Canadian Musician - January / February 2020 | Page 50

CM: Having lent your touch to a wide array of other art- ists’ projects, tell us about your approach to songwriting as not only the drummer but also lead vocalist and songwriter with Communism, and how that might have been shaped by your previous experience play- ing for others. DK: As a drummer, I’ve always enjoyed making people dance. The music of my band Communism is definitely aimed at getting people on the dance floor. Melody and counterpoint are key in dance music, but so is a simple, driv- ing beat that’s as sparse as it can be. Melody, counterpoint, harmony, innovation… these are all delicious ingredients, but most important to me are meaning and connection with people. In these trying times, music can bring people together. Drumming holds the music together. Being sensi- tive and solid at the same time – this split purpose is my key challenge as a drummer, a parent, a friend, and a member of society. CM: Considering your wide range of past and current collaborators, how important is it to you to actively explore and learn different styles of music? DK: Listening to and playing all possible styles of music is key to staying fresh and inspired. I don’t do enough of this, but I try. Being a parent has forced me to listen to current pop mu- sic much more than I would by choice, but it has taught me a lot. I also play other instruments and have other non-musical interests like cooking, ping pong, and hockey, which I am still terrible at. These activities keep me improvising and they keep me humble, which helps my musicality for sure. KRISTA WODELET Nice Horse Nice Horse is four bold, brilliant, and badass women with a buoyant, high-energy take on modern country that begs for boot-stomping and sing-alongs. Check out their Bob Rock-produced party banger “Pony Up” or sweet, sticky summer anthem “Good Life” for a taste. 50 CANADIAN MUSICIAN • • • • • • Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple Drums Pearl Steve Ferrone Signature Snare Sabian HHX Evolution & Artisan Cymbals Roland SPD-SX Sample Pad Roland SPD::ONE KICK Percussion Pad Los Cabos 55AB Yellow Dip Drumsticks CM: Tell us a bit about your growth as a musician and drummer. What kind of artists and styles did you ex- plore during your formative years and how did you make your way to the country stylings of Nice Horse? KW: My path to the drums was pretty unconventional. I actually began my music career as a classical bassoon play- er and completed two degrees in orchestral performance. I freelanced in orchestras for over 10 years, including the Calgary Philharmonic and the Kitchener-Waterloo, Niagara, Santa Monica, and Okanagan Symphonies, and also played keyboards and sang in an electro-pop duo called Sidney York – all before picking up my first pair of sticks. I started drumming in 2015 just for fun and discovered that I loved it, and shortly afterwards, Nice Horse was born. Thanks to my classical training and enthusiasm for the in- strument, I was able to pick it up pretty quickly, but the great – and occasionally frustrating – thing about music at any level is that you’re never done learning; I practice constantly! CM: The singing drummer is relatively rare. When performing live, do you ever have to adapt your drum parts or approach in order to effectively pull double duty with the energy Nice Horse is known for? Is that ever a consideration in the studio – arranging things to ensure you can pull them off effectively from the stage? KW: When we’re in the studio, we’re rarely thinking about the live show; that comes later. Our priority during the recording process is making the track sound the best it possibly can, and with the exception of the occasional specialty instru- ment, we sing and play every note ourselves. We also don’t take any extra players on the road, so we spend a lot of time in the rehearsal room working out how to pull off what we’ve done in the studio as a live four-piece band. As far as singing and drumming goes, I have never not sang and played drums at the same time. I almost never ad- just a drum part to compensate for a vocal part; the solution is always slow practice and constant repetition until it feels natural. CM: Is there anything technical you’ve been working on lately, or that you’d like to start working on in order to improve your playing? KW: Rudiments are one thing that I know I always need to practice more, especially coming to the drums as late as I did. To me, it feels similar to practicing scales in my past life as a wind player. They’re simple and one of the first things