Monday, July 11, 2016

Volume 39 - Korian Hannah







KORIAN HANNAH









Hello once again, my drummer fam and readers of Talkin' Chop.
I bring you greetings from the sunshine state, Florida.
(via my office chair in Cali.)
This interview is a good one and hope you dig it. We're gonna get into some Gospel and some Blues and a little of everything in between. Like all of the previous interviewees, this kat is another great example of the hustle. Enticed by and driven by the sound and feel of 'the drum' at a young age, Korian submitted to this thing called music and it's beautiful ambassador, Drums.
Growing up in church, getting his training and moving on to other genres and using his craft wherever he can. He has proven himself to be a kat you call and count on.

With continuing aspirations in music, from playing with national artists to completing his solo EP and bringing to fruition his own band, this brother has got a lot going for himself and I'm glad he took the time to Talk a little Chop with me..and you.


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Name or Stage Name: 
My name is Korian Hannah/adrummerslove

Where are you from? 
I am from Miami, Florida born and raised in the county, Dade 

How long have you been playing? 
I've been playing drums for over 20 years

What is or are your main genre of playing? 
Gospel and Blues. However I am fluent in all music genres 

How did you get where you are now? 
I am the drummer at my church, St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church and I have learned that walking by faith and not by sight knowing Gods favor is upon me will lead me down the right paths and to the right people. Knowing this has made networking, self promoting and building healthy relationships with anyone I encounter, possible.

What are some of your goals? 
Short term Goals are to finish my EP. Long term goals are to be on a musical level that will enable me to be financially independent. Not having to work 3 jobs and gig a lot to make ends meet. 

Artists you would like to play for? 
Oh boy what artist don't I want to play for? At one point in time, I wanted to play for Kelly Price so bad lol. However with so many great artist out now I'll be glad to to have the opportunity to play with one of them. 




List some of your accomplishments- 
Had the ability to tour the East Coast last year with Rockin Jack Band, Endorsed by Soultone Cymbals and Queen City Drums, attended NAMM Convention in 2016, played and toured with the Lee Boys, Eliza Neals and Christina Robinson.

Do you have your own band or do your freelance? 
I have started my own band, 2JK, where currently we are the house band at Spitters for their open mic events. Most of the work I acquire is from freelancing. On the other hand, I play consistently with a Juke band (www.jukepostblues.com)

Do you play any other instruments? 
I started out on the drums however while in middle school, high school and College, I played the sousaphone. Since then I've learned how to play Bass Guitar and started learning keys. 

What are your touring experiences, if any? 
My first tour was with The Lee Boys back in 2010. Since then I have been on the road with them a few more times as a sub. I recently did tour with an artist by the name of Rockin Jake. Being on the road has its perks especially if you're with a group that likes to have a good time and doesn't have ego and attitude issues. The only part I would say that gets to me is missing my kids, family and my church.

Describe your current set up & gear -   
I am currently using a Gretsch Catalina Maple kit (which I've had for about 8 years and is still in perfect condition) 10", 12" Rack Toms 14" & 16" Floor Toms, 22" Kick and a choice of snares, I also currently use Evans EC2 Coated Drums heads. Soultone cymbals setup is 13" Vintage Hi-Hats & 14 Extreme Hi-Hats, 17" Custom Brilliant crash, 16" Extreme Crash, 21" Vintage ride, 17" FXO 12 Effect Crash, 15" & 18" Gospel Crashes. Now when it comes to sticks. I'm all over the place lol. I use a pair of Aaron Spears signature Sticks by Vic Firth, Chris Coleman signature sticks by Vic Firth, I use Vator Gospel Fusion sticks and you know the bag of 10 pairs of sticks from Guitar Center, yea those are always a great deal lol. 







Do you have multiple kits and snares? 
I have one kit that I have had for 8 years and it is still in great condition, I have an electronic kit that I use for practice, rehearsals and to record drums sessions using addictive drums 2. I have 5 snares also. 

Which wood shells do you prefer? 
I've never been really big on wood. They all have a unique tone that can be used in many different genres. As long as you find the right heads to use and tune them well for whatever genre it is, in my opinion, you will have a nice sound. 

Do you have a “Dream Kit”? 
 When I was little I used to want Mike Portnoy's Purple Dream Theater kit Lol. Now, just give some good quality drums and I'm good to go lol. After attending NAMM this year and seeing so many other drum companies if I did have a dream kit, Love Drums struck my attention while at NAMM

How would you describe your drumming style? 
Pocket with a little seasoning. 



Soultone Cymbals - Korian Hanna - Bass-n-Drums


Why the drums? 

That's where it's all started lol.. Sitting by the drummer in church as little boy waiting for offering or the end service to get on the drums. My moms friend and my brother were in a quartet signing group and I would go to the rehearsals and just watch and listen. Until one day the drummer stopped playing for the group and what better chance to get and I started playing drums for the group, Trueway Gospel Singers

If you weren’t playing drums, what would you be doing? 
I would probably be playing Bass guitar or Keys

How has drumming impacted your life? 
Drumming has impacted my life by helping me become more meek, humbled and wanting to leave behind a legacy for my family. I've built many relationships that have become very important to me. It has given me the chance to travel, learn, explore, and so much more. 

Is the music business your career? 
Although I have two part time jobs yes I consider music business to be my career. 

Are you involved in the local music scene in your hometown? 
Yes I am very much so. When not gigging I try to support other local artist in different events or possibly sit in when needed or even if it's just to jam.




Name 5 of your drumming influences? why? 
My first musical influence was Mike Portnoy. When I was about younger the church I played for at the time had just bought a new Tama Star Cast Kit and it came with an instructional VHS Cassette Tape with Mike Portnoy, Kenny Aronoff, and Thomas Lang I believe were featured in this video. I admired Mike Portnoy segment. I would rewind his part and try to study his playing however he was way to skilled for me to keep up with. Next came along Mr. Calvin Rodgers. I first heard of him playing with Pastor John P. Kee and New Life Community Choir on the Not Guilty Album. His fills and placement are amazing along with precision. Next I would have to say Tony Royster Jr. His style of playing is very urban. I got a chance to shake his hand and sit next to him at Joy the Drummers event in California for NAMM 2016. Next we have Eric Moore. His speed around the kit is just unheard of lol. The combinations he puts together are very well thought out. Aaron Spears, this guy is just solid and powerful. I've always thought he had an advantage of being a leftie playing right handed

Name an inspiring concert that made you want to go home and start shedding? 
Going to any concert for me just makes me want to get better. I've been to many concerts and afterwards there is just this feeling that sometimes can't even be explained only felt.

How much time do you practice? 
I try to practice at least 1-2 hrs a day




Are you involved in local Shedding sessions? what do you get out of those sessions? 
I haven't been to any shedding sessions in such a long time and if they have them I really don't know about them because I'm always working or gigging. 

Describe your current gig(s) 
I'm a full time drummer at my church, St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church (www.stpetemiami.org) I am currently playing with a band named Juke (www.jukepostblues.com), and whoever else calls. 

Do you record drum videos of yourself? how has it helped you? I most certainly do record myself. It's helps with promoting myself by putting little promo videos together, sharing on social media, and listening back to hear mistakes as well as observe what others see.


aDummersLove Promo Vid


Do you concentrate on Chops or Grooves? 
Grooves are very important 

Are you into electronic drums or programming? 
I'm into programming for the most part. I've done a couple sessions on electronic drums. 

Are you a songwriter? 
Yes, I am a songwriter currently working on an EP.  

As a songwriter, what do you want to say with your lyrics and music?
As a songwriter I write how I am feeling spiritually at the time where I believe it takes people to place that we can all relate to. So in my lyrics I keep it simple and encourage people to believe and keep the faith no matter what life throws.

If anyone would like to donate, all donations are welcomed at www.gofundme.com/adrummerslove

Do you sing and play? 
I was raised singing and playing quartet music. 

Do you prefer studio sessions, local live gigs or touring? I prefer studio sessions because I can always go back and listen to myself playing to see what can be done better and how I can potentially improve playing.

Do you prefer being in a band (artist) or being a sideman? 
I prefer a band. 


aDrummersLove Promo Vid (2014)

Do you have a crazy or interesting gig that you can share with us? 
Just imagine a drunken guy trying to take the guitar off of the guitar player while he is playing and stumbling over his pedal box destroying cables. Lol that night was pretty interesting. And needless to say the bouncers picked him up and literally threw him out.

What are your words of wisdom for your fellow drummers out there? 
First and foremost keep God first in all you do. No matter what people may think about your playing, no matter how many calls you don't get, no matter how many people you reach out to to help you grow musically or whatever the case may be, do the best you can until you get better. Never give up. There will be dry seasons where calls are not as high as the usually are. However, that's not the time to get discouraged. Use the time to practice, network, and connect with other people, go out and be entertained by other musicians and network some more. 

Last Words, Links, Hashtags and Thank You’s??? 
 I can't end this interview without thanking God for thinking of me to bless me with the gift, everyone that believed in my vision and prayed for me and help me rise to stardom. Thank my mother for always being supportive and willing to help me out in every area. I have to definitely thank my lovely, beautiful, magnificent better half, that is crazy enough to put up with me and really demonstrate her love for me by always being in my corner. She is the epitome of "beside a good man, there is a great woman." I love you dearly. I have to personally say thank you to my Pastor, without your guidance it may have taken me longer to get where I am today. And my last thank you is to you for giving me this opportunity to share a piece of my life with those who follow your blog. I really appreciate it

Follow me on Instagram @adrummerslove hashtag #adrummerslove, Follow my Facebook artist page adrummerslove and my personal page Korian "ingoditrust" Hannah. Also here is the link to my promo videos on YouTube that I created for networking. 


Hey Hey Hey, give it up for Korian Hannah!!
It's always a good feeling to know there are some good katz out there and they have an incredible love for music. Musicians who want to share the gift the have been given with others.
Korian, thx for being a part of TC. I am thankful for you sharing a piece of your drum life with us. Can't wait until you come back to Cali or when I get back to Miami, so we do lunch.(i'm for real)
Hey everybody, please make sure you hit up Korian and drop a hello on one of his pages and support his EP project and make a donation. I know he would greatly appreciate it!

I hope you guys enjoyed getting to know aDrummersLove (i dig that)
I think it's appropriate bcuz we drummers got nothing but love.

Drummers, tell your drum buddies about Talkin' Chop.
And for those that would like to be interviewed, hit me up.

DeHaven - de@oliomusic.com
www.facebook.com/talkinchop
www.facebook.com/dirtyde
http://twitter.com/talkinchopblog

#DrummersSupportDrummers  #TalkinChop  #DrumLife


I'M OUT!



DeHaven is sponsored by Soultone Cymbals - SilverFox Drumsticks - Cympad - Cymbag - Phatfoot Drum Harness


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