Peterson's Drum Blog

Liberty DeVitto has come by to tell us what he thinks about drumming and the drum world. Peterson's Drum Blog is very glad to have him stop by and talk to us!

Peterson's Drum Blog:
What was your child life like?
Liberty DeVitto:
I was Born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 8, 1950, second generation Italian. Life began in a one room furnished apartment. My mom would empty a dresser drawer, line it with a baby blanket, and that became my bed. My Mom said it was the radio on top of the dresser, which she kept on all the time, that gave me my love for music.

PDB:
What did you you want to be when you grew up?
LD:
When I was a kid my first memories were to be a clown and join the circus,I love the fact that there were happy clowns and sad clowns... they captured every emotion...

PDB:
Liberty, Feb. 9, 1964 gave you the bug to drum eh?
LD:
O God that night changed my life..

PDB:
How big of a inspiration is Ringo Starr to you?
LD:
Ringo was and still is a great inspiration for me...He was the ultimate drummer in the ultimate band... and thats what i wanted to do, I wanted to be in a band and have girls screaming at me !!!

PDB:
How did you hook up with Mitch Ryder?
LD:
By the time I was 18 yrs old I had been banging around Long Island and had a good reputation as a drummer...Mitch's drummer (Johnny Siomas, Framton comes Alive)had gotten very ill.Mitch's tour manager called me and said they needed a drum to tour with them and they had heard about me...I said when do you need me... they said "tonight" , The first time I saw Mitch was when he walked on stage to preform..Mitch and I had a reunion last year at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

PDB:
Supa's Jamboree was your fist studio gig. Tell us about that experience.
LD:
I had been in the studio before, but this was in Atlanta .. it was with guys who had done this before and had trmendous sucsess. It was a very exciting learning exsperance..

PDB:
You had to step away from the drums for a while due to the wreck coming home from the gig in Cleveland. What kind or re-hab did you do to get back your chops?
LD:
My first gig back was at a catering hall playin wedding. I learned more doing that then anytime else in my career...I was called on to play all different styles of music. It was fun.. I did that for 2 1/2 years..

PDB:
Your band "Topper" eventually became Billy Joel's band. Tell us how you hooked up with Billy.
LD:
I had known Billy enought to say hello when I was in High School... we both played in the same club together in different bands..Doug Stegmeyer(Bass) was in Topper , then he got the gig to do the Streetlife Serenator tour with Billy. After that tour Billy , who was living in Calf. at the time, wanted to move back to NY and put together a band that Recorded with him and also went on the road... (at the time he was using two different bands). He told Doug he wanted a NY style agressive drummer... Doug reminded him about me and the rest is history... The first album we recorded was "Turnstiles" the basic tracts were just me, Billy, and Doug... when Billy needed guitars doug and I brought in Rusell and Howie, and the whole "Topper" band was in the studio. Then with the addition of Richie Canata... that became "The Billy Joel Band"

PDB:
You were a Tama guy for a long time. Now with Mapex. What set up do you use?
LD:
I use Mapex "Orioin" along with sabian Cymbals, Pro-Mark sticks and Evans Heads.

PDB:
Can you tell us a little bit about Camp Jam?
LD:
We take kids we call "bedroom players" they practice all day and night, and put them in to bands, because thats what you really want to do as a musician , is be in a band...The see how it take team work and cooperation to make a band work..The come in the first day with their heads down , very shy.. then by the end of the week they are jumping around the stage doing solos like real rock stars...

PDB:
Little Kids Rock is your favorite charity. Can you fill us in on that?
LD:
LKR gives free lessons to inner city kids. It is just guitar, drums, bass, keys, vocal.. the things kids today want to learn...LKR supplys them with the instrument and if the kid sticks with the lessons for a year he/she gets to keep that instrument..

PDB:
Can you tell us about any studio ventures your involved in at the moment?
LD:
I record with a lot of "independant artists". There is some great stuff out there... It's a shame how bad shape the music business is in...thank goodness for the internet..

PDB:
What is one experience that comes to mind that sticks out while on the road with Billy all these years?
LD:
Well there were these two chic's .....
No I'm kidding, well there was these two chic's but I wont talk about that.... I would have to say playing in Cuba in 79, and Russia in 86....

PDB:
What advice do you give to young people you talk to when they tell you they want to play drums?
LD:
When your band starts going places and recording , get everything in writing, you may be great friends now but who knows what will happen down the road...

PDB:
One last question I have to ask...The groove you laid down on "Just the Way You Are", was that a natural feel thing or something you had to fit in or what? I've always loved that groove...
LD:
Its kind of half Reggae, the bass drum on three and half somba... with the little tom fill..

Links:

To find out more about Liberty, go to
www.myspace.com/ldthedrummer

To find out more about Little Kids Rock, go to
www.littlekidsrock.org/
www.myspace.com/littlekidsrock

To find out more about Camp Jam, go to
www.campjam.com
www.myspace.com/campjam

Or go to Liberty's Inside Drummer page: Click Here

Labels: Liberty Devitto interview