Derek Grant - Alkaline Trio Performance Reel 2016

A collection of some of my more "theatrical" moments on stage with Alkaline Trio. When you get to do something you love for a living, you'd better have fun doing it. I enjoy playing drums, and each performance gives me the opportunity to do things differently, to evolve. Growing up in the 80's, a time when music became much more visual, I was drawn to the cartoonish aesthetic, and over-the-top antics of rock and metal bands.  I wanted to twirl my sticks like Tommy Lee, but I could never quite get it right. But as I got older, I realized that the spaces between the beats are important (sometimes more important) than the beat itself.  That's where rhythm get's it's swing, it's groove. So, it's only natural that in 20+ years of performing, 15 of which have been with Alkaline Trio, I would develop a cache of ridiculous gestures that exist in those spaces. These exaggerated motions were all born in flashes of inspiration on stage, a want to challenge myself, or as an attempt to make someone in the room laugh or at least smile. Never rehearsed, and often times executed poorly, they've become part of who I am as a drummer. Footage from the 2008 Agony & Irony tour. Bonus Challenge: Come up with names for all my moves and post them in the comments. I'll pick my favorites and send you something good.