Interview: Mike’s drum tech, Eric Disrude

I had arranged with Mike to interview his tech Eric Disrude when the band hit London in October 2005. Eric was extremely enthusiastic about doing the interview and incredibly flexible about the time he gave us. What follows is a transcript of the interview I conducted with him in the upstairs bar area of the Hammersmith Apollo on the afternoon of October 24th.

AM: When did you first hook up with Mike and what were your first shows together?

ED: Last summer (2004) with the three Italian shows. The band did a rehearsal day in Italy and that is when I met Mike for the first time. Originally, a friend called (Jerry Pratt, Bass tech for DT) and mentioned they were looking for a tech. I hadn’t heard anything again about it until I received the call direct from Mike about a month later. Funny thing, I was buying a bottle of water and answered the phone while in the middle of paying, The guy is trying to count my change and I’m hearing from the phone “Hi, this is Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater...” and the guy couldn’t get the change right, so I just walked out and left him a nice tip. Mike started telling me about the band and what their plans were and then my battery died. I hung up on Mike. After a quick panic attack and battery change, we reconnected and it all sounded good to me, so, here I am!

AM: Any lasting impressions of your first shows?

ED: I remember being impressed with the size of the venues for those shows and how big the band had become – they have a very strong following.

AM: What were you doing prior to working with Mike?

ED: I was doing audio installations in theaters and clubs and also working shows/tours mostly for the Latin music industry. I live in Miami, and it is the Latin music industry hub.

AM: How familiar were you with Dream Theater?

ED: Very familiar in their early days. I was playing in a band at the time, and my cousin (a drummer) turned me on to “Images and Words”. We went to their show in Denver for the “Images” tour, and that was the beginning of the end of my career as a drummer. I was listening and thinking “if this is where the music industry is going – I can’t do this – maybe it’s time to get a job!”

AM: Really since starting up with DT, you’ve had a “baptism of fire” as most of your shows have been multi-bill festivals or at least outdoor shows, so you’ve had a lot to contend with – how did that work out for you?

ED: It was disas-tour-ous! [Laughs] I became the guy in the movie Memento. I just started writing down notes about everything and anything that I needed to remember. I was so overwhelmed with vocal cues and where everything goes that the week just went by really quick – it was three shows in seven days. Just me and my lists, Gatorade in a cup, bottle of water here, another there, sticks the right way around, spray bottles primed, sticks to the dressing room after sound check, and don’t forget the boxing robe – it was endless! In fact, I still have those lists!

The tour with Yes in the states was pretty crazy trying to get the drum set on and off the stage everyday with the small space we had to work with. That would have made a great drum tech instructional video! At some shows the whole drum set came off on a forklift – very interesting to see on a night to night basis!

We developed a way on Gigantour to break the drum set in half, because it had to come off the stage in less than 10 minutes. Our first show was a disaster, we only had the 10 minutes to get it off, but it took 20. And that’s when we had to re-work everything, where we could split it in half.

AM: Do you enjoy that side of it, where you have to work out fixes to problems pretty quickly?

ED: Well, it was one of those things where I had to think about it – it was so ugly that something had to be done about it – I’d rather think about that stuff before the tour starts – have it all designed and ready to go with some contingencies – but I guess you could say it’s been stimulating!

AM: Was Mike understanding of those problems?

ED: Actually, I don’t know if he even knew of the problems! He would come in and ask how things were, and I would be thinking “for you it’s going to be great”, but on a production level, it’s a nightmare! By the time he walked in each day, his drum set was in place and everything he needed in his world was there, so that didn’t really ever change, which is the most important thing.

AM: When Jose did the handover, what was involved?

ED: We flew up to New Jersey – he was doing another tour and he only had a couple of days off so it was a very brief, quick meeting one morning basically, and then he had to catch a flight out and so did I!

AM: So you had to learn quickly in a short space of time!?

ED: Yeah, we started around 8:00am and we worked until noon and just basically went thru everything – I took a video camera and I let it run, but actually never really went back to those tapes, it was well designed and labelled.

AM: When you were offered the job, did you know what you would be taking on in terms of the size of the kit, etc.?

ED: Yeah, that was probably the key decision ‘cos at that point in my life, I really didn’t know if I wanted to be a drum-tech again, then I got the call from Mike and I was thinking “OK – wait a minute... This is different, it’s not just any drum set!” So yeah, I knew what I was getting into!

AM: In the early days, how long was it taking you to set the kit up?

ED: Actually, production gave me plenty of time to work. Especially during the Italian shows. It was about three hours to set-up and an hour to break down. I have worked on Latin tours with good sized drum sets with electronics, and huge percussion rigs with all the toys, so really, Mike’s set isn’t all that bad for me, but it’s still a lot!

AM: I guess you needed two or three shows before you started getting REALLY familiar with where everything went on the setup?

ED: Well, actually it was a LOT more than that, especially with cymbals.

AM: So you learned on the US kit, and then came over for the Italian shows which used the European version – were there many differences?

ED: They were pretty much the same – there were some different mounts and the way some things were positioned was slightly different.

AM: Do they both have their own drum mat with the positions of things on?

ED: We actually had to get a new one as the original one got lost in the mix somewhere! When we arrived in Italy, I was really counting on that carpet being there. The US kit had a carpet when Jose showed me the setup, everything was laid out and marked on it, so there was some confusion without the original carpet, but because the rack is the way it is, everything kind of fell into place and anything I didn’t know, we figured out, so it was alright.

AM: So with the new kit (The Albino Monster), you’ve been involved with the design right from the get-go. I guess there was a lot of discussion with Mike?

ED: Not really too much discussion. We removed the Siamese Monster from the studio (the Hit Factory) after the drums for Octavarium had been recorded, then we took all the drums out of storage that he had from older tours and the Japanese Monster to his house to set up his drum room. It took all day, and the better part of a night, and it turned out great. Anyway, on the way back to the studio the next day, we listened to the new album and talked about what he wanted for a new set and pretty much nailed down all the details, then it was go! It was pretty straightforward.

AM: So did that entail a lot of liaison for you with Tama and Sabian at that point?

ED: Yeah – but basically it was the “A” side of the Siamese Monster, everything pretty much as it was and then the “B” side was his Bonham style kit which he’d originally used with Hammer of the Gods.

AM: I guess the complex part was joining the two halves together?

ED: Right. The “HOTG” kit was originally all on stands, but touring with a drum set on stands is not the best idea with a drummer like Mike, so I definitely wanted to build it into a rack. Also for the consistency of look, and so that was the main challenge. That, and making it fit on a 10’ x 10’ riser.

AM: It’s lucky that the 26” kick drum isn’t any deeper than it is, as it would probably have been too much to fit in the space?

ED: Right, well if you notice, the riser is turned a little bit because in order for Mike to face the crowd, we had to turn the riser on an angle.

AM: There are a lot of custom parts on this rig – I read you had to go to Home Depot and buy extra pipe cutters and such?

ED: Oh yeah – I came with some tools, but as we got involved, I didn’t think that I would be cutting quite so much steel! The biggest problem was the finish on the drums had to be redone, so everyone worked overtime to get it all ready for the tour.

AM: You also had a short timeframe to get this done.

ED: Absolutely. We only had two days to build it at Tama in Pennsylvania, so we worked ridiculous hours; we worked from something like 9:00am on the second day till around 3:00am! I had to sit and label everything as I was falling asleep and then go straight to the airport to catch a flight home! So we did a lot in two days. I’d like more time for the next one.

AM: How long was it before you were familiar with mic swinging for Mike?

ED: Last night! [Laughs] Well, there are always new songs in the changing setlists, and some of these are songs that I haven’t heard in a long time or ever. If I don’t hear a song for three weeks, it kind of goes from my memory a little, and some of Mike’s vocal parts are very short and quick. It’s getting a little more natural now though – I’ve got most of them down, but you have to pay attention!

AM: Have you had any “run-ins” with Mike as he’s incredibly professional and expects the best out of his tech, too?

ED: Hmmmm... On the record, I will say everything has been just fine! [Laughs] Mike is a perfectionist, and he’s worked hard over a long time to perfect his craft. Any problems that have arisen during a show are from something not being perfect with the show. I understand it. For instance, the microphone wasn’t there when it needed to be, the lights are not doing what he wants them to do, the video has gone all wrong. I think Mike is somewhat misunderstood at times – he just likes things to be nice – “or you must die!” [Laughs]

AM: You have one great claim to fame with Mike in that you actually play on “Octavarium”.

ED: Is that true?!! That was kind of funny. The day I went to take the drums out of the studio he walked in and said “it’s good you’re here, get warmed up, you’re going to play this part with me!” I really thought he was kidding. It was cool and I’m definitely honoured!

AM: Did you actually stay in New York for the drum recording for “Octavarium”?

ED: No, I was only there for a couple days – just me and Ray Amico (Production Manager) and the keyboard tech (Bert Baldwin).

AM: I noticed the 14” snare had an unusual head on it for most of the recording – it looked like a Powerstroke 3 or similar.

ED: Actually I set up several snares with different heads and different tunings so he could try them out – I think he must have liked that particular snare/head mix.

AM: Being Mike’s tech is a little more than just setting up the kit – can you give us any more of the kind of things you have to do as Mike’s tech?

ED: Well, being interviewed! Being Mike’s tech, people want to talk to me, and I don’t like people! [Laughs] When we did Gigantour, they had a whole video crew out and they constantly wanted to interview me and tape the building of the drum set and I avoided it like the plague. I finally said “OK” and we scheduled a time, but they didn’t show and about five more times they didn’t show – I’d get all ready, do my nails, hair and make-up, and they wouldn’t show! So this is my first.

On a different note, it is cool to see the respect other drummers have for the guy I work for. Chad Smith (of Red Hot Chili Peppers) was playing at a festival in Sweden on the same stage as us, and he saw me setting up Mike’s kit, came over to me and said “you work for this guy? This guy’s a genius!” We talked for a couple minutes, and then I had him sign a head for me. He signed “Eric, Mike is a genius. Whatever he pays you, it’s not enough!”

AM: Have you had any breakages during shows?

ED: No. I’ve watched other bands have problems though. I watched as the drummer from Megadeth broke his kick-drum head during a show – and that doesn’t look like fun! That’s probably the worst thing to go because you can’t just switch it out. I have spare snare drums handy in case Mike breaks a snare head. Things do loosen up though, like a microphone will come loose or fall over.

AM: And Mike spots them so quickly!

ED: Yeah – that’s the first thing I learned working for Mike – I am always scanning the drum set in case anything moves or loosens. He likes it if you notice it before or as he does – he knows you’re paying attention!

AM: When you come to pack away at the end of a show I guess you have a strict routine so that nothing gets missed?

ED: Every night there are different scenarios so I don’t always stick to a set order – but everything has its place in the cases. I have stagehands that help me with things like cymbals and the rack, but I’m pretty much “hands on” with everything, I stay away from getting too much help.

AM: Is it your responsibility to make sure that all your cases get loaded onto the trucks?

ED: In the end, yes it is, but our bass tech has the least amount of gear to pack up, so he is first to the trucks and is in charge of the pack. My stuff is usually the last to the truck, so by the time the stagehands are rolling the cases off the stage they can go straight into the truck.

AM: You’re certainly settled and comfortable with your role as Mike’s tech; do you look far forward in your life or do you take things more one step at a time?

ED: In my life I live completely with whatever comes at me – it’s more interesting that way. I’m starting to do more planning, I’m a father, I have two little girls, so I do have to plan a certain amount, but outside of that, it’s day by day. I had no idea what I was going to do that summer in June 2004 when Mike Portnoy called my cell phone!

AM: So you know what you’ll be doing up to the first quarter of 2006 with Dream Theater?

ED: Yes, we have Japan in January and then the US for February and March up until April.

AM: Maybe the band will decide to take the summer off?!!

ED: Yes, that is the plan, but I will have to keep busy if they do!

My thanks go out to Eric for giving so much of his time and taking the trouble to make this interview so special. Additionally big thanks to Mike for giving us the OK to grab all of this time with Eric! Also thanks to my technical assistant Robbie, for being present at all times. Look out for Eric behind the kit at your next Dream Theater show and watch just how much work he does – he’s one busy guy! Until the next time...