal shorter. 

Social media has changed everything. 

More than once I have seen good drummers (and other musicians) having very public disputes on Facebook and elsewhere  (it used to be internet forum pages before that).
Social media is an extension of your performance and has added a whole new dimension to the concept of word of mouth. Starting wars, doing dirty laundry or having a meltdown in a public place  (because it is) will always reflect badly on you, not your intended victim. You wouldn't strip naked on stage (I hope you wouldn't unless expressly contracted to do so) so think before you rant. A well thought out post can be compelling and effective, but that doesn't include calling someone a **** because they got a gig you felt should have been yours or you covet their drum endorsement.

People see posts and share posts. Don't push the self distruct button on your career with a hasty, drunken status update.

 Be outstanding, but don't stand out for the wrong reasons

Inevitably at some time or another  the green eyed monster will raise its ugly head. Keep a careful eye out for it.

"Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies". One of many classic Gore Vidal quotes but  frequently all too true.

My late manager Derek Boulton said, as we sat in our office (a cafe in Dolphin Square) putting together the UK wide tribute to Buddy Rich tour which ran from January 2010 to September 2011, that I would be on the receiving end of some jealousy from one or two people out there in the industry, and how right he was. A fellow drummer besieged Derek with (very poor quality) publicity about his own (rather poor quality) big band project. He also called every theatre we were due to appear at saying
"Don't book Pete Cater, book me instead". Probably his finest hour though was when he posted a comment on a (very balanced and favourable) review of a concert we did at Cadogan Hall. His splenetic outpouring was a) bordering on libellous, b) written under the same false name he uses to post Youtube videos and c) beseeching the reader to be one of the lucky 8 or 9 people to be in the audience at his upcoming gig at the Spice of Life. The best thing about this guy is that although I've never made any mention of this to him he absolutely knows that I am aware of his escapades and have no hesitation in telling people at every opportunity. Read this and squirm. Another 'foot shooter' was a writer I brought in to collaborate on some arrangements I had in mind, copies of which he sold  to a band in the USA thinking me too stupid ever to uncover his misdeeds. Those were the last charts he ever wrote for me, and he lost probably a hundred gigs too.


A slightly more perplexing scenario is when people brief against you in order to harm your reputation or diminish your standing. This is a little more difficult to control. Musicians love to gossip and put their rivals down behind their backs. Someone out there is saying something negative about you at some time. Live with it and stay strong.

A particular favourite of mine happened about four years ago at time of writing when I was asked by a fellow drummer to dep with a great band playing great music. The downside was that the gig necessitated a round trip of 630 miles which was in no way reflected in the remuneration on offer. Having given the matter due consideration I politely declined. The gig was about eight weeks away so my fellow drummer had plenty of time to find a substitute.
Imagine my surprise when two days before the gig I had declined was due  to take place, I received an email from the bandleader with the address and call time. I politely replied explaining that I was not doing the gig and had never accepted it. The only interpretation that can be put on this is that my fellow drummer had lied to the bandleader and told him I was booked and made me out to be the villain. Very, very bad form. Don't play games, you'll get caught sooner or later.

Even trusted friends will disappoint you sometimes. People who are friendly to your face but will put the knife in the minute your back is turned. Thankfully this is very much a rarity and I am fortunate to have a wide  network of contacts who are great people as well as great players. 

It's really important that you don't leave this post feeling that the music industry is a terrible place full of amoral low life! There are some sharks in the water and one or two snakes in the grass. They are quite adept at camouflage so hopefully having read this you'll be better able to recognise one should it cross your path.

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