Connecting With People Through The Drums

Chris Kimmerer, drummer for Thomas Rhett

Cris Cohen: What is your drumming philosophy?

Chris Kimmerer, drummer for Thomas Rhett: There are a couple of approaches. There is the clinician / technician approach… the part of me that went to music school, studied, and works on drumming rudiments. Then there is a more creative side of things.

There is a happy mix there, but I think the listener part of me gravitates to stuff that makes me feel something, that moves me, even physically. But I still want to pursue excellence in a lot of other areas, with my technique and my studies. All of that is important to me.

As a professional musician, I really want to use what I do in a performing sense to connect with people. That tends to be through simplified playing a lot of times. Finding things that will support the other positions on stage. Emoting something to the people that are here to experience the show. Does that kind of make sense? It is sort of out there, subjective stuff. As a drummer, I want to engage as much as possible with the people there to listen and experience the music with us.

Cris Cohen: Okay, so for you it is connecting. Connecting with your band. Connecting with the audience.

Chris Kimmerer: It really is. It comes down to that.