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Glenn Kotche's the most talented drummer


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Glenn is amazing....He is an essential part of Wilco.

 

I would have to think the most talented drummer is Carter Beauford though...anyone agree?

 

Dave Matthews Band probably owes more to Carter Beauford than to Dave Matthews. Very talented, though I think Glenn is better. Glenn is endlessly inventive and can do plenty with a stripped down set, while Beauford has about the biggest set available, is amazing at it, but doesn't really show as much versatility.

 

Glenn is definately one of my favorite drummers, though overall he's more of a percussive/orchestral component to the band. Works great for Wilco, but when I want to hear simple and soulful rock n roll drumming, my favorites are Ringo and Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips.

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(in sotto vocce -- truly whispered as i never chime, only hide in the shadows and listen) --I think that with wilco glenn provides what mickey hart AND billy kreutzman did together for the dead -- with glenn's own work (saw him in a moldy church in nyc earlier this fall with nels and both experimental and chamber musicians,and playing comps by guys like Steven Reich0, with his work he is a master level percussionist that i believe, could make music out of any object put into his hands. he is a magician. he plays crickets for god's sake. and i, for one, could listen to him almost indefinitely. i spoke to him after the solo/duo nyc gig and when i finally stopped tripping over my tongue trying and was form words again, i told him that i'd decided i wanted to be a drummer when i grew up, he was sweet about my gushing, and then i admitted i knew he was a percussionist and not a drummer, and i think he's one of those musicians, like jtuknowwho, who is a godamongmen and i couldn't have been more surprisedshockedorpleased to see the guy on the riser slamming away at his kit, thunder and steam rising during his drum solo at dc's 930 gig. it was magnificent and yeah, it's a guilty pleasure, sneaking behind the big sounds to listen to those springs on strings in his kit make their textured sound and he's a genius and anybody who disagrees is just plain mistaken.

 

Glenn Kotche is one of the most exciting musicians I have become familiar with in the past several years.

 

Forgive the rant. 'm crawling b ack behind my column unless .....

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I'm not gonna get into the best of all time thing.I will say Glenn is the most exciting drummer out there right now though.He not only drives the whole thing with the band,his enthusiasm is just so contagious!

I've said that before,but after getting to catch him up close this month it's just so apparent the guy LOVES what he does.I sincerely hope that continues for a long long time! :rock

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Glenn is a fantastic drummer/percussionist, for sure. I'm not going to touch the subject of "best" as that's best left to individual ears. I did see Steve Perkins last Friday, whom I've always strongly admired, and will see these cats this Friday:

Bill the Drummer & Mickey Hart.

 

I agree that Glenn is a perfect fit for Wilco, though.

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A dramatic reinactment of how Glenn joined Wilco, performed by emoticons:

 

1999 - Ken Coomer (ex-drummer) stands outside Wilco's recording loft:

 

:frusty

 

Tweedy to Coomer: :argue "Dude, this is your place too," says Tweedy. "$#@% man, where's my paycheck!?" says Coomer.

 

2000 - Jeff is on tour with Jim O'Rourke...O'Rourke introduces Glenn and Jeff.

 

Love at first symbol crash: Glenn > :love :wub

 

Meanwhile, back at the loft:

 

Coomer gets a phone call > :frusty "What? You've hired a new drummer? I HATE YOU TONY MARGHERITA, I HATE YOU!"

 

And Wilco lived happily ever after...well, sort of...

 

Jeff and Jay B: :argue

Stirratt: :guitar

Glenn: ;)

 

Stay tuned for "A dramatic reinactment of Jay Bennett's exit of rock group Wilco, performed by emoticons."

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I have to agree as to the talent of said drummer. I was lucky enough to see him open for a Tweedy solo show here in NYC last year and it was fantastic. I never really though that sitting and watching a drummer solo for 40 minutes could be so entertaining. Although I do have a Max Roach record and that stuff is quite melodic and its all precussion. Needless to say Glenn adds an important dynamic to the band. Though the Glenn = Wilco stuff is a little over the top. I mean they wouldn't be as good without him but... they woudl still be Wilco. Honestly though I downloaded the YHF Engineer's demos and listening to those you can hear what Glenn brought to the later recordings of those songs. It's sad to say but the drumming on some of those tracks just sounds so lost. From what I understand those are the versions with Ken drumming on em. Either that or Glenn took some time finding the right stuff. In any case the songs came out a thousand times better in the end.

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best ever? probably not, depends on personal taste, but there are a few that are pretty standard when talking about best ever(roach, rich and bonham, and moon come to mind). Biggest kit (BTW) probably Neil Peart, not Carter.

 

Now about Glenn.

The difference between his solo work and his drumming on wilco albums/live shows is astounding. Don't get me wrong, his wilco drumming is great, and fits the songs wonderfully. It is a good display of how a drummer/percussionist can play melodically in a rock setting and on a non-melodic instrument. However, I think his solo work is a better demonstration of his raw percussive talent. My amazement lies in the way he places different rhythms in different limbs(clapping music in two hands). His studio wilco stuff does great things for the songs. It sounds like he has thought about exactly what he is playing and how that fits with everyone else's parts. His part on ALTWYS is incredible and that song(partly because of him) is what made me fall in love with Wilco....

 

So yeah, call me an elitist bastard or whatever, but those are my two cents.

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