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Interview with Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner - "It's Always Been Metal"
I recall the Police [Stewart Copeland] as one of my early fav's outside the metal arena.
DD: And getting back to metal; who was your top early influence?
Jason: Back then it was Iron Maiden for sure. But there was Van Halen, Metallica, so many others all coming together in my mind to create what became my version of metal and of course that all culminated in my style with Shadows Fall.
DD: When was your first band?
Jason: Ooh...[looks up at the ceiling] that would have to be when I was 14 years old in a band called Gladiator.
DD: A lot of bands prior to Shadows Fall?
Jason: A band named Chalice in high school, then after Berkley "Suspended Animation" which played half original and half covers. Really liked sinking my teeth into the originals!
Earlier this year we had a chance to sit down with speed-metal king drummer extrodinaire, Jason Bittner of the premium metal band Shadows Fall. They played to a packed house at the Las Vegas House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay and easily stole the show on the four band bill.
This Metal monster behind the kit, is actually a very intelligent, bright, and pragmatic person - it was a pleasure for The Drum Dungeon to interview him.
DD: Hey Jason, appreciate you taking the time to chat before the show, really looking forward to seeing you guys and shooting some pics.
Jason: My pleasure, glad to have The Dungeon to our show.
DD: Well let's start with some brief background stuff.
Jason: Shoot
DD: Was it always metal for you from the beginning, or did you start with softer rock and progress?
Jason: Well, ya know we did what we had too back in the day - playing cover tunes and the like. Sometimes you played songs to get gigs, sometimes you played songs that you loved - with me, if it was the songs I loved to listen to and play "It's Always Been Metal"!
DD: Any influences outside of metal?
Jason: Well naturally any good drummer listens to the whole spectrum of what's available out there, I mean just because it's not always on your favorite playlist doesn't mean you don't listen and especially admire so many of the legendary drummers out there.
September 2010 - Las Vegas
Jason Bittner (born January 11, 1970 in Colonie, New York) is the drummer for the American metal band Shadows Fall. One of the most popular and celebrated current drummers in metal, he has won numerous awards including Modern Drummer Reader's poll for #1 Up and Coming Drummer of 2004, and in 2005, #1 Best Recorded Performance for the Shadows Fall album The War Within, and #1 Metal drummer. He is recognized for his tight playing, extensive skill with double bass drumming, particularly his ability to play complex patterns at high speeds, and his familiarity with numerous styles of drumming, including Latin and jazz.
Bittner started taking formal drum lessons at the age of ten years old, however he has stated that he "had been banging on pots, pans, and garbage cans since he was about five". A native of Schenectady, NY, he continued to take lessons and perform in his middle school and Linton high school jazz and orchestra ensembles before attending Berklee College of Music in 1988. After a year of intensive study, he left Berklee to pursue his musical career outside the educational environment. This led to playing in various metal and hard rock bands throughout the late eighties and early nineties.
In 1994 he joined the band Stigmata, a prominent hardcore band in the New York scene, and over the course of the next 7 years, recorded 3 albums, released a home video, and toured the U.S. and Europe with this outfit. The group then disbanded in 2001; the following fall, Bittner joined Shadows Fall. Initially, he had signed on just to do one tour of Europe with the band, but subsequently decided to remain as a permanent member.
In September 2002 the band released "The Art of Balance" and went on to tour throughout the US, Japan, and Europe. Over the course of 2005, following the release of Shadows Fall's follow up effort The War Within, Bittner started establishing himself as a clinician, performing at the Modern Drummer Festival, the DRUMMER live festival in the UK, followed by a clinic tour of Germany, and also PASIC in November 2005.
In 2006, filled in for Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante on several dates, who could not tour due to family obligations. Hudson Music released a joint DVD with Bittner and Chris Adler of the American metal band Lamb of God, Pro-Mark introduced the Jason Bittner Signature model 5BX drumstick, and Meinl introduced the Bell Blast ride, designed in conjunction with Jason. He was the cover feature of the UK drum publications, DRUMMER and Rhythm, the cover feature of DRUM!, and participated on Magna Carta's Drum Nation 3 record. Shadows Fall released "Fallout From the War" on Century Media Records in 2006 and spent the remainder of the year writing and recording Threads of Life at Studio 606 in L.A. with Producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush). Bittner also won the Modern Drummer Reader's poll for #1 Metal drummer for the second year in a row.
In the early winter months of 2007, Jason spent much of his time writing and recording new material for his original band, "Burning Human". Late March brought the beginning of the Shadows Fall tour cycle supporting Threads of Life, which was released in April 2007. Also during this time period, Bittner started writing a monthly drum column for RHYTHM magazine in the UK, was a faculty member (along with Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, and Horacio Hernandez) at the 2007 Drum Fantasy Camp held at Seton Hall University, and won #1 Metal Drummer and #1 Rising Drumming Star awards in the 2007 DRUM! Reader’s Poll. His book, "Drumming Out of The Shadows", co-authored by Joe Bergamini, received the #2 award in the DRUM! Reader’s Poll for Best Educational Book, and he was also featured in the book "On the Beaten Path" by Rich Lackowski, the #1 Educational Book of 2008 in the Modern Drummer and DRUM! Magazine reader's polls. Bittner and Hudson Music launched his first ever instructional DVD entitled "What Drives the Beat" in October 2008, with a clinic tour following its release.
Jason played an acoustic set with George Lynch (Lynch Mob) and Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani) in the first ever acoustic performance of Lynch's Mr. Scary. The private event was hosted by US Music at the Hilton Hotel for NAMM 2010.
For interview requests with The Drum Dungeon, send your inquiries and requests to media@thedrumdungeon.com
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DD: How has your practice disciplines changed over the years?
Jason: They haven't really. I've always been a stickler for my own regimen of daily rehearsal and always expected fellow band members to be well rehearsed and prepared.
DD: How does that fit with Shadows Fall?
Jason: It's a perfect fit -- all the guys in the band are hard workers and very professional. We [Shadows Fall] for the most part carry the same beliefs and goals. Our approach ultimately may vary here and there, but we all have common goals, goals that tie us -- so as long as you get there together...ya know?
DD: It was great talking with you, the new album is awesome, and all the best from the Drum Dungeon!
Jason: Thanks!
Jason Bittner Solo @ Guitar Center Drum Off
