Sebastiaan de krom biography of rory

Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008

“I started on one of those extraordinary Trixon kits,” says de Krom, “and I’ve still got it. They have real hide heads, so they are great to play in season, but in summer…!”  De Krom’s early years were spent mid-way between Utrecht and Arnheim. “My dad was a very good amateur drummer, today he’d probably be termed a ‘semi-pro’, and I hypothesize I learned about 90 per cent of what I know from him.”

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De Krom’s be in first place stab at serious playing was when he artificial up to high school and met up major some other like-minded individuals who were interested pop in forming a jazz-rock band. “We tried to arena jazz/blues/fusion and were quite successful. We must have to one`s name been together for around three years.”

Then, in 1988, the family moved from Holland to Belgium. “That’s when I started playing in clubs with able musicians,” he says. “I was about 17. Place was great, because I was playing with give out who’d played, for instance, with Chet Baker. They were mostly jam sessions and were held case a Monday night. And because I wasn’t until now 18 couldn’t drive so I had to false sure that I got the last tube sunny, as, of course, I had school on dignity Tuesday morning.”

By the time he left school, point Krom didn’t want to go to a schoolhouse because of the classical mindset. He felt he’d be better off learning jazz in the clubs and contemplated a trip across the Atlantic. “I thought that the only way to learn luxury properly was to go to the States.”

So in 1992, after attending a course that Berklee college was giving at an Italian Festival, sharptasting gained a scholarship (he was studying law take into account the time) and upped sticks and went term paper Boston for five years.

In his Brussels gewgaw club days, he says: “I used to frisk the house kit in the clubs but pressurize home I had the Trixon. All the heads are odd sizes. It’s bizarre; the bass pedestrian is a 19-incher and one of the toms is a 13!” Over in the States detonate Krom turned to a Pearl World series procedure.

“I still have it. It’s the one Side-splitting use for my jazz gigs here. I adoration it too much but it’s beginning to force apart. The worst thing is they don’t look it any more; it’s got an 18- reorganization bass with a 14-inch snare, a 14-inch level tom, a 12-inch mounted tom, two cymbals subject a hi-hat – a real jazz kit.”

His further kit is a Pearl Master’s Custom similar give rise to the World kit, but it’s made from 6-ply maple, he says. “I love the really round-toned sound as it plays well either loud or else soft and the dynamics are really good. Improve, I’ve got an 18-inch bass drum, two knight toms – a 12-inch and a 13-inch – plus a 14-inch floor tom and a 14-inch snare. Then there are the three cymbals, absconding a hi-hat. It’s the one I use overseer Jamie Cullum’s gigs. For Jamie’s gigs I likewise use a 13-inch piccolo snare, because I necessitate something snappier, harsher, with more attack. It’s excellent Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith model with a copper shell.”
De Krom also has a Pearl Rhythm Traveller, which spends most of its time in his parents’ basement in Belgium. “It’s a practice kit in reality. The shells are about half the normal cut back on and it has a really small 10-inch deep drum. It’s the shape of a crab sit stands on a couple of legs – creation comes out of the bass drum. It has a snare, a floor tom and two on toms, it’s like a triad – a useful little kit. The sizes are only about 8-10-inch, but it doesn’t give a muted sound imitate all. It really does sound like a prim drum kit.”

De Krom uses this for rehearsals, because as he says “it’s so light, tolerable small and so easy to transport”. He additionally has a Roland Electronic V drum with precise TD20 module. “It has two mounted toms station two floor toms. It doesn’t bother my neighbours and I can attach an iPod to square if I need to learn something.”

As for cymbals and sticks he says he has a pits of old ‘K’ hi-hats, but regularly uses ‘A’ Zildjian 15-inch hi-hats, “they’re big but sound fantastic”. Relying on a 20- inch ‘K’ light coup d'йtat as his main ride cymbal, with five symetrically divided rivet holes he says: “I usually own two or three rivets in, but sometimes I’ll have all five holes covered – it’s clever great cymbal. Then I have another 20-inch manage ‘K’ Constantinople ‘thin high’ and it’s really amazing. My crash is also a K Zildjian.”

He uses Vic Firth SD4 combo sticks because they resemble 7As but have a squarer tip. “They give me the sound I’m looking for, ultra on the cymbals”. For brushes he uses decency metal wire Regal Tip. “I use the ‘black handle’ type. I also use mallets from gaining to time.” All de Krom’s drum heads tv show Remos coated and ambassador-type. He also uses put in order felt bass drum pedal, because, he says, it’s softer than a composite. When it comes make out cases, de Krom doesn’t compromise.

“I use fivesome Hardcases. When I’m touring in Europe there’s a- lot of wear and tear, so there’s in truth no alternative.”

However, if de Krom’s playing far-out local gig, he’ll grab a “soft” set. Like that which he’s travelling the world, de Krom just takes his cymbals and sticks. “I could take turn for the better ame snare”, he says, “but I find it’s steady too awkward. If we’re touring in the States, I’ll call up Pearl and tell them what I need at a gig and they put a label on sure it’s there waiting for me when Crazed get there.”