FREE DRUM CLINIC
I screamed. “Aaaaahhhhh!”
Then I sung.
“I’m the one who wants to be with you, deep inside I hope you’ll feel it to …”
I was singing to Rich Scannella, Lawrence resident, Ewing High grad, world-renowned drummer. He didn’t ask me to sing; he was just telling me about his latest adventure with The Eric Martin Band (Martin is the lead singer for Mr. Big, and “To Be With You” was their big hit, and … well, here’s Scannella ...).
“In April, I did a tour of Japan with the Eric Martin Band,” he said. “Mr. Big is actually still very big in Japan, and when they tour there, they play the Budokan. We were playing 1,000-seat venues, and the audiences were amazing. Japanese audiences love, love American music. Just absolutely adore anything that’s authentic American rock n’ roll. We did four shows; two nights in Tokyo, took the bullet train to Osaka, then flew off the mainland to Sapporo, where they’re known for their beer and their ramen. Of course that’s exactly what we did! What better way to enjoy the culture than to go out and have a beer and a bowl of fantastic noodles.”
And when Scannella isn’t in Japan? Well, he’s the drummer for Jon Bon Jovi’s solo project, the Kings of Suburbia. And when he’s not doing that, well … a few months back, he sat in for a show with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
Big time, right?
And you can also catch him once a month at Freddie’s Tavern in Ewing with his own band, the Rich Scannella Group. Small time.
Big, small, famous, not famous, it doesn’t matter to Scannella. He just loves playing the drums. (And it pays the bills).
But on July 15, at 8 p.m. at Randy Now’s Man Cave at 134 Farnsworth Avenue in Bordentown, he’s giving a freebie: A you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it drum clinic.
“It’s a little educational thing I’ll do down there,” he said. “I’ll bring a kit, I’ll play, I’ll talk all things drums. I want to talk about music and really tie in Randy’s history with Trenton, and talk about City Gardens. But really, Randy wanted me to come to just talk about some of the stuff I’ve done, talk about drumming.” And talk he shall.
You may remember I first wrote about Scannella back in 2013, when he was tapped by Bon Jovi to fill in for Tico Torres, who was recovering from surgery. Scannella got the call while he was shopping at Whole Foods. A week later, he was in Brazil playing in front of 80,000 people during Rock in Rio.
I had to ask him: From Japan to Brazil to … Ewing? And Bordentown? How does that work?
“It’s the same in that they’re all important gigs, they all mean something,” he said. “Sure, one is higher profile, there’s more pressure, the pay is better, but to me, they’re all the same. I’m not a hot dog. I’m not that guy. But they are different in that when I play at Freddie’s, I can get there at 7 p.m. and be good to go for an 8 p.m. start. Very low-key, no pressure. I don’t have to worry about my gear, and even if there is a problem, I can drive three miles back to my apartment. Plus my girlfriend, my family, my high school buddies, they can all come out. Maybe I’m not making big ticket money, but I can make a few bucks and have a few beers with my buddies afterwards.”
And then it’s off to Japan. Or a tour with Bon Jovi. Whatever.
Is it weird to say I want to be Rich Scannella when I grow up? It is weird? OK. I’ll stop. But I kinda do. I can keep a beat, more or less, I think.