Battery Series Drummer interview Rick Valcon (MARTYR)

1.What is your name and what band do you play for?

My name is Rick Valcon and I am the drummer for the Dutch Heavy Metal band MARTYR.
     

2.Who made you want to play drums and why?

I started playing in a marching band when I was 8. When I was in my teens I heard bands like Iron Maiden, Saxon and Metallica and I knew that I wanted to play this kind of music.

3.When did you get your first kit? Tell us about it…

I got my first drumkit when I was around 16 years old.
I had by this time been playing snaredrum and concert percussion for some years. In this time when you wanted to learn the drums you didn’t take drumming lessons but went to the local marching band. I learned so much there.
My first drumkit was a second hand kit from the brand Thunder with some Paiste 302 cymbals. They had about the same looks as a Pearl export kit.
After a year or so I got a Dixon twin pedal and slowly learned some double bass drumming.

4.Where your parents supportive of you and your loud / expensive new habit?
     

As long as I played in the garage for a few hours during the day they were okay with it.

5.What drum performance on an album is perfection to you?

It’s a bit a double answer. I don’t like the modern drum sounds with all the samples and time align stuff a lot of bands have nowadays. One of the best drumsounds and pure solid playing I would say Nigel Glockner on Saxon’s unleash the beast album. Monster sound and beautifully played.
Technical it has to be Gene Hoglan on the Symbolic album by Death. He not only plays technical.. But he still grooves without sounding like a machinegun drumcomputer. 

6.Tell us about your current kit and set up in DETAIL.

I play a 1987 RC9000 Yamaha Recording Custom(made in Japan)  in power sizes. 
2x22”kick, 10”-12”-13” rack toms and a 16” floor tom. 14”x6,5” Pearl freefloating Brass shell(1st gen) Pearl Eliminator Redline pedals. A Pearl rack with Pearl hardware.
For live I use a TRIGMIC Laserpick bassdrum trigger/module.
It uses 2 laserbeams pointed at the top of my drumbeaters. It never fails and works on any kit.
It’s a really cool piece of gear. I use a sample of my own bassdrum pre EQed. 
Cymbals I use 22” heavy Hammered istanbul ride.
                        18” 1960’s zildjian Crash
                        16”  1970’s Zildjian medium thin Crash
                        14”  Turkish Hihat
                        18”  Wuhan china
                        12”  frankensteined cymbal stack thingy
                        17”  Zultan CAZ crash
                        19”  Zultan CAZ crash/ride

7.If you could have a dream kit tell us about it in DETAIL
Actually I am not endorsed by them but, Thank you YAMAHA for making such an awesome kit.

The Yamaha Recording Custom is my dreamkit. I tried a lot of other brands but this kit is just made for me. It has all the power and punch I need and the hardware is rock solid.
Cymbal wise I would of course love a complete set from Zildjian or Sabian or a Turkish brand.
But all in all I am pretty happy with the setup that I have now :)


8.Name your top 5 drummers excluding Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy

Gene Hoglan,
Van Williams,
Dave Lombardo,
Phil Rudd,
Nicko McBrain

9. Do you prefer Live or Studio?

I like both!  I can play live what I can in the studio and vice versa.

10.Do drummers really get all the chicks and if so how do we convince the guitarist?
    

Of course we get all the chicks! But why tell the guitarist? Let’s give him his illusion that all the chicks are there for him...But of course we know better ;)