New release! Iris Divine - Mercurial

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Iris Divine released their latest album recently and it’s another MUST LISTEN. I had the honor of playing percussion on it again and even got an arranging and engineering credit!

Here are some of the reviews coming in:

“The focus on delivering the right riff and rhythm section combination…keeps Iris Divine away from being a mere ‘technically brilliant’ band only for the musician set – logical songwriting skills are paramount.” Dead Rhetoric

“An Iris Divine album always gives you a unique experience, but this time it comes with genuine bounce and swagger. This is an enjoyable album, taking the band in a more commercial direction, and another definite for the playlist. 9/10 Powerplay Magazine

"The musicianship from a trio is quite impressive...Brian Dobbs is also a monster on the bass guitar, playing with the fluidity of Geddy Lee and the ferocity of Les Claypool...an intelligent and sophisticated sense of songwriting. The production is also top notch. You don’t want to miss this one." Metal Temple

Navid was more than happy for me to come up with whatever ideas I had after listening to all the demos. A lot of the guitar and keyboard lines translated easily to mallet percussion (glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, and/ xylophone) in my head. The industrial aspects conjured up concert bass drum hits, brake drum clangs, thundersheet wallops, and gnarly sounding effect cymbals. We also experimented with cowbell, rototoms, darabuka, djembe, hand claps, gas can, shakers, bell tree, concert toms, a jazz ride cymbal, extra snare drums, vibraslap, and I’m sure a lot more. Some of the instruments like vibraphone, marimba, and glockenspiel play in unison or in harmony with the keys and/or guitar (the breakdown of “Sapphire” especially), some instruments play their usual role (cowbell and shaker) and some add texture and impact (bass drum, effect cymbals, thundersheet etc).

The idea was to at least HAVE the options to bring into the mixing stage and then cut the fat off. A lot made it, a lot didn’t. Of course the end result is tasteful as a lot ended up being superfluous anyway.

Here is an example of the mallet parts in “Sapphire”-

And here it is in context with the bass, keys, and guitar-

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Some more pics-

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Here are all the pertinent links. I hope you check out this great new album!

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3agYpE1

Apple: https://apple.co/3sQ9iTt

Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/312597437

Youtube: https://youtu.be/E5Za-QWwtMY

Bandcamp: https://irisdivine.bandcamp.com/

CDs and T-shirts: https://irisdivine.bigcartel.com/

CDs outside of North America: https://www.layered-reality.com/.../iris-divine-mercurial/

Sorrow & the Spire-Debut Single and Video

Last Sept. 2020, I wrote about recording six songs for Sorrow & the Spire, Navid Rashid’s solo EP. I’m happy to announce that the first single, “My Misery Calling,” is officially released with an accompanying video:

Here is a link for streaming audio. Click the pic!

Navid Rashid-Vocals, Guitar
Jeff Teets-Bass Guitar
Chris DeChiara-Drums, Percussion

Special Thanks to Steve Brown (Trixter, Tokyo Motor Fist, Def Leppard) for his dedication to the project and making it sound as good as it does.

Thanks to LJCreative for being so into the project and sweating just as much as we were!

It’s interesting to watch the final video knowing the ordeal that went into setting up the shoot. The venue was Graffiti Warehouse in Baltimore, MD. There were two studios inside and we didn’t know till we were able to start bringing equipment in that we were on the second floor - up two VERY steep and long sets of stairs. Of course, I had to bring the 6-piece DW kit, rack, drum riser, and a bunch of cymbals. Needless to say, it was the hardest load-in of my entire life. And that is with help! As luck would have it, the room we were in consisted mostly of windows…letting that nice hot sun add that special touch. The natural lighting did look good though!

Since we recorded three songs, the drums would have to move to a different part of the room for each one. Sounds easy, unless your drums are on a rack system on top of a drum riser, with uneven wooden floors. Moving the kit a couple feet was an ordeal itself!

After a couple hours of shooting each song 3-4 times each, our time was up and we needed to get everything out of the building ASAP. Going downstairs IS easier, but it was still brutal. Dump everything in the alley, do an interview, pack the car, and finally…pizza. I’m not sure pizza never tasted so good. Or water. But thank you Joe’s Squared for being open and for being so damn tasty.

I really hope this project takes off as all six songs on the EP are incredibly strong. Please check out the links above and follow the band if you’d like as well:

www.facebook.com/Sorrow-The-Spire-105463695020899
www.instagram.com/sorrowandthespire

Thanks for the support!

Chris

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RIP Neil Peart 1952-2020

“The Professor” “The Master” “Neil Peart is God” “The GOAT”

The list goes on and on, not just for millions of drummers around the world, but for all instrumentalists from some of the greatest bands that have existed.

I’ve spent all day going through the tributes online from Gene Simmons, Dave Grohl, Questlove, Stewart Copeland, Paul Stanley, Brian Wilson, and the list goes on and on and on. There might have never been as many tributes about any other drummer. It’s a testament to how much of an influence he was on almost EVERYBODY. There are many posts about not even being a Rush fan, but appreciating him as an artist-drummer and lyricist. I mean, what drummer (who doesn’t sing) writes all the lyrics in a 40 year band career? Lyrics that were about philosophy, science fiction, society, poetry…what drummer has been air-drummed to more? Nobody. I can’t do justice to what he meant to everyone else, but I want to at least share my thoughts and anecdotes on my drumming hero.

NP has been my biggest drumming influence since I was 9 years old. I’ll never forget asking permission to watch Rush on MTV when they played concerts on Friday nights. Very late-maybe 10pm! While Limelight was playing, I was awestruck by the figure behind the vast array of drums. White, short sleeve shirt, buttoned up all the way and a little red bowtie.

What he was playing was beyond anything I could comprehend (I didn’t start even playing till 4 years later) but I remember staring at the TV and this moment subconsciously laying the groundwork for things to come. I didn’t say “I want to do that” but later in life I DID want to do that-that actual thing. We would play tackle football in my Mom’s backyard (sorry Mom) and the other guys always brought a boombox. One day they cranked Exit…Stage Left. If I recall correctly, we all had to stop and listen to the drum fills in Tom Sawyer. Again, no idea what was going on, but all I could say was “wow!” Throughout high school I was studying to be an architect (hmm) but if the rock drumming thing DID happened, great. When I finally decided to go to college, I wanted to be a rock drummer-with some classical training. Even though NP didn’t have classical training, his use of electronics, mallets, and various percussion was enough for me to literally want to BE HIM. That’s what I was hoping for in my college education.

In under grad at UMASS Lowell, some of us put on a Rush tribute show, a song from almost album at the time. A video projected the album cover in the back and even some animation. The stage was set as a kind of living room where musicians that didn’t play on a song could sit and hang out while everyone else was rocking away. There were two drummers involved and one of us was going to take the “early stuff” and one the “later stuff.” Knowing the “early stuff” would include Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, I demanded I be on that set! It was a total blast to finally dig into the songs with a real band and really try and replicate everything as best we could. In the program, I thanked him for “every note.”

Along the way, I practiced my Rush drum transcription book constantly and found other outlets to perform their songs. A local cover/party band I subbed in found ourselves playing Oh, What a Night, Brown Eyed Girl, into Red Barchetta and La Villa Strangiato. No one was there anyway-at New England Conservatory, we played Limelight for a trumpet player’s (he played guitar too) graduate recital.

I bought all the books, all the DVDs, bought isolated tracks when I could find them, and recorded drum videos of Subdivisions, Limelight, and Red Barchetta, YYZ, and Tom Sawyer in my home studio. If you want to check them out, head here-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6BV566_hAY&list=PLzRC-Cqw-5g4d1THNHtMX5oB8bZghZ31B

I truly thought that if you were going to cover anything by Rush, you played the drum part EXACTLY the way Neil composed it. And that’s what he did-composed his drum parts. Like a classical composer thinks over and over again how to compose the most effective part-every single note, Neil did the same and we all appreciate it that much more. That’s why his parts are so memorable and why if you’ve ever been to a Rush show, thousands of people are air drumming to every groove and fill. Listen to just how the bass drum is played and when it’s played. Distant Early Warning is one of many examples. Sparce at first and gradually denser-adds tension and musicality. That alone is a masterful drum lesson. Iconic fills aside (Tom Sawyer, La Villa, etc etc), just listen to how the drum grooves are not just composed, but how they change from beginning to end. It’s all thought out. And again, shouldn’t be played any other way. They’re perfect as is!! Dedication to his craft. He would’ve made a great classical musician!

I was told about Neil’s passing right before I got to a gig last night-my Iron Maiden tribute’s biggest gig to date. I was definitely numb when I heard but “luckily” I had so many distractions ahead of me. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to concentrate while playing but I at least could dedicate every single note to him.

UPDATE-Six days later after writing this post, I had the unbelievable opportunity to sub last minute with the local Rush tribute, Sun Dogs. And I’m just realizing this on May 9.

On Sunday, Jan.12 (apparently when I originally wrote this blog post!), I was asked to sub in on a 90 minute set with the Rush tribute, Sun Dogs, a band I’ve seen and admired for a while. Of course it was cool that their bassist/singer was (is) the bassist for Kix! Considering I was scheduled to fly to LA for NAMM two days later and not come back till after the concert was supposed to happen, it seemed pretty far fetched. Never mind the fact of learning or relearning that amount of material in 6 days! And at the same time, there was this feeling of ‘I can’t say no.’

Initiate plan. Sunday, it was agreed that it would happen-Tuesday would be the first rehearsal. Monday night was spent configuring a kit that would work for the songs on the setlist. A couple considerations-the kit I would practice on and the kit I would perform on were going to be different. I have a 7-piece Tama Superstar kit all mic’d up and ready to record in my basement. But my regular gigging kit is a 6-piece DW Collector’s Series kit. Knowing I’d perform on the DW’s, I had to also set that up and dress it up with the appropriate percussion: temple blocks, wind chimes, wood blocks, splash cymbals, cowbells, crotale, timbale, electronic pad (for the chime notes I didn’t have), extra snare, and the ever important glockenspiel.

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All set up at the show.

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After 6 hours of getting everything where it needed to be, it was time to…take it down!

Tuesday consisted of dressing up the Tama kit with all the percussion and relearning all but 2 songs that I had to learn from scratch (Time Stands Still and Analog Kid). That night we rehearsed for a couple hours and felt pretty good. The next morning, I flew to LA and was supposed to start the journey with a lesson from drumming great, Gregg Bissonnette. But that’s a story for another time. I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Anaheim doing all the NAMM stuff while cramming any Rush listening I could. Friday, I flew back to VA for our second rehearsal. Things were a lot better! Saturday, was the show and I was there at noon to start loading in and get set up (thanks Billy).

Performing for a living has the usual byproducts of pressure and expectations. But most of the time, unless you’re a soloist on a given occasion, there’s a lot more to focus on than just you. So, a lot of it is in your head. On this night, there were a myriad of things-Neil just died. Lots of friends were coming. The regular fans would wonder who the hell I was, where was the regular guy, and if I can cut it. There were 6 days to prepare and I wasn’t home practicing for most of them, but on the other side of the country. Kix’s drummer was there. Oh, and it was a sold out show of 600. No pressure!!

But one moment happened where somehow a lot of that was lifted. About 10 minutes before we started, I went on stage to put some water bottles by my kit. There was an immediate sense of “welcome” and “appreciation” for some reason from the people that already started making noise. I gathered they were just happy to be there and to hear some great music, especially in that tragic week. Game on!

The setlist:

Freewill
Analog Kid
Red Barchetta
Time Stand Still
Xanadu
YYZ
Tom Sawyer
Intermission/Neil Peart tribute video
Spirit of Radio
Broon's/Trees
Hope
Subdivisions
La Villa
Dreamline
Limelight

It was one of the hardest things I’ve done and so worth the effort. While there were a few hiccups on my part (how many variations of “mistakes” are there?), I was very happy overall and the show was a tremendous success. Check out more pics here.

The day after, I flew back to NAMM and recorded Limelight at Soultone studios. Crazy that this was already scheduled months in advance.

And the next morning I was home-just in time for a 10:00am US Navy Band rehearsal!

To say it was a whirlwind would be an understatement. But it all came down to having to do this. For the Professor! And so glad I did. It was like a tribute to Neil that was thrown into my hands without my own doing.

I never met him but definitely got a sense that I knew him somewhat, whether it was reading or watching countless interviews, reading all of his books, or just listening to his words or drumming. He’s one of maybe two people that if I met in real life, I really would not know what to say. Exactly what he would NOT want!

Thank you for all the perfect notes, Neil.