1) Do you play any instruments besides drums? Was drumming your gateway to music? At what age did you start playing drums?I play a little guitar and bass. Music was my gateway to music. I'm able to express myself musically through drumming. My father was a latin percussionist so drumming has always been a part of my life but I was 14 when I sat behind a proper drum kit.
2) You have mentioned you and Del sharing a cuban ancestry. Are you guys fluent in Spanish? Do you read spanish online forums? Do you feel anything special towards this part of the world? I speak spanish but I'm not fluent in spanish. I don't read a lot of forums in general. I love spanish speaking countries. To hear the different dialects and learn more of the language of my parents is very special.
3) What was the thing or the person who made you say ?I want to be a musician?? My father took me to see KISS at Madison Square Garden in 1977. I was hooked!!
4) You have played as a session musician for several artists. Is there someone you haven?t played with yet and would like to? Well, thats hard to answer. I would have loved to play with Malcome Young. I would love to play with Keith Richards.
5) Who are your favorite drummers? Thats also very hard to answer. I can draw inspiration from many drummers. But I also draw inspiration from all types of musicians. Malcome and Keith's guitar playing influence me as a drummer.
I love Dave King from The Bad Plus. Zach Alford. Charlie Drayton. Sterling Cambell. Danny Carey. Phil Rudd. And of course the greatest groove and pocket rock drummer John Bonham.
6) This question is unavoidable: what can you say about Steven, Matt and Brain? Whose style do you like best? Well, Brain is amazing and he gave me the best piece of advice when i took over. Her told me the most important thing to remember is to try to make the music your own. Don't try to play like the other drummers before me. Just bring your style and personality to the music . "You Could Be Mine" is the funnest drum song I get to play . Matt wrote those parts. I think that Steven's drum performance on the first GNR album is one of the greatest debut drum performances ever...Its perfect. The rock parts rock, the funky groove parts are funky and the punk rock parts are real punk. The pushes and pulls make you want to get up and dance. Steven rocks.
7) How did you become a GN?R member? How did you first get in touch with the band? And with Axl? Tommy and Richard reached out to me. I've played with Tommy before on his solo music and I've been playing with Richard since 1993. I then met Axl after that.
8 ) What were your expectations when you were told you were going to be a member of GN?R? Which of those came about and which didn?t? I'm just really happy to be in GNR and make music for a living. That is all I ever wanted.
9) What were your thoughts on the band before joining? What about when Guns made its huge breakthrough by the late 80?s, early 90?s? What did Guns N? Roses mean to you back then? Growing up in NYC I got to see many bands come through. What i remember about GNR back then is that they were very popular in NYC after the first EP. Everyone has seen that MTV Ritz show. NYC loved GNR from the very start. They sounded like a NYC band. The NY Dolls, The Dictators, Ramones. They had that feel. I though they were a band from NY. I still have my copy of "Appetite"
that I bought with the original cover for $4.95.
10) It is known that Axl has occasionally dabbled in guitar and even arranged some guitar parts during the Chinese Democracy recording sessions (even though in an interview he said he quit guitar due to a lack of skill). Have you ever listened to him playing guitar? I don't I've ever seen Axl play Guitar. Piano of course..
11) Locomotive is one of the songs in which you could really shine playing the intro. What are your thoughts on the song? Was it ever considered for a live performance? Every tour a song list goes out of song we will likely perform. I've never seen "Locomotive" on any of the lists. Doesn't mean that we will never play it. I'll suggest it next time a list goes out.
12) Apart from Chinese Democracy, what?s your favorite Guns N? Roses album?I would say "Appetite".
13) You guys have toured the world the last few years. Is there any place you think you have left to visit but you haven?t yet? Is there a place you would never tire of coming back to? I haven't played in Africa yet. I love Australia and South America.
14) It is known that Silkworms is a song that has been worked on sometime after playing it live on 2001-2002. Have you worked on that one? Your powerful playing style would be perfect for it! "Silkworms" is great. I'm sure it will make its way back into the set in the future.
15) Do you still feel like the ?new guys? or do you, like lots of us do, feel that that you are already a part of the Guns N? Roses canon? I feel like I'm part of the legacy. I've formed friendships with Axl, Izzy, Duff and Dizzy. I've gotten to play with them and Tommy, Richard and DJ. Pitman and I are great friends and Bumblefoot and I have worked on projects together since joining GNR. What the original 5 members of GNR did was a musical breakthrough and will never be duplicated. But us "New Guys" can continue to wright new chapters in this book called Guns n Roses.By the way, on June 24th will be 9 years since my first performance with GNR.
16) Many artists point out the south american public. Do you also notice a difference? What?s different about us? Super passionate. Caliente!!! Best in the world.
17) Guns N? Roses usually play a few covers. Is there one you would like to play that you haven?t yet? If we may offer a suggestion: you would sound amazing in Led Zeppelin?s Trampled Underfoot. I did Bonzo Bash a couple of weeks ago here in New Jersey. I will never say no to playing any Zep!!
18) Richard has recently said that 2016 will bring new music and a new tour. What do you have to say about that? I say "Lets get to 2016"!!!
19) Looking back, what can you say about everything you?ve been through with GN?R and what do you think the future has in store? Wow...thats a huge question. GNR is the best thing to happen to me in my professional life. And I hope to continue to be part of this band for a long time.
20) What Axl does in the times between touring is always a mistery. At the risk of you not wanting to answer, we would like to ask: are you currently in contact with him? Besides he texting some joke, as you guys always say he does, do you keep in touch?
How about you? What are you working on these days? Do we rule out the idea of Guns N? Roses entering a recording studio? I do speak to Axl, we also text alot. GNR is always on going even though the public doesn't see it. There is always movement.
21) Wrapping up, and this is not a question: you have a fantastic way of hitting the drums in Mr Brownstone, the Rocket Queen intro and in Better (the part just before I never wanted you to be so full of anger). It is mind blowing. Thank you...Brain wrote the intro to "Mr.Brownstone". Thats why it's so funky. Matt did it more like a Bo Diddly stomp. Brain's has more of a Motown feel to it. "Rocket Queen " is like Steven's feel but I try to settle into more of a pocket. Not so much movement like on the record or his live performances.
"Better" was one of the songs that I made my own like Brain suggested. I want to make sure that part lifted up the song. Bring it to the next level.
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Thank you Ezequiel (Alpachiris) and GNRLA!!!!!* Photos property of Guns N' Roses
Link / source:
https://paradisecity.com/post/558adc949b223b2e4e8b499f/frank-ferrer-gnrla-interview-englishhttps://www.facebook.com/gnrlatinoamerica
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