Rhythm
magazine, England, February 2000
Two more photos
here |
Rhythm
cosies up to Mavericks drummer Paul
Deakin, a man partially responsible
for either brightening your year with
the most infectious slice of
radio-friendly country pop in living
memory, or making every day of it
a living hell.
Dance The Night
Away was a
colossal hit, one of those records that you simply
couldn't
escape. No
matter where you were in 1999, if there was a
radio, a jukebox or a TV
set within earshot, you were going to hear 'that
song'.
It's tempting
then to view The Mavericks as one hit
wonders.
In fact, the band have
a major label pedigree stretching back a decade,
and roots that extend
even further, deep into the alternative music
scene of their native
Miami. Their latest album, The Best of The
Mavericks, is a chance
for
UK audiences to catch up on the band's evolution
from left field
country honky tonkers to the kings of kitsch who,
today, are hip enough
to make the middle of the road look
cool.
Drummer Paul Deakin studied
jazz and played everything from funk to punk
before teaming up with his
best friend Robert Reynolds (bass player), Raul
Malo (singer, writer
and producer) and, a little later, Nick Kane
(guitarist) to form the
Mavericks. Last year the band played
six nights at the
Royal Albert
Hall, where Rhythm grabbed Paul on a break between
filming to ask the
big questions. Like...
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Why
are you the only Maverick
without a beard?
I did have a goatee for a short time. A
soul patch they call
it. I think it was in one video.
But when I shave I have
the toughest beard you can imagine. I
have to shave every day,
but it doesn't grow in certain places.
It's one of those beards
that's a pain in the ass because you can't
make it look good.
Why wasn't Dance The Night Away followed by
another hit?
Somebody told me that that record was such a
hit because it was really
rainy and then the sun came out and everybody
wanted to
party. It was a real phenomenon
over here and a total
surprise to us. The second song they
decided to go with was a
ballad. But Trampoline, the album, sold
more than half a million
copies over here, which is like selling four
million in the States.
What attracted you to drums in the first
place?
I took piano lessons as a young child but
then, I guess, I got the rock
'n' roll bug. I liked The Beatles and
The Monkees.
They say the reason every musician starts in
high school, and I halfway
agree, is to get girls. If you played
sport you could get girls
and if you played an instrument you could get
girls, too. As for
drums, I just loved the
instrument. But I wasn't
necessarily tapping on everything as a
kid. When I was eight
years old I had my first drum. I
took it outside and
bounced stones off it and I broke
it. I started crying and
blamed it on the local bully so I wouldn't get
in trouble.
What was your first proper kit?
I started with a Ludwig. I bought
it piece by piece,
starting in eighth grade, and I had a full kit
by the time I was in
tenth grade. I remember buying a
bass drum pedal and before
I got a bass drum my dad made a little block
for my pedal to hit.
What are you playing today?
For the past five years I've endorsed
Slingerland. I have a
Gretsch kit, too. I'm not
necessarily a tech-head. I
love basic six-ply maple kits. I tend to
like smaller drums, too.
Are you into electronics at all?
I had a Simmons kit in the '80s, which was
fun. Then I had
an Octapad that triggered all sorts of
things. But I'd
rather run sequencers and play acoustic
drums. I love that mix,
electronic bands that use live drums, like
Beck.
Actually, we recently did 'Hot Burrito #1' on
a Gram Parsons tribute
record. We wanted to do something
different so we talked
about using a loop. They were
going through this drum
machine and trying to come up with all these
programs. It
so happened I had a little sitdown cocktail
kit in my truck that I had
Slingerland make up. I had a
little eight-inch snare drum
and played like a minute on that.
They took two measures
and recorded it and that became the
loop. But honestly,
when The Mavericks came about I wanted to get
away from
electronics. In the early days of
The Mavericks, for a long
time all I had was a kick, snare, a floor tom,
a hi-hat and a
cymbal. It was really about getting back
to basics.
Having studied jazz at university, how did
you get into country music?
I was a latecomer to country because I really
didn't like it. I
still don't like a lot of what they play on
country radio.
But about 15 years ago, Bob and me travelled
to Europe
backpacking. We saw these busking
bands playing Hank
Williams Sr and stuff and it sounded so
nice. I started
listening to Hank Williams records and the
high lonesome sound of his
voice really affected me. Then I
saw k.d. lang on The
Tonight Show and I thought she was awesome.
What did you think of country drumming?
The drumming I was really attracted to was
Johnny Cash's band. It
was somewhere between a shuffle and a straight
two-beat.
But the way I approached The Mavericks was you
don't have to play like
a country drummer to be in a country
band.
The Mavericks started playing in the original
alternative clubs.
We actually did shows with Marilyn Manson in
Miami - imagine that
crowd. So we had to play a bit harder or
more
aggressively. The drummer from the
Clash [Topper Headon] is
about my favourite drummer.
Nick Kane has made a solo album and Raul
Malo is doing a
Spanish album. Is there a Paul
Deakin solo project on the
cards?
Let's hope not! I do write, but if
I sing in the shower the
water turns cold.
You're not one to demand a 15-minute solo
in every
show then?
I've never liked drum solos, although there
are obviously people who
can do them justice. The best rock
drummer I ever heard do a solo
was Rod Morgenstein. He's one of
those drummers who lets
you hear the melody. But I personally do
not believe in drums as
a solo instrument. I love rhythm.
My happiest place - on a
good night - on a bad night it's the worst -
is behind my drums when I
have a groove going and I'm just playing
straight. That's an
amazing feeling.
What would be the best example of your
drumming in The Mavericks'
catalogue?
One of my favourite groove songs is What A
Crying Shame. I
think that's when I started playing much
better in the studio,
because I'd only done a couple of records
before that.
There's a song called Things You Said To Me
that I really like.
That was just a great shuffle. Then
there's something like
Melbourne Mambo, where I got to use my Latin
chops, which was rare for
us.
What was your first impression of Raul?
Well, I first met Raul when he was about 15
years old. He
was playing bass and singing back-up in
another band and three bands
were sharing the same drum kit in this
club. Raul hung
around to watch my band but the other drummer
just went home. He
said 'That was really rude that he didn't hang
around to help you with
your drums. Let me help you.' So
he helped me carry my
drums to my car. That was the
first and last time Raul has
ever carried my drums. So I had a very
good first impression of
him.
How have you coped with fame?
I've never really taken it
seriously. I was 30 when I
started this band so my happiness wasn't based
on the success or
failure of this project.
Robert and I both had this view that if you
keep your dreams at arm's
length more will come true that way.
Every rung on the ladder was
like the last success for us. When we
made our first independent
record it was like 'Whoa, we have a CD.
If nothing else happens
we'll have that forever.' Then, when we
were signed, it was like
'If this doesn't work we've been a major label
act, which maybe one in
ten thousand bands get to be.'
Got any tips for drummers?
I'm a studied drummer but I do believe, at
least as far as college
goes, that it takes four years to learn your
chops and ten years to
unlearn then. Chops aren't
everything. Technically, I'd say
play with records. Whenever I used
to work out anything,
I'd play with Janet Jackson's 'Control'.
Everything was at 120bpm
and that was kinda my metronome.
And I totally believe in
working with metronomes.
What advice would you offer bands who want
to enjoy the
longevity of The Mavericks?
If you can get past five years I think you
should take time off and do
other projects. A band shouldn't
be like a monogamous
marriage. It can only be a positive
thing for somebody to bring
in something new from other experiences.
Before our last album we were on the road so
long we got to the point
where we said 'God, I never want to see you
again. I never want
to play another Mavericks song ever
again.' Our manager
very wisely said 'Take a year off.
Do other things.
Play other music.' Which we
did. We took seven
months off and went in to do Trampoline.
It was the most fun
we'd ever had making a record.
Words: Douglas McPherson
Photographer: James Cumpsty
Rhythm
magazine
(England) "By drummers, for
drummers"
February 2000
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