PropertyOfZack is very excited to be debuting our first Contributor Blog with Ben Homola. Many individuals may know Homola as Brand New’s drum tech, as the drummer of Bad Books, or as the owner of a great new website called Kick-Snare-Hat that you can check out here. We’ve been working to have Ben write for PropertyOfZack for a long time now, so we’re happy to finally have him. In his first blog, Ben discusses the relationship between a drummer and a drum tech. Read up and enjoy it, it’s a great post!
7 years ago, I was given a chance to go on tour and be Brian Lane of Brand New’s drum tech. I had never actually drum teched before, but I figured playing drum’s since I was a kid gave me some sort of idea on what would need to be done. Either way, I wasn’t going to give up the chance to tour and be involved with something I loved since I was a little kid. Long story sort, 7 years later I’ve teched for numerous bands but with the relationships I’ve made I’ve been given the chance to play with some pretty amazing musicians/bands that I also get to call some of my best friends.
When I first started out on the road, I was strictly a drum tech. As Brand New began releasing records with multiple drum parts, I found myself performing alongside Brian. Those performances were incredible experiences, not only giving me the opportunity to actually play, but due to the shear number of drums and instruments we used every night, I learned to focus twice as hard. Dealing with a single kit is one thing, but dealing with two kits, tons of percussion and a large 28” bass drum molded me into the tech I am today and enhanced my skills as a drummer.
