It’s release day for the new Bully record SUGAREGG and I’m pumped! I haven’t kept up with this as much as I’d like but figured I may get some gear questions about today’s release. I documented all the gear involved to hopefully be able to answer the aforementioned questions listener’s might have and to be clear I’m not a gear junkie. Yes, I own lots of drums and cymbals etc. but I just hit things that sound good and roll with it. So forgive me in advance for not knowing exact models/product or if you see an error somewhere in labeling. If you are in fact a drum nerd and know exact models and approximate years of drums please feel free to contact me so I can update the post to make it as factual as possible. :)
Drums for SUGAREGG were tracked in two separate locations on two different “base” drum setups with rotating cymbals and snares per each particular track’s needs. I’ll start by breaking down the base setup (stuff that didn’t really change between tracks) for each location and then list the specific snares and cymbals by track. Aight, let’s get started.
The first session took place August 5th through August 10th, 2019 at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, MN. We spent Monday the 5th working out songs with bassist Zachary Dawes and got setup and rolling on Tuesday the 6th. The base setup for that session looked something like the photo below.
Base Drum Setup for Bully Session at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN.
This included the following gear:
Risen Drums (9 Ply Maple)
22 x 14 Kick / 13 x 8 High Tom / 16 x 16 Floor Tom
Meinl Cymbals
14” Byzance Medium hihats / 18” Byzance Thin Crash (left) / 22” Byzance Jazz Big Apple Ride / 20” Byzance Jazz Thin Crash (right)
I took photos of all the rotating snare drums to hopefully get help from some gear heads later. Those look like this and will be labeled as such.
O K - Now that we’ve established a starting point, I’ll break down track by track and only mention what is different and how things were generally tuned etc. to the best of my knowledge from my notes.
Add It On - 8/6/19
Snare - 14 x 5 Ludwig Supraphonic (dead as F*_k! Straight up no rebound at all)
Kick wide open w/ no muffling
Every Tradition - 8/8/19
Snare - 14 x 6.5 Risen Drums Black Brass (Detuned - almost as if hitting a pillow)
Hihats - 14” Zildjian Mastersounds
Kick drum was muffled with a utility blanket inside
Prism - 8/7/19
Snare - 14 x 6.5 Risen Drums Black Brass (Detuned)
Kick wide open w/ no muffling
You - 8/9/19
Snare - 14 x 6.5 Risen Drums Black Brass (Detuned)
Hihats - 15” Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin
Kick muffled w/ utility blanket inside
Like Fire - 8/10/19
Snare - 14 x 5 Ludwig Supraphonic (dead as F*_k!)
Hihats - 14” Byzance Benny Greb Sand Hats
Kick muffled w/ utility blanket inside
Stuck in Your Head - 8/8/19
Snare - 14 x 5 Ludwig Acrolite (open medium tuning)
Hihats - 15” Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin
Kick muffled w/ utility blanket inside
Come Down - 8/8/19
Snare - 14 x 6.5 Risen Drums Black Brass (Detuned)
Kick muffled w/ utility blanket inside
Not Ashamed - 8/9/19
Snare - 14 x 5 Ludwig Supraphonic (dead as F*_k!)
Hihats - 15” Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin
Kick muffled w/ utility blanket inside
Hours and Hours - 8/10/19
Snare - 14 x 6.5 Risen Drums Black Brass (Detuned)
Hihats - 15” Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin
Kick muffled w/ utility blanket inside
What I Wanted - 8/7/19
Snare - 14 x 6.5 Risen Drums Black Brass (Detuned)
Kick wide open w/ no muffling
That covers all the bases at Pachyderm. The second session took place over the course of a couple days in December 2019 at The Palace in Toronto with Graham Walsh at the board. The two tracks on the record from this session had the same exact setup. Here’s what was used for both “Where to Start” and “Let You” off SUGAREGG tracked on 12/4/19.
Ludwig Keystone Badge Drumkit (Guessing 1967 Superclassic)
20 x 14 Kick / 13 x 9 High Tom / 16 x 16 Floor Tom / 14 x 5 WFL Snare (didn’t match kit)
Cymbal Setup
14” Byzance Benny Greb Sand Hats / 19” Byzance Extra Dry Thin Crash / 22” Byzance Big Apple Dark Ride
Here’s a few photos of that setup and snare drum.
Drum Setup in Toronto at the Palace for Bully session.
Front View of Setup in Toronto at the Palace for Bully session.
In conclusion, these sessions were so god damn fun and each one had it’s own particular style flow wise. Finally being able to share these songs with you is a treat and milestone of my own personal goals and years of hard work with the talented badass Alicia. I learned so much working with Alicia, John, Zach, and Graham on this record and it truly brought out the best in myself as an individual and my playing. I couldn’t be any happier to present to you SUGAREGG out on Sub Pop Records now!
P.S. There are some fun extras below if you’re feeling froggy.
