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Matt Brann While mesmerized by a huge international music sensation like Avril Lavigne, someone like 24 year old Matt Brann can very often get lost behind the scenes. He has been playing for Avril for several years and took time out to talk to S.A.Drummer about himself, his career and much more while on tour in SA. Thanks to www.mattbrann.com for supplying all the images. |
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Q | Describe your drumming career from when you started playing up to and including when you got the position playing for Avril Lavigne. |
| A | I started
playing drums in my school band when I was 12. From there, I started a band in
High school called Second Opinion when I was 14 with a couple of friends. We played
together for about 5 years locally around our town and outside of Toronto. |
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Q | Who are your influences and what about their playing appeals to you? |
| A |
My influence's/hero's are: |
| Q | How involved do you get in the writing/recording process of Avril's songs? |
|
A | Not very much. She really handles that stuff herself.
Although I did help co-write a song with her and our old guitarist Evan called
"Freakout" on her last album, we really just throw it down live for
her. |
| Q | What is your favourite Avril song? |
| A |
I don't know........I like playing the heavier one's though. |
| Q | What has been your most memorable moment since you've been playing for Avril? |
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A | There have been a lot......and I mean A LOT! Playing
the Grammy's might have been the biggest, MTV Awards was really cool. The first
time we played on TV ever was on Jay Leno and that was pretty amazing. We've been
so lucky it's hard to choose. |
| Q |
The huge tour's for Avril have taken you around the world. Is there any place in particular so far that has made an unforgettable impression on you? |
| A | Definitely Italy, there's something
about that place that I just love. |
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Q | When on tour do you get time to practice? |
| A | Unfortunately we don't get
alot of time to practice on the road, which sucks cause I'm a bit of a practice
junkie. I usually end up setting up my hotel bed like a drumkit. I just take pillows
and chairs and anything I can find that works, I just throw on my headphones and
play away! |
| Q |
You had the honour of playing 'Fuel' at the MTV Icon Metallica tribute show. Tell us about the experience. |
| A |
Damn I forgot about that one! That was definitely one of the most memorable
if not THE most memorable moments ever! It was incredible, nervous, exciting,
everything you think it was.....IT WAS! I grew up listening to and playing Metallica
so to have them sitting right in front of us while we played their song.........wow,
I still can't believe we did it and pulled it off. |
| Q | Do you have any side projects that you are involved in? |
| A |
Not as of yet. I do write alot with a friend of mine, so when we come off the
road at the end of September I plan on putting something together though. If for
anything just to keep playing! |
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Q | Tell us about your choice of gear. |
| A | I play DW drums. I play Zildjian cymbals: I recently switched to Vic Firth drumsticks cause they're just better then
anything else! I play that gear because I
consider it to be the best.
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| Q | Where do you see yourself and your career in 5 to 10 years from now? (Anything specific you would like to achieve?) |
| A |
That's a tough one, things are going so well so fast that it's hard to try and predict that far. I'm just really happy doing what I do right now. There are other thing's I would like to achieve but I figure that's all in do time. For now I'm just gonna keep rockin for Avril and we'll see what happens! Thanks to everybody who comes out to her shows and picks up the albums, it sounds dumb but we wouldn't be able to do what we do without you! |
