SEBASTIAN BACH Drummer BOBBY JARZOMBEK Checks In

Drummer extraordinaire Bobby Jarzombek (HALFORD, ICED EARTH, SEBASTIAN BACH) has issued the following update:

"It's been a busy summer (can you believe this heat we've been having....?!) and I thought I'd update you all on the latest in my neck o' da woods.

"Back in June I recorded my drum tracks for the upcoming SEBASTIAN BACH CD, 'Angel Down'. I've worked with producer Roy Z on several recordings in the past, including ROB ROCK and of course the HALFORD stuff, but from a drummer's perspective this one was a bit different for me.

"Let me explain a bit...

"First off, I'm right handed and during my early drumming years I played the conventional way of crossing my right hand over my left hand to play the hi-hat. A few years later I made the switch to playing 'open-handed' by placing my ride cymbal on the left side of my kit and playing the hi-hat with my left hand. I've been playing this way ever since I recorded RIOT's 'The Privilege Of Power' in '90.

"During my recordings with Z he would occasionally talk with me about moving my ride cymbal and crash ride to the right side of the kit. Without going into details about the sonic advantages for mixing a record with this configuration and being that this record has strong roots in straight-up rock 'n' roll I decided to give it a go. So I stripped down my kit to kick, snare, two rack toms, and a floor tom (of course I still played double bass but this time on one bass drum) and then I made the complete switch by playing the hi-hat with my right hand throughout the sessions.

"I've done so many recordings where I play alone to a click track. I usually have the music memorized or I'm reading a drum chart and it's no problem for me to do it this way but on this one we recorded with drums, bass, and two guitars in the same room at the same time — and Sebastian even singing his scratch vocal track! Old-school for sure! We would play a song 2 or 3 times and then we'd go into the control room to listen. Z and Sebastian picked out the best one based upon how the band gelled together and the overall vibe of the tune. We even recorded one song without a click. I haven't done that on a major record in over 10 years. This was also my first major recording that I've done since my switch to DW drums. The tonal quality of DW drums fitted with Evans drumheads was amazing to hear during playback.

"Some people are in awe of the players that Sebastian has assembled in his band for the past year and might expect this record to be a full-on musician's record. Well, don't expect SPASTIC INK with vocals! I'm not saying that there aren't moments where we don't shine but we went into recording this CD thinking that we wanted to write and play great, memorable songs. This record is definitely about THE SONGS first and foremost....and Sebastian is singing his #%% off! Can't wait for you to hear this one!

"Immediately after finishing Sebastian's CD we flew out to headline a show in Bulgaria. This was one of those where the combination of the sound, crowd, and vibe made us feel like we never wanted the show to end. We then flew out to the U.K. for 2 shows opening for GUNS 'N ROSES in Sheffield and Newcastle. GNR is an awesome live band — I loved watching their show every night. After that we had a draining four-stop flight to Japan for two shows at the UDO Music Festival in Osaka and Fuji. The weather was a bit of a drag (Fuji was like being extras in 'The Fog' Pt 2) but it was totally awesome hanging out with so many other great musicians/bands at the festival. I got to see a lot of old friends (including Z's band, TRIBE OF GYPSIES...) and make some new ones. We flew straight back to the U.K. for more shows with GNR in Nottingham, Birmingham, and two shows at the Wembley Arena in London. All in all, it was an 18-day whirlwind. Glad to be home to unwind and re-charge my batteries.

"Oh yeah, after moving out to L.A. some 5 years ago I'm finally making my official Hollywood debut (no worries, the Oscars are safe!). A few months ago I got a call for a session (thanks to Joe Barresi for the hookup!),which turned out to be with noted producer Dave Sardy (SLAYER, HELMET, etc.) who was in need of a double bass drummer. We banged out a couple of tunes one afternoon and the result can now be heard in the animated movie 'Monster House'. It was co-produced by heavyweights Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg and features the voices of Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, Fred Willard and Catherine O'Hara, among others.

"See you at the movies!"