Saturday 17 March 2012

INTERVIEWED | Gemma Hill

    Ladies and gentlemen, I present the long awaited interview with the lovely and talented drummer; Gemma Hill. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as myself - and those RiD fans will be looking forward to some future concert information.


Gemma Hill



1) When did you start playing the drums and what influenced you?
    I started drumming when I was 10. I'd been learning the violin from the age of 4 and was always really into music so my mum showed me a list of other instruments I could do at school. Drums sounded really exciting to me and I thought it would make me unusual as no other girls played them at my school. I've been influenced by some great drum teachers as well as people like Evelyn Glennie, who my mum took me to see play percussion a few times when I was little.


2) Did you grow up with a musical background?
    Not particularly, although both my parents used to play instruments them selves when they were younger and I have an aunt who was an opera singer! I grew up listening to the music my big brother and sister listened to and my mum encourages me and enabled me to take every musical opportunity I could. I was thinking the other day about how many hours she must have spent over the years driving me to rehearsals, lessons,concerts and exams and waiting in the car for me! I had a quite difficult time at school with health problems and bullying; my mum's encouragement with my music has resulted in a lot of confidence and happiness for me and shaped who I am as an adult so I'm very grateful to her.



3) If you could work with any artist/band in the world who would it be and why?
    I'm a sucker for well produced pop so I would love to play for Kylie! Also Bat For Lashes; her music is great to play and her drummer, Sarah Jones, is very inspiring! 


4) How did you and the girls from Robots In Disguise start a friendship?
    Ha! There is a story behind this one. I heard from a friend that RiD were looking for drummer via myspace and I got an audition with them. In the audition, for some strange reason, we talked about natural toothpastes and deodorants! I think I had just tried out some new products and was mumbling about the pros and cons of them or something. They didn't initially pick me but a few months later I had a call from Sue asking if I was the girl who'd talked about toothpastes and deodorants and would I like to play for them on their European tour supporting Gossip. So it pays to stand out from the crowd! 


5) Since drumming for Robots In Disguise what's the best gig you've performed?
    There are so many! In 2008 we played at Iceland Airwaves festival and our set was cut short because the festival was running behind schedule. The crowd went nuts, Dee got shoved around by a bouncer and we kept on playing in the semi darkness. It was exhilarating, adrenaline fuelled and a bit scary but the audience didn't want us to stop and neither did we! Other gigs I've especially enjoyed with RiD were the Grapes festival in Slovakia when it was boiling hot, Rabarock festival in Estonia where there was a thunderstorm during our set (we pnaicked that we'd be electrocuted but the crowd stayed with us in all the rain) and a gig we did in Montalcino, Italy, last year where the crowd were quiet to start off with but we whipped them into a frenzy!



6) Do you aspire to follow another career or hobby besides drumming?
    Everything I love to do is based around drumming; I teach people how to play and I write for a drum website (www.mikedolbear.com) where I get to interview other drummers. I enjoy the variety it brings me and I love tour the most so I'm very happy with what I'm doing; I'd like to do some bigger scale tours over the next few years. Eventually I'll probably quieten down a bit and get my masters degree n music therapy but that's a while off yet.


7) If you didn't learn to drum, what would you see yourself doing now?
    I used to want to be a journalist but I do that no anyways, then I wanted to be a drum teacher and I also do that now! Before that I wanted to be a professional ice dancer but I had to let that go for my drumming so I like to think I'd be training for the next winter Olympics! 


Official Website - http://www.gemmadrums.com/
Twitter Account - @GemmaDrums
Drummer Articles - www.mikedolbear.com
Robots In Disguise Website - http://www.robotsindisguise.co.uk/

    Fagan x

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