Drummer's Connection:
Emerging as a modern-day drumming Houdini, Danny Carey has exploded listener’s minds for almost 20 years with his mix of ultra-tight, ultra-heavy rock n’ roll precision, with an ever-increasing penchant to twist up the perception of TOOL’s music.
In many ways, Danny Carey’s drumming is the main driver of TOOL’s music. He is the high-water mark for musicianship in that band, and they are obligated to write around his abilities. When you combine that with Maynard James Keenan’s uber-mysterious, artsy frontman qualities, the TOOL works. And not only does the TOOL work, it affects it’s listeners in a way that’s hard to describe without sounding insane.
Here’s one listener’s attempt to visualize the music:
Within the realm of the band, Danny has done 2 things that make him one of the greatest drummers in modern music:
1. He helped the band morph into one of the most progressive bands ever to grace the mainstream. And the ONLY mainstream progressive band of the 90’s and 00’s. I don’t have the words to describe how it is that a band becomes a mainstream hit, against the odds, but it’s not often at all that a drummers’ influence is the main reason.
2. He introduced a generation of drummers and listeners to the mathematical properties of rhythm. Even though there is very little relation from his band’s metaphysical personae and his actual drumming patterns (contrary to popular myth), the combination of geometric imagery in association with polyrhythmic wildness has brought to light the possibilities of rhythm-as-numbers.
Here he is playing 5/4 over the basses 3/4, while plays the guitar plays a waltz. The effect is jarring but intriguingly layered.
This is a full-band effort of the type of “rhythmic layering” that had previously done by himself in other TOOL songs. My guess is that he taught the rest of the band the value in this.
This is a full-band effort of the type of “rhythmic layering” that had previously done by himself in other TOOL songs. My guess is that he taught the rest of the band the value in this.
Another example of rhythmic layering from the Aenema album:
Here, the band is attempting a simple triplet-feel rock song, but Mr. Carey insists that it’s a multi-faceted battle of 3’s and 4’s, which each limb playing varying patterns as such. He hears this song as much more complicated than almost anyone can hear… and he wins the argument with a pair of drumsticks and a pair of giant brass balls. And to add to that, this album, helped by this song, reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1996!
Here, the band is attempting a simple triplet-feel rock song, but Mr. Carey insists that it’s a multi-faceted battle of 3’s and 4’s, which each limb playing varying patterns as such. He hears this song as much more complicated than almost anyone can hear… and he wins the argument with a pair of drumsticks and a pair of giant brass balls. And to add to that, this album, helped by this song, reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1996!
In summary, what makes Danny Carey special is not his technical chops, necessarily, it’s that he’s forged an outlet for that level of creativity on a mass scale. And how did he do this? Why didn’t TOOL follow a more traditional path of obscurity for such a progressive, strange band? After all, there are many studied, outstanding drummers who can play in a similar way to Danny. It’s his power and conviction that he displays while playing. There’s no overly exaggerated movements or flashy techniques. He merely exudes authority on his drum kit. The listener has no choice but to accept it, and if they stick with it, there’s always a big pay-off in the end.
