BATTERY DRUMMER INTERVIEW : Eric Healy To The Pain

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

My name is Eric Healy and I play for To The Pain

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

When I was six I was the Little Drummer Boy for a play, my dad gave me the snare drum his mom bought him when he was a kid and that was it. I still have that snare. 

3.When did you get your first kit?

Tell us about it… When I was 14 I got a paper route and saved up, I found an old CB700 5 Piece kit in the back of a magazine and bought it. I still use it as my live kit. 

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

My parents didn’t/couldn’t stop me from playing but they wouldn’t pay for a kit or lessons for drums they pushed the guitar and sports. I just did what I could with what I could get.

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

Ah man way too many great albums, but I have recently been really impressed with Ken Mary’s performance on the new Flotsam and Jetsam album.

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

So I have 2 kits, one for recording and the CB700 for playing out. The recording kit is a PDP Maple 7 piece 8,10,and 12” rack toms, 16 and 18 “ floor toms, Pearl demon drive double bass pedal,  Zildjian A Custom and K Cymbals. 7.5x14” snare that I built. Live kit is 12,13,16 toms, and DW5000 double pedal from 1994, PDP Snare, Zildjian Z cymbals. Mega Bell Ride

7.If you could have a dream kit tell us about it in DETAIL

Tama Star Bubinga, (2) 22x16 Bass Drums, 8x8, 10x10, 12x11, and 13x12 toms 16x14 and 18x16 Floor Toms 14x8 Snare, DW9000 Pedals, Zildjian A Custom and K Cymbals. 

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

Danny Carey,

Tomas Hakke,

Gene Hoglan,

Charlie Benante,

Dan Lamagna

9. Do you prefer Live or Studio?

I like playing around in the studio, live is fun but I gotta carry all of that stuff, find a place to park it, get it set up in 10 minutes and then break it down quick to give the next guy time to get ready. I might like it more if I had help. 

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

I guess if you’re Tommy Lee then you get the girls, I don’t remember them beating down my door. Lol